It's all in the family

My aunt and I had genealogy in common

Originally published January 18, 2013 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

My aunt Georgy was a Christian in the best sense of the word. She lived her faith by example, always kind, generous, and interested in others. She remembered me, my brother, my husband and my kids every birthday and Christmas with a card and a gift. You knew that her cards were carefully selected, because she gave all the kindest words and phrases emphasis with her liberal underlining. The same abundant emphasis also appeared when she sent hand-written thank you notes. “Thanks for the wonderful birthday card, note, and PHOTO!!!  I love it all!!! Especially the PHOTO!!!”

Although she had not been feeling well, nor able eat much for quite some time, she died quickly after only a week of home hospice care, right after Thanksgiving and three weeks shy of her 87th birthday. As my cousin described their goodbye in her Christmas letter, “We saw her off with loving words and recorded hymns played on piano and organ, which she always loved.”

My aunt lived near Sacramento—a three hour drive away—and over the years we didn’t see each other more than once or twice a year for family gatherings. So I wouldn’t say we were close in a day-to-day sort of way. But reflecting back on who she was, I would say we shared a common passion that is/was very dear to both of us: family history.  Her hallway was a gallery of family photos, hung at many eye levels, up and down the walls. Family photo albums were always close at hand in her living room. And she always asked that we take family photos whenever we assembled for a holiday or wedding. I would oblige, getting out the tripod, lining everyone up in a shady spot, and making 8x10s for everyone in our small family.

I had this photo but didn't know who the people were until I started
researching my family tree.

Like her sister (my mom), she didn’t own a computer. But if she had, I’m sure she would have gotten as caught up in family genealogy as I have. Researching one’s family tree has gotten so much easier due to the abundance of online resources, and it’s addicting. In a sense it reminds me of assembling a jigsaw puzzle: you know the pieces are out there somewhere, but you have to know where to look, and be able to recognize when a found piece still doesn’t quite fit. With practice, you get better at searching, the puzzle starts to take shape, and you make some remarkably satisfying discoveries along the way.

The US Federal Census is a primary source document that will provide lots of information about your relatives,
including names, spouse, children, ages, street address, birth place, parents birth places, and occupations.

I unintentionally started my genealogy research three years ago when I took a history class from a great professor named Laura Guardino. I learned that good historians value primary sources. A primary source is an original artifact, document, recording, or other source of information that was created at the time under study. For creating a family tree, primary sources include censuses; birth, baptism, marriage and death records; draft registration and military records; photographs; and immigration, citizenship and travel records.

Generally, accounts written after the fact without firsthand experience are considered secondary.  Secondary sources may support primary information, but are one step removed since the writer or recorder was not actually an eyewitness to the event.

1863 draft registration for Lewis Hunsicker, my great great grandfather, found on ancestry.com

Although primary sources may be preferable, they are not necessarily accurate. Selected census enumerators knew the citizens in their area and penned the lists, but didn’t necessarily know how to spell the names or write legibly. For example, my great great grandmother’s first name was Levina, or Lovina, or Lavina—I’m still not sure because no two censuses agree.

And some sources are not “primary” in the strictest sense of the word. My grandfather wrote a six-page account of his family’s move to New Mexico in the early 1900s and their struggle to make a living there as ranchers. He was an eyewitness to the events, but wrote his story many years after the fact.

It helps if pedigree charts are printable on standard-sized
paper.  I had to blow this one up to write on it, and then
back down again to print it all on piece of paper.  I like
this format, because it tells the whole story at once, but
detailed pedigree charts keep track of all the details.

Although there are many websites to choose from, I started my research using ancestry.com. It’s a monthly subscription service that allows you to look at primary documents and the family trees of your fellow researchers. You can save your findings on an ever-expanding family tree template which shows every possible connection you can discover, or as a pedigree chart which shows only direct lineage, i.e. parents and no siblings. No matter your source, you’ll keep your information better organized if you start with paper and pencil and a pedigree chart.  Google “pedigree chart” and pick one that will allow you to record names, birth/marriage/death dates, and birth/marriage/death places, and make notes.

Gather information provided by your family: photos, memoirs, interviews, wills, birth certificates, family Bibles, etc. From there, look at the U.S. Federal Census. The U.S. has taken a census of its population every ten years since 1790, and, with the exception of the 1890 census which was largely destroyed by fire, the original hand-written pages can be viewed through the 1940 census. (More recent years are protected by privacy laws.) The early censuses listed only the heads of the household, but starting in 1850, every member of the household was listed. So, if you can find a child’s name, you can also learn their sibling and parents’ names, ages, occupations, birth place, neighbors, and other data.

Besides the federal census, many states and counties also had censuses. On ancestry.com, I was also able to find my relatives on original documents such as draft registrations, baptism and marriage records, ship passenger lists, church membership rosters, death certificates and city directories. Fellow researchers also upload personal documents to share, such as portraits, wills, and cemetery headstone photos.  This is how I came across my grandfather’s six-page New Mexico memoir, and photos of him in his WWI and police uniforms.

After you’ve created pedigree charts as far back as possible, check your data against the charts of other researchers. Many of America’s founding families have been exhaustively researched, and their descendants proudly share their heritage on a family website. For example, if you Google “Addington family in America” you’ll discover the Addington Association’s website, which provides histories, descendant lists, wills, photographs, and family reunion information. Whenever you discover conflicting information, look to see if primary sources are listed as references. There are also plenty of books, YouTube videos, and other online sources that will give you help with finding, charting and preserving your family history.

For a more personal presentation, I decided to make a scrapbook from scratch using Peter and Donna Thomas’s great book “More Making Books by Hand” as a guide. The hardest part of the project, however, was forcing myself to stop the research and start the book. I always wanted to do just a little more digging, try a new avenue, look for more corroboration. Tracing your family tree is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle that never ends—but in a good way.

***

My aunt was many more things beyond a family historian: a loving parent and wife, a devoted sister, an artist, camper, traveler, dedicated pray-er, and many more things that I will probably never know. But I do know she loved her family very fiercely, and I was fortunate and blessed to have been her niece.

ALL AGLOW

9 creative ways to make your holiday more brilliant

Originally published Dec. 2012 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

“And God saw the light, that it was good.”  Genesis 1:3

 My own family lights tea candles each year to count the days
 between our daughters’ birthdays, from Dec. 17 to the Jan. 1.
 I made this candle-holder for the tea lights with the sides of a
 spring form baking pan and heart-shaped dessert molds
 attached with pop rivets.

Add the goodness of light to your December with one of these nine super easy projects. Whether you celebrate with the glow of incandescent lights, LEDs or candle flame, light can be a powerful symbol for all that is good and sacred about the holidays. Make these projects as gifts, as a family get-together, or to create a new candle-lighting tradition. My own family lights tea candles each year to count the days between our daughters’ birthdays, from Dec. 17 to the Jan. 1. Bring more light into your home, and may your holiday be the brightest and the best yet.

1 Wad-of-lights lamp

Make a fun, inexpensive lamp with a string of white Christmas lights stuffed inside a large glass bowl, vase, bottle or glass brick. To hide the cord, use a diamond tipped drill bit to make an exit hole in the back of the glass container. Add layers of potpourri, and the warmth of the lights will bring out the fragrance. (from “Christmas Light Wad Lamps,” www.instructibles.com/ by Istram and Misthula)

Supplies: Large glass container, string of mini LED lights, diamond tipper hole saw or drill bit, potpourri

2 Honey-Scented Candles

One of the simplest ways of making candles is to roll a sheet of wax around a wick. Beeswax sheets have an impressed texture that simulates honeycomb, and are available online in many colors—the best of which is its natural golden hue. Warm the edge of beeswax with a blow dryer to begin, rolling tightly around the wick. Continue warming the beeswax and rolling slowly, keeping the edges even, until you achieves the desired candle width. (from “The Encyclopedia of Candle Making Techniques, A Step-By Step Visual Guide” by Sandier Lea)

Supplies: Beeswax sheets, primed wick, scissors

A sconce is a type of light affixed to a wall.
 This candle sconce uses a reflective spring
 form pan, a Christmas tree candle clip, and
 an embossed pewter candle cuff to
 catch melting wax.

3 Baking-pan sconce

Martha Stewart recommends vintage pans with an intriguing shape and aged patina for her baking pan sconces, but I used a shiny aluminum tart pan right off the Target shelf. To add the candle, clip a candle-holder made for a Christmas tree to the bottom edge of the pan. The sconce can be hung using a plate holder or by tapping a nail through the pan. (from “Parties and Projects for the Holidays, Christmas with Martha Stewart Living” by Amy Conway)

Supplies: Vintage (or new) baking pan, candle clip, plate hanger or nail, small candle

4 Luminiaria

Go southwestern, and use a series of luminaria (a small paper lantern) to line your front walkway, a fence, or indoors on the mantel. For outdoors, use a small, brown paper bag and add enough sand to hold a 3-inch candle upright. For indoors, start with decorative paper, fanfold the paper and cut several notches into the folded edges (like making a snowflake). Unfold, weave ribbon through the holes, wrap the paper around a glass candleholder, and tie the ribbons to secure. (From “Paper Illuminated” by Helen Hiebert; also see Punchy Plaid Luminaria in “Paper Made!” by Kayte Terry)

Supplies: Paper that’s not completely opaque, scissors, ribbon, glass candle-holder with candle

Candles can create a lovely ambiance at holiday time.
 A safer form of flickering candle light is also available in a battery-powered version.

5 Shiny candle cuffs

Candle cuffs around the base of a candle can be both functional (to catch dripping wax) and beautiful. Draw a simple flower-shape onto a sheet of paper, then add lines for details. Polish the soft metal with soft wire wool, place on cardboard, then trace the pattern into metal using a ball tool. Turn the cuff over and push with the tool between the raised lines to emphasize them. Cut the center hole and perimeter with old scissors. Bend the cuff at regular intervals to add dimension.   (from “The Encyclopedia of Candle Making Techniques, A Step-By Step Visual Guide” by Sandie Lea)

Supplies: Metal embossing sheet, fine wire wool, old scissors, cardboard, ball tool, paper

6 Tin can lanterns

Any soda can can be cut into a
 silvery candle holder with a snowflake
 template and an old pair of scissors.

Soup cans can be transformed into gleaming candle lanterns with a hammer and nail. Soak can in hot water to remove label residue. Fill the can with water and freeze so that the ice inside supports it when you hammer the holes. Wearing a glove, hold the frozen can stationary on a towel in a plastic bin (to catch flying and melting ice chips). Cut four 12-inch pieces of galvanized wire to attach to the top edge of the can.  Add beads to the wire, then twist the wires together at the top to create a hook for hanging. (from “The Encyclopedia of Candle Making Techniques, A Step-By Step Visual Guide” by Sandie Lea)

Supplies: Soup can, freezer, old towel, hammer, large nail, galvanized wire, pliers, beads

7 Snowflake candle holder

Turn any soda can into a silvery candle holder with a few household tools. To create a template, cut cardstock as long as the circumference of the can, and as wide as ½ the height of the can. Fanfold the paper into sixths, and draw a ¼-inch line along the bottom. Draw one arm of the snowflake shape (see photo) then cut it out through all six layers, allowing the ¼-inch at the bottom to hold it all together. Trim 1/8-inch off each side to separate the snowflake arms. Open up and tape the template around the bottom half of the can. Trace the design onto the can with a permanent marker, then cut out with a pair of small scissors.  Be careful since the cut metal edges can be sharp. Bend down the arms of the snowflake and add the candle to the center. (from www.instructables.com by canuckgirl)

Soda can, paper, tape, small scissors, pencil, Sharpie, ruler

8 Giant house star

You can make a large 5 or 6-pointed house star several ways. Use PVC trim board and glue the angles together with PVC glue. Or use 8-gauge wire bent into the shape of a star, wrapping the ends together with 24-gauge wire. Or use long redwood stakes and screws. Attach ultra-bright LED string lights to the PVC boards by drilling holes in the boards to accommodate each light. For the wire or wooden star, attach LED or ceramic string lights with zip ties. (from www.instructables.com by dlampe—PVC version; or by gonzolo—wire version)

9 Birch branch menorah

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with a handmade menorah. Saw a thick branch long enough to hold nine candles. Keep a short perpendicular branch or two attached to the larger branch to keep the menorah from rolling. Drill the holes along the branch the same size as the diameter of the candle, making sure they are perfectly perpendicular to the branch. If the holes are a little oversized, set the candles in place with melted wax. (from www.instructables.com/id/Hanukkah-Chanukah-Meorah/ by flippingpuppy)

Supplies: Birch or oak branch long enough to fit 9 candles, power drill, candles

I made my simple menorah by sawing a limb off
 an oak tree in our front yard and drilling
 3/4-inch wide holes for the candles.

Life lessons from Georgia O'Keeffe, letter-writer

Ditch the digital, handwritten is better

Originally published November 16, 2012 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

I know I sound like your mother, but you need to write more letters. I don’t mean to guilt-trip you, and yes, I am more than old enough to be your mother, but just hear me out.

Many would argue (correctly) that the increase in the use of digital media is a good thing for the environment. Ecards, Evites and email are obviously much greener than paper. I do value trees, but is digital communication always appropriate?

The letters of O'Keeffe and Steiglitz were published as a book in 2011, "My Faraway One:
Selected Letters of Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz: Volume One, 1915-1933," which
included a letter from Stieglitz with a photograph of him and O'Keeffe kissing at Lake
George in 1929." (from www.theatlantic.com)

Judith Martin, author of the syndicated Miss Manners column, offers guidance on dealing with the evolving protocol of expressing sincere sentiments in an increasingly impersonal, digital world. Generally, she says that email and texting are okay for casual events and occasions, but formal events and intimate expressions require, at the very least, a handwritten note. Formal weddings, words of sympathy, and love letters should never be digitized.

I hear your excuses—chief among them is that you don’t have time to write letters. You also think your handwriting is too messy, or too illegible, or too inelegant. Or that greeting cards are too expensive, or too tacky, or the U.S. mail is just too slow, or you wouldn’t even know where to buy a sheet of stationery (do they even still make stationery?). And so using digital media is a much more practical choice.

I would counter that the very act of handwriting a letter sends volumes more content than pushing the “send” button, no matter how many words you type. By its very novelty, a handwritten note says that you really care about the person you are writing to. It says that they have a high priority in your life. And it says that your words were chosen carefully and meaningfully, since backspacing wasn’t available.

You probably know who Georgia O’Keeffe is—her flower and skull paintings are as popular and ubiquitous as Freda Kahlo’s face on tote bags. But you may not know much about the woman herself, and that she and her photographer husband, Alfred Stieglitz, were avid letter writers.

"How Georgia Became O'Keeffe, Lessons
on the Art of Living" by Karen Karbo. (from
http://fashionismymuse.blogspot.com)

Georgia O’Keeffe, the letter-writer

Over the course of their 30-year romance, Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz “exchanged more than 5,000 letters—roughly 25,000 pages—on everything from the rich detail of their daily lives to the breathless angels and demons of their passion,” according to Maria Popova in a recent review of a book about their letters. They met in 1914, when O’Keeffe was a 28-year-old nearly penniless student at Columbia University, and Stieglitz was a long-married 54-year-old gallery owner, who famously introduced America to modern art. According to O’Keeffe’s latest biographer Karen Karbo, in her lighthearted book “How Georgia Became O’Keeffe—Lessons on the Art of Living,” their passionate letter-writing began in 1916, when she was teaching in West Texas.

“Every thought that entered their heads was fit to be part of their communication,” writes Karbo. Their correspondence “was so lively, consistent, and increasingly intimate that it could have only ended in bed.” At his bidding, O’Keeffe returned to New York and they lived together but didn’t marry until Stieglitz finally got a divorce 1924. They continued their letter-writing—sometimes two or three letters a day—whenever they were away from each other, until Stieglitz’s death in 1946.

Karbo—whose non-traditional biography explores Georgia O’Keeffe’s life for its teachable moments—in her glib, wisecracking-in-the-footnotes writing style, wonders how we can “develop this kind of rich, multifaceted attachment to someone…now that letter-writing is dead and e-mails are on life support.” She acknowledges that letter-writing was “fun, 1916-style,” which has now been supplanted by “Angry Birds and ‘I Can Has Cheezburger’ and ‘American Idol’ and retail therapy, and everything else we moderns like to do.” But at what cost? (For one thing, we wouldn’t have such wonderful source material for writing biographies about iconic role models like Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz.)

Christine West's workspace for making cards is her desktop.
Supplies needed for decoupage card-making include a
self-healing mat, tweezers, paper-cutter, small scissors,
bone folder, dimensional silicon glue or foam pads,
computer and printer, and cardstock paper.

O’Keeffe and Stieglitz occasionally illustrated their correspondence, which undoubtedly enhanced their message further. Greeting cards can add another dimension to your message, if you avoid tacky or cliché. Take the time to find artwork that is special and personal, or, better yet, illustrate your own messages.

Christine West, greeting card-maker

Some artists make greeting cards from their original artwork. But Christine West’s greeting cards are her artwork. In her native England they call her technique “decoupage,” but it has nothing to do with Mod Podge or varnish.  West takes cut-out images, either found or purchased, duplicates them over and over, then uses dimensional silicon or tiny foam pads to glue them into 3D stacks, sometime 7 or 8 layers tall.

The technique doesn’t require a lot of workspace or materials, and the results are quite extraordinary. “I like to think that people who buy my cards are a little more caring and discerning about what they’re sending. And recognize the art and the work that that goes into them,” says West. “I love to see people look at them and go ‘Oh wow!’ because they are really unique. And it’s very gratifying to have someone love what you do.”

The English version of decoupage is all about making multi-layered, 3D images.  This card made by West, features a
seven-layered image of a bouquet of flowers.

Many of Christine West's designs are whimsical, like turning the
poster art from the Santa Cruz County Fair into a decoupage image,
for which she won a ribbon at the fair.  But she also makes get well,
sympathy, thank you, thinking-of-you, Easter, and Christmas cards.
"You name it, I've got it," she says.  Give her a theme such as mermaids
or golfing, and she'll even make you a custom card.  "If you think of
it, I'll make it," she says.

West sells her cards at Just Baby in Capitola Village, The Dragonfly Gallery in Aromas and more casually at Body Zone in Watsonville, where she goes for exercise. Through YouTube tutorials, you can also learn to make your own decoupage cards, and variations including pyramage (a pyramid-shaped stack), invertage (the opposite of a pyramid, with a deep center) and trinitage (a pop-up card with a foreground, middle ground and background). Google “decoupage cards” and you’ll find examples, supplies and design sheets for making 3D cards on sites such as www.joannasheen.com, www.lapashe.com, and www.imag-e-nation.com.

To create holiday cards, you can reuse artwork from last year’s cards, if you’ve saved them, using your scanner to duplicate images for the 3D effect. Or search for websites with free downloadable decoupage sheets such as www.3dsheets.com. E-How suggests using Christmas coloring worksheets, printable from various websites, so your kids can color the multiple images with crayons or markers. Or, if you want a truly original card, start with images of your own artwork or photographs.

Creating Poetry

2 Open Studio artists make digital art worth seeing

Originally published October 12, 2012 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

When I was a journalism student at Fresno State, professor Flynn—a quirky, straight-talking veteran of both the navy and the Miami Herald—started his reporting class by drawing a list on the blackboard. Flynn’s “Hierarchy of Writers” placed poets at the very top. They were the loftiest, most respected of all writers. Below poets were novelists, playwrights, essayists, advertisers, publicists, etc., and at the very bottom were reporters, the lowliest of all writers, commonly associated with the word “hack” if they did it for too long. I did well in the class, but Flynn’s “Hierarchy” certainly put that into perspective.

"Celeste" by Bonita Diemoz

As a photographer, I have sometimes sensed a similar unspoken ranking for visual artists. At the very top level are, or course, painters—presumably what all artists would aspire to be if only they had the talent. Below painters in significance are sculptors, architects, printmakers, designers and all sorts of crafts-persons. Photographers are nowhere near the top, and, like journalists, probably somewhere near the bottom—or maybe even in a category all their own, separate from art. Why else would photography be excluded from juried art shows, or share the home arts building with the county fair apple pies and postcard collections?  (To be fair, I hope this has more to do with the popularity of photography and the volume of entries, rather than a snub at photography.)

"Rhoda" by Bonita Diemoz

As you might expect (and I love to demonstrate), I don’t know much about poetic writing. But I would refute a hierarchical view of artists. The most talented among us don’t automatically become painters and the rest of us take what’s left over. Being an artist is all about finding your voice, and the best way to express yourself may not necessarily be through dabs of color on canvas.

Those led to photography can be just as brilliant and talented as any other artist. And these days, digital processes have given photographers many more ways of expressing themselves. In the Open Studios Art Tour calendar for 2012 you’ll find 38 photographers and 13 digital artists. Some digital artists further subcategorize their media as collage or mixed media, and print on surfaces as varied as paper, metal, glass and fabric.

Bonita Diemoz’s surreal digitally altered
 photographs are a treat to see, as well
 as her beautiful Victorian home in
 downtown Santa Cruz.  

"Magdalena" by Bonita Diemoz

Bonita Diemoz, who creates digitally altered photographs, will be participating in her seventh Open Studios Art Tour this year. A former weaver and casual photographer, she took a digital photography class at Cabrillo College from Ted Orland about 10 years ago just to learn how to use her new digital camera. But when she also learned how to use Photoshop, she was hooked. “Once I discovered what I could do in Photoshop, I found my niche.” she says. “I love it. I spend hours and hours and hours even though I work fulltime. If I ever get to retire I’m going to do Photoshop all day long every day.”

Diemoz describes herself as the “Cemetery Queen.” Her favorite cemeteries are in Italy and France, where larger-than-life marble statues adorn the graves of the wealthy. On her website, she shares maps to guide others to Staglieno Cemetery in Genoa or Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. “From about the 1880s to about the 1920s there was a real renaissance of people hiring famous sculptors to make their one-of-a-kind monument,” says Diemoz. “Today, that’s just prohibitively expensive.”

"Metamorphosis" by Bonita Diemoz

"Rosebud" by Bonita Diemoz

Over the years, she has amassed a large collection of statuary imagery from visits to her favorite cemeteries—angels with impressive wings, lovers kissing, a mother feeding a baby, a woman sleeping—and has combined these emotive images with dramatic scenery. Local residents will recognize the cliffs, surf and beaches along West Cliff Drive as backdrop for many of her photos. The results are startlingly beautiful and otherworldly, more surreal and romantic than tragic.

Diemoz says people either like her images or they don’t. “I know I don’t appeal to the masses. I used to work for one man that won’t even look at them.” She says she gets a good cross-section of visitors at Open Studios. “The young women seem to like the angels.”

"Domenica" by Bonita Diemoz

Linda Cordy’s paintings and digital collages are
 displayed in her living room, as she gets ready for
Open Studios, with her dog, Bailey. 

Another digital photographer taking part in Open Studios is Linda Cordy, who says she has been an artist “as far back as I can remember.” She started oil painting when she was five with her grandfather, an inventor who owned his own photo studio. “He was so patient and wonderful. He was like the perfect English grandfather,” she says. A photograph of one his inventions—the “Mobilopter”—is featured prominently in one of Cordy’s digital collages, looking like a cross between a huge, bloated insect and a helicopter, and very steampunk. “It really did fly,” says Cordy, so proud of his dream-fueled ingenuity.

"Jelly" by Linda Cordy

Cordy was also a student of Ted Orland’s at Cabrillo College. Her collages are a fascinating combination of objects and places she’s photographed, and she enjoys pointing out local elements in her work that people will recognize, such as the roof of the Rittenhouse Building or the top of the Boardwalk Merry-Go-Round. In addition to combining layers of her own photographs, she uses digital images of her paintings to create texture and subject matter. She also scans real objects such as flowers and feathers for her collages. “I have to go through thousands of photos. There aren’t many photos you can make collages out of,” says Cordy.

"Wonderland" by Linda Cordy

Much of Cordy’s work is personal or family-related. She has a large portrait she painted of her paternal grandmother on the wall of her living room, with words and phrases floating around her head such as “suffragette,” “union organizer,” and “seamstress to the queen”—so her legacy would be remembered. Cordy has also created a digital family tree collage, with biographical photographs of her relatives. And, above her fireplace is a painting of a seductive scorpion fish—a personal and political statement, she says, about her bank. “They have my loan and they have been evil,” she says with a laugh.

"Velocity" by Linda Cordy

As both a painter and a photographer, Cordy might be the first to tell you that there is no way to rank various artists’ mediums. She says that what appeals to her about painting is the “hands-on process, the more organic connection to the work.” But being a digital artist at the same time, gives her a sense of balance. She spends just a many hours on her digital collages as she might on a painting. But, time spent (or not spent) isn’t really the measure of a successful work of art. “Art has always changed to reflect the current culture,” and new art forms like digital photography “always seem to be under scrutiny,” she says. And photography—as popular as it is—isn’t necessarily the tool of artists who can’t paint. “It is not cheating to take a photo. It’s just another way of seeing.”

"Legend" by Linda Cordy

3 Crafty Weekend Getaways

Drive "over the hill" for a perfect day of food, crafts and adventure

Originally published September 7, 2012 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

It’s a distinct pleasure to show someone from out of town the treasures of our county. The beach, the weather, the redwoods, lunch at Charlie Hong Kong—what’s not to like? On top of that, our museums, galleries, downtown, and schools are fiercely dedicated to giving us endless opportunities for learning and making. But, there are exciting things happening over the hill too, in some not-so-far-away locations. The still warm days of September and early October might be the perfect time to extend that summer vacation feeling by getting away from home for a perfect weekend combination of good food, exploration and crafting. Here are my suggestions for three destinations and your itinerary for the perfect day:

Family Threads Quilt Shoppe in San Juan Bautista offers classes in sewing, quilting, and fabric
 painting. In fabric painting, taught by quilter Annie Smith, Louise Coombes applies non-caustic
 fabric paints, made permanent by heat-setting with an iron.

Destination:   San Juan Bautista

Driving time:        49 minutes from Santa Cruz

Classes:                Lapidary, beading, stained glass, quilting, sewing

Eats:                      Vertigo Coffee, JJ’s Homemade Burgers

Special events:   Cactus & Succulent Show, Sat. & Sun., Sept. 15-16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,   courtyard of Jardines Restaurant, 115 Third Street, free

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Summer Outdoor Movies on the Plaza Lawn, Sat., Sept. 29, sunset (8 – 8:30 p.m.), free, www.sanjuanbautistaca.com

Perfect day trip:

Start the morning with a cup of Old San Juan blend and a pastry at Vertigo Coffee, an artisanal microroastery named after that famous Hitchcock movie filmed at the mission. Walk down to Washington Street, and stroll through the amazing cactus and flower garden in the courtyard behind Jardines Restaurant (on Sept. 15-16, you can also see the Cactus and Succulent Show).  Within a few blocks, learn to use the rentable longarm quilting machine at The Last Stitch in their 2-hour class; or take Lapidary 101 at Tops A Rock Shop; or learn to sew or quilt at Family Threads Quilt Shoppe. A little ways out of town, buy organic local fruits and vegetables at Pinnacle Saturday Farmstand on Duncan Avenue before they close at 1 p.m.

Return to town for a jalapeno burger and garlic fries, with friendly chickens patrolling the outdoor patio at JJ’s Homemade Burgers. Window shop along Third Street, but don’t miss the unexpected finds like barber chairs and pinball machines at Fat Willy’s Antiques on Fourth Street, the most eccentric of San Juan’s numerous antique shops. Head for the Historic State Park Plaza on Second Street, and experience the awe-inspiring dignity, quiet and beauty of San Juan Bautista Mission, dedicated 200 years ago in 1812. Search for paw-printed tiles on the mission floor and the grave marker for Maria Antonio Castro McDougall, the widow of Juan Anzar, who once owned vast land grants in the area. Finish the day with a winding drive through San Juan Canyon to the top of 3,169-foot Fremont Peak. Hike a short distance to the spot where Captain John C. Frémont planted an American flag in 1846 to begin his fight for ownership of the Mexican province of Alta California, and, if it’s clear, to watch an orangey sun dip into the Monterey Bay. (Or see “Vertigo” on the Plaza Lawn at sunset, Sat., Sept. 29.)

Vertigo Coffee, 81 Fourth Street, (831) 623-9533, Sat & Sun 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., www.vertigocoffee.com

Tops a Rock Shop, 209 Third Street, (831) 623-4441, Sat & Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., see www.topsarockshop.com for a calendar of classes

The Last Stitch, 107 B The Alameda, (831) 623-4330, www.laststitchquiltingdesignstudio.com                    

Family Threads Quilt Shoppe, 107 D The Alameda, (831) 623-0200, Sat only 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., see www.familythreads.org for calendar of classes

Pinnacle Saturday Farmstand, 400 Duncan Avenue, (831) 623-9422, Sat only 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., www.pinnacleorganic.com

Fat Willy’s Antiques, 603 Fourth Street, (831) 801-7375, Sat & Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Old Mission San Juan Bautista, Second Street, (831) 623-4528, Sat & Sun 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., www.oldmissionsjb.org

Fremont Peak State Park, end of San Juan Canyon Road, (831) 623-4255, 8 a.m. to sunset , http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=564 (www.fpoa.net for Fremont Peak Observatory info) 

Destination:   San Martin/Morgan Hill

Driving time:        58 minutes from Santa Cruz

Classes:                Gourd crafts

Eats:                      Ladera Grill

Special event:     Calabash Gourd Festival, Sat. and Sun., Oct. 6-7, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park, $3 parking fee, www.calabashclub.org/festival2012.html

Gourd artist Cyndee Newick will show her
 creative gourd work at the Calabash Gourd
 Festival in San Martin, Oct. 6-7. “Dragon’s Keep”
 is made from a very large, thick kettle hard
 shell gourd, which is wood-burned and
 carved, and then painted with acrylic medium.
(Photo used courtesy of the artist.)  

Perfect day:

Start the day with a warm apple cinnamon bagel and coffee at Daily Bagel Café at Tennant Station in Morgan Hill. Head south on 101 to find the Wings of History Air Museum tucked behind the San Martin Airport, where you can see a full-sized replica of the 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer and other historic planes. Further south, on Fitzgerald Avenue, find locally grown produce at LJB Farms, including the most perfect peaches you’ll ever see from Andy’s Orchard. Drive north on Monterey Road until you see the giant pyramid of pumpkins at Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park. Stroll through acres of orange, wander through the corn maze, take a hayride or a loop on the Pumpkinville Train, and attend the first ever Calabash Gourd Festival (Oct. 6-7), sponsored by the Calabash Club of Silicon Valley. Get inspiration from the displays of gourd art, then take a half-day gourd craft class to make gourd jewelry, masks, ornaments, or bowls (register in advance on the website). Gourd-craft activities for children, dried gourds and crafting supplies will also be available.

Grab a quick lunch at the festival, or, for more a more elegant dining experience, enjoy tortilla-crusted tilapia or smoked salmon linguini at a sidewalk table at Ladera Grill in downtown Morgan Hill. After lunch, if you call ahead, you can visit the unusual SK Topiary on Santa Teresa Blvd., where you can purchase wire frames (also good for mosaicing) and topiaries of all shapes and sizes, including dolphins, giraffes, cats, dogs and golfers. Then, sip wine on the Grande Terrace overlooking the lovely vineyards at Clos LaChance Winery. Continue south on scenic Watsonville Road for more wine tasting, or stop at Uvas Reservoir to hike over the dam and spillway to a trail overlooking the water where an occasional male tarantula will cross your path in search of a mate. Drive back home through the redwoods on highway 152, stopping at the top of Mt. Madonna for a great view of the Monterey Bay and if you’re lucky, a lovely sunset.

Daily Bagel Café, 614 Tennant Station, Morgan Hill, (408) 779-3933, Sat & Sun 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

LJB Farms, 585 Fitzgerald Avenue, San Martin, (408) 842-9755, Sat & Sun 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., www.ljbfarms.com  

Wings of History Air Museum, 12777 Murphy Avenue, San Martin, 408-683-2290, Sat & Sun 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., www.wingsofhistory.org

Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park, 14485 Monterey Road, San Martin, (408) 78-7225, Sat & Sun 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., http://www.uesugifarms.com

Ladera Grill, corner of Monterey Road and Third Street, Morgan Hill, (408) 201-9200, Sat & Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., www.laderagrill.com

SK Topiary, 13235 Santa Teresa Blvd., San Martin, (408) 686-1918, Sat & Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., www.sktopiary.com, call for appointment

Clos LaChance Winery, 1 Hummingbird Lane, San Martin, (800) 487-9463, check calendar for hours of operation of tasting room

 at clos.com

Uvas Reservoir, 14200 Uvas Road, Morgan Hill, 8 a.m. to sunset

The workroom at SFCB offers plenty of space for workshops and a gallery with handmade book-related exhibits. 
(Photo from SFCB website.)

Destination:   Potrero Hill, San Francisco

Driving time:        1 hour 27 minutes from Santa Cruz

Classes:                Bookmaking

Eats:                      Source, A Multi-Dimensional Dining Experience

Special event:     Roadworks, a Steamrolling Printing Festival, Saturday, September   22, noon to 5 p.m. on Rhode Island Street between 16th and 17th Streets, free, sfcb.org     

San Francisco Center of the Book offers over 300
 classes annually in a wide range of topics
 related to bookmaking. 
(Photo from SFCB website.)

The San Francisco Center for the Book is a cobalt blue building in Potrero Hill, just south of the Design District. Their goal is to foster the joys of books and bookmaking, which they do exceeding well through exhibitions, free community events and over 300 workshops annually. Their Roadworks Street Fair, on Sept. 22, is a day-long printmaking showcase, presented along with food and craft vendors as well as a three-ton construction steamroller making large-scale prints using Rhode Island Avenue as the letterpress bed. Take a mini-workshop at SFCB during the festival, so you can get a taste of their more in-depth classes in binding, printing, and all sorts of book-making arts, including calligraphy, image transfers, trace monotype, journals and accordion books.

This is also a good opportunity to wander around the Potrero Hill neighborhood and discover a part of San Francisco you may not know well, with amazing home décor and antique stores, funky eateries like Source, “A Multi-Dimensional Diving Experience” and the California Culinary Academy.

San Francisco Center for the Book, 300 De Haro Street #334  San Francisco, (415) 565-0545, Sat. noon to 4 p.m., sfcb.org for catalog of classes

Source (restaurant), 11 Division Street at Deharo, San Francisco, (415) 864-9000, Sat & Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.