What am I hoping?
July 5, 2016
I hope you had a good 4th of July holiday.
I thought this story about our current flag design was interesting:
In 1958, a history teacher assigned Robert G. Heft and his classmates at Lancaster High School to each redesign the national banner to recognize Alaska and Hawaii, both nearing statehood.
Heft, who was 16 at the time, crafted a new flag from an old 48-star flag and $2.87 worth of blue cloth and white iron-on material.
His creation earned him a B-minus. Heft’s teacher later changed that grade to an A after Heft’s flag was sent to Washington, D.C., and selected by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Heft was one of thousands to submit a flag design with alternating rows of five and six stars. But apparently he was the only person who actually stitched together a flag and shipped it to D.C.
His design became the official national flag in 1960.
You see a lot of strawberry-blueberry desserts for the 4th of July, but I thought these were fun.
And it is Tattoo Tuesday . . .
Where are my sunglasses?
July 1, 2016
July 1 marks the date that the Chinese invented sunglasses in the year 1200. They were the province of the wealthy and were used not so much for protection from the sun, as for hiding their expressions.
Actually, Inuit “sunglasses”, although not made of glass, pre-date the Chinese invention – going back to prehistoric times and were probably very useful against sun glare.
Sunglasses have appeared on famous faces throughout history.
And they have other important uses, as well.
What are my snapshots of San Francisco about?
June 30, 2016
We were recently in the San Francisco area. Coming into town, through a serendipitous wrong turn, we wound up on Treasure Island. The island and its art deco Administration Building were built for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the island became a Naval base. In 1993 the naval station was closed and the island reverted to the city. The Administration Building is a national historical landmark and there is some talk of renovating the site as a museum.
Above is another photograph of the Administration Building – not taken by me, but I cannot find the photographer’s name in order to give credit.
Other remnants of the Fair remain, such as these two sculptures by Jacques Schneier.
We also spent time in Berkeley. We visited friends and family, ate pie and Brazilian food, and spent time shopping on 4th Street. We had occasion to stop in at the lovely North Berkeley Library branch. (I wanted to print our boarding passes.)
This is the ceiling in the lobby area.
The front facade (above) and a detail of tiles inset on the building.
Nearby Oakland has saved a number of historic houses and has moved them to an area called, “Preservation Park.”
These homes from the Victorian era have been renovated and are in use as offices, commercial enterprises, and include a meeting center and conference space.
We also visited the beach area called “The Bulb” right across the Bay from downtown San Francisco in Albany.
These are California poppies (above), and wild fennel below.
The Bulb is also landfill that has been turned into a wonderful beach and recreation area.
I was fortunate to spend the afternoon with a famous blogger!
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
June 21, 2016
“Milan-based tattoo artist Mirko Sata focuses on serpentine designs, snakes that twist around his clients’ arms, hands, and legs. The snakes he creates are typically done in just two shades— stark white and deep black. Layering and curling these creatures around each other, Mirko Sata produces a sort of yin and yang, placing opposite colors together with a force that seems to transcend traditional black and white tattoos.”
What am I bakery blogging?
June 15, 2016
You know that Pie Fixes Everything. We were recently on the coast in the vicinity of San Francisco and met up with some friends. Light Words and husband, and HMS Defiant and I had a lovely visit and PIE at Fat Apple’s Restaurant and Bakery in El Cerrito (I think). There we enjoyed chocolate cream . . .
olalliberry . . .
and olalliberry a la mode . . .
Did you know that, “The olallieberry (pronounced oh-la-leh, sometimes spelled ollalieberry, olallaberry, olalliberry, ollalaberry or ollaliberry) is the marketing name for the ‘Olallie’ blackberry that was a selection from a cross between the ‘Black Logan’ (syn. ‘Mammoth’), developed by Judge James Logan in California, and the youngberry, developed by Byrnes M. Young in Louisiana. According to Logan, ‘Black Logan’ was from a cross between the eastern blackberry ‘Crandall’ and the western dewberry ‘Aughinbaugh’. ‘Youngberry’ was from a cross of ‘Phenomenal’ x ‘Austin Mayes’. ‘Phenomenal’ in turn is a cross of the ‘Aughinbaugh’ western dewberry and ‘Cuthbert’ red raspberry and so has a very similar background to Logan’s ‘Loganberry’ and shares a parent with his ‘Black Logan’.” (Wikipedia)
I didn’t either. Anyway, the pie was delicious!
More from Fat Apple’s . . .
As you can see from the shelves, it was getting near the end of the day. Yet it was very much worth the trip.
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
June 14, 2016
Jessica Harrison has taken porcelain figurines of women in flowing dresses – such as you would find in your grandmother’s curio cabinet – and added sailors’ tattoos in an interesting juxtaposition of culture and symbolism.
The artist’s statement:
“Harrison proposes a multi-directional and pervasive model of skin as a space in which body and world mingle. Working with this moving space between artist/maker and viewer, she draws on the active body in both making and interpreting sculpture to unravel imaginative touch and proprioceptive sensation in sculptural practice. In this way, Harrison re-describes the body in sculpture through the skin, offering an alternative way of thinking about the body beyond a binary tradition of inside and outside.”
What am I Lego-loving?
June 13, 2016
Himeji Castle (photo by Bernard Gagnon)
The real castle above and the Lego-wonder:
The creator says no fasteners or adhesives were used – only Legos.
I am amazed.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 