Dad’s December Visit

My Dad came to visit last week, and as always there was a mix of projects and fun in the house.

We started by hanging lots of new art I had hung since his last visit.  I bought this gorgeous triptych from local watermedia artist Rosemary Craig to hang over our bed.  Dad did an awesome job of drilling into the brick and getting everything centered and leveled (this girl is super-picky about level and so grateful for a Dad who is patient).

We also hung a fabulous vintage ash tray that my Dad brought me for Christmas.  I collect vintage ash trays both to hold art supplies and hang on the walls.  I also have several vintage ceramic fish swimming on the walls around our home, so Dad thought this one reminded him of both … and I did too.  It looks perfect in our bathroom (and matches my Marimekko Shower Curtain I bought years ago on our Washington DC Trip).

I had originally bought one piece of another Rosemary Craig Triptych, but when I bought our larger piece, I had to also bring the other two smaller pieces home.  Dad hung them on the bottom right of our art gallery on our stairway.  I love the view from the top of the stairs and how the wall space is filled with things I love (some amazing art from Michele DeSutter, Amythest Warrington, Tammy Kopecky Paulus, Shawn Wolter, Brian Andreas and many others)

Dad also got create and used some under cabinet lighting to create spotlights for my new original painting by local artist John Paul Schafer  … we absolutely love having Einstein in the house.  Having the spotlights really brought the colors to life (PS … don't be afraid of large art on small walls).

To celebrate all of our accomplishments, we celebrated with Sunday Brunch at Pig & Porter … one of our favorite treats.  If you go, always get the Flapjacks … the best in town.  We ended-up sharing several dishes.

And we ended our long weekend of adventures with a trip to tour the Kinze Manufacturing Plant in Williamsburg, Iowa.  The stories of innovation were mind-blowing and seeing the construction from steel to finished product was amazing.

If you don't have 3 hours, you can just stop by for a free tour of their Innovation Center to see the stories of their numerous patents and innovations in the farming industry (and lots of big machines too)  Very impressive and enjoyable.

Until next time Dad … love you.