Another day, another excellent celebration.

I had the family to my place over the weekend before our traditional birthday / mother's day dinner. It was great to have them all over for a few appetizers and a glass of wine, and we got to chat for a bit here and over dinner. Always lots of fun! And, I finally got a replacement for the broken teapot!










Gorgeous!


Gift certificate to Susur Lee's!




mmm... wide angle shots. Great shot Chris.


A clear glass teapot!


Thanks to Chris for taking the pictures!

Merode Altarpiece

Click on image to make bigger.

The other night I was reading about something or other, and that lead me to something else, and then something else, which lead me to this. The Merode Altarpiece is all I really remember, and it was the take-home message apparently. I dunno... anyway, gorgeous print with the three panel idea... read more, if you like, from the two links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merode_Altarpiece
The Mérode Altarpiece is a three-panel painting by the Early Netherlandish painter Robert Campin, although believed by some to be by a follower, probably copying an original by Campin.[1] It is currently described by the Metropolitan as by "Robert Campin and assistant".[2] It was created between 1425 and 1428. As arguably the finest Early Netherlandish work in New York, and in North America until the Washington Van Eyck Annunciation was acquired, it has become Campin's best known work, helped by the undoubted charm of the domestic setting and townscape outside the windows.


http://www.homeschoolonline.co.uk/art/great-works-of-art/the-merode-altarpiece-by-robert-campin.html
Two mousetraps are shown here. One is on the workshop bench; another is placed on the ledge of the workshop window. Did the artist only intend to show Joseph at work on a household object? Or did he intend, as one scholar suggested, an additional meaning? Was he picturing visually the sermon of Saint Augustine who said, "The Cross of the Lord was the Devil's mousetrap; the bait by which he was caught was the Lord's death." It was believed by the people of the Middle Ages that the divine nature of Christ must be kept from the Devil, yet only through the taking of the bait by the Devil could Christ be victorious. Saint Augustine said, "The Devil exulted when Christ died, but by this very death he was vanquished, as if he had swallowed the bait in the mousetrap."

EDIT: I remember now!: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gopnik... full version requiring password.

CMT: The Dakota Sessions

I didn't know this existed until today...

http://www.cmt.ca/Shows/DakotaSessions

The Dakota Sessions Volume 2
Check On TV for show times
Showcasing some of the greatest Canadian songwriters and musicians, including Luke Doucet, Justin Rutledge, Jimmy Rankin, Shuyler Jansen, The Sadies and Mike Plume in an intimate performance.