Roses on the balcony Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on wood 4 x 20 inches
Chess set Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on canvas 12 x 12 inches
April Showers Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on canvas 11 x 14 inches
Resting near the pond Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on wood 6.5 x 10 inches
A day in the park Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on wood 6.5 x 12 inches
Sitting on the edge Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on wood 6.5 x 10 inches
Souvenir Concord Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on wood 6.5 x 20 inches
Shadows in the park Laurie Fox PESSEMIER Acrylic on wood 4 x 13 inches
ARTNOTES: Another View
When we were in Germany on Thursday, Harika played with another dog, Joey, at the office we were visiting. Joey is a border collie, a slightly larger dog than Harika, and nobody’s fool. He got me to throw the stick for him for a good thirty minutes. Harika is not a “retriever” in any sense of the word. She wanted the stick, but was unwilling to go after it. So, she let Joey get the stick and as soon as he brought it back and dropped it at my feet, she stole it and ran away with it. It was a different approach – and with dogs there are no rules.
I need to be doing more than one thing at a time. I think of myself as a multi-tasker. When people tell me to “follow my dream”, I always want to ask “which one?” And often the allure of the dream is just that: it is a dream, not a reality. Dreaming of being thin is always better than not eating.
I dream of having a paying job where we can travel: not huge distances, but go to a place, meet with clients, and tour around. This week we went to Germany to discuss such a job. The ‘big’ job with this firm didn’t turn out as expected, but we will work on a smaller scale. For me it is just perfect: I can work for someone, get paid (sticking point: commission only for the moment), and spend the rest of my time on my other dream: painting and doing art workshops. Ideal.
We drove through Belgium on our way. We stopped for French fries with mayonnaise and I had a meatball brochette. Belgium may have delicious chocolate, but the food, especially roadside food, leaves room for improvement.
When we got to Cologne, we stopped at a large city park for a walk with Harika. Driving in Germany, especially around cities, is stressful. It doesn’t help that my only words are good morning, please, thank you and god bless you: gesundheit! We walked Harika around a pond and through the grass. The trees in Germany are much larger than those in France, and German trees are allowed to realize their greatest potential: tall, stout, leafy, green. I can breathe.
Once we got our wits about us, we re-embarked for a trip downtown to see the Cathedral, the “Dom”. After crossing the bridge across the Rhine three times, we arrived. It was easy to see, because it is huge: the tallest structure in the world from 1880 until 1884, when it was eclipsed by the Washington Monument. As far as church spires go, these are the second tallest in the world. It is at this cathedral the relics of the Magi, the Three Wise Men, are housed. The church commenced construction in the 13th century to house these very artifacts.
I had hoped to hear the bells, but had to be satisfied with the steel drum player, an American, outside on the Plaza. The plaza was a vital place, even on Wednesday afternoon.
We pressed on, got lost, bought a map, and finally arrived at our destination, a hotel in Bertzdorf. It was one of those charming German “hofs” and we had a lovely room on the second floor looking out to the courtyard. The lilacs were in bloom, viewable from the winter-garden. We ate our dinner in the “bierstubbe”, seated on well-worn wooden benches while a nearby table hosted a card game. The fish was perfectly prepared; Harika enjoyed the pork mignon wrapped in bacon, too. We drank a local German red wine, which was good.
If Joey didn’t give me the stick so Harika could steal it, she had another technique. She growled fiercely, showing her sadly undeveloped teeth and her “taureau” eye (as Christine in the park calls it); through fear, amusement, or both, Joey let her have the stick until I took it back and threw it for him again. Good dog.
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