Learning and Teaching

Here's a photo I took several days ago, down where they teach the children's clay classes. I think it's pretty down there under that tree. And you can see the golden rain tree with the orange lantern pods on it. I do know now that the name is correct. I looked it up on the internet and found a variety of web pages about the tree and it's accompanying pest the red shouldered bug. We've been noticing those bugs all over the glass platform railing. And it seems they feed off the golden rain tree. According to what I read they are not destructive in any way. But they are all over the place. I have lived in San Diego since 1950, and I had never seen them until I got my studio. I've insert a photo of them that I got off one of the websites.

These bugs are about half an inch long. They start out all red as youngsters and then their body turns charcoal gray. This bug is an adolescent with small wings. Eventually its wings will cover its whole back and you won't see the red underbelly, just the shoulders. They've gone through their breeding cycle now, so there don't seem to be very many of them around, not like there were about a month ago. I don't know if they die out in the winter. I'll have to pay attention as the days get colder.

Anyway, there might not be as many bugs, but there were certainly lots of people in the Park today, more than we've seen in a great while. Everyone who wanted to avoid the malls and entertain their children came over to the Village and the Park as well. It looked like the "old days" of several years ago when there were streams of people walking through the Village all day long on the weekends. I hope we'll start to see more people enjoying themselves. I think it's very important that we talk to people, and that children have a chance to watch the artists at work. The schools no longer have art programs and so we remain a way to help people enjoy art.

I spent the day working on a pearl necklace that I started two days ago. It will have several hundred pearls on it when I finish. It's taken me a long time, but I want to keep going and not put it aside without finishing it. That was my sole task today. Except that my student and I went to the bead supplier after we closed up at 4:00 so that she could get some beads, wire, and tools to begin making necklaces. That was pleasant. I enjoyed teaching her. It makes me think about possibly teaching some classes eventually. I haven't wanted to, but maybe I should try it.

I have been so busy making pearl necklaces, that I forgot about making bracelets as well until I had a customer today come and look for one. So after I finish my current necklace, I'll work on some bracelets. I haven't made any bracelets for awhile, and I think my display of bracelets needs to be freshened. I like to do that with all my displays, add new pieces. I think that gives new energy that helps attract people. And frequently I will sell pieces I've just made. It's the energy.