Kitchen Sink Omelet

From Daily Kos : ME-Gov: A huge mess is unfolding in Maine, after Secretary of State Matt Dunlap told legislators on Thursday that the state could not conduct its June primaries using instant-runoff voting (IRV) due to a legal issue first pointed out by the state attorney general's office. Confusingly, though, Dunlap later said his department would nevertheless proceed with implementing the new system, which was passed by voters in 2016, claiming that election officials "do not have time to do anything else."​ ​The legal dispute is highly arcane but it leaves the state in a precarious position. Both Dunlap and state Attorney General Janet Mills, who is a candidate for governor, urged the legislature to correct the problem, but that's simply not going to happen, since Republicans and a number of Democrats are opposed to IRV. That means the issue is headed to court, though it could play a role on the campaign trail, too: One of Mills' opponents in the Democra...

We entered a house, portal ornate and measured with simple lines, filled with corridors strange, yet somehow comforting, and rooms that turned upside down as we walked into them, while doors appeared without warning and opened as if to invite us further inward. What would we find, ever deeper, ever further inwards? The mathematical precision of the floorplans belied a feeling of artless improvisation, chaos twined around and about the wallpapers and the wainscoting, highlighted the trim and sank deep into the foundations. Yet this wildness was not rot, nor corruption--no more than that of any life lived in a morass of a world perhaps denied. Stairs upward instead led us inward, strophes between floors, between layers, kindness of the hostess melded with the casual dismissal of the hermetic, the withdrawn, the soul become it’s own shell, gritty sense of self an irritant to form the lustrous pearl. A moment’s pause to cast eyes about, our breath fog, wondering what had led to this, lea...

Wicked Gelato: Closing Day ... Karen shuts off the wireless modem--for the last time...

My two favorite blends side-by-side: which do I drink first?

Sitting at Java Joe's Corner Cafe; the view out of our window.

Members of the Mount Blue High School Jazz Band showed up at Wicked Gelato's and proceeded to crank out some (wicked) cool jazz. I got some shots of the band members setting up.

I first encountered Mary McFarland and her work at the previous "Open Studio." I was impressed with both her work and her studio. I knew then I was dealing with a real artist. Now I have this blog devoted to the arts and letters in Farmington, and this was just too good an opportunity to pass up: this year's Holiday Open Studio. It took place on December 3rd, Chester Greenwood Day. Mary McFarland was kind enough to talk with me briefly and answer my questions. In this first part we talk about her art and materials. DaM: So I notice there's kind of like a division: we have sort of organic here, and very much organic there, (although that tends to be more scenes), but we've got a very strong geometric component here. Mary McFarland: Well, this I would call the Full Spectrum series--except for that sunburst up there; that was definitely geometric. But most of the things you're going to find [here] at least have organic elements in them. Like even that...

So I'm sitting here in Wicked Gelato, and people start filtering in with violin cases and guitars. Oh-oh... Is something going on? Too late! I'm caught in a jam session: This is an open jam session sponsored by the Franklin County Fiddlers. I asked them for "Skye Boat Song" and sang the chorus while they played.

On December 3rd I visited an "open-house" for a group of artists here in Farmington. They've been doing this for five years. I urge everyone to visit them next year; they are all talented artists and crafters. I spoke with two of the artists showcasing their works, Jan Royall and Mary McFarland. First, Jan Royal: I was very impressed with the consistent quality throughout her works. Not just care and attention to detail, but also of a vision, the ability to express her art in glass and metal.  She displayed works in stained glass and jewelry. The jewelry was made from fused glass, a radically different process from stained glass. An example of her jewelry work is the pendant she's wearing in the lower right corner of the collage.  I didn't have the time to interview Jan about her work. I hope to do so in the near future.

My favorite coffee-shop, Wicked Gelato , is still closed for rennovation. I don't know how much longer I can go on without it....

Arrrgh! Wicked Gelato is closed for remodeling--and won't re-open until Friday after Thanksgiving.

At the Emery Community Arts Center : This fascinating sculpture on the fragility of industrial farming has been up for some time. I've tried to talk to the artist, but the timing always seemed to be off.  I also have a video "walk-by" to post once the installation is taken down.

The Farmington Maine Historical Society held their annual wreath-making workshop. Located in the basement of the old North Church, members and volunteers from the city of Farmington and UMF students twisted together wreaths onto metal forms. Images by Willena Jennings The wreaths will be sold for $20USD each next Saturday for Chester Greenwood Day in downtown Farmington. The FHS would appreciate it anyone who purchases the wreaths returns the metal forms when they're done with them. The metal forms are the major expense of making the wreaths. Recycling them would help the FHS do this again next year.

In Section A, Row 2 began with a broken marble headstone. Lifting up the stone to view it was on my list of things to do in the near future. But then three days ago I noticed someone had beat me to it. So I've updated the maps and Treepad file on my Center Cemetery webpage .

Located in downtown Farmington. It has evolved over the years, but this version seems to be the final one.

This story was about my sister-in-law. I wanted to thank all the first responders who helped her.

Spent the morning at Belcher Cemetery. It's just a short walk up Anson Street from where I live--although it is a bit of an uphill climb. Dorothy Wirth in her book on Franklin County cemeteries states the access is through a private drive you need permission for. But Nancy Porter scoffed at that: Just walk up Anson Street until you see a big white house on the left. Just past it on the right is a wooded area that's city property, and there's a path up to the Belcher Cemetery. Willena and I spent a pleasant morning together, digital cameras in hand. I did video surveys of the site as whole and each row of headstones. Willena took many excellent still images of the stonework and the surrounding woods--and of me doing the video surveys. I was impressed with the quality of the construction of the walls and the gate, especially the foundations stones supporting the corners and the joins of the stones.

Progress! The Center Cemetery Treepad files are  uploaded to my website, The Center Village Recorder . Here are screenshots of what the files look like in the Treepad Viewer . Center Cemetery Section A, showing the maps included with the Treepad files. Center Cemetery Section B, showing the headstone images included with each name/date entry.

Center Cemetery Directory to be uploaded soon (hopefully tomorrow). I ran into a file size limit issue on Google sites. My Treepad file was 72 meg, and file size limit is 20meg. Oh. So I'm re-sizing the images in the Treepad file so it can uploaded. The headstones can still be identified from the Treepad images. I'm going to pack each row of high-res images in separate 7-zip files for download for those interested. The video surveys I did of each row will be posted on Youtube at a future date.

The Center Cemetery web pages have been updated with improved maps. Each "row" has a seperate map with names and dates listed next to the headstones. I will upload the Treepad directory file in the next day or so.