Leaving on a Jet Plane

How come right before every vacation I think to myself, I really need to go on this vacation now.  After this summer, I really did a great job of getting my head into the right place for September and onward.  Now it is December and in many ways I am right back to pre-summer yet in many ways I am not. 

Last summer really did set me in motion to take time to smell the roses and I have much much more.  The flood in our apartment totally put me over the edge.  Alas.  We are leaving today to go skiing for two weeks.  I am totally looking forward to it. 

Before leaving I spent a day in Chelsea looking at some art.  The piece above is by Walton Ford.  A gigantic watercolor that kind of sums up how I feel.  I absolutely love the piece.  If you get a chance drop by the Paul Kasmin Gallery.  Seeing it in person is a completely different experience. 

I didn't buy the original but bought a limited lithograph that he did to prepare for the making of that piece which is at the top of this page.  I saw Fords first exhibit back in 2000 and I fell in love with his work.  Fred not so much so we did not buy this particular elephant.  It was and is magnificent.  A watercolor broken down into heavy metal frames.  The piece is probably 15 feet across and 10 feet high.  Huge.  The price was minimal compared to what it is worth today.  I believe they wanted $150K for this piece and it is now worth somewhere in the $8 million dollar category.  This goes under the category of trust your gut.  I still dream about this piece. 

Anyway, off to Utah to ski.  Should be much more relaxed by tomorrow.