If you float around in cartoon-y circles, then you know about Inktober. It’s an exercise where each day you draw, in ink, a sketch of the day’s official prompt or theme. Then you post the resulting artwork on social media with the hashtag Inktober and Inktober2017.
I am participating in this endeavor and I post on both Instagram (I am brigtoon on Instagram) and also on Facebook (under Bridgett Spicer). So follow me on either site to see what toons I come up with.
I want to wish Steve Volk a very happy 50th birthday.
When I first moved to the Santa Cruz area back in 1996 to attend UCSC, I took the bus to get to school. It drove right passed this groovy looking coffee shop that sat right on the corner of Soquel and Porter. The bus, rather conveniently, stopped just out front on its way to and from the university.
I hardly knew a soul when I arrived in Santa Cruz. And I loved coffee. So I dropped in to check out the coffee joint and maybe meet somebody. The Ugly Mug was the first coffeehouse I went to (other than on campus)… and Steve had just opened it. A charming sign hung outside the door, “Est. 1996.” Our paths crossed at a bus stop. We were both just starting out… 1996 was a significant year for us both. I moved to a new area to finish my art degree and start a new life apart from Southern California, and Steve opened The Ugly Mug… The place was friendly, non-pretentious, welcoming, homey, all-inclusive, and fun to be in. They served coffee in ugly old mugs that were undoubtedly purchased at Goodwill or a yard sale, the staff was fun to watch as they made espresso and gathered food for customers …and there was always cool art on the walls. When I got to know Steve, some of my art hung on the walls. Later I would do up the Ugly’s menu board (which still hangs, as far as I know)… Steve even bought a painting that I was showing. I also donated a large watercolor work to the cafe…. a scene of Ugly muggers drinking joe on a blue background.
21 years later, this year is significant, too… I moved from California to Oregon, and Steve turns 50 (today… a significant number). Sometimes our circles have a funny way of coming back around at significant times. Our circle has done just that.
If you’re reading this and you live in the Monterey Bay area… drop by The Ugly Mug… have some joe and tell them Bridgett sent ya (point to the menu board).
Portland feels like a good fit. There’s so much to do here… so many fun things, that I keep having to remind myself that I need to be working… book launches, art openings, museums, restaurants… (Yay!) And I am looking to find a balance of daytime activities and night time work-time. After all, the ideas and good stuff come from doing things… from living life.
The weather has been really warm. I’m not used to 85 degrees and above. I don’t believe that is normal for Portland either… but there’s been plenty of sunshine so the transition has been a little easier… when the rain and drizzle starts up in the Fall, I will remind myself that I was once walking home from the Portland Zine Symposium in 90 degree blazing sun.
Life here in Portland sure is a different experience than living in Salinas, CA. Leaving “freebies” out on street corners is a thing. If you have a box of stuff you don’t want, but want to move on, just stick the stuff in a box with the magic words “FREE” on it… and the stuff disappears. We put out our moving boxes and paper for wrapping out on the sidewalk. People on bicycles, people in cars, people walking by… they made the moving supplies “move on.” Boxes gone. There was a box on the corner (we live at an intersection) of magazines, hats and doodads that disappeared, although it seemed to take about a week… unfortunately, a large ugly orange chair with a busted leg has appeared… and only the neighborhood cat, Phoenix has shown any interest.
In the same spirit, the neighborhoods have many a free library… an enclosed box or some contraption where books live that can go free to a new home. You can also deposit books and CDs in said place. Here’s one with a Doctor Who theme. Yes, there were shelves inside filled with books. It’s kind of fun… it’s like you don’t know what books are being offered and so it’s a bit of a surprise inside.
Since the sun doesn’t go down until 10-ish… people stay out late here. We live near many cool restaurants and a theater and stuff, so conversations can be heard late at night of folks walking by. So far we’ve seen and heard a breakup, many a wailing baby in a tummy pack, discussions about where to eat and other passing by conversations. Also, the sun comes up earlier, and so bicycles and runners and walkers get started early (Laurelhurst Park is just down the road).
As of Monday July 10th… Salinas will be a memory… a place I lived but am not currently living in. It will be, quite literally, in the rear view mirror as we drive up to our new home… Portland, Oregon. Judy, Mouse and I will wheel it on up with a loaded car full of plants, pantry items (and some art supplies) and lots of stories and good times to recall. Drive time: Twelve hours-ish.
Cartoons here and on Squid Row are loaded until the first week of August. So, hopefully, there won’t be a gap in the cartoon stream as I hope to get the house situated along with the new downstairs office… I will do my best to get things up and running as quickly as possible… but forgive me if there is a break in the action. I will let you know, of course.
Too, I will also do my bestest to get the Art-o-rama zine out on time. I wish I could promise… but who knows what will happen on this wonderful new adventure! (*photo is a dahlia from our now former garden… I will be leaving it behind…I shall plant some in Portland).
What!? Randie & Ryan Tuesday AND Wednesday AND Thursday! Say it ain’t so!?
It is so.