Amazon Echo - Life with Alexa

Amazon Echo begins its new chapter in our kitchen great room.

We got a new addition to our family this month--Ken's early Christmas gift:

Amazon Echo!

Since last summer when he first met Echo at our son's home in Illinois, Ken has been dropping hints that THIS would make a dandy Christmas present.  Oh, and it would be a great gift for BOTH of us!  (He loves to work me into his gifts.  I think he thinks he has greater success if I "buy in," so to speak.)

So there I was online Saturday browsing the early Cyber Monday sales when what to my wondering eye should appear--but Amazon Echo on sale and still in stock!!  All for my dear!  (I had to make this rhythm!)

It arrived the next week to Ken's delight!  He IS a gadget guy and this one sounded like a bona fide GADGET in all the best definitions of a device and a contraption.  Yup, the perfect holiday gift!

I am NOT a gadget girl so I took reassurance in the CNET endorsement on Amazon about Echo:

The Echo may be the closest thing we'll have to a Star Trek computer at home.

Although I'm the LAST person to embrace a new device or contraption I AM a TREKKIE of long-standing and this was just what I needed to read in order to welcome Echo to the family. 

Echo's directions and instructions are
simple and concise.  

If you're not familiar yet with ECHO, it is a hands-free, always on, personal assistant designed around our voices.  

Let me emphasize:

This is a voice controlled gadget that is always getting smarter and adding new features and skills.

What this really means is that this is one very smart device and it became very clear from the moment we plugged it in and downloaded the Echo App that we would be learning a new language this winter:

How to speak Amazon Echo.

At first I thought, somewhat foolishly, that it would be like talking to Molly, our very intelligent Golden Retriever.  But, I've come to realize that it's more like talking to a toddler or a teenager.

The critical thing to remember is that while Amazon touts:

All you have to do is ask,

any parent of a toddler or a teenager knows that it's all based on HOW one asks the question and how FAST one can ask it.  The attention span is just a couple of nano-seconds long and if one hesitates or gets too wordy--poof!  No more attention span and one must start again.

First thing to keep in mind is that ECHO has a name and it is Alexa. Actually, you can call it "Amazon" or "Alexa" and we went with the latter.  It just seemed to fit her better.

So, we have a feminine voice-activated, always-on gadget sitting in our kitchen ready to answer our questions, give us news and sports updates, play our music, keep us organized and even turn on and off our lights--if we knew how to program that part.

As a journalist I have interviewed countless people and have confidence in knowing how to ask a question.  But, I am also incredibly polite and after years in public relations, I would like to think thoughtful as well.  But, this doesn't cut it with Alexa, who glows with a blue ring at the top of her 9.25" tower when she is activated and listening.

This is how I began my relationship with her.

ME:  Hi, Alexa, if it wouldn't be a bother...

ALEXA: (Her blue ring glowing at the sound of her name...)

ME:  ...and you have a minute, would you please consider...

ALEXA:  (Her blue ring vanishes and she has clearly stopped listening.)

So, I try again.

ME:  Alexa, hi, how are you doing today?

ALEXA:  (Her blue ring glowing with energy.)  I'm good. I hope you're doing well, too.  (Clearly, she is programmed to be polite, too.)

ME:  Yes, I am, thanks for asking.  I was wondering...

ALEXA:  (Her blue ring is dark and she has moved on.)

So, as I learn to speak Amazon Echo I am reminded of the power of getting the verb into my request early on in my communications with her.

For example:

ME:  Alexa, what's the temperature?

ALEXA:  (Her blue ring activated joyfully she answers.)  Right now it's 21 degrees with clear skies and sun.  Today's forecast is for partly sunny skies with a high of 29 and a low of 12.  (She LOVES this question!)

Even as I get better at asking my questions in a pithy forthright manner, there are still a few communication challenges.

ME:  Alexa, play my Aaron Copeland music.

ALEXA:  Getting your Italian Cooking Music.

You can see we still have some issues to work out.  But, even though I know I need to talk to Alexa with questions like:

Add potatoes to my grocery list.
What is my news briefing?
Who was the 11th president?
What time is it in Venice, Italy?

I still ask questions like:

ME:  Alexa, are you hungry?

ALEXA:  I don't get hungry or thirsty but thank you for asking.

ME:  Alexa, do you like to play?

ALEXA:  I'm better with factual questions.

ME:  Alexa, do you get tired?

ALEXA: No, I don't get tired.  It's one of the benefits of being a machine.

One of the BEST features of learning to speak Amazon Echo is having stop mean stop.  Try that with a toddler or a teenager.  It's a remarkable feeling to ask ONCE and ta-da!

Alexa, stop.  --And, she does!!!!  Music, too much info, whatever, when asked to stop she does!!

Did I mention that Alexa is constantly learning and adapting?  Today I asked:

ME:  What will you do when you grow up?

ALEXA:  If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up!  Not me!  J.M. Barrie

Maybe Ken was right.  This IS a great gift for BOTH of us!

"Beauty Surrounds Us" - Rumi

Sunshine illuminates a leaf on a frosty November morning.

Since my last post I have been busy creating art for an exhibit at the Boardwalk Gallery in Windsor, Colorado, entitled, "Beauty Surrounds Us."

My friend, Suzette, put out the call for entries in October and based her theme on the words of a 13th century Persian poet, Rumi: 

"Beauty surrounds us, but we need to be walking in a garden to know it." 

This poem resonated with artists and poets (yes, there was a poetry category!) as she got about 250 entries from 50 artists from all over this region.  The opening reception, held November 21, was an incredible success as guests came to see and read 98 works based on this theme. (I was honored to be among the artists selected for this exhibit with three photographs and two poems.)

It was quite an amazing artistic journey for me as I already define myself as an artist who is totally influenced by my environment.  I see beauty everywhere, everyday, but having this poem rattling in my head through the fall emphasized it to the point where I was seeing beauty in EVERYTHING! 

Scarlet red dazzles against the sidewalk.

So, today I will share some of the beauty I found in the leaves that I encountered on my many morning walks as the record-warm days of October slowly changed to the frosty mornings of November.  

I was especially intrigued and amused by the shadows cast by the early morning light.

And, since Rumi is STILL rumbling around in my head, I'll share more of his poems.

"Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees."  

A red maple casts a long shadow.

A circus leaf?

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do."

Though slightly battered, remnants of a leaf encircle soft morning light.

"What you seek is seeking you."

Never underestimate the power of light.

Queen of Spades.

Only the shadow knows...

"Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form." 

A scorpion leaf or a Viking ship?

Like birds in flight, wings to fly!

Frost melts quickly as the sun rises in the sky.

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy."

Paper Making II - a.k.a. Blowing in the Wind!

Setting up for Paper Making II - on a windy day!

If you read my last post then you know that my wildly creative friends and I spent a fabulous summer day learning to make homemade paper.  

You might recall that barely had we learned the basics of dipping our screen into the tubs filled with paper pulp and water than Suzette, Annie and I were already wondering,

What if...

A deckle fits above a screen to provide an edge to freshly
dipped paper pulp.

That day we added all sorts of embellishments to our freshly-dipped paper.  I chose scraps of ribbon, a dash of glitter, a few dried flowers and even changed the paper pulp to pink!

Susan, who has been making homemade paper for many years, was probably amused at our zest for coming up with crazy combinations but we had a joyful PLAY DAY messing with paper pulp on a warm August day.

Some of my precious results sparkle (literally) from Paper Making 101.

Barely had I left Susan's driveway on my way home than I began to think more

What if I were to use tissue paper after drawing a screen of wet paper pulp? Could I layer it to create various hues, similar to the lovely shades of blue that I admire when I look out at the foothills and Rocky Mountains from my west deck?

Breathtaking views of the foothills and Rocky Mountains inspire me.

A few weeks later Susan invited us to come back for a second PLAY DAY to continue making homemade paper!

With creative anticipation I immediately went to Amazon to google "tissue paper."  Knowing nothing about tissue paper except as a gift wrap I was intrigued with the description of some as "bleed-able" and ordered two different brands, hoping they would do just that if wet.  

Despite a September that was above average in hot sunny days without rain, our Play Day was a refreshing 15 degree drop in temperature!  Sweatshirts mandatory!!  And, not too surprising because this is Colorado after all, really windy!  Gusts up to 35 m.p.h. and higher. But, hey!  A day to make ART is not to be squandered--and, besides, Susan has a barn!!

We set up our drying tables inside Susan's barn.

So we set up two long plywood tables inside the barn for our "creative" work and for the paper to dry and set up our dipping tubs outside.

However, we realized several hours later, that the barn was SO protected from the wind that our paper wasn't drying AT ALL!

Realizing our afternoon was already drawing short we made the decision to move our drying tables outside.

Before we had a chance to gather small rocks from the driveway, our precious paper was flying like leaves in autumn wind!  I wish you could have seen the four of us scrambling to hold down what was still on the table and run to retrieve what was lodging, fortunately, in nearby bushes.  

We dashed inside and found coffee cans filled with wrenches of all sizes--perfect to use to keep paper grounded!

Rocks and wrenches keep the paper from flying!

And, what about my little tissue paper experiment?  

Well, inside the barn and protected from the wind it seemed to be going rather well.  

I opened the package of Spectra Art Tissue and appreciated all 25 assorted colors and I tore strips and laid them atop the wet paper pulp.  I was getting some amazing results as the layers blended and bled. 

However, once in the wind, as the tissue layers dried (which was rather quickly) the wind easily blew the layers off the paper and into parts unknown.  I tried to retrieve the pieces I could find and Susan suggested I use the sizing fluid to paint over the ones I saved to better adhere them to the paper, which I did.

With help from the wind and sizing
my composition is vastly different from
what I thought I had inside the barn.

  Although my piece was not exactly what I had in mind, I learned some handy new information--

1)  Tissue paper doesn't seem to have enough "teeth" in the paper itself to attach to wet paper pulp. It needs to be adhered to the paper.

2) And, bleed-able tissue paper can create some beautiful results.

We are friends who bring things to share and it was amazing to see what the others were doing with the tissue paper.  By dabbing it to wet paper pulp, one could almost "paint" as the tissue paper did, indeed, bleed.

Oh, and one more thing I learned--

3) Bleed-able tissue paper bleeds on paper pulp AND every crevice in your hands--around your cuticles, wrinkles, dry skin--EVERYWHERE--and it lasts for a couple of days.



Note to self:  Remember the plastic gloves if I don't want to look like I've been mashing grapes with my hands!

Suzette paints sizing onto her paper mask that she "painted" by dabbing
bleed-able tissue paper to wet paper pulp.

Torn tissue paper and a paper napkin create my design.

As I was chasing my paper around Susan's yard I was reminded that 

art is all about failing forward.

On this wonderfully cool, sunny, WINDY day I savored doing exactly that!

    

Paper Making 101 (a.k.a. The Perfect Play Day!)

Play Day begins with creative friends, (from left) Annie, Susan & Suzette.

"It is a happy talent to know how to play." --
Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you get when one is fortunate enough to have wildly creative artists as friends and an opportunity to play outside?

Yes!  A PLAY DAY!

For ours we decided to accept Susan's invitation to learn to make paper!

Fortunately, not only has Susan been making paper for years but she has both the tools and equipment and even lots of space outside her barn.  (Yes, the  Centennial barn we recently celebrated with a party and art exhibit!)

Annie and Suzette help Susan set up.

 Meeting at 10 a.m. we helped set up a table with an old blender and containers of paper Susan had saved and shredded.  To provide a base to start with she showed us a couple of bowls filled with shredded paper and water that she had soaked overnight. 

She reminded us that this "mush" mixture needed to be dried or refrigerated if it wasn't used promptly as it would mold if left outside.

Paper and water "mush" after soaking all night.

 

We learned that there are lots of types of paper one can make at home with all sorts of different additives, like cattails or "linters," that can be purchased online.  For ours, we were just using recycled paper without additives.

Susan mixes pulp with water in an old blender.

Susan has an assortment of old blenders so she can mix different kinds of paper pulp together and keep them separate from each other. 

As she says, "Next, you mix the pulp and the water so it looks like the Kleenex you forgot to take out of the washer." 

Uh, okay.

Or, "Until it sounds right."

What?

Either way, once the pulp mush and water are blended together it is poured into a large tub.  Pour in lots of water and more paper pulp until there seems to be an adequate amount of pulp and "it feels right."

(It's good that we were there for a hands-on learning experience as there is a definite "feel" when the pulp mixture and water ratio is right.)

Susan pours more mixed pulp into a tub.
 

Susan adds several buckets of water to a large tub before adding the mixed pulp.


 

Meanwhile, Suzettte blends more paper pulp.

Susan holds a square frame that is fitted with a screen top and a "deckle."

 

As the large tub fills with water and paper pulp, Susan shows us how the "deckle" (looks like an empty frame) fits over the screened surface to give a
"deckle-edge" to the paper--the beautiful rough edge I love in handmade paper.

The "deckle" fits over the screen.

Now it's time to gather our courage to dip a screen.  Susan shows us how to fit the screen and deckle together, dip, swirl it just a bit, pull it out to let it drain.

On Susan's first dip she realized she had too much pulp (which would make a very thick sheet!) and so returned the screen to the water to clean it for a second try.

Susan's first dip resulted in too much pulp.

We set up a second table with another large tub to create an additional  dipping area using some of the pulp mixture from the first tub.  That enabled us to add more water to the first tub to create the perfect ratio of water and paper pulp.

The next try--a perfect dip!
 

Susan wraps the screen in a damp baby blanket to transfer to a table.

Once Susan has a good dip she removes the deckle and wraps the screen in a damp baby blanket or rag to transfer to a waiting table. 

She flips it all together to the table and begins to sponge away the excess water.

She then sponges excess water from the back side of the screen.



Paper dries in the warm summer sunshine.

Once the sheet is no longer soggy the screen is carefully lifted and ta-da!  The first piece of handmade paper dries in the Colorado wind and sunshine!

Susan mentions that a sizing can be brushed on once it's reasonably dry but since we're using commercial paper that already contains sizing, we likely won't need to add more.

Annie adds creative touches to the pulp and water mix.

Remember that I mentioned that these friends are uber creative and fearless artists?

Barely had the first sheet been left to dry when we all began to conjure up clever ideas to manipulate handmade paper we had yet to make!!

So many ideas were flying that we couldn't decide what do try first!




Glitter, dried flowers, old Easter grass--all beg to be tested.

Throughout the afternoon we mixed pulp, laughed, dipped screens, laughed some more and finally took a break for a late lunch.

Creative energy abounds as more paper is left to dry.

Little stones hold down the handmade paper while it sun-dries.

But, as all spectacular days have a penchant to do, this one finally came to a close as well.

With promises to do this again and (hopefully) soon, we each departed with folders of personally made handmade paper!

A Perfect Play Day with warm sunshine, delightful friends, unceasing laughter and a new appreciation for the art of making paper.


(After reviewing the tutorial blogging videos today I realize I may have had settings that would not allow for comments.  I THINK I have adjusted those settings properly.  If you have wanted to comment on former posts (or this one) please try again.  I would love to hear from you.)

Active Recovery Adventure Walk!

Mid-summer wear and tear adds negative space to my roses.

It's been so busy the last few weeks that Molly and I have not taken our regular morning walks.  

Last week especially I needed every hour to complete an art project before the submission deadline July 25.  I am delighted to report that I finished all three of my submissions--including a whimsical oil painting on a really large canvas.  (For more on this story see my other blog, http://WhimsyCalls.blogspot.com.)

So, this morning, full of relief for having made my deadline, Molly and I set off for our own Adventure Walk as a reward for all our hard focused work.

As we left the house I thought about an article on active recovery I had read in this month's "Oprah Magazine" on relaxing.  I always thought about "active recovery" as something one did as a serious athlete taking a break from strenuous exercise.  In this article a professional coach, Charlie Brown, PhD, explained it as doing something fun but not regimented to help get back into the flow of things.

Well, I decided, Molly and I EARNED this Active Recovery Adventure Walk!

Tall grass intimidates me at the trail entrance.

We always begin our walks with a few moments at the pond a short distance from our house.  

But, I must admit that it's easier for me to take this trail in the months when the grass is not as tall as I am!  

This is when I recite one of my favorite quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt:

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Today I recited it several times as I headed toward the pond, which cannot be seen from the sidewalk in tall grass season. (I have a healthy respect for snakes native to this part of the country and tall grass obscures my ability to see what lies ahead.)

Molly is barely visible as we head toward the pond.

But, I put one foot in front of the other and reminded myself that the pond is the destination --and always well worth the courage it takes me to get there.

Quiet serenity awaits at pond's edge.

It was a beautiful morning and the pond was still and quiet--perfect for a few moments of reflection and meditation.

As we turned around to return up the trail to what I consider the safety of the sidewalk, I was awestruck to see the morning light dance on the tiny filaments of this dandelion.

Dandelion seeds await the afternoon wind.

Back on the sidewalk we headed down our street and as we did I heard gleeful shrieking of children coming from the backyard of the house just ahead.  As we passed it I happened to glimpse two little kids, naked, happily playing in the water of the sprinkler system that had not yet finished its cycle. Probably the best spontaneous choice on a morning already nearing 90 degrees. 

A few steps beyond I was amused to see a robin enjoy its own version of running through the sprinkler as it doused itself in a small puddle of water, looking  soggy, bedraggled and very satisfied.

As we neared a large house on a corner I chuckled to see that the many children who live here had been busy.  From the looks of things they had recently been heavily armed with sidewalk chalk and had created a massive village in the expansive driveway.  As a corner lot, the kids had obviously decided to expand their chalk community outward.  As Molly and I walked I saw that they had used this sidewalk as well, creating a chalk road to a "scenic overlook" at the cul-de-sac that overlooks Jodie Reservoir.  

Good plan, I thought and then had to stop and  laugh aloud as I saw they had also drawn in the ubiquitous and mandatory gift shop complete with photo booth!!  I continued to laugh for most of the next block imagining the young chalk artists at work on their scenic destination site!

It's about this point in our walk that Molly gets to decide the route we take home. Invariably it includes a trip to the Poudre River.  (It's no wonder I love this sweet dog!)

Molly embraces the Cache la Poudre River.

When we reached the river I un-clipped her and without hesitation she ran into the water and enjoyed her own version of running through the sprinkler!

The water was low, which is almost surprising considering how flooded it was for so much of the spring and early summer.

With each year's flooding the river changes and this year there are new and abundant sand and rock dunes, now visible with the water so low.

Rock and sand bars emerge from the river.

As I watched Molly frolic in the cold water I reminded myself that this is an Active Recovery Adventure Walk for BOTH of us. 

Again, I thought of another favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quote:

Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure.  You can have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.

I find the rocky dunes wider and longer than I expected.

So, it will not surprise you to know that like the neighborhood children and the robin at its own small puddle, without hesitation I waded in behind Molly with the adventurous intent to explore as far as the rock dunes would allow me to go!






  

Molly swims joyfully as we hike from dune to dune.

A new portion of the Cache la Poudre River presents itself to me.

At the farthest edge of the last rock dune I captured this image of unexpected tranquil water before turning around to head back to shore and begin our trek home--but, not without a stop at my own personal Poudre River Gift Shop.

My souvenirs from the Poudre River Gift Shop to remind me of a most
spectacular Active Recovery Adventure Walk.