C’est Fini!!

Dear Liza,

Your book is finished!! Two solid days of being snowbound in Portland got me focused and brave enough to get it done.

After using a heavy grommet punch to put holes in the fabric covered spine, I clamped the pages, illustrations, and covers together. Ruthie Inman had sent me a whole book-sewing kit as part of her continuing role as “Judy Nudger”, getting me over being afraid of new things.

It must have worked, because here I am!

Using the awl from the kit, I pushed and twirled through all 70 pages, then started sewing! This is a technique called Stab Binding, and it was wonderful! I watched several YouTube lessons, then made up my own pattern.

I had been looking forward to this part, and it didn’t disappoint.

How satisfying to put the whole project together with my own hands!


See you soon!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Not Quite Done Yet!

Dear Liza,

Every time I think I’m nearly done with your story, I trip over the next step.

It took about five months to get the story itself written. Research on Denmark and its geography took a while, then making up how to get around and what should happen next, as well as how to create coded clues, kept me very busy and were lots of fun!

Once the adventure was written, I realized that it needed some illustrations. So there were a couple of months of noodling around with colored pencils, paints and collage. I looked at my favorite illustrators for inspiration. I studied Eric Carle, Margaret Wise Brown, and Dr. Seuss. I ended up with a combination of Henri Matisse and a clever third grader.

Since this is going to be a hand-made, hardcover book, I needed to come up with a design for the cover. It had to be like the inside illustrations but different enough to not give the story away.

Printing the pages took longer than I expected, as well.

Wrestling with Microsoft Word running on an Apple Mac was a test in checking every box and knowing when to walk away rather than smacking the equipment. I lost count of how many pages got printed too small, sideways, or just totally wrong. Let’s just say I have plenty of scratch paper for my next project. But it eventually worked out.

What’s next? Printing the illustrations, punching holes, and lacing the whole darn thing together!!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Tying Up Loose Ends

Dear Liza,

I have been working on the illustrations for your story, “Adventure Grandma”, for months now. It has taken a long time because I have no training in art or design and am making the whole thing up as I go.

I started with drawings, but they were not as bold as I wanted.

Then I tried collages made of ‘found’ papers from magazines and packages, but it was too much of a mishmash.

I wanted all the pages to go together, to have some elements in common, so I painted my own. A strong red, soft yellow and several different blues and greens did the trick. For the abstract people, I painted a little orange and lots of black on several sheets of mixed media paper.

Then I designed pictures that had diagonal lines, to show movement and action.

I am very happy with how the illustrations have turned out!
Now I am doing hand to hand combat with my computer to get the story printed out the way I want. I promise it will be ready for you in Spring!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Washing Harold

Dear Liza,

Our stufftie buddy Harold has had a busy life down in San Diego. He has been an emotional support stufftie for Madi, who is just your age and has needed lots of hugs. He has been to sleep-overs and out on bike rides through the neighborhood.

It was time for a bath. The problem is, Harold’s body is made of a knitted chenille fabric which has gotten very threadbare over the years, and we were afraid the usual washing techniques might be too much for him. So washing machine, or even hand-washing, were out.

He got baking soda. Put in a bag, sprinkled with baking soda and shaken gently, Harold looked, for a while, like a dusty snowman. I took him out on the balcony to shake him off so I didn’t make drifts in the house.

He was much cleaner, but his face, which had gotten lots of post-cheerleading, make-up laden hugs, was still schmutzy.

I rubbed gently with some dish soap, pulling off layers of color, and eventually knew I had to stop.

Here is our boy as he is, happy to be home, much loved, and a bit cleaner. He doesn’t look like he did fifteen years ago, but who does?

None of us can be bathed back in time.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Harold’s Home!

Dear Liza,

I’m sure you remember Harold, Auntie Bridgett’s stufftie. He has been with us for years, traveling all over Europe and Canada, as well as keeping us company when we were home.

For the last few years, Harold has been staying with Niece Madilyn in San Diego, while she was mourning the loss of her own dear stufftie, Bear. Harold and Bear had been friends and he wanted to be supportive.

But how Madi has agreed to let Harold come home ! We are so happy!

Cousin Kestrel has even decided to make a stuffed friend for Harold. She chose the same fabric I used for your placemats and napkins! Then she made the pattern and got the bits cut out the other evening. Next week, she will continue working on it. I will keep you posted if her progress!

I am hoping Harold will be strong enough to come with us on our visit later this spring.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Discovering New Art Downtown

Dear Liza,

We made a trip to downtown Portland the other day, getting computers repaired and buying new boots. We were early for our appointment at The Genius Bar and sitting around inside the Apple Store gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I went out for a walk.

As I was waking along, I looked down …. And saw a quote engraved into a stone in the the sidewalk!

“I could have been a contender. “Marlon Brando’s lament of lost legitimacy in “On the Waterfront.”

As I kept walking and looking, I saw more! Some were serious and lyrical, like bits of poetry by e. e. cummings and prose from Ursula K. LeGuin.

“Nothing can surpass the mystery of stillness”, by e. e. cummings, was part of a term paper I wrote in high school. Seeing it here, in my adopted city at this point in my life, was an amazing bit of circular memory. I got a little teary-eyed.

But of course, the next minute, I saw this brick that said “gobbledygook”, and got the giggles. I proceeded to see “granfalloon”, and then saw Groucho Marx’s

“I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll make an exception.” Nostalgic tears were defeated by more giggles.

By that time it was our turn at the Genius Bar, and then we headed off to lunch at McMenamin’s. Once we got home, I tried to find the name of the art installation, but have not been able to find anything about it. I’m glad I live in a city where Art just sneaks up in me!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Illustration Progress

Dear Liza,

I am still working in the illustrations for your story, Adventure Grandma, and have changed gears a bit. Instead of drawing the pictures of our imaginary adventures in Denmark, I am playing with collage and acrylic paints.

As I go along, I am discovering all sorts of new possibilities and difficulties. Finding the right colors and patterns is tricky. I found some in my collage box and am creating others. You never know what will work. All the circles for my moons, suns and bicycle wheels came off Kleenex boxes.

I need to make sure that all the illustrations are cohesive, as Tim Gunn says, so they look like they are going to the same party. I am doing this by using some of the same colors on each page. Red and yellow from our Portland Art Museum magazine are featured in flames, bicycles, sails, and the Peacock Theater.

Then there are the actual shapes and sizes of all the bits. Trying to make sure that the unfortunate cyclists are believable lead to a sort of accidental circus.

The process of collage involves making a thousand decisions. You get an idea of what your picture should look like, then hunt for paper that will get closest to that. There is a lot of reconsidering and rejecting along the way.

I am having such fun with this project! My only worry is getting it all done before we visit you in the spring, so I will go work on it now.

Love,

Grandma Judy

New Year’s Jazz at 1905

Dear Liza,

December is definitely our month for going out! In the 35 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, we have two anniversaries and three major holidays. It feels a bit much, sometimes.

We have spent the last half-dozen New Year’s Eves at home because we were worn out from all the holiday-ing. But this year, Grandpa Nelson found a place we just couldn’t resist.

1905 is a jazz club, cocktail bar and pizza joint all in one, up in the Mississippi neighborhood. It’s a small place with seats and tables for about 45 people. We ordered our food and drinks by way of an app called Union, which minimizes close conversations with strangers.


The Caili O’Doherty Quartet played a wonderful set of different types of jazz, from Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly” and “Come Running to Me” to Betty Carter’s “Tight”. Callie lead the band with her melodic and racy piano playing.

Parnell Newton, on trumpet, was innovative and powerful without hogging the sound wall. He could make the trumpet sing, shout, or whisper. Cory Cox, on drums, was all over the drum kit, putting in amazing flourishes that gave the music texture and imagination.

Ross Garlow played the stand up bass with head-bopping joy, dancing with his instrument as he laid down the bass line.

Besides the wonderful music and the joy of hearing it live, the pizza was outstanding and the cocktails delightful. We will definitely head up to 1905 again, once we have recovered from this holiday season.

Happy New Year!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Very McMenamin’s Holiday

Dear Liza,

I have told you about the McMenamin brothers and all their interesting restaurants created in historical buildings. Last night, we visited another one! Auntie Bridgett drove us through the rain and dark to the Chapel Pub.

It all started with Grandpa Nelson’s Christmas gift to Auntie Bridgett, a McMenamin’s Passport. This is a little booklet, like a real passport, which has a page for each region in Oregon. When you visit a restaurant (or bar, or hotel) on that page, you get a stamp.

Some larger venues have lots places to visit and get stamped. Edgefield has a dozen! When you have filled a page, you get a prize. This can be a free appetizer or drinks, but mostly what you get is the fun of going out.

This is, of course, a very clever marketing scheme, sort of an adult version of “Collect ‘em All!” We know this, and we don’t care. It is fun. We always have a good time at a McMenamin’s, enjoying the artistic renovation, the historical preservation, friendly service, and reliably tasty food and drink.

The Chapel Pub started life in the 1930s as a mortuary and chapel, which may explain the green “spirit orbs” in one of my photos. I imagine any mortuary would have a few lingering ghosts.

Another charm of The Chapel Pub is its historic pipe organ, and last night we got to hear it played. The talented and versatile Steve Kerin brought his giant suitcase of music and played requests for an hour and a half. Enjoying a Terminator Stout at the bar while listening to Steve play Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy” on the organ was a high point of the 2022 holiday season, for sure.

Have a wonderful new year!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Zooming Again!

Dear Liza,

After what seems like a really long holiday break, Ruthie Inman’s Zoom Art group is back together. I have missed doing art with this bunch of friends!

This week, Ruthie asked us to assemble collage materials in very specific color groups: white with black, black with white (an important difference!), reds, and something neutral, like a light brown print. I was intrigued. I dug in my scrap box and found some bits.
Ruthie had found a wonderful art piece by Deborah Shapiro for us to use as reference. The red wine positively sparkled!

Art supplies are always a bit crowded on my desk, but I make it work!


As the meeting started, Ruthie, Shirley, Vimi and I chatted about everything under the sun and started sketching, sorting and snipping.

A quick hour and a half later, we were all surprised at how well our pieces were looking.


The next meeting, we made more progress.

But still not quite finished. But we will play along, and all will be well. Patience!

Love,

Grandma Judy