I've been spending a lot of time painting lately, and also a considerable amount of time making my art viewable to friends and family who aren't Facebook users.
For a long time I had been toying with having a website, but I didn't know how committed I'd be to it, so I didn't want to invest in a domain or a professional to build it. So I, essentially, took the website-in-a box approach.
It was fairly idiot-proof to set up and I'm pleased with the layout and functionality. However, it rapidly became obvious to me that the biggest stumbling block I have is that the photographs of my work are bad. I mean, really, really bad. Full disclosure... my photo equipment consists of an iPhone camera and that cheapo little thingie that Ashton Kutcher peddles, and my photography skills are zero, zilch, zip. However, I have friends who have cameras worth more than my dental work and skills to match, so hopefully I'll soon correct that deficit.
So here it is. Take it for a ride and see what you think-- http://lindaflanagan77.wix.com/art. Oh, I've also created a Facebook page for my art (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Linda-Flanagan/460142480720132), so "like" that if you are so inclined.
Now I need to get back to the canvas.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The DC Diaries - Arlington National Cemetery
While planning my trip, this was one of the sights I looked forward to the most, in large part because of my fascination with the Kennedy family and my desire to visit and pay respects to their final resting places.
It was my first time navigating the DC Metro system and I found it clean and pleasant. The weather was overcast, which I found fitting for the outing. I was struck by how desolate the place was. Not a lot of people visiting. The tour guide was pleased to see me and told me that I was their only customer for the day so far and that they were very grateful for my business.
As expected, I got very emotional at the Kennedys' site. RFK and Teddy's gravesites are very unremarkable. I touched Teddy's headstone and felt a strong emotional bonding. The eternal flame moved me deeply. In my mind's eye I could see Jackie looking upon the flame and mourning her husband, gone too soon.
Next stop was the Tomb of the Unknowns. Again, amazingly free of tourists. The solemnity was awe-inspiring. I stuck around to see the changing of the guards, which I vaguely remembered from my visit to DC as a teenager.
The tour guide, after leaving me at the Tomb of the Unknowns, told me that I was free to roam the grounds at will, and catch any bus I happened to come across. I took some time looking at random graves of people who had died for our country, but who were just... people. Took a few pictures of graves, which I want to research some day to see what I can find out about the individuals.
The vastness and solitude of the cemetery was beyond belief. By consulting the map, I found the Challenger and Discovery memorials. Felt a momentary panic when I realized was on my own -- really alone-- in this vast place with no one in sight and (most importantly) no clue how to get back to the visitor's center. Finally, I met up with my original tour bus-- they expressed equal concern for me and mentioned that they had actually radioed the other bus to see if they had seen me. I found their genuine concern touching. They made an unscheduled stop for me to see a memorial to terrorist victims-- flight over Lockerbie, etc.
I spent a lot of time there, gazing upon row after row of stark white tombstones against the dull gray winter landscape. I was glad there were no other people.
It was my first time navigating the DC Metro system and I found it clean and pleasant. The weather was overcast, which I found fitting for the outing. I was struck by how desolate the place was. Not a lot of people visiting. The tour guide was pleased to see me and told me that I was their only customer for the day so far and that they were very grateful for my business.
As expected, I got very emotional at the Kennedys' site. RFK and Teddy's gravesites are very unremarkable. I touched Teddy's headstone and felt a strong emotional bonding. The eternal flame moved me deeply. In my mind's eye I could see Jackie looking upon the flame and mourning her husband, gone too soon.
Next stop was the Tomb of the Unknowns. Again, amazingly free of tourists. The solemnity was awe-inspiring. I stuck around to see the changing of the guards, which I vaguely remembered from my visit to DC as a teenager.
The tour guide, after leaving me at the Tomb of the Unknowns, told me that I was free to roam the grounds at will, and catch any bus I happened to come across. I took some time looking at random graves of people who had died for our country, but who were just... people. Took a few pictures of graves, which I want to research some day to see what I can find out about the individuals.
The vastness and solitude of the cemetery was beyond belief. By consulting the map, I found the Challenger and Discovery memorials. Felt a momentary panic when I realized was on my own -- really alone-- in this vast place with no one in sight and (most importantly) no clue how to get back to the visitor's center. Finally, I met up with my original tour bus-- they expressed equal concern for me and mentioned that they had actually radioed the other bus to see if they had seen me. I found their genuine concern touching. They made an unscheduled stop for me to see a memorial to terrorist victims-- flight over Lockerbie, etc.
I spent a lot of time there, gazing upon row after row of stark white tombstones against the dull gray winter landscape. I was glad there were no other people.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The DC Diaries - Day 1 - Getting there
About a month ago, I took a solo trip to Washington, DC. It was significant to me for a lot of reasons and I journalled about it as it was happening. In my next few posts, I'm going to do my best to recount the flavor of what was indeed a magnificent trip.
It started with my sister Kimberly, who works for TSA and attends weeklong meetings at the Pentagon periodically. Since they allow them a suite and guests are welcome, more than once she offered to take me along. This time I said yes.
Shortly before the trip, she texted me to tell me that their plans had changed and the trip was postponed. I had already gotten the time off from work, had my airline ticket booked and had the trip built up in my mind-- what I would see, where I would go. My disappointment was palpable.
In a very unLindalike gesture, I decided to go it alone. This was out of the norm for me for a couple reasons. Number 1, I had never travelled by myself. Number 2, I haven't flown since high school, when I flew from Pittsburgh to Boston to visit my grandparents. I'm afraid of flying and it literally makes me sick due to a head injury I sustained in age 13 (something about the air pressure). For me it was a real challenge to some of the boundaries I had in my life.
Luckily, by changing the flight dates, I was able to procure a hotel room with the entire package costing only a couple hundred more than the original flight itself. Perfect!
Tuesday morning, December 4. I didn't have to be up til 8, but I was out of bed at 6. Nervous energy, so I did what soothes me best-- painted. Also IMed with my friend Gerry to make plans for meeting the next day. Took an anti-anxiety drug (prescription, of course).
Kimmy drove me to the airport. It was just what I needed to calm me even further. I really needed her larger-than-life personality to distract me and I was so grateful for her generosity. My other sister Teresa and my friend Mary had also been texting me all morning offering me encouragement.
When we got to Midway, I asked Kimmy if she wanted to come into the airport with me to wait a bit. She then mentioned that she couldn't be seen there, because she had actually called off sick that day. Kimmy! I was early, of course, so I ate a burger and had a couple of Sam Adams. There was a bit of a snafu at the pre-check... I had intended on carrying on my luggage but they made me check it. I did not like being separated from my clothes one bit.
3:30 PM. Cruising altitude 39,000. Going over Lake Michigan was amazing. The sky and clouds were amazing. I had a sense of being part of something majestic, larger than myself. Oddly enough, I was very calm. 300 miles from Dulles and my world felt full of wonder.
I had a window seat, number 15, right above the wing. I ate two miniscule packages of peanuts and waited for a diet coke. I briefly considered another beer but with the atarax and two Sam Adams in my system from Chicago, I figured it was wise to keep my wits about me. I'd be a stranger in a strange land and that felt a little intimidating
I was mesmerized by the dividing line between blue sky and the flat plane of clouds. I remember wishing I knew exactly where I was. Listened to 7th Heaven on my iphone. 30 songs in 30 minutes. It got a little bumpy with turbulence, but again, surprisingly, I wasn't afraid. I remembered Kat telling me that most flights going in and out of DC have air marshals on them and I looked around a bit to try to figure out who it was. Stayed in my seat with the seatbelt firmly buckled the entire time.
With about 30 minutes left of the flight, I started thinking about my next steps. I hoped that the luggage retrieval and finding the shuttle to the hotel were easy. It was a bit daunting for a newbie, but at the same time I was giddy with the excitement of it all.
We were ready for descent. Bumpy. We'd be landing on time, despite leaving a little bit late. Moot point because no one was there waiting for me. In retrospect, I should've tried to arrange that. It would've been nice. Before the descent, we turned. It was a weird sensation-- the sun was reflecting a pink/orange color off the clouds. I kept thinking of Ronald Reagan's speech when Challenger exploded-- "they slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the hand of God." I felt that way.
As we got lower and lower, I saw patchwork fields in brown, ochre and green. It looked pretty rural. The captain said "welcome to Washington, DC," but it still felt like a farm to me. Lots of snaky rivers. Forests. Heard the landing gear come down. We're a long way from Chicago. All the turns didn't feel very nice.
Found the luggage and shuttle without incident. The shuttle bus was a trip. I assumed it would go directly to a few big hotels downtown, but it was more or less a taxi in van format. Took desolate looking roads to drop people off in neighborhoods. How very odd.
Checked into the hotel and got a warm cookie. Dumped my luggage off in the room and went exploring. The hotel had a revolving bar on the roof and I wanted to get my first glimpse of the monuments. On the elevator, I met a woman named Katie -- she's a speech therapist from Virginia who was there with her husband for business. We decided to have a drink together while she waited for her spouse, so we had a Blue Moon and talked about our lives and hopes for the trip. My first 360-degree look at the city-- Pentagon, Washington Monument, the Capitol-- was surreal.
Ordered my dinner (chicken sandwich and fries) from room service and watched "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition" on tv. Went to bed early. I had a lot to do the next day.
It started with my sister Kimberly, who works for TSA and attends weeklong meetings at the Pentagon periodically. Since they allow them a suite and guests are welcome, more than once she offered to take me along. This time I said yes.
Shortly before the trip, she texted me to tell me that their plans had changed and the trip was postponed. I had already gotten the time off from work, had my airline ticket booked and had the trip built up in my mind-- what I would see, where I would go. My disappointment was palpable.
In a very unLindalike gesture, I decided to go it alone. This was out of the norm for me for a couple reasons. Number 1, I had never travelled by myself. Number 2, I haven't flown since high school, when I flew from Pittsburgh to Boston to visit my grandparents. I'm afraid of flying and it literally makes me sick due to a head injury I sustained in age 13 (something about the air pressure). For me it was a real challenge to some of the boundaries I had in my life.
Luckily, by changing the flight dates, I was able to procure a hotel room with the entire package costing only a couple hundred more than the original flight itself. Perfect!
Tuesday morning, December 4. I didn't have to be up til 8, but I was out of bed at 6. Nervous energy, so I did what soothes me best-- painted. Also IMed with my friend Gerry to make plans for meeting the next day. Took an anti-anxiety drug (prescription, of course).
Kimmy drove me to the airport. It was just what I needed to calm me even further. I really needed her larger-than-life personality to distract me and I was so grateful for her generosity. My other sister Teresa and my friend Mary had also been texting me all morning offering me encouragement.
When we got to Midway, I asked Kimmy if she wanted to come into the airport with me to wait a bit. She then mentioned that she couldn't be seen there, because she had actually called off sick that day. Kimmy! I was early, of course, so I ate a burger and had a couple of Sam Adams. There was a bit of a snafu at the pre-check... I had intended on carrying on my luggage but they made me check it. I did not like being separated from my clothes one bit.
3:30 PM. Cruising altitude 39,000. Going over Lake Michigan was amazing. The sky and clouds were amazing. I had a sense of being part of something majestic, larger than myself. Oddly enough, I was very calm. 300 miles from Dulles and my world felt full of wonder.
I had a window seat, number 15, right above the wing. I ate two miniscule packages of peanuts and waited for a diet coke. I briefly considered another beer but with the atarax and two Sam Adams in my system from Chicago, I figured it was wise to keep my wits about me. I'd be a stranger in a strange land and that felt a little intimidating
I was mesmerized by the dividing line between blue sky and the flat plane of clouds. I remember wishing I knew exactly where I was. Listened to 7th Heaven on my iphone. 30 songs in 30 minutes. It got a little bumpy with turbulence, but again, surprisingly, I wasn't afraid. I remembered Kat telling me that most flights going in and out of DC have air marshals on them and I looked around a bit to try to figure out who it was. Stayed in my seat with the seatbelt firmly buckled the entire time.
With about 30 minutes left of the flight, I started thinking about my next steps. I hoped that the luggage retrieval and finding the shuttle to the hotel were easy. It was a bit daunting for a newbie, but at the same time I was giddy with the excitement of it all.
We were ready for descent. Bumpy. We'd be landing on time, despite leaving a little bit late. Moot point because no one was there waiting for me. In retrospect, I should've tried to arrange that. It would've been nice. Before the descent, we turned. It was a weird sensation-- the sun was reflecting a pink/orange color off the clouds. I kept thinking of Ronald Reagan's speech when Challenger exploded-- "they slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the hand of God." I felt that way.
As we got lower and lower, I saw patchwork fields in brown, ochre and green. It looked pretty rural. The captain said "welcome to Washington, DC," but it still felt like a farm to me. Lots of snaky rivers. Forests. Heard the landing gear come down. We're a long way from Chicago. All the turns didn't feel very nice.
Found the luggage and shuttle without incident. The shuttle bus was a trip. I assumed it would go directly to a few big hotels downtown, but it was more or less a taxi in van format. Took desolate looking roads to drop people off in neighborhoods. How very odd.
Checked into the hotel and got a warm cookie. Dumped my luggage off in the room and went exploring. The hotel had a revolving bar on the roof and I wanted to get my first glimpse of the monuments. On the elevator, I met a woman named Katie -- she's a speech therapist from Virginia who was there with her husband for business. We decided to have a drink together while she waited for her spouse, so we had a Blue Moon and talked about our lives and hopes for the trip. My first 360-degree look at the city-- Pentagon, Washington Monument, the Capitol-- was surreal.
Ordered my dinner (chicken sandwich and fries) from room service and watched "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition" on tv. Went to bed early. I had a lot to do the next day.
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