Posted 1 year ago
Belltown
(156 items)
In 1991, I was fortunate enough to edit a story by my pal Jeff Book about Christo's Umbrellas project in Southern California (yellow) and Japan (blue).
We met Christo and his wife and collaborator, Jeanne-Claude, at Tejon Ranch, where the SoCal portion of the project was being readied for installation. After Jeff asked his questions and I snapped a roll of slides, we drove around the hills with Christo as he pointed out sites where his 1,700 or so Umbrellas would be placed.
After the Umbrellas were finally opened, we took our kids and my aunt to see them. If I recall correctly, our oldest son (then 4) was stung by a yellow jacket, but the 15-to-20-foot wide Umbrellas made an impression on him. A few weeks later, when winds blew over one of the Umbrellas, killing a spectator, our son sent Christo a drawing of one of his Umbrellas behind a wall, so people could view them safely. Some time after that, Christo reciprocated with a nice note and an envelope full of signed postcards of various projects.
Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets
The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
The Unfiltered History of Rolling Papers, Plus Tommy Chong's Big Fat Jamaican Vacation
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
Fightin’ Femmes: Unmasking Female Superheroes with Author Mike Madrid


Thanks for sharing these and your memories of the great artist!
What a great memory. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, thanks for sharing!
Great story, I love the letter your child sent..I am sure that cheered Christo up. The young are great healers!! Mich