For Sale: Mt. Lebanon Shaker Rocker (community)

This is a community piece from Mt. Lebanon. The seat is early. Purchased at a WIllis Henry auction. Getting paperwork now ...

Fro Sale: Harvard (?) Shaker Blanket Box

I purchased this blanket box at the Willis Henry Shaker Auction in 1999 or 2000. Unearthing the paperwork now ... I recall it was from a smaller community but don't recall off the top of head. It is documented in the Willis Henry catalogue if you have that.

For sale: Mt. Lebanon Shaker Dry Sink

The provenance for this piece is:

Hazel Hamilton, well-known Shaker collector, who lived close to the Pleasant Hill community owned this piece. She sold it to the Shakertown at Pleasant Hill museum. When a new curator took over at SPH, she wanted to have all pieces in the museum be from Pleasant Hill. This piece is from Mt. Lebanon. Hazel re-purchased the dry sink. I purchased it from Hazel.

This piece was published. My books are in storage, but my recollection is that it appeared in Shaker Legacy. If that book is not accurate, someone with a good Shaker library can find it. At the time of purchase, Hazel had the book opened to the page and resting on the dry sink. I recognized the book as being in my library.

We don't know how Hazel came into original possession. It was sold to us as being in "original yellow paint." While the yellow is certainly consistent with Shaker history, please note the picture of the opened door - it appears that the yellow was applied with the door removed from the piece by observing the drips.

13-star Flag for sale

SOLD - SOLD - SOLD ... thanks, folks

This flag came into the family, and can't be dated clearly. First, the stripes seem to be machine sewn. Second, there are grommets on the left side. Probably not, therefore, true Revolutionary Period. Most likely one of those late 1800s flags.

The known history is that it was given to a mother when she was young. 1930s. The giver was a recent widow who was born around 1850. Her husband was a Merchant Marine. The story is that this flag was flown on an MM ship. It clearly shows wear.

It measures approximately 54 inches by 36 inches.

Some pics:

Podcasts

Something fun is happening on my political blog. We're doing podcasts. I am one of the speakers, but I also produce it. Am enjoying it a lot. Here's the link to the article discussing it. You can stream the first one now.

If you listen in, let me know. We'll get a lot more sophisticated with the page and the whole process. This was thought of Wednesday, taped Friday, and up Saturday around midnight. Should be up each Friday now.

Few news picks

United Airlines, Delta, and Southwest think fat people have to buy an extra ticket - one for each cheek. That's cold. Surely it can't be purely weight-driven. Tipping at 250 yields a vastly different breadth if the person if five-foot tall versus six feet.

Ah, I am right. They use a Body mass index of 30 or more. Here's a calculator. I come in at 20.1. I'd have to crank it to 209 pounds - about me + 69 - in order to met the fat standard.

But, wait a minute. Assume I am 209 pounds. I know that I have to buy two tickets. So I say that I am 205 pounds, coming in safely under the standard. They can't just take my word for it. So they must ask people close to the fat standard to step onto the scale that we all put luggage on. I take off my coat, my shoes, etc. Then everyone watches me as I step onto the scale! How embarrassing is that? They are actually doing this? Isn't there a better way?

It seems that being against abortion marks a person as a potential terrorist - and the Obama Administration is standing behind the report that states it. Time to stock up on tinned meat and bullets.

I'm reading through Ananova's Strange Crime entries, but most are just shake-your-head stupid.

Gotta run.

Towns

The first place to make the safety list is West Union, WV. Here's some good data on the town.

Seems low crime, low cost of living, and only a few people. A place people grow up in and leave.

It's on the east-west line from Clarksburg to Parkersburg.

Here's a pic:


Pearisburg, Virginia, seems to fit, too. Here's the profile. I am going to wander at least further east if I can. Maybe further south. I want to cut the annual snowfall and be closer to the ocean. Not sure how much of that I can achieve.

My goal is northern NC and as close to the ocean as possible. Maybe I'll bite the bullet on hurricanes. I'll update this post as I find areas.

Blizzards

Can't find a blizzard map, just discussion. So this will have to do.

Areas hit by either blizzards or otherwise ranking high enough to make the article: Massachusetts and Connecticut; Texas to South Dakota; WDC (but just two feet of snow? I am beginning to think a blizzard isn't all that bad); Philadelphia (30 inches - big deal!); and Colorado.

OK, that's all our source data. Now to dig into it and the suggested safe havens.

Floods

Water, logically, stays by the rivers. So avoiding floods should be easy enough - high ground, no rivers close by. Got it. Good source data here.

Tornadoes

Great site on tornadoes here. The map is 1950 to 2007 - image not as good - had to do a screen shot:



I'm liking West Virginia over these last few pics.

Hurricanes

Here's the hurricanes map. Looks like NC is challenged on this scale. Source is here.