Film Noir II at the Ambler Theater

Our favorite theater, The Ambler Theater, has once again teamed up with our friend, Joanne Leva, to have an evening of poetry-noir. We will be over there and as you can see above, I have joined Mosaic Woman in being inspired by black and white and grays. The link will give you the details on the film, The Narrow Margin, which will start tomorrow night (3/30/11) at 7:30. We will be setting up before the movie and will hang around after the show to talk to the movie goers about our craft.

I only used three sheets of glass to create my four film noir starflowers. Three were old designs that spoke well to the idea and the fourth may look like one of my jazz improv pieces, but I designed it and cut out the pieces with this in mind. OK, the design was inspired by the improv pieces:


The Black glass is quite good at blocking all visible light, but the white glass was no match for this sunlight:


Mosaic Woman has been busy creating all kinds of mosaics for the event including a mirror that she just finished and is taking photographs of as I sit here completing this post.................... ...



see you in Ambler.

hectic pace

In 9 days starting on the first Sunday of March...

Jazz Vespers at St John's Lutheran Church in Ambler PA that evening. Very cool... their premise was not a bunch of structure, just open up a space for jazz musicians to praise God through their musical talents.

The next evening.... left a long short day of work to go to the Philadelphia Flower show. Internal response something like this--- awed by the immense displays, and curious how much waste is created. Evening included some Burmese cuisine at a place called Rangoon. after dinner we focused on the potted plants and I wondered why I never entered anything????

The next evening I led a Bible discussion at my church. We focused on Numbers 11: 4-9, or how we tend to murmur about what used to be good in our life instead of remembering the bad that went along with it.

The next evening.... to the gym with that free time

Thursday night... my class at Temple Ambler, where I saw three sings of spring... a dwarf Iris of immense beauty, at least three male red-winged blackbirds up from the not too distant south, and the Temple University baseball team outside practicing.


next day... after work I went on an over night retreat got home on Saturday in time to witness a nasty storm and then venture out for Vietnamese food.... one more thing about that retreat. After speaking out loud about my experience with the spiritual exercises, a woman came up to me and said she was compelled to tell me to be gentle with myself.

Sunday... Long trip to Philly featuring Belgium Food at a place called Monks and then to see the Pennsylvania Ballet Company dance to Handel's Messiah, which was played by the Ballet's orchestra and sung by Philadelphia Kantorei. Ended with the ascension of Jesus and the descending Holy Spirit.

Monday... a night off to exercise and pray and stained glass (yes, I am back to the Joy project and the spiritual exercises.)

Last night.... a celebration of something that started 35 years ago... a Jazz festival in Germany, a call for an jam session, two show up, a Jam duet begins what has not ended. The last of the paired down concerts took place last night and Chick Corea and Gary Burton were just amazing. Two man in their 60's filled with a passion for music and in front of an audience so receptive that I am not sure if I ever experienced anything quite like it before.

Tonight... blog than.... exercise, stained glass, prayer....

any of these happenings could have been a full post.... onward....


This is not the time to murmur about how good life used to be when it was not quite this full.

Jesuits in outerspace, gardeners in Ambler

This week I heard that for 200,000 dollars folk can spend a few moments in weightlessness. So far I know of no Jesuits who have signed on for the trip. This is about enjoyable reading and again it is about what books can flow into your life.

We do utilize the library here in Lansdale, but for a greater selection we head off to the Genius Belt... Bucks County likes to consider themselves this because of a wave of artists and writers that flowed into the area years ago. The Michener museum next to the library has a great selection of Pennsylvania Impressionism that speaks so greatly in my heart that loves the landscape they captured on canvas. We live just outside of the belt.

Anyway... type in Jesuit into a library search engine and next thing you know you could be reading science fiction. I just finished Children of God by Maria Doria Russell, which is a continuation of her first novel-- The Sparrow. Recommend both to fans of Jesuits and/or science fiction. She was not afraid to get help along the way so that what she did was authentic and in the list of those she acknowledge you will find a few men with S.J. after their name. Her list of experts made me think of my journey.

Eight years ago I was offered a job opportunity which I did not feel qualified for and said so to the person offering the job. I love the job and am glad I took it, but have always felt embarrassed by my lack of training. In those years I have learned quite a bit about horticulture, but did not search out expert advice very often. Thursday evening I sat (dug frozen soil to send for testing, taste tested 10 types of apples, weeded through seed packets, became part of a group of young undergrad students) through my first horticulture class at Temple Ambler. So now it is time to kick myself ever so gently for waiting 8 years and pat myself on the back (ever so gently) for not waiting any longer.

And bringing the decision to take the class before God in discernment--- the downsides of it taking up time, money, and energy; seem to be out weighed by how I see this will benefit my students.

open arms

I guess I want a full life. Contemplating the busyness of the last three months, I noticed I have yet decided on focusing my energy in one pursuit, unless that pursuit is a full life with God. I can't imagine not doing any of the things I had considered being my life's focus, but Temple Ambler greeted me with open arms and it may be a place to take courses to increase my wisdom.

Water freezes at 32 degrees and looking at the ice covered trees made me appreciate salt's influence on the freezing point as I drove from work to an open house for adults at Temple's Ambler campus.

I got some nice attention, being the only adult who showed up. My first words were my desire: I am a man with a BS and a MS who wants to take classes in horticulture and horticulture therapy without pressure to work towards a degree. "Welcome."

A half hour later I was signed up for a class on food crops and touching the ice on the branches I passed on the way to my car.

After visiting three other colleges in the last year where I would be pressed to fit their agenda into my life, it was so comforting to be greeted by a college that would let my life fit into their agenda.

photo note-- in August I mourned for a tree near death at Wernersville. This is all that was left when I went back last week.

finally, my profile is complete

So, those who have been with me since I started this blog may be wondering if my life is really filled with stained glass and bandages. well, my house has many windows where my glass hangs, even if I did not do anything more than look at my completed projects for the last several months. But now my house is missing four, for as of today and until at least the 5th of November they will be hanging in the storefront of the Ambler Flower Shop. Stores in downtown Ambler, PA have opened their shops up for local artists. M's mosaics are in a shop called Mojave Moon. M is just off a successful craft fair event and is on her way to setting up a business. I joke all afternoon about being a hobbyist.

This is my first attempt at selling my work. I have been drawing doodles and designs for my entire life, possibly there were some done in the womb. I have only been designing stained glass for a couple years. Plenty have been given away to friends and family.

The man in the shop says if they don't sell during Ambler's festival, that he thinks he can sell them and we can set up some kind of consignment deal. Am I on my way to be a craftsmen?

Tonight I go into my studio. I cut half the pieces for a suncatcher and grind them into shape. No blood, so no bandages.

Yes, my life is filled with stained glass. Now what about that quilt project?