G is for....

glass, Chihuly glass!

In the Spring of 2009, I was privileged to visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.  What an amazingly gorgeous place!    During this time, there was a major Dale Chihuly glass installation, The Nature of Glass.

The above two photos are details of this ↓

The Sun by Dale Chihuly

This work consisted of 1200 pieces of glass mounted on a 550 pound armature.

Chihuly speaks about himself and his work ↑

LINKS:

Desert Botanical Garden  

Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden (November 22, 2008 ~ May 31, 2009) --includes more glass photos

Dale Chihuly website  

possible future exhibit in Seattle

interesting short biography of Chihuly

short video of installing The Sun
There are a bazillion videos of Chihuly and his works on youtube

This is a fun weekly meme, under the direction of Jenny Matlock.  This week, our letter is "G."  Come and join HERE. You will be amazed at all the bloggy goodness to be found!  Here is Ms. Matlock's submission.  You will notice that she is bending the rules just a bit this week.  er....well....maybe it's really just her gwanddaughter!  
Now go visit!  (please)




photos by me © 2009

Give Wildlife a Brake

About 1 million animals are killed and/or maimed on roadways EACH DAY in the United States. "Give Wildlife a Brake" is a roadkill reduction campaign. 
In the Fall,  many animals are on the move in preparation for the winter.  Animals are scoping out hibernation sites, locating and storing food for the cold weather to come, mating.
"Give Wildlife a Brake" reminds drivers to slow down and be aware of wildlife activity as the days get shorter and the end of daylight saving time approaches.

Tips to reduce the likelihood of an accident:

→Where there is one deer, there are usually others. If you see an animal crossing the road, slow down and remain alert for more.  Be aware of deer crossing pathways on roads you frequently travel.

→Be particularly alert for wildlife on roads at dawn and at dusk. 

→Most animal-vehicle collisions occur on two-lane roads bordered by natural habitat. Be especially cautious in these areas.

→Do not throw trash out of car windows.  Trash attracts wildlife to the roads and leads to an increase in collisions.

→Ride a bike!

An interesting fact:  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, in  2001 and 2002, more than 26,600 people were treated annually in emergency rooms nationwide after the vehicle they were in hit an animal or swerved to avoid a creature. (Incidentally, nearly 85% of those human injuries involved large animals such as deer and bear.) Perhaps not surprisingly, the CDC reported, the highest injury rate among drivers who hit or tried to avoid a large animal occurred in the 15- to 24-year-old age group.  

LINKS:
article by Susan Hagood, wildlife issues specialist, US Humane Society--includes list of items to carry with you to aid in  rescuing injured animals
FREE bumper sticker

List of animals killed on roadways:  squirrels, deer, bears, snakes, turtles, rabbits, racoons, opssums, dogs, cats, ducks, pigs, mice....
Can you think of more???

This post is for the esty bloggers' street team carnival which is hosted by Deb of Storybeader and will be posted on her BLOG on Monday, November 8.  Deb gave us two topics to choose from.  I chose this →
"Give Wildlife a Brake" week. How are you celebrating?
I am celebrating by writing this and by slowing down and being more alert, AND by enjoying watching the live of these creatures!

squirrel nest photo by me © 2010

San Felipe de Neri Church: more images

Construction of the original church was begun in 1706.  The church collapsed in 1792 during heavy rains, and new construction was begun the following year.  The two towers (one of which you can see above on the right) were built in 1861.  Today, it is the oldest surviving building in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.


 

During the Civil War, in 1862, the confederate soldiers who had invaded New Mexico territory retreated back to Texas.  Subsequently, the Union Army leased the rectory for several years.

My last post was a close up of the fence in the above photo.

 

San Felipe de Neri Church is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

LINKS:

History  of the church
interesting facts and short history of Albuquerque, NM
NOTE:  The church is built in the shape of a cross.  Its wall are adobe and are 5' thick.

photos by me © 2007

San Felipe de Neri Church: Friday Fence Post

Fence on San Felipe de Neri Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  This beautiful church, built in 1793, was still undergoing restoration in 2007.  It's on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.  I should definitely show you some more photos of this lovely church, and will plan to do that next week.

Ani is hosting Fence Post Friday on her blog Coffee Pot People.

Read all about it and link up HERE.

Come join in the fun!

 

 

 

 

photos by me © 2007

Freedom Center: Two Images

I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person; 

now I was free.  

There was such a glory over everything.  

I felt like I was in Heaven. 

~Harriet Tubman

Recently I visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center museum.  What a wonderful place!  The exhibits are so informative and well done; many are interactive.  I found myself captivated.  There are artifacts, life size models, movies, lovely artwork, and the famous slave pen.  I was so inspired!  I can't wait to go back.   Recently installed is a new permanent exhibit, "Slavery Today."   (Yes, slavery DOES exist today and probably very close to where you live.  shocked?  Visit the museum and find out.)

Here are some shots of the slave pen, a holding building for slaves before being sold at the market.  Built in 1830 by Captain John Anderson, a Revolutionary War soldier, this 2 story building is 21' x 30' x 26' high.   Male slaves were shackled to iron rings in the floor of the second story; female slaves and children were housed on the first floor.  This is the actual, original building removed from it's Mason, Kentucky location and reassembled at the Freedom Center.

1 door, 8 small windows, 10' fireplace (where the women cooked)

"The pen is powerful.  It has the feeling of hallowed ground.  When people stand inside, they speak in whispers.  It is a sacred place.  I believe it is here to tell a story--the story of the internal slave trade to future generations."

~Carl Westmoreland, curator and senior adviser of the Freedom Center

Dark and damp, rank with odor, human waste and garbage would drop through the cracks of the upper story to the floor below.  On that upper story, men were chained two by two to a central chain by short shackles that allowed them to only sit or lie down.

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson

Journeys I and II

(textile work begun in 1968 and continuing into the present)

“In 1968, I decided to create a ‘work’ apart from other works that I created, that would rag on and on into the future.  At the same time the work would rag back and back into the past—penetrating the interior of West Afrika and the horrors of the Atlantic Slave Trade which had not even been imagined."

(click on the Journey images to see details)

In the photo above--the faces of slaves who traveled on the Underground Railroad.

Robinson's Journeys is a work in progress that has evolved over the years with her travels and experience.  She calls this type of art RagGonNons  because "they rag on and on."

Journeys tell very complex stories-- about her own journeys, as well as the journeys of African-Americans from the time they lived in Africa before slavery to the present. 

Brilliantly colored, heavily adorned and painted,  made from found objects such as fabric, beads, shells, buttons, leaves, bark, handmade paper, and twigs, it is laden with stories.

 

 

“A great civilization arose along the Niger river, established by the Songhai, a nation of scholars, warriors, merchant, farmers, and artisans." 

The Freedom Center pays tribute to all efforts to "abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people."  Here we can see and touch and experience viscerally the entrenchment of slavery in human culture.  What you find might surprise you.  such as how widespread the African slave trade was, and not only, or even the most, in the United States.
The Freedom Center is rich with stories, with history, with human involvement that will cause you to cringe as well as leap for joy.


LINKS:
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center website
article about the slave pen, detailing the slave trade of Anderson
Aminah's World website   Be sure to click on "create your own artwork," for a fun, printable interactive art project.
fascinating interview with Aminah Robinson
~~~~~some tidbits:

"I pray over each piece..."

home is more of an environment than a traditional residence--art is everywhere, even imbedded in the kitchen floor... 

neighbors anonymously leave fabric scraps on her porch

the Doll House 

This is a fun weekly meme, under the direction of Jenny Matlock.  This week, our letter is "F."  Come and join HERE.  Here is Ms. Matlock's   submission.Now go visit!






PLEASE NOTE:  I am adding a LINK to this blog, Katz and Other Tales, for an enlightening report on slavery and chocolate.  Yes, chocolate.

photos by me © 2010

tagged again!

Pruitt Creations - Blogging about family, creativity, and inspiration!

(click on the link above to go to Linda's blog)

I've been tagged again!  Linda, a bloggy friend has tagged me with four more fun questions:

1.  How did you meet your hubby?

I met him at a friend's house on a visit to Indianapolis.  A high school and college buddy had moved there recently.  My (future) husband had been on a trip and had just returned the night before I left.  The meeting was brief and there were no sparks.   A couple months later I moved to Indianapolis and....well....things changed!

2. What is your dream for this Christmas/Holiday Season?

My dream is to share this time of love with family and friends, to slow down and really enjoy the season.

3. What was your favorite pet as a child?

a cat, of course!  My first cat was named Chocolate.
HERE you can see a photo of me with Chocolate (photo #6).  My next door neighbors' cat had kittens and I fell in love.  After that I have almost never been without a kitty.
 

4. What kind of a car do you drive? No, car? Bus? Bike?
I drive a Subaru Forester (2009 in Newport Blue Pearl).  We hope to keep it for a long time.  So far, I love it.  It handles  well, gets decent mileage, and is big enough to haul stuff (craft shows and house projects).

tagged!

My blogger friend Ani over at Coffee Pot People tagged me with four fun questions:

1. You're at a bookstore. What section has sucked you in?

You've got to be kidding?!  I have to choose?!  I LOVE  BOOKS!  Books take you away on adventures to foreign lands, other times, expose you to new ideas, people, oh, and things to make.  I get sucked into the crafts section most often.

This book, Luxury One-Skein Wonders, is special because inside is a starfish pattern by the son of a friend.  Is that not cool?!  (See his website HERE.) 

2. What is your favorite holiday?

That would be Thanksgiving, a holiday that both my children love.  It's all about family-- family and  food and fun.  Last Thanksgiving we ate, ate some more, wandered downtown (Cincinnati) taking photos, played with our kitties, played games till all hours, talked, laughed.  Here's a post from last year. 

3. If you could live in (or at least visit) any era, which would it be?

When I was younger, I used to think it would be fun to live in pioneer times.  Reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, the lifestyle seemed so romantic.  Such fun enterprises the family was involved in--such as making maple syrup!  I loved learning about their everyday lives which always seemed exciting. 
See a review of Little House in the Big Woods (first in series of 9) HERE.
Ah, but one day reality hit and I actually realized how difficult that life must have been.  I can say that I am now content to live in this place and time.


 4. What is your favorite literary genre?

The simple answer is, I don't have one.  I read a variety of books of all genres.  It is difficult for me to actually read more than one book a month--my book club book.  But I can listen to so many more throughout the month.  Tonight, my book club will be discussing The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I loved this book!  (an exception:  I can read a ton of craft books any time.)




I've enjoyed reading the answers to questions posed in this tagging game.
It's fun to get to know my bloggy friends a little more.

So without further ado, here's my list of questions:

1.  Do you like to travel?  If so, where do you most like to go or what was your most memorable trip?  If you don't like travel, why not?

2.  What is one of your most favorite books you've ever read?

3.  What is a favorite family food you like to make?

4.  What do you collect? 

And now I tag the following who I do hope will answer!
Jackie of A Keeper's Jackpot
Sandra of  Joey and Aleethea
Pam of Magdalene's Jewels HERE and HERE.  Pam's answers
Joy of The Art of Joy

Now go have fun!