Georgia in the Bronx (24)

July 8th
Inspiration: the word of the day for yesterday. And the missing checkbox in my list for a full and vibrant week. Without the stress and endless jarring of a day at school followed by the need to hibernate and recover from those stressful moments, my days are now calm and I can happily look for creative inspiration as my life source of adrenaline. Some people might get that same rush from competing in or watching sports. For Norman, I am sure it comes down to showing off his talent in an amazing one-eyed game of tennis, a skillful bet in poker, or perhaps a blood curling movie he knows better than to take me to. I get that rush every time I see something that screams out to me to be painted, sewn, or written, and it feels really good inside. The image of Murray now waiting to become a painting gave me that burst of adrenaline. And our visit to the Bronx last night to see Georgia O'Keeffe not only fueled my urge to blend paint on a canvas, but it inspired me to write as soon as I woke up today. Inspiration gets my clean and vegan blood pumping, the telemeters in my ancient brain growing, and my arthritic fingers ready to move. Inspiration is the fountain of youth and should be a checkbox on everyone's list.

A gift from Norman this year was a pair of tickets to see Georgia O'Keeffe at the NY Botanical Gardens. We spent a magical night together in perfect weather. We began with a stop on Arthur Avenue for an Italian dinner. That made me nervous since we are talking about traditional Italians here, kind of like Sonny's of Hopewell Junction. Gluten Free or other crazy American nonsense served here? Not likely. But a lovely dinner was possible, and it was discovered at Gerbasi's, a lucky stop for us on the traditional avenue. We dined at an outdoor patio with Godfather music filling the cool night air and it felt like we were transported not to the Bronx, but to Italy. My dinner was amazing, my date with Norman, lovely, and the waiter absolutely happy to put together a V/GF meal of my choice. Smart man. A happy customer means a returning customer bringing more friends to try out his Italian delights.

The O'Keeffe exhibition in the Gardens was just as perfect. It was a small collection of her flowers and landscapes and it filled my soul with art. The Gardens surprised me at first since we did not see a single flower. We walked along a path looking at pretty green lawns, cool origami lamp posts, rocky formations, and well-groomed trees. This part of the Garden looked more like a public park than a place to pay to enter. After walking around the exhibit in the library, we stopped to listen to Hawaiian music and I even joined in a hula dance lesson on a great lawn. Imagine me dancing? Not in my wildest dreams, but I did swirl my hips! The Hawaiian theme continued into a conservatory with brilliant flowers typical of a tropical island. They really did a great job of transporting everyone into the world that inspired Georgia. And it will inspire me to return to my easel with renewed spirit and gusto. Do I think Andrea will question the Hawaiian flowers I might paint around her sweet Maggie's neck?