Spontaneous Stone Sculptures at the Beach

In A Passage to India, one of my favorite novels by E. M. Forster (1879-1970), the female characters Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested travel from England to Bombay, India, to begin a new life there. Early in the story, the ladies lament that so far they "aren't seeing the other side of the world." They have been stuck in sort of a contained, British settlement, and long to see the "real India," of which they have only had a glimpse. It was a glimpse of the moon in the Ganges.

Mrs. Moore isn't as disappointed as the younger Miss Quested, because, as the book reads, "she was forty years older and had learnt that Life never gives us what we want at the moment that we consider appropriate. Adventures do occur, but not punctually."

How often is it that we have the most fun when we plan it? I've observed over recent years that the most interesting and fun moments are ones that I stumble into. I often write about these adventures in this blog.

This entire year, so far, I've been champing at the bit to get back to Point Judith, Rhode Island, to see how the landscape has changed since Superstorm Sandy rolled in last fall. If you recall, I previously wrote about all the cairns covering the point beneath the lighthouse there, a scene I stumbled into one weekend. I haven't yet been able to make the long drive over there (and get in the gate, which is often locked) to see what has become of all the stone monuments.

Spring garden scene at Harkness State Park

This week, we had one day that was sunny and much warmer than any of the others so far this chilly spring. I wanted to get out, so chose to visit Harkness State Park in Waterford, here in Connecticut. As I've mentioned before, this is a property with diverse features, including gardens, a sweeping lawn, a beach, a mansion to rent for functions, biking paths, a picnic area, and more. On the day I went, I didn't expect to get there and find it shrouded in chilly fog, when just a mile inland it was sunny and warm.

A frog statue in a garden by the mansion.

However, the heavens heard my request for some sun, for after I parked the car, the fog started to burn off and I found the beach was the most pleasant spot, protected from the shore breeze, unpopulated, and the perfect place for quiet contemplation and enjoyment of the sounds of the waves, foghorns, and shorebirds.

I beachcombed for a bit, then I stumbled on what appeared to be a couple of little altars made of wood, dried grasses and leaves, rocks and shells. Hmmmm...I couldn't figure that out. Maybe it was a playground for fairies.

A little altar for sand fairies?

Then I saw that somebody had collected a bunch of rocks and created a circle with them. This reminded me of a large, fort-like circle of rocks at Point Judith, which had preceded the erection of all the cairns and other stone sculptures there by at least 2 years.

It was then that my adventure really began, because I thought to myself, "OK, if you can't get to Point Judith just now, then start by making your own cairns here." It would be my first try...ever. I have read about the intricate art of stacking stones, and I recalled that some creations defy gravity, their makers being expert at balance, shape and form. I took a few rocks and stacked them crudely.

A person's gotta start somewhere! I tried another stack.

Lacking some energy and patience, I moved on, and saw a big, flat slab of rock, a mound emerging from the sand. I figured it would be easy to just pile a random assortment of rocks all over it, and see what happened. So I dove in and began.

Remember those days when you were a kid, and you sat on the floor with your toys and just arranged them, or played with them, from moment to moment, with no agenda...your play (or your "adventure") just evolved...and whatever the ending was, when you had to stop for dinner or homework, it was the end, and it was OK. That is what this felt like. And it was really great to feel that with nobody else around.

I don't care if it just looks like a pile of rocks, or if a few fall off. I hope that people walk by and wonder about it. I hope that people are inspired, or remember there's art in "found objects" and think about adding to it, or make their own version. I hope this pile survives for some time before the elements or hoodlums get to it.

Afterwards, when I was resting nearby, I was taking photos and realized I could get a really cool closeup of the sand, with my little cairns in the background.

Grains of soft, sugary sand with my cairns in the background

By the time readers get to the end of  A Passage to India, another character, Mr. Fielding, finds himself returning to Italy, where he studied as a youth, and he realizes that now, after he has had a bit of perspective from his time in India, that he feels a joy in "the harmony between the works of man and the earth that upholds them."

This passage has a deeper meaning as it relates to the story, but I was thinking about the simpleness of that phrase. It refers to man-made structures that coexist with the natural form of earth, whether an island, hills, or sea. But to me, the beauty is compounded, and the harmony more exquisite, when man creates form on Earth with earth. Which is probably why the cairns at Point Judith were so awe-inspiring to me when I first saw them. What was once the benign landscape became an entirely different form, comprised of the same elements.

I wish that this week I had been joined at Harkness by a willing group of adventurers—cairn makers—so that, like a flash mob, we could have come together spontaneously and, in a spark of time, created a grand work of art.

Gemstones More Valuable Than Diamonds

The following is an article that I wrote in 2009 that I thought would be of interest to my readers. I hope you enjoy it.

Gemstones More Valuable Than Diamonds

While many people think diamonds are the most precious gems on Earth, some gemstones have unique characteristics that make them much more valuable overall.

Some natural gemstones of good quality are found in colors and sizes so rare they are eagerly sought-after by jewelers and collectors. Some of these precious stones have unusual properties that add to their value, such as the way they capture and reflect light, change color in certain light, or have unique crystal formations within their structure.

Here are four examples of gemstones that have rare and unusual characteristics that often make them more valuable than diamonds.

1. Alexandrite

A gemstone named after Russian tsar Alexander II when it was discovered in 1834, Alexandrite is a unique crystal that changes color in different light. It is also very scarce, because Alexandrite was formed under extraordinarily rare geologic conditions, where different types of rocks that normally do not coexist were brought into contact with each other, allowing the crystals to grow. Alexandrite is a chrysoberyl containing titanium and iron, but impurities of chromium give it the distinct feature of changing from a bluish-green in daylight to a reddish purple under incandescent lighting.

The original deposits of this gemstone were pretty much depleted from the mines in the Ural Mountains of Russia, until deposits were found in Brazil in 1987. While there are slight differences between the Brazilian and Russian types, any finely faceted specimen over a carat is rare and expensive—especially if it is from a Russian source—and its color change should be dramatic, with no hints of brown or grey coloring.

2. Demantoid Garnet

While there are many kinds of garnets in the world, some are highly prized for special features. The green colored garnet called “demantoid,” from the Ural Mountains of Russia and mines of Namibia, is more refractive than a diamond when faceted. The high refractive index of garnets in general sets them apart from other gemstones, but the demantoid is especially brilliant. Its green color can vary from yellowish- to bluish–green, with deep green being extremely rare. While most demantoids after cutting are less than a carat, and rarely larger than two carats, this stone’s brilliance and fire is unmatched, regardless of the shade of green.

The demantoids from the Urals, first discovered in 1868, have a rare feature not found in African demantoids—fine, wispy crystal deposits of chrysotile, called “horsetail inclusions.” Not only will well-formed horsetail inclusions increase the value of this super-brilliant stone, but their presence is an indisputable marker of the stone’s origin.

3. Ruby

Chromium in the crystal corundum forms the red colored version of the aluminum oxide mineral called ruby. It is very rare to find large pieces of raw, uncut ruby that have no fissures or cracks. Therefore, any piece over 3 carats is highly prized and could bring more at auction than a diamond of similar weight.

The main indicator of value with rubies is the color, which can range from the top-quality “Burmese color” red, which has a bluish tinge, to the deep red “Siamese color” or the light red Ceylon ruby color. The most prized of all, though, would be a rare star ruby. In this stone, the mineral rutile forms the star-shaped deposit in the stone, and when expertly cut, is very valuable.

4. Blue Sapphire

Sapphires (corundum) are found in a variety of colors, and in fact the red variety of this aluminum oxide mineral is what we call ruby, as explained before. But it is the deep blue, fancy cut sapphires that command a premium in the sapphire trade. While blue sapphires are mined in eastern Australia, Thailand, Colombia, Africa and places in the U.S., such as Montana, Ceylon sapphires (from Sri Lanka) are most respected and prized, and compared to Earth’s diamond deposits, sapphires are much more scarce.

Kashmir color sapphires, a rare blue color akin to those found in the original Kashmir mine of India where these gems were first discovered, are bought and sold today in Sri Lanka. Remarkable specimens of untreated blue or Kashmir color sapphires over 4 carats are investment grade and are most likely obtained through special dealers or at auction.

Buyers who are interested in investing in truly rare gemstones, unlike diamonds which exist in abundance but whose quantities are controlled by suppliers, can learn more about the gems mentioned in this article, and more, by browsing the Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, or Gem by Gem, at the web site of the International Colored Gemstone Association.

Copyright © 2009-2013 Cheryl Kraynak. This is my original research, writing, and photography. Please respect that. This article may not be reproduced electronically or in print without the writer’s permission. However, a link to this article from your page is most welcome!

Poison Rings: The History of This Type of Compartment Jewelry

Poison rings were used for centuries to conceal lethal substances and for other purposes, and some historical figures were known to have used them.

I originally published the following article online in May 2009. l hope you find it interesting and informative.

A Compartment Ring, Sterling Silver with a Smoky Quartz Gemstone

What is a Poison Ring? The History of This Type of Compartment Jewelry

The term to describe a ring that has a compartment which is used to carry small amounts of toxic substances is a “poison ring.” Sometimes instead of inside a compartment the poison was put beneath a cabochon or faceted gemstone in the bezel of the ring, and could be accessed by breaking out the stone.

Rings like this have been used throughout history to carry perfume, locks of hair, devotional relics, messages and other keepsakes, so they have also been known by other names. Artists would paint tiny portraits of loved ones, to be carried in what was called a “locket ring,” which was popular during the Renaissance. By the 17^th century, jewelers were creating locket rings in the shape of caskets which served as mementos for mourners. These were called “funeral rings.” Rings with compartments are also called “box” rings or “socket” rings.

The Ring Opened Up

The Origin of Poison Rings

According to Marcy Waldie, who wrote about poison rings in the October 2001 article “A Ring to Die For: Poison Rings Hold Centuries of Secrets,” from Antiques & Collecting Magazine, this type of jewelry originated in ancient days of the Far East and India. It replaced the practice of wearing keepsakes and other items in pouches around the neck. The wearing of vessel rings was so practical that it spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean before reaching Western Europe in the Middle Ages. By then the rings were part of the “holy relic trade.”

Some argue that poison rings were seldom used to actually kill people because potent poisons that could successfully cause death were not easy to manufacture. At most, the poisons would sicken. Others claim that vegetable poisons known in ancient times could be lethal enough to cause death, and there are historical cases of successful suicides and murders by use of poison rings.

Famous Deaths by Poison Ring

The ancient Greek orator Demosthenes committed suicide in 322 B.C. after escaping capture and reaching sanctuary on the island of Calauria. While there are claims he had poison concealed in a pen or drank “liquid gold” from a vial hidden in a cloth, Greek mathematician and astronomer Eratosthenes knew that Demosthenes “kept the poison in a hollow ring, which he wore about his arm,” as written in Plutarch’s Lives, a 1906 book by Plutarch, Aubrey Stewart, W. F. Frazer, and George Long. Demosthenes died so swiftly that nearby guards were astonished.

When Roman politician Marcus Licinius Crassus seized Gallic gold from the Capitoline Temple, the guardian killed himself by breaking the stone of his ring between his teeth and taking poison from the bezel, from which he immediately died.

And it has been told through time that Carthaginian general Hannibal committed suicide in the second century by taking poison from a ring that he had always carried, after fleeing to Libyssa upon orders to surrender.

Using Poison Rings for Political Gain

Unscrupulous reputations have followed the brother and sister Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia of a Spanish-Italian noble family of the Renaissance period for their roles in deaths of political rivals. Stories circulate of their knowledge of plant and mineral poisons, including la canterella, a tasteless white powder that could be added to food and remain undetected. Cesare allegedly wore a lion ring with twin heads, which provided an invisible dose of poison through a prick on the skin when he offered a firm handshake.

Tales abound of Lucrezia being the perfect accomplice by secretly adding poison from her ring to the goblets of her dinner guests. While it is established that Cesare was quite unprincipled and cruel, and likely behind the assassination of his own brother, among other rivals who fell in his company, historians have concluded that Lucrezia was simply guilty by association.

Today, contemporary poison rings are popular as part of the Goth culture and have found a resurgence among collectors looking for both modern and antique styles. While today’s wearers have no need to use vessel rings to carry poison or keepsakes like locks of hair, fashion will dictate what the next popular use will be.

Copyright © 2009-2013 Cheryl Kraynak. This is my original research, writing, and photography. Please respect that. This article may not be reproduced electronically or in print without the writer’s permission. However, a link to this article from your page is most welcome!

Sources:

Bram, Leon L.; Dickey, Norma H. and Phillips, Robert S, eds. “Borgia,” Funk & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia, Vol. 4. New York: Funk & Wagnall’s, Inc., 1979

Bram, Leon L.; Dickey, Norma H. and Phillips, Robert S, eds. “Demosthenes,” Funk & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia, Vol. 7. New York: Funk & Wagnall’s, Inc., 1979

Cooper, Peter. “Poisoners and Politics.” The Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 269, No. 7229, 21/28 December 2002. 08 May 2009

“Hannibal.” Old and Sold Antiques Digest. 07 May 2009

Mason, Anita. An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewellery. Reading: Osprey Publishing Limited, 1973.

Waldie, Marcy. “A Ring to Die For: Poison Rings Hold Centuries of Secrets.” Antiques & Collecting Magazine. October 2001: Vol. 106, Issue

8, p. 60 .

Uncle! Uncle! Third Storm's a Charm?

Dear Mother Nature,

We get the point! After Hurricane Irene, Superstorm Sandy, and now Blizzard Nemo, third time's a charm, don'tcha think?
We've learned our lessons—they will not be forgotten!
Now that we have earned our certificates in "The Pioneer Lifestyle" and how to care for ourselves and our neighbor, how to accept loss and move forward, may we be spared for awhile?

Yours truly,
The Northeast
 
* * * * * * * * * * *

Third time, three feet:

A troublesome mix of frozen slush beneath fluffy snow.

The freezing rain stuck to the trees and bent the evergreens, and broke weak branches.

The tall hedge was so bent over that the neighbor's house was revealed!

And kitty had the best spot during the blackout:

The Beach Cleanup Continues

I'm about three weeks ahead of last year in getting over to my favorite local beach for my first walk of the new year. We've had some nice days, reaching towards 50 degrees, but it seems they don't ever come without the wind. That's what it was like this weekend. The temperature provided the impetus for the trip. I just had to remember to dress warmly, as that offshore breeze cuts right through clothes.

Sparkly sun does not equal warmth in the biting wind.

The last time I had driven over for a peek at how the beach restoration was going following Hurricane Sandy, the gate was closed over the road. I figured they were really doing some work to keep us nosy folks away. Well, they sure have been busy. Look what I saw this weekend:

Now that's one big heap of mess!

A ginormous pile of cut down trees, stumps, dead vegetation, etc. taking up a quarter of the area of the parking lot. I had seen a few trees in the wooded area along the road into the park marked with white X's, which I assumed to mean that they are next. A number of dead trees or those with exposed or weakened root systems have probably been long overdue for removal anyway. It just took two big storms, two years in a row, to create action.

As I walked the path that leads from the parking lot to the beach, I got a good picture of a tree that succumbed to too much water in the wetlands area.

A tall, skinny tree with a big root system, felled by the storm.

Then to my wonderment I saw that things really are getting moving around here! Bundles of new sand fencing and metal stakes!

In fact, some of the new fencing has already been placed along the path to the beach, where the storm surge full of sand had pushed through and broken the old fencing.

A section of new sand fencing abuts the old on the left side of the path.

Here's another pile of debris the workers collected, which includes some of the broken fences:

I must say, the beach looks great. The benches that were buried have been dug out. The beach is noticeably enlarged from water's edge to dune, so that there will be plenty of space for everybody this coming summer. But it's sad, considering some pretty rose bushes and the new fencing from last year are no longer there. Mostly there is just a large, windswept rise at the top of the beach, fortified by logs that washed up...

Pushed-up sand and driftwood logs mark the edge of the dunes.

...and some Christmas trees?

Somebody dumped a bunch of Christmas trees behind the dune.

Only I would stand there gawking, wondering if it was the work of hoodlums, or a park manager's strategy...and wishing I could crawl over and remove the plastic tree tags.

Some men were on the beach trying to find treasures with metal detectors (I wanted to get a better picture, showing both of their metal detectors, but it's hard to be sneaky sometimes):

Treasure hunting in the shifting sands.

Overall, the sand is clean, although there seemed to be a lot of wooden fence parts and other potentially dangerous objects sticking out. I suppose the guy who rakes the beach will clean things up closer to May.

I met a nice man with his dog (as always seems to happen here) and he'd been walking the beach more frequently. He said just a few days ago the park workers had smoothed out a 10-foot pile of sand that they had formed after digging out what had washed over the dunes with the tidal surge. He also showed me how a path that visitors use to access a cove had been restored by digging it out, too.

All in all, I was quite impressed and happy with this trip, and wishing for the first sunny day where it's warm-ish with no wind, so I can stay and enjoy myself longer. I thought this bit of seaweed on the sand looked so pretty:

An artful arrangement of seaweed.

I haven't braved my favorite Rhode Island beach yet, as the wind there is worse, and I am such a chicken when it comes to cold air. I'm almost afraid to see it because I know that Superstorm Sandy probably killed the other half of my favorite rose bush there that Irene spared, leaving very little of the original bush to survive.

I know that at this point I can go walk that beach if I wanted to, unlike other shoreline spots in Rhode Island, where public access has not yet been restored (including at my lighthouse...grr!), as only the bare minimum of cleanup has begun. As is the case in other states, funding for many affected areas hasn't completely come through.

I'll just have to make a list of upcoming adventures, because there are several of them, including visiting the new space for the Biomes Center. The aquarium just opened in a huge new facility and they can accommodate hundreds of people each day. I really need to go check on little Opal the octopus to see how he's growing.

Until then...
keep warm, and keep dreaming of paradise!

Cheryl

Sand and Snow

Yesterday we had our first significant snowfall of the season here in southeastern Connecticut. It sure came down fast!

We got about six inches, after the temperature dropped. The first half inch was sleet. The coated tree branches sure looked pretty in the darkness:

But it was even prettier in the morning at sunrise:

All the birds were already out trying to get to the buried birdseed. I saw a sun dog with a rainbow in the sky, far to the left of the rising sun.

A sun dog. The actual sun is out of the picture, to the far right.

The surface of the pristine snow was dappled with little snowballs that had blown off of tree limbs in the howling wind, which lasted all day after the storm.

This was a far cry from the same time last week, when I went to the Misquamicut Beach area of Rhode Island to see how things were coming along with the Hurricane Sandy cleanup. They have been sorting the sand; the rocks and debris must be removed from the sand and then the cleaned sand determined to be contamination-free, before it can be piled up into pyramids for redistribution.

Clean sand piled into pyramids at Misquamicut Beach

The storm had pushed tons and tons of sand inland, over roads and across stretches of non-beach property. The water in the photo above is a flooded lane of the road. I had driven over after a rain storm. That place has terrible drainage problems, which certainly is no help.

A giant Adirondack chair says "Bring Back the Beach"

I wish I could have stood beside that Adirondack chair. It's at least 8 feet tall, and it says "Bring Back the Beach" on it.

It's hard to see in the photo, but the right side is a beach parking lot, and it's basically surrounded by piles of sand. As you drive along the avenue, all you see are these parking lots full of debris piles and sand piles.

I guess they'll be putting the sand back on the beach at some point. I didn't park and venture out to see what the beach looks like. I guess the cleanup crews are sick of seeing gawkers. I saw one sign that said something like "Keep out. Come back in May." There are a lot of buildings that need to be repaired or rebuilt. See how junky things look:

One building already under repair.

I can only imagine how this all looks now with 6 inches of snow covering it. The roads and weather are too extreme for me to feel comfortable driving all the way down there again. Still, I'd love to see those sand pyramids covered with white—real-life Sno-Cones!

I don't often get to see the nicer beaches covered in snow. Frankly, in winter it's way too cold and windy down there for my blood. But who knows where I'll end up next...

Stay tuned...

Christmas Sewing Project: A Quilted Kindle Holder

This year I was inspired to sew a Christmas gift after seeing this post by Diane over at the blog Lavender Dreams. She received a cover for her Nook, and I loved the exterior and interior design of the one she got. I thought the idea of creating a handmade version of my own would be the perfect Christmas gift for a person I know who has a Kindle.

Now, I do not own any kind of eReader, so imagine me trying to sneak a chance to measure the Kindle belonging to the person who would be getting this gift. The vision I had in my head of what my version of this pouch would look like was out of my reach creatively, so with no pattern and not having sewn anything remotely "involved" for probably three years, I grabbed my coupons, headed over to Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts, picked out some complementary fabric prints, grabbed some quilted backing, added some trim and thread to match the colors, and threw caution to the wind. I'd be constructing something totally different than what I hoped for, but I knew I could make it work.

First, I used graph paper to calculate the dimensions of the pouch I would make (luckily the 5 inch by 8 inch Kindle wasn't bigger than the graph paper!), and I added a generous seam allowance around the outside dimensions. I figured it would be better to cut the fabric too big than to end up with something too small. So then I crossed my fingers and cut my fabric.

As usual, Pearl came over to "supervise." I don't know how she senses it, but whenever I begin a creative project, she suddenly "shows up" and walks all over everything, or plays with ribbon or beads. If I'm lucky, she'll just sit quietly nearby and watch.

My "supervisor" watching over the project.

As I began my thought process about how to make this darn thing, I had to write myself reminder notes like "make sure to sew such-and-such before stitching X to Y"...or else I'd end up with stitches showing on the outside layer of fabric where I didn't want stitches showing, or I wouldn't be able to easily fit a section under the sewing machine foot if X and Y were already sewn in place (and restricting access).

If you have never sewed anything, you're probably confused by now. But if you have sewing experience, you know what I mean, because the last thing you want to do is have to take something apart and do it over. Just like with beading. I quickly realized that people who make patterns and write the steps to sew garments together are geniuses (especially those who did this before modern computer days, when patterns are spit out based on electronic programming).

I'll skip describing the remaining steps in this project, but basically my idea was to make the pouch (straight, not crooked, ha! ha!) having three different printed––yet color-coordinated––fabrics, pretty trim to cover the seams, a Velcro closure, a carrying strap, and a pocket inside for the charging cord, which would only be half as deep as the main pouch. The pocket would be part of the lining, made with the third type of printed cotton to hide the quilting sewn in between the outside and inside.

Here is how things looked after I got the quilted outside layer put together, and the inside lining––with the pocket already finished (including my personalized tag on it)––stitched together separately. I also cut the Velcro strips to estimate where I wanted to sew them.
[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

I found myself altering my original thoughts about seam allowances and other things as I went along, and thankfully, somehow it all worked out. It didn't help that I did not have a Kindle to use to measure against as I progressed, so I was making guesses based on the dimensions. Some crooked or misaligned stitching wasn't a problem in the end; I was able to conceal it or use it to my advantage, such as tacking the strap that would be the carrying handle into a spot where there was a goof.

The final step: Pinning the lining to the top of the pouch.

Pinning the lining to the thick folds of the top edges so that all the raw edges were turned under evenly with no lining overlapping the exterior fabric, and sewing it so that the two thread colors (mint and lavender) matched the various patches of color and the stitches didn't run off the edges, only worked out because I diligently hand-tacked everything in place with basting stitches before attempting to put it all under the foot of the sewing machine. Then I could make my finishing stitch 1/8-inch from the edges with confidence. I stopped to change thread colors when I needed to.

The interior showing the pocket for the cord.

I am proud at how I finagled my debut effort at making this Kindle pouch thingie. But I think I might alter the way I make the fold-over top the next time, or keep it, but think harder about things and adjust my technique. Here are some photos of the finished piece:

This is the back:

The back also has two different prints and the flower trim.

And finally, the front with the top closed with Velcro:

There you have it! The recipient liked it. The pouch came out a wee bit taller than it needed to be, so I can remember to fix that for the next effort. While this pouch did take a lot of time to make, it was quite an inexpensive gift in the end, thanks to the sales, coupons, and smallness of the project.

Did you hand-make anything for people this Christmas?