Craving a Carving

I'm having trouble keeping up. Last week we attended the most significant social and political event of this century (of course, the national media missed it completely): the wedding between the princess of Cuba and her emperor-in-exile, may they live happily ever after.

This week we're eating great food and relaxing. Yesterday we visited the house and art studio of Nicolai Fechin, a famous Russian painter. Fechin planned, designed and worked on the house for 5 years, then broke up with his wife and moved out just when it was finished (something is very wrong with that). Throughout the house are carvings--on the doors and furniture and walls and windows--that Fechin did himself, and so I'm enthralled once again with the notion of carving something for our house.

I found a nice floral pattern on a buffet panel in the dining room of our B&B, and I'm sure that I can carve this. We'll put it as the side panel to the new book shelves I'm building in the breakfast room. Here's a segment of then design. I'll use the carving tools that Cheryl bought me years ago (and that have remained mostly unused).

Otherwise, as usual I enjoy the pace of being on vacation and spending time with Cheryl and our friends. We had an excellent hike yesterday, then more food--great quantities of food (which is a sin, if I remember correctly, even though we are eating the divine New Mexico chilies) and more food today --so much food that this evening we couldn't go to dinner.

But I miss Willow and my bed and my routine and my piano and my projects at home. I hope my red fish is still OK.

Cheryl is asleep as I'm writing this and I've got a nice fire going. Tomorrow we will do some hiking and then more food.