hello friends

Well, we have finally arrived in Cincinnati. We have been here for just over a week and have so far developed the subtle, nuanced observation that it is really hot here. We'll post some pictures of our house and neighborhood real soon. Seems like Cincinnati is going to be interesting once we get our heads around it. We live in a neighborhood called "Northside" that sort of reminds us of Temescal in Oakland, in that it's cool and bohemian but a little rough around the edges. Every morning Joyce runs to the front window to check that our cars are still there. But there are some intriguing things about Northside that we're happy about, such as a great cafe, an independent video store, a hippie farmer's market, and the world's grungiest hardware store, run by a man named Bill Dickhouse who has worked there for 49 years. We thought it was funny that a bar in the neighborhood offers "San Francisco-style burritos." Aside from the heat and humidity and general feeling of confusion and alienation, it's like we never left home.

What are Jesus Bugs? Well, one nice thing about Cincinnati is that some very talented artists and designers call it home. Our favorites are Charley and Edie Harper, who lived and worked in the area for many years. (Why is it that all the cool modernist designers were married couples? Charles and Ray Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day, and now these two.) At any rate, Charley Harper was a celebrated wildlife artist, and "Jesus Bugs" (1969) is one of his signature pieces. It shows insects gliding on a watery surface. We haven't found any jesus bugs out here yet, but we will keep looking.