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San Francisco de Asis, Ranches de Taos, NM

T is for Taos, NM through a Brownie Camera, A to Z Challenge 2013

Horno in Taos, NM, circa 1974. Photo by Margaret Almon.
Hornos in Taos, NM, circa 1974. Photo by Margaret Almon.

T is for Taos, NM.  My memory of Taos is intertwined with taking photos with my mother’s Brownie camera, which was probably a Starflex, with an aluminum reflector that flipped up from the top of the camera.  To capture an image, I had to look down into the camera, which fascinated me at age 7, since what I wanted to photograph was in front of me.  The round adobe ovens of the Taos Pueblo reminded me of the igloo shape often associated with Canada even if you lived in a city like I did.

San Francisco de Asis, Ranches de Taos, NM
San Francisco de Asis Mission Church, Ranches de Taos, NM, circa 1974. Photo by Margaret Almon.

For the first time, when I got these photos out, I noticed that there was a name on the sign in front of the Mission Church, San Francisco de Asis, and discovered this is the church that artists were inspired by, including Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams.

Taos Pueblo, NM
Taos Pueblo, NM, circa 1974. Photo by Margaret Almon.

 

Cate and Margaret Almon, Taos, NM
Cate and Margaret Almon, Taos, NM, circa 1974. Photo by Barbara Rich.

The Taos Pueblo was many interconnected spaces, yet unified with the adobe.  The photo my sister Cate and I was probably taken by my mother, who was the original owner of the camera.

 

Bonus for Orange Tuesday:  Taos brings orange out in many artists and this painting by Pat Pollard is an orange delight.

 

 

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013

Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program

S is for Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program, A to Z Challenge 2013

Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program
Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program, Williamsburg, MA. Photo by Margaret Almon.

 

S is for Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program in Williamsburg, MA.  When my friend Kathy asked if I wanted to take a mosaic class at Snow Farm craft school with her in the Fall of 2006, I said yes.  I had started making mosaics in 2005, and this was a chance to learn more about the craft, and have an adventure with Kathy, in the vicinity of my alma mater Hampshire College.

Snow Farm Wood Shop
Snow Farm Wood Shop. Photo by Margaret Almon.

The mosaic class took place in the wood shop, surrounded by a multitude of fascinating tools.

Inside the Snow Farm Wood Shop
Inside the Snow Farm Wood Shop. Photo by Kathy Yocom.

There were bins of broken tile and plates to forage.  The teacher, Richard Moss, provided us with a giant bucket of mastic for gluing the pieces down.  It was like working with a vat of marshmallow fluff.  Richard was a bit concerned about my liking for small pieces, and wondered how I would ever finish.  I did get it all glued down over the course of the week.

Margaret Almon at Snow Farm
Margaret Almon at Snow Farm. Photo by Kathy Yocom.

Kathy and I were two of the youngest people there since it was primarily an Elder Hostel program which had room for a few extra students.  The meals were prepared by a woman who owned a restaurant in town, and it was delicious.  We started out splitting desserts, but by the second day, we were each claiming our own.

Luminous Red Tree at Snow Farm
Luminous Red Tree at Snow Farm, Williamsburg, MA. Photo by Margaret Almon.

Snow Farm in October is a magical place with the leaves turning color.  There was one red tree that drew my eye with it’s self-contained intensity.  If you want to experience a new craft, Snow Farm offers classes for both adults and teens, including glassblowing, felting, woodturning, shibori and welding for home and garden.

 

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013

 

R is for the Roycroft Inn, East Aurora, NY, A to Z Challenge 2013

R is for the Roycroft Inn, in East Aurora, NY, where I spent my 40th birthday.  “Opened to Friends in 1905” as the sign says, by Elbert Hubbard, traveling-salesman-philosopher-writer, who founded the Roycroft Artisan community.

I liked the alphabet wallpaper, which is also very appropriate for the A to Z Challenge.  It appears R is for Rabbit.  I wonder  what the conglomeration of x-y-z is symbolized by.

Roycroft Inn Wallpaper
Roycroft Inn Wallpaper via Emily Testa on Flickr.

Bonus R’s with the Roycroft Symbol, though in reverse.

Roycrofter Symbol, East Aurora, NY
Roycrofter Symbol, East Aurora, NY. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

 

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013

 

Québec City Dessert Cart, 1983.

Q is for Québec City, Dessert Carts and Bonhomme, A to Z Challenge 2013

Québec City Dessert Cart, 1983.
Québec City Dessert Cart, 1983. Photo by Margaret Almon.

Q is for Québec City, and my first visit to Eastern Canada in 1983, and my second in 1985.  I went on a French exchange trip to Edmundston, NB in grade 10, where all the kids took pity on us Western Canadians and spoke to us in English. We had a day trip to Québec City, where all the signs are in French, and there are buildings made of stone, which was impressive to an Alberta girl from a city celebrating its 75th Anniversary.  Even more impressive was the dessert cart in the café where several of us went with the Spanish teacher.  It was a cart of beauty.

Château Frontenac, Québec City, 1985.
Château Frontenac, Québec City, 1985. Photo by Margaret Almon.

Two years later, when I had moved to Bethlehem, PA, my friend Ruth from Edmonton, and I planned a trip to meet in Montréal, and then travel to Québec City to stay with her aunt, and check out the city.  The  Château Frontenac is on a cape, rising above the city, and overlooks the St. Lawrence River.  I didn’t know what a dormer was called, but I loved the windows with topped with  miniature towers.

Margaret and Bonhomme de Neige, 1985.
Margaret and Bonhomme de Neige, 1985. Photo by Ruth Dupuit.

Ruth took this photo of me in front the Bonhomme, mascot of the winter Carnavale which is an observance of Mardi Gras.  Note my hair had grown out from an accidental buzzcut(maybe a more common occurance in the 1980’s than in other eras), the asymmetrical ruffle on my tshirt, and the very stylish velcro fastened powder blue runners(as I called them in Canada).  Ruth wrote a caption on the back of the photo:  Typical Tourist.

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013

P is for Philadelphia and 6 Cool Sights, A to Z Challenge 2013

Philadelphia Mosaic Sign on Slate by Nutmeg Designs
Philadelphia Mosaic Sign on Slate by Nutmeg Designs. Photo by Margaret Almon.

P is for Philadelphia, treasure trove of cool sights, both artistic and tasty, with a little Phillies thrown in.

 

Violin in the Sky
Violin in the Sky at Helmuth Keller & Sons Violin Makers, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Margaret Almon.

 

Franklin Fountain Rainbow of Syrups
Franklin Fountain Rainbow of Syrups, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

 

Sunday at Citizens Bank Park 2
Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

 

Dream Garden Mosaic by Tiffany
Detail of the Dream Garden Mosaic by Tiffany, Curtis Building, Philadelphia. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

 

Capogiro Gelato, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz.
Capogiro Gelato, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

 

Mosaic at Phildadelphia's Suburban Station by Joyce Kozloff. Photo by Wayne Stratz.
Mosaic at Phildadelphia’s Suburban Station by Joyce Kozloff. Photo by Wayne Stratz.
Margaret and Wayne Oregon Coast

O is for Oregon and the Years of Poetry, Rain, Lava and the Coast, A to Z Challenge 2013

Margaret and Wayne Oregon Coast
Margaret and Wayne Oregon Coast, 1991. Photo by Bert Almon.

 

O is for Oregon, where Stratoz and I lived from 1990-1993.  I had enrolled in the MFA program at the University of Oregon in Eugene, and we drove our belongings in a red Honda Civic Hatchback, with a car-top carrier almost as big as the car itself.  Our families enjoyed our stay in Oregon, because of the dramatic beauty of the landscape, and the opportunity to visit the rocky coastline, the Three Sisters mountains, the lava beds from the Sisters’ start as volcanos, and waterfalls,  all of which were within two hours drive from Eugene.   It rained all winter, and then the summer was hot and dry.

Margaret and Wayne on Lava Bed
Margaret and Wayne on Lava Bed, 1991. Photo by Bert Almon.

The University of Oregon had a beautiful art museum, across the quad from my teaching assistant office in the English Department.  The doors had graceful  ironwork by I. K. Tuerck, and the squirrel motif was my favorite.  Oregon was where Stratoz and I got married in 1992.

Squirrel Ironwork at University of Oregon Art Museum
Squirrel Ironwork by I. K. Tuerck at University of Oregon Art Museum, 1992. Photo by Margaret Almon.

 

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013

 

N is for Nakashima House, Studio and Workshop, New Hope, PA, A to Z Challenge 2013

N is for Nakashima, both George and Mira, and the home and studio in New Hope, PA.  George Nakashima(1905-1990) was an architect who learned furniture making in a Japanese internment camp in Idaho in WWII, who ended up in Bucks County PA because architect Antonin Raymond sponsored him in 1945.   Mira Nakashima, trained by her father in woodworking, carries on the craft in New Hope.

I went on a tour of the Nakashima Studio in 2003, one of first driving trips after a 12 year hiatus from driving.  I was nervous navigating the Bucks County countryside, but determined to get to the studio, after being enchanted by the Nakashima Room at the Michener Museum.  The tour began in the showroom, which had Nakashima chairs to sit in, and I was transported into comfort, into a wood embrace.

 

The Arts building has a mosaic mural, based on a drawing by the artist Ben Shahn.  This was before I started making mosaics, and I was intrigued by the chunks of glass that made up the lines. Now I know these are smalti.

 

In honor of Orange Tuesday, I leave you with this photo by odhusky on Flickr, of a Nakashima chair:

Source: flickr.com via Margaret on Pinterest

 

My previous A to Z posts.

 

M is for Montgomery County Community College Lively Arts, A to Z Challenge 2013

 

M is for Montgomery County Community College and the Lively Arts Program, Blue Bell, PA.    For more than 25 years, MCCC has brought dance, jazz, and classical music, and theater to Montgomery County.  It is a place of creative expression, and creative energy.

On April 13, 2013, Stratoz and I went to MCCC see the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, Indian Classical Dance, presented in partnership with Sruti: The India Music & Dance Society, Philadelphia.  I had not heard of this dance tradition, and it was a delight to discover.

“I dream of building a community of dancers in a forsaken place amidst nature.
A place where nothing exists, except dance.
A place where you breathe, eat, sleep, dream, talk, imagine – dance.
A place where all the five senses can be refined to perfection.
A place where dancers drop negative qualities such as jealousy, small-mindedness,
greed and malice to embrace their colleagues as sisters
and support each other in their journey towards becoming dancers of merit.”

“A place called Nrityagram.”

– Protima Gauri (October 12,1948 – August 18, 1998)

I am grateful for all the beauty I have witnessed at Montgomery County Community College.
In 2012, I had the opportunity to hear Kurt Elling perform there,
and I leave you with this hopeful and haunting tune.

Music by Duke Ellington
Original Lyric by Mitchell Parrish
Vocalese Lyric by Kurt Elling based on Von Freeman’s improvised melody from
Freeman’s 2001 recording, “The Improvisor”.
The lyric adapts the words of the 13th century poet Jelaluddin Balkhi,
or Rumi, as translated by Coleman Barks.

Don’t worry about saving this music / or be scared if the singing ends
or the piano breaks a string / for we have fallen to a place where everything is
music and singing / everything is recovered and new / ever new and musical
and even if the whole world’s harp should burn up / there would still be hidden there
the spirit of song there to linger on / and even if a candle’s blown out by wind
the fire smolders on in an ember and then sparks again / the singing is a drop /
just a drop in oceans of seas / grace keeps it moving through bodies like these. . .

Oasis Pastry and Turkish Coffee

L is for Lansdale, PA and International Dining, A to Z Challenge 2013

Oasis Pastry and Turkish Coffee
Oasis Restaurant Pastry and Turkish Coffee, in Lansdale, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

L is for Lansdale, PA and the international restaurants within walking distance.  It took Stratoz and me several years to find The Oasis Mediterranean Food & Pastry, even though it was in plain sight.  One day we went for lunch and the owner was relieved to be able to return Stratoz’s hat.  At one point, the owner told us, he  had seen us walk by, but he is the sole server, and by the time he looked up, we were gone.  My favorite dish is the Cauliflower Delight, which I haven’t seen anywhere else, with a tahini sauce.  As a vegetarian, I have enjoyed the spinach pocket, rice pilaf with lentils and caramelized onions, tabouli salad, and stuffed grape leaves. [Edited 5/1/16 ~ Charles Cleaners was torn down, so that landmark for finding Oasis is gone.]

The Oasis Restaurant in Lansdale, PA
The Oasis Restaurant in Lansdale, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz.

In our 15 years in Lansdale, we now have:

Vietnamese food at Saigon Main[edited 10/15 This is now Asian Legend.  Some of the menu remains the same.]

Saigon has a vegetarian section of the menu, and the sweet and sour tofu soup is tangy with tomatoes and a vegetable that is similar to celery.  The vegetarian spring rolls over vermicelli noodles, and the Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk make a fine meal.

Thai food at Nadia [edited 10/15 Sadly, Nadia lost their lease in Lansdale and is now in Willow Grove]

I like to go for the weekday lunch special.  I love the  Som Tam Thai Salad with cabbage, carrot, ground peanut and a citrus marinade.

Chinese at Chong’s Dumpling House

The steamed vegetable dumplings are tasty, as are the entrees on the Chinese menu under the glass tabletop, especially the snow pea leaves with garlic.

Over at Stratoz:

Top 10 Favorite Restaurants in Lansdale

Kentuck Knob Motif

K is for Kentuck Knob, Chalk Hill, PA, A to Z Challenge 2013

Kentuck Knob by Frank Lloyd Wright
Kentuck Knob on the Terrace. Photo by Wayne Stratz, 2005.

K is for Kentuck Knob, also known as the Hagan House, in Chalk Hill, PA.  The Hagans knew the Kaufmann’s, owners of Fallingwater, and decided to commission Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956 to design a house for them, Kentuck Knob.  To discover that there was another Frank Lloyd Wright house to visit, in addition to Fallingwater, was like winning a prize.

Kentuck Knob, Chalk Hill, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz, 2005.
Kentuck Knob, Chalk Hill, PA. Photo by Wayne Stratz, 2005.

As wonderful as Fallingwater is, Kentuck Knob is a house that I could imagine living in.  One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian houses, modest, simple, like living on a compact houseboat.  The cantilevered overhangs with hexagonal skylights are striking in their toothed texture and leave hexagons of sunlight on the terrace.

Kentuck Knob Shadow
Kentuck Knob Light through the Porthole. Photo by Wayne Stratz, 2005.

 

On a side note, the house has a carport, a name apparently Frank Lloyd Wright popularized.  My grandparents in El Paso, TX, had a carport, which seemed a daring structure, open to the elements.  My house in Edmonton, Alberta, had a garage, and we plugged the car in every night to keep the engine warm so it would start on winter mornings.

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013