I have been going through a cigar box of collected calling cards from my great grandmother and I am astonished by the variety of pretty designs combined with the elegant scripts. It just seems such a lovely convention and I am rather sorry we don’t do it anymore. Now we hand out “business cards” which […]
“From A Friend,” the Art of the Calling Card Read More »
Part of the joy in sifting through archived papers of my family and my own, is coming upon treasures not seen for many years. I was delighted when I uncovered this letter written in calligraphy from Joan Baez. When I was about 11 or 12, my neighbor friend — an older teenage girl named Eddie,
When Joan Baez Wrote Me A Letter Read More »
Mostly because its not my problems that I am solving. I seem to have spent the last five days putting out fires, rebuilding lost websites, reputations, getting other people’s work done, and completely ignoring my own. How does that happen? I am too much of a competent fixer of problems not my own. And as happy
Being Good At Problem Solving is a Problem Read More »
I posted a few field drawings of my mother Jeanette Snyder yesterday, and wanted to add some more of them because I think they are charming — and remind me of the days when field researchers lugged heavy tape recorders, cameras, and note books, just in case all that heavy technology failed, leaving only the
More Field Drawings: Darjeeling, India 1964. Tibetan Lhamo Performances. Read More »
Quite a while ago I wrote about attending a conference in which one of the novels we were discussing was Emil Zola’s terrific novel, Au Bonheur Des Dames (The Ladies Delight.) The novel, set in the late 1860’s, centers on the invention of the department store (based on the historical store Bon Marché in Paris). The owner Mouret
Fiction and Family Meet At the Bon Marche Read More »
It’s been a helluva a month or so working through the events following my mother’s death. It hasn’t been horrible — just time consuming as we work through the details. My mother went out like a rock star — on a farewell tour. Her ashes were collected and there was first an event in Toronto
Not Gone…Just Working On Life Stuff Read More »
"Many Siberian fairy tales tell of the deadly clash between criminals and representatives of the government, of the risks people run every day with dignity and honesty, of the good fortune of those who in the end have got the loot and stayed alive, and of the 'good memory' that is preserved of those who
The Dark Fairy Tale World of the Siberian Urkas Read More »
Especially when I write. The ciagrette is a dramatic touch too. Honestly, forget the bunny slippers, last night’s t-shirt, and sleepy face washed out in the blue light of the computer screen. This look is to die for and even if the novel doesn’t sell…well, I would still be awesome. *with apologies and much admiration
I Need To Stand Up Straighter Read More »
I found these beauties sorting through yet another still-packed box in the garage. I was given these Mexican paper dolls when I was quite young and have fond memories of spending hours studying their regional costumes. One folded the arms behind the back, creating a cone shaped figure and then slid the ends of the
Trajes Tipicos Mexicanos: Vintage Mexican Paper Dolls Read More »
I almost forgot about this little drawing which my grandfather drew in one of his letters…makes me want to forget email, forget text-messages, and return to the art of illustrated letters. His spelling in English was whimsical, but I loved his handwriting with its bold flourishes and the margins (sometimes even the middle of
Pierre’s Desert Easter Drawings Read More »
