Month: February 2014

The Ukazoo Journey-Snapshots and Memorabilia

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The Kiss

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Second week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“The Kiss”

 

Looking through the slowly diminishing box of retrieved mail, that had accumulated at the post office during my journey, I spotted a small box nestled in the corner. The return address was from Rhododendron, Oregon.

It was from Max and Melanie. Fond memories of a three day impromptu music fest on their apple farm came to mind. As I opened the box and peered at the contents, I remembered two small occurrences during of my short visit. The first, during my days of in and out of their home, I happened to notice, scattered around the rooms, a collection of beautiful, unique, ceramic Salt & Pepper shakers.

The second item of note, was, when Max and I went to gather additional apples for the growing assemblage of family and guests, we passed a small knoll near the apple orchard. Cut into the side facing us, was a crude stone laid, earthen pottery kiln. I questioned Max about the kiln and a nearby wooden state-of-disrepair shed. Max related how, years ago, Melanie had been heavily engaged in making pottery. One of her particular interests, beside the dozens of bowls, vases, and cups she made for our home was a series of salt and pepper shakers. Other home and family responsibilities came to the forefront back then and Melanie ceased to spent time with clay, and her kiln and shed has sat unused for years.

 

The note, accompanying the items in the box read:

 

Craig,

Hope your journey to Ukazoo was successful and you enjoyed the apple tarts. Max and I will always appreciate all the help you provided during those three crazy wonderful days in late September. With all the family members and friends that stopped by, old times/good times conversations were floating around continuously. A recurring topic of those reminiscences was my years ago flurry of pottery making.

After all the goodbyes and the approaching holiday season, Max and I toyed with the idea of dusting out the pottery shed and reworking the earthenware kiln to make some new cups and bowls, as well as my favorite, salt & pepper shakers, again for gifts. We did it! Enclosed, as a small token of thanks for your help and friendship is a set of salt & pepper shakers. Of all the designs I came up with, this one reminded me of the artwork you had shown us in your portfolio.

All the best,

Melanie and Max

 

P.S. If you are ever able to stop in again, let us know and we will have some apple tarts ready for dessert.

 

This is a picture of the small set of Salt & Pepper shakers I lifted from the box.

 

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

OPENING ART RECEPTION of New Art Works, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

 

The Ukazoo Journey-Snapshots and Memorabilia

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Purple Haze-White Flower

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

First week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“Purple Haze, White Flower”

 

While unpacking, I was looking through the pictures I had taken during my journey to Ukazoo and turns out there were a few extra pictures I had taken and put aside.

All of my four stops in Maine during this journey, have been at Inn’s I have frequented in previous years and have become good friends with the hosts of these inns.

During my stop in Damariscotta Mills, Maine at the Mill Pond Inn, I was put to work.

The Mill Pond Inn visits have become rather unique, in that every time I have driven to Maine to stay there, I make sure I include my carpenters tool box in my packing list. Somehow, on my first visit to Mill Pond Inn several years ago, Billy had asked for a hand with a small project around the Inn and I assisted. Since then, it has become an ongoing ritual that when I get there, Billy always has a few projects lined up for the both us to work on.

From the helping with relocating a dishwasher to their outdoor bar, fixing a door, to working on putting together the stage for local bands playing at the annual Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration festival, I have enjoyed time spent being a part of these projects.

This past stop (Slide 33, “For You My Love, Flowers”), the project, Billy and I were working on, was getting some under-brush cleared out near the waters edge. Jack also lent a hand while his wife, Myrna, their three daughters and Brandy were in the town for lunch.

I worked my way behind a rather large dense bush and spotted several flowers that were not common to the area. I took this picture of one small flower with the close-up lens and then continued with the clearing out project. I had forgot about it till now.

 

Besides the unpacking from my journey, I also had to work with getting artwork ready for the Ukazoo Art Exhibit.

What was to be just one Two Month long Art Exhibit at Ukazoo Books, featuring new Oil paintings and Watercolors has changed in format to become Two separate Exhibits. In order to respond to requests of seeing Art images and the corresponding stories from the Journey on display, 16 selected images and the matching text were installed yesterday, February 16th at the Ukazoo Bookstore. Thank you Mac, for your help. These images/stories will be on display till March 14th.

 

The Second Exhibit will start on March 15th. I will change the Exhibit to display the new art work previously planned and have the Opening Reception. Hope to see you there, to either see anew, reconnect, or meet those for the first time.

 

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Journey to Ukazoo” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt  –  ‘Art page’, “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com  –  “Journey to Ukazoo”

See Slide One for a brief synopsis.

Opening Art Reception, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

 

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide 37

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Hanging Up My Hat

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide 37 “Hanging Up My Hat”

 

From Ocean City, Maryland to Baltimore/Ukazoo, I am only three hours away from completing my “Journey to Ukazoo” and as anxious as I am to get there, I opted to drive North towards Pennsylvania. Over the next few days I did one and two night layovers at a few B&B’s with day trips to museums and sightseeing.

A Thursday visit with a local artist group resulted in an extended stay at one Bed & Breakfast, when one of the artists pointed out an ‘almost touching the ground’ loose tailpipe on the van, that would need replacing.

This morning, after retrieving the van, I did my final packing of the trip. Said my goodbyes to the hosts of the last B&B I will stay in (at least for this journey) and headed home.

I must say I was a little apprehensive that, during my long absence, a rather large “we sell everything you could imagine at prices so low your eyes will pop out” store and accompanying thousand space parking lot, spouted up as my new neighbor.

As I made that last turn, whew!!! No big store, no airport installed, 18 hole golf course, or civic arena for the World Wrestling Federation. In fact, not any changes at all, almost as if I have never been away. Go figure.

I’m home!

I have been on the road for 36 weeks and what started out as a simple journey turned into an experience I will never forget.

Yet, in my excitement to begin my trip, there were some things I did happen to “forget”.

I forgot to put a stop on my mail. My mailbox was jammed solid, so full that the Post Office issued their own stop and taped a note on my mailbox to “bring a large box when you come”.

I forgot to send back my “by mail” movie, thus another note taped to the mailbox, “If you ever get tired of watching that movie, please send it back and we will send another one”. I forgot to take an “intended for a quick chill”, can of Root Beer out of the freezer. I now have the delightful task of chiseling out a root beer frosty from the freezer walls.

Before doing any unpacking, I paused for a moment, reflecting on the first picture I took to begin the journey, me “Steppin’ Out”. It seemed only appropriate to set up the camera to take a picture of me arriving home but there must be something in the air here at home because this picture encountered the same problems as the first one I took on June 3rd.

I still sport a beard and mustache and the hair, or I should say, again, “lack of hair”, is fairly accurate, albeit a touch more gray.

As I get settled back in and make ready for the Ukazoo Art Exhibit, I want to add a note.

Looking over the small mound of mail, I noticed several small boxes and large manila envelopes sporting return address labels from some of the places I stopped during the Journey to Ukazoo. So while the “Journey” has ended, I will, for the eight-week duration of the Ukazoo Art Exhibit, share some additional “snapshots and memorabilia” each Monday.

Thank you.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Journey to Ukazoo” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view Slide One for a brief synopsis.

Opening Art Reception, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

 

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide 36

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Raise You Two Clams

Journey  to Ukazoo

Slide 36: “Raise You Two Clams”

 

After leaving Connecticut, rather than a more direct route to Ukazoo, I veered to the East and stopped in Ocean City, Maryland.

At week’s end, while sitting in a local tavern, enjoying the company with a few of the regulars I had met during my stay, we quelled our conversation to listen to an interview on the radio, hosted by a local DJ, DJ Batman.

DJ Batman plays music, lots of great music, but today, in-between tributes to two classic bands, he slotted a 15 minute interview with a local area college professor. The discussion centered around the professors in-progress Thesis about what Maryland Blue crabs actually do during the winter months.

Well, the six of us, already in a very loose “got some time on our hands” mood, called the radio station during the question and answer segment, to avail ourselves to the professors suggested underwater quest for answers. Keen as the offer sounded, the good professor did a back-track on his grand plan, admitting it was far too cold for him to do any diving and he was very much content to get his information off the internet.

Well, that wasn’t fair, with our curiosity now primed, we announced over the airwaves, without considering logistics of such a project, we would tackle this issue ourselves.

DJ Batman, intently listening to our call to action, seized the moment, and promptly put out an on-air request for donations of any equipment, supplies, or help we might need for our underwater endeavor. Filtering into the Radio Station, over the next several hours, were scuba diving outfits, lights, rope, a couple of tents to warm up in after the dive, hot chocolate, even a couple of donuts. One of our group, Gerard, wanted the kind with sprinkles on top.

With DJ Batman setting up an on-location remote, on a nearby pier, to provide listeners with live updates between songs, it was only natural that he started off the event by playing “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”.

The bay still iced up from a recent cold front, we had to cut a large entrance/exit hole. Of our group, Briggs and Cosmo volunteered to stay behind to keep the ice from reforming around the hole and work the guide-lines hooked to each of us. Gerard, Poole, Newman and I, donning wetsuits, air-tanks, facemasks, and my camera, also took some soft-glow flashlights, as to not startle the underwater residents.

At first, we only spotted a few small groups of crabs, some just relaxing, others conversing with a few fish on their way to school. As we proceeded onward, we noticed the crabs lifted an upward turned claw to their mouths.

Of more interest was a couple of crabs, sitting on rocks, reading books. One, a short story, entitled “Chicken Necks, Do You Really Need One.” and another, a novel, “Soft Times/A Hard Life ”. Again, as we continued on, each crab put a claw to their mouth.

The most intriguing sighting was near the end of our dive. As we looped back around for our return, we came upon a foursome of crabs playing poker. We paused, to watch the hand play out. I took this picture as the final bets were being made.

Newman, gave a slight hand signal, directing our attention to our left, where we noticed the one crab concealing an extra Ace. Noticing ours eyes shift, the other three crabs, always alert to picking up on a “Tell”, did a shuffle to the left and right to check out the nature of our interest.

Seeing the partially hidden Ace, their front claws shot upwards churning the water, becoming livid by the audacity that one would cheat. They banished him from the game. Retaining his forfeited clams, the three crabs offered them to us for our part in unintentionally solving how he was winning every hand. As they packed up their remaining clams, departing to find another player, they turned and each put a claw to their mouth.

We finally got it. Clearly a gesture asking us to maintain a silence about our witnessing the activities of crabs during the winter months, we nodded our agreement. Not a word!

 

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Journey to Ukazoo” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please see Slide One for a brief synopsis.

Opening Art Reception, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204