Saturday, May 17, 2014

The God Machine

Eric and I decided to see the art work at  the Armory show at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe. After parking the car at the site, we noticed a large metal sculpture adjacent to the parking lot. This would become one of the most fun, enjoyable experiences we have had in Santa Fe so far.

 A smiling, jovial, white haired man was standing next to the sculpture. He reminded me of "Oz" in the "Wizard of Oz".  He introduced himself as John Massee and was eager to show us his work of art, the Deus Machina or the god machine.

 Mr. Massee explained, "It became increasingly apparent and necessary that a Sculpture be built that would encompass all Human hopes, desires, dreams and History. 

As a result of great patience, certain insights and the overcoming of various obstacles I was able to evolve a great Machine capable of producing a sense of delight and joy."

Massee's sculpture had to satisfy certain criteria:
it must be virtually intriguing 
it must be intellectually engaging 
it must be life supporting
it must be joy producing
it must solve all problems

On the front of the sculpture near an open window, there were pockets containing paper cards. I chose a card that was labeled "happiness and joy". I gave my card to Mr. Massee, who placed it in a box to burn. I saw smoke rise above the sculpture to the blue sky - proof that my dream of "happiness and joy" would come true.

Deus Machina

Make a wish cards


John Massee








 



Thursday, May 15, 2014

The Best Paella I Have Ever Had!

Originally paella was a dish made in Valencia using chicken, rabbit, snails and three kinds of fresh beans. There is no right or wrong recipe, so the chef (in this case Eric) can be as creative as he wishes to be. We chose as our ingredients Bomba rice, chicken thighs, chorizo, shrimp, mussels, artichoke hearts, peas and white Spanish beans. Of course, it is important to drink wine while going through each step of the paella process. We had a nice Chateau de Flaugergues recommended by our friend Kat. Paella can be cooked on the stove top, in the oven or on a barbecue grill. In our case, we had the use of the wonderful Italian stove named "Francesco". The result was a melange of colors, textures, and aromatic spices to delight the taste buds!