Friday was a rather busy day

The grandkids came for the sleep over Thursday night and all went well, meaning no one got hurt and we all still have smiles on our faces. Lately we have been watching them at their own house, so Ian hasn't spent a lot of time over here. He turned 1 in July and is walking now which is an understatement; he is hell on wheels. My gosh he is one fast moving kid. I stupidly thought I had the house childproofed and to some extent I do - those plastic things in the plugs (I can't even plug anything in because I can't get the protectors out), childgates to prevent entry into the more dangerous areas like the laundry room (which contains the litter boxes), all precious items moved to high places. But once Ian was here I suddenly saw my house through new eyes and it seemed like everything was an accident waiting to happen. Not to mention the cats, good grief, Ian really likes the cats but he is so boisterous he scares the crap out of them. Aidan is very much the big brother now and it is so cute to see. Both the kids were delightful and we had a great time. They slept in on Friday which was unexpected but certainly welcomed. Aidan woke up about 7:45. He is so adorable with his sleepy eyes and shy morning smile. I had to wake Ian up about 8:15 because we were going to drive them home at 9:00 after Papa cooked a pancake and bacon breakfast for them to enjoy. John and I got dressed for hiking because I wanted to stop at Castlewood on the way home to do a quick little 3 mile bluff hike. I had on cargo shorts, sports camisole, athletic shoes and a ballcap. Aidan looked up at me and said, "I like your hat, Yia, Yia...." Oh just go ahead, melt my heart you little charmer..... Anyway, while we were driving over to Beth's, I did a phone interview with a local newspaper regarding the Schlafly show. Also had another phone meeting yesterday with the U City public schools regarding a teacher workshop that I will be co-teaching in a few weeks. Felt good to get some business stuff done. I am trying to not obsess (too much) over my possibly (insert word of your choice) stupid, shallow, naive, gushing comments to the press about the upcoming show........ugh...... http://www.schlafly.com/artoutside.shtml We got over to Beth's around 9:30 and I was hoping she and Frank had enjoyed a leisurely morning of lolling about, sleeping in, maybe breakfast in bed, perhaps some wild uninhibited sex since the kids were gone....oh foolish me, these 2 type A's had in fact moved all the furniture and were just finishing the carpet cleaning for their entire house. Lordy Lordy. John and I dropped the kiddos then headed over to the park for our hike. It was really wonderful to feel my feet on the ground. I was struck with the idea we need to do it more often especially on the weekdays when no one is on the trail and especially during the fall while the trees are changing color. We hiked up to the top of the bluffs, it is pretty much total uphill on the front end and I wished I had worn my hiking boots as the terrain was pretty rough. But your efforts are rewarded by a stunning view of the Meramec river (which is painfully low since we haven't had much rain) and the surrounding countryside, undeveloped areas of rolling hills, amazing it is so near the burbs. Thank goodness the state has protected this land as a park. http://www.mostateparks.com/castlewood.htm After our hike we headed home and I worked in the studio for the bulk of the day. Small breaks here and there but I got a lot done and even prepped another dozen canvasses which I will start on today and tomorrow. We then headed out to dinner at Red Moon with our friends John and Darryl. Claire had told me the chef had left the restaurant but I didn't think the food had suffered much, if at all. I did find the service to be weak, we had this goofball for a waiter who didn't adequately handle normal tasks such as opening and properly serving the 2nd bottle of wine......or asking if anyone would like espresso or coffee with dessert........or even adequately explaining the change in the menu......But we thoroughly enjoyed the evening, such good company(!) plus the stunning decor of the restaurant. http://www.redmoon-stl.com/ If you go to their website, we happened to be sitting so that we were looking directly at that fabulous painting of the Asian woman. After dinner we headed over to Mad Art to see an opening that didn't close till late. Ran into some people we know plus I knew one of the exhibiting artists - he and I have a little mutual admiration thing going on. We had done a show together earlier this year and he even bought one of my pieces. I don't have one of his yet, but the time will come. Anyway, Paul's show, Dystopia, is wonderful. Love the new work! It is part digital but also part painted and the best part is the subtle (or not) meaning embedded within. Such a commentary on society. I don't see the newest stuff on his website yet. http://www.pauleplanet.com/