My daughter Jordana has just opened an etsy shop, riveraurora. It features fun, colourful jewelry and stylish hair accessories for the trend-setters in your life. Won't you stop by to see what Jordana has been making in her spare time?
I can't wait to see the jewelry she creates, inspired by our recent trip to Jordan!
Pictured at left is a handsewn leather rosette hairclip. See more lovely items here.
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Recently I have been trying to simplify and de-clutter, particularly in my tiny studio/guest room (which formerly was my daughter Jordana's room). Previously, the space was very lively and colourful - but overcrowded. The early 19th-century wine-tasting table from Bourgogne serves as a work surface for art and photography. The baskets beneath the table contain a netbook, books and photo files.
On the wine-tasting table are two 19th-century glass items: a pharmacy measure and cloche covering an orchid in a porcelain pot. Also pictured: a Laura Ashley glass lamp; a handmade journal, a gift from Karen Cole; an oil on panel painting by Taos, N.M. artist Greg Moon; a Pottery Barn retro telephone; a John Derian decoupaged tray, bought at The Paris Market in Savannah, Ga. and my Sony DSLR-A900.
The oeil de boeuf window with leaded glass (one of two) is originally from a chateau in Bourgogne. I hope that someday they will serve as windows in a house. The framed heliogravures are Lehnert & Landrock images of early 20th-century Egypt. Two Moroccan vintage sequinned wedding blankets purchased from Maryam Montague are on the bed, as well as an "eye" pillow by Julochka in Denmark.
I put one blue wooden chest of art supplies inside a closet; other supplies and photo equipment are in this chest of drawers from Agape Deco. The iron arched window frame is from a French chateau. The painting - which reminds me of a Spanish flamenco dancer - is by Vanessa Valencia. The pottery pitcher is by a Santa Fe artist and the numbered books are by Noel Solomon.
The art dolls sitting on an old wooden box are handmade by Christine Alvarado and the framed photograph is by Madelyn Mulvaney. The antique iron book press is from Scotland.
But lest you think my job is done, that's just one room; the rest of apartment also needs de-cluttering. I have put some furniture in the cave (wine cellar) and am selling a few antique pieces. As any Parisian apartment dweller can attest, finding enough space to breathe is a never-ending quest!
P.S. Karen Kingston's book Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui will make you want to clean out closets, clear shelves and ruthlessly toss things out to create space.
Walkway approaching an historic fountain, Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia.
A path lined with oak trees dripping with Spanish moss leads to downtown Savannah.
It's the Ascension holiday weekend in France. No matter where your path leads, here's hoping you find fun and adventure along the way!
My daughter Jordana Noelle is pictured just before walking down the aisle on Saturday, May 2 at her friends' home in Savannah, Georgia.
Jordana's stepfather David escorted her down the aisle. Here he steps aside, as the marriage vows begin.
Jordana and Keith recite their marriage vows, including a poem by Kahlil Gibran.
The happy couple. Jordana designed her own dress, made of dotted Swiss bought in New York. Her espadrilles are Christian Louboutin.
A private moment.
Jordana's friend Alisa pours champagne brought from Paris into French crystal champagne flutes, a gift from the bride's parents.
Jordana takes a break after the initial wedding festivities.
Evening in Savannah, with Spanish moss dripping from the trees.
Chinese lanterns illuminate the wedding celebration.
Even a decorative birdcage is lit with votive candles. Jordana's friend Sarah, who is in charge of creative displays for a popular retail store in Madison, Wisconsin, decorated the birdcage and draped the wooden arch with tulle and lights. The groom's stepfather built the arch. He presented it to Jordana's friends, as thanks for hosting the wedding.
The guestbook with handmade paper from Paris, enhanced with flecks of gold and glitter and an 18th-century French tulle and satin jewelry pillow.
First dance, as the disc jockey plays Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic."
Cutting the cake.
The cake is from Florida; assorted cupcakes are from a bakery in Savannah and napkins are from Paris. Tables were decorated with colorful floral tablecloths from Anthropologie and centered with bouquets of purple tulips, Jordana's favourite flower. About 50 friends and family members from all across the United States (and France) joined in the wedding celebration, including two of Jordana's former classmates at the American School of Paris.
Jordana and their dog, wearing a bowtie for the occasion.
Thank you all for your warm wishes for Jordana and Keith!
Update Saturday, May 9: And a special thank you to David (pictured with his trusty Nikon) who has been a wonderful father to Jordana. He has been very supportive of her accomplishments. He also helped me keep my sanity in the flurry of last-minute wedding preparations and travel arrangements.
While in Savannah, David made a few side trips for bird-watching and has some fantastic photos of birds and alligators (!), that I'll be posting next week.
And seven years ago today, we got married in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Tonight, we'll celebrate at dinner with champagne, a 1998 Chateau de Chantegrive Bordeaux and duck with sour cherries, cooked by the resident Chef, of course! And he brought me white roses, my favourite.
A quirky industrial lamp at Cedric Grare's Art Atypique stand at the Antiquites Brocante at Bastille, Paris. I would have snapped this up for my desk, if not for the 950 euros price tag!
This was Opening Day for the popular Antiquites Brocante at Bastille, Paris. It was lovely to see some old friends, as well as beautiful antiques and collectibles. I have some unusual finds to show you, but it will take time to post all the photos.
Haven't had a chance yet to go through all Jordana's wedding photos; hope to do that later tonight and post more on Friday. Thank you all for your lovely comments for the previous post, featuring Jordana in her wedding dress. Both Jordana and I really appreciate your felicitations and good wishes.
The Antiquites Brocante at Bastille continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through May 17th. Stands positively bursting with fabulous treasures and conversation pieces extend along both sides of the Canal St. Martin. Tickets for eight euros each are available at the main entrance on Place de la Bastille.
The beautiful bride: My daughter Jordana Noelle, wearing the dress she designed. She is pictured just before her wedding on Saturday, May 2 in Savannah, Georgia.
Check back later for more photos of the happy occasion and of Savannah. Meanwhile, a coat Jordana designed is featured in a full-page advertisement for SCAD in the May issue of In Style magazine (page 34, American edition).
And my photograph of melting snow droplets on a pine tree is on the cover of It's for Your Benefit magazine in Alberta, Canada. It's my first cover, so I was thrilled to find a copy of the magazine waiting in my mailbox.
Petals from pink blossoms scattered on the street where I live.
Breaking news: Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican since 1966, has just announced he is switching parties! Specter said he decided to become a Democrat because the Republicans had "moved too far to the right."
Meanwhile, Texas Governor Rick Perry called for secession from the Union; then appealed to the federal government for help, at the first sign of swine flu. Talk about an abrupt about-face! And the Republicans continue to try to block Kathleen Sibelius to head Health and Human Services. Seems like we need someone in that position at the moment, politics aside. Of course in this case, it's a little like casting pearls before swine. I'm so tired of certain politicans putting their own interests ahead of the people.
Speaking of swine (flu), I'm not exactly thrilled to be getting on an Atlanta-bound plane early tomorrow morning, especially after the European Union health commissioner cautioned against non-essential travel to the US and Mexico. But I suspect attending my daughter's wedding in Savannah counts as essential.
Thanks for all your lovely email and good wishes. Will catch up with you next week!
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Bridal veil and orange blossoms, circa 1920, found at a brocante at Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.
"Let all thy joys be as the month of May and all thy days be as a marriage day." - Francis Quarles.
My daughter is getting married! Jordana will wed her fiance Keith on Saturday, May 2 in Savannah, Georgia. Jordana - who works for a fashion house in Philadelphia - has designed her own dress and veil. Yours truly will photograph the momentous occasion (no pressure, then)! Won't you join me in wishing the happy couple much joy in their life together?
Antiques and vintage musical instruments, Salmagundi West, Gastown, Vancouver, B.C.
Miscellaneous items, Salmagundi West, 321 West Cordova Street, Vancouver.
Antique puppet, Maison d'Etre, Oakland, California.
Plush toys, Maison d'Etre.
"Dear John" vitrine, Shop SCAD, Savannah.
Vintage library card catalogue, The Paris Market, Savannah.
Antique safe deposit boxes, The Ballastone Inn, Savannah.
Timeless Treasures, San Francisco.
Grooves Records, San Francisco.
Tara Bradford is traveling. In her absence, timed posts should appear.
Frida Kahlo image in tiles, Mexican restaurant, The Mission, San Francisco.
"I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration." - Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954.
"Sacred"cape by Megan Fluegel at the Fibers Exhibition, the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga. The cape is made of reclaimed wool suiting and fur collar, wool, raw silk and various cottons, with free-motion and hand embroidery, sewn construction.
Tara Bradford is traveling. In her absence, timed posts should appear.
A vintage Indian sari, The Paris Market, Savannah, Georgia.
Backpacks filled with flowers, Les Passages, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, snapped with my pocket camera.
Another flower-stuffed backpack at a store entrance.
Window display, Les Passages.
Giant Easter eggs, birds and birdhouses in a chocolate shop vitrine in my neighbourhood.
April fools
It doesn't look as though Miss Universe will choose a career in diplomacy.
And Avigdor Lieberman certainly is starting off on the wrong foot in his role as Israel's new foreign minister.
On the eve of the G20 Summit in London, most protests have been organised and peaceful. But live news feeds showed a group of 30 to 40 hooded and masked guys shouting obsenities and deliberately trying to provoke police in a cordoned-off area near the Bank of England. Some of these "protesters," - who weren't carrying any signs, so appeared to be just thugs and troublemakers - were brandishing sticks and throwing smoke bombs; one young man even bashed a police officer in the head. Still, the police showed admirable restraint, refusing to rise to the bait.
Other "protesters" smashed windows of the Royal Bank of Scotland and entered the building.
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More spring blossoms, Paris.
1970s redux, thrift store, Savannah, Georgia.
Window display, The Paris Market, Savannah.
Silly rabbits, (this and three photos below), @Home Vintage General, Savannah.
Spools of satin ribbons.
Vintage cabinet, retro laundry sign and numbered bottles.
Candy pink candlesticks.
Tableau featuring antique documents and vintage cameras and binoculars, The Paris Market, Broughton Street, Savannah, Georgia.
Thank you to all who entered the giveaway celebrating the inauguration of US President Barack Obama. I really appreciate your heartfelt words about what freedom means to you. The winner of Art for the Heart and a Paris brocante surprise is Raquel. Congrats to her and again, my thanks for all your thoughtful responses. Check back Saturday for a special occasion and another giveaway!
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Stairwell, historic home, Savannah, Georgia.
It's been a long, hard climb, but today President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act into law! Hallelujah! This means equal pay for men and women doing the same job. And Lilly Ledbetter herself was by the President's side, as he signed the legislation.
The measure amends the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It also applies to discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, disability or age.
An excerpt of the President's remarks on this auspicious occasion:
"...Because while this bill bears her name, Lilly knows this story isn’t just about her. It’s the story of women across this country still earning just 78 cents for every dollar men earn – women of color even less – which means that today, in the year 2009, countless women are still losing thousands of dollars in salary, income and retirement savings over the course of a lifetime.
"But equal pay is by no means just a women’s issue – it’s a family issue. It’s about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition or child care; couples who wind up with less to retire on; households where, when one breadwinner is paid less than she deserves, that’s the difference between affording the mortgage – or not; between keeping the heat on, or paying the doctor’s bills – or not. And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month’s paycheck to simple discrimination.
"So in signing this bill today, I intend to send a clear message: That making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone. That there are no second class citizens in our workplaces, and that it’s not just unfair and illegal – but bad for business – to pay someone less because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability. And that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook – it’s about how our laws affect the daily realities of people’s lives: their ability to make a living and care for their families and achieve their goals.
"Ultimately, though, equal pay isn’t just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families, it’s a question of who we are – and whether we’re truly living up to our fundamental ideals. Whether we’ll do our part, as generations before us, to ensure those words put to paper more than 200 years ago really mean something – to breathe new life into them with the more enlightened understandings of our time.
"That is what Lilly Ledbetter challenged us to do. And today, I sign this bill not just in her honor, but in honor of those who came before her. Women like my grandmother who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up and giving her best every day, without complaint, because she wanted something better for me and my sister.
"And I sign this bill for my daughters, and all those who will come after us, because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams and they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers never could have imagined.
"In the end, that’s why Lilly stayed the course. She knew it was too late for her – that this bill wouldn’t undo the years of injustice she faced or restore the earnings she was denied. But this grandmother from Alabama kept on fighting, because she was thinking about the next generation. It’s what we’ve always done in America – set our sights high for ourselves, but even higher for our children and grandchildren.
"Now it’s up to us to continue this work. This bill is an important step – a simple fix to ensure fundamental fairness to American workers – and I want to thank this remarkable and bi-partisan group of legislators who worked so hard to get it passed. And this is only the beginning. I know that if we stay focused, as Lilly did – and keep standing for what’s right, as Lilly did – we will close that pay gap and ensure that our daughters have the same rights, the same chances, and the same freedom to pursue their dreams as our sons."
Thank you, President Obama! And thank you Lilly Ledbetter and all the women who fought for equal pay for equal work.
Portrait of a woman, Fibers Exhibition, Savannah College of Art & Design, June 2008.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama issued a statement reaffirming women's rights and reproductive freedom:
"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
"While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
"On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere."
Key Bush policies reversed
President Obama also signed an executive order lifting a ban on U.S. funding for international family planning groups that provide heatlh care, contraceptive services, HIV prevention and perform abortions and provide counseling about the procedure.
The order rescinds the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "gag rule," originally instituted by Ronald Reagan in 1984. The "gag rule" was rescinded by Bill Clinton and revived by George W. Bush.
"For eight long years the global gag rule has been used by the Bush administration to play politics with the lives of poor women across the world," said Gill Greer of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in London. "In rescinding this disastrous and unjust policy, President Obama has returned the United States to the international consensus on women's health."
President Obama also reversed key Bush "war on terror" policies. The president signed orders ending torture; closing the CIA's black sites and closing Guantanamo Bay. Not bad for a day's work, eh?
Vintage typewriters, Salmagundi West, 321 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, B.C.
Need a low-cost notebook computer as portable as a book? Why not try a netbook? Read Tim Walker's article in The Independent about the latest high-tech innovations available for a song. I'm thinking a netbook (in addition to my laptop) would be a wonderful thing, especially for travel.
Underwood typewriter, @Home Vintage General, 320 W. Broughton St., Savannah, Ga.
Another newspaper faces demise
The respected Seattle Post-Intelligencer is for sale and expected either to fold or establish an online-only presence. This is a huge blow to the Seattle area, particularly as its rival, the Seattle Times has a decidedly-conservative slant. The Times played a direct role in the election defeat of Democrat Darcy Burner, having twisted facts in a story, then refused to print a correction.
Fabric based on vintage Bingo cards and markers, Fibers Exhibition, June 2008, Savannah College of Art and Design.
A popular magazine succumbs to the economy
Sad news that Country Home magazine is folding. The publisher has announced the March issue will be its last. However, the website hasn't been updated to reflect the reality - it's still offering subscriptions.
Meanwhile, Al Franken won the senatorial race in Minnesota. So why do his right-wing detractors - O'Reilly,Limbaugh, Morris, et al - keep making up lies about the recount?
We can thank John McCain for unleashing the inane pronouncements of "Joe the Plumber," while the novice plays at being a reporter.
And Alaskans are wondering, where's Sarah? Another reminder of how we dodged a bullet!
Painted wooden Buddha statues,Clipper Trading Company, Savannah, Georgia.
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." - Buddha.
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism and militarisms. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace and justice throughout the world. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter -- but beautiful -- struggle for a new world..." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Various bronze representations of Buddha heads, Savannah.
Student designs, Fibers Department exhibition, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, Ga., June 2008. The top image is reminiscent of the Art Nouveau period.
"...Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," - William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part II, Act III, Scene I.
You may remember my post about Jocelyn Gayle's fabulous Vertigo brooch. Now Jocelyn's opened her own Etsy shop and you, too, can own a Vertigo brooch or another of Jocelyn's innovative designs. Go here to see her latest offerings.
I am proud to say I have the first "The Birds" necklace Jocelyn made. It's my favorite of her unique creations. The custom-made necklace - inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's film "The Birds" - is painstakingly handcrafted of sterling silver and acrylic.
"Bite me," made with dental x-rays, is another favorite. I bought two of these amusing necklaces for friends. It's fun to wear two or three different sizes of these necklaces at once - perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to an outfit. Then watch the smiles as friends and admirers realise actual dental x-rays are used for the necklaces.
Vintage "lace" earrings.
Jocelyn Gayle, pictured in May at the Ballastone Inn, Savannah, Ga. Jocelyn, who graduated three years ago from the Savannah College of Art and Design, currently is based in Nashville, Tenn.
In addition to necklaces and earrings and a few novelty items, Jocelyn produces stationery, with individually-printed designs from a hand-carved linoleum block.
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Here is a Langston Hughes poem for this moment in history. (Hat tip to AMERICAblog).
Does anyone care if the woefully ineffective Joe Lieberman joins the Republican caucus? Hasn't he proved where his allegiance lies during his speech at the Republican National Convention? Tell your senators what you think.
And can we please just go back to paper ballots? The company that manufactures the voting machines clearly is incompetent. Their ineptness made voting a fraught process for millions of Americans. They've had plenty of time to correct the deficiencies; yet in this election, problems with the machines were worse than ever!
Barack Obama has won an electoral vote in Nebraska.
Thank you to all who have worked so hard for so long in support of President-Elect Obama. Thank you to those loyal readers who have been supportive of my political posts. Thank you for the nearly 300 post-election emails and messages of joy and jubilation from readers around the world.
We should take President-Elect Obama's words to heart. This election triumph is ours: yours and mine, for our country. We transformed our beliefs and our hopes into action. Yes, we did!
And now the real work begins. As Americans, we bear responsibility for how our democracy works. In these troubled times, we simply can't afford to be complacent. It's up to us to help our new president change our country for the better.
Photo, Birds of a feather, @Home Vintage General, Savannah, Ga.
Church glimpsed through Spanish moss, Savannah, Ga.
I've been so preoccupied with the presidential election, I didn't know about this, until my friend Rethabile emailed me today. But being late to learn about Troy Davis's fate doesn't make my sense of outrage and dismay any less.
In the United States, all too often, people - black and white - have been wrongly convicted of crimes because of tainted evidence. So the planned execution in Georgia today seems particularly reprehensible, in lieu of actual evidence and a Georgia Supreme Court justice's dissent.
Rethabile asked me to write an American sentence (17 syllables) about Troy Davis's pending death. Here are two:
Another black man in the South faces death within a flawed system.
Would they be so quick to execute, if the accused black man were white?
I grew up in the American South, where racial prejudice was rife. Civil Rights activist Morris Dees is my hero. I once worked for Amnesty International's National Campaign Office in San Francisco. And I oppose capital punishment. It is my belief that no man has the right to say who lives or dies.
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Please indulge the proud mom once again! That's my daughter Jordana Shalhoub (in the pink) and her SCAD design partner Ashlyn Kleber at their fashion show May 17th in Savannah. They are pictured surrounded by models wearing their designs, in the September issue of Teen Vogue (p. 118-19). In the first picture, Ruffian New York designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais admire details of a dress. Click photo to enlarge.
For more of their designs at SCAD, go here and here.
For three additional posts today, scroll down the page.
Blossom, Broughton Street, Savannah, Georgia.
Dicen que no hablan las plantas, ni las fuentes, ni los pájaros,
ni el nda consus rumores, ni con su brillo los astros.
Lo dicen; pero no es cierto, pues siempre cuado yo paso
de mi murmuran y exclaman
Ahhi va la loca sonando
con l eterna primavera de la vida y de los campos,
y ya ben pronto, bien pronto, tendra los cabellos canos
y ve temblado, aterida, que cubre la escarcha el prado. - Rosalia de Castro
They say that the plants do not speak, nor the brooks, nor the birds,
nor the waves with their roar, nor with their brillance, the stars,
So they say: but one cannot be sure, for always, when I go by,
they whisper about me and say...
...Ah, there goes the madwoman, dreaming
of the everlasting springtide of life and the fields
and yet soon, very soon, her har will be gray
and trembling, frozen, she sees that the frost is upon the grass.
As Labor Day weekend begins in the US, be careful with the fireworks, so a real firetruck isn't necessary.(Vintage firetruck, Vancouver).
Waterskiing is always popular in the summer heat.
Maybe you plan to stay home and watch scary movies. (Souvenir shop, Savannah).
...Or perhaps telling ghost stories...
...or a game of cards around the campfire is your idea of fun.
Maybe you'd prefer a little jazz and mint juleps? (Zinc cutouts fronting stairwell leading to jazz club, Savannah).
Don't eat too many of these caramel apples (River Street Sweets, Savannah).
Hmmm, maybe a small bag of candy wouldn't hurt...
Trying on vintage prom dresses could be a hoot (@ Home Vintage General, Savannah).
Maybe you're staying home, working on your humble abode...(Home awaiting restoration, Savannah).
Whatever you do, try to avoid situations requiring fingerprints. (Vintage fingerprint kit, @ Home Vintage General, Savannah).
Peonies, some waiting to bloom; others bursting forth. Paris, July 2008.
You know how it is when a career begins to blossom: a little recognition, the search for direction, a first job. A fever pitch of excitement and a growing sense of possibility; apprehension and nerves. Determination and enthusiasm overriding that tiny frisson of fear.
Today my daughter Jordana travels from Savannah to Philadelphia. After visiting me in San Francisco, she's had only a few days to pack up her apartment, rent a van and take care of the thousand little details necessary when moving from one city to another.
While her new job starts Monday, a hoped-for apartment won't be available until September. Temporarily, she'll be staying in a VRBO studio apartment. It is hoped that in another six weeks, the basics of home and hearth will become a bit more settled and her real adventures will begin.
Meanwhile, Jordana is thrilled to be included in the September issue of Teen Vogue magazine. Since I can't imagine that many of my readers are part of the Teen Vogue demographic, if you happen to be at a newsstand or bookstore and see the September issue, turn to page 118. You'll see Jordana, her SCAD partner Ashlyn and some of their designs for Ruffian, New York. Jordana's coat also appears in South magazine (click through photos to view). Yes, proud mom here.
Cut-out room divider, furniture design exhibition at the Jessop Center for the Arts, Savannah, Georgia.
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." - Edith Wharton, Vesalius in Zante.
Tara Bradford currently is in San Francisco. In her absence, timed posts should appear.
Houses on Telegraph Hill, overlooking San Francisco Bay.
For those of us traveling this summer, guess it's small consolation to know even airline pilots have to endure over-the-top behaviour from airport security personnel, now wearing fake shiny badges.
An excerpt from Patrick Smith's article in Salon:
"...This inconvenient rule is in place because of another inconvenient rule, the one that makes connecting passengers claim and recheck their luggage when arriving from places outside the United States -- even though their bags have already been screened at the point of departure. The thinking is that people could unpack this or that dangerous item from a checked suitcase -- a 4-ounce bottle of shampoo, say -- then carry it onto the next flight."So, together with a throng of exhausted passengers, most of whom are rushing to catch connections, I'm funneled into the grimy, dimly-lit checkpoint. I hoist my luggage -- my black flight case, my backpack and a roll-aboard suitcase -- onto the X-ray belt, then pass through the metal detector. Once on the other side, I'm waiting for my stuff to reappear when suddenly the belt comes to a stop. "Bag check!" shouts the guard behind the monitor."
I can't count the number of times I've missed domestic flight connections at Hartsfield International in Atlanta - even with two hours between time of arrival and connecting flight departure - because of the extremely long lines and slowness of security personnel. In May, I arrived in Atlanta, grabbed my luggage, took it through customs, then headed straight to another airline security point, where I handed over my luggage for the connecting flight to Savannah.
Then I got in line for another security check, before being allowed to leave the terminal and catch my connnecting flight. At least 500 people were already in line, most of them exhausted after all-night flights. I wanted to take a picture of the line which snaked around 16 rows - and the man in a security uniform herding people through, like cattle - but figured security would question me - and I'd never make my connection!
Later that month I flew from San Francisco to Vancouver, British Columbia. Never have I been treated so badly at any airport, even in Third World countries known for rough treatment of passengers. The Canadian Customs officers treated me with suspicion from the moment I arrived, asking a hundred questions about who I was going to meet, did I have their home addresses and telephone numbers, how did I know my friends, where was I staying, etc., etc. This questioning - in a hostile, brusque manner - went on for several minutes. They certainly didn't make me feel welcome; by the time they were finished, I was wishing I'd stayed in San Francisco!
At least next week's flight is direct from Paris to San Francisco, so no worries about connections. Here's hoping your summer travels go smoothly, without mishaps or hassles!
The Bay Bridge at twilight.
Presidential campaign follies
Ten more reasons - just this week! - why John McCain should not be president. Please, if you have even for a moment considered voting for Sen. McCain, read this piece and watch the video of McCain speaking. And here's a list of 61 issues about which McCain has changed his position (aka flip-flopping).
This makes light of the fiasco that is our government.
And here's yet another scandal involving the Bush White House - caught on tape!
Southern Poverty Law Center fights for workers' rights
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is embroiled in a battle for the rights of farmworkers who have been cheated out of their pay by a subsidiary of Fresh Del Monte Produce. The company is a $3.4 billion food giant, but its subsidiary is trying to hide behind third-party labor contractors — or "field bosses" — who repeatedly shortchanged hundreds of hard-working men and women who put in long days in the scorching onion fields of South Georgia.
The SPLC is suing Del Monte Fresh Produce Southeast for cheating approximately 500 migrant farmworkers out of their legal wages. When the workers were cheated on payday, Del Monte claimed they weren't responsible, blaming an independent "labor contractor."
The SPLC calls Del Monte's actions a "shocking violation of the workers' rights. We must send a powerful message to Del Monte Fresh Produce Southeast and other employers who'd like to wash their hands of responsibility for the abuse of their workers." The SPLC went to court and won the first round of the legal battle against Del Monte. Next, the SPLC must prove how and to what extent its clients were cheated.
Please stand with the workers and make your voice heard. Tell Fresh Del Monte Produce to do the right thing and insure its subsidiary pay workers what they are owed.
Passive-aggressive notes
For anyone who's ever had run-ins with roommates or annoying co-workers, these notes may make you smile.
Pink blossom, Ballastone Inn, Savannah, Georgia.
The prompt for Write on Wednesday is about how we writers handle our inner editor - in other words, banish the unwanted doubts that come to call on a regular basis.
My Aug. 26, 2006 poem Monster of Mayhem explores my feelings about doubt. But since I wrote that poem, I am kinder to myself. I studiously ignore the naysayers around me who fret about whether or not I'm doing enough - simply because they are not allowed to read my work-in-progress. I concentrate much of my energies on writing, while expanding my horizons. New doors have opened and windows of opportunity have been created. My focus has shifted, but I remain focused, with deadlines and challenges that only I can meet. And I simply don't have time to entertain that inner critic or those worriers around me who don't understand the writing process.
I am my own worst critic and I know persistence is key - following an inner vision that burns like a steady flame, driving me onwards. I must keep writing every single day, even if only a few words or thoughts scribbled in a notebook. When not writing, often I'm thinking about writing - working out various scenarios in my head. So when the critics appear - real or internal - I dismiss them. I tell them to just go away, because I am too busy creating to listen. As the Tao Te Ching says, "Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner." Of course it is impossible not to care about people's approval. But I can't let others dictate what and how I write, lest my work suffer.
As for the internal editor, that's another matter entirely. That editor tells me what to keep; what to toss that might distract from the storyline - or what might work better elsewhere. That editor helps hold my attention to the subject at hand, rather than splinter off on unnecessary tangents. Every writer needs two good editors - both the inner editor and an external one who can view one's work objectively. The old saying "two heads are better than one" particularly resonates when it comes to writing. Sometimes an editor sees something the writer has missed - or suggests a point that needs expanding or a situation requiring further explanation. Often the collaboration between a writer and editor is what makes the stories flow.
Ingrid Betancourt rescued!
And here's a real-life story that's hard to beat for pathos and drama: French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans held hostage by FARC rebels have been rescued! Colombian authorities say no one was injured in today's mission.
As FARC's highest-profile hostage for more than six years, Betancourt is said to have serious health problems. The French government has made securing her release a priority, with President Sarkozy stressing the urgency for Betancourt to receive medical treatment. Tonight Betancourt's son Lorenzo Delloye-Betancourt, told the Associated Press in Paris that his mother's release was "if true, the most beautiful news of my life."
Oak trees dripping with Spanish moss frame a decorative fountain, Savannah, Georgia.
The sun is hot! Yes, even in Paris. In addition to the canicule, today marks the beginning of France's presidency of the European Union. Little blue EU flags are flying from all the city buses and the Eiffel Tower has turned blue. The big news here is that the French army chief of staff has resigned. President Nicolas Sarkozy accepted the resignation, after 17 people were injured Sunday at a military show in Audes in the southwest. One soldier loaded real bullets - instead of blanks - during a demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques. An investigation is continuing.
And Solidays - the annual three-day musical festival featuring Yael Naim and numerous artists in 80 concerts to raise money for SIDA - kicks off Friday. The festivities are just across the street (yes, sleepless nights ahead) at Hippodrome du Longchamp in the Bois du Boulogne. Since last Saturday, event organisers have been busy constructing concert stages, big top tents and shelters and installing food stands, etc.
Pity the nation
Update 7 p.m. Paris time: Botswana's vice president Mompati Merfahe has called for Zimbabwe to be excluded from the African Union and regional talks.
At the African Union meeting underway in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migirohas urged leaders to try to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Zimbabwe. And the British supermarket chain Tesco said it will stop sourcing products from Zimbabwe while "the political crisis persists." The company buys about £1m ($1.9m) worth of goods a year, including vegetables, from Zimbabwe.
Human Rights Watch has calculated the tally of misery and abuse in Zimbabwe since its March 29 elections: at least 36 dead; hundreds tortured; thousands beaten and tens of thousands deprived of food or displaced. Read Jon Eliot's article here.
Scary statistics
On Monday, the Dow industrials and the Standard & Poor's 500 plummeted to their lowest record since the Great Depression in 1929.
And June was the deadliest month for foreign troops in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban in 2001.
Path sheltered by the shade of oak trees. leading away from the fountain. Click photos to enlarge.
Detail on spring coat designed by a graduating senior at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) , photographed May 16 at the SCAD Fashion Building.
The dress with floral appliques matches the coat.
Hot pink wool and black houndstooth with a high waist in a style reminiscent of the '50s.
A silk satin dress lined with pink and a short-sleeved jacket.
A tangerine dream of an evening gown at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), photographed May 16th at the SCAD Fashion Building.
Back view of the gown.
Sean, a design student from Dubai, works on last-minute details of another soiree-inspired dress. Sean created the gowns as part of his senior collection of evening wear.
A model wears Sean's design at an exhibition May 30 at the Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah. Sean is pictured next to her.
The model poses at the exhibition's main entrance.
Floating down the stairs.
The Shield bracelet from jewelry designer Ben Smith's Lineage collection in 14-karat white gold with diamonds. Smith is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). Selected designs of Smith and other jewelry graduates are currently on display at the Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, Ga.
Bold gold baubles and silver mesh chains.
Organic.
Silver links.
Amber Ranee Morgan's "Genesis" necklace is made of sterling silver and flowers fashioned from Bible pages.
An assortment of jewelry including fabric-covered pieces.
Erin K. Gallagher's emerald, sapphires and white gold on driftwood.
Emerald and white gold leaves.
"Red wave" collar made of ABS plastic, paper and glass pearls.
An accordion box seat in the Fashion Building at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), Savannah, Ga.
Side view of a furniture design student's chair made from cardboard.
"This is not a chair," the sign says. So is it a table?
Another design student's table using mosaic inserts currently on display at The Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah.
Laugh out loud
If you're planning a trip from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, first check out this packing advice at Crooks and Liars.
Furniture design graduate Tony Nguyen created The Grenade Project in his last senior course at the Savannah College of Art & Design. Inspired by the "paradox relationship of construction-destruction," Nguyen wanted to create something that would decompose and leave a beneficial footprint.
His grenades are made of biodegradeable paper, acting as a vessel for soil and wildflower seeds. "Instead of a grenade leaving a detrimental impact, it explodes with life and longevity," Nguyen said. He used recycled newsprint as material for the grenade form, filling it with soil made from organic compost and wildflower seeds native to 48 states.
Nguyen's work is part of an exhibition that opened May 30 at The Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, Ga.
Glass sculptural fountain, Vancouver International Airport.
Apparently, it's not enough that American airlines have begun charging extra for assigned seats and all checked baggage, plus an excess baggage fee if any bag is even slightly over the new weight limit. Now US Airways is charging $2 for water. Yes, water. Soda, juice, coffee and tea also will cost two bucks each.
Security restrictions prevent us from bringing our own water - unless we buy a small bottle at quadruple its normal price at the ONE busy kiosk available between airport security and the passenger waiting area. As for any tap water the airline may deem to provide for free, let's hope it's not contaminated. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests in 169 U.S. passenger planes found water containing fecal coliform bacteria in 17% of them.
Basically, the exhorbitant fees we already pay for airline tickets (thanks to the fuel surcharge and increased taxes) buy us long lines at security, during which we must practically disrobe and walk shoeless on filthy floors - and hours spent in a tiny confined space, without food or water (unless we pay extra). What's next - charging to use the toilet?
US Air - which twice has filed for bankruptcy, despite benefitting from the government's industry-wide bailout - is slapping passengers with every possible surcharge. Yet their executives remain highly-paid. If charging passengers for water is considered sound management, it's no wonder the airline is struggling.
"It whispers of dinner at Vertigo on shaky ground.
The dusky garnets matched the merlot
at The Redwood Room,
where Gustav Klimt paintings
shimmered in the soft light,
jazz murmured like a fever
and your hand clasped mine."*
Vertigo brooch created by Jocelyn Krodman, in homage to the Alfred Hitchcock film noir masterpiece Vertigo. The pin contains lines from the movie and the man in the center spins around, just as in the Vertigo trailer and film credits.
The 1958 thriller, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, was filmed in San Francisco. I don't know if it's still there, but for a time there was a terrific restaurant called Vertigo at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid Building. For more San Francisco film noir history, go here.
I met Jocelyn - who graduated three years ago from the Savannah College of Art & Design - in Savannah, Ga. and bought the brooch, as well as some lovely necklaces and earrings she made. Photographs of more of Jocelyn's imaginative work will appear in an upcoming post.
Email Jocelyn here for information about purchasing her original creations or read updates on her website.
*Excerpt from the poem The Garnet Necklace by Tara Bradford. This is the second in a series of posts linked to San Francisco.
My daughter Jordana (right) and her design partner Ashlyn in the fashion studio at the Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, Ga.
Jordana, Ashlyn and models wearing their joint collection for Ruffian, New York. Jordana's coat (top, left) was featured in South magazine. It is currently on display at Saks Fifth Avenue, Phipps Plaza, Atlanta. For a close-up view, go here.
These photos were taken May 16th amidst a flurry of activity as students readied for their senior critique from SCAD professors and department heads.
I like the ruffles at the bottom of the trousers, as well as the red ruffled cumberbund.
The models were trained for the fashion runway by the famed "Miss J" of the television series America's Next Top Model.
For close-up photos and details of these outfits, go here.
Jordana pictured before the SCAD fashion show on Saturday, May 17th.
One of their designs for Ruffian (also pictured above) at the SCAD Fashion Show. Photo courtesy of the Savannah Morning News.
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On a different note, regular readers of Paris Parfait watch my banners change from month to month. Typically they feature my photographs of Paris and environs.
Today I'm pleased to introduce a new banner, created by the fabulous Tucson-based artist Vanessa Valencia. As you know, I'm a huge fan of Vanessa's work and own several of her paintings and art dolls. When I told her my ideas for a banner, she made them a reality, then added a little twist of her own - borders made from old film. Thank you, Vanessa!
