bridges

I do not think it wise to allow me anywhere near bridges or perhaps just Portsmouth. When I came for the symposium in 2011, I had the privilege of being on the old truss bridge for one of the last times.  I thought then that it was the last day but I think now they were having a party before it shut. This week I watched as an enormous sea going ship lost its moorings and thumped into  the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge between Portsmouth, N.H and Kittery, Maine.  The bridges over the Piscataqua River ( what a great name!!) were just a couple of hundred yards away from each other, I foresee traffic jams for some time.  

Memorial Bridge

 
 

Vermont ....is...fad....i..n..g......

Vermont really is fading now ......my tour of New England has had some hiccups - one anyway-  but it has all been spectacularly excellent and I am back in Boston ready for my flight tomorrow.  The wonderful Gary the director in Vermont delivered my suitcases to Boston for me so I haven't been dragging them around for the last week. Thanks Adria for taking delivery of them at 7am!!!   Trying to get 70lb of marble in 2 suitcases through customs at both ends may prove interesting, here because I need to persuade Delta to carry the excess baggage in the first place and get the work onto the 'plane and then back home when they wonder why I have some suspicious white powder (marble dust) and some slabs of rock in suitcases that are overweight.
I had a wonderful time in just the last week with some really very special people (and Bella the dog), we have drunk tea and put the world to rights, seen some great art in both personal studios (http://www.jennypage.net, http://www.adriaarch.com) and galleries. Concord tomorrow for more galleries, making the most of seeing as much as possible before my final trip to Logan.

andres

After yesterdays trials, it has been a glorious day, blue skies and enough sun to not take a coat with me when I went

out for a walk. Bella the soppy dog and I headed out to the Andres Institute for a couple of hours.  (http://andresinstitute.org) I needed to have a look at the brilliant sculptures (below) made at the last symposium and to see how mine is getting on (above).

 

Isidore Batu Siharulidze

buses

I left you last night when I was on a bus stop bench waiting for a coach full of Canadians one of whom might allow me to spend the journey on their lap. I did not accept a lift from a dodgy geezer who didn't like to see any one in distress, my thoughts were on the cynical side and that I would be most distressed if I did accept any of his offers. I did not make friends with bed bugs in a flaky motel, I did not spend the night on the bench like a bag lady. I saw no more of White River Junction than I had to, there was a seat! I had to buy another ticket but I made it to Manchester to be met by all the lovelies! Bella might just remember me but even if not, she has worked out that I can be relied upon to play/scratch ears/ rub tummy as she requests. A big thanks to Susan and Russell who were not going to let me suffer if I didn't get on the bus and today is a glorious spring morning.

Johnson has evaporated

This morning seems a long time ago. I left snow, a sculpture in the back of a car and some wonderful artists after an amazing month. The memories are rapidly evaporating. I did have a successful day in Hanover in the Dartmouth College Archive with some unbelievably helpful archivists (none of them were called Samantha). I now have a wealth of info about TB Huxley Jones, an English sculptor with some public sculpture there. The archivists even went to the trouble of finding out the bus times for me ..........that is the 'ok ' and 'good' bit. I bought an on line ticket to catch a Greyhound bus to Manchester and spent a lovely half hour at the bus stop with an Indian student discussing world population, traffic, economy of North Korea, David Cameron and the cuts,..... he was really interesting. A shuttle bus got us to White River Junction at 5pm ..........that is the 'ok ' and 'good' bit over. It starts to go downhill from now on.  My friend left me at the bus station and 3 hours later and I am still here waiting for a bus that I have a ticket for, that is already known to be running late and is officially already full!!!!  If someone gets off then I will get a seat but will have to buy another ticket in cash! There is now there is a queue of people behind me. The driver is a sweetie but isn't hopeful of a seat tonight because he thinks the bus was full in Montreal, apparently Canadians come down en masse for the long Easter weekend.  Americans don't shut for Easter hence my day in the archive. The driver is more optimistic about getting onto the next bus at 4.30 am. Shall I pop into the motel next door for a few hours zzz - is it worth it? - set an alarm for 3.30 so that I can back here to be first in the new queue. Or will it be full of Canadians thinking that there will be a seat? Does yours truly get on the bus? Does she spend the night on the bus station bench? how about bed bugs in the motel? Find out more in the next blog.......

looking forward to Bella

I have been up and down the stairs umpteen times today, the studio is cleared, suitcases packed and I spent the afternoon taking an amazingly beautiful spring walk through the woods along the river. I saw no bears or chipmunks or racoons. No camera again so I cannot confirm but I might just have possibly seen what potentially may be a set of bear prints ......but I am not sure. After a few drinks this version of the story may change somewhat.....or even substantially.
This has been an astonishing month surrounded by incredible artists but for the last week it has to be Dartmouth College in Hanover tomorrow, then the weekend with the adorable Bella the dog who has humans Susan and Russell, my american family when I was here for the stone symposium. I really hope Bella remembers me.

wobbles

My sculpture stands ! Despite my blasé confidence, I could not be certain but I know now that the piece will stand even though for the moment it has to have clamps and props. I have not set up a video to record the results of three 25lb pieces of marble bouncing off someone's foot, so viewers tonight will have to stand at the door at a safe distance and peek through in case the floor boards wobble and the whole thing crashes. The stone may bounce but the feet will be dented if entirely flattened, probably not recommended, and I don't want a bill from the podiatrist.