Antennae for Design ~ Three Outstanding Films Not to be Missed

Uggie

We were again transported to another time and place—three fabulous and current films, in three weekends. Our wonderfully transportive film nights began with My Week with Marilyn, which takes place in 1956 and was shot in and around the outskirts of London,The Descendants, filmed in present day Honolulu, and last night we saw The Artist, which takes place in Hollywood, from 1927 to 1932. The Artist is a comedy and drama about George Valentin (Jean Dejardin), a silent film star, and Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a rising “talkie” star, who meet just as the silent film industry is collapsing. The film is partially silent and filmed to look like a black and white silent film. The costumes are to die for, the interior set designs are predominately Hollywood Regency, and the acting charming and sweet and utterly engaging. Uggie, the terrier, will steal your heart.

From an interview with Michael Hazavanicius, director and writer of The Artist, “I had many deep motivations for wanting to make a silent film. As a member of the audience, I absolutely love the way stories are told to me in a silent movie. It’s not a cerebral response. It’s more a child-like response. Because there’s no spoken language, the way the story engages your heart is special. It’s hypnotic, sensual, not at all cerebral, and I love that sensation as an audience member. My motivations as a director were much more selfish. For me, it was a great experience. It’s what cinema is about, in my opinion. I’m telling a story with images and music. With images, you have the actors, you have the sets, you have the costumes, the lights, everything, and that’s how you’re telling the story. You don’t need words for that. It’s the ultimate experience for a director to make a silent movie. I really wanted to try to do it.”   Link to the full interview with Hazavanicius. 

Jean Dujardin and Uggie 

Techno notes for Joey and Marty: The Artist was made in the 1.33:1 screen ratio commonly used in the silent film era. Though presented in black-and-white, it was shot in color. All the technical details, including lenses, lighting and camera moves, were calibrated to get the look just right. To recreate the slightly sped-up look of 1920s silent films, the film was shot at a slightly lower frame rate of 22 fps as opposed to the standard 24 fps. Courtesy wiki.

Images courtesy Google search.

What is Great Pond Status?

The point of the Aftermath video is to showcase the litter, not who owns the pond. Thank you Daniel for pointing out the litter and thank you Anonymous for sharing that Niles Pond has Massachusetts Great Pond Status. And thank you to all who wrote comments-it just goes to show how much we all care about our beautiful Niles Pond and surrounding environment.

Irrespective of who owns the pond, let’s all please not litter, and if you do see trash left behind, clean it up, and if you can’t manage the job yourself, email the wonderfully good eggs Donna Ardizzoni and her One Hour at a Time Gang for the really tough jobs.

Niles Pond Sunrise

From the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection website: Chapter 91 comprises four basic areas of geographical jurisdiction. Any activity that takes place in one of the hot link areas listed below requires Chapter 91 authorization. The areas are:

Flowed Tidelands – Any project located in, on, over or under tidal waters seaward of the present mean high water (MHW) shoreline. Jurisdiction in this case extends seaward three miles, to the state limit of territorial jurisdiction.

Filled Tidelands – The limit on filled tidelands is: A.) Outside Designated Port Areas, the first public way or 250 feet from mean high water, whichever is farther landward and B.) Inside Designated Port Areas, the historic MHW shoreline (i.e., all filled areas).

Great Ponds – Any project located in, on, over or under the water of a great pond. A great pond is defined as any pond or lake that contained more than 10 acres in its natural state. Ponds or lakes presently larger than 10 acres are presumed to be great ponds, unless the applicant provides unequivocal evidence to the contrary. Ponds 10 or more acres in their natural state, but which are now smaller, are still considered great ponds.

Non-Tidal Rivers and Streams – Projects located in, on, over, or under any non-tidal, navigable river or stream on which public funds have been expended either upstream or downstream within the river basin, except for any portions not normally navigable during any season by any vessel. Additionally, the Connecticut River, the Merrimack River and portions of the Westfield River are within jurisdiction.

Chapter 91: An Overview and Summary ~ Read more to find out how Great Pond Status directly affects Niles Pond:

Aftermath

Isn’t Niles Pond gorgeous?  I posted the photo below on Good Morning Gloucester blog on Sunday; the pond looks especially pristine and sparkly in the snow and ice.

The following day Good Morning Gloucester follower and Eastern Point resident Daniel D. wrote to say, “It does look beautiful, and as a Resident of Eastern Point, I love when others can share in the beauty of our neighborhood. Unfortunately, the picture for today should be all the cans, boxes, and trash left behind by these people when they finished skating that day, all glaringly standing out as the snow melts in that exact spot… Hopefully they read this comment and then quickly come and clean it up before the ice melts this week and it all sinks to the bottom of our lovely pond. I’m Just Saying….”

Hey guys—it looked as though you were having a great time, but then had to leave very suddenly—with trash, half a dozen pucks, and even a shovel left behind. Perhaps there was an emergency—whatever the case—could someone who was playing hockey at Niles on Sunday please come and clean up the mess. I picked up much, of what I could reach, but the embankment is muddy and slippery and you will need tall waders to reach the plastic bottles and shovel. Thank you for your consideration.

As Daniel D. correctly stated, all the trash is going to sink to the bottom. Many species of waterfowl dive for vegetable matter and the seeds, stems, roots, and bulbs of submerged aquatic plants. They can easily became entangled in trash. The last shot of the bird’s nest is meant to symbolize the pond’s fragile ecosystem.

Clip of the stunning Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) at 3 minutes 45 seconds.

Hawaiian Quilts

Antennae for Design The Descendants

Saturday night we went to see The Descendants. I found this movie enjoyable on many levels. The cinematography, of lush Hawaiian landscapes, was gorgeous. Lingering close-up shots of the actors and dreamy transitions added to the telling of story. Interesting, too, were the clips of suburban Honolulu neighborhoods. Never having been to Hawaii, the film was an eye opener—I don’t imagine Honolulu neighborhoods as a typical L.A. hillside suburb, nor downtown Honolulu with eight lane highways jammed with choking traffic.

Vintage Hawaiian Quilt

The set designs by Matt Callahan mirrored the story beautifully, and I found much inspiration in the furnishings and fabrics, including vintage rattan furniture, appliqué pillows, and bark cloth curtains. Several authentic Hawaiian quilts added a unique touch, and one quilt in particular played a leading role in the telling of the story. The main characters comprise a modern day family descended from a Hawaiian princess. Early in the film, we see a sunny golden yellow and white, slightly tattered and homey, quilt arrayed over the mom, who is lying in a hospital bed, in a coma and dying. The quilt has been brought from the family home to the hospital to provide comfort. In the final scene, the father and children make their way one by one to the family sofa, and eventually all are cozy under the same Hawaiian quilt, watching television together, and sharing bowls ice cream.

What we think of as the classic Hawaiian quilt is characterized by a bold, radial symmetric design (similar to that of a snowflake) or bold, stylized design drawn from nature. The motifs are often times cut from one piece of cloth, unlike patchwork quilts, which are assembled from many smaller pieces of fabric. The design motif is then appliquéd to a contrasting background. And, unlike patchwork quilts, with quilting stitches worked in parallel diagonal, straight, or circular lines, Hawaiian quilters practice “echo” or outline quilting. The stitches follow the inner and outer contours of the design motif.

Images courtesy of Google search.

The Descendants is based on the book of the same name, written by Kaui Hart Hemmings.

Antennae for Design

Depression Era Quilts

Depression Era Butterfly Buttonhole Appliqué Quilt 

For the first installment of Antennae for Design I wanted to share with you a very special gift that my mother- and father-in-law gave me this Christmas past. My husband’s family lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, a beautiful city sited along the Ohio River. The landscape so reminded early German settlers of the Rhine River and valley, that to this day there is an older area of the city still referred to as ‘Over the Rhine.’ The above butterfly buttonhole appliqué quilt was made in Fostoria, Ohio and Ohio’s long quilt making heritage is similar to that of many states throughout America.

Quilts and quilt making techniques are a reflection of the life and times of the women who made the quilts. The technique of quilting (encasing an insulating fabric between two layers of an outer fabric and stitching firmly in place) has existed throughout history. Quilted garments have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs and quilted garments and bedding began to appear in Europe after the return of the Crusaders from the Middle East. The medieval quilted gambeson and aketon were garments worn under, or instead of, armor of maille or plate armor. The oldest American quilts in the Smithsonian date from approximately 1780.

Thinking about the fascinating history of quilts and quilt making in this country, one of my very favorite periods of quilt making was after WWI and through the early 1940’s. Quilts made during this period are commonly referred to as Depression Era quilts; although to look at their cheery colors and patterns, you would never know the women who created them were living in the midst of a depression. Magazines needed to be resourceful during this period of extreme economic hardship, and they were, by selling fashion and optimism. Another way to survive was by including quilt patterns and tips in their publications. Quilting was an activity that women could do to fulfill their creativity while still making something practical for their families. The quilts were typically made from sewing scraps, out-grown clothing, and feed sacks. Part of the war reparations agreement with Germany after the First World War mandated Germany provide the US with their formulas for aniline dyes, which allowed for an explosion in color depth and hues, as well as stability in dyes; purple finally became reliable, as did black.  Charming and sweet prints along with lovely pastels served in stark contrast to the depressive economy. A particular shade of green, now referred to as “thirties green,” was so popular amongst quilters, that the strips that were used to bind the quilt edges came packaged in a can!

Dating quilts is fascinating. If you have a question about a quilt or would like to share information about a family heirloom, please write.

The above quilt was my interpretation of a 1930′s butterfly quilt, which I made for our daughter when she was three. Following in the depression era practice of using what was on hand, you can see the dress scraps from which the quilt was made in her blue gingham dress in the old photo below.

I found a basket full of Scotty dog squares at a yard sale last summer. Scotty dogs were a popular design motif during the first half of the 20th century and this particular Scotty pattern was created in 1940. When I have some spare moments, I’ll look for fabric to back the quilt. Purchasing quilt squares or an unfinished quilt top is a great way to acquire a depression era quilt because, if the squares or top have been properly stored, the fabrics will come back to life with cleaning and pressing, and will not have been used.

Antennae for Design

January, February, March, and for we who dwell in New England, oftentimes well into April, are ideal months for interior home improvements. During these more homebound months I am actively looking for home and garden design inspiration. And, too, with projects that were shelved during the summer months because of seasonal work and summer guests, winter is a great time of year to focus on home improvements. I was inspired to write this weekly series after a recent visit to our home from Joey, Jill, and their two darling daughters. The family stopped by for hot chocolate and story time and Joey was non-stop with investigative questions and curiosity. It got me thinking about the impetus for writing my book, Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!, which was originally conceived as a guide for young couples and new home owners (and someday, hopefully, for my children when they will one day have gardens of their own). My book grew to be more than that, but I am again thinking of the couples with young children that have recently moved to our East Gloucester neighborhood.

Plaster Ceiling Medallion

To think of it, we are following in an old Gloucester and northern seacoast tradition by tending to the interior of our homes during these winter months, in that of “house-pride.” The town’s carpenters, many of whom were master shipbuilders and shipwrights, would have had more free time during the winter months. Fine carpentry details are evident throughout our house, which was built in 1851. And, like many of Gloucester’s older houses, our home is graced with details created by the skilled plasterers that emigrated from Italy and settled on Cape Ann. Although a modest house, particularly by today’s “starter castle” standards, I wouldn’t trade our lovely 19^th century home, with its quirky and elegant details (along with it’s many foibles) for all the world’s McMansions.

I propose Antennae for Design will encompass home and garden design inspiration, home improvement tips, feature interviews with local business owners who specialize in art and design, and after visiting local well-tended homes and gardens, sharing information found there.  Let me know through the comment section or by emailing at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com of your thoughts and any topic that you may find particularly relevant or of interest.

 

 

The Flower That Mrs. Kim Gave Us

My friend Joey’s daughter Madeline, also known as Snoop Maddie Mad, created and posted this video on her blog. She is four, I think. Amazing. Note how she politely directs her sister. Dad Joey is preparing her to be the next media magnate in the family.

Joe at the Good Morning Gloucester Art Gallery

As you may or may not know from reading my blog and newsletters, I am a daily (almost everyday) contributor to my friend Joey Ciaramitaro’s blog, Good Morning Gloucester. I am planning a weekly column for GMG titled Antennae for Design, which I will then post on my blog and also email to my readers (more about that later), but I first want to tell you a bit about Good Morning Gloucester. I was a fan before I was a contributor. The blog is the brainchild of Joe Ciaramitaro. Joe grew up in East Gloucester and he, along with his cousin Frank, own the family business started by their grandfather, Captain Joe and Sons Lobster Company, located on Gloucester’s working waterfront and off East Main Street (yes, you can purchase your fresh lobsters there, at the dock, retail—but at wholesale prices!) Along with his family (wife Jill, daughters Madeline and Eloise, and large extended family), Gloucester is Joe’s passion and his blog reflects his deep love for all things Gloucester. Through his writing, films, and photography, Joe works tirelessly to help and to support and to grow local businesses, local arts and music, and community spirit. And with the help of his contributors he accomplishes this everyday, seven days a week, twenty-four seven. Never a dull moment, GMG is filled with hourly postings of upcoming community events, video interviews and human interest stories about local people and events, news and commentary about issues that affect the fishing community, full video and photo coverage of community events, stories garnered from local historians, photos of our surrounding natural beauty–the thoughtful and thought-provoking coverage is continuous. GMG is wholly unique–as far as I know there is nothing like it–and it is founded on one man’s passion and abiding love for his hometown. If you want to know anything and everything, not just about Gloucester, but the Cape Ann region, visit GMG. I subscribe to GMG and read it every morning with my coffee, and then often times check in again later during the day if I need to search for the time and date of a scheduled community event or activity.

 Note–GMG is entirely free of advertisements of any kind.

Daughter Liv in Brooklyn

Photos of our daughter Liv taken by her photographer friend Dave Krugman. Dave says “My favorite way to shoot is to wander through the streets with a close friend, follow the good light, and let the world show itself. Give it a try…” Liv is a graduate student at NYU Steinhardt, studying opera and vocal performance; Dave is a professional photographer based out of Boston. They met while at Boston University. Click the last image to see their Brooklyn album.

Click last image to see Liv and Dave’s photo album

Best Friends

Filmed at Oakes Cove, Rocky Neck, November 7, 2011. “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars, from the album Doo-Wops and Hooligans.

Oakes Cove is a small, protected cove located on the southwestern side of Rocky Neck within Gloucester’s Inner Harbor. The “best friends” were unaware they were being filmed. I loved that they were so familiar with the ledge that they knew the exact location of the perfect perch for watching the setting sun together.

Total length 6 minutes, 20 seconds

Oakes Cove Swan

On that balmiest of all January Saturday’s past, Tom and I walked along the Rocky Neck beaches. The Flynn’s Beach (at Oakes Cove) swan did not at all appreciate the interest shown by our curious pooch.

Mute Swan Hissing

The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is native to Europe and Asia and is an introduced species to North America. Called “mute” because they are less vocal than other swan species, the Mute Swan is also distinguished from other swan species by its prominent knob atop the bill. The male swan is called a cob, the female, a pen, and the young, cygnet. The female is slightly smaller than the male, and her knob is less pronounced.

Sand Bath ~ Note the grains of sand around the swan’s bill (click photo for larger view) in the above photo; the swan appeared to be using the sand as an aid in cleaning it’s feathers.

Living in a Fitz Henry Lane Landscape

Wonsons’ Cove

Click photo to see larger image

Locally found treasures ~ a pair of hand-painted Czechoslovakian lamps

A recent find for one of my design clients is this pair of sweetly hand-painted Czechoslovakian lamps, with coordinating shades trimmed in blue silk cord, discovered at a local vintage shop.

Forget-me-nots and Roses

I love the challenge of searching for and finding one of a kind (or in this case, a pair of) treasures for my design clients. And I partuclarly love one of my ongoing design jobs for a simply delightful family, with three lovely and lively daughters, each with their own very distinct personality and style preference. The eldest daughter is zippy and lighthearted with a definite flair for the modern; the second daughter is gently refined and ethereal (I think of watercolor hues for her); and the third daughter is possessed of a warm and sunny character—a radiant sunflower. The pair of Czechoslovakian lamps will add a charming touch to the middle daughter’s bedroom. Whether you are searching for special plants for the garden (the most highly scented specimens, for example) or rare and/or out-of-the-ordinary objects of art and decoration for the home, thoughtfully selected accents create the most welcoming sort of home.

Important Safety Note: Although these lamp bases are in near-perfect vintage condition, the cords are not. Judging from the overall poor condition of the cords, I would guess they were last wired in the late 1950’s or 1960’s. We will re-wire the lamps with soft gold-colored cord, which will better blend with the décor, as opposed to the dark brown or stark white wire. Always, and always very thoroughly, check the wiring when purchasing vintage lighting—for obvious reasons, I cannot stress this enough.

 

The War on Bugs Change of Venue

Due to popular demand, the location for the The War on Bugs event has been changed to the Harbor Room, 8 Norwood Court,  Gloucester. The Harbor Room is located off East Main Street, directly across the street from the Gloucester Writer’s Center, and down the hill toward the harbor. Suggested donation is $10, $5 for students, and absolutely no one is turned away for lack of funds. For more information, call Annie Thomas at 978.283.7738 or email her at asthomer@yahoo.com

2012 Rocky Neck Plunge

2012 Rocky Neck Plunge with a pre-plunge breakfast hosted by Passports Restaurant and rally at Sister Felicia’s home. Featuring The Ciaramitaro Family, Donna Ardizzoni and her daughter Erica, E.J., Ed, Mayor Kirk, Nicole, Alicia, Paul, the van Ness Family, and too many more brave souls to mention all by name. Cathy McCarthy and friends set up boxes by the entry to the beach and a truckload of food was collected and donated to The Open Door Food Pantry.

Included is a postlude video short titled New Year’s Day Bath ~ Swan Style. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Filmed at Flynn’s Beach on Oakes Cove Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Opus 68 Pastoral

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Opus 125 Choral Finale (Ode to Joy)

Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra

 

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Day was spent photographing and videotaping the annual Rocky Neck New Year’s Plunge and cooking a festive dinner for my family. The snapshots are of the beautiful Ciaramitaro family, taken at the Good Morning Gloucester pre-plunge rally breakfast, which was hosted by Passports Restaurant.

Eloise, Jill, and Madeline

Joey and Eloise

Felicia, Amanda, and Pat

Joey and Madeline

Madeline

Click last photo to see slideshow

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hippeastrum

A Note about Hippeastrum 

Living in New England the year round, with our tiresomely long winter stretching miles before us, followed by a typically late and fugitive spring, we can become easily wrapped in those winter-blues. Fortunately for garden-makers, our thoughts give way to winter scapes of bare limbs and berries, Gold Finches and Cardinals, and plant catalogues to peruse. If you love to paint and write about flowers as do I, winter is a splendid time of year for both, as there is hardly any time devoted to the garden during colder months. I believe if we cared for a garden very much larger than ours, I would accomplish little of either writing or painting, for maintaining it would require just that much more time and energy.

Coaxing winter blooms is yet another way to circumvent those late winter doldrums. Most of us are familiar with the ease in which amaryllis (Hippeastrum) bulbs will bloom indoors. Placed in a pot with enough soil to come to the halfway point of the bulb, and set on a warm radiator, in several week’s time one will be cheered by the sight of a spring-green, pointed-tipped flower stalk poking through the inner layers of the plump brown bulbs. The emerging scapes provide a welcome promise with their warm-hued blossoms, a striking contrast against the cool light of winter.

Perhaps the popularity of the amaryllis is due both to their ease in cultivation and also for their ability to dazzle with colors of sizzling orange, clear reds and apple blossom pink. My aunt has a friend whose family has successfully cultivated the same bulb for decades. For continued success with an amaryllis, place the pot in the garden as soon as the weather is steadily warm. Allow the plant to grow through the summer, watering and fertilizing regularly. In the late summer or early fall and before the first frost, separate the bulb from the soil and store the bulb, on its side, in a cool dry spot—an unheated basement for example. The bulb should feel firm and fat again, not at all mushy. After a six-week rest, the amaryllis bulb is ready to re-pot and begin its blooming cycle again. Excerpt from Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! ~ Coaxing Winter Blooms

Click above photo to see slide show

The taxonomy of the genus Hippeastrum is complicated. Hippeastrum is a genus of about 90 species and over 600 hybrids and cultivars, native to topical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. For some time there was confusion amongst botanists over the generic names Hippeastrum and Amaryllis, which led to the application of the common name “amaryllis” when referring to Hippeastrum. The genera Amaryllis refers to bulbs from South Africa.

 

Tribute from Senator John Kerry to Joe Garland

REMEMBERING JOE GARLAND

Mr. KERRY: Mr. President, over the course of the past half-century, Joe Garland served as the unofficial historian of Gloucester, MA—its fishermen, its boats and its life. But Joe Garland not only wrote history in his books and newspaper column—he was part of history, guiding his beloved hometown through headwinds and troubled waters. Joe Garland passed away August 30, and his family and friends gathered October 1 for a memorial service. I would like to share with the Senate the thoughts and memories of Joe that I shared with those who were part of that service honoring this great champion of all things Gloucester.

If you visit the Fisherman’s Memorial on Gloucester’s waterfront on a stormy winter day, the statue of the Heroic Mariner seems to be steering the whole town into the wind toward fair weather. And if you look closely at the statue, you can almost see Joe Garland in its carved granite face, full of grit and determination, guiding his be- loved Gloucester through headwinds and troubled waters.

‘‘Beating to windward’’ is the art of sailing into the wind. ‘‘Beating to Windward’’ is also the name of the column Joe wrote so many years for the Gloucester Times. And it is no surprise to any of us who knew him that Joe used the column to champion all things Gloucester.

Joe didn’t just chronicle Gloucester’s history—he was a part of it. In his column and in his books, he brought to life the era of the great schooners—like the 122-foot Adventure, the flagship of Gloucester, and the larger-than-life Gloucestermen—like the ‘‘Bear of the Sea,’’ Giant Jim Patillo, and the ‘‘Lone Voyager,’’ Howard Blackburn.

But he also used the sharpness of his pen to make his case on all kinds of civil causes—opposing unbridled economic development, warning about the loss of local control of the hospital and water supply, complaining about compromises on the environment or demanding the preservation of Gloucester’s beauty. And trust me—Joe never hesitated to offer his advice to a certain U.S. Senator, if he felt like I needed it.

Joe wrote with passion, conviction and humor, never with ill will or with the intent to wound. He was a gentleman. And always, whether in his column or in his books, he promoted the interests of Gloucester’s fishing fleet. In my office in Washington, I have a copy of the book he wrote in 2006, ‘‘The Fish and the Falcon,’’ about Gloucester’s role in the American Revolution. His inscription to me expresses his appreciation ‘‘for your efforts to relieve the fiscal crisis that has long haunted our beleaguered fishing industry.’’ He urged me to keep up the fight, and I have.

Joe wrote 21 books, and I always enjoyed his sharing the latest with me. In my Boston office, I have a copy of his book about the Adventure, which he helped to restore. It arrived with an invitation from Joe to tour the schooner and, of course, I didn’t waste any time accepting his invitation. He welcomed me aboard, and his tour made the Adventure’s history come alive—from its construction in 1926 through its career as a ‘‘highliner,’’ the biggest money- maker of them all, landing nearly $4 million worth of cod and halibut during her career.

But the book that spoke to me the most was his last, ‘‘Unknown Soldiers,’’ his memoir of World War II and his journey from a student at Harvard to a ‘‘dogface’’ with a close-knit infantry in Sicily, Italy, France and finally Germany. It is a clear, eloquent and unflinching panorama of the mundane and the horrific in war. It is, by turns, humorous, poignant and gut-wrenching, with the common soldier perspective long associated with journalist Ernie Pyle or cartoonist Bill Mauldin, a point of view with which soldiers from my war, from any war—a band of brothers stretching through generations of Americans—can identify.

I was deeply saddened to learn of Joe’s passing. But I am glad that his passing was gentle, his last moments of his life near the window of his beloved house by the sea, surrounded by loved ones and squeezing the hand of the woman he loved—Helen, his wife, his World War II pen pal.

And how fitting that in those final moments, the schooner Lannon fired a farewell cannon salute to Joe as it headed out to sea. Joe loved the tradition of cannon salutes, so much so that he fired one at the wedding of his stepdaughter, Alison, only to have it backfire, burning a hole in his jacket and covering his face with gunpowder, just in time for the official wedding photos. But that was Joe, and a face smudged with gunpowder underscored what we all know—truly, his was a life well lived.

There is an anonymous quote I once read which may well describe how we should think of Joe’s passing. It says:

“I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, ‘‘There! She’s gone.’’

Gone where? Gone from my sight— that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her, and just at the moment when someone at my side says, ‘‘There, she’s gone,’’—there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, ‘‘There she comes!’’ And that is dying.” [See editor's note.]

Because Joe loved the sea so much— and because he enjoyed watching seagulls soar—I close with a special poem. It is titled ‘‘Sea Joy’’ and it was written in 1939 by a little girl named Jacqueline Bouvier. America eventually came to know her as Jackie Kennedy. But when she was 10 years old, she wrote:

When I go down by the sandy shore

I can think of nothing I want more

Than to live by the booming blue sea

As the seagulls flutter round about me

I can run about—when the tide is out

With the wind and the sand and the sea all about

And the seagulls are swirling and diving for fish

Oh—to live by the sea is my only wish.’’

To Helen and Joe’s family, I extend my deepest sympathy, but with a reminder that Joe’s work, like the sea he loved, is eternal and booming, and that Joe’s life, like the seagulls he enjoyed so much, swirled and soared.

And to Joe, from one sailor to another, I wish him ‘‘fair winds and following seas.’’

Editor’s Note: The quote “I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean…” was written by Henry van Dyke (1852- 1933), an American educator, clergyman, and author.

Liv and Alex

Enough with the Photos Mom!

Ring Out, Wild Bells

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

 

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

 

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

 

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

 

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

 

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

 

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

 

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.        -Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

Our daughter Liv posted this poem on her blog Boston to Brooklyn. The sentiments expressed befit our times equally as well as when Tennyson wrote Ring Out, Wild Bells in 1850.

 

Jonathan Dove (1959), the contemporary British composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music has written a beautiful arrangement to Ring Out, Wild Bells, performed in this video by the Antioch Chamber Ensemble.

 

I Wonder as I Wander

I Wonder as I Wander (Appalachia) ~ Words and Music collected by John Jacob Niles, 1933

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall,
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,
He surely could have it, ’cause he was the King.

Many thanks to Father Matthew Green from St. Ann’s Church for posting his photo of the St. Ann’s Nativity scene on Good Morning Gloucester blog. I was looking for an image to go with this hauntingly beautiful Christmas carol and was inspired to go see the nativity at the rectory after seeing his photo posted on GMG.

My Interview with Isabelle Lafleche on Pink Lemonade

My dear friend and fellow author Isabelle Lafleche has posted her interview with me on her always super fun and chic blog Pink Lemonade. Isabelle posts the most wonderful high-style photos, garnered from fashion and style publications from all around the globe.

Isabelle’s first novel J’adore New York has been published in French, English, and German and is now available in paperback. More on Isabelle in a future post.

Isabelle’s Upcoming Novel

Home for the Holidays

Both our children are at last home for Christmas! Read Liv’s “Home for the Holidays” post at her delightful blog “Boston to Brooklyn.”

Live writes: The Christmas spirit runs strong in our family, mainly due to our mother’s dedication in making our home a joyous and decadent celebration of the holidays. No room in the house is left without some unique Christmas decoration and our abode smells of paper whites, clementines, and pine needles for the entire blessed month of December. I’m finally home for the holidays after my first semester of graduate school, and nothing makes me happier and more relaxed than being surrounded by Christmas joy and familial love. Read more, with lots of photos, at Boston to Brooklyn.

 

Liv Hauck iPhone photo

Amaryllis ‘Orange Sovereign’

Amaryllis ‘Orange Sovereign’ will be in full bloom by Christmas Day!

For tips on coaxing winter blooms, including forcing bulbs and flowering tree and shrub branches, see Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!  David R. Godine, Publisher.

Miss Rosie Money Penny

Our sweet pooch Rosie, looking none to pleased with me… I wonder why?

Snow Dome

For the past week, while at home and in between holiday baking, at different times throughout the day under varying degrees of low winter light, I’ve been taking photos of this snowiest of “snow storms.” The light coming through the living room windows along with the Christmas tree lights created myriad fascinating effects.

Click any photo to see the complete slideshow.

From wiki: Precisely when the first snow globe (also called a “water globe,” “snow storm,” or “snow dome”) was made remains unclear, but they appear to date from France during the early 19th century. They may have developed as a successor to the glass paperweight, which had become popular a few years earlier. Snow globes appeared at the Paris Universal Expo of 1878, and by 1879 at least five companies were producing snow globes and selling them throughout Europe.

Christmas Whimsy

Vintage Christmas Decorations ~ snowflake, cupcake tree, circus Noël, nutcracker frog prince, and music box Santa.

Happy Holidays!

Santa Baby

Santa Baby, slip a sable under the tree, For me.
been an awful good girl, Santa baby,
so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa baby, a 54 convertible too,
Light blue.
I’ll wait up for you dear,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Having fun photographing Christmas decorations around the house. My husband Tom made this cardboard Santa for me –that year Santa was bearing a jewelry box with a very pretty ring…

Think of all the fun I’ve missed,
Think of all the fellas that I haven’t kissed,
Next year I could be just as good,
If you’ll check off my Christmas list,

Santa baby, I wanna yacht,
And really that’s not a lot,
Been an angel all year,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa honey, there’s one thing I really do need,
The deed
To a platinum mine,
Santa honey, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with a duplex,
And checks.
Sign your ‘X’ on the line,
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight.

Come and trim my Christmas tree,
With some decorations bought at Tiffany’s,
I really do believe in you,
Let’s see if you believe in me,

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing,
A ring.
I don’t mean on the phone,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight,
Hurry down the chimney tonight,
Hurry, tonight.                                     -Joan Javits and Philip Springer

“Santa Baby” was originally recorded by Eartha Kit with Henri Rene and his orchestra in New York City, 1953.

Vin d’orange

Orange infused wine, or vin d’orange, is a warm weather Provençal aperitif, but I never remember to make it during the summer months, only during the holidays. Although, when drinking it, I like to imagine sipping orange wine from a garden cafe somewhere (anywhere!) along the Côte-d’Azure. Vin d’orange is marvelously easy to prepare and makes a much appreciated holiday host/hostess gift.

Over the years I’ve experimented with the original recipe, which was, to my way of thinking, much too sweet—add more sugar if you like a sweeter aperitif. I think you will find this concoction intoxicatingly fun, light, and aromatic. I hope your family and friends enjoy as much as do mine!

12-15 Clementines thoroughly washed and cut in half

3 bottles modestly priced dry white wine

1 Cup sugar

½ Cup Courvoisier

Long strips of orange zest

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl combine the wine and Clementines, gently squeezing each half to release some of the juice. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 5 days. Save the empty wine bottles and corks; wash and remove labels. You will need a fourth empty bottle.

Remove orange infused wine from the refrigerator and squeeze any liquid remaining in the orange halves into the large bowl. Discard oranges. Add the sugar and cognac, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Pour wine concoction into wine bottles. Insert a strip of the zest into each bottle and cork. Chill the wine for one week. Serve neat or over ice.

Vin d’orange will keep for 6 months when chilled. Makes approximately 4 bottles.

Dear Readers, There must be a southern Italian equivalent to vin d’orange? In Italy they make something entirely different, also called orange wine. Italian orange wine is made from white grapes that have been left to ferment with their skins, treated in essence like red wines. These wines may macerate for days or even months, which gives the wine color shades varying from rosy pink  to amber cider to vivid orange, however this is a different process than wine infused with oranges. Please write if you know of an Italian version of the Provençal aperitif or some similar deliciously fun fruit infused wine recipe.

Christmas Tree for Liv

My darling daughter, away at graduate school, is missing home and missing especially Christmas-making. She called last night to request a snapshot of our Christmas tree. My wish for Christmas was that both Liv and Alex could come home for Christmas.  Alex we knew for sure would be home (if for no other reason than he misses home cooked dinners) but Liv started a brand new job with a crazy schedule and is mired in papers and finals.  I learned yesterday that she will be traveling home on the 21st and son will be home Thursday of this week. Happiest of moms am I!

Click any photo to see slide show

Lobster Pot Tree Lighting

Main Street photos from Toodeloos!, Art Haven, Supreme Roastbeef Diner, Dress Code, and Bananas. Click any photo to see slideshow.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go;

Take a look in the five and ten, glistening once again

With candy canes and sliver lanes aglow.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Toys in every store

But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be

On your own front door.       Meredith Willson (1902-19840)

Click any photo to see slideshow.

Meredith Willson (1902-1984) was a composer, songwriter, playwright, and conductor and was best know for writing the book, music, and lyrics for The Music Man.

Foggy Autumn Sunrise Featuring Ring-necked Pheasant

Foggy Autumn Sunrise ~ Featuring Ring-necked Pheasant, November 9, 2011, 7 minute duration

Filmed at Good Harbor Beach on a luxuriously warm November morning. Standing in the sand dunes filming the wildflowers and rising sun I heard a noise behind me, and only several feet away. I turned to see a Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). This is my first encounter with a Ring-necked Pheasant at Good Harbor Beach, but have subsequently learned they are fairly common. I was amazed to see it foraging so close to the public beach and not closer to the marsh where cover is dense. Introduced to Massachusetts in 1894, this game bird continues to thrive in both rural and metropolitan areas. The footage of dried flower heads is of Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens). The opening and final clips show the White’s house, formerly referred to by townspeople as the ‘”Birdcage” because it was wrapped on all four sides with open porches, which have now been enclosed.

Music composed by Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Sesaons Opus 8 Autumn Allegro. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Itzhak Perlman Violin.

From wiki: The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi’s best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, “Winter” is peppered with silvery pizzicato notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas “Summer” evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement, which is why the movement is often dubbed “Storm.”

The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti, Vivaldi’s Op. 8, entitled Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). The first four concertos were designated Le quattro stagioni, each being named after a season. Each one is in three movements, with a slow movement between two faster ones. At the time of writing The Four Seasons, the modern solo form of the concerto had not yet been defined (typically a solo instrument and accompanying orchestra). Vivaldi’s original arrangement for solo violin with string quartet and basso continuo helped to define the form.

Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

Mini muffin baking cups or petit four cups

2 ounces. Baker’s sweet German chocolate, broken into small bits

6 ounces Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

¼ C. Disaronno Amaretto liqueur

2 Tbs. strong coffee

Few drops almond extract

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

½ C. pulverized Jules Destrooper almond thins (or Anna’s, or any super fine, thin cookie)

Confectioner’s sugar to taste (approx. 1/2  cup)

 ½ C. Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder for final powdering

Melt sweet chocolate bits and semi-sweet chocolate chips over a gently simmering double boiler. Whisk in liqueur, coffee, almond extract, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously, over gentle heat, a few minutes more until mixture is shiny and smooth. Gradually add the butter by tablespoons. With a wooden spoon, beat in the pulverized cookies. Beat in sifted confectioner’s sugar, to taste. Remove the pan from the double boiler and place in a bowl of ice with water. Stir until well chilled and firm enough to form into balls.

By teaspoonful, gather up a gob and form into a rough, truffle-like shape. Roll in cocoa powder and drop into frilled paper cup.

Makes about 22, depending on size. Refrigerate in an airtight container. They will keep for several weeks or they may be frozen. (Very) loosely adapted from Julia Child’s Chocolate Amaretti Truffles The Way to Cook Page 485. To vary using orange liqueur: Replace Amaretto with Grand Marnier or Cointreau, replace almond extract with lemon or orange extract, and replace almond thins with thin gingersnaps (Anna’s, for example).

Cherry Street Gang

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

I find it fascinating that the turkeys populating Cape Ann are descended from wild-trapped New York birds. By 1851, the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) was extirpated from Massachusetts because of widespread loss of habitat and hunting. Nine unsuccessful attempts to reestablish the birds were made between 1911 and 1967. Between 1972 and 1973, 37 birds were released in Berkshire County. The bird’s range quickly expanded, establishing populations from the western to the furthest eastern regions of Massachusetts. To read more about the Wild Turkey visit the Massachusetts Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas

Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!

Dear Friends,

It’s that time of year again for holiday gift making and gift giving. Possibly you are one of those fantastically super organized holiday spirits finished with your holiday shopping, or even more probably, you’re not in the mood for another holiday commercial. If so, please forgive, but  I am writing to suggest that my book Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! ~ Notes from a Gloucester Garden, which I both wrote and illustrated, makes a wonderful holiday gift. If you already own a copy, perhaps you will agree that it would make a thoughtful gift for that someone on your list who loves to garden, or a young couple who may have recently purchased a home and needs sound advice, or someone who simply likes to read about flowers, butterflies, garden lore, and garden-making.

This is a link to the Press Page of my blog, where you can read excerpts of reviews by The Boston Globe’s Carol Stocker, Bloomsbury Review, Patriot Ledger, North American Butterfly Association, and more. With spending any spare hours blogging and with my video projects and garden design newsletter, I am embarrassed to say that my website has not been updated in over a year, however, both the Book Page and Story Page on my website provide more information about Oh Garden!

Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! ~ Notes from a Gloucester Garden is available at Toad Hall, and wherever fine books are sold.

Excerpted from the introduction ~

We all carry within us the image of a home to create and a garden to tend. Perhaps you dream as I do of a welcoming haven to foster family bonds and friendships and to rejoice in life’s journey. The garden and the home to which it belongs becomes a memory catcher to weave a life’s tapestry.

To imagine a garden paradise one must live in one’s home to listen to its own particular music. Gradually, by degrees, the idea of the garden will grow. A home and a garden should look as though they had grown up together and will when one takes the time and necessary thought. A garden cannot be hurriedly created. Delicious, blissful pleasure is derived from the garden’s use as a continuation of the home.

Our gardens provide a safe harbor from hectic lives, a place to celebrate life and an opportunity to express our creativity. The garden is an inviting sanctuary to guide one through the rhythms and harmonies of the natural world. Planted to nurture the imagination and hearten the soul, a “new” cottage garden is a whimsical, exuberant intermingling of scented flowers and foliage, fresh fruit, and savory herbs.

As a designer, I believe I am here to channel ideas for the benefit of many. This book is my communication of a profound desire to share with readers the immeasurable joy gleaned from creating a personal paradise of one’s own making.

The illustrations are of flowers, songbirds, and butterflies I love to draw and to paint, and selected because they only become more beautiful when intimately observed.

A poetic world lies waiting to be discovered. Let us open the garden gate and take a step within.

And Joe Garland’s lovely blurb for the book’s jacket:

“Drawn by the tender magic of her brush, one feels somehow renewed under the spell of the author’s singular warmth as we stroll within these pages in the intimacy of the secret garden she reveals.”

~ Joseph Garland, author and historian

Moles, Holes, and Voles

Visit Toad Hall’s Facebook page — you’ll find a 10% OFF coupon there that you can use between now & Christmas. 

Moles Holes, and Voles ~ First published December 2008

“Bother!” Overnight, beneath the low-lying boughs of holly, there appeared a pint-sized mountain of freshly dug earth, surrounded by several tunnel entrance and exit holes.

Toad Hall Bookstore is a nonprofit organization and gives 100% of its net profits to environmental projects.

A day goes by and a second messy mound appears. “Such a rumpus everywhere!” Is it Mole or Ratty who has come built his winter residence on our lot? “Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!” I do hope it is Mole and not Rat. Investigating burrowing critters, moles and voles in particular, I was immediately transported back to the Wild Wood of Wind in the Willows. Perhaps you may recall Kenneth Grahame’s adventures of the anthropomorphized small creatures—good-natured Mole, Ratty (a water vole), Toad (well-to-do, jovial, and full of conceit), and lone Badger—and Grahame’s imaginative descriptions of their dwellings (Toady’s Toad Hall) that lie beneath the earth of field and wood and riverbank.

After reading about each and every suspect burrowing creature listed on the Massachusetts Wildlife’s State Mammal List, I believe that our new neighbor, fortunately for us, is a mole, not a vole. Voles are unwelcome garden guests; they delight in carbohydrate-rich spring flowering bulbs, roots and tubers of hosta and hollyhocks, and many other perennials. Voles cause serious damage; however, the deep tunneling habit of both moles and voles plays an important role in the overall health and vigor of soil, aerating and pulling topsoil down and subsoil upwards. In the garden, the cat that is allowed outside at night is the best defense against voles (really not recommended, for the cat that is, in communities where dwell coyotes). In areas where damage to food crops has been extensive, farmers have had the greatest success with installing raptor poles to encourage birds of prey.

Aside from examining the holes and surrounding mess, which we found did not give a clear identification, we discovered an easier way to determine whether mole or vole. Quarter an apple and skewer with a stick. Lay the skewered apple slice across the hole that appears to be the primary entrance. Our Scottish terrier conveniently and enthusiastically led the way. Within twenty-four hours you should see identifying signs of chewing. In our little experiment, it took less than four hours. Members of the Order Rodentia will leave large parallel teeth marks in the soft flesh of the apple whereas moles, which do not have large teeth, leave behind telltale shredding. Not only was the apple slice shredded, the mole had flung the remains, stick and all, a foot away from his tunnel entrance.

Of the three species of moles found in New England, we can narrow it down to two, either Scalopus aquaticus, the Eastern Mole, or Parascalops breweri, the Hairy-tailed Mole. We ruled out Star-nosed Mole. Both Eastern Moles and Hairy-tailed Moles construct two different types of tunnels. Built just beneath the surface of the earth are temporary, or feeding, tunnels and they are created by the mole during its search for earthworms, beetles, and grubs. The deeper tunnels constitute the moles living quarters, winter retreat, and nesting site. Star-nosed Moles construct only the feeding tunnels. All three New England species, like many species of moles, are called fossorial—adapted to digging—and have fossorial feet. The moles short paddle-like front feet are disproportionately large, as broad as they are long.

The dense, silky fur of moles lies equally well when brushed forward or backward, allowing ease of movement in either direction in its subterranean burrow. Their tiny eyes are covered by fused eyelids concealed in fur. Eastern Moles have gray-brown fur and the face, feet, and tail are pinkish-white, with a sparsely-haired tail. The Hairy-tailed Mole is more robust withshiny jet fur and a densely-haired tail. Both hairy-tailed and eastern moles do not hibernate; they are active all year round, day and night. Except during the breeding season, they live solitary lives. Few animals prey on moles because of their musky odor and burrowing habit. Snakes, owls, and foxes are their main predators.

I could hardly bring myself to think about how to rid our garden of a creature such as one who resides in the pages of this beloved childhood book. Why don’t we wait and see, leave it be, I pleaded with my husband. The grub-eater is a gardener’s friend.

Recently I stopped by Toad Hall Bookstore. Warm and welcoming, a thoroughly relaxing ambiance, and chock-a-block full of enticing, beautiful and thoughtful gifts. Don’t you find the most memorable gifts from childhood are the storybooks given from loving adults—parents, grandparents, or that special aunt? Perhaps a copy of The Wind in the Willows, originally published in 1908, would make a treasured gift for the young reader on your list. We found a pristine second-hand copy illustrated with line drawings by Ernest H. Shepard. This 1960 Charles Scribner’s Sons edition had eight additional color illustrations, also rendered by Shepard, commissioned to celebrate the books mid-century birthday. Currently available is a hardcover centennial anniversary edition, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Greasy Pole Fall Classic Full Length Edit

As First Seen On Good Morning Gloucester

The Greasy Pole walk is a uniquely Gloucester Italian-American event that takes place every summer during the St. Peter’s Fiesta. The pole is rigged on a platform in the harbor off Pavilion Beach. The objective is to walk the heavily greased pole and capture the flag. During the fiesta three walks take place, one walk each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and there are three winners declared. Much bravado and celebrating takes place during and after walking the greasy pole. To see Greasy Pole videos from the summer of 2011 visit Good Morning Gloucester. To read more about the Greasy Pole and Gloucester’s annual St. Peter’s Fiesta visit the St. Peter’s Fiesta website.

This past autumn the platform rigged in the harbor that supports the pole was damaged first by Hurricane Irene, and then destroyed by a subsequent ‘noreaster. Roughly eighty thousand dollars is needed to reconstruct the platform. The Greasy Pole Fall Classic fundraiser, from where the video footage was shot, was held at the local football stadium, and is a one time only re-creation of the annual event that takes place in the harbor. Gloucester’s St. Peter’s Fiesta is attended by tens of thousands and is a beautiful celebration of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen. The Greasy Pole is a highlight of the fiesta, and just one of many religious and celebratory events.

Donations to restore the Greasy Pole may be sent to the following address:

St. Peter’s Fiesta Committee

P.O. Box 3105

Gloucester, MA 0193

Greasy Pole Fall Classic SHORT

Greasy Pole Fall Classic Short Edit

For more information about the Greasy Pole

Premiere Episode of Through the Garden Gate

The Butterfly Garden at Willowdale Estate

Holiday Magic or Several More Reasons to Shop Small Not Mall

During my mad rush Tuesday morning to shop for our Thanksgiving dinner, I first stopped in at Alexandra’s Bread to pick up several loaves of their freshly baked bread. Knowingly, I had placed an advance order because the bread at Alexandra’s is so super delicious they are often sold out. I not only needed baguettes for dinner Tuesday evening, but for our fondue dinner planned for Wednesday evening. It is our tradition to serve fondue on Christmas Eve and to the kids, fondue symbolizes warm- and cozy-holiday-fun-dinner; they now request it for “Thanksgiving Eve” as well.

Alexandra’s Bread

I next popped into Pearl’s to see if Sue had any fondue forks. Pearl’s is a wonderful vintage everything shop at the east end of Main Street. Fondue forks are designed with extra long, heatproof handles and I needed several additional forks for our guests. Sue did not have any fondue forks, but Deb, the meter attendant who was, very fortuitously, standing at the counter chatting with Sue, mentioned she just-so-happened to have a set at her home that had not sold at her recent yard sale. Deb said she’d be happy to deliver her forks to Pearl’s and Sue very graciously agreed to be the go-between. I bought them sight unseen for ten dollars.

Next stop was Abacus Computer and The MacDaddy, across the street from Pearl’s and several doors down from Alexandra’s Bread. Their tagline is “Your PC and Apple Repair Service Specialists.” I explained to Frank that my daughter was arriving Tuesday night and was only staying for a few days. Could they possibly squeeze in a look at her laptop to see what was wrong? Yes, no problem, and requested we bring in the computer promptly at 10:00am Wednesday morning.

The following morning Frank and Thad looked it over and thought perhaps they could repair and have it back to her by that afternoon, even though it was by no means an easy fix, needing a new hard drive, along with various other problems. WOW—you don’t get service like that at the big box stores, as a matter of fact, at the Apple Store in NYC, the salesperson told my daughter her laptop was unfixable and not to waste their time.

Next stop was Pearl’s, where we picked up the most gorgeous boxed set of wooden handled fondue forks, circa 1960—very Eames looking— and far more elegant than the forks we had planned to use. Thank you Sue and Deb and thank you Holiday Spirits!

Elegant Fondue Forks

More Holiday Magic—later that afternoon, Abacus Computer and The MacDaddy called with the good news Liv’s computer was ready for pick-up. Cleaned and repaired, it is working perfectly. Thank you Frank and Thad and thank you again Holiday Spirits for working your Holiday Magic!

Beautiful Waterfront

Standing at the parking lot’s edge I turned west toward the silvery setting sun. As the clouds broke the reflected light beneath the pilings caught my eye and a familiar scene became new again. We would be hard pressed to take a bad photo from nearly any Gloucester Harbor vantage point!

 View from Captain Joe’s parking lot

Aloha and Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Friends,

A Thanksgiving column for you–about the sublime rose ‘Aloha,’ for which I am most thankful. Even more so, I am thankful for my family—our son Alex is arriving home from college this afternoon, then later in the afternoon, my dear mother-and father-in-law from Cincinnati, and then darling daughter tonight on the train from NYC. I count my blessings each and every day, but I am especially grateful that this Thanksgiving my husband and I can share this most special of holidays with our family. I hope with all my heart you have a joyful Thanksgiving.

Warmest wishes, Kim

P.S. Programming notes ~ Two specials that I produced are airing on Cape Ann TV this week and they are The Butterfly Garden at Willowdale Estate and The Greasy Pole Fall Classic (see previous post re Greasy Pole schedule).

Program schedule for The Butterfly Garden at Willowdale Estate airing on Channel 12, Cape Ann TV:

Monday, November 21 at 8:00 pm

Tuesday, November 22 at 2:30 am and 10:30 pm

Saturday, November 26 at 8:00 pm

Aloha Blooming Mid-November

Rosa ‘Aloha’

The French have a beautiful sounding word for a repeat flowering rose and, without doubt, the most remontant rose that we grow is ‘Aloha.’ Embowering our front porch pillars, she welcomes with her fresh-hued beauty.‘Aloha’ begins the season in a great flush, followed by a brief rest, and then continues non-stop, typically through November, and in one recent, relatively mild autumn, into December. I like her so very much that I planted a second and then third and they are all three sited where we can enjoy her great gifts daily.

‘Aloha’s’ buds are full and shapely, and colored carmine rose with vermilion undertones, giving us a preview of nuanced shades to come. She unfurls to form large, quartered, and subtly two-toned blossoms, initially opening in shades of clear rose-pink with a deeper carmine pink on the reverse, or underside of the petals. The blossoms are long lasting, fading to a lovely shade of  pale coral pink. And the petals fall loosely, never becoming balled clumps. With luxuriously long stems and shiny emerald foliage, ‘Aloha’ also makes a divine cut flower.

Oh, and I can’t believe I am several paragraphs in and haven’t yet mentioned her fragrance. She not only welcomes with her great beauty, but also with her potent and dreamy scent. I’ve often heard ‘Aloha’ described as having a green apple fragrance, but find that description only partially accurate; the scent is really much more sophisticated, with notes not only of fresh Granny Smith apple, but also the warm sensuous undertones of the old Damask and Bourbon roses.

Passers-by may think she looks a bit peculiar, ruining my color scheme with her fresh-hued cluster of pink amongst a tumble of drying stalks and seed heads in the beige and brown hues of late autumn, but I don’t mind—to be welcomed by her scent on a cold November morning is simply to be welcomed by a gift—and ‘Aloha’ is a rose that just keeps giving and giving and giving.

I first took note of Aloha, arching along a split-rail fence and growing in the path of drying winter winds and sand. A rose that can withstand winter along the Cape Ann seashore is a rose worth noticing. I asked the owner of the garden if she minded if I took a cutting and she very graciuosly allowed me to take several (see Chapter 14, page 117, in my book Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities on how to propagate a rose from a cutting).  ‘Aloha’ is one of the easier roses to propagate and I soon had several viable plants. I kept one and gave the rest to friends. Roses grown on their own roots are far superior to those grown on a commercial rootstock. The grafted joint is susceptible to disease and damage. Not only that, in the case of a very severe winter, the growth above the graft is often completely destroyed. The growth that returns in the spring is that of the rooting stock, not of the originally desired rose.

‘Aloha’ was hybridized by Eugene Boerner in 1949 and is in the class Large Flowered Climber. Her parents are the Climbing Hybrid Tea ‘Mercedes Gallart’ and ‘New Dawn.’ Although classified as a climber, the versatile ‘Aloha’ is easily grown as a shrub. The foliage is vigorous and leathery, and rarely visited by pests or disease. ‘Aloha’ is the parent or in the ancestry of many gorgeous roses and has contributed greatly to the development of the David Austin roses.

Roses seen in paintings by the old Dutch masters are the Damask, Bourbon, Gallica, Alba, and Portland roses. Hybrid Perpetuals were derived to a great extent from the Bourbons. Hybrid teas are a cross between the winter-hardy Hybrid Perpetual and the tender, yet repeat blooming, Tea rose; hence the winter-hardy and repeat blooming class called Hybrid Tea. These were cross-pollinated with large flowered climbers, culminating in roses that inherited what are considered by rosarians to be the most desirable qualities—that of repeat flowering, strong fragrance, strong stems, hardiness, and disease resistance.

‘Aloha’ grows vigorously in full sun or a very light bit of shade. A compact climber, she is ideal for planting alongside porch pillars and fences. It is easier to train the canes to grow up a porch pillar or to arch along a fence when they are young as the canes become stiff with age. After the first flush of flowering, deadhead and remove any weak or twiggy growth. Pruning is not mandatory for flowering because ‘Aloha’ blooms on both old wood and on the current season’s growth, however, I like to prune again lightly at the end of the growing season, to shape and to remove twiggy growth. In early spring fertilize and lightly prune yet again, removing any dead winter damage (usually minimal). ‘Aloha’ is not prickle free; be mindful to plant where she won’t create a nuisance (I should heed my own advice, although if planted in a heavily trafficked site she is very easy to keep in check).

Because of her ease in culture, remontant habit, arresting fragrance, and seemingly endless variations in color from within each flower, I would have to say ‘Aloha’ is in my top ten category of favorite roses, if not top five. If you have a rose that you cherish—a rose you grow, or perhaps one you recall from childhood—please write and tell me what it is that you find lovely in your rose.

Aloha (left pillar) Early June

Aloha Late June

Greasy Pole Fall Classic Video Special

As first seen On Good Morning Gloucester. The following is the program schedule for the video special that I produced for Good Morning Gloucester, which is also airing on Cape Ann TV this week.

Program schedule for The Greasy Pole Fall Classic airing on Channel 12, Cape Ann TV:

Wednesday, November 23 at 8:00 pm

Thursday, November 24 at 1:00 am and 6:30 pm

Saturday, November 26 at 7:30 pm

My Cape Ann readers know of the Greasy Pole. For my off -island readers, the Greasy Pole walk is a uniquely Gloucester Sicilian-American event that takes place every summer during the St. Peter’s Fiesta. The pole is rigged on a platform in the harbor off Pavilion Beach. The objective is to walk the heavily greased pole and capture the flag. During the fiesta three walks take place, one walk each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and there are three winners declared. Much bravado and celebrating takes place during and after walking the greasy pole. To see Greasy Pole videos from the summer of 2011 visit Good Morning Gloucester. To read more about the Greasy Pole and Gloucester’s annual St. Peter’s Fiesta visit the St. Peter’s Fiesta website.

This past autumn the platform rigged in the harbor that supports the pole was damaged first by Hurricane Irene, and then destroyed by a subsequent ‘noreaster. Roughly eighty thousand dollars is needed to reconstruct the platform. The Greasy Pole Fall Classic fundraiser, from where the video footage was shot, was held at the local football stadium, and is a one time only re-creation of the annual event that takes place in the harbor. Gloucester’s St. Peter’s Fiesta is attended by tens of thousands and is a beautiful celebration of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen. The Greasy Pole is a highlight of the fiesta, and just one of many religious and celebratory events.

Donations to restore the Greasy Pole may be sent to the following address:

St. Peter’s Fiesta Committee

P.O. Box 3105

Gloucester, MA 01930

Greasy Pole Fall Classic

Rolling Stone Magazine

Great gift idea ~ The November 2011 issue of Rolling Stone is, as typical, bulging with timely, interesting, and well-written features–check out Florence and the Machine, George Clooney (cover story), and a great article by Rolling Stone’s political correspondent Tim Dickinson on how U.S. tax policies have increased economic inequality. Link to hear the  Terry Gross interview with Dickinson on NPR.

Every member of our family loves reading Rolling Stone. I purchased a subscription for our son for Christmas about five or six years ago and then we would all go searching for it in his room after he had finished reading the latest issue. Of course it’s available online, but nothing equals curling up with (the physical manifestation of) a good book or magazine–besides, it gives your eyeballs a break from the computer’s glare.

Fantastic and FREE

The workshop last night at Cape Ann TV, presented by Barry O’Brien, President North Shore Communications Group, was fantastic. We covered keyframing in Final Cut Pro, basic techniques in both audio and video, and then several more advanced techniques in both. Barry and Andrew Love, producer at CATV, are extremely generous with their time and knowledge. It matters that you understand what they are teaching, and they take the time to insure that you do. Thank you Barry and Andrew for generously sharing your gifts!

Barry O’Brien and Andrew Love

Joey’s Great Gloucester DVD off to Press

A thoughtful and beautiful and affordable gift for the holidays!! My friend Joey has created a gorgeous DVD with 21 separate videos he has shot over the last several years. Three of  my very favorites are–Good Harbor Beach at Dawn, 2011 Greasy Pole, and the St. Joseph Novena. Featured also is great footage of some of the most interesting and rare sea creatures found along Gloucester’s shoreline — a blue lobster and golden sea robin, to name but a few. Cost of video is 20. and 5% of sales go to rebuilding the Greasy Pole!

Artwork for the DVD

For more information visit Good Morning Gloucester. Joey has made it very easy to order yours with a super handy online order form. I purchased five DVD’s and will receive a sixth free!

New Paintings by Jeff Weaver

2011 New Paintings ~ Opening Reception Sunday December 3rd at 2:00

 

 

Happy Halloween

In Support of Occupy Wall Street!

Reminder Thursday Night Premiere

Dear Friends,

A full schedule is planned this week–fall plantings, the premiere of The Butterfly Garden at Willowdale, and my lecture in New Hampshire. Rather than cooking half the night away, I planned ahead and spent the weekend making lots of treats for Thursday’s premiere. I hope you can come!!

Thursday morning’s lecture in Amherst, Butterfly Gardening, promises to be a joyful, and informative, program. This summer my Fujifilm x100 gave me many new photos that I can include in my lecture series and I couldn’t resist creating an entirely new slide show. I sorted though thousands of new photos over the weekend. And now, to tackle the video footage shot this summer and autumn—a daunting task ahead, but one I am sure will be  rewarding!

I hope you are warm and cozy and not without power. Sixty-degree temperatures are predicted for the weekend! New England weather—so very predictably unpredictable!

Warmest wishes, Kim

 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Willowdale Estate

Oriental Lily Casa Blanca

Monarch Butterfly Emerging from Chrysalis

Black Swallowtail Pooping and Eating Fennel Simultaneously

Black Swallowtail Newly Pupated, Discarded Skin-Caught Mid-air!

Jay Geils Revue at the Shalin Liu

Jay Geils Revue featuring Doug Bell  (Bellevue Cadillac) at the Shalin Liu

Jay Geils, Doug Bell, Gerry Beaudoin 

The musicians were sensational—Jay Geil’s guitar mesmerizing and Doug Bell and Gerry Beaudoin not only fabulously talented musicians, but also super fantastic showman. The Jay Geils Revue is a power house of talent and they put on a great show. Doug, Jay, and Gerry were performing on the most gorgeous vintage guitars.

Doug Bell and Gerry Beaudoin

FREE WORKSHOPS at Cape Ann TV

To members and non-members alike, Cape Ann TV is offering two free workshops during the month of November.  Membership at CATV is only $20.00 annually. What membership today costs 20.00???? My membership has proven invaluable. I highly recommend becoming a member of CATV for anyone interested in improving their video communication skills, for example and including, editing, audio, production—you name it—and the knowledgeable and wonderfully helpful staff at CATV will help you achieve your goals.

The workshops are taught by Barry O’Brien of North Shore Communications Group and Andrew Love, Cape Ann TV Production Coordinator.

“Secrets of Recording Professional Audio” When: Thursday November 10th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm Where: Cape Ann TV, 38 Blackburn Center Questions: 978-281-2443 or email Andrew Love at alove@capeanntv.org

“Keyframing in Final Cut Pro” When: Tuesday November 15th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm Where: Cape Ann TV, 38 Blackburn Center Questions: 978-281-2443 or email Andrew Love at alove@capeanntv.org

Workshop descriptions from Andrew; read more: