DECK THE HALLS & Christmas in the Sky

Only 4 more days to see "Deep Roots", the Clyde Connell exhibit at Artspace. As it comes down on Oct. 26, the space will be prepared for the annual "Deck the Halls" exhibit, a Christmas Sale of local artists' works. There will be paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, jewelry, ornaments, etc. on display and for sale.
Local artists and businesses are donating their works and products to the Christmas in the Sky auction. Pictures of these will be online at the SRAC website. Pictured is the piece I've donated: its 5'x12"x12".

SIGNS

As I sorted through the photos taken on our last voyage, I was struck by the 3 I've posted because of their content. We visited Rye, a charming town w. narrow cobbled streets, old and older cottages and churches, fortresses and town gates, in Kent, It was a port when the Brede River was deeper and the coast was nearby. Its Mermaid Inn was the meeting place of pirates, smugglers and seafarers, drawn by the huge Romney Marsh. The middle sign is a cheeky reminder of the Inn's antiquity.

A reminder that street names and #s are a comparably recent invention can be seen in the first photo of The House With two Doors. The house across from the Mermaid was "The House Opposite" and there was another House with a Seat. I can understand that residing in a place that trades on its history and charm can be a bit much, so I appreciated the sign posted on a house in an especially ancient lane, in the 3rd photo, that poked fun at tourists and tourism.

Manhattan meeting

Imagine my face as this girl from Brooklyn heard over the ship's loudspeaker as we left St. Johns: "The next stop of the Crown Princess will be Brooklyn." Though the previous berth in Manhattan would've been a lot more convenient for us and all the other passengers, Ira and I managed to get to Manhattan in time to meet our daughter, Bonnie, at Mott St. and Canal.
After buying cookies at the famous Cafe Roma in Little Italy, we dined on Mott St. at the Peking Duck. I love watching the chef carve the duck using that huge cleaver. We demolished that delicious bird. We then explored the Bowery, Centre St. area, Chinatown and Little Italy, bought a knock-off and Chinese cookies on Canal Street as we proceeded to Soho and were sorely disappointed that its now gentrifed and has become just another shopping area. I ;just couldn't bear to go to Ground Zero...Bonnie hasn't been there either for the same reason. It was great though to stroll and chat with Bonnie and we returned to our ship reluctantly.
Sailing out of the NYC harbor is always spectacular. Shot too many photos of the skyline, the bridges ( including the waterfall under the Bklyn Bridge), the ferry, South St. and the Statue of Liberty. My favorite scenes though were of Sea Gate and Coney Island with the iconic tall red painted parachute jump and white wood roller coaster,Cyclone apparent, though the sight of so many huge apartment buildings was a surprise. So many memories as I stood on the cabin balcony watching Coney Island fade in the distance. NYC is wonderful, and being w. Bonnie in NYC even more so.

North Atlantic voyage

With Justin Wolfson, Lou Ann Lewis, Emmilee and Joe Green, Ira and I enjoyed an 18 day voyage on the Crown Princess. We visited the ports of Dover, Dublin & Belfast, Ququartog, Greenland, St. Johns, NYC and have heaps of photos taken in these ports and while at sea. This group was usually the last to leave the dining room as conversation and discussion were interesting. It was a repositioning trip for the ship: from Copenhagen to Ft. Lauderdale. No jet lag as we lost hours as we crossed the Atlantic and thus adapted easily to the time changes.