Saturday, September 21, 2013

Roi des Francs

It has been a busy summer.  Lots going on, including writing, teaching, some beach time, and a hot off the presses new Clovis image.  A few years ago a good friend gave me some old French engravings that I have hanging in my office. Beautiful stuff--and one of the images lent itself to a little manipulation. I was able to do some tweaking and voilà! Clovis as a 17th century French engraving!

  

These are printed with navy blue ink on various types of paper. I made several sizes for full sheets, postcards, and note cards (with envelopes!). Check your mailbox--one may be on its way to you.

 



Here are some pics of my last day on the beach this summer. From Race Point on Cape Cod. So beautiful.




And Clovis with his trademark ear-droop.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Knitting Yarns

Here's some great news!  I got this beautiful new book in the mail, the Advance Reading Copy of Knitting Yarns, a new knitting-based anthology edited by the amazing Ann Hood.  The list of writers in this book is amazing--and even more mindblowing for me, I am among them.  I contributed an essay about knitting tiny sweaters for young Clovis (pattern included). My dear friend Kaylie Jones contributed an essay about her nanny, Judite, who she grew up with in Paris and is still close to.

Other writers include Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, Elizabeth Berg, Andre Dubus III, Sue Grafton, Jessi Hempel, Alison Lurie, Joyce Maynard, Jane Smiley, Anita Shreve, Elizabeth Searle and on and on and on!  Helen Bingham has contributed some great knitting patterns, too. This is a wonderful book--whether you are a knitter or not.  The real thing comes out November 11th and we will be doing events all over. I will report back as things develop....


And here are some shots of young Clovis in those very sweaters!

The very first garment, a scarf!



And a few pics from the garden today.  A new gardener has installed a bee hive, which is a wonderful thing.  
The smoke tree is looking great. 

The first hollyhock bloom.
We'll get some poppies soon.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Double Rainbow

I had to post some pics of the double rainbow we had in Providence tonight.  It was warm and sunny all day--a beautiful day.  Then we had a rain shower move through, and as the sun was setting, we were treated to this amazing double rainbow over the Cranston Street Armory!









Thursday, May 30, 2013

May Flowers, Part Two

It has been an undeniably beautiful spring in Providence.  The weather has remained mild, extending the life of many flowers.  Here are some more taken from lilac time a few weeks ago through the past few days. A couple shots of the lilacs around Brown...

 

  


Wisteria is one of my favorites, and there is no lack of it in Providence.  Here on the East Side is a huge stand of wisteria.


This one on the South Side is remarkable and old. You can see the big roots reaching from the lower left up to the branches of the three.  It is flowering up to the treetop--as if the tree itself is one giant trellis for the vines.

 

And here's one just a couple doors down from me in the West End.



Flowers are starting to show in the community garden. I've got some Siberian iris in my plot. I put in hollyhocks, poppies, African foxglove, datura, marshmallow and a bunch of herbs.  We'll see how they do.


The wormwood I planted last year survived the winter and is thriving.  Anyone know how to make absinthe??


And some gratuitous Clovis pics.  I like the strong contrast between shadow and light in the first two.

 


Enjoying the warm sidewalks of late spring.

 

And watching a kickball game in the park. Things have really come alive in the neighborhood.

 

But the mornings can be cool, so his bed is still a nice refuge.  His Aunt Bonnie made the mini-afghan for him. And Talia made the little pillow on which he rests his head.

 


Friday, May 10, 2013

May Flowers

Providence seems overwhelmed with flowers this spring.  The weather has been beautiful and the flowers have responded in kind.

Now this is a forsythia! Floral harbinger.


Some daffodils in the community garden.


East Side trees in flower.


Flowering trees at the John Brown House.

 

A close up...

 

A neighbor to the John Brown House about a week ago.


And yesterday!

 

 And cherry trees everywhere!



We also had big news in Little Rhody--a bill legalizing same-sex marriage finally passed after many years of effort.  Here are some pics from the big signing day at the capitol!



Friends with easily the best sign of the day!


And of course, it wouldn't be spring without pics of young Clovis in various states of undress.