My father is a writer now

It’s has been a bit of a surprise to me.  All my life I thought I knew the guy who raised me, but it’s funny how retirement can cause someone to start thinking about what else they can do with all their free time.  In the case of my father, Bill Hagins, he discovered his voice and started writing…like crazy.  He has already written half a dozen books, several of which are now published or on their way.  Now, he is not an overnight sensation, but I am proud of his efforts and of his new found ability.  He surely never wrote a single poem while he was raising me and my siblings, but all of a sudden he is a real author.  I have to admit that I am impressed with his writing as well.  It’s definitely given him something to do, but I think it’s even more interesting that he has found a new form of art to share with the world.  For most of the time I knew him, he was more of a physical artist.  He had studied and practiced traditional forms of art most of his life and while I lived with him, specifically used his talents to enjoy his model railroad hobby.  He could create the most amazingly detailed layouts, trains, buildings, etc, all by hand.  So now he is painting mental pictures for people using words.  I love that he has learned a new trick in his later years.  I hope that I will continue to find new ways to learn and grow as I get older, in the hopes that I never get bored.  Way to go Dad!

Picasso at the SAM

The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is currently hosting an exhibit of Picasso’s works normally found only in France.  It will be there until Jan 17th.  I went to see this exhibit last weekend.  It was pretty cool.  It is always interesting to see art in person that you have seen in books.  It is often fairly different than you expected.  Sometimes it’s bigger or smaller in real life than you’ve seen in photos and often just more interesting in person when you really see the textures and details.  If you are a fan of Picasso, you need to go see it while it is still a little closer and less expensive to see.