Six Buck Food Truck…

ICE HOUSE – in San Antonio it is a cultural tradition. It might be nothing more than a modest shack selling cheap beer in an outdoor setting with picnic tables. One of San Antonio’s oldest ice houses, The Acapulco Drive Inn, recently closed and reopened with new owners. Located just south of downtown on Alamo Street in the Southtown neighborhood, The Alamo Street Eat Bar captured our attention and curiosity.

Before visiting the ice house we decided a quick detour to Market Square might be fun. We were not disappointed! The holiday weekend filled the square with an eclectic group (tourists?) of people. Music was everywhere and the mood was festive…

Bubble Man!

Dancing machine...

Do you wanna dance?

Leicalady is always looking for inspiration. She has a real knack in finding the perfect subject for her next painting. I am not so sure that she found it here…

Portraits anyone?

Not my style!

After a quick walk thru the shops we were ready for our date with the ice house. On the way out of the market a familiar logo caught my eye…

John Deere...

Mobile food trucks have taken San Antonio by storm! Alamo Street Eat Bar features five of these mobile culinary eateries – The Chili Queens, Chris Cullum’s Attaboy Burgers, Tapa Tapa, The Rolling Pig, and Wheelie Gourmet. Entries from each run around $6-$8. The menus were varied and certainly not overwhelming…

Leicalady and I decided the Rolling Pig would be our truck of choice. The combination of fresh air, inventive food, and low prices makes Alamo Street Eat Bar a fun place to visit. Our only objection was the small portions – we had to eat a salad when we got back to the Rockin’P! But what do you expect from a six buck truck!

Go play in the street San Antonio!

Beats $4 gas...

 

Leicalady and I had a difficult time imagining 2 miles of a major street in downtown San Antonio free of cars, trucks and big city buses. We HAD to check out the first Siclovia event which was held last October. We were not disappointed! Live music, local food vendors, bicycle training classes and transit demonstrations dotted the route. We loved the fact that Siclovia was so pet friendly…

 

 

Sunday, March 4, 2012 will be the second Siclovia event in San Antonio. The city-wide celebration is a joint venture by the City of S.A. and the YMCA. Broadway (major downtown street) will be closed for more than 2 miles to traffic. Participants are welcome to bike, run, walk, jog, skate and just “play in the street” without worrying about vehicular traffic. Venues will be set up in adjacent parks – providing water, restrooms and pet stations. Exhibitors will offer free yoga and zumba classes. Healthy food booths will be available along the route. The idea is to encourage family activity and bring awareness to the obesity problem that plagues the Alamo City. For more information check out their website.

 

Vintage HulaHoop..

 

Sky taking a rest...

 

Sharing a ride...

 

Pony Boy…

Stud muffin...

 

I remember so well the first time I saw him – it is hard to believe that it was over 15 years ago! Leicalady was absolutely thrilled that he was finally ours. Pony Boy. He has brought so much joy to us and our extended family, Nieces, nephews, cousins and friends have all saddled his gentle back. He rules the pastures with his beauty and grace. He commands the deserving respect of his comrades – he is the boss. We strolled to the front pasture tonight and there he was – waiting for carrots. He nickered in pony talk – pleading for more carrots. How could we ever resist his precious smile and face…

Six requirements on living with an artist…

Work in progress...

 

After returning home yesterday from the grocery, I asked Leicalady “would you be so kind and put up the groceries?” She mocked me the rest of the day with many “would you be so kind…” Living with an artist is fun! Leicalady is not only passionate about her art but also everything else she cares about – our two precious boys, Annie, our seven dogs, seven horses, two Longhorns and of course Miss Piggy. The passion in her life is reflected in her art. I have learned over the years, that there are some important requirements to success in living with an artist. I am happy to share them…

 

1. Be patient.

 

2. Be supportive.

 

3. Give them their space.

 

4. Don’t make it about the money.

 

5. Cherish every work they create.

 

6. Share the passion!

 

Leicalady has so much more than the creative ability to mold perception and shape moods using the color in her brushes. Her artistic endeavors have been an inspiration to me for decades. Living with an artist is easy. It is perhaps one of the most rewarding relationships one can have…it can teach you things about yourself you didn’t know. Art is something amazing – make it a part of your life. Share it. No matter what type of art you make, it can be one of the most fulflling things that you can share in a relationship.

 

Living with an artist – no problem. Just never say “would you be so kind”. Just saying…

Cockeyed?

Have you ever come away from an art exhibit with the feeling that the artists must be “cockeyed” to paint such weird-looking art? Yesterday morning Leicalady and I settled into our normal Saturday routine. I had just finished my run and was waiting in the truck for Leicalady to finish hers. I picked up one of Leicalady’s art magazines and starting thumbing thru the pages – truly, every single image had to be produced by a cockeyed artist! I saw NOTHING that I thought was worthy of notable consideration. I am very visually open-minded. What could produce these artists to paint with such strange colors, distorted figures and really unusual impressionistic effects?

Curious, I turned to the magic of Google. I was shocked at the results. In the late 1930’s there was actually a Los Angles eye physician who claimed that such visual defects of nearsightedness and astigmatism account for what the average man considers weird in modern art. He went on to speculate that visual defects may have been responsible for much that is great in modern art and were perhaps a factor in the founding of the modern school of impressionistic art! He theorized that visual defects produce vision where details are lost, essential lines and shapes are relatively more striking but objects are blurred and colors, especially blue, are not seen correctly. Now it makes sense. Thank you for explaining it Dr. Lloyd A Mills!

I have worn glasses to correct my nearsightedness for fifty years. I started thinking that perhaps I too have the capability of producing bizarre art. Just saying…I love the cockeyed look. I try to capture the not so obvious. If nothing else, I satisfy the curiosity of my own mind…

No adjustment necessary...

Cockeyed is officially defined as the condition in which the lines of sight of the two eyes are not directed towards the same fixation point when the subject is actively looking at a subject. One treatment that appears to offer relief from this “eye defect” is vision training – also called eye exercises. I imagine that all artists practice some form of eye exercises. I am positive that the results vary – evidenced by lack of appreciation of the artists that I saw yesterday in Leicalady’s magazine! One thing is for sure – when it comes to art that I appreciate, there is nothing that compares to the efforts of Leicalady!!!

Cactus Jack

Eleven from ’11…

As I say goodbye to 2011 and bid farewell to the headlines that featured the saga of Casey Anthony, the loss of Steve Jobs, the great earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, the uprisings in the Middle East and the other news stories of the year, I cannot help but look back on just a few of my favorite images of this year. (it was very difficult to limit my choices to eleven!)

Rockport Texas

Things could be worse...

Beautiful Door County Wisconsin

Sky Baby

Annie & Christopher

Vintage MiniMac

Lake Michigan Clouds

Our Baby Boy

 

Yours truly...

So happy together...

 

The love of my life...

 

 

 

Where is this?

Enough hints…I need the village in Door County where this is located!

 

The name game...

Insight…more from Door in Black & White

Door County lighthouse...

 

Door County Wisconsin takes on a whole other perspective in black & white…still very beautiful but the contrast in black and white is spectacular!

 

Bruce's 1934 Ford "Pickmup"...

 

The Sturgis cowpath...

 

Sister Bay beach...

 

 

Thru the viewfinder…

Retro? There are so many new apps that create a “vintage” look from a  digital file that I had to give it a try. Leicalady and I have several vintage cameras to choose from but I thought the old Kodak Duraflex might work the best…I concocted a cardboard tunnel that I affixed to the viewfinder. I then would focus my Canon D5 thru the tunnel onto the Duraflex’s viewfinder. Confused? Here is a picture to help visualize…

Leicaman in action...

After a little help from Aperture 3.1 the images really began to reflect the old “vintage” look! The first subjects were of course the animals of the Rockin’P…

Little Mini Mac...

Here comes Flaca!

Lucky the old goat...

Saddle Up!

Pasture ornaments...

More from Door…

Door County Wisconsin is a photographer’s paradise. So many great photo opportunities. Leicalady and I shot over 400 photos…these are a few of my favorites…

Sunrise over Lake Michigan...

Bruce looking for Swans at Washington Island...

Bay clouds...

Two windows...

Cana Island...

Beautiful beach...

 

Cannot wait to get back...