Happy Pride: Forty and Fabulous!
Here in San Francisco pride weekend has finally arrived! The glitter and sequins and boas…the rainbow flags flying high along Market Street from the Embarcardero all the way up to the Castro…the giant pink triangle adorning the top of Twin Peaks. Yup, it’s Pride in San Francisco and the culmination of an entire month of Pride! This year’s theme: “Forty and Fabulous”
We are marching in the parade this morning with Zai as usual waving to the crowds of people lined along the street to watch the 40th annual Pride celebration. Many other cities across the country have been celebrating their own Pride events and we too have been attending many events in our own neighborhood, attending lots of really superb films and performances, like Frameline 34 and Fresh Meat, and just generally being and feeling proud.
It is the festivities of Pride that often make us appreciate the value and importance of reflection in our world. For a whole month the world has a few more rainbows in it! Be Out! Be Proud! Be Fabulous!
Filed under From the Life, LGBTQI Families | Tags: celebration, family, festive, fun, holiday, lgbt, pride | Comment (0)A Heart in the Dark: Wintertime
Monday was the darkest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. We are now at the deepest point of winter. I love knowing that. I can feel the season turning. 
At our house we’ve been filling our dark hours with Christmas crafts and keeping our windows steamy with lots of baking. Our tiny apartment is severely, profoundly decked out and we’ve got 6 different Christmas radio stations on our Pandora. Although I love absolutely any excuse to make things and decorate, it’s taken me a few years to fully receive 
the gift of Christmas brought to me by Matthew and his father and their profound love of the holiday. I’ve needed to go on a little Christmas journey.
When I was 20, my family disowned me at Christmas for being queer. Now so many years later, I rarely ponder on it. We have very little contact. But for years, Christmas served as an anniversary and was re-colored by the experience. The whole season became bittersweet. Over time, I looked for ways to finally Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: celebration, Christmas, family, festive, fun, holiday, light, season, Solstice, winter | Comment (0)Last Minute Gift Ideas
Give the gift of art this holiday season. Is there someone on your list that still needs a gift? We’ve assembled special holiday packages of our archival art prints. Buy them as a package and save $20 than when purchased separately plus save on shipping costs. Perfect as a gift for a special someone or share the love (and art) with three friends.
My Colors, My World:
Can you find the colors in your world?
This holiday package contains the three images: Open Eye, I See; Mud Pie Extravaganza; and Iris Tea Party
I Know the River Loves Me:
Do you have a special relationship with the river or know someone who does?
This holiday package contains the three images: Beginning the Journey, Standing in the River, and Floating Free
Nana’s Big Surprise:
Can you spot all of the hidden treasures within these images?
This holiday package contains the three images: Grandma Dancing, Kids with Chicks, and Grandma Hugs
Visit our Etsy Shop for more great gifts for the holiday season, including a print of our delightful Solstice Fairy. Order by December 15th to ensure Christmas delivery. Special holiday packages available now through December 31st 2009. Start shopping>>>
Happy Holidays from Reflection Press!
Filed under General | Tags: Etsy, family, holiday, illustrations, season | Comment (0)Fall Cornucopia
The dark. As a child I loved the coming of the dark. I grew up in the desert and the sun was merciless until Fall came when it lowered its head and seemed to rest a moment. Because of this the Fall had a cozy, homey feel to me. I was very aware of the quality of light in the Fall, low and intimate. The sun was now mine, not some distant burn up high, far away being out of my reach. It was up close and personal. It warmed me instead of burning me. This made the whole world feel more like my living room, my home and I belonged exactly where I was. I too could rest. Settle in. Daily ritual kicked in as school held a steady pace of week in and week out.
This was a time of certain smells coming from the kitchen; baked puddings replaced the peach-y pitch of summer. Caramels melted in a big pot and round, red apples dipped in. A parade of holidays commenced beginning with Halloween and Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: altar, Fall, holiday, project, season | Comment (0)El Día de los Muertos
Yesterday, November 2nd, we celebrated the Day of the Dead in San Francisco with the annual procession in the Mission. We dressed in our dead best with skeleton faces as is the tradition. Maya wore her special dead wedding dress that contains all the names of her dead and we wrote our hamsters names on the dress to honor their passing. 
Our altar at home was covered with sugar skulls, pictures of our dead, their favorite foods, and candles to welcome and honor the spirits on this day.
We arrived early at the procession to see the dancers and hear the invocation by our friend, Francisco Alarcón before beginning the procession which ended at Garfield Park. Zai handed out tiny drawings she had made to passers-by and also placed several on the beautiful altars in the park. We honored Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: altar, day of the dead, el dia de los muertos, Fall, holiday, honoring the dead | Comment (0)
