Notes from Columbia's visit (South Carolina)

One day cousin John and I went to the Columbia Museum of Art to see the show of French art from impressionists. I've shared some of the ones I liked over on my blog Alchemy of Clay.

Here we arrived at the museum to see sculptures all around the courtyard by the entrance.

I didn't see a plaque giving the artist credit, but maybe I was not looking far enough.

Hanging above us in the lobby was a Chihuly blown glass sculpture.

The galleries had a lot of people, but it didn't feel crowded. The people were as interesting as the displays sometimes!

After seeing all of the French exhibit, I needed to rest a bit. 

This somewhat artificial bouquet was next to me...somehow real flowers had been infused with something to keep them looking fresh. As I sat there, I saw across the lobby to the stairs leading up to the permanent collection (which I didn't have the energy to visit this time.)

The woman sitting on the far left (seated in dark clothes) had tripped and fallen on the lowest set of stairs, and the docents at the desk picked up a phone immediately. But the fallen woman slowly turned over and sat up, and was with at least one friend, who helped her to a chair. So the docents cancelled the EMTs that were probably about to come help her. That was the excitement at the museum that day!

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My cousin, John, was a fabulous host, who actually works a bit from home composing music.. He also teaches composition at USC. So it was imperative to me to not make any sounds while he was composing (my rule). But he was attentive to every sound, so I knew that my presence was disturbing, no matter what I did. 

I spied this mural as we drove along from getting groceries. 

A bit difficult to see as we drove by...

Among all the modern shiny glass perhaps its a tribute to the past of Columbia.

The South Carolina State Capitol. Don't know which confederate general is standing there.

Today's quote:

"Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending." Jim Henson

Sharing with Thankful Thursday! My gratitude well is very deep and full at this time, having so much help offered and shared.

Refuge-nest with cousin

 My refuge-nest for a week (plus!)...as an evacuee from Black Mountain NC

And here are a few photos from my cousin John's in Columbia SC.

Here I'm nebulizing with that foggy thing in the lower left. Love John's back porch!

The living room with a few of John's books, and 3 pottery pieces made by myself! He keeps it nice and clean and tidy. I was impressed, and determined to have as nice a setting for myself when I get home...lots to throw out first!

John's nice house. It has lots of room inside, and I enjoyed the guest room.

Another house in the neighborhood was decorated for Halloween.

Wax mallow plant, one I'd never seen before.

The wax mallow, probably planted by his next door neighbor who has lots of pretty plants.

Lunch on the back porch!

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Updated Sun. at 9:00 am. I'm packing up from my friend's refuge (in North Carolina, not this one depicted here) and heading home to Black Mountain in an hour or so.

Today's quote:

John Muir reportedly began each day by asking the question:
”How can I be at one with nature?” He spent countless days studying everything from wild mountain goats to the smallest of wild flowers.

Living after the disaster

 Friday was the last day the town meetings were held in the Town Square to share info. Here's the Town of Black Mountain Facebook link.

I keep scrolling through Facebook where some updates are continuing. As of Sunday nobody could say they had water in Black Mountain, except a couple of people near the golf course apparently (where they had a spring for several homes.)

I know the head of Public WorksServices told his crew to take today off, after steadily working for 14 days, as he tearfully thanked them for staying on the job rather than being with their families during this disaster. That last town meeting in the square had words of appreciation with many tears by the leaders of Black Mountain. I'm so proud to be part of this small community.

These bucket trucks are lucky to have a solid ground to work from

Many animals have been rescued.

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Which reminds me, I went to the UU Congregation of Columbia SC yesterday. I enjoyed the music which was familiar, and allowed me to cry. I felt welcomed, having been a Unitarian for around 50 years, off and on. Then they were supporting a farm which rescues animals as half of the collection. The man from the farm brought 2 tiny piglets and held them so we could all be wowed by the little guys, out of the 50 he rescued from a Georgia blighted farm where they weren't really rescuing pigs. Now you don't expect to see piglets in church every Sunday now, do you?

After the service hey had a lovely taco-serve-yourself, so I had lunch with them. I was impressed by their dozen of children who came to the "story time" early in the service. I hadn't seen so many children in a UU church in a while.

The music was outstanding, though where I sat the piano overwhelmed the choir, even though they were miked. There was even a drummer and an electric bass guitar player. 

Now I'm gratefully sitting in my personal retreat-nest...where I've contributed some groceries for the next couple of days...which John will probably prepare. I can breathe at least (which was the primary reason for leaving Black Mountain.)

I hope all the bloggers out there are doing ok, dealing with whatever comes along in your lives. Sometimes it's a little butterfly blessing, just a sweet thing that's unexpected. And once in a lifetime it's a mudbath and houses washed away in waters. But I'm a survivor, as are many of us. And I also believe love and kindness are the fundamentals of how people can interact together.

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Oh I forgot! Happy Canadian Thanksgiving y'all!

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Today's quote:

There are two possible outcomes: If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. 

-Enrico Fermi, physicist and Nobel laureate (1901-1954)

Meeting cousin John

My friend Helen and I drove to Columbia SC a week ago, to see an exhibit of M. C. Escher's works at the Art Museum there. I'll be sharing my photos from that trip over on my art blog "Alchemy in Clay."

Yet I also knew that a cousin lived there and taught at U of SC...music department. His sisters had shared information on FaceBook about some of his compositions. I'd listened to them at that time. But I hadn't been in touch with him for many years.

Actually I hadn't seen John since he was just a boy, a year older than my oldest son. We camped with his father and next older sister when John was about 12...and they were in a camper trailer, while I was in a camper van with my two older sons, somewhere in Wisconsin. We (my sons and I) were beginning a summer of travel all over the west of the country. We started in FL, where we ended up after putting 10,000 miles on the van (and new tires I think.)

John's family lived in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His oldest 2 sisters had already married and left home. But since then, I've shared comments back and forth sometimes with the 3 sisters who are my friends on FaceBook...but John doesn't do social networking of any kind.

So I timidly asked his sisters if they thought I should email John and see if I could get together or at least have a phone call with him. Since it was already June, I didn't know for sure that he wouldn't be teaching classes. My email was answered positively and we met for lunch.

It was great to spend two hours getting to know this talented young man (well, in his 50s, but young to me!) 

Here is one of Helen and myself after we had a good lunch, and were about to head home again.

We enjoyed our visit, and have continued to email with John since then, making sure he knows we'd love to have him visit Black Mountain NC.

Today's quote:

Real life most often happens during the in-between times, when we are not celebrating a special occasion.