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Emily’s Wedding

Nov 17th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that my beautiful niece Emily was getting married. These are the first photos I’ve received:

Emily & Brady


Claire, Drew, Emily & Brady
My sister Anne, Emily’s mother, and Em dancing with Andy, her Dad.

Drew & Claire

 
What a setting!!!

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Robin & Marion — 33 Years Later

Nov 16th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

I LOVED this movie… it’s on now… I’ll get back to you:

Okay, I lied — I didn’t get back to you. But I’ll try to make up for that. Last night I discovered that the 1976 movie, Robin and Marion, was available on Netflix’s Watch Instantly. I loved that movie when it first came out and, over the years, I’ve watched it several more times but last night was the first time that I really, really understood it — I guess that’s what happens when you get older.

The story, for anyone who does not know, is a take-off on the Robin Hood legends but in this version quite a few years have gone by and the wild impulsiveness of youth has been tempered by experience — and it sort of sucks. Robin and John, played by Sean Connery and Nicol Williamson, one of my favorite actors, have been away at the crusades fighting with Richard Lionheart, flamboyantly portrayed by the late Richard Harris who is just plain wonderful. They are battle-weary and disgusted so when Richard takes an arrow in the neck and keels over while threatening to have them both executed (again), they decide to return to Sherwood Forest. But Sherwood Forest ain’t what it used to be. Most of their men have scattered and the only ones left are Friar Tuck and Will Scarlet, played by the always wonderful Denholm Elliot. They also learn that when Robin marched off to war without so much as a good-bye, Marion joined the convent and is now the Mother Abbess. Audrey Hepburn as Marion is just absolutely exquisite — well, she’s exquisite in everything but especially in this film as the delicate but fiery counter-point to a crew of scruffy, crusty, smelly warriors, she is like a flower in a pile of rocks.

When Robin finds her she is about to be arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham, devilishly played by Robert Shaw, another of my very favorite actors. He’s still the Sheriff and has had enough of all these crazy fools trying to rouse the rabble to fight King John, also deliciously portrayed by Ian Holm. The rest of the movie is a brilliant adventure in craziness, the unfortunate interference of human frailty that comes with age, and heart-breaking sweetness.

Though I loved this movie thirty years ago, now, as I am dealing with my own confrontations with age and its insults, as well as having lost someone I love, the movie affected me in a whole new way. Naturally it was delicious seeing all those wonderful faces again — Robin and Marion has nothing if not a spectacular cast. But there were moments in which I felt as if my heart was breaking along with the characters. When Little John tells Marion, who is trying to convince him to prevent Robin from getting into another battle, that “if you were mine, I’d never have gone (off to the Crusades)”, I was stunned that I had never paid attention to that scene before. And finally, when things have gone badly, Marion steps aside so it is Little John — who has spent all those many years fighting beside Robin in the Holy Land — who is closest to him at the end.

It’s a beautiful, deeply moving movie. Marion’s love for Robin is at the heart of it but Robin’s love for Little John, for his men and the people he spent his life fighting for, and even for King Richard, is given equal weight and it touched me deeply and made me think about that. We live in a culture that idolizes romantic love and romantic love is a beautiful thing. But there is so much more love than just the love between a man and woman in the world. I guess I loved this movie for portraying that so well.

It’s just all this getting older stuff. It comes with so many disappointments and limitations and confrontations with one’s own short-comings. But it also provides an opportunity to look at our lives without the “glamor” (in the fairy-sense) of romance and realize that, despite what has passed from our lives, there is also this legacy of all this stuff we have had — and will always have.

I’m glad I saw it again and this time with a wealth of experience that lends itself to appreciation. I’m not real crazy about this growing older business — but it certainly has been well-earned and achieved through much that is good.

Thanks for reading.

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Events for the Coming Week

Nov 13th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

BirdsEye
PUBLIC MEETING
Gloucester City Hall
Saturday, November 21, 9am

Finishing the Job
An Urban Renewal History - Gregor Gibson
On-going transition of Downtown Gloucester & Review of
Neighborhood Meeting & Focus Groups  - MaryJohn Boylan
Vision / Possibilities / Dreams - Mac Bell
Hot-mulled apple cider & free tours at the BirdEye Factory after.


27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930

This program is free and open to the public.

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present an exhibition - in painting and in words - created by Gordon Goetemann and inspired by the conductor and composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). A Narrative of Life and Glory is Goetemann’s exploration, indeed his celebration, of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, one of the most monumental musical scores of the 20th century, and the man who created it. In Gustav Mahler, Goetemann has found both a kindred spirit and a muse, whose musical masterpiece is the basis for these paintings.The exhibition is on view through January 31, 2010.

Image caption: Gordon Goetemann, Silence, 2008-2009.


The seARTS Wearable Arts Show
is pleased to present the following artists for it’s December 11-12 show:
  
Meredith Anderson
Lee Cunningham
Joanne Demetra
Margaret Derby
Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco
Susan Kenna
Nina Lapchyk
Camilla McFadden
Candy Marshall
Diana Svahn
Kathleen Valentine
Jan Weinshanker and Judy Wright
Becky Williams
Beth Williams

The show is now closed and we are happy to keep a list of names for next year.  The Wearable Arts Raffle to benefit the Sawyer Free Library launches on November 16th.  Please visit the Library Lobby to view prizes from many of the above artists and other donors including the Wheelock Family Theater, The Puppet Showplace Theater, C.B. Fisk, the Common Crow, and more!  Raffle Tickets are $2 or 3 for $5.

~~~
Sawyer Free Library
 
A Native American Message
Stories and Book-Making Crafts
With Christina Garcia-Akers
Saturday, November 14

1 PM - 2 PM

2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester

Free. 
 
For Children Ages 4 to 7. Limited Space Available; Please call 978-281-9763 to register your child. Anyone at the Front Desk can help you.
~~~

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Down to the Sea: 4. Mermaids

Nov 12th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

Mermaids are a treasured part of maritime lore. Stories of mermaids exist in seafaring cultures going back a thousand years before Christ. Though most cultures allow that there may be mermen as well, few have much mythology around them — probably because the maritime trade was practiced mostly by men. Men alone at sea for long weeks, months, years longed for women and it is not surprising that they fantasized about them being available at sea.

Psychologically the mermaid has long represented the wild, untamed sexuality of women — women who are free and unbound by the constraints of society. Is it any wonder that men fantasize about them and women long to be them?

In art mermaids have long provided an inspiration. During the Pre-Raphaelite period they were particularly popular among artists including Frederick Lord Leighton whose lovely “The Siren and the Fisherman” (right) probably epitomizes the fantasies of the men who dreamed up mermids in the first place. One of my favorite mermaid paintings is by Rockport artist Christine Mosher (left). So, an exhibition of mermaid art is definitely called for.

Mermaids have, fairly accidentally, become a theme in my life. My first novel, The Old Mermaid’s Tale, was named that because the waterfront tavern that inspired the book was called The Mermaid Tavern. As a kid in Erie, PA, I was fascinated by it and, as an adult, my imaginings resulted in a romantic story based in the maritime lore of the Great Lakes. Later I designed a shawl that I named The Mermaid Shawl. That turned into a book of knitting designs and on and on it went.

For our proposed festival I an imagining mermaids having a prominent place in art and crafts. Coney Island has long been the home of a notorious Mermaid Parade which has a reputation for being more than a little risqué. But I think a Sailors and Mermaids Ball might be quite in order.
And, because children love mermaids we should include a Mer-Party for the little ones, too. Actually, I’m hoping to have quite a lot of activities for children — including a paper maché Sea-Serpent event but more about that in another blog.
I’ve heard from a number of people since I started posting about this and all the comments have been positive and encouraging. There are two big events planned for 2010 in Gloucester but the Down To The Sea Festival may emerge as a natural outgrowth of one of them. In 2010 Gloucester is planning to host a Whale Festival. Many of the local whale-watch businesses are working on this and it will, of course, include the Maritime Heritage Center.
The other event being planned is The 100th Anniversary of poet Charles Olsen being planned for October.
Some great suggestions and ideas have come from people who are enthusiastic about a Down To The Sea Festival — everything from a chowder cook-off to a lobsterboat drag race. Keep the ideas coming — they are all good.
Thanks for reading.

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Down to the Sea: 3. Fisherman’s Sweaters and Seaman’s Scarves

Nov 12th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

Continuing with my fantasy of a Down-to-the-Sea Festival in Gloucester, let me add that my idea for the festival is a celebration of many diverse maritime related traditions, whether they were practiced locally or not. This festival celebrates the rich heritage of maritime culture. So let’s talk about the famous fisherman’s sweaters that originated in the island fishing communities of Ireland and Scotland.

In the photo below is a collection of historic photos of fishermen, sealers, and mariners (and one female knitter) all sporting their traditional fisherman sweaters. Some are in the Aran fashion and some in the Guensey. The traditional sweaters were knit in untreated lambs wool which is rich in lanolin so it adds to the warmth and the water-resistant features so important for men who earned their living working the sea. The patterns, particularly in the Aran sweaters, add to the thickness, and thus the warmth of the sweaters. There are hundreds of patterns in both fashions, Aran (which is thicker and features cables) and Guensey (which is flatter and patterned with stitches in combinations of knit and purl to form the design.)

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

There is a legend that the patterns are particular to families and/or villages and this may or may not be true. The knitters of a village may have created a particular design but it was likely copied in short order by other knitters. Often the name or the initials of the sweater’s owner was knit in to the hem. There is also a story that drown mariners were identified by their sweaters. This idea was used by Irish writer John Millington Synge in his play, “Riders to the Sea” in which a woman identifies her drowned son by the design of his sweater.

These sweaters are wonderful for knitters to make. The patterns are so varied and many have religious or symbolic meanings. When I first moved to New England I placed an ad in Yankee Magazine and traded my hand-knit fishermen sweaters for weekends in guest houses up and down the coast. It was a great way to explore my new home.

So, for our festival, we can have fisherman sweaters for sale, exhibits of historic sweaters and workshops for knitters to learn how to knit them. Knitting is closely tied to maritime cultures probably because it is so close to net mending — but more about that later.

Seaman’s Scarves are a traditional short, thick scarf that is knit with ribbing in the middle section to make them less bulky while wrapping around the neck but with patterned ends that cross over the chest for added warmth. They are short so as not to get in the way of equipment. The lovely knitter Myrna Stahman is known throughout the knitting community for her beautiful Seaman’s Scarves. One of the most beautiful (at left) was designed in memory of Matthew Shepard. The pattern is free and downloadable online.

Here, again, for our festival I envision scarves for sale, knitting classes, and historic displays. It could be expanded to include seaman’s watch caps and fingerless gloves.
Years ago I even knit myself a fisherman (above right) using Guensey-style stitches. He sits on top of my desk and keeps an eye on me as I work. Maybe someday I’ll knit him a mermaid. Which brings us to the subject of my next entry, mermaids.

Thanks for reading.

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In Memory: The Edmund Fitzgerald

Nov 11th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

I forgot to post this yesterday, thirty- four years ago, November 10, 1975………
And, in honor of Veteran’s Day, My 2005 Veteran’s Day Blog.

Thanks for reading.

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Come to the Wearable Arts Show & Sale, Dec. 11-12

Nov 10th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

I’m happy to tell you that I will be part of this year’s Wearable Arts Show & Sale which is part of the annual Middle Street Walk here in Gloucester. I’ll be selling my book and giving demonstrations on knitting lace:

3rd Annual seARTS Wearable Arts Show & Sale
Captivating, Colorful, & Collectible!

Building on two successful shows, the seARTS Wearable Arts group is preparing for its 3rd annual show to coincide with Gloucester’s Middle Street Walk, December 12th, with a Friday night, December 11th open house. The Wearable Arts Show provides a unique opportunity to showcase local jewelers and fiber artists and at the same time benefits the Sawyer Free Library and seARTS. The group continues to diversify and distinguish itself on the North Shore by expanding on the wearable arts theme and attracting new artists each year.

Returning jewelry artists include Meredith Anderson, Lee Cunningham, Jo-Ann Demetra, Jacqueline-Ganim-DeFalco, Candy Marshall, Beth Williams, Jan Weinshanker & Judy Wright. Jan and Judy, good friends for many years, combine their 30 year backgrounds in the arts to create jewelry using semi precious stones and old trade beads from places all around the world. Beth Williams will re-locate her downtown studio just for Friday night in order to share her “kaleidoscopic collection of unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other items made from handmade glass beads” while Lee Cunningham will share her growing “bold” collection of necklaces that showcase “the strength, color and design of the materials she uses.” Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco has continued to build on colorful combinations of historic pottery and shards of sea glass to her collection of hair accessories and jewelry.   Jacqueline, one of the organizers comments, “We should all be inspired by the daring icon of style, Iris Apfel,” whose collection is currently on exhibit at the PEM, “I hope that our show gives everyone of us a chance to become an architect of fashion and wear accessories in new and exciting ways!”

New additions include Susan Kenna who creates with felt and Becky Williams, a talented jeweler and vocalist. Margaret Derby will return with her scent-filled sachets and velvet scarves while Camilla MacFadyen will blanket the room with her marvelous seaweed block prints designed into scarves and T-shirts. New fiber artists include Diana Savin of Essex and Nina Lapchyk of Winchester. Diana creates shawls, vests, and jackets from fabrics she has treated with various techniques including shibori, silk screening, and snow dying. Nina comments that “fabric and thread speak directly to and about domestic, and also about the history of women.” Kathleen Valentine will engage visitors with her lace knitting demonstration throughout the show! The common theme for all of the artists is that no two pieces are alike.

The event will begin on Friday evening, kicking off at 5PM with an opening night reception and a chance to mingle and munch until 8PM. The show will re-open on Saturday at 9AM and close at 5PM. Throughout the day, the Library will give tours of the murals in the Saunders House where the show is located.

seARTS members, show participants, and other organizations have donated gift certificates or a piece of their work to be used in a corollary Library fundraiser. Tickets $2 or 3 for $5 will be sold by each artist or at the Library desk from November 16th through December 12th. The Wearable Arts show is organized and supported by the artist members of seARTS. seARTS is a coalition of artists, art lovers, cultural institutions, businesses, and municipal organizations, all working together to improve the economic base for the arts and the larger Cape Ann community.  seARTS is partially funded through grants from the Mass Cultural Council and Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
Details are as follows:
Time: Friday, December 11th 5-8PM and Saturday, December 12th, 9-5PM
Location: Saunders House @ the Sawyer Free Library,Middle Street & Dale Avenue
More Information: www.searts.org – Events Calendar
Free and open to the public. 15% of sales to seARTS
Cash & checks preferred. Credit cards only if offered by the individual artist

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Down to the Sea: 2. Household Items

Nov 9th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

As mentioned in the previous blog, I have this notion that we could construct a pretty interesting festival based in maritime arts and traditions here in Gloucester so, for the time being anyway, I’m going to blog such a festival and see how many more ideas I can come up with. In the last blog I talked about Sailor’s Valentines. Because mariners were often at sea for weeks, months, even years, they spent a lot of time thinking about home. Those who worked on whaling ships often had an ample supply of whale bone to carve with and they spent their time carving useful items to present to their beloveds on their return.
One of the most popular items was a pastry crimper used to trim the edge of pie crusts from the pie. The story goes that if a young man presented a young lady with such a crimper she was obliged to make a pie for him. These are a few 19th century pastry crimpers carved from bone:
 
Other household items included utensils like this fork:
 
Letter openers:
 
And busks which are used in the construction of mi’lady’s corset:
 
Some of the most frequently created items were for a lady’s sewing/knitting basket. These items are so beautiful and, though we no longer can carve from whale bone, there are synthetic substances available that re used by contemporary artisans to simulate the look. Below is a gorgeous and elaborate swift for winding balls of yarn:
 
A pair of knitting needles and clothes pins:
 
A bodkin — there hundreds of variations on these and most seamstresses today still use them:
 
And a spool rack:
 
So those are just a few of the carved objects in my virtual arts of the sea festival. Those who currently practice these arts can, of course, come and show their work, sell their wares, teach classes — when I get this festival all worked out.
And, since this post contained examples of tools for knitters, in my next Down-to-the Sea blog I’ll talk about fishermen’s sweaters and seamen’s scarves.
Thanks for reading.   

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Down to the Sea: 1. Sailor’s Valentines

Nov 8th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

or some time now I have had this bright idea that I would like to see my beloved hometown-of- choice, Gloucester, begin hosting an annual festival which I want to call the “Down to the Sea” Festival. Lots of tourist towns seek to extend their season by sponsoring a festival either early in the season or late. Newburyport’s Literary Arts Festival is already a great success and it is only in its fourth year

So, since the sea has such a rich, rich collection of arts and lore, I think it would be a natural for Gloucester. I even designed  logo for it, see:

The festival would combine arts, crafts, skills, competitions, challenges, etc. It could encompass everything from sea-chantie sing-offs to story telling (ghost stories especially — wouldn’t that be great? a competition to see who could tell the best sea-ghost story???) There could be forums for writers who write about the sea (maybe Mark Kurlanski can host!) and exhibitions of maritime art by our many, many diverse artists (Paul Frontiero, where arrrrre you?) And, of course, there will be exhibits and sales of the crafts associated with the sea. I’m going to talk about those in up-coming blogs and today I’ll start with Sailor’s Valentines.

The story goes that when men were aboard ship for months at a time they would collect shells and other sea treasures along their travels. Then, with the help of  ship’s carpenter, they would fashion a box (the tradition is in the shape of an octagon) and they would spend the long hours aboard-ship fashioning designs inside the box to present to their sweethearts or wives. The piece would be finished with a piece of glass fitted on the top and it would be presented to their beloved upon their return.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum has a lovely collection of Sailor’s Valentines. My favorite is this one constructed of all white shells.

Sometimes the natural color of shells were used to create the pattern.

In Nantucket Whaling Museum has this treasure, a double Valentine:
 
Sailor’s Valentine
Probable Date:
19th Century
Materials:
Shell, wood, glass
Distinguishing Marks:
One side of octagon is very loose.
Height:
1.5″
Length:
18″ open
Depth:
8.75″
Description:
Two hexagonal wood boxes joined with a single hinge. Each box contains an arrangement of shells and is glazed with glass. The left box has an anchor and flowers made out of shells. The right box has a basket and flowers made out of shells. This sailor’s valentine was a gift from Capt. Jared Wentworth Tracy (1797-1864) to his wife, Mary Hussey Tracy (1809-1891). The anchor symbolized Capt. Tracy’s intention to return home and “anchor” at his wife’s side.
I think our festival could have an exhibit of contemporary Sailor’s Valentines as well as workshops for making them, vendors selling supplies and a competition to see who could create the most beautiful one. 

So the Sailor’s Valentine is my first choice for my mythical Down-To-The-Sea Festival. Next time I’ll talk bout pastry crimpers.

Thanks for reading.

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What’s Going On…..

Nov 6th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog


27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930

This program is free and open to the public.

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present an exhibition - in painting and in words - created by Gordon Goetemann and inspired by the conductor and composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). A Narrative of Life and Glory is Goetemann’s exploration, indeed his celebration, of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, one of the most monumental musical scores of the 20th century, and the man who created it. In Gustav Mahler, Goetemann has found both a kindred spirit and a muse, whose musical masterpiece is the basis for these paintings.The exhibition is on view through January 31, 2010.

Image caption: Gordon Goetemann, Silence, 2008-2009.

Sorellanza Fall Concert

 

Saturday, November 7, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sat. 11/7: 7:30-8:30pm

Sun. 11/8: 4:00-5:00 &
Sun. 11/15: 4:00-5:00pm

Sat. 11/7: St. Paul Lutheran Church

                  1123 Washington St.,
                  Gloucester MA (Lanesville)
  
Sun. 11/8: 1st Parish Unitarian Church
                    225 Cabot St., Beverly MA
  
Sun. 11/15: St. John’s Episcopal Church
                     48 Middle St., Gloucester MA

 $10 at the door

Sorellanza, Cape Ann’s women’s a cappella chorus directed by Patti Pike, invites you to join us for an evening of songs that speak to our search for love, peace and belonging, from 16th century Madrigals to 40’s hits to the Beatles, Billy Joel and Coldplay. Directions: http://www.sorellanza.com


Beth Williams to demonstrate at Glass Event at Peabody Essex Museum

Atrium Alive! The Art of Fire - Weekend Festival

Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 15, 2009 
11AM - 4PM
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
Admission is included with museum admission
www.pem.org or at the door

Spend a weekend with several New England glass artists as they demonstrate their skill with small “lamps” of fire and talk about the beads they create in response to objects in PEM’s collection. Participating artists are  Beth Williams, Jennifer Geldard, Cynthia Liebler Saari, Kate Fowle Meleney, Carol Bugarin, Barbara Newman and Lee Woodburn. They will be demonstrating flameworking (also known as lampworking) at the torch and have new work for sale in the PEM Gift Shop. The PEM will also be offering the next in its Masterpiece Lecture Series with Josh Simpson: Glass, A Fascinating (and Frustrating) Material.  There will also be several other artists gallery talks and related workshops taking place during the weekend. For more info: www.pem.org or www.bethwilliams.com


TRUE NORTH GALLERY
Navigating by the Stars: Art Inspired by the Night Sky

Reception: November 14, 2009, 3 to 6PM
Exhibition: November 14, 2009 through January 30, 2010

Reception: November 14, 2009, 3 to 6PM
Regular Hours: Wed through Sun, 12 to 5PM

25 Woodbury Street
South Hamilton, MA 01982

From November 14, 2009 through January 30, 2010, True North Gallery
presents “Navigating by the Stars: Art Inspired by the Night Sky,” a
group exhibition featuring the work of Germaine Arnaktauyok, Elizabeth
Delgatty, Tallmadge Doyle, Gudrun Benedikta Eliasdottir, Julie
Fraenkel, Lynda Goldberg, Allie High, Marc Lisle, Jackie Morris, Peter
Olson, Olivia Parker, and Randall Stoltzfus.

The show offers an intriguing and diverse response to the night sky
theme. Star patterns, astral myths, night migration, light emerging
from the darkness-all of these ideas find both archetypal and personal
expression in the work included in this show.

For additional information call (978) 468-1962
Or email gallerydirector@truenorthgallery.net.
Or visit: http://www.truenorthgallery.net



Rockport Art Association
Leonard G Joiner Solo Show

November 8th - November 20th, Opening Reception November 8th
 2-4pm
 12 Main Street, Rockport, MA 01930
 Free and Open to the Public

www.rockportartassn.org  
Please join the Rockport Art Association for the solo show of award-winning fine artist Leonard G Joiner.  A native of Andover, Massachusetts, Joiner is known for his intricate and accurate drawings of the natural settings of New England.  Joiner has been drawing in graphite since age 8, “My medium of choice is graphite and my subjects are New England farm and country scenes as well as seascape towns.  I especially love the textures of barns, boats, tress, rocks and water.”  After spending 34 years as an illustrating artist, Joiner retired in 2000 and became a full time fine artist.  Leonard lives with his wife and daughter on a farm in Methuen, where they farm and raise most of their own food. 

~~~

Walking Tour: Church Architecture of the City of Gloucester

 
Saturday, November 7, 2009,  10:30 a.m.
 
Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
 
This program is included with Museum admission. Reservations are required; call 978-283-0455, x11. The walking tour will be held rain or shine.
                
The Cape Ann Museum presents a walking tour of the church architecture of downtown Gloucester with Museum Curator Martha Oaks. The tour will include the central downtown churches along Prospect Street, Pleasant Street and Middle Street, including Our Lady of Good Voyage, St. Anne’s, Trinity Congregational, St. John’s Episcopal, and the Independent Christian Church, the first Universalist church in America. The tour will explore the impact of these historic structures on the surrounding neighborhoods.

~~~


C.B. Fisk, Inc.
 
Opus 136 Workshop

Saturday, November 14
2:00 - 6:00 PM

21 Kondelin Road, Gloucester, MA

C.B. Fisk cordially invites you to our workshop to see and hear Opus 136, a three-manual, 39-stop organ for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Charlotte, NC.

~~~


David Piemonte

Opening Reception for Double Visions

Friday, November 20, 2009

6:00pm to 8:30pm

The show runs from November 11, 2009 through January 1, 2010

Centennial Gallery at The Musculoskeletal Center, 4 Centennial Drive, Peabody, MA

Gallery hours Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 7:00pm.

Fine art photographer David Piemonte and his wife, mixed media artist Terry Del Percio-Piemonte, are exhibiting their work together for the firsttime.  The title of theshow,Double Visions,refers to the joy of unlikely combinations.  David works exclusively in traditional medium-format photography to create his silver gelatin prints while Terry focuses on abstract watercolor and collage.  David draws much of his inspiration from nature and the solitude of night photography; Terry draws her inspiration from experimentation with abstract concepts and color. Although their art seems to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, there is a mysterious thread that ties them together.
~~~

Sawyer Free Library
 
“Traveling to Teach Down Under” with Jim & Lea Watson

Thursday November 19, 2009, 7-9 PM
Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930
Free of charge and open to the public

The Sawyer Free Library and Gloucester Lyceum will host a travelog “Traveling to Teach Down Under” with Jim and Lea Watson on Thursday November 19th at 7 PM in the Friend Room. 

Jim and Lea will present stories and pictures from their travels in Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and their adventures while living in Australia. Watercolors depicting their journey will be on display.

A Paul Newman Foundation Grant brought Jim and Lea Watson to do the work they love on the other side of the world. Working in Gloucester for thirty years they have been teaching children who are deaf how to listen and communicate with spoken language. An Auditory-Verbal Center in South Australia needed specialists to train therapists and teach
families. A “Round the World Airline Ticket” allowed the Watsons to head east and circle the globe. Lyceum programs are free of charge and open to the public.  For more information call 978-281-9763 or visit the library website at http://www.sawyerfreelibrary.org/.

~~~
Rockport Chamber Music Festival

2009-2010 Series: Concerts in November, December, and March feature a mix of classical and new works, music for the holidays, and jazz standards.

JUPITER STRING QUARTET
Sunday, November 1, 5 p.m.
Rockport Art Association,12 Main Street, Rockport, MA
(Pre-concert tour of the Shalin Liu Performance Center site begins at 3 p.m.)

TRITON BRASS QUINTET: A HOLIDAY CONCERT
Saturday, December 5, 8 p.m.
First Congregational Church, 12 School Street, Rockport, MA
(Pre-concert tour of the Shalin Liu Performance Center site begins at 5 p.m.)

JAZZ VOCALIST RACHAEL PRICE
Saturday, March 13, 8 p.m.
Rockport Art Association, 12 Main Street, Rockport, MA
(Pre-concert tour of the Shalin Liu Performance Center building site begins at 6 p.m.)
 
Three-concert subscriptions are now on sale. Prices range from $63 - $111 and include savings of up to 12% off the full individual ticket price. Tickets to individual concerts range from $23 to $40 for adults; seniors, $22 to $39.  Tickets for students (ages 19-25) are available for $10.  Youth age 18 and younger may attend free of charge (limited capacity). Individual tickets and subscriptions may be purchased online at www.rockportmusic.org, by phone at 978-546-7391 (M-F, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.), or in person at the Rockport Music office, 21 Broadway, Rockport, MA, (M-F, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.).

Rockport Music announces the programs for its 2009-2010 Series this fall, winter, and spring.  The Jupiter String Quartet plays quartets by Haydn, Beethoven, and Golijov on November 1 at the Rockport Art Association.  The Triton Brass Quintet offers a program of music by Bach, Harbison, and seasonal favorites on December 5 at the First Congregational Church of Rockport.  Jazz vocalist Rachael Price sings hits from the American Songbook on March 13 at the Rockport Art Association.

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Jon Stewart’s Best Ever!!!

Nov 6th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

Unbelievable! Stewart is a genius!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The 11/3 Project
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes 		Political Humor Health Care Crisis

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82 New Baby Sea Turtles Join The World

Nov 5th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

Considering how much craziness there is in the world these days, it’s great when there is something joyful to report:

San Diego SeaWorld home to 82 healthy baby sea turtles after unassisted births on park’s beach
By Sue Manning (CP) – 2 days ago
LOS ANGELES — The population of endangered green sea turtles at SeaWorld in San Diego grew by 82 in October when the eggs hatched on Shipwreck Beach without human help.
There hasn’t been such happy turtle news at SeaWorld since 2003, when 21 sea turtles got an assist from park staff, said Tim Downing, assistant curator of fishes.
This time, the park let nature take its course and didn’t incubate the eggs. The babies started poking through their ping pong ball-sized eggs on Oct. 5. Since then, they have been getting a diet of squid, krill, shrimp and special pellets.
The birth of the baby turtles was announced Monday. Downing said they are in excellent health and should go on display at the park before the end of the year.
It will be up to the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the new turtles stay at SeaWorld and whether they will allow the turtles to mate again next year, he said.
SeaWorld has 30 adult sea turtles in its collection, including three green females and one male. They have all been at the park since the 1960s so they are around 40 or 50 years old, or middle age for the creatures, which live to be well past 100 years.
SeaWorld’s green sea turtles have reached sexual maturity and all three females may have buried eggs in the sand on the park’s Shipwreck Beach, Downing said.
They have to do genetic testing to determine whether one turtle laid all the eggs or there were multiple mothers, he said, and SeaWorld crews have to dig up the beach to determine how many eggs failed to hatch.
“There is so much that is not known about sea turtles,” Downing said. “We are getting real good information on the growth rate of juveniles.”
A female turtle mates in the water, comes up high on the sand, digs a few false holes to fool predators, then digs a nest and lays between 100 and 120 eggs, Downing said. The eggs incubate for three months, with the gender of each baby being determined by the temperature of the sand.
The park doesn’t name its animals, but the turtles have pit tags and flipper tags, Downing said.
The babies weigh just a few grams now, but when they become adults in 20 years or so, they will weigh about 250 pounds (113.4 kilograms).
“They are all gaining weight and doing well. We have done some X-rays, and they are progressing just like we would expect them to,” Downing said.
There are seven species of sea turtles in the world and they are all endangered or threatened, Downing said.
“The biggest reason they don’t live that long in the wild is mankind,” he said. They are fished in some parts of the world, and pollution hurts.
“For example, a trash bag looks like a jellyfish. They eat it and it gets impacted in their gut and they starve to death,” Downing said.

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OK, I admit this is vain and petty….

Nov 4th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

….. but look who is the #3 lace book on Amazon (for the moment) and look which books it is ahead of!!! Will I ever be normal again? (Was I ever?) Since A Gathering of Lace and Victorian Lace Today are two of my very most favorite lace books I am thrilled.
Thanks for indulging me….

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My Learn-To-Lace Beach Bag

Nov 4th, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

The thermometer out back reads 43 degrees so, naturally, I am thinking about the beach. Well, okay, maybe that’s not really true but if it was I would have the perfect bag to take with me. This is my new beach bag which I knit with a double strand of rayon from Yarntopia Treasures.

What is great about this bag is that it stretches and stretches and stretches. I can put a beach towel, a book, lotion, wallet, and assorted other necessities in it and still have room. It is pretty and extremely sturdy and, perhaps best of all, really lightweight.

The design is based on the same design I have been using for my marketing bags and, when I get them all written up, I’ll make the pattern available. A lot of people tell me that they want to learn to knit lace but are intimidated by it so I got this bright idea. Since the important quality of marketing bags is that they be very stretchy and very sturdy. If you knit them up in a lace pattern that provides the stretch, and if you use a good sturdy yarn, like rayon, linen, cotton, or nylon, they will support a full load of groceries without breaking.

So I designed a basic marketing bag with a fairly wide, comfortable shoulder strap and then knit it up in five different lace patterns. My thinking is this — each bag teaches the knitter a new, basic lace pattern. It’s just a marketing bag so if you make some mistakes your groceries won’t care. And by the time you have knit all five bags you will have learned five lace patterns and then you’ll be hooked and confident and ready to move on to those woolen shawls and cashmere scarves you’ve been drooling over.

When I finished my marketing bags I had several balls of leftover yarn so I decided to make the beach bag. Because I used a double-strand it is larger and heavier than the marketing bags — if you filled this bag with groceries you might not be able to lift it. And I worked it in Old Shale because it is one of my favorite lace patterns, is endlessly versatile, and I never get tired of it. Once you learn Old Shale you will automatically know Feather and Fan and Ostrich Plume just by varying the pattern slightly.

So this is my Learn-To-Lace Beach Bag. I’m working on the instructions now. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading.

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GMHC Special Event on Saturday

Nov 2nd, 2009 by Kathleen Valentine posted in Parlez Moi Blog

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