we had a ton of fun at japanfest 2014!!! besides the amazing totoro hat we found for grey, there were lots of things to do, see and eat. there were performances, workshops and plenty of other activities for both adults and children. the event took place in and around the gwinnett convention center in duluth.

grey and clementine had a blast fishing for balloons, having their fortune read and enjoying some japanese snacks! plus they got to create their own calligraphy at the hudgens center for the arts, where there was a coinciding exhibition of japanese calligraphy and paintings. we were also able to see some of the matsuriza performance, which was awesome! they are a japanese traditional taiko drum troupe known for their performances at epcot center.

there was also a section with lots of authentic japanese food as well as vendors selling everything from studio ghibli gear to traditional kimonos and origami. there were also various yamaha tractors, boats and what have you on display that the kids had fun playing with.

on a side note, we did see a handful of studio ghibli costumes, including: kiki, tombo and a catbus. clementine got a kick out of them! there were plenty of other anime cosplays that i did not recognize. lots of blue hair for sure, you gotta have blue hair.

we weren’t sure what to expect at japanfest, however we were definitely impressed and will head back next year!

– ryan & gub

japanfest

Saturday, Sept 20, 10am-6pm | Sunday, Sept 21, 10am-5pm

gwinnett convention center

6400 sugarloaf parkway
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002

hudgens center for the arts

6400 sugarloaf parkway #300
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002

there is a calligraphy performance event going on at hudgens center for the arts right now until 8pm called illuminated letters. this is rick paulus, former white house calligrapher.

– gub

hudgens center for the arts

6400 sugarloaf parkway #300
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002

i was recently given a bottle of knob creek rye. as you can imagine, i was quite excited! in my journey of trying different rye whiskies, this was my first knob creek experience.

let’s start out with the bottle design. it’s sort of a classic meets modern style with cool big block letters on the label. the bottle features a cork cap and pours very nicely out of the narrow curved glass. i have to say i definitely did not like the wax sealing on the cap though. it looks classy while sealed, however just becomes clunky after opening. all in all, i give them high grades on the design.

knob creek rye is 100 proof, so it’s nice and strong like rittenhouse. it’s on the darker side and is both spicy and smooth. although it does have a bite, it’s still tasty over the rocks.

the only downside to knob creek it it’s price. it is a good $10-$15 more per bottle than rittenhouse, redemption and bulleit. so as much as i liked it, i don’t know if i will grab it again except for special occasions.

– ryan

rittenhouse has a new label design for its straight rye whiskey. the design is more modern and gives the bottle a classier feel. it still has a screw top, however the new look is definitely more pleasing to look at sitting on your liquor shelf! compare it to the old design.

rittenhouse has earned the double gold medal at the san francisco world spirits competition and was also named the best north american whisky by whisky magazine. not too shabby for a rye you can find for around $20!

did i mention it’s great in an old fashioned?

– ryan

the 2014 living walls conference is this weekend! this year features 19 artists from around the world painting new murals all over atlanta!

the murals will be painted over the next 10 days with a ton of other activities happening throughout. besides getting to watch these new works go up, there’s also a bike tour, lectures, a gallery exhibition, outdoor movies and lots more.

check out our posts on previous living walls murals around atlanta!

– ryan

for my birthday, we got a babysitter and tried out our first scavenger hunt from clue town books. we had a blast for sure! we started out at the republic for some cocktails before walking over to historic oakland cemetery for our adventure.

for those of you who are unfamiliar with clue town, they are these great scavenger hunt books from local kirkwood resident jay carlson. the books come with a compass, a little pencil, and lots of puzzles to solve along the way. he has released 4 books so far, including: piedmont park, oakland cemetery, downtown decatur, and the beltline eastside trail. the scavenger hunts take roughly 60-90 minutes to complete, depending on which one you go with.

for our first clue town adventure, we went with the historic oakland cemetery. the hunt took us about an hour and a half, which was longer than the 60 minute estimate. we took our time strolling through the historic atlanta site however, soaking in our rare outing away from the kids. the puzzles were challenging at times, but definitely fun and not too hard. the compass was used quite a bit as well, which added to the experience!

although we didn’t bring our kids, the oakland cemetery hunt definitely seemed kid-friendly. everything was self-contained within the cemetery walls and parking was close and free, so it would be an easy scavenger hunt to try out with the kids.

you can buy clue town books directly from jay at most atlanta festivals, or you can find them at select atlanta shops, including: the beehive, youngblood boutique, heliotrope, oakland cemetery gift shop and the high museum of art gift shop.

up next for us is piedmont park, we can’t wait! we are going to try it out with clementine and grey!

– ryan & gub

historic oakland cemetery

248 oakland avenue se
atlanta, ga 30312
404-249-5000

the republic

437 c memorial drive se
atlanta, ga 30312
404-577-3997

we are excited about the new hiroshima international: exhibition of japanese calligraphy and paintings at the hudgens center for the arts! it opens wednesday, july 16th and is on view through september 27th.

– ryan & gub

hudgens center for the arts

6400 sugarloaf parkway #300
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002

making some garland for sweet clem’s birthday. purple, of course. i’ve learned sewing the paper strips together is way more sturdy and takes less time than glue or tape. it’s definitely an easy diy birthday decoration!

– gub

we designed the volunteer shirts for the kirkwood spring fling this year. they turned out great!!!

– ryan & gub

an exercise in color.

– ryan