ABC2010

Within a week of arriving home from England, I was off again. This time on a really nice flight, except for the departure time - which I had chosen, on Westjet to Calgary.

ABC2010 in Red Deer, Alberta!  We had looked forward to this for so long and it was finally going to happen!  I was flying in a day early to help John Neal with setting up the store.

It was a nice sunny day, or rather it was looking like it would be. I had to be at the airport for 5 am. and did make it almost on time with a minor detour on the highway for a downed power pole. Random.  It is great to fly out of Abbotsford, security is as tight as Vancouver but they are just so much nicer about it.  An hour flight goes by so fast and then I was picking up the rental car to head north for an hour and a half drive to Red Deer.

No surprises, drove right to the college, found that there was a lot of shopping very close. I actually arrived before John on the Saturday! His assured delivery for Friday afternoon turned out to be pick it up in Calgary if you want it...  We spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning organizing the store and then the participants started to arrive, all looking for their pre-orders which I helped find and then it was time for me to run to the conference check-in.

The Sunday evening dinner was a barbeque before the Welcome Ceremonies and then it was off to the dorms to settle in for classes early Monday morning. 

These were the ladies who made it all possible!

My first class was with Kristen Doty, "Drawing for Calligraphers and those who think they can't".    After our introductions, we started with some warm-up exercises.  Kristen said that she taught herself how to draw using books from the library and one in particular, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.  Just a minute! I have that book at home from when I took Judy Dampier's class, Calligraphy on the Right Side of the Brain.

I was good as long as we were drawing letters from memory but I will have to work on my drawing things skill!  We drew a geisha girl, upside down. The results were quite amazing! and then I am kind of partial to my 'pure contour drawing' of my hand......sort of like a 'salad fingers - Hubert Cumberdale' kind of creepy hand!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuCw5k-Lph0

We did a lot of timed exercises using different techniques. 

• Pure Contour Drawing - drawing what you see but not looking at your paper
• Mass Drawing - using a woodless pencil, start in the centre of an object and work to the outside, not looking at detail
• Gestural Sketching - outlines, contours

We tried them all with pencil and then on the second day we tried using pen and ink. Much different results!!
We worked on a drawing of our hand for a final work. Using a piece of plexiglass that we divided into four parts, we sketched the different sections and worked on detail until we were relatively happy with what we had done.  Kristen was right! we did all have it in us!  It was a really good class but it certainly could have been longer. We covered a lot in a short time.

It is amazing what will entertain a group....one day, we were all asked to wear red and white - which explains why we all have on the same colour scheme.  I thought a photo Bonnie took of Alesia was very good and I asked her to hold it up so I could take a photo of her photo.....

This started us all taking photos of each others photos and of each other...........I was taking a photo of Marco when his flash went off from taking a photo of me.......

And eventually we all just erupted in laughter..........

Wednesday afternoon we started our second class.  Mine was with Carl Rohrs, "Pointed Brush Lettering and Stiletto".  We started right in with cutting paper! My first attempt was what Carl would later refer to as "Q&D"  quick and dirty.  I just grabbed a piece of paper, wrote Shasta and laid it down on the paper to cut. I had to wait until the next day to fit the background marbled paper in as I hadn't taken that over to class on Wednesday morning.  It was kind of addicting to cut around the letters, trying to make sure they were all anchored to the page.

The next morning we started in with the 'perpendicular' strokes of pointed brush lettering.  Although I have taken a couple of short classes using pointed brush, I don't feel that I have adequately mastered any part of it.  But, it is always nice to have something of what you have done pointed out and commented on........I did a good 'o'!!!!!! phew!

It seemed like no time and it was Friday afternoon.  I asked Carl to write my whole name out. Smart Liz registering as Elizabeth!! got lots of letters....!

I have to share a recipe the caterers posted one day. We all quite enjoyed their Lentil Soup and then the next day the recipe was taped to a post near their set-up.  It really is good soup!

I was warned mid morning on Friday that if we had to be at the airport that evening, we might want to either take the road to Cochrane or Beisiker and bypass the highway south to Calgary as there was a traffic tie-up at least 3 hours long at Airdrie because of the road construction. (I saw the remnants of this tie up at 10 pm when I took my car back to the airport, it was still backed up for miles!).  We didn't have to be anywhere on time that night but we were heading to Calgary. It was decided I would lead and Alesia would follow! not sure that was the best idea but I am from Alberta... we headed south and then west towards the road to Cochrane. At least we were moving and not stuck in traffic but it did take us about four hours to reach the hotel! We stopped for dinner along the way in Cremona. The only reason we stopped there was that it was then 6:30 and we had all been so used to having a meal put in front of us that we were hungry. We hadn't really done anything to deserve dinner!  What did Cremona have to offer?

Wikipedia says this about Cremona..........Cremona is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Cochrane and west of Carstairs, along the Cowboy Highway.  And that it was!  There are only 463 people living there, what delectable dinner offering might they have for us?!   There was a Saloon/Bar & Grill, a General Store, The Oriental Kitchen - which seemed to have a lot of traffic...... not much choice that we could see.  Looking now on Google map to see what we missed, I think the only other eatery in town seemed to be a pizza place and it looked like it might only be delivery.  The Oriental Kitchen it was! bad choice. There is a chinese restaurant in every small prairie town but that isn't to say that they are any good. Maybe some of them are.............

 We asked the fellow if he could just make the dinenr for 6 for the five of us. He was only too pleased to do that.  OMG! we started with deep fried Spring Rolls, not your usual fare of the thin egg wrap around some vegies and mystery meat, no! a big battered egg or spring roll with all the usual mystery things inside but mostly batter to be fair.  Nice start to the meal.  Bonnie noticed that the "chinese tea" that we ordered was in fact made with tea bags! I think it might have been then that I decided that this fellow was doing everything himself, no help! chief cook and bottle washer all in one. The place was quite busy, maybe half a dozen tables of people. We had arrived just before a rush and he spent a lot of time running out from the kitchen with dishes for us....deep friend chicken balls, lemon chicken, deep fried, fried rice, not deep fried! surprise!! I think the prawns/shrimp were sweet and sour - sauce on the side, because, oh! they were deep fried in batter! and then a dish that I didn't try, but others did and most of that was left when were done, something beef but deep fried to within an inch of its life, not sure what the flavouring was supposed to be. I don't remember a vegetable dish. It was a memorable meal but not in a good way. If the deep fryer didn't get us, the MSG would!

We never did find the ice cream place in Cochrane. It had just grown too big for me to remember where anything was but then let's remember I hadn't been there in years.  It has changed from the sleepy little town we used to visit when we went to Mrs. Ovans' ranch to ride her ponies! I think I was about 10.

http://www.mackaysicecream.com/

And checking out their website, they were open!!! I just couldn't find them that night!!! sorry ladies. It sounds like it is still really really good.....will there be a next time?!

Saturday was spent mostly at the airport with our flights all leaving at different times from very early afternoon to mine at 6:55 pm.

Goodbye Alberta!

and

a

big

Thank You

to

the

organizers

of

ABC2010!!!

It was a great conference and your attention to details

was truly amazing. Thanks also goes to Heather Lee

for insisting that we should all meet in Red Deer!

Our only regrets were our two missing friends Lorraine and Margie.

We will have to find a way to spend some conference time with you two another year!

For your enjoyment!

On the beach in Tintagel Bay, Cornwall.

And in the Chalice Well Garden in Glastonbury, Somerset.

I find water a peaceful sound - except when it is in the form of a drippy tap!

Where to start.....

On the 18th of July, we landed at Manchester airport after a grueling flight on Thomas Cook Airlines (note to self: never again! and don't be fooled when you actually book with Air Transat!) We picked up our rental car with no problems and were soon on the motorway looking for signs for the M6 to the South. We saw the sign, all 6 inches of it, but sadly just a little too late to make the turn! there was construction at the interchange and we missed it.  We were travelling with the Hertz map and soon learned how completely inadequate it was.  Eventually, I made the decision to get off that particular motorway as I had been on it before and as we weren't heading to Holyhead to go to Ireland, it seemed a good idea to head off south near Chester, miles out of our way!  We eventually joined the motorway south and wondered just how far we would get running on adrenalin.  We did stop at a service area and had a bite to eat and bought a proper road atlas where 1" = 2.5 miles.  Much better, insurance that we wouldn't get lost again! hmmmmm

We made it to Stroud in Gloucestershire, very close to where Martin's sister Margaret and her husband Tom live. We found our hotel with not too much difficulty and then phoned to make arrangements to meet for lunch the next day.

They took us to a local pub for lunch set in the very pretty Cotswolds. It was a lovely day and we were able to enjoy it by sitting outside in the pub yard.

After lunch we visited All Saints Church in Selsley, Gloucestershire where lettering and stained glass were heavily featured.

This church was the first stained glass commission for William Morris and Co.  Their work is / was magnificent!! As photographing them with a small digital camera left a lot to be desired......there is a small sampling on their website.

http://allsaintsselsley.org.uk/

We spent a very nice afternoon with Marg and Tom, a great start to our whirlwind tour of England.

Our next stop was Bridgwater, Somerset which was close for us to be able to visit Glastonbury. I had been before when the kids were young but Martin had not been.  We had a shopping list from Erin to try and find a matching pendant for her Chalice Well ring and to collect a small bottle of water from the well for her.

The Chalice Well, Glastonbury

We saw this random lettering on a wall on our way back to the car from the Chalice Well Gardens.  I'd like that on a stone wall outside our house!

Did I mention whirlwind tour?  After leaving Glastonbury, we were off to the Cornish coast and Newquay. It rained the whole way across the peninsula which made driving a challenge. We stayed in Fraddon for the night and the next morning were up early to find Ponsonooth, near Truro, to find the dairy where Yarg cheese is made.  Found! and purchased a 1 kg. Yarg which would become a major problem to keep cold for the rest of the trip......hotels in the UK do not have fridges in the rooms!  If you ever see Yarg to try, do so! the stinging nettles wrapped around the cheese makes an interesting texture and flavour.  A favourite in our family.

And then it was on to Tintagel.  This time to try and find some "button stones" on Tintagel Bay beach.

And that would be Martin's job! as the tide was in...not great timing on our part.  We didn't even think of it.

Mission accomplished though but not before the waves managed to catch Martin a time or two.

Yes, it was chilly enough to need my hoodie and shoes and socks!

Tintagel is King Arthur country.

http://www.tintagelweb.co.uk/King%20Arthur.htm

We left Tintagel after a very tasty Cornish vegetarian Pasty which I shared with some crows and then were were off to Somerset again, this time to Taunton and a quick visit with Naomi and Brad.  They took us to their local pub for dinner in Waterrow. All too soon it was over and we were back at our hotel in Taunton-Ruishton and then the next morning moved over to Yeovil, Somerset.  We made a return visit to Glastonbury, partly because we had not managed to find just the right pendant for Erin but also, part of one day is just not enough time for Glastonbury. It deserved far more! However, when as it was raining, a bit of shopping was all we managed before heading back to Yeovil for the night.

The next day which I think by now was Friday, we were heading for Birmingham and the family gathering on the weekend. We decided to go through the Cheddar Gorge on our way north and sample some 'real' Cheddar. yum! We bought some to add to the dinner fare that Dave and Mary were preparing to lay on for us all.

Remember the little guy I made the baby book for in a post awhile ago?  He was now almost 2 months old!  Isn't he a doll?

Samuel Jacob Allen

just about 2 months old

The family minus Alex who was taking the picture for us. She is Thomas' fiance.  If I can figure out how to add a photo in this spot, I will load one up of the younger generation of Allens.....our two missing though as Devon had just returned home from a month in the Yukon and Erin was puppy and house sitting at home in Langley.

Yay! it worked.

Left to right.....Daniel, Furtuna, Jake and Sam, Thomas and Alex

Sam and I having a little quiet time.

All too soon, the weekend was over and we were on the road again.  This time to Norwich in the eastern part of England.  We stayed in Great Yarmouth. We had dinner very near this beach in a pub which actually offered **free wifi**!!!!!!!!!!!! Up to now I had been paying for it at each hotel we stayed at. Five British pounds an hour is a little steep!

I had noticed on the road atlas that there was a "saxon cathedral" sort of on the way to our next stop which was Boston. After several missed roads and a stop at a pub for directions, we managed to drive right by this sign.....

only to be directed back by a farmer who promptly pulled his tractor and hay rack out into the lane and parked, giving me barely enough room to squeeze our little car past!

It was worth the effort to find and must have been an impressive place in its day.

Looking through an opening, what once must have been a window.

And then on to Boston!

I really like old doors and England is certainly the place to find interesting ones.

We found our hotel and then after talking to the girl on the desk, decided that we really should go and visit St. Botolph's Church or as it is fondly referred to "The Stump".

http://www.parish-of-boston.org.uk/about.htm

I tried to go up to a viewing level - up a very narrow spiral staircase and about 240+ steps.  When it started to narrow about 2/3 of the way up, that was enough for me and down I headed, hoping that no one would be let up before I could get to the bottom of the stairs.  I made it but the door was locked at the bottom! and I had to wait for the young fellow from the gift shop to come and let more people up....and tell me that the staircase was NOT to be used to come down..... obviously didn't understand the concept of being claustrophobic!

Once back on the ground, I wandered around waiting for Martin who had no trouble climbing to the top of the steps!  I noticed that the church had a library.  Hmmmm, I wondered if they had any illuminated manuscripts.  My questions set wheels in motion and before we knew it, we had an appointment to return after lunch for a visit to the library and YES! they had one illuminated manuscript.  To while away a bit of the time, we sat and listened to a noon hour concert.  The music director was playing some French romantic music. It isn't often one gets to hear those magnificent pipe organs - unless of course, you attend a service...  I was thrilled to be able to hear the organ in St. Botolph's Church.

In order to visit the library, one must go up yet another spiral staircase... luckily for me, there are only about 24 steps up this time!

Our guide was very generous, hopefully because he recognized a couple of book lovers!  We were able to look at any of the books we wanted.  First on my list, of course was the hand written book.

http://tiny.cc/d35es

It was decided after this card was written that the manuscript was written at the priory in Pontefract, not Canterbury as previous thought.

I had the opportunity to show Sheila Waters' my photos of the manuscript when we were in Red Deer at ABC2010. She agreed that the scribe was probably not the best in the scriptorium but said the illuminator did a nice job!

I was told by our guide that their information was that the work was done by at least two scribes, although I did not have the time to go through page by page to see where the change occurred.

This is one of several playful drawings in the manuscript.

We were also able to look at several of the early printed books in the collection.

The Workes of Geoffrey Chaucer was printed in 1561.

The History of Ethiopia in 1684 and the The Booke of Common Prayer was printed in 1549.  Absolutely amazing to be able to hold these books and look at them, feel the pages, smell the oldness..... if you like books, you understand!

It was an incredibly wonderful way to spend an afternoon! I love when the planets align and you just happen to be at the right place at the right time!

On the move again.  I love when we arrive somewhere to find that it is market day! I think this one was in Boston.

A trip to Lincolnshire would not be complete without a drive through Beverley.  Or so we thought that was all we were going to do.  But then we noticed Beverley Minster.  I wondered if there was a library there?!

No library but some wonderful stone carvings on the floor as we walked through taking photos (paid for the privilege).

I always find it sad to see how worn the stone carvings are on church floors. I guess there is no real way to preserve them but it is a shame that they eventually wear away with time.

This next photo is of some amazing tile work on the floor in the choir area.

In talking to the volunteers at the church, we found that they offer tours up under the roof of the building.  Martin was definitely up for it......but yes, another one of those spiral staircases.  I found that if I sent the others up first and went up on my own, I was ok.  On the way down, I went first!

Beverley Minster has, if not the last working 'tread mill crane' in the UK, certainly one of the last. It is an amazing feat of engineering - a huge wheel, not quite the size of say a water wheel in a mill, that is attached to a winch with a very thick rope which is attached to a large circle of stone. The guide, who we called, Verger the Younger (his father is the verger and he was filling in for the summer to earn some money to go to Uni), gave us a demonstration of the wheel. It resembles a hamster wheel but for humans. By walking one way or the other on the wheel, it raises and lowers the massive piece of stone (about 6-8 ft. in diameter). It can be lowered all the way to the floor in the church and then loaded up with something heavy such as stone or timbers to build with and then raised up to the upper level under the roof. Sadly my video of it was taken on a side view and doesn't make it very easy to watch.

Remember that tile work on the floor?  If you click to enlarge the photo, you should be able to see it in this photo from up under the roof.  The way it was explained to us was that everything in the church was built so that it looked magnificent from above as it was built to be 'looked upon from on high'.
 
Did you know that churches are traditionally built lying east-west? The south side, usually the warmest side was for the poor or the pilgrims and the north side, the coldest side was reserved for the devil!
 
Having spent so much time in Beverley, we were late getting to York, where we had hoped to spend a full day or more.  We did have a good part of the next day to wander through the maze of streets and alleyways in York but were astounded that they charge to enter York Minster! it didn't seem very Christian of them!!
After spending some time in York, we have to agree with the fellows in Beverley Minster, it was much nicer in Beverley, no huge crowds, no Disney-like atmosphere!
 
After York, we drove through the Peak District in the rain and fog back to the Premier Inn at Manchester Airport. Our two weeks were over!