In 2008, I wrote a blog entry about the hand-made ceramic Win Ng Chicken cooker my mother gave me. This year, she gave me the Win Ng ceramic cube that used to grace her back deck in San Francisco. This is a handsome and exceptionally sturdy sculpture, used as a favorite family seat since I was a child. It continues in this beloved and useful role in my San Jose living room.
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Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
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My husband John is spending his free time preparing to give several talks at the National Model Railroad Association convention in Sacramento California early next month. He has been working for months on a demonstration unit to support his presentations – showing what a model railroad would look like of it was designed and wired as a series of control points connected by a codeline instead of in the usual arbitrary, hodgepodge ways. (A codeline delivers indications from the field to the train dispatcher, and sends commands from the dispatcher to the field.) John models in HO Scale when he is not working on our “prototype” caboose WP 668 in the back yard.
John’s project mostly looks like lots of blinky lights – especially when his office is dark. However, he tells me that this is state-of-the-art for model train layout wiring. John is in a running battle with our cat Tino, who likes to chew on little wires and keeps sneaking in to disable the Arduino.
Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Caboose Project and Other Trains, Home & Family
About two years ago, I took a liking to a large old brass pot in a local shop here in Willow Glen (San Jose, California). 2′ tall, with three feet ending in big claws, and two faces with rings in their mouths for handles, it had charm. I started negotiating. Having successfully purchased items in the souq in my travels in the Middle East, I enjoyed the slow negotiation here at home.
The store owner said that the pot was a genuine antique, valued at $5,000 but it had been in the store for a long time, so she was willing to part with it for $2,000. I was not interested and left that day. A few months later, I was back in the store admiring the pot again. The owner said she might come down a bit from her original price: was I interested in paying $1,500? Nope – I left that day too. The next year I went back and asked if the pot (which was not by the front display case any more) had sold? No – it was now in the basement, marked down to $1,000. Still I was not interested.
Then, a few months ago, I saw that the store was moving. I went in to ask about the pot. The owner’s brother was in charge. He said the price was now $500 because they needed to clear out the store quickly. I was interested but not willing to pay that much. I offered $200. We settled on $250. I am now the owner of an old brass pot, provenance unknown, value unknown, original purpose unknown, but an enjoyable new feature of my living room nonetheless.
Please leave a comment if you think know anything about my old brass pot: Where did it come from? What was its intended purpose? Who made it? The stamped mark on the bottom (pictured below) has 3 intertwined initials with an ampersand: SW&S or S&WS or S&SW or W&SS ? (hard to read).
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Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
Update: The San Francisco Bay Area CBS News affiliate ran a version of this story called ConsumerWatch: Storm Brewing Over New Flood Maps on 8 June 2011.
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I was recently interviewed in San Jose California for a CBS news story that ran today in Cleveland Ohio about getting a refund for FEMA flood insurance last year. It seems that very few homeowners have been able to actually get a refund for wrongly-required home insurance. Here is the interesting video story by reporter Danielle Serino (CBS 19):
Danielle’s Doghouse: FEMA
With all the flooding we’ve seen there are probably a lot of people thankful they have flood insurance. But what if you know you don’t need it, but have to buy it anyway? It’s happening thanks to FEMA, that’s why the agency is in Danielle’s Doghouse.
Last Modified: // May 20, 2011 8:16 PM
Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
I have had my Smartcar for about 9 months and I still love it. I sometimes get tired of the cute remarks
But I love driving and I really love parking my 2-seat convertable, especially in San Francisco. It is surprisingly roomy inside. Smartcar drivers usually honk and wave to each other as we drive by. Parking “two in a box” with a motorcycle is fun. It’s like having reserved parking space.
Image by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2011
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
My son Paul is in his 3rd quarter at Foothill College here in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is very interested in art and design and has become fascinated with ceramics in particular. Paul recently made a remarkable set of 3 cups on the wheel, decorated with Kanji characters, as presents for his sister Jessica and her fiance Matthew to celebrate their graduations from college this week. Paul said that he does his best pots when he lets his hands work without thinking too much about it.
Here are some of Paul’s recent creations:
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Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2010-2011
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
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My daughter Jessica was graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with honors last weekend. Ten of her proud family flew to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Boston, Pasadena, San Francisco, and San Jose to celebrate the occasion. My father, Wade Dickinson, who attended Carnegie Tech before graduating from West Point was particularly proud to see his granddaughter graduate from his alma mater.
Jessica majored in Ethics, History, and Public Policy (that’s one major offered by CMU in Humanities and Social Sciences). You can see a video of her advisor talking about Jessica’s accomplishments. Jessica was presented with a blank diploma folder because she will return to CMU as a 5th Year Scholar next year, to work on a special project and also complete her Minor in Vocal Music and concentration in Arabic. Jessica got to wear what she calls “commencement flare” in addition to her simple black robes:
Unfortunately, Jessica’s fiance Matthew was graduating at the same time from William and Mary hundreds of miles away, so we did not get to attend his commencement. The family did get to spend an afternoon visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece of architecture, Fallingwater, which is like touring an lovely modern sculpture. This is the 75th anniversary for the house built on a waterfall.
Jessica is packing up her house this week to return home to the San Francisco Bay Area for the summer. She is getting married in August, then she and Matt will live in Pittsburgh next year.
Jessica and Paul at Fallingwater
Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
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