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A R C H I V E D...S U N D A Y...M O N T H L Y S
! ! ! H A P P Y ... N E W ...Y E A R ...! ! !
Last November, the Napa Valley Register published a column that related to one I had written in the same newspaper five years earlier.
Take a peek... it'll soon make sense.
photo: Dec. 8, 2024
From my Demystfyng Desgn column, publshed April 20, 2019:
... Around noon last Monday, I texted my mother, “I’m going to be late.” I had just witnessed the spire of Notre Dame collapse. Did I really see it? I played back the live feed on my television. I then played it back again and agaIn. Yes, l really did see it. I could hardly believe my eyes — eyes that were tearing up. I’m known for being sentimental but I knew others shared my feelings as they, too, witnessed this site unfold.
That evening, while flipping through television networks again, I landed on an interview with Glenn Corbett, an associate professor of fire science at John Jay College in New York. I thought he might shed light on the cause, progression, and aftermath of the fire.
When asked how it was possible that, after all the damage the fire had caused, the votive candles in the crucible were still lit. The fire expert answered, “I can’t explain it.”
He was then asked how the copper rooster that had stood atop the spire had survived. (Copper has a low heat tolerance.) When asked, “What are the chances?” Corbett replied, “Remote. The fact is that it is incredible. Maybe divine intervention. Remarkable.”
When Attila and his army of Huns came upon Paris, Parisians were prepared to run, but a young, holy woman named Genevieve convinced them to stay. She assured them they would have the protection of Heaven. Coincidentally or not, Attila suddenly changed his path and turned away from Paris. Genevieve, who died in 512, was later canonized and is known as the Patron Saint of Paris.
I emailed my cousin, Mila di Napoli, who lives on the southwestern coast of France, to get her perspective. She wrote back, “It seems that the rooster first fell on the right part of the roof, I mean the part which was not on fire, and then when the roof collapsed, it fell inside the cathedral unharmed, and was found among ashes by a worker.”
My cousin was surprised and relieved that the rose windows had also survived. Most of the intricate, stained-glass windows date to the 13th century. While glass has a high melting point, it’s still a wonder that none were shattered by the heat or the vibrations of the heavy, collapsing objects around them.
The north and south bell towers, organ, consecrated hosts, and prized works of art also survived. So did the altar’s golden cross. “It shines in chaos,” declared Marc Couturier, the designer of the cross. “I carved it myself, it’s made of flame-retardant wood, called 'samba', which I always use for my sculptures, and then it’s covered with gold leaf. I was not too worried because I knew architecture protected her. The vault and pillars that make up the choir are very solid, as is the triforium. But I did not think it would shine so much, it’s very strange!”
The samba wood and gold leaf might explain why the cross did not burn and why it shone so brightly.
I accept all rational explanations for the survival of Notre Dame’s treasures, but during Holy Week, I like to think that there was more to it than just happenstance.
A ..D I F F E R E N T.. K I N D.. O F.. H O L I D A Y.. M O V I E
The topic of the Register's piece in November was about the reopening of the Cathedral - which also included several spectacular photos like the two above.
You may have also seen the interiors on TV while watching the reopening ceremony held on December 7th. They seemed to sparkle especially the newly-cleaned columns that had accumulated 900 years' worth of dirt and dust.
The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries,160 firefighters who had responded to the fire as well as the artisans and craftspeople who restored the Cathedral - done so usng old-world techniques.
Très magnifique!
G U E S S W H A T I D I D ?
I entered a craft fair!
Left: My table of handmade greeting cards - stamped, embossed, poly-glazed, or painted with watercolors.
I was one of seventeen vendors including a crystalline potter and a wood crafter.
I've participated in Open Studios in the past (selling my craquelure lampshades with my studio partner who sculpted lamp bases) but this was the first time I've ever done anything "crafty."
I also - along with three friends - organized the event.
It was a 10-month planning endeavor that basically gave the four of us an excuse to meet (and eat and drink, of course.)
There was a steady flow of early holiday shoppers that kept vendors busy... very busy the first 2 hours that then eased once we learned that the food truck we had hired bailied at the last minute.
Shameless plug: I still have a handful of lampshades if you're interested.
O F F I C I A L A N N O U N C E M E N T
l'm Done!
After 20 years, 22 seasons, 442 episodes and numerous characters, I'm done with Grey's Anatomy. Have you hung in all these years?
As with all ensemble casts, there are characters (or actors, themselves) who become our favorites - as well as those who we begrudgingly tolerate in order to watch the show. As a matter of fact, the star of the show, Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) has always bugged the bejeezus out of me while her best friend, Christina Yang played by Sandra Oh, was riveting. As years passed, great characters like Yang, Izze, Karev, Preston Burke, and DeLuca left the show - leaving, in my opinion, a cast that was so-so at best. Creator/producer, Shonda Rhimes has turned the once-great Dr. Miranda Bailey into an eye-rolling yawn as well as many characters and storylines utterly boring - and worse yet, predictable.
When I noticed that I was fast-forwarding through all scenes that did not feature Dr. Jo Wilson or Dr. Winston Ndugu, I realized it was time to delete and unrecord forever... and it felt soo good!
H I S T O R Y O F A R C H I T E C T U R E ~ P A R T 6 ~
W I L L R E S U M E N E X T M O N T H W H E N W E T R A N S P O R T O U R S E L V E S T O
T H E F L O R E N T I N E R E N A I S S A N C E