now what?

River Park North in December

2011-12-18T16:52:00.004-05:00

At the Art Museum in Raleigh

2011-12-04T15:49:00.003-05:00

Goose Creek State Park

2011-11-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

Chapel Hill

2011-11-13T14:21:00.007-05:00

Drove to Chapel Hill the other day. Glorious weather, beautiful leaves, lots of interesting things to see.

Wandered through the Coker Arboretum on the UNC - Chapel Hill campus, and then through the woods of Battle Park.

On the UNC campus.

More Autumn

2011-11-04T22:24:00.003-04:00

Black Gum

2011-10-09T13:27:00.003-04:00

One of the trees outside my window. In the Fall the leaves turn from bright red to russet.

Autumn at last.

2011-10-02T17:23:00.003-04:00

Labor Day Weekend on Campus

2011-09-04T14:49:00.003-04:00

Summer's Almost Over

2011-08-18T10:12:00.003-04:00

Black Gum

2011-08-16T10:08:00.002-04:00

I think this is a black gum tree - there are several of them outside my apartment. For some reason their leaves begin to turn red during August.

More Apartment Pics

2011-07-27T17:57:00.005-04:00

SS2C - Day 6

2011-07-19T21:17:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday I drove from WV to Greenville. Not much to report - just happy to get home after a long drive.

SS2C - Day 5

2011-07-19T21:03:00.006-04:00

On Monday, everyone else left early. Betsy and I went to Ault Park for a walk.

James joined us for lunch on Oakley Square, one of the local shopping centers. This is the movie theater there.

Then I hit the road, back to West Virginia.

(Can you guess what's coming?)

SS2C - Day 4

2011-07-19T12:00:00.005-04:00

I saw this old factory in Norwood as I headed to Tom and Betsy's. They don't build 'em like they used to!

Betsy and I went to the Art Museum.

Then we strolled through Eden Park.

We met Karen and Cindy for lunch downtown and a quick stop at a craft fair. We passed this church in the Over the Rhine neighborhood.

On our last evening together, while we elder Gustinas remembered the horrors of our youth, the young cousins all played. James, Emily, Tally, Mara, Matthew, Aiden, Eila (and Betsy's foot).

SS2C - Day 3

2011-07-16T09:50:00.008-04:00

Greg, Emily, Tally, and Eila arrived Saturday morning. We all milled about before heading to a couple of Cincinnati's neighborhood squares for shopping and lunch.

Later a few of us went downtown to visit the park along the riverfront.

Various attributes of Cincinnati (flying pigs for the former slaughterhouses of Porkopolis, smoke stacks for the riverboats, and a suspension bridge for John Roebling's prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge) are combined in the park's entry portal.

Greg, Betsy, and Tom at the contour map of the Ohio river built into the park pavement.

Part of Betsy's garden.

The Saint Rita's Festival.

Everyone was a little punchy by dinnertime.

SS2C - Day 2

2011-07-15T19:15:00.006-04:00

Since the interstate doesn't go direct from Charleston to Cincinnati, I took Route 52, which gets rather small for part of the journey. Took about 5 hours, but you drive along the Ohio River.

Then as you cross the river from Kentucky you get to see the skyline.

The Gustina/Mulvihill/Fleischl home.

As anyone with a family knows, family get-togethers are largely an excuse for adults to mill about. Here we go!

Karen and Cindy

James and Tom

Matt James and Tom

Betsy and Mara

We had dinner at the former Rookwood Pottery, on the top deck, with a view of the river and the moon rising.

Then we visited an overlook on Mt Adams, where you can see most of downtown Cincinnati.

Sibling Safari to Cincinnati - Day 1

2011-07-15T19:11:00.005-04:00

On the first day of the trip to Cincinnati, I drove from Greenville to Charleston WV, and spent the night there.

Master Bath Upgrade 4

2011-07-04T16:01:00.001-04:00

It was finished last Thursday! So much simpler and more relaxed.

Master Bath Upgrade 3

2011-06-30T09:37:00.003-04:00

Not much changed in the bathroom yesterday, so here's a moody shot of the mirror waiting to be re-installed.

Master Bath Upgrade 2

2011-06-28T17:17:00.001-04:00

New paint on the walls. In the style of David Hockney. (In grad school I learned that if you didn't have the time to do a good job with Photoshop, you could say you were working in the style of someone famous and casual. Then when people said you didn't know what you were doing, you could sniff and act condescending.)

Master Bath Upgrade 1

2011-06-27T17:49:00.002-04:00

First Day - no columns, no wallpaper. (This will be the most drastic change through the whole process.)

Master Bath Upgrade 0

2011-06-26T13:31:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, the contractors will begin work on my bathroom renovation. Woo-hoo!

At Duke

2011-06-17T11:45:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday Becky Sweet and I went to Durham. We visited Duke University's Sarah Duke Gardens, and the chapel.

A Visitor

2011-06-01T10:55:00.002-04:00

My sister Kathleen visited over Memorial Day weekend. We went to Chapel Hill and Raleigh.

We also visited New Bern

And Beaufort

And had dinner with my friend Becky.

Duke U

2011-05-19T20:08:00.001-04:00

I met up with my friend Margarita Montealegre at Duke University - took a quick walk in the Doris Duke Gardens before meeting her.

Oakwood

2011-05-16T20:01:00.003-04:00

A visit to the Oakwood neighborhood in Raleigh.

Privets

2011-05-03T20:12:00.000-04:00

So this mystery bush that has been in bloom everywhere here is in fact the common privet. It was hard to find its name, and once I did, I also found that gardeners have many unkind things to say about it. I rather like it, though I suspect it has something to do with my breathing troubles.

Airlee Gardens and the Arboretum in Wilmington

2011-04-23T20:14:00.000-04:00

River Park North

2011-04-20T20:53:00.003-04:00

A Trip to Goose Creek State Park

2011-04-17T19:53:00.000-04:00

Fleurs

2011-03-29T07:04:00.002-04:00

Blossoming trees and camellias are gone. Dogwood azalea and redbud are out. The wisteria here often escapes from people's gardens and takes to the neighboring treetops.

Spring Ahead

2011-03-16T20:11:00.003-04:00

Margarita's Visit

2011-03-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

My friend, photographer Margarita Montealegre, is a visiting professor at Hampden Sydney College in Virginia this year. She was able to come visit during Spring Break.

Dinner with Margarita and my friend Becky Sweet.

At Airlee Gardens in Wilmington NC.

At Duke University.

It's Still Winter, Damn It!

2011-02-23T17:56:00.004-05:00

But you'd never know it in Greenville. I'm not ready for Spring - I need more sleep.

Snowy Morning

2011-02-11T18:39:00.002-05:00

Winter at Home

2011-01-31T17:13:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T18:50:00.007-05:00

This year my annual holiday pilgrimage to Buffalo included visits with several friends.

With my friend Tiger....

gradually coming into focus.

En route to Syracuse.

With Ruth Rudy-Roo in Syracuse, checking out what's going on at The Factory.

At Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House in Buffalo.

My sister Kathleen and Jeff Cougler in Rochester.

With Kathleen at the Roycroft Inn (Karen left before I remembered that I had my camera).

Karen and Kathleen at Karen's house on Christmas.

Uncle Scrooge.

My friends Alexa and her son Nathan.

Ken and Alexa.

The guys.

I guess this about sums up the family/holiday thing.

And then back to Greenville! The End.

First Snow

2010-12-07T21:14:00.003-05:00

Jeff's Visit

2010-12-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

Foliage

2010-11-24T08:15:00.003-05:00

This autumn there is more color in Greenville than in recent memory.

Fall Back

2010-11-08T20:52:00.007-05:00

Conference in Liverpool

2010-10-10T16:10:00.020-04:00

WEDNESDAY

Charlotte

JFK

THURSDAY

Amsterdam

Liverpool

Took the bus into the city - a good way to check it all out.

The first time I've seen magpies!

The Britannia Adelphi Hotel is an old imperial monument taken over by folks that seem ill-equipped to deal with its grandeur.

I dropped off my luggage and walked to the Anglican Cathedral.

This cathedral is the largest or second largest Anglican cathedral in the world (depending which sign you read). It's dark and a little foreboding - perfect for a cathedral.

Next to the cathedral is St James Park. It was originally a stone quarry, then the municipal graveyard. Again, nicely foreboding.

Artist installation - 1000 Bells.

FRIDAY

Off to the conference, where I only took these photos of Liverpool John Moores University. The conference was sponsored by the International Journal of Art and Design Education, published by the National Society for Education in Art and Design. The sponsors and participants were all interesting and very friendly.

SATURDAY

Liverpool

Amsterdam

JFK

SUNDAY

Charlotte - and finally Greenville.

Then came the rains.....

2010-09-30T21:12:00.001-04:00

It's been a week of heavy rain. The little ditch next to the house has become a moat.

Life in the Treehouse

2010-09-24T08:47:00.001-04:00

My New Home

2010-09-17T20:33:00.005-04:00

I'm on the second floor - no, I don't own the whole place.

One supposes that these are the woods that Locksley Woods is named for.

And finally - welcome to the Emperor Nero Memorial Bathroom.

Groovy Giftwrap

2010-09-05T22:08:00.001-04:00

Luna

2010-08-09T19:33:00.002-04:00

It hung out for a day and a half, then vanished.

I Bought a Condo

2010-08-09T19:29:00.004-04:00

I am excited about having my own home for the first time ever. Also kind of scared. It needs to be painted and carpeted.

Sibling Safari to the Outer Banks

2010-07-15T16:59:00.004-04:00

Chicago

2010-06-28T21:31:00.012-04:00

Day 1: I was in Chicago for NeoCon, the annual contract furnishing expo at the Merchandise mart.

I caught glimpses of this from my hotel room.

Day 2: Wandering on North Michigan Avenue was fun. A BIG change from Greenville NC.

Day 3: Where Michigan Avenue crosses the Chicago River.

A visit to the Art Institute - entering via the new addition by Renzo Piano.

A wondrous little park with a canopy of thorn trees.

Then on to Grant Park and the Buckingham Fountain.

What a long time since Hammond Beeby and Babka's postmodern public library caused an architectural stir in the 80's!

Day 4: I wanted to see Jackson Park, site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. It turned out to be close to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and the site of his Midway Gardens. The Midway in Midway Gardens was actually the site of the Midway of the Columbian Exposition - it is now the Midway Plaisance, adjacent to the University of Chicago.

In Jackson Park, the only building left from the 1893 fair is this gem, currently the Museum of Science and Technology.

Then I wandered past the lagoon to see Olmstead's Wooded Island - rather shaggy and unkempt, but definitely wooded.

Finally I wound back to the Robie House. Sorry to say, it is small, mostly unfurnished, and not in great shape. Surprising, since it is one of Wright's most famous homes.

And then home! The End.

School's Out

2010-06-04T18:09:00.004-04:00

The studios are all quiet. The semester ended in a flurry of creative activity. Seniors completed a studio project to convert an empty tobacco warehouse into a home for ECU's Interior Design and Merchandising programs (click here to see). The freshmen meanwhile presented their designs for the reception area of a day spa (click here to see). There were also a new crop of student websites (click here to see). And now we all need a rest. Happy Summer!

Mating Season on the Porch

2010-05-27T18:06:00.000-04:00

Road trip: Manteo & Nags Head NC

2010-05-20T18:03:00.000-04:00

Road trip: Raleigh NC

2010-05-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

With Becky Sweet at the NC Museum of Art.

Road trip: Oriental NC

2010-05-17T17:56:00.000-04:00

Summer!

2010-05-12T17:53:00.000-04:00

Time to take some road trips.

Morning Fog

2010-05-06T13:16:00.003-04:00

On the Way to the Office

2010-05-03T13:13:00.002-04:00

Lake Mattamuskeet

2010-04-20T20:52:00.004-04:00

Good Morning!

2010-04-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

Monsta

2010-04-12T20:48:00.001-04:00

Crawling Out of Winter

2010-04-04T17:08:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy academic year - trying to keep up with all the things I need to be doing to move towards tenure. I've been busy and tired and not very communicative.

Springtime

2010-03-30T17:07:00.000-04:00

Photo Exhibit at IDEC Conference

2010-03-29T17:04:00.002-04:00

These are two of the images from the Folia 4 series, which were accepted for exhibit at the Interior Design Educators Council conference. The exhibit was at SCAD's Atlanta campus. Thanks to Buie Harwood for the photo. There is another photo with the work in the background, at the IDEC website.

Conference in Atlanta

2010-03-28T17:04:00.002-04:00

Staying at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, by John Portman.

Cliffs of the Neuse

2009-11-26T17:41:00.002-05:00

November in North Carolina

2009-11-06T17:38:00.000-05:00

Family Portraits

2009-10-18T14:33:00.003-04:00

The anole family seems to be growing. The big one looks like an alligator. The little one is a new arrival and very cute.

Of course, for all I know I'm seeing new lizards each time I spot them - not a family.

Porch Plants 5

2009-10-08T14:30:00.001-04:00

I bought these begonias at the grocery store at the beginning of the Summer. They've had high and low points, but they're still in bloom!

Field Trip

2009-09-28T14:23:00.002-04:00

Here I am with students from my Color Studio, in front of the Raleigh Convention Center.

More Nature

2009-09-23T20:50:00.003-04:00

I have two anoles living in my porch garden. I usually only see the smaller one. They're like tiny dinosaurs.

Hanging Garden

2009-09-21T21:08:00.002-04:00

Here's what it all looks like from the outside. I'm quite excited about this porch garden. Indoor plants seem too needy - this is just perfect.

Creating Habitat

2009-09-11T19:00:00.002-04:00

My trumpet vines were menaced by aphids and almost died earlier in the Summer. Now they're thriving, and look who I saw there the other day.

Porch Plants 4 - Expectations

2009-08-30T16:52:00.005-04:00

Above is a tangle of vines growing along the road here in Greenville. This is what I've aspired to in my porch planting.

Filling the Silence

2009-08-21T07:32:00.002-04:00

I want to know
Do I stay or do I go
And do I have to do just one?
And can I choose again if I should lose the reason?

from The Fairest of the Seasons
by Jackson Browne

Outer Banks Vacation

2009-08-12T15:14:00.009-04:00

The Gustinas assembled in Nags Head for a family reunion/vacation this year. Me, Tom and nephew James, Karen, Greg and Emily with nieces Eila and Thalia, and Kathleen. We rented a house, drove around, swam, walked, fished, kayaked, shopped, and ate a lot.

My Hostas are Blooming

2009-07-26T15:18:00.002-04:00

I was hit by a truck!

2009-07-24T16:23:00.007-04:00

I'm home now, but still hobbling around and in a certain amount of pain. Of course, the Percocet sure helps....

The night nurse, Donna.

I'm afraid I failed this quiz.

What Kind of Photographer...

2009-07-09T14:41:00.004-04:00

forgets to take his camera on a trip???

Over the Fourth of July, I met my friends Alexa, Ken, and Nathan in Charlottesville VA. We visited Monticello and climbed to the top of Crabtree Falls.

But there are no photos to prove it.

Summer Afternoon

2009-07-03T08:27:00.001-04:00

Another Mystery Flower

2009-07-01T17:09:00.005-04:00

Found growing in wooded areas near water. They blossomed a couple weeks ago. Usually woodland flowers are very small and uninteresting, but these are appealingly showy.

Porch Plants 3 - A Visitor

2009-06-28T13:51:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure what kind of lizard this is - it looks bigger and more colorful than our local chameleons.

Teachers of Lighting Workshop - Finale

2009-06-27T15:14:00.005-04:00

The week-long workshop was intense. I learned more about lighting than I will ever be able to remember. On the last day we presented the lighting schemes we'd worked on all week. My team had a very high handicap - me.

Consultation

Presentation

Farewell from three of our leaders.

Teachers of Lighting Workshop - Before

2009-06-24T07:57:00.006-04:00

I had some time before my workshop started on Sunday, so I went to the Atlanta Botancial Garden. (Visiting a park or garden is ALWAYS the right way to spend my time!)

It's in Piedmont Park, their version of Central Park in midtown Atlanta. They have a chandelier by Dale Chihuly in the entry pavilion, and one of his glass sculptures in a fountain.

Smoke bush and aquatic cannas.

There's a Southern bog area, replete with pitcher plants and venus fly traps and such.

Teachers of Lighting Workshop - The Journey

2009-06-23T21:59:00.006-04:00

I was selected to be one of the professors at a lighting workshop in Conyers, outside Atlanta.

On the way, I stopped at the famous South of the Border.

This was our home (or our prison?) for the week.

Porch Plants 2 - They're growing

2009-06-08T21:57:00.001-04:00

Porch Plants

2009-06-05T18:02:00.002-04:00

Wisteria

2009-04-28T15:26:00.000-04:00

During two or three weeks in the Spring, wisteria is draped EVERYWHERE here in Eastern North Carolina. It's an amazing display.

Spring Again

2009-04-20T15:20:00.001-04:00

Some photos from River Park North.

IDEC Conference in St Louis

2009-03-30T21:25:00.011-04:00

Never been to St Louis before. Lots of groovy stuff to see.

The arch is everywhere.

This is why you never see the arch from the West - Illinois looks pretty untidy across the river.

Spring Phenomena

2009-03-22T20:56:00.002-04:00

Why is it that pear trees in blossom always look like a puff of smoke from a magician's trick?

Postcard from P-town

2009-03-15T14:44:00.007-04:00

My friend Steven Riel completed an MFA in poetry this past year. And he just had a new chapbook of poems published, by Seven Kitchens Press.

The book, Steven's third, contains such gems as Kitty Carlisle is Dead! and more selections from his 13 Ways of Looking at My Effeminacy. Though there are some serious subjects here, the word that comes to my mind is Frolic!

To order, visit http://sevenkitchens.blogspot.com/.
(Cover image: "Fight Like a Man" copyright by Sean-Michael Rau)

Name That Flower

2009-03-12T14:39:00.001-04:00

Seen from a passing car, the lawn in my apartment complex has a purply-gray dusting on it. When you look closer, it's all these tiny flowers. But what are they called?

Mattamuskeet

2009-03-09T13:07:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I visited Lake Mattamuskeet, a nature preserve East of Greenville. They're not sure how the 40,000 acre lake was formed, but the most intriguing idea is that the native peat bogs caught fire and burned off the forest that had been here. They tried to pump the lake dry - it's only 4 feet deep - and that's why the big pump house. But it kept filling back up. There's a lot of water in Eastern North Carolina! Wonder how the rising sea levels will affect us.

That's a photo blind (you thought it was an outhouse, didn't you).

Coots! I've never seen them before!

Snow in Greenville!

2009-01-21T07:08:00.002-05:00

Never thought I'd see it. 3-4 inches. And on inauguration day.

New Year's in New York (and New Jersey)!!

2009-01-12T21:37:00.007-05:00

So after Buffalo I visited with friends in NYC.

I was surprised how nice the hotel was, cause it was pretty cheap.
Turns out they were doing some construction - but it wasn't noisy.

A bunch of friends came by while I was at Rockefellar Center!

Mr Marty invited me to watch him shop.
He's got that hunter/gatherer thing down pat.

Obligatory shot of the Empire State Building.

I spent New Year's Eve with my friend Rae in Jersey City.

We watched the movie Opera Fanatic.
(Don't bother - you wouldn't like it.)

Would you eat au gratin potatoes from this man?

Everyone's going on about the High Line.

This beautiful building is by James Stewart Polshek,
one of my few architectural heroes.

New Year's dinner: me, Rae, Henri, Marty, Bruce.

Christmas in Buffalo!

2009-01-10T14:08:00.008-05:00

Drove to Buffalo for Christmas. That's my new car, Magoo.

My sister Kathleen at home.

My sister Karen's house on Christmas day.

Karen - a blur of activity as she prepares Christmas dinner.

Karen's new dog, Fritter - a plott hound (not sure about that spelling).

A visit to Ellicotville, in the Boston Hills South of Buffalo.

I know many wonderful facts about Buffalo, but I did NOT know that the Wurlitzer company was from North Tonawanda (between Buffalo and Niagara Falls).

We visited the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Loved the architecture - not so fond of the art.

Friend Jeff Cougler in front of Louis Sullivan's Guarantee Building - supposedly the prototype for his Wainwright Buidling in St Louis.

Me Karen Jeff Kathleen

Winter's Coming

2008-12-19T22:49:00.004-05:00

The Fall semester is over. Though it's a relief, it's also sad that everyone is gone. The weather was chilly a couple weeks back, but now it's muggy and uncomfortable. Looking forward to heading North for the holidays.

NeoCon East

2008-11-18T17:18:00.006-05:00

In October, Ms Sweet and I took about 50 students from our classes to Baltimore for the NeoCon East furniture fair. We all enjoyed it - I think it had something to do with all the shopping bags.

2008-11-09T13:47:00.000-05:00