Wandering in Sicily - Week's End

On a rock in San Vito, Sicily (Inspired by Caspar David Friedrich's 'Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer' painting*) By the lovely & generous Giampaolo Macorig, see here for the original format. Have a great weekend!

ciao-meow, GG/The Mgmt

[*the German painting is in the Hamburger Kunsthalle at http://www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/start/en_start.html.]

Darfur Peace & Development - Annual Report 2008 & Urgent Request

Darfur Peace & Development Organization (DPDO) has released its Annual Report 2008*, here. DPDO is the only Darfuri-led U.S.-based NGO still operating on-the-ground in Darfur, Sudan.

Emergency request: We were going to leave this at the release announcement, but donations are off due to the global financial crisis. While this is understandable, DPDO finds itself short to pay day-to-day operations, much less development. If you look at administrative costs, you will see that they are very low.

DPDO is asking for emergency donations of $1, $5, or $10 through the website & its Facebook page. Things are tough, really tough. If you can help, please know that anything you donate goes straight to people on-the-ground.

A big thank-you to all.

(*Printed copy requests through the website or download as a PDF).

[Peak Near Wilfag by Susan Burgess-Lent, DPDO/all rights reserved/cover of DPDO AR2008/all rights reserved]

Cool & Calm Wales - Week's End

Two lovely calm photographs from the Library of Congress via flickr; they've new Welsh photographs. We particularly like these two. It's very hot in Washington (not unusual) & we're feeling sort of peevish, so these will help. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

ciao-cariad-meow/GG's editor

[both photographs between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900, Aberdovey, Wales, see full size, here]

Sunflower

We have some on our table & are very grateful. Would that we were somewhere in France or Italy in fields of sunflowers, so maybe you should call us ingrates. Possibly have won an auction at Made4Aid (a small vintage embroidered tablecloth). Not sure but we'll let everyone know how it turns out tomorrow.

ciao-meow/GGCM

[thank you again to photographer D Sharon Pruitt for her Free for all Creative Commons on Flickr]

Sphinx

GG is sphinx-like today. We're mulling over doings in Darfur & elsewhere. Today, no comment from us but from Don McMullin, the great British photographer.

"It's very difficult to talk about the Spinx because it is so well known.This is a very simple, almost postcard-like image, but nevertheless if you look into it you see more and more. It's extraordinary. This is a remarkable photograph and here it is in this album, hidden away. It deserves a better place in the world really."

[Henri Béchard (active 1870s & 80s); 'Le Sphinx Armachis, Caire' (The Sphinx Armachis, Cairo), about 1880; Albumen print; 21 x 27cm/credit & copyright use. Which some people need desperately to review for their blogs. Seriously.]

Sourpuss

The sourpuss being the finger-wagger. Poor pooch. This is from the State Library of New South Wales archives . This man is an artist? We don't see a thing except a scold lecturing his pup. It might have been staged, though. Just to give the man a break. Still, it reminded us to give everyone a little reprieve (one day) from virtual finger wagging & nagging. .One day. You have been warned!

ciao-meow/GG's editor

[Artist and dog arrive by Melbourne Express (taken for J.C. Williamson), 10/12/1937/ by Ted Hood]

Abandoned in Darfur - Week's End

It's a complicated subject, no doubt about it; we won't disagree. What brought this on? Someone asked us today if 'that Darfur thing' was over. Seriously. A good resource (wherever you are, even if not in the States) is the Enough Project. [Also in right sidebar]

At the very least, won't you protest to your (various) governments? In an e-mail or telephone call? If you've already done that, do it again. Discover your inner pest & redirect it towards officials-who-might-give-a-damn & keep out of trouble with family & friends.

The Management

[photographs by Susan Burgess-Lent/DPDO/all rights reserved/used with permission]

Cat Got Your Tongue?

No, we're just busy & tired. But you could wander over to a link or two or three or...

ciao-meow/the mgmt.

A big tip below for non-profits, indie bands, & so on. From generous D Sharon Pruitt to you, on flickr:

"My photos that have a creative commons license and are free for everyone to download, edit, alter and use as long as you give me, "D Sharon Pruitt" credit as the original owner of the photo. Have fun and enjoy!"

GG, Alice, & a Big Rabbit

As a friend of ours used to say, "It's a real Monday morning..." Yep. All Day. Still, we are seriously thinking of bidding on one of two items over at Made4Aid. Why don't you join us & have a little competition? The starting bids are surprisingly low. (Even for our coin purse.) And with that, we leave you until probably tomorrow afternoon. Because it is a real Monday here. All Day. If you know what we mean.

ciao-groan-meow/GG's editor

[illustration by Arthur Rackham via Liam's Pictures from Old Books]

GG Distressed at July Mess - Week's End

Update: Friday, 10 July 2009. Editorial decision to slap a 'week's end' on this post for sake of sanity & order. There's a lovely new-to-us item for bidding over at Made4Aid. GG is no help at all. She awaits a package delivery of toys & accessories (cherry blossom harness & matching lead) & so is disinterested in her editor's distress. She also has taken to hiding our keys. Seriously. Have a lovely weekend. We hope to be back before Monday.

This is only so Pablo doesn't stand on the beach one more day (see Tuesday post). Sunburn, you know. Seriously, this repeat-with-update is somewhat distressing. We're in similar shape as last August's post. Things are becoming more organized but...

Why this particular (embarrassing) post? We renewed our Phillips Collection (lower right sidebar) membership & rejoice. The purchase of two Prismacolor pens made the week, perhaps the month. You can always go to Made4Aid or Darfur Peace & Development Organization. If you went to both, that would be grand. [Note: left out pitiful thumbnail of Van Gogh painting mentioned below.]

Avanti!

From 24 August 2008, GG: Forgive Our Mess post

OOF!

Even en vacances, there is work to be done. While GG & her editor move things around the site, please do forgive the mess. GG's editor cannot readily locate her box(es) of Rembrandt pastels, inks, & Prismacolor pencils to illustrate this dire situation. GG's editorial judgment is to post some lovely images by van Gogh & Fantin-Latour, & spare ourselves embarrassment. It's bad enough leaving a mess floating in the ether. Aieeee!

Ciao, nos amis!

xoxo, GG

Pablo's Summer Holiday

UPDATE: Wednesday, 8 June 2009. We're leaving Pablo on the beach for the day. Things are a bit, um, busy at GG Central. Last evening, a moment of synchronicity. Via a link in A Cup of Jo we ended up on the double takes blog. Take at least one look at Picasso Drawing with Light. (And go bid on something at Made4Aid. Are you trying to make us look bad? Just kidding. Sort of.) Have a great day/evening! GG/mgmt

Have fun with these photographs. We're very busy elsewhere...we promise Made4Aid soon; but please visit them in the right sidebar.

GG's editor is researching a project & has been looking at LIFE archival photographs of Pablo Picasso. Here is a day at the beach & then drawing with a light pen & it looks like fun.

All photographs by Albanian-born Gjon Mili in Vallauris, France. Mili visited Picasso, Picasso's partner & painter Françoise Gilot, & their son Claude at home in 1949. He also dropped in on Henri Matisse on the same trip. Great work if you can get it! Actually, you don't 'get it,' you make it happen.

Maybe you'll be inspired to do some drawing or painting, with a light pen or a real charcoal pencil., pastels...watercolors? Do something creative & don't worry about how it turns out. The paint's the thing...(apologies to WS).

ciao-moo-miao/the mgmt.

A new week in Sicily...

...but we're in Washington. Oh well. We'll be back later today or Tuesday with news aplenty. And more information on Made4Aid. (Meanwhile, you can get a jump on us & go to the right sidebar--bid on something, perhaps?)

We're always happy to post something from Giampaolo Macorig, generous Italian photographer. He's in Rome but lived in Palermo, Sicily for many years. These are simply gorgeous & if we could, GG & her editor would head off to the airport this afternoon. Cats are most welcome in Italy & Sicily. [please see here for the Sicily & Palmero flickr set--it really is much nicer to see the full-size pix.]

See you soon. Don't forget to check on the news from Darfur.

ciao-meow/the mgmt

GG's Vintage Fourth of July

GG's editor is remiss, again, in finding personal 4th of July pix in time. (In our defense, we are in the midst of tearing up the apartment, shredding, tossing, cleaning, etc.) We hereby vow to find photographs for Christmas in the next few weeks to avoid sloppy posting.

Fortunately, Jessica at myvintagevogue has two great vintage shots. The photograph above is by Robert Kahan , Glamour magazine, 1942. Jessica included, as we will, the Condé Nast Store website link. (Jessica's other image, here...it's spectacularly Graeco-Roman-goddess-as-American symbol.)

The collage & other shot are by ohad* on flickr commons (from 2006).

A ciao-cheeky-sparklers-forever-meow!
GG & her editor

GG's Fourth of July Fantasy - Week's End

The reverie includes causing no end of trouble while water-skiing (or no end of trouble, period). Then more hijinks at a poolside party. (GG loves water.) These Alfred Mainzer vintage postcards are scans from a personal collection so you can't see the pretty scalloped edges. Here's the wonderful website. Hope your plans are shaping up nicely. [Update: 8 July 2009. Just removed the html for you to click on enlarge. Sorry. We leave that up for only a few days. Definitely visit the Alfred Mainzer site, it's a lot of fun. ciao.]

ciao-meow/GG's social secretary

GG in July

We're goofing off. Actually, we're very busy. And cannot quite believe that it's July--already.

You're definitely missing out if you don't go to the Archives of the State Library in New South Wales, Australia & peruse their flickr sets. It's obvious that we're quite fond of them, especially photographer Sam Hood's photos. Here's another favorite from the pets & other animals set, with the literal title, Girl with two cats and a kitten, Sydney, 1930s / Sam Hood.

However rushed you might be, there's still time to check out a link or two here, surely. Perhaps to bid on an item at Made4Aid in the upper right sidebar (more about them soon). Don't be shy: artists in the UK with a most wonderful idea (but you can visit them from anywhere). Check them out!

ciao-rushed-meow/the mgmt