Just some various reports, comments, etc. This trip lasted just two weeks. That’s too short. For the past few years it’s been for an entire month. I have every intention of choosing the longer visit in 2027. The Big Chill Weather is always a crap shoot. I didn’t do so well this trip (another reason…
Read More UK (mainly Wales) 2026
Imaginative, creative and more than a little nuts: Terry Jones and the new statue celebrating him.
Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. And, though he moved to England as a young child, he remembered his hometown – and his Welsh identity – throughout his life. Known best for his work in “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” Terry had a long career as writer, actor, director and educator. He died…
Read More Terry JonesA peaceful – if cloudy – day in Machynlleth, Wales. I had walked down to the Dyfi River to do a watercolor of the old bridge. As I worked, I listened to the sheep and the birds. And the fighter jets. They were practicing their trade in the “Mach Loop,” a route that zooms –…
Read More Machynlleth, part 1I got to stare, in person, at two paintings by Claude Monet. I even tried to draw one. The art museum in Columbia, SC has an exhibit called “French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 – 1950.” I visited it this week. I didn’t fully understand the theme behind the exhibit. I figure it was along…
Read More What a privilege…Sydney Poitier! Christine McVie! Mikhail Gorbachev! Taylor Hawkins! And Chris Barker. You know the first four names: They’re among the famous folk who died in 2022. Chris Barker, thankfully, is still among the living. An award-winning artist and designer, he has created an annual visual salute to the dead since 2016, using The Beatles’ Sgt.…
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