A Day in the Life...Arrow Rock

The Museum of Art and Archaeology organized a tour for docents to Arrow Rock (population 50) named one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destination’s by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The famous 19th Century Missouri painter, George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879), lived in Arrow Rock, and we are celebrating his 200th birthday next year.

We met at a parking lot on the west side of town. We car-pooled, and although I had volunteered to drive that turned out not to be necessary. Arrow Rock is about 45 miles west of Columbia on Highway 70 and 41.   It is a nice drive through green hills and woods.



The restaurant.  I am sitting at a table on the right (off camera)-
except when I took this picture.

Once there, around noon, we ate at a charming local restaurant that opens to serve mainly tour groups. 

Remi shows a book to Arthur (off camera)
Remember you can click on any picturre to enlarge it.

 
The proprietor, served the group with a choice of chicken salad and croissant sandwich or quiche accompanied by a lovely green salad, grapes and cantaloupe. Several desserts were offered, but I stopped listening after I heard peach cobbler with ice cream; that’s what everyone at our table took, except Arthur who absented himself from the table. I wondered if he was on a diet. But aren't we all.


Canopied bed with antique hand sewn quilt



From the restaurant we drove to the parking lot by the Visitor Center. There we saw a half hour movie on the history of Arrow Rock that before the Civil War was a town of up to 19,000 residents (25 % were slaves). Very crowded, loud (river town) and muddy. Another half hour or more was spent listening to our tour guide answer questions. We looked at the19th Century museum exhibits…

Side-saddle:  notice the vertical post that the lady was expected to hook her right leg over. (click to enlarge)

Many of the residents came from Virginia and the Southeast, and tried to bring as much of that ‘civilization’ with them as possile. Beside slaves, they brought a preference for Federalist architecture and some items of luxury.



Decorative arrangement - tavern



A solid block of tea.  Tea could be shaved off as needed, or broken into small blocks and sold.

We visited the Huston Tavern where we saw coffee containers that held coffee from Java, Rio and other places around the world. Tea from China came in solid blocks.


George Caleb Bingham’s family came from Virginia to Franklin, Missouri when he was very young. (Franklin was flooded so many times that the residents moved to higher ground, now called New Franklin.) Later the family moved to Arrow Rock, where his mother, now a widow, opened an academy for girls.

Academy for girls

One of his most famous paintings is Fur Traders Descending the Missouri at the Metropolitan. His bread and butter was portrait painting, but he also painted frontier life, The Jolly Flatboatmen and Order No. 11 showing the eviction of residents from Western Missouri after the Quantrill raid of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863.



Docents in front of the Bighanm house.

 We toured Bingham’s Federalist style house. The upper wooden story, as well as the wood frame kitchen wing was taken off in the 1930’s when the WPA was restoring it on the mistaken assumption that it wasn’t original.

Antique spinning and winding wheels in the Bingham house.

Much of the town was destroyed by two fires in the last two centuries, and other buildings were torn down in a successful attempt to make the town park like. An old church was remodeled to house the nationally known Lyceum Theater. This building has since been expanded to provide more seating.



The movie Tom Sawyer ( 1975) was filmed in Arrow Rock.
If you want to check out some paintings by Bingham, google George Caleb Bingham paintings.

Creative Bedmaking

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog praising men, in particular my husband. One of the things I mentioned was that my husband, Youssef, makes our bed. I admit that very occasionally the bed doesn’t get made before evening, occasionally not before noon. But usually he is quick to make it; sometimes he is so quick that the bed is made before I can remind him that it’s time to change the sheets.  Never mind, one less thing to do that day.

One of my friends wrote me that men didn’t understand the need for pillows, decorative pillows and lots of them. I agreed that Youssef makes the bed, but I usually come around later and arrange the decorative pillows the way I think they should look.

Lately, however, Youssef has gotten creative. He pulls the sheet up to the top corners of the bed, but folds the bedspread back so that it covers only the lower half. I think he feels this looks inviting, summery and cool. He sets two pillows each at the top of the bed and covers them with the sham pillows on either side. We have three large decorative pillows, but he only puts two pillows (one green, one burgundy) between the shams. I find the third large green decorative pillow on the cedar chest. The two smaller green decorative pillows are arranged at the foot of the bed.
Nothing wrong with being creative, I suppose!

Huntington Beach and Seal Beach

Photo by Matt S    To See and Be Seen!

Two of the nicest places in Orange County are Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. Even though they are both beaches with piers and a diner at the end of the pier, they are quite different communities.
I love Huntington Beach because of its diversity. My favorite place to eat breakfast there is the Sugar Shack.  Here you see tourists, of course, but also tanned white haired retirees with grandkids, grandparents with their kids and grandkids, surfers and volleyball players, young people, and youth in cut offs, halters and tattoos. You can sit outside on the street, if you want to be seen, which we don't, or inside, but why waste CA sunshine? Or on the patio behind, which is where we always go. The shops along Main Street are generally restaurants and clothing establishments. On the weekend a tent city of artists’ stalls clutters the promenade by the pier. It tends to be a crowded glitzy place, but isn’t that California?

Photo from the Bay Cinema Website

Seal Beach still has that 1950's atmosphere. Right at Main and Pacific Coast Highway 1 (PCH1) is an old cinema with its fancy marquee. You feel that born Californians live in Seal Beach and they stroll the through the shaded parks. Once we met a group of middle-aged people all walking their sleek miniature hounds (that’s what they appeared to be to me – I didn’t ask).

Youssef and I always eat breakfast at the Old Town Cafe, which has a distinctive blue Dutch door (top/bottom halves open separately). It is owned by a Mexican-American who worked in the café 20 years before he bought it in 2003. Besides the usual Euro-American fare they also have breakfast versions of burritos, huevos, refried beans, etc. On this last trip to California, I suggested to Wade that we eat there. They had plenty of patrons, Latino and Anglo. I ordered 'to die for' waffles with bananas, walnuts and syrup. I had so many walnuts I couldn't eat them all. And how I hate waste, especially walnuts! Wade had one of the Mexican breakfasts and liked it.

After breakfast we browsed passed little dress shops, a used book store, a floral nursery smelliing of fresh flowers, restaurants, coffee and ice cream parlors and walked out on the pier. Looking northwest we could just barely glimpse the Long Beach Pier.

If you want to know more about the Old Town Cafe with photos go to http://www.presstelegram.com/lifestyle/dining/ci_7781578

Antique Clock

Back in the late 1970’s or so, Youssef, Sharif and I were driving around in the West End of St. Louis when we came across an estate sale in Portland Place. There the houses are large and majestic, but had seen better days…at least in the 1970’s and early 80’s. The owner of this house was an antique collector/dealer, a man in his late 30’s, not my idea of a collector.

The collector had a number of clocks, and out of the blue Youssef asked how much he wanted for one in particular. The guy said $500. Youssef offered him, I think, half of what the man was asking -  $250. The man, being no fool, jumped at the offer and the deal was done. I was speechless with astonishment. The collector said it was an Ansonia Clock, and that only about 20 of them were made around 1887.  Yeah, I thought, says who?

Although I was in a state of denial, we took it to our home in University City and hung it above our couch. It tended to run slow, but it had a charming chime striking the hours and dinging once for the half hour.

When we moved to Egypt in 1991, we put it in storage. Returning ten years later, we got it out, but didn’t do much with it in our new home in Columbia. First, I hung it in the den, but fearing it might fall on someone’s head took it down. It lay around long enough for its chains to come to pieces and after a while I threw them away. Then I set the body of the clock on the mantel of the fireplace downstairs for atmosphere.

This summer, we took it to Bob, a clock repairman here in Columbia. He was reassuringly impressed. Bob confirmed that it was an Ansonia (whatever that means), and the copy write date (1887) is stamped inside the clock. He thought that the cabinet, the pendulum and the weights were all original. I thought, “Too bad I was so cavalier with the chains.”  He oiled the innards and installed new chains. It is now hanging on our wall again, charming us with its chimes and losing about five minutes every 24 hours.

Sights in St. Louis

Monday of last week (July 26th) docents from the Art and Archaeology Museum and friends took a bus to St. Louis to see "Treasures of the Vatican," at the Missouri Historical Museum.  My sister, Mary Sue and friend, Trudie, also made the trip.  I don't know what I was expecting, Michelangelo maybe, but I was pretty disappointed with the exhibition.  I couldn't get excited about a brick from Peter's tomb or an early Christian relief of the Visit of the Magi.  There was an interesting reliquary holding almost invisible bone chips. There was a plaster cast of the Pieta.  It was noted that 9 bronze Pieta's were made in the 1930"s and served the restorers well when they had to repair the Pieta after it was attack by a mad man with a hammer. 

  At 2:00 we returned to the bus after taking pictures in front of the fountain.

Then we went to the St. Louis Cathedral which has more mosaics than San Marcus in Venice. It was spectacular.
Our guide was great with an accent I last heard in  the Godfather movie.  He told us many stories, and gave us a great appreciation for the intricate workmanship involved.  As we wandered through the church a young man came and began to play the organ.  The music of the Doxology filled the sanctuary.

Some mosaics were made to look like paintings.  Some mosaics reminded me of Byzantine icons I had seen in Coptic churches in Egypt.

This bronze Pieta is one of the nine Pieta casts made in the 1930's and is touring the States.

The Cathedral garden was quiet.

And the lilly pond was tranquil.  This was good, because we left St. Louis at rush hour and arrived back in Columbia around 8:00.  Lovely trip.

Trip to Orange County CA

President Reagan is said to have observed that when Republicans die they go to Orange County. I sort of doubt this, but Wade dearly wanted to go to college in California (Pomona), and has lived within three miles of the coast ever since, most of it in Orange County. Now he and his family (Joyce and 2 sons) live in Fountain Valley, and Orange County seems like a little bit of heaven when one feels the cool breezes and gazes at the lovely landscapes in the neighborhoods and along the coast.

Agapanthus - Fountain Valley

Zachary and Cody

Zachary. The firstborn grandchild always has a special place in one’s heart and Zachary is the first of our 4 grandsons. Now he is 13 and growing up. It was a thrill to have Zachary meet me in the baggage claim area, looking broader of shoulder and taller than he was at Thanksgiving, and lift the big clumsy red bag off the carousel with ease.

Zachary goes for a layup

Both Zachary and Cody are in the GATE classes at their schools. (Whatever that means. I guess that the curriculum is supposed to be more advanced or more enriched than ordinary classroom programs.) But a major focus in Zachary’s life has always been sports: Taekwondo, soccer, swimming, volleyball and now BASKETBALL. Basketball is Zachary’s favorite sport at school. This summer his coach has him practicing with the high school ninth graders, although they are all taller than he is.
Zachary is also taking advanced woodworking next year.  His shop teacher says he has an extraordinary skill with detail.

He plays ping pong against his dad and brother.

Zachary is also doing things for his family now such as getting the trash out on trash day and washing his mom’s car.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cody.
 
 
Cody (age 9) has always loved video games.  However, playing video games doesn't make interesting copy or photographs.  Here Cody awaits Zachary's serve.
 
 
 
 
 
He is on the subdivision swim team as is Zachary.
Here his dad secures his swim suit.
Both boys won a race  and lost a race at the neighborhood swim meet.
 
 
 
 
 

 

Cody was interested in making a snake out of a tie, a la Alice Baird and Locke.  Above Cody peruses Alice's blog about Locke and making the snake.
 
On the right is Cody with his tie snake  We used a pipe cleaner for the tongue and put the goggle eyes on with rubber cement.  Neither eyes nor tongue stayed put.
 
 
 
 
 Doing Things with  Zach and Cody.

After telling my friends I wasn't focused enough to finish a Monopoly game, I managed to devote  3 hours to a game which Zachary finally won, although I was very happy to come in second as I am usually last.
That's Wade's disembodied hand in the picture.

Mom Joyce took us to the Science Museum in Santa Ana.   Here the kids are in Predators Plaza on a treasure hunt.

 Cody examines a bead sorting machine.

Another day they took me to one of my favorite places:  Huntington Beach.  We ate breakfast at the Sugar Shack (pancakes for me - yum yum) and walked on the pier.

All in all, the whole family spoiled me.
Besides a trip to Huntington Beach, Joyce took me shopping at Westminister Mall, and Zachary helped me pick out a tee while Joyce brought the car around to the mall door (more spoiling). 
While Joyce and the boys went to a family memorial service in Reedley on Saturday, Wade took me to a Cirque de la Symphonie concert with the Pacific Symphony at the amplitheater in Orange County.  The acrobatics who performed to popular classics were thrilling. My favorite act was an acrobat who seemed to fly around the stage with beautiful burgundy curtains fluttering in the wind like wings. I also loved the woman beside me who  cried,  'Wow!  Wow!" as the performers did their tricks.