California Dreamin'

Yesterday, I talked to a very, very good friend who lives in California. I've known her for twenty years this year, and she's like a sister to me in many ways. I've only seen her twice in the last six years, but I feel as close to her as I did when she and I lived under the same roof.

She used to work at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California, an amazing museum that was built to be a recreation of an ancient Roman villa. Tom and I got to spend some time there when we were in California for his friend's wedding back in 2006. I took lots of pictures, and for some reason, this one jumped out at me today as a great color inspiration.

Look at the mosaics on that!

I remember the day we took this picture. Tom had been sulking all day that he didn't want to be in California. In fact, he had been sulking since the minute our plane took off from Albany. He didn't want to go to Los Angeles. He didn't want to go to the Villa. He was nervous about making the Best Man toast at his friend's wedding.

Finally, I told him that we needed to get out and see the Villa. He hadn't asked much about the place, and I don't know if he heard me tell him what it was when we were on the plane out to L.A., but once we got there, he was in awe. He loved the rosemary that grew wild along the walls of the place, and the outdoor fountains. He loved the arbors with the grape vines that grew and provided shade from the California heat.

This mosaic is part of an outdoor fountain. If I remember correctly, it's the original fountain, preserved through the centuries that has been reassembled as part of the collection at the Villa. It's almost overwhelming to me, the intricacy and the tiny tiles and details of the thing.

The colors of this mosaic aren't ones that I usually work with, but I have them all in my stash of seed beads. Maybe for my next project?