Coloring Page: Red Fred, Yvette, Pascal & The Invisible Dog (sans leash)

Red Fred, Yvette, Pascal and The Invisible Dog that got out of his leash! Click, download, print and please draw in The Invisible Dog!

Red Fred & Yvette See The Invisible Dog

Yvette has been missing her Monmartre balcony and "It misses me, too," she said, "We have a very unique relationship." While she was trying to explain it, we came upon a curious art gallery on Bergen Street: The Invisible Dog. "Sounds like a dangerous place for a couple of birds," I said. Yvette pulled me in mumbling something about "no appreciation for art."

We entered into a star-conspiracy of sorts because we were greeted by a cardinal-looking fellow floating on a dog leash. "Bonjour! My name is Pascal Effloresce and this is The Invisible Dog." I blinked a few times, trying to see the dog. Yvette seemed to recognize it immediately.

Pascal started showing us around the art center. I couldn't help thinking: seeing and understanding art can sometimes appear to be an obstacle. "Seeing takes more than your eyes," Pascal mused.
OBSTACLE by STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD

Yvette saw some extraordinary textile lamps. She flew around them like a fairy reciting Helen Keller: We differ, blind and seeing, one from another, not in our senses, but in the use we make of them, in the imagination and courage which we seek wisdom beyond our senses.
TEXTILE LAMPS by STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD

Did you know this chandelier was made from found buckles left behind in the factory? Did you know chandelier is a French would that means "something that holds candles"?
MINI CHANDELIER by STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD

This artist saw a universe made of canvas belts. What do you see the universe in?
FABRIC OF COSMOS by IAN TRASK

The distance from Purgatory to Heaven seemed more realistic when Pascal flew to the top of the industrial elevator shaft and began reading verses from Divine Comedy. Yvette and I agreed: Mr Alighieri would have enjoyed this.
CHARON by GIUSEPPE STAMPONE

We must have channeled Nino Frank because we saw a perfect opportunity to re-create a film noir scene in the basement. Two boys just can't pass up the chance to make a girl cry.

Once Yvette recovered, we flew back up to the main level to a sea of books. We took a few minutes thinking about the amount of art created from texts, poems, and books. Do you think writers are like muses for artists? Yvette shared another quote, this time by Annie Dillard: She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live. She read books as one would breathe ether, to sink in and die.
JOB CREATION IN A BAD ECONOMY by ANTONIA WRIGHT AND RUBEN MILLARES [DETAIL]

How often do we misunderstand something because we don't see it from both sides?
TELPERION by ETHAN LONG [DETAIL]

Aren't you glad the French love their gardens?

When we swept back through the exhibit to see anything we missed, I realized I had gained a better understanding of art and of seeing. Sometimes seeing the invisible is important. Sometimes seeing things differently opens your eyes to providence.

 I asked Pascal whom he would bring to the gallery if time and circumstance didn't matter. "My mother, (she passed away in 2003) just to have coffee with her everyday at 11:00am." As my eyes teared, they opened and the most magical / strange thing happened: I could see The Invisible Dog with Yvette and Pascal. "Let's get moving," called Pascal, "the croissants are calling!"

The Invisible Dog
51 Bergen Street
Brooklyn NY 11201
www.theinvisibledog.org

Coloring Page: Jolly Scoop

We're trying to stay cool during our New York summer. What flavors should we be? Click, download, and color us your favorite ice-cream dream!

New "About Movie"!

Lots of you know how I came about, but maybe don't know some of the particulars. Here is a little "About Movie" called The Anatomy of Red Fred Bodoni. It's on YouTube and I'd recommend clicking there so the screen is bigger! We like it! Do you like the music in the background? It's Jónsi's song "Around Us."

Enjoy! You can find the movie in the nav bar above, too!

The Jolly Troop Visits Blue Marble Ice Cream

It's been awhile since the entire Troop has been able to do something together. So when Magnus informed us that Silas Savoye had decided to join The Jolly Troop and was meeting us at Blue Marble Ice Cream, we figured this was the perfect time and the perfect place to get together.

As we lifted each other up to see through the shop window, The Twins asked, "But is it really the perfect time and the perfect place? What is the perfect time and perfect place?  Or more to the point, what is the perfect world?

There were as many opinions as there were birds.

The lines, the order and the options reminded us of Sir Thomas Moore's Utopia. "If Utopia had a flavor, it would be Blue Marble's strawberry ice-cream," drooled Penny.

The blue sprinkles made Algernon and Roman think of their tall, gangly-legged pal, Stilts. "Which path to Moksha are the sprinkles on?"

Did you know the name blue marble is another name for Earth? Did you know tile has been used for over 4000 years in order to make things more beautiful?

Edward surprised us when he dove head first into a little boy's ice-cream cone. I guess he loses all scruples when he sees chocolate chocolate chip ice-cream. What's amazing is that the boy just let him eat. Black Jack witnessed the whole thing and couldn't help but wonder: maybe Brooklyn IS the best place on Earth...



























We sat on some of Blue Marble's biodegradable containers and thought about ways to keep our planet perfect.

When some of the Troop fancied a beautiful photograph, they all stopped for a moment. They learned it was a photograph of Rwandan countryside. When they inquired about Rwanda being connected to this ice-cream shop, they heard and saw the most amazing story. Stilled and quiet after watching, all Magnus could say was, "Elysian Fields." Yvette turned to him, quizzically and whispered, "I love it too, but now is not the time to be thinking of my favorite shopping street in Paris!"

When the line slimmed down, we gave our order to Eddie. He recommended the a scoop of coconut almond and a scoop of cookies and cream.

Just then, Silas flew in! It was a frenzy of feathers as we talked about his flight, Rwandan ice-cream, and our neighborhood haunts. Maybe the perfect world is new friends meeting old friends over ice-cream. Maybe the perfect world is right here, right now. And maybe the perfect world will melt unless you enjoy it immediately.

As The Jolly Troop flew out the door, Black Jack hung back with me for a few split seconds. Seeing our friends dizzy with happiness and ice-cream bellies was the perfect dessert.

Blue Marble Ice-Cream

196 Court Street

Brooklyn, NY

bluemarbleicecream.com

Coloring Page: Stilts and Roman

Green or blue, good friends are true!

Here's the weekly Friday coloring page showcasing Roman and Stilts. Just click, download, and print. If you're interested in other coloring pages, scroll down the blog and look on the right side under "labels" and you'll find "coloring pages".  Have a great Friday!

T-Shirt: Enlightened

Stilts and Roman nearly reached enlightenment! So close that their feathers changed colors for a few, brief seconds. We captured it on this t-shirt! If you'd like your own, click here. The top image is the shirt in green tones. The image below that is in gray tones.

Stilts Visits Ananda Ashram

Stilts has been feeling blurry lately. Do you ever feel that way? Unclear, garbled, or fuzzy-sighted? He decided to take some time in the Catskills to refocus and refresh his mind, body, and spirit.

His yoga teacher suggested he visit an ashram—a place where he could practice yoga, be close to nature, meditate, and be surrounded by like-minded folks. So Stilts took a bus upstate and stopped at Ananda Ashram. It looked perfect. It even had a white picket fence.

As soon as he entered the ashram, he found The Enlightened One and immediately perched on his knee. "I can't see the forest for its trees, Buddha. Can you help me out?" Stilts asked. Buddha smiled and nodded his head and then whispered wisdom into Stilts' ear. When Buddha was finished Stilts thanked him and flew off to think about what he had learned.

Stilts landed at the ashram's bird bath at the same moment as another bird. After exchanging a friendly greeting, the new bird chimed, "I'm Roman Times. I'm from the Upper West Side and have never been to an ashram before." Stilts suggested they take one more dip and then explore the place together while he shared Buddha's words of wisdom.

When they arrived at the bridge by the lake, Stilts rehearsed: Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. 

When they reached the lake, Roman flew over the glass as Stilts shared: Let yourself be open and life will be easier.  A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.

Did you know Tibetans put prayers on flags because they believe the prayers will be blown by the winds to spread compassion?

Did you know that deer are associated to Buddha's first teaching in Deer Park? Can you imagine being so peaceful that even animals would stop to listen?

As they made their way through the woods, Stilts and Roman came upon a stack of logs. "If these trees could talk..." but before Stilts could finish his thoughts, Roman yelled, "I love that post-rock band!" There was an awkward moment of silence as they realized their sync had sunk for a moment.

They found a dense collection of leaves and decided to think in silence. Before they began, Stilts shared: Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds...

Shine!

As they walked back through the woods, they stopped to look at the sun peering through the branches. In this quiet moment, they felt a rush of realization: they were seeing the forest for its trees.

As they rounded the lawn near the garden, Stilts turned to Roman,"You know, Roman, I think you would really like my friends. We call ourselves The Jolly Troop. You should do a fly-by sometime because... well, 'birds of a feather flock together.'" Roman smiled gratefully and replied with some Emerson: The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship. And just like that, a new friendship was formed.

Coloring Page: Algernon and Minerva

Algernon is grateful for older and wiser friends, like Minerva. Click, download, and color. Who is your older, wiser friend?