Parlez Moi Blog

The First Amazon Review for Each Angel Burns

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:19:00 +0000

I have NO idea who wrote this but it is the first review Each Angel Burns has received on Amazon and I LOVE it! Thank you, "moonglow"!

cover to cover, as it were, December 20, 2009

By	moonglow - See all my reviews

I don't usually read fiction. but I found Each Angel Burns to be a delicious mystery.
Gabe and his remarkable dog Zeke are really drew me into the story, the characters are well dawn and believable, each with their own compelling story to tell, and I soon found myself wanting to know what happened next and more important, why. Pete the mysterious and mystic priest who has a secret, but not one I would have guessed. Maggie, not the typical woman with a tormented past. In fact there are a remarkable group of characters in this book, including a lawman named Ethan Darling , a Barney Fife on steroids.

I love the "Barney Fife on steroids" comparison because when I was creating Ethan Darling that comparison did actually occur to me. As many writers will tell you, some characters show up fully-formed and Ethan was one of those. I thought he was like a Barney Fife, only a really, really dangerous Barney Fife.

Thank you, "moonglow".

The Archangel Gabriel as Superhero

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:48:00 +0000

Years ago I had a dear friend who was the mother of five children. She was a well-balanced, positive, and wonderful person but she always had severe bouts of post-partum depression after her babies were born. When I mentioned hormones she shook her head and said, “No, that's not it. When I'm carrying my babies they are all mine. But once they are born they belong to others and I feel such a sense of loss.” Since I have never been pregnant, let alone borne a child, I can only imagine. Unless...

One of the most interesting things about publishing a new book is the questions you get as soon as people start reading it. When a writer is engaged in the writing process he/she is spinning a world into being and that world makes sense to them. But the minute that world is put into the hands of readers things shift. Hopefully, in good ways. Now that Each Angel Burns is out in the world and readers are reading it (thank you, God) and sending emails I realize how what was once my baby is no more. I was particularly interested in a comment made by a young man who was in the middle of the book. He said, “My girlfriend is really into angels and I was going to tell her to read this but I don't think she'd like it. Your angel Gabriel is one scary dude.” I loved that.

According to the Catholic lore that informs my writer's imagination the archangels were God's warriors in the battle with the Evil One. Gabriel, which means “God's Strength”, was not to be messed with. Those who remember Bible stories remember Gabriel as the angel who announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of the son of God but in the Old Testament Book of Daniel Gabriel appears and, according to Daniel, was so terrifying that he fell on his face in fear.

A lot of New Age thinkers believe that Gabriel was actually female and always use the pronoun “she” when referring to Gabriel. This may be partially because of Gabriel's association with maternity in announcing the births of both John the Baptist and Jesus.

In Islamic lore, Gabriel is responsible for dictating the Koran to Muhammed. And one night when Muhammed was weary it was Gabriel who provided him with a potion ( many claim it was coffee) which gave the prophet the strength to defeat 40 horsemen and satisfy 40 women. What an angel!!!

In Talmudic tradition Gabriel is the fierce defender of priests and is said to be the mightiest of all God's warriors. It was this latter claim that fired my imagination in the creation of my story. I suppose I could have used any angel but it was Gabriel, protector of priests, that best suited the story.

Angels have become very popular in recent years. I've read good many of the books that have been published on the subject and, while some are charming, the angels they described were a little too fluffy for both my personal beliefs and for my story. It is important to remember that Lucifer was once an angel and he is the most formidable of all foes. Regardless of how you feel about angels there is no denying that there is both great evil and great good in our world. Angels, whether figments of one's imagination or embodiments of archetypal energies, are as powerful as the forces they represent.

In the story Father Flynn, the Jesuit expert on the missing statue, while talking about the sculptor Giovanni Dupré (1817-1882), says that he sculpted all three of the archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. While Dupré was a real figure in history, the only archangel I am aware that he actually sculpted was Michael, whose head (below) appears on the books cover. That statue is in the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence. The Dupré statue of Gabriel in the book is purely a figment of my imagination but I suspect that if Dupré had sculpted him he would be much as described in the story, complete with lily and flaming spear. Many contemporary illustrations of Gabriel show him as a fearsome warrior, not the gentle figure portrayed in traditional church icons (top left).

So, in response to the comment made by the wonderful young man who is reading my book, “Yes, my Gabriel is fierce indeed --- he needs to be.”

Thanks for reading.

What's Going On..... 12/18

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Parlez-Moi Press announce the debut of Kathleen Valentine's new novel

Each Angel Burns

ISBN-10: 0978594037 ISBN-13: 978-0978594039

Available in paperback online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers

Who, if I cried, would hear me, of the angelic
orders? or even supposing that one should suddenly
carry me to his heart - I should perish under the pressure
of his stronger nature. For beauty is only a step
removed from a burning terror we barely sustain,
and we worship it for the graceful sublimity
with which it disdains to consume us. Each angel burns.

- Ranier Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies

Synopsis
In the latter part of the 19th century the Monastery of St. Gabriel the Archangel was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean on a peninsula in Maine. From its earliest days there were rumors of strange activity there --- tunnels through the cliff were reported to give access for smugglers, a miracle-working nun was said to live there, and a group of drunken lumberjacks who stormed the convent to kidnap wives claimed to have been vanquished by a giant angel with a flaming spear. One hundred years later, when the last of the old cloistered nuns was removed to a retirement home, the decision was made to close and sell the convent. That's when it was discovered that the convent's treasure, a marble statue of the Archangel Gabriel by Italian sculptor Giovanni Dupré, was missing.

In Ripley Mills, Massachusetts the self-titled "wild bunch", who played football together back in high school, gather every Thursday for dinner and beer. More than thirty years have passed and the group isn't what it used to be. Charlie's new female boss is young, pretty, and intimidating. Whitey's wife has cancer, Bull's wife just found out about his affair with an exotic dancer, and Vinnie can't get women to go out with him. Gabe's three daughters have grown up and his wife is making life miserable. Peter doesn't have those problems, he's a Jesuit priest. But they still get together every week to drink, eat, and listen to one another's problems. Then Father Peter makes a startling revelation, he had once been in love with a girl he met in Paris. He planned to leave the seminary to marry her but she rejected him to marry an older, wealthy man. Pete is happy as a priest teaching at Boston College but now Maggie has returned. She is leaving her husband and has purchased an old, abandoned convent in Maine that she plans to convert to a sculpture studio.

On Pete's recommendation Gabe takes the job of helping Maggie to restore the convent. But, as winter closes in, the mysteries begin again. Stories are circulating about bodies of young women washing up on the shore. Maggie's husband refuses to answer her calls. Gabe's cantankerous father, Mick, tells him the truth about his mother who had once longed to be a nun in that convent. Ethan Darling, the local sheriff, is snooping around. Zeke, Gabe's dog, discovers a secret passage in the crypt under the chapel. And Father Peter realizes that Maggie is falling in love with his oldest friend.

Each Angel Burns is the story of three people at crossroads in their lives. It is a story of enduring friendship, of faith, of great evil and greater love --- and of how they culminate in a miracle.

The Photography of Paul Nicklen

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:02:00 +0000

Biologist/photographer Paul Nicklen has spent his life studying and photographing Arctic wildlife. His latest book is Polar Obsession and it is just gorgeous. If you are still looking for a Christmas present for someone special, this would be an excellent one.

These are my two favorite photos from the book:

Narwhals, those strange, elusive "unicorn" whales push through the ice with their long spiral horns which are actually a tooth.

An eagle soars amid blue ice.

And this is one of the most amazing videos I've seen in a long time. Click the icon in the bottom right corner to enlarge and enjoy:

Enjoy. Thanks for reading.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.... to Knit

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:07:00 +0000

I doubt Hemingway ever gave much thought to that but it is important to those of us who just aren't happy unless we have a knitting project nearby. Preferably in hand. Last night was Cape Ann Brewing's first Knitter's (k)Night and it was absolutely delightful.

First I want to say that Cape Ann Brewery's Brew Pub is an excellent place and I'm certain Hemingway, or at least Nick Adams, would love it. The place is conveniently located, for me anyway, right down town at the corner of St. Peter's Square near the Chamber of Commerce Building. It is light, bright, cozy and friendly with long wooden tables and benches, an abundance of rocking chairs, a bar shaped like the hull of a boat, and lots to do. I've been there before for meetings and for Joe Ciaramitaro's Beer & Blog. It has all the charm of a neighborhood bar back in the days when there were the kind of neighborhoods that cherished a local bar. There's a lot to do and seemed to be a lot of people doing them --- darts, games, board games, etc. They have a free popcorn machine and last night I noticed a big urn full of hot chocolate there for the taking too. The menu features some local specialties like Sebastian's Pizza (best pizza in town!) and Sasquatch's Smoked Salmon among other things. The menu cards say that pizza is free to kids under 15.

And, of course, there is the beer. Their Fisherman's Brew has become a local classic in no time but I've developed a fondness for their Pumpkin Stout which is hearty, spicy, and, frankly, delicious.

So, anyway, last night was the first knitting night and there were six of us in our group but I saw needles clicking away at other tables. It was actually great fun to be sitting in a pub knitting, talking and watching all the other activity. It was quite a busy place last night.

I talked to Kate, the bartender, who organized the evening and she has lots of plans for other knitting nights. We are going to pursue the Seafarer's Scarves project so I'll be posting more about that later. The knit nights will resume in January, every other Tuesday night. I'm sort of looking forward to snowy evenings in that bright, warm, friendly place with good people, excellent beer and, of course, knitting.

Thanks for reading.

What Can You Do With An Old Mink Coat?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:40:00 +0000

I got a phone call this morning from a friend who read my blog about the Wearable Arts Show and she said, “I have an old mink coat that's coming apart at the seams in some places but still has a lot of beautiful fur. Do you want it?”

Do I want it? Is a bear Catholic? Does the Pope... well, never mind. One of the joys of attending an event like the Wearable Arts Show is I come away with ten times as many ideas for making cool stuff as I had before. My head is buzzing! One of the best things I saw was actually being worn by a beautiful woman who said she bought it in a wearable arts shop in Cambridge. It was a coat with very simple lines and huge pockets made of the most gorgeous, lush tapestry fabric. The lines were very simple but what made it special was the way it was finished with a bias-cut binding of an iridescent taffeta that complimented the tapestry perfectly. The woman wore it with a lavish, sumptuous, luscious scarf of pale rose silk shantung. And, before she left the Show, that scarf was being held in place by one of Jackie Ganim-DeFalco's clips made of milky, opaque sea-glass trimmed in pearls. The whole outfit was just jaw-dropping.

What excited me about it in particular is the fact that I have several yards of a very soft, heavy-weight embossed chenille from France in a deep taupe that would look perfect made up like that coat. And I also have several yards of silk charmeuse in the same shade of taupe and two lengths of silk velvet in a similar color. My brain is swimming with ideas.

On Sunday I spent some time online looking up wearable art sites and found a few that I had to bookmark because they have such beautiful things (i.e. Bellagio, Renaissance Room, and Lee Andersen, see the jackets at left). My sewing room has bins of pieces of fabric that are just waiting for the right inspiration to become something beautiful. In one bag there are three pieces that are destined to go together, just how I'm not sure --- or wasn't until I looked at those sites. There is a piece of velvet burnout that has a black background and black, red and gray roses, a large piece of red duiponi silk, and about a yard of the strangest velvet I have ever seen. It is black but the ground on which the pile is set is dark red so when the velvet folds, as velvet does, the red shows. I think I've finally figured out how to combine the three pieces into a jacket.

So anyhow, back to the mink coat. In the past I've had other beautiful fur garments handed my way and always had great time making use of them. One was a black fox coat that had one damaged sleeve. I transformed it into an outerwear vest and it is still one of my favorite things to wear on very cold days. Another is a plum-colored rabbit skin swing coat with a worn out collar and shoulder area. It really is going to become a jacket one of these days. So many ideas, so little time.

The first idea that popped into my head was a lavish collar that could be worn over anything. I have some iridescent silk in rose and olive that make a perfect lining and a big bow to tie the front. Then, of course, there are winter headbands. I saw lots of those on Saturday made of all sorts of furs. They keep your ears warm without smashing your hair. And nice, lavish cuffs for gloves... The ideas won't stop. I just need to find more time....

By the way, for the opening reception Friday night I did get to wear my black and silver "Solstice" coat (above). I made it several years ago for a Solstice party. I'd collected three beautiful pieces of fabric --- black velvet with silver trees embroidered all over it, silver silk velvet, and silver georgette with black leaves printed on it. I've only worn it four times but I feel so elegant whenever I do!

Thanks for reading.

Photos from Yesterday's Wearble Arts Show

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:25:00 +0000

It was a wonderful day with lots and lots of visitors. I had a great time --- sold and signed books, demonstrated lace knitting, and met several people I formerly knew only online. Thanks to all who were part of it!!!

The Most Beautiful Lobster Trap Tree Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:47:00 +0000

Today was the Middle Street Walk, Gloucester's annual beginning of the Christmas Season. I was at the Wearable Arts Show and Sale all day which was wonderful! Sold books, signed books, met so mny wonderful people (more about this tomorrow!) Afterward Clare and I went to Tucker Farm's Family Restaurant for turkey dinners with all the fixins and then went to see the Lobster Trap Tree which is biggest and most beautiful ever.

This is Gregg Smith's video of the lighting:

Thanks for reading.

Operation eBook Drop

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:59:00 +0000

How is this for a brilliant and wonderful idea? Author and entrepreneur Edward C. Patterson (formerly Spec 5 E. Patterson USArmy, 6th Batallion, 60th Artillery, 1966-68) has developed a program called Operation eBook Drop run through the eBookstore Smashwords.com. One of the things our troops overseas value the most is eReaders, you know those gizmos like Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, etc. They are light, portable and can store many, many books with ease, a big improvement for them over carrying around a stack of books. But the cost of eBooks can start stacking up when you are reading a lot. So Ed Patterson got this idea, he would invite authors to contribute their books in e-format, free of charge to the troops.

He proposed the idea in Amazon Discussion forums and also on the Kindle Message Board. Immediately authors started offering their work. As of this morning over 300 books have been added to the library of Operation eBook Drop. That includes three of mine.

It's really kind of exciting. I had to submit the three books I am offering to Smashwords in DOC format and they have the most amazingly clever gizmo that uploads the file and then distills it into ten different formats. The formats are available for purchase to the public but a discount coupon is created which gets sent to the troops and they can access the books in whatever format works for them. Clever.

So this morning I sent out my discount coupons to the troops signed up for the program and, within a couple hours, I had already received a couple emails thanking me for the books and saying kind words. It really made me happy to think some young soldier in Afghanistan or Iraq is escaping the place for a little while with one of my books.

So thank you Ed Patterson for creating this excellent opportunity. Any pleasure one of our soldiers gets from reading one of my books is minor compared to my pleasure in giving it.

On another matter, yesterday my blog stats sky-rocketed. Whenever this happens I'm possessed until I find out why. Which I did in no time. Writer Anne Rice, whose latest book I mentioned in yesterday's blog read the blog and posted a link to it on her Facebook page. DO YOU KNOW HOW THRILLED I AM??? Ms. Rice wrote one of my favorite books of all time, Cry To Heaven. I went to the Facebook page and read the discussion there. I'm just..... words fail me.

So, well, today I feel like a writer... It's a good feeling.

Thanks for reading.

The Allure of the Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Lately I've become fascinated with a BBC television program from few years back, Wire In The Blood. It is based on the novels of Val McDermid, one of my favorite writers. The series follows the work of psychologist/criminal profiler Dr. Tony Valentine Hill (brilliantly played by Robson Green, left) who helps the police in the fictional town of Bradfield on the Scottish border. For such a remote area they sure have a lot of serial killers up there but I'm a firm believer in suspension of disbelief. The series is very dark. Very, very dark and Dr. Hill, for all his boyish charm, is the darkest part of the series. In the books Tony was severely abused as a child by the evil grandfather who raised him. The years of abuse have left him hyper-aware of the evil mind. It has also left him sexually repressed which is bad news for the female detectives he works with who are always falling for him.

As I have been watching each episode I am aware of two things – the sexual tension is almost unbearable at times and the darkness of the minds of the killers that Tony can enter with such facility is utterly, utterly fascinating.

I have been thinking about why we are so drawn to darkness in entertainment. The popularity of the Twilight books and movies is one example. The decades of books from writers such as Anne Rice is another. Some months back I got involved in an online discussion forum which involved a number of discussions about Catholicism. Ms Rice is also a member of that forum and we got into a rather exciting (for me) discussion of darkness, its allure and its meaning, very much framed within the traditions of the Catholic Church. Both of us grew up Catholic, spent years rejecting our Catholicism and have, in recent years, felt drawn back in to the Church. Her last several books have been very Catholic in theme, two about the life of Jesus and her latest, Angel Time, the first in a series called The Songs of the Seraphim. After years of writing about vampires, witches, and other paranormal subjects, she has chosen to now write about angels which has caused some of her long-time fans to be upset but has also gained her a new fan-base, people who appreciate the new tone of her books.

I recently started Angel Time and, though I am only a few chapters into it, I can tell you none of the delicious darkness she is so good at is missing. The story, briefly, is about an assassin who is steeped in his own darkness when he encounters an angel named Malachai who sets about helping him to atone for his sins. The whole concept is clever and delicious and I'm enjoying the story. The thing is while I was engaged in our discussion, I realized something I've always known but had never been consciously aware of, the Catholic Church makes a place for darkness and, in doing so, provides a place for redemption. Darkness is the entry point of redemption and I am beginning to think that is a large part of its allure.

Throughout the centuries the redemption that pierced so much of the literary and cinematic darkness was, of course, love. This dark and brutal creature, hideous in all his perversity, is saved by love - “'Twas beauty that killed the beast.” And whether it is a damaged man with the power to enter into the mind of serial killers, a handsome vampire who longs to be good, or an assassin like Toby O'Dare, we are tantalized by the darkness. Darkness is not the same as blackness. Blackness is full rejection of everything redeemable. But darkness longs for redemption. Darkness is lush and sensual and filled with transcendence. Darkness is infused with Eros and, though in recent decades Eros has come to be synonymous with sex, that is not its full meaning. Eros is fertile, fecund and, above all, creative.I recently wrote about Pope Benedict's invitation to artists --- the Church has a long tradition of recognizing the fecundity and transcendence of creativity.

We live in times when people have polarized opinions about religion. Some despise it and call it useless and corrupting and others use it as a means of bullying and controlling and belittling. Neither is correct nor ultimately satisfying. People are hungering for something they don't even understand and so they are drawn to the tantalizing, lavish, mysterious darkness. I suspect they long to be pierced to the core as St. Theresa (right) describes in writing about her ecstasies.

As a writer I've always been in love with that darkness. Over and over and over readers have told me how luscious they found the dark, dangerous character Baptiste in The Old Mermaid's Tale. He's every woman's dream and every woman's nightmare. Now, as I am impatiently awaiting the debut of Each Angel Burns, I try to imagine how readers will react to the darkness and eventual redemption at the core of that story, too. I can only wait and hope....

Thanks for reading.

I'm Sorry. I'm in Over-drive

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Seems like there are times when, between my tendency to bite off more than I can chew, and just life in general, I get myself worked into such a state of hyper-drive that everyone winds up being mad at me. I know, I know, I apologize, I'll make it up to you. For the last several weeks a virtual “perfect storm” of circumstances have converged to make my life crazy. I am weeks behind on answering emails and returning phone calls. Sometimes things just happen that way and the only way I can stay sane is to just prioritize everything and deal with the most pressing things first.

The sad thing is, when I get into these states of being in hyper-drive, I have an unfortunate tendency to neglect the most important people first on the lop-sided logic that they will understand. I have calls to return to two sisters and a couple of girlfriends in other states and it seems like by the time I have time to do it the hour is much too late.

And the thing is, I'm really, really lucky to have all this stuff going on. Business-wise this happens every December, clients want to get more stuff done so they can get the charges on this year's taxes. I don't blame them. And, now with Christmas closing in, my books are selling and I'm getting emails from knitters who have purchased patterns with questions that they need to have answered so they can complete projects in time for Christmas. I've been giving these people first priority.

Also, I've undertaken several projects which are exciting and wonderful but suddenly have become very demanding. I always think “I'll just take care of one more thing and then I'll get to the stuff I have been neglecting” and the next thing I know hours have passed. I volunteer to send out eBlasts for a couple non-profits and in the last few weeks there have been so many of them full of so much information the time I spend doing them has tripled. I know, quit bitching.

Being busy is a wonderful thing and I'm grateful for clients, friends, people who buy my books, all the people who get involved in the projects I am part of. But sometimes it does get overwhelming. I regret that I am neglecting the people I want most to be there for. It's wild.

Okay, I've finished up today's work projects and I'm going to post this and then heat up some soup and then get back to proofing the book that I want to get approved this week before I get back to work on some Christmas presents. If you don't hear from me for a few days, please be patient. Can I use advancing age as an excuse?

Thanks for reading.

The Golden Boys: Sometimes slow and quiet is just perfect

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:02:00 +0000

There was snow on the ground when I woke up this morning. I put on a pot of coffee, added cinnamon to it and decided to watch a movie while working on my third Seafarer's Scarf. And I stumbled upon this little jewel, The Golden Boys, a perfect match for the mood I was in. Let me preface this by saying this is a quiet little comedy which takes its time and yet, sometimes that's just the thing you need. It was originally titled "Chatham" but for some reason they changed the name --- possibly to contrast it with the old TV show "The Golden Girls".

Set on Cape Cod in 1905 it is the story of three cranky old sea captains who have retired from the sea, purchased an old house where they can "live cheap" together but it soon becomes obvious they are in bad need of a steward. They are all slobs who can't cook. Lacking the funds for a steward or housekeeper they decide on a desperate measure: one of them has to take a wife. They toss coins and the loser --- well, as one of them says, when a shipwrecked crew is starving one of them has to be sacrificed for the good of the rest.

The trio are played by three veteran actors, David Carradine, Rip Torn, and Bruce Dern, who is, in my opinion, one of the most terrific actors of his generation. Nobody could make being psychotic or just plain crazy more terrifying than he. They take their time with their lines, and with everything else but that adds to the authenticity. Anyone who has ever listened to an old guy spinning a yarn will appreciate their deliberation.

The opening scenes are worth the watch alone. Taken from archival film from various Cape Cod historical collections the grainy black and white films show schooners, tall ships, fishermen and life saving procedures including footage of the breeches buoys carrying men to shore from wrecked ships. The breeches buoy, which figures in a later scene in the movie, was an interesting invention composed of ropes, pulleys, and a small cannon --- well, you just have to see it.

The movie was filmed entirely on the outer Cape and some of the shots of the dunes, the seashore and the lighthouses are just plain gorgeous.

So, anyway, the "boys" decide to advertise in a Boston paper and they receive no shortage of answers including one from the efficient, and ultimately highly desirable, Mrs Snow (Mariel Hemingway) from Nantucket. There are the usual mixups, confusions, and silliness but it's all so quietly paced and charming it seems perfectly natural.

I've always loved quiet, slow little movies with lots of atmosphere and no shortage of colorful characters. This movie is such a one. There are plenty of cameos by old character actors (including Charles Durning and Julie Harris) but the real heart of the story is the three old salts, especially the late David Carradine --- who knew he could actually act?

So, if you're looking for a quiet movie for a quiet time, try The Golden Boys. I loved it and I got a lot done on my latest Seafarer's Scarf. It would look perfect on any one of the "boys". And, for my fellow knitters, it is worth watching just for the knitting. On Ravelry there are a few threads where knitters are always discussing the shawls, sweaters and scarves spotted in movies. There's plenty to drool over in this film --- from David Carradine's black turtleneck to a gorgeous light lacy square shawl worn by one of the women in a couple scenes. Good excuse to watch this little jewel again.

Thanks for reading.

Just found this:

Christmas In A Time of Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Within the last week I've had conversations with three people who are dear to me and close to my heart who all said the same thing, “I wish I could just take a pill and wake up on January 2^nd.” I know how they feel. When your heart is bruised and broken from the loss of someone dear to it, getting into the “Christmas Spirit” is difficult if not impossible. Within the last few years I've lost a number of people I dearly loved. Perhaps not coincidentally they were all men --- big, strong men --- who were meaningful to my life. There's a big, huge hole inside and I can neither ignore it nor get over it.

I talked to my sister-in-law, my brother Jack's widow, and she is hurting. She says she feels grateful that she has her children and her 2 new grandchildren but that in no way compensates for my brother being gone. I understand. Believe me, the thought of the world without him in it is hard to comprehend.

And I talked to my friend Sharon whose dear husband David died this past summer. She is still in shock, it is still all unreal to her. She still listens for the sound of him pulling in the driveway. I understand that --- I still listen for the sound of the backdoor opening early in the morning. These memories are visceral, they live in our gut and are hardwired into our souls. They do not go away.

It's a funny thing because I do know women who have lost the men they loved and seem to get on just fine. One woman told me she signed up with an online dating service four months after her husband died. She seemed quite proud of herself. “I've always been a strong person,” she told me. It's a thing I cannot comprehend.

Years ago I read Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul. In it he has a wonderful section on loss and grieving in which he says that wounds to the heart are something our society no longer honors. We take pills and join groups and do everything we can think of to not experience the intensity of pain that great loss brings. But as long as we fail to honor the wrongness, the injustice of our loss, our soul remains raw and aching. I've thought a lot about that.

Here is the thing I have learned, the very act of loving someone comes with the awareness that you can be hurt. Love is not love if it doesn't involve a surrender of separateness. Vulnerability is part and parcel of loving. And the loss of the beloved in a real possibility that we pretty much avoid thinking about because, well, because it would just hurt too much. And when it happens it does hurt too much. It hurts much too much. But, as unpleasant as it is, the pain also serves as a reminder that we once experienced something deep and beautiful and soul-filling. The gaping wound inside that comes with the loss of the beloved shouldn't be easily dismissed. It shouldn't be something you can just get over. Rather, you try to reshape yourself into a new you --- a you that is someone you once hoped you'd never have to be.

Christmas is hard. My young niece and I were talking recently. She is very much in love and thrilled about the holidays which she will spend with her love. I'm happy for her. She, however, cannot comprehend what I m feeling. “I ORDER you to enjoy Christmas,” she said. Okay, I told her, that will fix everything. It won't but she can't understand that nor should she.

I don't know... part of me thinks I couldn't survive losing someone I'd spent 30 years with like my sister-in-law, like Sharon. And part of me thinks how lucky they were to have all that time with someone they loved. Sometimes it's difficult to hold back the feeling of being cheated, short-changed by having just a very few years.

Every person's grief is their own. No one can tell them how to feel...

Sharon sent me this poem today. It's one of those things you read and sigh over and then put aside because it helps --- but not enough. And you just keep going:

CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN

I see the countless Christmas trees, around the world below; with tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular; please wipe away that tear;

for I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs, that people hold so dear,

but the sounds of music can’t compare with the Christmas choir up here.

For I have no words to tell you the joy their voices bring,

for it is beyond description, to hear an angel sing.

I know how much you miss me; I see the pain inside your heart, but I am not so far away, we are really not apart.

So be happy for me, dear one, you know I hold you near; and be glad I’m spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I send you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above;

I send you each a memory of my undying love.

For after all “Love” is the gift, more precious than pure gold; it was always most important, in the stores Jesus told.

So please love and help each other, as my Father said to do; for I cannot count the blessings of love He has for you.

So have a Merry Christmas, and wipe away that tear, for I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I can’t tell you of the splendor, or the peace here in this place; can you just imagine Christmas with our Savior face to face?

I’ll ask Him to lift your spirit, as I tell Him of your love; so then pray for one another, as you lift your eyes above.

So please let your heart be joyful, and let your spirit sing; for I am spending Christmas in Heaven, and I am waking with the King.

"Art Can Be A Path To God" - Pope Benedict

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Recently Pope Benedict invited 500 artists of various disciplines to the Vatican to talk about art and its role in the lives of the Faithful. The meeting was held in the Sistine Chapel under the ceiling painted by Michelangelo, not a bad example of transcendent art. In his address the Pope said, "Beauty ... can become a path toward the transcendent, toward the ultimate mystery, toward God." He further stated that much of what is called art today is illusory and deceitful... I could not agree with him more.

Like many kids who went to Catholic school --- 12 years for me --- I rebelled against “all that nonsense” for a long time and dabbled in various disciplines from Buddhism to New Age stuff until, when a few years ago, I realized that I am a Catholic and will always be one. I'm not always a good one, but, like a lot of Catholics, I rely heavily on God's mercy and forgiveness.

However, through all my years of trying other ways of getting to God, I always knew --- and often resented --- that the Catholic Church had 2 things going for it I couldn't come close to finding anywhere else: the communion of Saints and art. I've always loved the Saints. I don't have a special saint but there are so many that I love because their stories have served as models throughout my life as something beautiful and rare and worthy. I know that other religions have the equivalent of saints, bodhisattvas come to mind, but, because I grew up with Catholic saints, they are sort of like old friends to me --- much in the way that favorite TV characters are to kids who grew up in the TV generations. We didn't have TV until I was 7 so I made do with saints and, while that my seem irreverent, it is nonetheless true.

And then there is art. Some of my earliest memories are of kneeling in Church during Mass or Benediction, surrounded by candlelight and light streaming through stained glass windows, statues and murals on the walls and ceilings, wonderful music, flowers, incense, the light sparkling off my rosary beads and genuinely feeling lifted out of my life and into a place where all goodness and beauty lived. To me that was God. I remember the first time I went to services with a roommate who was a Lutheran. Sitting in that plain little church listening to preachy hymns and boring readings I couldn't help but wonder where the heck God was in their way of worship.

Some years back I got interested in the phenomenon known as peak experiences. One of the things I learned during that time is that there are many paths to that type of experience: physical exertion, service to others, sexuality, spirituality, and art being among them. When I read that the Pope said that art can be a path to the transcendent I remembered why the Catholic Church has always been so irreplaceable in my life. I don't know if it is just the programming of my youth or the way my psyche is made but I long for that transcendence. I pursue practices (like writing) that let me enter into that sublime space. And whether it is a function of brain chemistry or communion with the Divine (and, frankly, I see no reason it can't be both), that transcendence is a vital part of my life and of my Faith.

When I was writing Each Angel Burns, I was dealing with three characters all of whom were somewhere along that path. Peter, as a priest, is very much a mystic and, because of circumstances in the story, has lost his proximity to transcendence and is miserable without it. Maggie, as a sculptor and because of the strangeness of her childhood, lives in a different world and has difficulty leaving it. And Gabe, the good father, the good husband, the good friend, the salt-of-the-earth, has ignored his need for the transcendent for too long and is so grateful when it returns. That book owns a big chunk of my heart as well as my soul.

So I am grateful to Pope Benedict for his remarks. They reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite heroes, John Gardner, “True art is moral. It seeks to edify not to debase. To hold off for a little while the twilight of the gods --- and of us.”

Thanks for reading.

More of Emily's Wedding Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:43:00 +0000

She certainly looks gorgeous....and I'm not prejudiced either.

Even More about Seaman's Scarves & a trip to Coveted Yarn

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I just came back from Coveted Yarn on East Main Street. WOW have they grown! Rob, the ever cheerful and helpful, was working and we had a chance to chat. The place was packed! It absolutely amazes me how many knitters there are these days and how devoted they are to knitting. Two young women were seated on the couch knitting away, other women were browsing. It was great.

I stopped because I decided I need to get to work on two samples for my planned Seaman's Scarves workshop. I want to knit one in an Aran pattern and one in a Guernsey pattern and I wanted very, very soft worsted weight yarn in masculine colors. Lucky for me Rob had a sale on Laines Du Nord Maxi. You can't beat $2.50 a ball. So I walked away with 6 balls and two pairs of bamboo needles for under $25. Not bad. I love the colors --- Evergreen and Warm Gray.

***********************Later in the Day***************************

It's coming along nicely. I love this stitch (click photo to enlarge):

Tomorrow Rob is having a special workshop day with my friends Leslie Wind and Rose Ann Hunter. It should be a great opportunity for local knitters to see their special offerings and stock up on yarn for all those knitting projects. I will be here knitting away.

I think I have mentioned before my fondness for listening to BBC Scotland's radio programs while I work. Yesterday on Around Orkney they were talking about Mrs. Dolly Davis (above). Mrs. Davis has been a busy knitter --- she just completed 65 teddy bears like the ones she is holding in the picture. They will be shipped to an orphanage in Africa for Christmas presents. Mrs. Davis is 100 years old and her knitting needles still fly.

So I am off to get knitting. I have way too many projects in the works these days but, so what? Knitting keeps you sane and productive. Look at Dolly Davis.

Thanks for reading.

Each Angel Burns available on Amazon's Kindle & other e-formats

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:37:00 +0000

As most of you know getting my new novel, Each Angel Burns, to press has been slow going for a variety of reasons but I'm happy to say that it is now available on Amazon in their Kindle store. It is also available for digital download to PCs and PDAs in three digital formats --- TXT, HTML or PDF --- through HeartThrobBooks.com or at Each Angel Burns. All digital downloads are $5. I hope I'll get the last few details worked out for the paperback soon. In the mean time, this is the synopsis:

In the latter part of the 19th century the Monastery of St. Gabriel the Archangel was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean on a peninsula in Maine. From its earliest days there were rumors of strange activity there --- tunnels through the cliff were reported to give access for smugglers, a miracle-working nun was said to live there, and a group of drunken lumberjacks who stormed the convent to kidnap wives claimed to have been vanquished by a giant angel with a flaming spear. One hundred years later, when the last of the old cloistered nuns was removed to a retirement home, the decision was made to close and sell the convent. That's when it was discovered that the convent's treasure, a marble statue of the Archangel Gabriel by Italian sculptor Giovanni Dupré, was missing.

In Ripley Mills, Massachusetts the self-titled “wild bunch”, who played football together back in high school, gather every Thursday for dinner and beer. More than thirty years have passed and the group isn't what it used to be. Charlie's new female boss is young, pretty, and intimidating. Whitey's wife has cancer, Bull's wife just found out about his affair with an exotic dancer, and Vinnie can't get women to go out with him. Gabe's three daughters have grown up and his wife is making life miserable. Peter doesn't have those problems, he's a Jesuit priest. But they still get together every week to drink, eat, and listen to one anothers' problems. Then Father Peter makes a startling revelation, he had once been in love with a girl he met in Paris. He planned to leave the seminary to marry her but she rejected him to marry an older, wealthy man. Pete is happy as a priest teaching at Boston College but now Maggie has returned. She is leaving her husband and has purchased an old, abandoned convent in Maine that she plans to convert to a sculpture studio.

On Pete's recommendation Gabe takes the job of helping Maggie to restore the convent. But, as winter closes in, the mysteries begin again. Stories are circulating about bodies of young women washing up on the shore. Maggie's husband refuses to answer her calls. Gabe's cantankerous father, Mick, tells him the truth about his mother who had once longed to be a nun in that convent. Ethan Darling, the local sheriff, is snooping around. Zeke, Gabe's dog, discovers a secret passage in the crypt under the chapel. And Father Peter realizes that Maggie is falling in love with his oldest friend.

Each Angel Burns is the story of three people at crossroads in their lives. It is a story of enduring friendship, of faith, of great evil and greater love --- and of how they culminate in a miracle.

Who, if I cried, would hear me, of the angelic orders? or even supposing that one should suddenly carry me to his heart - I should perish under the pressure of his stronger nature. For beauty is only a step removed from a burning terror we barely sustain, and we worship it for the graceful sublimity with which it disdains to consume us. Each angel burns. - Ranier Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies

I've also discovered a rather hilarious Zazzle store item. The t-shirt at right is a spoof on the movie The Devil Wears Prada. But I think it is quite brilliant.

Thanks for reading.

Remembering the Warner Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:59:00 +0000

This morning I got a Comment on this blog entry from last summer. The Commenter is the author of a book about the Warner Theater and she included order info, so I am re-posting this for anyone who is interested in ordering it. This is from Barb Hauck:

I'm really proud of the photos that Art Becker took of the Warner now published in my book "A Picture Palace Transformed: How Erie's Warner Theatre Survived a Changing World." You can purchase this book at Borders or go online to www.warnertheatrebook.com. It's sells for $29.95. Since it's publication on October 6, we've sold over 600. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE WARNER RESTORATION....nothing to me.
_____________

This morning I was talking to my dear Aunt Rosie (today just happens to be her birthday) who lives in Erie, PA. She is 83 and she and her second husband, Jim, whom I love dearly, too, are always a pleasure to talk to. Aunt Rosie and her first husband, my darling Uncle Buddy, were my godparents and my first novel, The Old Mermaid's Tale, is dedicated to him.

She mentioned that a friend of hers had just read The Old Mermaid's Tale and was thrilled by the descriptions of downtown Erie (even though I did some re-arranging for the sake of the story) and remembered well a few of the places mentioned, including The Carriage House Restaurant, the French Street Bookstore, and Sullivan's Tavern. While we were talking she mentioned the Warner Theater which didn't make it into the book but is one of my fondest memories of my early years in Erie.

The Warner was a fabulous, lavish Art Deco movie house built in the 1930s by Warner Brothers and designed by Rapp and Rapp. My first memory of it is going to see How The West Was Won there with my grandmother. She loved Jimmy Stewart. I think that is when I fell in love with Gregory Peck --- right there in the Warner Theater.

Later when I was in college I spent a lot of time at the Warner. I remember my roommate Claudia dragging me to see Funny Girl, a show that she went on to perform in on stage. And I remember seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Five Easy Pieces, Midnight Cowboy, Easy Rider and The Lion in Winter (three times) in those lavish surroundings.

The place was faded when I knew it but still fabulous --- especially when the lights were low. It was the kind of fabulousness that creates mystique and fascination and a sense that there are wonderous things to be discovered in the world. Sometimes I think I just went there in order to be there.

So I went online looking forinformtion about it and I found some beautiful photos thanks to a guy called RamBear. You can see all of them on his Flickr page. The Warner has been renovated and is now a live theater which hosts the Erie Ballet and Symphony. It is a focal point of the downtown community.

I'm a big lover of the magic of hauntingly beautiful and mysterious places --- as anyone who has read The Old Mermaid's Tale can tell you. Looking at those photos today I can't help but think the time I spent there as a young woman worked its way into my soul and worked its magic on my writing. I hope so....

Thanks for reading.

More about Seaman's Scarves or Why I should never drink beer....

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Tuesday night was a DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) meeting at the Cape Ann Brewery. Let me say first that I am 100% in favor of boring meetings being held in taverns. Cape Ann Brewery is an absolutely wonderful choice even thought they only serve beer. It is light, bright, conveniently located, and adorable inside with long wooden tables with benches and a dozen or so rocking chairs. Pure genius.

So I went to the meeting, ordered one of their fabulous Pumpkin Stouts (left) and, you know, did the meeting thing. I am 100% behind the DMO and their efforts to lure (by any means, hehehe) people into Gloucester to do stuff that involves spending money. This includes plans for my Down-to-the-Sea Festival which I will return to blogging about any day now.

But while I was there I noticed that Kate, the bartender, was doing something interesting. In between serving beer she was KNITTING! Yes, siree bob, she was right there behind the counter knitting away. So, when the time was right, I commented on it and told her I was an avid knitter and had, in fact, written reasonably successful book about knitting. She then told me that the manager of the Brewery was talking about starting a night for knitters (and other needleworkers) to be held throughout the winter at their facility. What an excellent idea! What could be more pleasant on a cold winter night than to settle into one of their rocking chairs with a Pumpkin Stout, some knitting and some like-minded friends? But then the wheels in my head began to turn....

Ever since I wrote my blog about Seaman's Scarves I've received emails from knitters expressing interest in them. I learned about them from Myrna Stahman who wrote Stahman's Shawls and Scarves, the definitive book on seaman's scarves. So I emailed Ms. Stahman with my idea and she emailed back and one thing led to another. She pointed me to the web site for Christmas at Sea, a project The Seaman's Church Institute. Ever since 1898, during the Spanish American War, The Seaman's Church Institute has sent thousands of packages to mariners at Christmas time. Included in the packages are hand-knit items donated by knitters from around the country. These include watch caps, socks, vests, and, of course, scarves (photo above), in addition to lip balm, hand lotion and toothpaste and brushes. What a wonderful idea! So far this year over 7,000 knitted garments have been sent to the project but they need 10,000 more to meet their needs. (They also offer information on how citizens can help our mariners who are the victims of pirates at sea.) Their web site offers a list of free patterns in PDF format for both knit and crocheted patterns for the items they need.

So I got this idea (yeah, I need another project --- see what beer does to me). How about if I offer to teach knitters how to make Seaman's Scarves including the traditional Guernsey and Aran stitches that can be used in them at Cape Ann Brewery and, in exchange, ask for a donation to a local fund that benefits the families of men lost at sea? So, I offered this idea and Cape Ann Brewery said, “Fantastic, let's talk.”

Well, I don't know where this will go but I dug through my stash and pulled out some treasures to start knitting samples. I found a big bag of odds and ends of Lamb's Pride, one of my favorite wool yarns, which I am knitting in a striped patter (left) as one example. I also uncovered a huge spool of a beige, tweed wool-acrylic blend that I plan to use for more designs.

While I was rooting around I came across the yarn at left which is a Bernat Cotton with an evocative name. I have no idea where I got it. Wish I had more of it.

So, I'm going to stop into the brewery next week and we are going to discuss the plans but I think this could be a fun project. Stay tuned for more info but this is sounding better and better --- and excuse to drink beer --- and knit.

Thanks for reading.

Uh-oh! The Lobster Trap Tree War is ON!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:18:00 +0000

Our good buddy Joey Ciaramitaro over at Good Morning Gloucester is not the sort of fellow you want to mess with so when he picks a fight it's going to be worth showing up for. His Man vs. Food Competitions (videos on his blog) have been intense and drawn spectators from around the state. He recently challenged a local messge board to a bowling competition and the results were not pretty (well, truthfully, the whole outfit was not pretty before the first ball rolled). But this time it's gonna get really ugly! He's taking on the Lobster Trap Tree of Rockland, Maine.

This is their Crappy Unimaginative Maine Lobster Trap Tree:

And this is our Fantastic Majestic Gloucester Lobster Trap Tree

All I can say is "look out!" It's going to get very, very ugly, folks. Follow the action on Good Morning Gloucester and Casco Bay Boaters (the truly ugly competition.)

Don't you love a good lobster trap tree war for the holidays?

Thanks for reading.

Robin & Marion --- 33 Years Later

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:15:00 +0000

I LOVED this movie... it's on now... I'll get back to you:

Okay, I lied --- I didn't get back to you. But I'll try to make up for that. Last night I discovered that the 1976 movie, Robin and Marion, was available on Netflix's Watch Instantly. I loved that movie when it first came out and, over the years, I've watched it several more times but last night was the first time that I really, really understood it --- I guess that's what happens when you get older.

The story, for anyone who does not know, is a take-off on the Robin Hood legends but in this version quite a few years have gone by and the wild impulsiveness of youth has been tempered by experience --- and it sort of sucks. Robin and John, played by Sean Connery and Nicol Williamson, one of my favorite actors, have been away at the crusades fighting with Richard Lionheart, flamboyantly portrayed by the late Richard Harris who is just plain wonderful. They are battle-weary and disgusted so when Richard takes an arrow in the neck and keels over while threatening to have them both executed (again), they decide to return to Sherwood Forest. But Sherwood Forest ain't what it used to be. Most of their men have scattered and the only ones left are Friar Tuck and Will Scarlet, played by the always wonderful Denholm Elliot. They also learn that when Robin marched off to war without so much as a good-bye, Marion joined the convent and is now the Mother Abbess. Audrey Hepburn as Marion is just absolutely exquisite --- well, she's exquisite in everything but especially in this film as the delicate but fiery counter-point to a crew of scruffy, crusty, smelly warriors, she is like a flower in a pile of rocks.

When Robin finds her she is about to be arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham, devilishly played by Robert Shaw, another of my very favorite actors. He's still the Sheriff and has had enough of all these crazy fools trying to rouse the rabble to fight King John, also deliciously portrayed by Ian Holm. The rest of the movie is a brilliant adventure in craziness, the unfortunate interference of human frailty that comes with age, and heart-breaking sweetness.

Though I loved this movie thirty years ago, now, as I am dealing with my own confrontations with age and its insults, as well as having lost someone I love, the movie affected me in a whole new way. Naturally it was delicious seeing all those wonderful faces again --- Robin and Marion has nothing if not a spectacular cast. But there were moments in which I felt as if my heart was breaking along with the characters. When Little John tells Marion, who is trying to convince him to prevent Robin from getting into another battle, that “if you were mine, I'd never have gone (off to the Crusades)”, I was stunned that I had never paid attention to that scene before. And finally, when things have gone badly, Marion steps aside so it is Little John --- who has spent all those many years fighting beside Robin in the Holy Land --- who is closest to him at the end.

It's a beautiful, deeply moving movie. Marion's love for Robin is at the heart of it but Robin's love for Little John, for his men and the people he spent his life fighting for, and even for King Richard, is given equal weight and it touched me deeply and made me think about that. We live in a culture that idolizes romantic love and romantic love is a beautiful thing. But there is so much more love than just the love between a man and woman in the world. I guess I loved this movie for portraying that so well.

It's just all this getting older stuff. It comes with so many disappointments and limitations and confrontations with one's own short-comings. But it also provides an opportunity to look at our lives without the “glamor” (in the fairy-sense) of romance and realize that, despite what has passed from our lives, there is also this legacy of all this stuff we have had --- and will always have.

I'm glad I saw it again and this time with a wealth of experience that lends itself to appreciation. I'm not real crazy about this growing older business --- but it certainly has been well-earned and achieved through much that is good.

Thanks for reading.

Down to the Sea: 4. Mermaids

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Mermaids are a treasured part of maritime lore. Stories of mermaids exist in seafaring cultures going back a thousand years before Christ. Though most cultures allow that there may be mermen as well, few have much mythology around them --- probably because the maritime trade was practiced mostly by men. Men alone at sea for long weeks, months, years longed for women and it is not surprising that they fantasized about them being available at sea.

Psychologically the mermaid has long represented the wild, untamed sexuality of women --- women who are free and unbound by the constraints of society. Is it any wonder that men fantasize about them and women long to be them?

In art mermaids have long provided an inspiration. During the Pre-Raphaelite period they were particularly popular among artists including Frederick Lord Leighton whose lovely “The Siren and the Fisherman” (right) probably epitomizes the fantasies of the men who dreamed up mermids in the first place. One of my favorite mermaid paintings is by Rockport artist Christine Mosher (left). So, an exhibition of mermaid art is definitely called for.

Mermaids have, fairly accidentally, become a theme in my life. My first novel, The Old Mermaid's Tale, was named that because the waterfront tavern that inspired the book was called The Mermaid Tavern. As a kid in Erie, PA, I was fascinated by it and, as an adult, my imaginings resulted in a romantic story based in the maritime lore of the Great Lakes. Later I designed a shawl that I named The Mermaid Shawl. That turned into a book of knitting designs and on and on it went.

For our proposed festival I an imagining mermaids having a prominent place in art and crafts. Coney Island has long been the home of a notorious Mermaid Parade which has a reputation for being more than a little risqué. But I think a Sailors and Mermaids Ball might be quite in order.

And, because children love mermaids we should include a Mer-Party for the little ones, too. Actually, I'm hoping to have quite a lot of activities for children --- including a paper maché Sea-Serpent event but more about that in another blog.

I've heard from a number of people since I started posting about this and all the comments have been positive and encouraging. There are two big events planned for 2010 in Gloucester but the Down To The Sea Festival may emerge as a natural outgrowth of one of them. In 2010 Gloucester is planning to host a Whale Festival. Many of the local whale-watch businesses are working on this and it will, of course, include the Maritime Heritage Center.

The other event being planned is The 100^th Anniversary of poet Charles Olsen being planned for October.

Some great suggestions and ideas have come from people who are enthusiastic about a Down To The Sea Festival --- everything from a chowder cook-off to a lobsterboat drag race. Keep the ideas coming --- they are all good.

Thanks for reading.

Down to the Sea: 3. Fisherman's Sweaters and Seaman's Scarves

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Continuing with my fantasy of a Down-to-the-Sea Festival in Gloucester, let me add that my idea for the festival is a celebration of many diverse maritime related traditions, whether they were practiced locally or not. This festival celebrates the rich heritage of maritime culture. So let's talk about the famous fisherman's sweaters that originated in the island fishing communities of Ireland and Scotland.

In the photo below is a collection of historic photos of fishermen, sealers, and mariners (and one female knitter) all sporting their traditional fisherman sweaters. Some are in the Aran fashion and some in the Guensey. The traditional sweaters were knit in untreated lambs wool which is rich in lanolin so it adds to the warmth and the water-resistant features so important for men who earned their living working the sea. The patterns, particularly in the Aran sweaters, add to the thickness, and thus the warmth of the sweaters. There are hundreds of patterns in both fashions, Aran (which is thicker and features cables) and Guensey (which is flatter and patterned with stitches in combinations of knit and purl to form the design.)

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

There is a legend that the patterns are particular to families and/or villages and this may or may not be true. The knitters of a village may have created a particular design but it was likely copied in short order by other knitters. Often the name or the initials of the sweater's owner was knit in to the hem. There is also a story that drown mariners were identified by their sweaters. This idea was used by Irish writer John Millington Synge in his play, “Riders to the Sea” in which a woman identifies her drowned son by the design of his sweater.

These sweaters are wonderful for knitters to make. The patterns are so varied and many have religious or symbolic meanings. When I first moved to New England I placed an ad in Yankee Magazine and traded my hand-knit fishermen sweaters for weekends in guest houses up and down the coast. It was a great way to explore my new home.

So, for our festival, we can have fisherman sweaters for sale, exhibits of historic sweaters and workshops for knitters to learn how to knit them. Knitting is closely tied to maritime cultures probably because it is so close to net mending --- but more about that later.

Seaman's Scarves are a traditional short, thick scarf that is knit with ribbing in the middle section to make them less bulky while wrapping around the neck but with patterned ends that cross over the chest for added warmth. They are short so as not to get in the way of equipment. The lovely knitter Myrna Stahman is known throughout the knitting community for her beautiful Seaman's Scarves. One of the most beautiful (at left) was designed in memory of Matthew Shepard. The pattern is free and downloadable online.

Here, again, for our festival I envision scarves for sale, knitting classes, and historic displays. It could be expanded to include seaman's watch caps and fingerless gloves.

Years ago I even knit myself a fisherman (above right) using Guensey-style stitches. He sits on top of my desk and keeps an eye on me as I work. Maybe someday I'll knit him a mermaid. Which brings us to the subject of my next entry, mermaids.

Thanks for reading.

In Memory: The Edmund Fitzgerald

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:49:00 +0000

I forgot to post this yesterday, thirty- four years ago, November 10, 1975.........

And, in honor of Veteran's Day, My 2005 Veteran's Day Blog.

Thanks for reading.

Down to the Sea: 2. Household Items Carved At Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Valentine) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +0000

As mentioned in the previous blog, I have this notion that we could construct a pretty interesting festival based in maritime arts and traditions here in Gloucester so, for the time being anyway, I'm going to blog such a festival and see how many more ideas I can come up with. In the last blog I talked about Sailor's Valentines. Because mariners were often at sea for weeks, months, even years, they spent a lot of time thinking about home. Those who worked on whaling ships often had an ample supply of whale bone to carve with and they spent their time carving useful items to present to their beloveds on their return.

One of the most popular items was a pastry crimper used to trim the edge of pie crusts from the pie. The story goes that if a young man presented a young lady with such a crimper she was obliged to make a pie for him. These are a few 19th century pastry crimpers carved from bone:

Other household items included utensils like this fork:

Letter openers:

And busks which are used in the construction of mi'lady's corset:

Some of the most frequently created items were for a lady's sewing/knitting basket. These items are so beautiful and, though we no longer can carve from whale bone, there are synthetic substances available that re used by contemporary artisans to simulate the look. Below is a gorgeous and elaborate swift for winding balls of yarn:

A pair of knitting needles and clothes pins:

A bodkin --- there hundreds of variations on these and most seamstresses today still use them:

And a spool rack:

So those are just a few of the carved objects in my virtual arts of the sea festival. Those who currently practice these arts can, of course, come and show their work, sell their wares, teach classes --- when I get this festival all worked out.

And, since this post contained examples of tools for knitters, in my next Down-to-the Sea blog I'll talk about fishermen's sweaters and seamen's scarves.

Thanks for reading.