June 2, 2015 by suzannesmom
Julie Turkewitz writes at the NY Times about a mountain library planned by two not-exactly-wealthy book lovers with big ideas.
“The project is striking in its ambition: a sprawling research institution situated on a ranch at 10,000 feet above sea level, outfitted with 32,000 volumes, many of them about the Rocky Mountain region, plus artists’ studios, dormitories and a dining hall — a place for academics, birders, hikers and others to study and savor the West.
“It is the sort of endeavor undertaken by a deep-pocketed politician or chief executive, perhaps a Bloomberg or a Buffett. But the project, called the Rocky Mountain Land Library, has instead two booksellers as its founders.
“For more than 20 years, Jeff Lee, 60, and Ann Martin, 53, have worked at a Denver bookshop, the Tattered Cover, squirreling away their paychecks in the pursuit of a single dream: a rural, live-in library where visitors will be able to connect with two increasingly endangered elements — the printed word and untamed nature. …
“They have poured an estimated $250,000 into their collection of 32,000 books, centering the collection on Western land, history, industry, writers and peoples. There are tales by Norman Maclean; wildlife sketches by William D. Berry; and books on beekeeping, dragonflies, cowboys and the Navajo. …
“Mr. Lee and Ms. Martin have a grant from the South Park National Heritage Area and this summer will finally begin renovations, repairing two leaky roofs. Construction will be limited, however, as they have gathered less than $120,000 in outside funds. An estimated $5 million is needed to build out their dream.” More here.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo for The New York Times
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ann martin, bookseller, bookshop, colorado, denver, jeff lee, Julie Turkewitz, library, michael ciaglo, norman maclean, postaday, ranch, rocky mountain land library, rural, South Park National Heritage Area, tattered cover, wilderness, william d berry | Leave a Comment »
June 1, 2015 by suzannesmom
On this cold and rainy day, I am remembering how Saturday in Rhode Island felt like summer. Here are a few pics: dawn, a flowering shrub, white iris, a beach fence, a cobwebby view of my younger grandson and me, the harbor, the boat’s wake in the sunset. (Erik gets credit for the jeweled-cobweb shot.)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beach, boat, cobweb, dawn, iris, island, postaday, rhode island, sunset | 4 Comments »
May 31, 2015 by suzannesmom
This is not a story about creating housing for the homeless, although it could be. It’s about cutting some of the expense of construction by recycling maritime shipping containers. A company doing just that was featured in April in a NY Times interview that Vivian Marino conducted with Paul M. Galvin.
“Mr. Galvin, 52, is the chairman, chief executive and a founder of SG Blocks, a publicly traded company that repurposes maritime-grade steel cargo shipping containers into green building blocks for use in commercial, industrial and residential building construction. The containers are provided by ConGlobal Industries, a partner.”
Galvin says, “I had gotten into real estate development through a charity that I co-founded and was involved in running, and we were developing housing programs for individuals and families with AIDS. So we had to figure out a way to give them continuum care — we had to get good at real estate. And we started to develop affordable housing.
“If you’ve ever done any development in New York, you know that the construction process is not always as predictable as you would like, and so I saw this as a way to create a sustainable alternative in the marketplace and eliminate some of the risk of site-base construction. …
“We’re doing a restaurant today — Do you know Bareburger? — in Oyster Bay Cove. It’s an 11-container restaurant, so around 2,300 square feet. We just did the first seven containers between 8 o’clock and 12 o’clock today. And then tomorrow morning the last four will come. And the building will be closed in a day and a half. …
“We meet or exceed all of the structural codes. … We’ve really approached this as an engineered building system. Every building system has some constrictions. Every product and every site works for containers. I would say that within reason we’ve been able to date to create the structure and the space plan that the structure affords.”
More here.
Photo: SG Blocks
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged affordable housing, aids, bareburger, cargo, conglobal, home, housing, maritime, oyster bay cove, paul galvin, postaday, sg blocks, shipping container, vivian marino | 2 Comments »
May 30, 2015 by suzannesmom
The plaque quotes the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, 1875-1939: “Wanderer, there is no path. the path is made by walking.” (The shoes are part of the sculpture.)
The line is metaphorical, of course, but I like treading a physical path with lots of photo ops while I’m working on the other path. It helps me think.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Academy of Fine Arts, antonio machado, book sculpture, photo, poet, postaday, spanish, taking pictures | Leave a Comment »
May 29, 2015 by suzannesmom
When we were little, my brother had a turntable in a brightly colored “juke box” that lit up and flashed. All the kids came to hear his records. If only he had known he could become a child DJ!
Lynsey Chutel has a story about one in South Africa.
“At first it seems like a fluke – a two-year-old playing with the knobs and buttons of a sophisticated music system. Yet the pint size boy is in control of the beat of the bass-heavy house music. He is South Africa’s youngest disc jokey, DJ AJ. …
“Orarilwe Hlongwane is still learning to put together words but the toddler is already able to select and play music from a laptop and has become a viral phenomenon on South Africa’s social media. …
“His mother, Refiloe Marumo, credits his father’s decision to buy an iPad for his unborn son. Glen Hlongwane planned to download educational apps.”
Read what happened instead.
Photo: Associated Press
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2-year-old, app, dj, Glen Hlongwane, laptop, lynsey chutel, Orarilwe Hlongwane, postaday, Refiloe Marumo, south africa | Leave a Comment »
May 28, 2015 by suzannesmom
Once again, the Christian Science Monitor comes up with a story about a person creating positive change in the world.
Jessica Mendoza writes, “Behind a low, unobtrusive brick building [in Boston’s inner city] is a lush, green forest. Brown and silver-gray trees cover the building’s wall, their leafy canopies blocking the sky. Sun-dappled stones sit on tangles of grass. A boy perches on the largest rock, gazing at a distant meadow.
“On the wall’s lower left corner, the word ‘Love’ appears in bright green; opposite is the word in Spanish, ‘Amor,’ in vibrant red.
“The forest is a mural, and even in the dead of winter the 18-by-85-foot painting gives a sense of beauty, warmth, and life – qualities that artist Alex Cook tries to convey in all his work.
“ ‘Art was always a deeply spiritual thing, the most real thing in my life,’ Mr. Cook says. ‘You want to share that kind of feeling.’ …
“An artist for most of his life, Cook has painted on walls all over the United States and has even packed his brushes to travel to and paint in Kenya, Nigeria, and most recently Panajachel, Guatemala. …
“The project began in the fall of 2013 when Cook was performing in New Orleans. There he met Amy Hoyle, then a principal at a local elementary school. Ms. Hoyle was looking for new ways to engage her students and invited Cook to paint a mural on campus, based on the motto of Woodland West Elementary School: ‘Stay curious.’
“Cook delivered, painting two huge faces side by side in a strange, beautiful picture that prompted more questions than answers.
“But he did more than that. Touched by the students, many of whom were poor and had difficult home lives, Cook decided to paint something that would remind them every day of how special they were. The result was a hallway filled with a palette of colors and messages telling all who passed by that they were beautiful, needed, important, and loved. “It’s like walking through a warm hug,” Hoyle says.
Read how Cook made his projects increasingly collaborative, inspiring people from all walks of life (here).
Photo: Ann Hermes
Alex Cook stands in front of one of his large murals, an 18-by-85-foot depiction of a forest in Boston.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alex cook, amy hoyle, ann hermes, art, collaborative, inspirational, Jessica Mendoza, mural, peace, postaday, street art | 2 Comments »
May 27, 2015 by suzannesmom
I need to share a really lovely piece on Suzanne and Luna & Stella, the company for which I blog.
Of course, with my eclectic topics, you could be forgiven for forgetting the Luna & Stella connection. But Suzanne’s birthstone jewelry speaks to relationships, and like all good relationships, this blogging one lets me breathe. (Suzanne said, “Blog about anything that interests you, Mom.”)
At OurBackyardRI, photographer-journalist Connie Grosch writes, “Based in Providence, the family-run business was founded in 2009 with the goal of blending great jewelry design with thoughtful meaning. Her merchandising and product development roles at J.Crew, Bally, and Victoria’s Secret combined with her experience as the Vice President of Merchandising and Design at the online retailer RedEnvelope, gave Suzanne a solid entrepreneurial foundation. …
“Having lived and worked in Switzerland, San Francisco and New York City, she and her husband chose Providence as their home four years ago. Living in New York City, pregnant with their first child as she and her husband were both starting new businesses, the couple decided they wanted to have a house and a yard. ‘And it wasn’t going to happen in NYC.’ They started looking for a small city and ‘Providence just came up on the map. We took a leap.’ …
“Suzanne is totally optimistic about the future of the business. ‘Rhode Island is just right in terms of design, manufacturing and business resources – from casting and plating to design and marketing.’
“And she is tapping into Rhode Island’s jewelry manufacturing history. ‘I’m a bit of a history buff and I like the idea of bringing that history to the present.’ Someday, she would like to manufacture the line herself – have a workshop. ‘And when I do, I want it to be in the Jewelry District.’ ”
More here. Grosch’s photo collage, taken at Talulah Cooper in Providence, where Suzanne had a trunk show before Mother’s Day, is really creative and nice. The only thing missing is Erik and Suzanne’s son digging into the shop’s many penny candy jars that day. So I add that here.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birthstone, connie grosch, jewelry, Luna & Stella, our backyard, providence, rhode island, talulah cooper | 4 Comments »
May 25, 2015 by suzannesmom
I had a wonderful weekend in Florida with a couple I hadn’t seen in decades. One woman asked the other what she would like for her birthday, and, because she felt that summers with my family had been a positive turning point in her life and because keeping touch through Christmas cards just didn’t cover the ground, she said she would like to have me come for a visit.
If you have never been a birthday present, I’m here to tell you that it is just the best. I include some pictures of our activities, but mainly we talked and talked and filled in the blanks.
May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be at your back, and may you be somebody’s birthday present someday.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birthday present, florida, friendship, postaday | 8 Comments »
May 25, 2015 by suzannesmom
Move him into the sun —
Gently its touch awoke him once
At home, whispering of fields unsown.
Always it woke him, even in France
Until this morning and this snow.
If anything might rouse him now
The kind old sun will know …
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged boston common, fallen, flags, memorial day, poem, poet, poetry, postaday, wilfred owen | Leave a Comment »
May 24, 2015 by suzannesmom
After Brian Bailey started to follow this blog, I took a look at his own WordPress blog. The first thing I saw was the watercolor below. I said, “Oh, wow.” Then I looked through his other drawings and watercolors and liked them just as much. So I want to share the Art of Brian site with you.
I’ve always loved watercolors, the gentle suggestiveness, the uncertainty of how the the paints will run. Although good work takes a lot of skill, there’s an element of the unexpected that to me is about the randomness of experience and the beauty of randomness.
Here are some thoughts from Brian on one of his recent paintings.
“When pulling together the shapes and lines that make up a composition it can be challenging to determine how much information is enough. Some of my favorite drawings and paintings exhibit a very economical approach to line, saying just enough to let the viewer see what the artist sees. In recent weeks, I’ve been doing many gesture drawings, as I’ve mentioned before, and I’m trying to let my paintings be, somewhat, more gestural. I started my painting today outside with lots of light and finished it at home by bumping up the shadows and contrast. I’m really trying to stop myself from overworking each painting.”
Brian also has an Etsy store. I am liking everything I see there.
Art: Brian Bailey
The Orange Van, Watercolor, 4″ x 4″, © 2015
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art of brian, brian bailey, economical, etsy, painter, painting, postaday, san francisco, watercolor | 6 Comments »
May 23, 2015 by suzannesmom
Somerville, Massachusetts, is adding another innovation to its roster: bubble soccer. Sports don’t get much wackier than this.
Steve Annear writes at the Boston Globe, “A new form of entertainment is set to bounce into Somerville this fall, bringing a unique twist on conventional team sporting events.
“Beginning in September, the city will host a ‘bubble soccer’ league, a sport in which participants cram themselves into massive, inflatable balls and then use the air-filled bubbles to knock their opponents off their feet.
“Participants can’t move their arms while inside of the see-through plastic bubbles, and rely solely on their lower bodies to move a soccer ball into a goal.
“ ‘It’s a silly sport,’ said Matthew Aronian, co-director of MA Sports Leagues, the company bringing the team sport to Somerville. ‘But it’s getting bigger and bigger and more popular.’
“Bubble soccer is already being played in Norway, Italy, Austria, and other countries. There’s also a league in Chicago, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States.
“Aronian said the game is fun to watch and play, as opponents send each other flying through the air. The bubble-wrap encasings are intended to prevent serious injuries during contact. …
“The game aligns with Mayor Joe Curtatone’s ‘bump factor’ theory that the community thrives when innovative people, ideas, and activities collide.
“ ‘While bubble soccer isn’t exactly the type of bump factor he means, folks bouncing off one another in giant, inflatable orbs fits right into Somerville,’ said Somerville spokeswoman Denise Taylor in an e-mail.” More here.
Photo: Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
What does it look like? Here, players compete in the Chicago Bubble Soccer league.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bubble soccer, bump factor, chicago bubble soccer league, Denise Taylor, innovative, Joe Curtatone, massachusetts, Matthew Aronian, postaday, somerville, stan grossfeld, steve annear | Leave a Comment »
May 22, 2015 by suzannesmom
The Associated Press had a story not long ago about some energetic Bolivians competing at handball.
“A group of Bolivian grandmothers and great-grandmothers have a pretty nontraditional way of easing the aches and pains of old age. These Aymara women get together every Wednesday in the city of El Alto and play handball.
“The ‘awichas,’ as grandmothers are known in the Aymara language, don sports jerseys over their traditional skirts and look forward to meeting and exercising with friends every week. …
“Team handball is an Olympic sport; two teams pass a ball using their hands to throw the ball into the opposite team’s goal.
“The handball team is part of a program where about 10,000 older people are practicing sports and playing Andean music; they also get free medical care.”
See some great great quotes and photos at NBC News, here.
Photo: Juan Karita/AP
In this Feb. 4, 2105 photo, 72-year-old Aurea Murillo prepares to make a pass during a handball match among elderly Aymara indigenous women in El Alto, Bolivia.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged andean, andes, aurea murillo, awichas, Aymara, bolivia, el alto, grandmother, handball, juan karita, postaday | 3 Comments »
May 21, 2015 by suzannesmom
Here is an artist who addresses the sense of smell — and not only with lily-of-the-valley fragrance or the sea or brewing coffee.
Douglas Quenqua writes in the Science section of the NY Times that Belgian artist Peter De Cupere uses pretty much everything that has an odor.
“Peter De Cupere’s ‘Tree Virus’ sculpture wasn’t much to look at: a dead, black tree rooted in a craggy white ball suspended over a dirt pit, all of it covered by a plastic igloo. Built on a college campus in the Netherlands in 2008, the whole thing might have been leftover scenery from a Tim Burton film if it weren’t for the outrageous smell.
‘Inside the igloo, a heady mix of peppermint and black pepper saturated the air. It flooded the nose and stung the eyes. Most visitors cried; many ran away. Others seemed to enjoy it, laughing through the tears. Such is the strange power of olfactory art.
“ ‘When you walk into an installation with scent, you cannot hide. Your body starts to react,’ said Mr. De Cupere. … He is just one of several contemporary artists using odor to create art that delivers an intensely personal, emotional and sometimes physical experience. …
“Smell has an unfair advantage over the other senses when it comes to eliciting a response, researchers say. ‘There is a unique and directly intimate connection between where smell is processed in the brain and where memory is stored,” said Rachel Herz, a psychologist at Brown University and the author of The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell. …
“Just as Proust’s madeleines opened a floodgate to childhood memories, scents can recall different feelings depending on how a person first encountered them.”
More here.
Photo: Peter De Cupere
Peter De Cupere’s “Tree Virus” sculpture, which causes many visitors to cry.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, brown university, Douglas Quenqua, madeleines, olfactory, Peter De Cupere, postaday, Proust, psychologist, Rachel Herz, smell, tree virus | Leave a Comment »
May 20, 2015 by suzannesmom
Having given myself a serious scare reviewing the film Revolution (on the planet’s race to extinction through practices such as destroying critical forests), I was happy to read about a positive forestry initiative started in India and expanded to Haiti and Kenya. The pressures are the same in those countries as in Madagascar, which was featured in Revolution, but there is also a recognition that trees are life-giving.
Gregory M. Lamb writes at the Christian Science Monitor, “Aviram Rozin was excited. He had just returned from Haiti where the 80,000 Maya nut trees that volunteers with Sadhana Forest had planted there during the past five years had started to flower. Before long each tree would be producing huge quantities of nuts high in protein and other nutrients. One tree could supply enough yearly protein for a family of five.
“The nonprofit Sadhana Forest, cofounded by Mr. Rozin and his wife, Yorit, follows three simple strategies:
“• Plant indigenous trees in arid regions that once had been forested but have become barren, useless land.
“• With few exceptions, do the work using volunteers, both local and from around the world.
“• Since trees don’t grow overnight, plan on staying around for a long, long time to see the project through.
“The Rozins started Sadhana Forest in 2003, the year after they moved to India from Aviram’s native Israel to live in Auroville, an experimental township in southeast India that emphasizes sustainable living and has attracted immigrants from all over. The couple bought 70 acres of degraded land and set about creating a community dedicated to reforestation. …
“The aim of Sadhana Forest isn’t to buy and reforest massive tracts of public land. Rather, it is to teach local people how to grow trees on their own land. Faced with the dry climate, Rozin has come up with a simple, yet innovative, way to water the trees: wick irrigation. A two-liter plastic bottle filled with water is planted up to its neck next to each sapling or tree. A piece of cotton rope fed through a tiny hole in the bottom of the bottle acts as a wick, slowly moistening the soil. Loosening or tightening the bottle’s cap can control the rate of flow. …
“Each wick bottle becomes ‘a personal watering system for each tree,’ Rozin says, yet the materials are readily available locally and cost almost nothing. …
“Rozin, who studied psychology and later worked in management for an Israeli medical device company, does not have a degree in forestry but says that may have been a blessing in disguise.
“ ‘We found out that, in a way, ignorance is bliss because we’re very open to learning,’ he says. ‘We don’t think we know everything. A lot of innovation comes from listening to people, to being open.’ ”
More here.
Photo: Sadhana Forest
Volunteer Nixon Casseus (l.) and Sadhana Forest cofounder Aviram Rozin show off the first flowering Maya nut tree in Haiti.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Auroville, aviram rozin, ecology, environment, gregory m lamb, haiti, india, maya nut, nixon casseus, nutrients, nuts, postaday, protein, reforestation, sadhana forest, sustainable, wick irrigation, yorit | Leave a Comment »
May 19, 2015 by suzannesmom
It rained hard at noon, but the stalwarts opening booths for the first farmers market of the season hung on and before long the weather cleared, and it was sunny and warm.
Today I’m posting some recent outdoor photos from Massachusetts and Rhode Island and thinking particularly how seed pods, the smell of lilacs, and small landscapers make me happy.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged massachusetts, new england, outdoors, photo, photograph, pictures, postaday, rhode island, spring | 2 Comments »
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