Friday, July 23, 2010

Beer can girl, the long way and what looks good

- This mural I am calling "Beer can girl" painted on the back of Manuel's Tavern in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood of Atlanta. I found a blog from the artist, who says that Pabst Blue Ribbon beer seems to pop up everywhere in her life and she doesn't even drink it.

- Taking the long way home from work so I can stop by the DeKalb Farmers Market - an international "world" market. It is a festival of fresh produce, dairy products, and so much more. I love their manifesto, part of which reads: "No matter how technologically advanced we become, we cannot escape our fundamental relationships with food and each other."

- The cashiers there are always lovely and my cashier this day did not speak much English, but ran a smiling commentary on my purchases of fresh basil, brussel sprouts, salmon, fresh mozzarella, cage free eggs and hummus. I only stopped by for the basil, but this is the kind of place you walk around in, while dodging shopping carts, to see what looks good.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

24 comments:

Fireblossom said...

I think that mural is ugly. There, I've said it.

Don't you just love stores like that, especially if they sell food? I am the same way, though, with book stores.

Granny Annie said...

Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I like the mural and admire anyone who can paint one. That is quite a task.

Your Farmers Market and our Farmers Market greatly differ. Not only can we buy fresh produce at our market, we can buy bbq ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. They keep a huge smoker going all the time and the smell pulls vehicles off the highway. Pretty redneck huh? LOL

Blue Bunny said...

um, basil... i do lieks!

ox

wit loves, me BB

Jannie Funster said...

Stoppped in for only one item, lol. I know that all too well, often get distracted and end up buying everything BUT the one thing I went in for. You ever do that?

Funny, but everywhere I go I see murals of donuts. Strange...

:)

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Everywhere I go, I see murals of Australian animals. I guess you get that when you live in Australia... still, it'd be nice to have something different once in a while! :P

That "Beer can girl" mural ain't half bad actually, but I dunno about the beer cans. Still, it's on the back of a pub so what was I really expecting? :P

I think I expect too much!

Louvregirl said...

Lynn~ Have a truly great weekend! It is going to be dang HOT.
lg!!!!

Louvregirl said...

I vote (with Fireblossom I'm afraid...)
"Yup~~that's an ugly mural."

Maude Lynn said...

Mural girl has an odd look on her face. But, I guess I would, too, if I sprouted beer can antlers!

Lynn said...

Shay -

I like it for its unexpectedness. The artist was participating in the annual pbr art contest held by The Graveyard Tavern each year. The photo she used for the original painting can be seen here: http://thirty-times-three.blogspot.com/2010/01/pbr-pearls.html

I used to supervise artists just out of school at the yellow pages (a great starter job for them) - so I enjoy this kind of artwork very much. This young lady is in her final semesters at the Art Institute of Atlanta. This will be a great portfolio piece for her.

Yes - I do love stores like that. This is one is warehouse size. Sometimes I end of making a round of putting stuff back.

Granny Annie -

I like it, too - it looks as if she is trying to pull antlers out of her head. :)

They sell all manner of meats there, but none of it cooked already. I'm thinking your market sounds like someplace I'd pull off the highway for. I love barbeque.

Blue Bunny -

Me, too!

ox

Jannie -

Yes - yesterday I really should have remembered cucumbers. My second errand run of the late afternoon was the library and the regular grocery store for cucumbers and baby aspirin. And then when I got home I realized I should have gotten cat litter. Rats - again today with the grocery shopping. :)

lol at murals of donuts. :)

xo

Tony -

Your murals sound lovely. She used beer cans because it was a certain kind of contest for pbr beer. It adds some interest to that pub, I think and especially to someone like me sitting at an endless traffic light. This was taken through my windshield. :)

lg -

I know and my sis and have to clean out a storage building on my mother's property tomorrow - we will get started early so we aren't prostrate from the heat.

I don't think that mural was intended to be beautiful - it is in kind of an edgy part of town. :)

Lynn said...

Mama Zen -

Yes - I think they are not coming out as cleanly as she would have hoped. :)

desk49 said...

Murals she does of beer she don't drink.
And the blog she has with a link
The long way home through a market stand
And a moral read about food and man
They’ll take you money with a smile when
Your dodging carts full of green eggs and ham


Lynn you know your going to catch me with a blank mind someday.

Riot Kitty said...

OK, even though I am numb from the dentist and can't eat, your blog still make me hungry! I love all of those things except asparagus.

LL Cool Joe said...

I love the mural too. I always have an issue with "traditional" art because so often I find it boring, but I like that because it looks a bit different.

Have a wonderful weekend Lynn.

Meredith said...

Oh, Lynn, you're making me miss the home stomping ground again. We used to make a special trip every week to the Dekalb Farmer's Mkt when I was living and sharing expenses with two other women in Atlanta -- because we figured out that their meat and fish and eggs were less expensive than the grocery store. A few years into this pattern, we figured out that we weren't actually saving any money because we couldn't resist walking out without other, unexpected stuff: creme fraiche, imported almonds, a little Gouda, wine from Greece, a slice of the bakery's to-die-for red velvet cake. ;) Dangerous place!

Enjoy your purchases over the weekend. Sounds like it'll be a delicious one.

sage said...

interesting mural... and your shopping trip sounds tasteful!

Cookie said...

I love that motto too!
I never learned how to cook (or eat!) brussel sprouts. They intimidate me whenever I see them in the store.

Lynn said...

Ellis -

I hope not! Thank you for my poem, my friend.

RK -

Oh the dentist - that's no fun. I hope you get to eat tonight.

Joe -

I like the non-traditional, too. It fits that neighborhood perfectly.

Meredith -

I had a tough time dodging that bakery. Now I'll have to try the red velvet cake sometime. I generally guy my salad greens from the grocery store - the already washed kind. But in an attempt to save money I started buying them there and also all that other stuff like creme fraiche and the like and it defeated the purpose. So now I'm back to the packaged salad greens, but do love to wander through that market. There are always new discoveries.

Sage -

Very tasteful. :)

Cookie -

Isn't that a great motto? I like that, too.

I steam my brussel sprouts. But first I trim the ends and make an x through them before putting them through in the steamer. I love them, but I am sure they are an acquired taste. My sister used to buy them still on their branch when she lived in Monterey, CA.

Snaggle Tooth said...

An odd mural- tho I find it interesting. A strange thought being followed by beer cans... When I have more time I'll check out the artist blog link-
Love farmers markets- hate working nights cause now the early hours make it difficult to get there.
I find them tempting as well- Food's always better!

Lynn said...

Snaggle -

I thought it was pretty inventive of her in that she had to incorporate Pabst Blue Ribbon beer into her artwork. I think it is so cool that Manuel's put in on their building. It is kind of a legendary bar in that area. Manuel's is named for its owner Manuel Maloof - a man who is not Hispanic. So Manuel is pronounced Man-u-ul.

You are right the food IS always better at those places. My sister in Virginia spent a rare weekend with me a few years ago and that is the one place she wanted to visit to "sight see" - she saw a feature on it on the Food Network.

Holland said...

That is a good piece of work... and I know how hard it is to do a mural at that size... especially in winter... when it snows... ok stop laughing now...

Lynn said...

Monique -

I like showcasing talent and especially something as interesting and as this piece. Murals in the snow, oh my!

Anonymous said...
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TALON said...

Are those beer antlers? Because that is definitely unique! :)

Can I steal your shopping basket? My cupboards are bare ;)

Lynn said...

Talon -

Exactly! Beer antlers. :)

Come on down. There's still some mozzarella, but the hummus is history. :)