Mid-Cape Highway

I've been to the Cape again and thought I'd throw up some pics from the visit!

First, a daybed from an antiques mall in New Bedford.

Second, another beautiful winter sunset from Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown.

Third, a walk in the beautiful, hidden cedar swamps of Provincetown.

Third-b, another photo from that walk.

And finally, Clovis.

Home Furnishings

A friend gave me an enormous box of fancy fabric scraps. Velvets, toiles, floral prints. So I've been making lots of crazy things. In particular, the Magic Story Bag has been a big focus. I've made one for myself and several writer-friends who teach. A great way to create story by pulling random things, buttons, pictures, phrases, from the bag.

Here's the most recent and by far the fanciest.

Lined with a strong red floral print--it helps the magic!

And I needed a new cellphone case/wallet. My current one, a fancy leather "book", is in tatters. So I went to town with the fabric scraps and made a replacement! Feeling very DIY.

Here's Clovis having a good laugh the other morning.

Winter Sunsets

Cape Cod has beautiful sunsets year round, but give me a winter sunset any day. They are the most dramatically beautiful and often have the most intense colors. Here is an example, taken Saturday evening...

Feeding Frenzy

Here is a video of Clovis demanding treats. Treat time begins at 7:30pm, but Clovis has been pushing it earlier and earlier. He is manifesting his need for treats, which made me curious, so I asked, "Clovis, do you want treats?"

Falling Leaves

A quick one here, just one picture, but one that I think is a beauty. Taken last weekend at the 1693 Arnold House, a stone-ender, in Lincoln, Rhode Island. This is one of the historic homes managed by Historic New England, a great organization that preserves the culture and history of the region.

Letterpress and Barbecue

Admittedly, these two things do not go together. But I have neglected details of my summer progress--and I am a recent convert to the magic and beauty of letterpress. First, business, then, food.

I can't say enough good things about local arts institution AS220. They are the heart of the Providence arts community and provide resources and opportunities to so many people. I took a letterpress class there with Lois Harada, an amazing artist and printer. Thus, a new phase of printmaking has begun! I am doing the 4 Moods in 4 Colors Clovis cards on letterpress--and have a new one--gratitude!

Here is the press, ready to start on a bunch of "attention" cards in red.

Here they are coming off the press!

I am also playing with type--and some fundamental truths.

Some gratitude cards, packaged and ready to go.

Now, on to barbecue. I made a dedicated effort to visit as many barbecue joints as I could on my swing South this summer. First, in Nashville, I went to Jack's Barbecue, one of my favorites. They have a barbecue sauce bar, covering the barbecue sauce territory from the sweet tomato-based sauces of Kansas City to the hot mustard sauce of South Carolina. Delicious.

When I was in Decatur, Alabama, I had to make time for famous Big Bob Gibson's barbecue. I got ribs and pork. Definitely worth the time!

In Huntsville, I tried a new hole-in-the-wall, Granville's--they come with corn cakes and had the best mac-and-cheese and green beans.

And I stopped by my regular favorite, Dave Gibson's barbecue (no relation to the Decatur Gibson's apparently) at Bob Wallace and Jordan Lane. Great fried okra and hush puppies.

And finally, when I made it to Tuscaloosa, I had to make a pilgrimage stop at famous Dreamland Barbecue. Nothing but beef ribs here--and so delicious.

I got to spend a good amount of time in Provincetown this August and September as well. On a boat ride in the harbor, my friend and I came across this giant sunfish lolling around. We named him (her?) Sunny.

Explosive

A huge highlight of the visit to Nashville was a kayaking trip down the Cumberland River to watch the fireworks. It was truly amazing and something I would do again. The fireworks display in Nashville is the largest and longest in the South and one of the biggest in the country. To be almost underneath them with the monumental bridges and buildings of Nashville as the setting made for a truly memorable event. Here are just a few pictures to give you an idea of the magic of the moment.

Heading toward downtown.

The General Jackson cruises by.

This is a favorite of mine. Something about the light, smoke, silhouettes and water.

Keeping with the theme of explosive subjects, this was quite a find in the archives of the Madison County, Alabama, Records Center. Huge thanks to Donna for sharing this piece of evidence from a divorce case from the 1920's. I think it speaks for itself.

Middle South

Making my way south, I hit Nashville for some family time and new sights. It was a little hazy when I was there, but cooler than it had been. Here is the State House, designed by Philadelphia architect William Strickland. He is apparently buried up there, too. More on Strickland later.

A great discovery was the Marathon Motor Works, a Nashville-based car manufacturer from the first decades of the automotive industry. The company was apparently quite successful during its short tenure--located at this industrial buildings in Nashville from about 1909 to 1914. Financial mismanagement apparently led to its downfall. The site is now developed into offices and retail shops and is a great example of early industrial construction and how it can be successfully repurposed.

This is not a Marathon car, but it showed up all of a sudden.

Another great stop was the Nashville Farmers' Market--right in the heart of downtown.

I love this arrangement of yellow squash.

One of the great treats of the visit was the opportunity to go inside the truly spectacular Egyptian Revival First Presbyterian Church in downtown Nashville. The church was designed by William Strickland and built from 1849-1851. Strickland was a great architect of the Greek Revival (see the Second Bank of the United States and Providence Athenaeum), but here he is working in a different and popular style of the time.

This most spectacular interior is the real treat.

The stained glass and elaborate decorations are amazing--and beautifully preserved.

There were many more treats--including the fireworks and a South-wide survey of barbecue joints, but more on both of those later.  Here is Clovis in his celebrity motor coach.