October 02, 2020

Chinese Teahouse in Newport

October 02, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

I was browsing through the Architectural Record publication for 1916 (via Internet Archive) and discovered the June issue featured the Chinese Teahouse that I’d seen in Newport RI behind Mable House in 2014. In 1916, it was relatively new – having been added to the Marble House grounds by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont. According to Wikipedia – she hosted rallies for women’s suffrage there.

According to the article in the Architectural Record article, the structural members had lacquered surfaces written in Chinese characters. Two examples:

A woman of strong character is said to be a hero among women.

Women with pretty faces and fascinating manners really may overthrow cities.

How appropriate for this 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage! I’m belatedly disappointed that the teahouse was closed when I visited so I didn’t see them.

Here are a few pictures that I took back in 2014. I think I remember that the Treehouse has been recently renovated at that time and we being used as a place where tourists could get refreshments/take a break from tours of the Newport Mansions.

January 07, 2020

My 2019 in Review - Travel

January 07, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

The Space Coast of Florida….Providence, Rhode Island…Carrollton, Texas…Cape May, New Jersey…Springfield, Missouri… Smith Island, Maryland…Scottsburg, Virginia --- these were the places we traveled in 2019.

The Space Coast of Florida was for a birding festival held in January. I had quite a few blog posts about it. That road trip got the year off to a fast start for birding.

In late March/early April, I traveled to Providence, Rhode Island on the train to take the CZT class (Certified Zentangle Training). I posted about the experience of the trip and the training here.

The only plane trip of the year was in April – to Carrollton for a niece’s wedding. And it was perfect timing for the pocket prairie (posted about here).

In May, the Cape May Birding Festival…another road trip and lots of birding…blog posts.

There were multiple trips to Springfield, Missouri during the summer to help get my daughter and son-in-law moved from Pennsylvania to Missouri. It’s a 2-day road trip in each direction…often with very full carloads of fragile stuff. And then I was back for Thanksgiving too! I did a little exploring – the botanical garden, the art museum, and the conservation nature center. The posts are here.

The first attempt at a boat trip to Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay was cancelled due to wind in April. The re-scheduled time was in October…and we enjoyed the trip. I posted about what we saw. The pelicans were the high point for me.

Later in October, we were camping at Staunton River State Park near Scottsburg, Virginia for a star party. We’ve been going every year that the weather permits for the past several years. It’s always cold at night but we survive - enjoy ambience of a field of telescopes, tents, campers and cars. This year we took a short hike on one of the mornings.

Looking back – our travel was full of variety (places, activities, and seasons)…a good mix. I’m already primed for more adventures away from home in 2020!

April 25, 2019

Ten Little Celebrations – April 2019

April 25, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

April has been a busy month – only at home for a week out of the month and not all at the same time. There was plenty to celebrate with spring in full swing and the travel to see it in different places.

Certified Zentangle® Trainer (CZT) class. There were so many perspectives of the CZT class to celebrate: the beauty of the creations everyone was making, the conversations, the food…the challenge of being a student…the Zen.

**Train ride home.** I don’t go many places where taking the train is feasible…but the CZT class was one of them. I celebrated the low stress hours going home…a fitting finale to the class.

2019 04 IMG_3992.jpg — **4th and 5th grade field trips.** The early April field trips happened with great weather and the students enjoying being outdoors to learn about the Patapsco heritage (land, water, and rocks) and BioBlitz. It’s always inspiring to see their curiosity and enthusiasm --- celebrating a spring field trip.

Getting to Dallas. I had to travel to Dallas quickly and it was easier than a thought it would be. And I celebrated that I was less stressed by the rapid change in plans (maybe the Zentangle class providing an added benefit.

Spring days. Noticing the rapidly developing blossoms of spring is fodder for many celebrations – oxalis is probably one of my favorites right now. It blooms when the sun is shining!

Rainy day (spent indoors). After busy days – having a rainy day spent indoors is something to celebrate…with homemade soup for lunch!

Josey Ranch Pocket Prairie. A little bit of prairie – carefully tended by volunteers – in a Dallas suburb! Right now it is a celebration of spring wildflowers.

2019 04 IMG_5834.jpg — **Cedar waxwings.** Birds are migrating and there are serendipity sightings of birds that don’t stay around the area long. I celebrated seeing a small flock of cedar waxwings last week.

Botanical reminders of my grandmother. Many flowers in my parents’ Carrollton yard were planted by my grandmother…good memories to celebrate.

Home again. Providence, Rhode Island to home to Carrollton, Texas to home to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Smith Island to home. I like to travel…but coming home is celebratory too.

The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

April 24, 2019

Zooming – April 2019

April 24, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

The accelerating change of the seasons in Maryland and Texas…so much to see and do. I’ve picked a few of my favorite images captured with the zoom on my camera. There are insects in at least two of the flower images (maybe a third)….the little critters enjoying the spring bounty. Enjoy the April slideshow!

April 12, 2019

Glimpses of Providence

April 12, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

My class was on the 17th floor of the hotel. The classroom and break room had windows in all directions from the hotel offering views of the state capital and Brown university…a park with a skating rink and wind turbines. I even took a picture of part of the hotel façade! Most of the pictures I took were in the morning. One morning the bare trees in a little park were highlighted – maybe my favorite cityscape of this group.

On the last day, I walked by the park (near the skating rink) and realized it was more unique than I has realized from the high window. The playground had nets and cables…not the usual playground equipment. What a fun place in the city – but there was no one there as I walked by on a cold morning. It would be busy in the afternoon probably. I’d seen people there from the window earlier in the week.

Overall – Providence has a welcoming city center. It is clean and walkable. I liked it and will have to go back when I have more time to wonder around.

April 11, 2019

A Student Again

April 11, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

The paper coasters and pencils in my room at the Biltmore Providence had the slogan ‘we are all students’ and it fit the week for me. I loved being a student. The middle two days (of the 4 day class) were intense and I was very ready to sleep by the end of the day. I woke up at my usual early time each day and saw the sunrise from the hotel room.

Over the course of the class, we created 24 Zentangle® tiles which eventually were attached inside our student journal.

My favorite tile creation of the week was a voice guided Zentangle meditation – not just the tile itself (I like all the tiles I create) but the way it was done. There was none of the usual visual demonstration of the pattern. It requires a lot more descriptive language from the instructor…and good listening skills from the students. I’m not confident that all patterns could be learned in this kind of session – but it was very easy to slip into meditation with this presentation of the Zentangle Method. The mosaic we made afterward (a tile from each student created during the voice guided session) had even more variety than other tiles from the class.

Here is the one I created. I photographed it after I retrieved it from the mosaic and put it into my journal.

April 10, 2019

Biltmore Providence

April 10, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

I started seeing patterns in lots of places in the hotel. In the room, it was the wallpaper on the upper part of the bathroom walls (shells with sparkle), the bathroom floor tiles, and the carpet.

On the floor where the class was held (ballroom and snack area) there were fixtures and fabrics…some the original vintage of the hotel and some very recent. I felt I was immersed in a pattern rich place – but there are many places that turn out to be pattern rich when we look closely.

April 09, 2019

On the Train to Providence…and Home Again

April 09, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

Last week, I went to the Certified Zentangle® Trainer (CZT) class in Providence RI. I decided to take the train since the hotel in Providence was within walking distance of the train station…and I had never taken more than a day trip on the train. The class started in late afternoon and the train from the Baltimore Washington International Airport train station was about 7 hours. I left in the early morning. It was a little daunting when my husband dropped me off in the dark at a station under construction (or renovation…not sure…most of it was not open). I was glad it was not a cold morning. There were no Amtrak personnel around that I noticed but there were enough experienced train riders to reassure me that I was in the right place. I also learned about the quiet car…what luxury. The sunrise (blur) happened not long after the trek began.

The gentle rocking of the train and the quiet was very calming…so different than an airport. The seats were larger than an airplane seat – and therefore more comfortable. Overall everything was roomier than an airplane. There was never a wait for a bathroom. A lot of people got off at New York and I moved to a window seat – still in the quiet car. I tried taking some pictures from the train window. Many of the views were of cities (construction, debris and trash, industrial areas) and forests.

As I got off the train in Providence, my seatmate – a native of Providence - pointed me in the right direction for the hotel and Google maps on my phone picked up the directions shortly after I started walking. It was gently downhill! I realized that several days later it would have to maneuver up the hill.

That is what happened on the morning I left. I got some ‘active minutes’ on the walk to the train station and took more pictures as I got tired – crossing the Providence River

And the landscaping in front of the train station. The landscaping seemed new and I wondered how long it had been since the station has been renovated. Hopefully the one at BWI will be improved by the construction that is happening now.

The station in Providence was closer to what I expected – a large indoor area where there were wooden benches (like pews) for sitting around an open area…some places to get food. My train did not leave until almost 9. There were marques that were like ones in airports that directed people to the right track a little before the train arrived. I took the elevator down rather than the stairs since I had luggage that was OK rolling…but not carrying.

And then I was on the train for 7 hours – enjoying a good book and journaling the events of the week. Overall the train was a good experience and I found myself wishing that it was possible to take trains to more places I travel.

More posts about my Providence experience in the next few days…