Ode to a summer afternoon

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon;

to me those have always been

the two most beautiful words

in the English language.

                                               Henry James, 1843-1916, American Writer

Enjoy it!

Q is for Quahaug

Ah, sumertime!

Choose a word to define this beautiful yet fleetingly short season and be delighted with a treasure trove of images that make you smile.  

For me, summertime means the sea and all things related to and surrounding it,

quahaugs notwithstanding.  Quahaugs, Mercenaria mercenaria, edible marine bivalve hard clams, are found on the Atlantic Coast of North America.  The name derives from the Narragansett Indians' poquauhock who used the shells to make valuable wampum beads for trade.  Of course, the meat of the matter - that fruit of the sea inside - proved to be a luscious bonus...

you gotta slurp!

To live amongst and appreciate the intricacies of it all  - the sights, the sounds, the smells and the tastes -  is to be alive.  

Enjoy your summer!

Quondo

Quondo omni

flunkus mortati!

(When all else fails

play dead!)

good solution  for now

P is for Petalware

Macbeth-Evans Glass Company was established in 1899 upon the merger of the Thomas Evans Company of Pittsburgh and the George A. MacBeth Company of Charleroi.

In 1929, MacBeth-Evans produced several types of opalescent glass known as Monax and Ivrene.

Though quite delicate looking, the glass was exceptionally durable and heat resistant - with a lovely translucency and clear white color.  Ivrene was a beige version of Monax, resembling a clambroth color.  Petalware was the popular pattern produced from 1929 through 1936.

MacBeth-Evans merged with Corning Glass Works of NY, producing Cremax and Chinex to take the place of the Monax line thus reflecting changing tastes from the delicate glass look to opaque porcelain.

Petalware was produced in great numbers.  As such it remains prevalent as an affordable indulgence to your vintage collection.  Its beauty is truly timeless.

Happy Hunting!

Prisons Take on Many Forms

Prisons take on many forms as elements identifying parts of ones life.

The crystal clarity of the view is impossible to avoid as it explodes in sharp and ominous shards. Like a tapestry intricately woven with threads that appear intertwined in a seemingly chaotic way the discerning eye reveals a pattern.  Photographs resemble a yellowed brittle newspaper,  fading fast with yesterdays news.  It is the happy times gone by that reside only in our memories, gently comforting like a down pillow providing shelter from the brewing storm.   

In the haze of dust the truth is revealed: prisons take on many forms and everything in life has its price - no expense spared.  One pays dearly with the sacrifice of identity, self respect and the passing of precious time.  There is something profound in good bye; the paradox of an ending leading to a beginning.                                                                                                                         

Contentment is the promise of a new life well lived.

 

1 july, 1978-2013