winter delight in the art of Sue deLearie Adair

Dark-eyed Junco; etching with colored pencil by Sue deLearie Adair as seen at Cornell Ornithology Lab

Summer has been lingering here, but there have been some moments of cool crispness. Birds are getting itchy to prepare for the change in seasons.

The neighborhood House Sparrows have been behaving differently, flocking more so these days, and the Goldfinches are loving our sunflowers. Here in Southeast PA, more bird species will leave than arrive for winter. But one of my favorite birds is about to become common after not being seen all summer. So the blooms fade, but the Juncos delight.

Dark-eyed Juncos surely dug our bird feeders last winter and hung around into spring before they headed north to nest. I could have very well seen a junco while in Ithaca, NY where we saw the splendid bird art of Sue deLearie Adair on exhibit at the Ornithology Lab of Cornell University.

Her art was behind glass so it was a bugger to photograph, but the junco cooperated and then a sideward glance caught evidence that her art can be quite colorful.

"Day-time Night Heron" Black-Crowned Night-Heron; Watercolor, colored and graphite pencils by Sue deLearie Adair as seen at Cornell Ornithology Lab

Sometimes all you get is a Silhouette: The Wall of Silhouettes, by James Prosek

The Wall of Silhouettes, by James Prosek at Cornell Ornithology Lab. Photo: Wayne Stratz (2015)

While Jane Kim is creating a world of colorful birds in her mural, James Prosek is showing how knowing shape and form can help when color is not perceived when birdwatching.

The walls are alive with birds at the Visitor Center of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

James Prosek began his career with a book of watercolors celebrating trout. See his colorful fish here.

A Blue Lift for Jane Kim of Ink Dwell as she creates a world of birds

Jane Kim at Cornell University Ornithology Lab creating bird mural

more stuff here

Finding Crow Shirts: Shopping Stratoz Style

Andre Harvey, Sounding The Alarm, 1983  Bronze on Walnut Base at the Brandywine Museum. Photo by Wayne Stratz

 I dig birds. It is that simple. I have for a long time. Cornell University celebrates birds and has recognized the value of those who feed birds.

So when we dicided to take a short vacation to re-explore Ithaca, I was curious if we could visit the bird lab. We could. The next few posts will celebrate the art and nature we experienced. But let us start with the shirt on my back. Margaret says, "They have a shirt with you written all over it." 

That was just the cool front. Come back to see that in the next post. 

Then we opened it up and read the back. Celebrate the amazing life of crows. I do it in my classroom, on afternoon walks through our neighborhood, in sermons I have given, and now on my back.

Stop! Watch a crow.

My Crow Research shirt tells it like it is. Photo by Margaret Almon

Vonnegut at Cornell University: two eyes and a quote

art by Kurt Vonnegut as seen at Cornell University. 2015

 Do you like being asked about favorites? What is your favorite cake, flower, 80's band, color, ... author?  To say one is a favorite seems wrong to me. Really are Cosmos better than Dahlias?

There was a time period where Vonnegut was one of my favorite authors. His writing spoke to where I was in my early and mid twenties and I read everything I could get my hands on. I am not sure if I would enjoy it as much these days, maybe.

art by Kurt Vonnegut as seen at Cornell University. 2015

I did not go to Ithaca to see his art. I was much more interested in seeing waterfalls, which I did. But it was there on a steep campus and now I can remember my younger days. Legs and spirit that would have carried me about a campus that now looked better suited for mountain goats than humans.

But here is a Vonnegut quote shared by the museum currator, and at this moment in time, as brief as moments can last... It is my favorite. Maybe it needs to be taken within me when I enter my studio.

quote by Kurt Vonnegut as seen at Cornell University. 2015

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William Henry Miller Inn-- better than a drug store

I have been writing up a storm here which means I am spending less time with my photographs over at Flickr. Today I decided to do both--- post some photos then blog about it. On our way up to Jazz in Rochester, we stayed over night at the William Henry Inn in Ithaca, which was close to the church I recently blogged about.

Sometimes things work out nicely. Drive into a town you were to once before, but not for over 10 years. Turn here, turn there. Park. Get out and see your Bed and Breakfast across the street. Head off for lunch, but lunch is another post which will feature a very cool mosaic.

I think this is about preserving what is good and right in the world. Apparently Lansdale once had a very cool historic inn, but right before we got to town it was torn down for a drug store. As a connection... in its final operation it had been a tapas bar, which is one of the reasons we went to Ithaca, not the place with the mosaic.

Anyway, it seems that drug stores have a tendency to tear down historic buildings in this part of the state. I don't have money to buy them to save them... well I did buy a home that is over 100 years old...

Anyway, we do support some who do work to preserve what is good and beautiful in the world... and we do this by having a budget whose 5th highest category is donations.

1. The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
2. The Lansdale Historical Society-- an organization that mourned the demolition

These places point out what is endangered, what can be seen, and keep stories alive from our past. There are places we can not afford to stay in, but there are also some historic places we can afford. Maybe that means a shorter vacation, less souvenirs, or whatever. But we love these historic places and so we put out limited money where our passion flows. and yes the breakfast surrounded by amazing stained glass was quite an experience. Lansdale lost their inn, Ithaca still has theirs.

below are some stained glass shots I took with the permission of the current owner.

a bad strategy

Mosaic Woman and I often speak of strategies that....

Avoidance is one of those. Avoid a problem, a conversation, a project, an issue, a desire, a difficulty, a love, a promise... and you do not get rest.

I leaped into a commissioned project and it flowed till it was one step away from being finished. But it was something new and I was filled with fear of doing something new. Thus I called on avoidance and the project sat. I avoided researching the task, I avoided talking to the woman who had commissioned the work, I avoided doing any stained glass work. Clearly it was a strategy that was working quite well.

But the kingdom unfolds and if we take advantage of situations that come our way...




in this case it was a catalog from Delphi glass and a prompt from Mosaic Woman who was looking through it.... "There are some tools here for cutting zinc came..." and the avoidance was gone. Well I could have screamed and ran from the room, but at that instant...



then two days after the package came, the one who commissioned the project in the midst of a tour walked into my room. Asked about the status and praised me for my work at the school and in my studio. Telling the person with her and my students of my talents. She heard my story and my apology and my promise to complete the project this weekend.

coming out of avoidance is not easy. But there is help out there...







all these photos were taken in Ithaca, NY on the way to Jazz in Rochester and make up part of St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, which we came across doing one of our favored activities--- walking about.