(no subject)
Yesterday started with shopping and ended in a cemetery. All in all, not a bad way to start the new year.
I went to Winterthur Museum
with my friend Phil yesterday. He is an antique guy, therefore he was ecstatic. There was one point where he was taking photographs of the underside of a tea table (he explained why, something about the design and how you could spin the table) and I was like, "Ooh look! These plates have fishies on them!"
Okay, so my appreciation of antiques is purely aesthetic. I did learn that the styles I've never been fond of are Queen Anne and Chippendale and the ones I like are Empire and Regency. So now I know which antiques to ask for in the wills by name, ha ha.
I also learned the difference between CT Windsor chairs, RI Windsor chairs and MA Windsor chairs. I couldn't tell you what the difference is at this point-I didn't retain it for long. Oh wait-something about the RI chairs having a narrower something-or-other on the legs. That's the only bit that stuck.
Phil builds reproduction Windsor chairs so this was relevant to his interests. He uses antique tools and is incredibly talented. He's a bit of a freak, though, and would be perfectly happy if he could live life they way it was lived in Marblehead, Mass, circa 1820.
In the textiles exhibit he pointed to some dresses and said, "Wouldn't it be great if we still dressed like that?"
"Yeah, YOU put on all those petticoats, corset, stays and hoops every day and tell me how great it is."
He pointed to a portrait of a man with a ruffly shirt and black coat. "C'mon, you know I could rock that."
I glared at him. Thing is, he totally could rock that look. If Phil ever gets married his bride better be a fan of complicated costumery. If he can't wear ruffles and shoes with buckles on them at his wedding he'll probably call it off.
After the museum we went to Jessop's Tavern in Old New Castle to round out the early-American theme of the day and then took pictures in the cemetery next to the old Episcopal Church. I'll post the cool ones in a week or so--Phil actually uses film, so it takes a while to get them on to a computer.
This is Phil with his antique (c. 1950s, I think) 35mm AFGA camera with two filters on it to make a macro lense, trying to take a picture. He's next to a greenhouse and the sun rays are spilling through it.
So while I didn't get to burn anything like a good Celt, it was a lovely Samhain and an excellent way to kick off the year. Tonight: Dinner, wine, dancing and people-watching on Delmarva Power's dime with anonymously4. EXCELLENT.
I went to Winterthur Museum
with my friend Phil yesterday. He is an antique guy, therefore he was ecstatic. There was one point where he was taking photographs of the underside of a tea table (he explained why, something about the design and how you could spin the table) and I was like, "Ooh look! These plates have fishies on them!"
Okay, so my appreciation of antiques is purely aesthetic. I did learn that the styles I've never been fond of are Queen Anne and Chippendale and the ones I like are Empire and Regency. So now I know which antiques to ask for in the wills by name, ha ha.
I also learned the difference between CT Windsor chairs, RI Windsor chairs and MA Windsor chairs. I couldn't tell you what the difference is at this point-I didn't retain it for long. Oh wait-something about the RI chairs having a narrower something-or-other on the legs. That's the only bit that stuck.
Phil builds reproduction Windsor chairs so this was relevant to his interests. He uses antique tools and is incredibly talented. He's a bit of a freak, though, and would be perfectly happy if he could live life they way it was lived in Marblehead, Mass, circa 1820.
In the textiles exhibit he pointed to some dresses and said, "Wouldn't it be great if we still dressed like that?"
"Yeah, YOU put on all those petticoats, corset, stays and hoops every day and tell me how great it is."
He pointed to a portrait of a man with a ruffly shirt and black coat. "C'mon, you know I could rock that."
I glared at him. Thing is, he totally could rock that look. If Phil ever gets married his bride better be a fan of complicated costumery. If he can't wear ruffles and shoes with buckles on them at his wedding he'll probably call it off.
After the museum we went to Jessop's Tavern in Old New Castle to round out the early-American theme of the day and then took pictures in the cemetery next to the old Episcopal Church. I'll post the cool ones in a week or so--Phil actually uses film, so it takes a while to get them on to a computer.
This is Phil with his antique (c. 1950s, I think) 35mm AFGA camera with two filters on it to make a macro lense, trying to take a picture. He's next to a greenhouse and the sun rays are spilling through it.
So while I didn't get to burn anything like a good Celt, it was a lovely Samhain and an excellent way to kick off the year. Tonight: Dinner, wine, dancing and people-watching on Delmarva Power's dime with anonymously4. EXCELLENT.