“A ship is always safe at the shore
– but that is NOT what it is built for.”
Albert Einstein
Shine On
Days Gone By
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and
the thrill of creative effort.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Most Angelenos may not know, but for generations Los Angeles has been renowned as one of the world’s great mural capitals. This is due mostly to the government-funded Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) which hired hundreds of artists who collectively created more than 100,000 paintings and murals and over 18,000 sculptures across America.
The WPA Project was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression (1929-1943). Some of the 20th century’s greatest visual artists were employed by the Project under the guidance of the WPA.
Thanks to the WPA, there are three beautiful oil on canvas murals at the Redondo Beach post office painted by Paul Sample in 1937. These striking, colorful, insightful murals are an urban canvas expressing the history, concerns and aspirations of a community during the turn of the 19th century.
Although I don’t visit the post office often these days, when I do go to the post office I always enjoy seeing the murals. The murals remind me of the history and beauty of Redondo Beach in days gone by.
Shine On
Sail, Not Drift
“To reach a port, we must sail
– sail, not tie at anchor
– sail, not drift.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Shine On
Hump Day Humor
“Boy, those French: they have a different word for everything!”
Steve Martin
Shine On
My Secret Garden
“If you look the right way, you can see that
the whole world is a garden.”
Frances Hodgson Burnett
My 2016 Secret Garden
For the past few weeks the weather in our neck of the woods has been inconsistent. So much so, that I’ve waited to start my patio garden until I felt it was safe for my 2016 plants to survive. Finally the weather seems to be back to normal and I started my garden for the year.
Having a small garden gives me such pleasure. Not only because it’s beautiful, but because I’m a nurturer by nature so having something to care for makes me feel alive.
This year I added herbs to my garden. It’s fun to be able to cook and have fresh herbs at my fingertips. I’m enjoying the beauty, the fragrance and the joy of life from my secret garden.
Shine On
