January 18, 2013 · 5:52 pm

Porch Ironwork

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Installation of the iron work on our new porch has started – the last major element to finish. We now have a new gate, round window grilles, and ironwork panels in the arched wall openings. I bought the ironwork panels many years ago – they are about a hundred years old and were originally part of an elevator. The window grille design was inspired by a picture in the 2002 book Red Tile Style: America’s Spanish Revival Architecture by Arrol Gellner and Douglas Keister.  The new gate is patterned on our original garden gate.

I am very happy with the results so far, despite all of the work, delays, and cost overruns. The breakfast bar and railing are the last pieces of ironwork to go in – and are still being made by Brian’s Welding. This weekend, I start repairing my poor garden – all torn up by construction.

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Images Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

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January 17, 2013 · 3:23 pm

AAUW National Mentoring Month Interview

I am honored to announce that the American Association of University Women* just published an interview with me: “National Mentoring Month: 3 Tips from a Guru”. It includes an interesting word cloud graphic “Mentoring, in Your Own Words”.

About AAUW:

The American Association of University Women (founded 1881) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 150,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and 700 college and university partners.

I have already passed this article along to my MentorCloud mentees. I plan to refer to it in presentations during my trip with the TechWomen (U.S. State Department’s mentoring program) delegation to Jordan next month.

Here I am at the University of California at Berkeley, at the start of my career as an American University Woman:

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* of which I am a proud member
Image Copyright 1979 Katy Dickinson

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January 16, 2013 · 8:51 pm

Dog vs. Stone Cat

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Last weekend, I picked out a cement-stone cat as a garden ornament. While I was shopping, it became an object of great concern to a small dog in an adjacent cart.

Image Copyright 2013 Katy Dickinson

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January 12, 2013 · 11:45 pm

Family Research

I am enjoying researching our family tree, with the help of the Ancestry.Com web-based resources. I have collected family records and pictures for many years but having all of this information in boxes is not the same as giving it structure. Scanning of images started for my father’s 80th birthday video in 2006, then expanded to make books for his 85th birthday and my mother’s 80th birthday.  Starting with bits and pieces of family history – from letters from cousins to copies of the birth/death pages from the family Bible – information is checked against public records such as the U.S. Census to profile each family member.

It is interesting to figure out the exact relationships of cousins and family members I have heard of all of my life.  Also, to realize that I know much more about some than others.  For example, Stella Vaughan Creekmore was appointed U.S. Postmaster in 1915. Two of my great-grandfathers were coal miners (on different sides of the family, in Kentucky and Pennsylvania).  Ben Wade Orr Dickinson was a farmer and then the printer for the Sharon Pennsylvania Herald newspaper for 25 years.  Family legend has it that we are related to John Dickinson who signed the US Constitution but I am still trying to work out how.

Here are images of our family for the last few generations:

Me: Katy Dickinson . IMG_5225 copy copy
My parents:
Wade Dickinson, III
(1926-2011)
Eleanor Creekmore Dickinson
(1931-now)		 . 1989.Wade.Eleanor.USMA40th
My father’s parents:
Wade Dickinson, Jr.
(1898-1971)
Gladys Oakes Dickinson
(1901-1980)		 . BWODickinsonJr.Gladys.1945
My mother’s parents:
Robert Elmond Creekmore
(1892-1976)
Evelyn Van Gilder Creekmore
(1905-1990)		 . Evelyn.RECreekmore
My father’s father’s parents
Wade Dickinson
(1867-1933)
Mary Magdalene Snyder Dickinson
(1873-1959)		 . MarySnyderDickinson.BWODickinson.1930
My father’s mother’s parents
Robert Edwin Oakes
(1875-1944)
Edna Cannon Oakes
(1878-1966)		 . EdnaCannonOakes.RobertOakes.1935
My mother’s father’s parents
George Washington Creekmore
(1876-1949)
Stella Vaughan Creekmore
(1878-1956)		 . GeorgeWashington.Stella.Creekmore.1920 copy
My mother’s mother’s parents
Walter Atkins Van Gilder
(1870-1943)
Ellen Rachel Bolli Van Gilder
(1880-1958)		 . 1911.EllaBolliVanGilder.oilportrait . Walter.VanGilder

Images Copyright 2006-2013 Katy Dickinson

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January 12, 2013 · 9:58 pm

Ceramic Tile Floor

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The ceramic tile floor on our new porch is done at last – and I am very pleased with it. The combination of the Floral Mural by Fireclay Tile, paver tiles from Gladding McBean (one of the oldest companies in California), and Mexican painted tiles looks good. It has taken much time and effort to get this done (the mural had to be made twice due to color problems – taking six weeks each time). SP Tile & Granite did an excellent job of installation.  Despite the still-missing railing and tile breakfast bar, and the winter cold, John and I had breakfast on our porch for the first time this morning.

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Images Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

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January 7, 2013 · 3:29 pm

Tile Floral Mural

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Our lovely new tile Floral Mural by Fireclay Tile was left in a box on the front porch today – in preparation for installation starting tomorrow.  I put together the 25 six-inch tiles on the dining room table to be sure all was in good order.  We are slowly creeping toward completion of the new porch on which we started construction in July 2012. The tile and ironwork are the last major elements still to be installed. We were able to use the space during the holidays – but not since they put down tar waterproofing on the floor. It is blocked off now to keep the dogs from jumping and sliding in the tar.

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Images Copyright 2013 Katy Dickinson

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January 2, 2013 · 12:43 pm

Salamanders big and small

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In the garden disruptions associated with our porch construction, I have uncovered several nests of salamanders, under rocks and buried in the dirt. I have seen two salamander types in our back yard along the Guadalupe River in San Jose, California. From the pictures on the Californiaherps web page, they are:

The big one pictured above is guarding a nest of eggs.  The two species live near each other but not together (the pictures here were taken of salamanders living under different rocks about a foot apart).  I have seen as many as seven in one nest underground – large and small but all of one species.  I once turned on the water hose and out shot a very surprised large salamander who had been hiding inside.  They mostly hold still when uncovered but they can move fast.  I try to leave them alone – only moving them to a safer spot if their current location is dangerous.

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Images Copyright 2012-2013 by Katy Dickinson

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