What are the chances?

What are the chances you can see something as grand as the Grand Canyon? It’s been there for millions of years, hasn’t moved. Our family planned a trip and yes, because it never moved we easily found it in AZ. We have been filled with wonder visiting it several times. What are the chances that one will climb a pyramid in Mexico? It hasn’t moved either in almost a thousand years. So secure in the knowledge it would be there, we scheduled a trip so that our daughters would have such an opportunity to take in a view of the valley of Mexico after climbing hundreds of steps. There are wonderful things to see that are always there, that we can schedule to see on our own time. Then, what are the chances we will see another rocket launch from FL? Now that hangs in the balance.

And here’s one that has happened only once. What are the chances that over 30 of Johannes Vermeer’s paintings would be assembled together in one place, considering his total production was only about 36 paintings that we know about? Don’t know Vermeer? He painted Girl with a Pearl Earring//. Back in 1995 a rare occurrence took place. Over 30 of Vermeer’s paintings were assembled at the National Gallery of Art. Now when you consider that in the month of December of 1995 our government shut down including the NGA, it seemed this amazing event in the art world just might not happen. I couldn’t believe that such an effort was in danger of never happening. As soon as the exhibit opened, the National Gallery of Art closed its doors. However, Alexander Haig came to the rescue finding private funding to assure this never before assembled exhibit could be viewed and attended by thousands. It almost wasn’t meant to be. But it was.

When I learned that this event was to happen, and considering my sister and brother lived in the DC area, I knew I had to take our daughters to visit Uncle Scip and Aunt A between Christmas and New Year’s. My husband encouraged me to take the trip. We planned to make it happen.

And it did. One day between Christmas and New Years, Aunt ‘gette, got everyone up early, very early from sister’s house in VA, as she knew the lines would be long. My daughters, sister, brother, sister-in-law, nieces and I arrived around 6:00 in the morning with the museum scheduled to open around 10:00. It was cold, very cold. My sister dressed me in winter silks, also known as long underwear. The girls borrowed their cousins’ winter gear. Aunt ‘gette did good, because when we arrived, although the line was already long, at least we could see the door. We made “line buddies.” The fellow in front of us, a grad student from NYU, had driven down. The temperature was in the -teens. Brrr…it was so cold. The cousins spent the cold hours together visiting.

And then we were ushered in, only a certain number at a time. My parents had had an art book of Jan Vermeer’s paintings on the coffee table or the book shelf. As a young girl, I had spent hours leafing through the pages over and over again loving the human quality captured in each painting. I also noticed every painting had a light source. So as I remembered that book, I was amazed that at that moment in time, on that day in December of 1995, I was really viewing the majority of his works assembled together here at the NGA, and not collected in a book. I was surprised by the size of Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 63 x 56 inches, much bigger than I had imagined. And similarly I was surprised by the size of The Girl with a Red Hat, 9 x 7 inches, much smaller than I ever visualized. In fact it was painted on wood and not on canvas.

The Girl with a Red Hat, Jan Vermeer, postcard image

It was warm inside the gallery, and the light captured in each of Vermeer’s paintings made everything warmer! Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, The Milkmaid, A Woman Holding a Balance, The Astronomer, The Geographer and A Lady Standing at the Virginals were all there depicting light pouring in from a left hand window. Some works had no windows but suggested the presence of light as in The Lacemaker. As the young girl concentrates on her work, she is dependent on good light to complete it. Her yellow jacket is bright from reflecting the light source.

I have no favorites. Each painting delivers not only a human sensitivity and understanding of its subject, but also shows an artist who was aware of the scientific aids of his time, aids that made colors brighter, fields of focus more clear or obscured. One has the sense that this artist is not just painting but also practicing the art of science using the science and mathematics available to him at the time: lenses, mirrors, the camera obscura, calculated vanishing points. The View of Delft is fascinating in its detail and texture: water, reflections on water, blue sky and varying shades of clouds, a brick bridge, tile roofs and always his bright light shining here into the interior of the city.

"View of Delft" by Johannes Vermeer in a poster print announcing the exhibition of his works at the National Gallery of Art, November - February, 1995-1996

I have no favorites. View of Delft hangs in our dining room. And so does Girl with a Pearl Earring.

And The Milkmaid hangs in our breakfast room.

The Milkmaid, Jan Vermeer, museum print from the Rijks Museum, Amsterdam

What are the chances that all these paintings would congregate together, and not just be collected in a book? Unlike the Grand Canyon or a pyramid, they are scattered again far and wide back in their home museum or private collection.

Have you ever seen something in a book present itself larger than life and all around you?

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“Mom, now where are we going?”

Back in the 90′s when daughter #1 turned 16, I thought it was time for us to take a trip together. Around the same time a colleague and her husband had been transferred by his company to Port of Spain, Trinidad. We corresponded the year she was away, and she invited us to visit. She didn’t know anyone there. Trinidad sounded lovely. It was a place we had never been. What an opportunity I thought, so I took her up on her invitation. It had been a hard year, our daughter’s sophomore year…as a high school teacher I had anticipated that…sophomore year is tough. My good friend, a former teacher and counselor understood and welcomed us with loving arms.

My passport was in order, but daughter #1′s had to be renewed quickly. We waited in line at a government building in Houston one morning, and we secured it the very next day! I couldn’t believe it…yes, our government is at work. This trip was in the making. I had only decided on it in May and by the first week of June we were there!

It all happened “lickety-split”.

At the airport my daughter was excited to notice that Hakeem Olajuwon, a Houston Rockets basketball player was boarding the plane with us. He went to first class, we took our seats in coach. As we took our seats, she reached for a little book she had brought to read on the plane. Her school had created a small book of quotable quotes that each teacher had contributed. The very first quote she found was “The baskets you don’t score, are the ones you don’t shoot.” “You’ve got to get Hakeem’s autograph on that page,” I encouraged. She got out of her seat, went up the aisle into first class and did just that before the plane took off.

So far so good. That was a good sign.

“Mom, now where are we going?” Everything had happened so fast. All I had told her was we were visiting Mrs. R and her husband in the Caribbean, but exactly where, I didn’t know. It had been the end of the school year for her and for me too, and I hadn’t even given that a thought. I knew it was tropical. I was certain we would have adventures…why, she had already gotten Hakeem’s autograph! The prospect of visiting my friend and a chance to get away with my daughter were the only things I had considered.

So I reached for the airline magazine looking for a map. “Oh my goodness,” I gasped. We’re practically going to South America! I knew Trinidad was a Caribbean Island, but I didn’t know it was just a few miles off the coast of Venezuela!

Our adventure continued on the plane. There was another celebrity! Miss Trinidad-Tobago was also, on the flight and she had just won the Miss Universe pageant the month before! I was so grateful, this impromptu trip was turning out better than anything I could have planned.

Hours into our flight, flying over the islands below us, the captain pointed out Guadeloupe, Martinique and Barbados. Inside the plane, a colorful figure went to the front of our cabin and began entertaining us with songs and his portable tin-pan. The adventure continued!

When we landed, it was great to see the familiar face of my friend and her husband. We made our way to the car, and her husband suggested that my friend and I sit in the back seat, and my daughter sit in the front seat. She immediately went to the front right door upon which Mr. R handed her the car keys. “What?” She was clearly confused. “Well, if you take that seat you’ll be driving,” he laughed. This island followed the protocol of driving on the left side of the road and their car was English. He drove.

My daughter at our friend's house in Trinidad georgettesullins.wordpress.com

The days went by quickly. We went into Port of Spain and visited the Queen’s Park Oval, the National Museum, Fort George, the Gingerbread House, walked past the President’s House, the Queen’s Park Savannah and of course, we went shopping! We spent a day at Macaras Beach on the north end of the island. My daughter’s souvenirs for her friends were photographs of their names written in the sands of the beach.

Our final day of touristing, my friend took us to the art studio of Llanos and Maigot. Llanos created charming sculptures of rural life in Trinidad. I picked up two small ones for us and managed to secretly purchase a grand piece, “The Hibiscus House” for our friends as a thank you for hosting us. Right before we left for the airport for our return flight, I left it upstairs on our bed rather than present it to her…I didn’t want to run the risk of her insisting that we keep it. And so we left for the airport without a hitch saying good-bye to the memories that were meant to be.

Fruit Stand, Trinidad, Llanos and Maigot, georgettesullins.wordpress.com

Cannon by well, Trinidad, Llanos and Maigot, georgettesullins.wordpress.com

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Toys Rn’t Us Anymore

It’s spring cleaning time. Thanks to my husband we can park two cars in the garage now. But there’s still so much, that needs to get tossed/sold/donated.

When our realtor sold us our home years ago, he said “You’ll never fill up this house.” Well, that was then, and this is now.

The stuff all around
has gotten so tall.
It’s time to downsize
I’ve issued the call.

That English project
Yes, from ’62,
must go out the door
’tis the thing to do.

The silverplate’s out
in more ways than one.
Sniff, sniff, I loved you
But you all are done.

Coffee and tea pots,
Chafing dishes, trays,
Sugar and creamers,
No, none of it stays.

VHS kid tapes,
cassette tapes many,
my cornucopia,
a horn of plenty.

Boxes piled high, NO–
Toys R’nt Us any more.
Books, dolls, games, markers,
Toys galore’s out the door.

Pictures are going
right out of their frames.
Must find a new place
so I’m not to blame.

Good grief, they all say,
“That’s not a solution.”
Yes, I say back and
it’s my resolution.

Sniff-sniff to our toys stuff,
It’s been fun while it lasted,
But now is the time
for nothing else added.

Have a great weekend!

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What would you pack if you were going to the other end of the world?

In August of ’08 as the Olympic Games were closing, my nephew embarked for Beijing on the adventure of his life. He was offered a teaching position by night and an international business opportunity by day. We didn’t know how long he would be away and my thoughts turned to remembering the life of an expat when I was even younger than he.

He has to have something of home, I thought. So I combed through all our photo albums and began to assemble a suitable scrapbook for him to take and have with him. It couldn’t be large as he could only take x number of kilos. I decided on a brown scrapbook, suede in texture, measuring about 10 x 8 inches. Just the right size to place in the bottom of his suitcase.

He was the first grandchild, the first grandson of my parents, my first nephew, the first child among my siblings. I remembered how excited we were when he was born in April back in the 80′s. I found pictures of him as an infant, toddler, good times at the lake, Christmas reunions and graduation.

We gathered at my brother’s home in August of ’08 to send him off. The family enjoyed going through the pages of the scrapbook and remembering. And then as things happen in families, there was a concern as to whether he could take it as his luggage would be limited. I had thought about that, but surely I thought, if I know my nephew, he will find a place to pack it.

“I have a gift for you,” I told him. We sat down together as he turned the pages, lingering on some longer than others. The last page listed all of us and our birthdays. “I’m not sure you have a memory for all these dates, so I included them on this last page.” “You’re right Aunt ‘gette, I’m not sure I would remember all these,” he laughed.

“Perhaps I should have asked you before working on it, if you would have room for this,” I apologized.

He grinned back at me and assured me, “This is going to China.”

He returned to the States in 2010 after two years. He told me how much he and visitors to his apartment enjoyed the book on his coffee table. “You know people always reach for it when they sit down,” he told me. And in a letter he wrote, “This album was a unique item which allowed people who regarded me as a foreigner in their land to see me as something more than a just a concept. In other words, prior to them perusing the album, I was an object to them and this allowed them to quickly realize I was a person who had a history and a family.”

This August, he will be getting married in Germany. Amazingly, the love of his life and he kept up during the China years. They are high school sweethearts and they are getting married this summer. It’s his birthday this month, and I wish him through this post another amazing year.

What would you pack if you were going to the other end of the world?

Sherry, at Travel Spirit, commented below and just posted “What’s in my backpack” as she prepares to leave for Africa at the end of the month. Look what she has packed.

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A-B-C

Dianna at These Days of Mine and MJ at Emjay and them presented me with a new blog award, the ABC (Awesome Blog Content) award recently . Thank you, I am honored that you feel my blog has awesome content!

When accepting the ABC award , the recipient is supposed to list 26 things about themselves, in alpha order. After thinking about this for a while, here is a list of adjectives and phrases that came to mind as I reflected on my ABC content.

A An American girl from another American country, Mexico
B Boy crazy, as grandsons are on my mind this year.
C Cat spoiler as I lift T-Bob up to the sink for his daily drinks.
D Decorator of the seasons: holidays and birthdays…friendly scarecrows, not quite a baker’s dozen, Cinderella cake
E Efficient at work.
F Fair to my students, faithful to my family and friendly.
G Georgette Sullins. Google the name. There’s only one.
H Homebody now.
I Incognito? See “G”. But then, I do carry on this blog and my comments in a capacity other than my official one.
J Just try to
K Keep up. Thanks to the blogs I read and my readers who teach me the A-B-C’s of this.
L Light weight folks tell me, but I haven’t missed a meal.
M Mom to two girls.
N Notice things nice
O Oblivious at times which allows me to become awesomely surprised.
P Polite
Q Quiet spots. Love them.
R Reliable. I do show up.
S Sentimental. Yes, most definitely.
T Techno goddess, one blogger calls me. Yes, I can convene web meetings twice a week, conduct an online class, scrapbook with smilebox and creative memories digitally, but I do have my limits.
U Upbeat.
V Very
W Willing to try new things.
X xxx-ooo-xxx to my grandson in CA.
Y Youthful. Graduated from high school. Went to college. Then went back to high school where I taught for 33 years.
Z Zealous about things that just have to be!

Now I am to share this award with other bloggers I enjoy. Just look over to my blogroll – you’re sure to find a new favorite! And to Dianna and MJ, thank you again! This month marks one year that we are blogging friends and I thank you for the winds you have put in my sails.

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Still going for a hat trick*

Well Peter Rabbit visited us for Easter. On Thursday we got the surprising news that daughter #2 and SIL will be having a healthy baby boy! No, no Flopsie or Mopsie to outnumber the guys in our household. So it’s official, after years of girls outnumbering the guys, then the girls and guys running neck in neck, we will be +1 boy, outnumbering the Sullins girls. So what has this got to do with the title of today’s post?
Well, Peg had this short story contest and the prize was a beautiful green jacket. Congratulations to Darla at She’s a Maineiac who won. As things work out, we both got our prizes (I’ll be a grandma again…Darla got her well-deserved jacket) and life goes on.
Below you’ll find my entry. In fact I have tweaked it a bit as it’s now become 33% fiction and 67% fact. You know, art reflects life and life reflects art. If you haven’t read it, I’ll let you discern the fact from fiction. Anyway, I thought I would go ahead and share it with you. Read on.

“I met this hockey fan when I got caught speeding,” I explained to my bff.

“Say what?” bff asked.

“All of a sudden I saw these cherry lights in my rear view mirror. I pulled my ear buds out and then I heard it. His siren. Uh-oh.”

“Miss” he said, “Do you have any idea how fast you’re going?”

“Oh dear, officer. I’m sorry. I’m on my way to a hockey game and I don’t want to miss the face off. I’m new on the job and my boss bought us all tickets.”

“Hockey…huh?…you do need to be careful. Can’t take the roads like those hockey players take the ice.”

“Yes, officer, I’m sorry.”

“Who’s playing? …uh…Tom What-cha-ma-callit with the Dallas Stars.”

“Who? Oh you mean Tom Wojciechowski?”

“Yes, that’s it. His name is Tom Wha-cha-cha-cha-ski.”

“Tom Wojciechowski,” he pronounced his name again slowly. “Here…let me write it down for you.”

He wrote it down and handed me this little slip of paper. I put that piece of paper in the pocket of my Aileen green blazer. I’d bought it because it had the colors of the Dallas Stars…green, gold and some red… and, because I knew that the guy with the dreamy blue eyes whose office was down the hall would be there.

“Dangerous game hockey. Dangerous as a car speeding. But Tom Wojciechowski plays fair. No checking from behind or boarding. That’d get a five-minute major in the penalty box. Here’s your speeding ticket.”

“I was glad I had brought kleenex. I wanted to cry. This new job was costing me.”

“Oh, may I ask a favor?  You can text me at this number…let me know if our man scores.”

“Dressed in my colors so ‘you know who’ would notice me I got to the game. The puck went flying. Ostoski took control and then Wojciechowski took possession. Then, he hurled the puck into the net right past the goalie.”

“Who was that?” a girl from the office asked.

“Tom Wojciechowski,” I answered.

My boss was impressed. I hadn’t butchered his name.

Right in front of us as we sat behind the glass, Ostoski checked Wojciechowski from behind.

I jumped up yelling “Five minute penalty!”

Again my boss looked at me impressed.

Unimpressed my bff asked me, “Did ‘what’s his name with the blue eyes’ ever talk to you?”

“No, he brought a date and was totally into her green eyes. hmmmm….I think I’m going to take that jacket back. I got this speeding ticket…and then I broke my foot.”

“You broke your foot at the hockey game?”

“I broke it as I was leaving.  I texted this hockey fan that Tom had scored three times and Dallas had won 3-0.  I never saw the stairs in front of me.”

 
So the three Sullins girls press on. Daughter #2 will become a mama soon. I look forward to becoming a grandma for a second time.

So Peter says I'm going to be a granny rabbit again

And, I will continue writing on this blog about things I know and other things I have experienced, that have left their mark in the recesses of my memory…like watching Gordie Howe play hockey at Cobo Hall in Detroit. How exciting it was to see him play in Houston with the Houston Hurricane hockey team soon after I graduated from MSU and returned back to Houston. Michigan had followed me back home. And, daughter #1 continues to be a fan of her CA lifestyle seeking out her hat-trick.*

*A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. (Wikipedia)

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Just curious…take a poll or two

Sailboat in a "calm" from our friend gw

As I approach Easter weekend, I find myself in a “calm” and just wondering how you would answer. Happy weekend!

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What Sailing Taught Me…About Blogging

Sail Boat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t sail any more.  The fact that we don’t have a boat could have something to do with it.  But when we did have one, I remember the lessons it taught me.

1.  Take care of your boat.  Wipe it down.   Empty excess water from the cockpit or any water trapped inside its interior. Put the rudder, centerboard and sails away being careful that they are dried too.  Over time, repaint, apply fiberglass or varnish.

Note to self: Maintain my site. My boat and how I sail can always be identified by the number on my sail.

2. Attach the rudder, firmly and securely.  Be sure it snaps in. Slide the bolt and secure it.  Grab the tiller and wait for the wind to tug on the sail.  Feel the rudder pressing the water, and watch it slicing the water in a herringbone ripple behind me. When I catch a good wind, the boat may even cock up a bit, lift high on the water not deep or even with the water.

Note to self: Offer up posts with the intent of going somewhere. Some rides are as exhilarating as a windy afternoon sailing, especially when the keel rides at a 30 degree angle to the water and I lean out commenting and reading. When my posts don’t ride, I chalk it up to a “calm”.  I return.  Test the wind again another day.

3.  Push the centerboard down once I leave shore.  If I do it too soon, it may drag the bottom.  It may damage the board and it will slow me down.  If I do it too late, I’ll start out off course, with no direction.  A sudden wind not controlled will send the boom flying and make me duck anticipating the unexpected or knock me up the side of the head.  Yes,  push down the centerboard all the way down so it extends deep below the keel.

Note to self: I push publish on Sundays and Thursdays, pushing that centerboard deep below the keel. No pulling it back up. Pulling it up brings my boat to a sudden standstill.

4.  Rig the the sail and hang onto the rope with a good sized knot at the end of it..  Either me or my co-captain can do that.  But, if I’m alone, I can still do what’s required: rig the sail, handle the rudder and control the sail.  Hold it taut all the while working the rudder, pointing the boat in the direction of the wind.

Note to self: Post. Check in and engage in the conversations my readers lead me to.  Don’t let any reader slip past the knot. Let me be surprised by the strength of the next wind. Who knows where the winds may lead?

5.  Wear a life jacket.  I may capsize.  The boom may knock me down or out…never happened to me thank goodness, but it’s possible. I may experience a calm so frustrating there is no wind that takes me anywhere.  If that’s the case, I may have to jump out, grab the bow of the boat and swim her in.

One time I capsized, sat on the centerboard under the keel to right her up, climbed back into the boat feeling the gentle mist from the wet sails on my face.  When I got back to shore, my brother commented “You’re bleeding, you’ve got a gash in your right side.”  “What?”    I never felt it…but sure enough…I was bleeding.  I remembered when the boat capsized sliding over the splash board, two boards coming to a relatively sharp point just beyond the cockpit and behind the mast.  That must have been when it happened.

Note to self: At times I stretch and fall outside of my comfort zone.  But if I feel the “gash” of publishing, my wonderful readers take away the sting. At other times, I read amazing posts observing others stretch out of theirs. I read.  I comment.  I hope to encourage.  If I disagree, I come back consistently, wanting to know what and how others think. Learning and connecting is my life jacket.

6.  If there’s a storm brewing, take in the ride, and get the heck back to shore.  An aluminum mast can attract lightening and…there’s water, water everywhere.  Sometimes I feel the splash of waves over the bow.  The ride gets choppy and bumpy.  I ride it out, all the while heading for shore.

Note to self: Ride it out, comment, like or at times, reserve comment.

7.  If there’s a calm, be patient.  Work what wind I can muster tacking in a zigzag fashion finding wind wherever I can until I get back.  Sometimes, I will need to force the issue by grabbing the boom and moving it back and forth.  Or, I may have to climb out, grab the bow and swim her in.  If I’m in salt water, beware of the jellyfish.

Note to self: Visit my regular reads and something new.  Sometimes, I visit new sites several times.  I reflect on what I’ve just read and find a connection. I may find wind, or none at all. 

I think back on these lessons as I blog.  I don’t have a sail boat anymore.  I do have this blog now.  I am sustained by the winds, the water’s currents, the captains.  For sure, I will remember these lessons too.

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