Me and My Dad

Roy Gerard, age 24, March 1944

Christmas 2011

When I was a little girl, I loved to go to my dad’s office and watch him work on enormous adding machines. He entered the numbers and then pushed a big button. A huge noise ensued and then the answer appeared on the tape that came out of the machine. I thought that the adding machine was magical. Arithmetic came hard to me and the idea that a machine could come up with the answer so rapidly seemed absolutely fantastic. I just wanted to touch that machine and make it work.

My dad enjoyed his adding machines but what he really wanted was a calculator. A calculator did the same thing as an adding machine, but it was much smaller and less noisy. When calculators first came out, however, they were very expensive and kind of clunky.

Eventually, prices came down, the machines became more sophisticated, and my dad purchased his first calculator. Once he did, he was hooked on calculators. He made a calculator collection. He had calculators of all shapes and sizes. He had regular calculators and calculators with esoteric functions. He had fun playing with his calculators. He also had fun showing me how to play with calculators after I failed to absorb his lessons on how to add in my head.

My dad, however, had no trouble adding in his head. That was his special gift. He was an absolute whiz with numbers. He could add and subtract in his head almost as fast as the calculators that he loved so much. My dad, an economist who ran a business called Economic Consultants Organization, especially enjoyed doing statistical analyses and population projections.

My dad loved manipulating numbers. He worked with census data and he collected data in his own original research. He did a wide range of research for businesses, school districts, and communities. The effect of his work is still being felt in a variety of communities. For example, his research on agriculture in Western New York resulted in the farmers market being established in downtown Buffalo. That farmers market is still going strong after a number of years. My dad was so proud of that.

My dad also shared his love of numbers with me in ways that I was not taught in school. He shared with me the magic of numbers, especially the numbers three and nine. He pointed out that our birthdates, both his and mine, were perfect days because the dates added up to a number that could be divisible by three. His birthday was March 3^rd, 1920, or 3-3-1920. My birthday is September 27^th, 1956, or 9-27-1956. He let me know that, when you multiply any number by nine, the digits in the answer always add up to nine. I didn’t believe him. I played with his calculator, inputting bigger and bigger numbers. Sure enough, he was right. Nine is a magic number.

Because of the things that my dad taught me, I see much more in numbers than I ever believed possible when I was sitting in a classroom adding up columns of numbers on a worksheet. He showed me the majesty of numbers and the beauty of mathematics.

He also shared his stamp collection with me, showing me tiny pieces of art from countries around the world. In doing so, he awakened within me a love of geography.

And he went beyond sharing his own gifts with me. He appreciated and relished my own gifts.  He encouraged my creativity. He was happy when I showed him a new essay or a new painting that I had made. He liked the handmade cards that I gave him to mark an occasion, such as a birthday or an anniversary. He read every article that I wrote for the Island Dispatch and other publications and he looked at all of the photographs that went with those articles. He went to hear me sing in recitals and in concerts. He liked looking at the garden that I planted in our tiny garden space in front of our house.

Thanks to my dad, I will always see numbers as exciting and as magical.  When I wish upon a star, I will think of him and I will try to count the stars in a constellation. I will think of him whenever I touch a calculator. And he did what seemed impossible. He gave a love of numbers to a reluctant math student. He taught me that it was more than just the numbers. If I was able to do things that I didn’t believe myself capable of doing, then anything is possible.

My father, Roy Gerard, passed away on  Tuesday, August 28th, at the age of 92. I love him and miss him.  I read the above essay at my father's funeral yesterday (August 31st).

Turn Against War walk!

The rain came sideways and water pooled on the Glacial Drumlin bike path somewhere between Cottage Grove and Lake Mills, Wisconsin. As I walked on the gravely surface, hail as large as peas suddenly pelted me from all sides. Despite wearing good quality rain gear, I was soon drenched. It was the second day of the walk titled “At a Global Crossroads: Turn against War” that I had joined at its start in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 2^nd. The goal was to arrive in Chicago, the end point of the walk, on May 18^th, two days before the beginning of the NATO summit.

But on that wet day, my goal was not Chicago; it was one step at a time. I was determined to continue, despite my wet feet and the pain in my legs. When I saw a large lake shrouded in the mists of a rainy day, I knew that my day’s walk was about to come to a conclusion. Because of a detour in Cottage Grove, which added two and a half miles to the walk that day, our group of six individuals ended up by walking nineteen miles. Most of the walk was on the bike path, through beautiful wetlands and wild weather.

As soon as I arrived in Lake Mills, I was driven in a support vehicle to the home of our host family for the night. Support vehicles carry luggage, food, water, and tired walkers. At Darryl and Sheila Pope’s home in Lake Mills, I found ease of discomfort in a warm bath and happiness in clean, dry clothing and in conversation with friends, old and new, and in a home-cooked meal. We talked about the Afghan Peace Volunteers, a group of young people from the Bamiyan region of Afghanistan who have committed themselves to nonviolence in country that has known only war during the past 40 years. Very few Afghans remember peaceful times as 68 percent of all Afghans are under the age of 25. Kathy Kelly, one of several coordinators of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, the organization that sponsored the walk, has visited Afghanistan six times. She has become well acquainted with the work of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, who range in age from eleven to twenty. We talked about our experiences of the day as well: the stormy weather, the birds, and plants that we found on the trail, including the flowering trillium and the invasive garlic mustard (a weed that crowds out more desirable plants on trails, on the side of the road, etc).

During the two and a half week long walk, I saw substantial rainfall on only one other day. On that day, a Sunday, the group was walking on the bike path between Dousman and Waukesha. I heard the ominous sound of rolling thunder and saw that the sky was dark, as if it were dusk, even though it was midday. The thunder’s roar came closer and was accompanied by lightning, and the rain came sideways in sheets. I was walking with Barbara Hoffmann, a music teacher from Appleton, Wisconsin. As it poured, we sang rain songs and Noah’s Ark songs and a medley of other songs. Eventually, the storm ended and daylight emerged in the forest.

During the walk, we traveled through forests, two large cities (Milwaukee and Chicago), farming communities, and small towns. We walked through three college campuses: Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin; Marquette University in Milwaukee; and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. We walked along quiet streets and along wide roads, busy with the movement of cars and trucks and the business of fast food restaurants and “big-box” stores. We saw farmhouses and silos and horses. We walked past bodies of water as large as Lake Michigan and as small as the Bark River, a tributary of the Rock River in southeastern Wisconsin. We carried signs that called for an end to the Afghanistan war and to drone strikes that have killed many civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan. One of our walkers, Jules Orkin, carried a Veterans for Peace flag. That flag inspired much interest from passers-by, especially from veterans. At 73, Jules, a retired book store owner from New Jersey, has participated in many walks for such causes as an end to war and a nuclear free future. He said that he averages 1,000 miles per year.

We ate lunch on beaches in northern Illinois two days in a row. We couldn’t see the other side of Lake Michigan, which made it possible for us to imagine ourselves on the ocean. Our beach lunches delighted everyone, but no one was more delighted than Saoirse Grady, our youngest walker at nine years old, who, with her mother Ellen and her aunt Theresa, joined our group for a few sunlit days.

When we entered Milwaukee and Chicago, people from those communities walked with us for a day or two. In the cities and in the suburbs, we walked through parks and neighborhoods and business districts. We saw interesting architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and other well-known architects. We saw newly planted gardens and public sculpture projects. In Highland Park, Illinois, we walked down a street in the central business district that was decorated with glass mosaic mushrooms, large butterflies and dragonflies, and poetry. These decorations were installed on May 10^th as part of Highland Park’s Magic Garden Walk.

 

We also took the time to reach out to the communities that we were visiting by offering presentations. Kathy Kelly shared stories about life in Afghanistan as she observed it during her visits to the Afghan Peace Volunteers. She shared videos of Afghan youth being interviewed by Hakim, a doctor from Singapore, who has lived in Afghanistan for approximately 12 years. Buddy Bell, who organized the walk, discussed the history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

 

We walked into the City of Chicago on the morning of May 18^th. After a press conference, we attended the Nurses United rally for universal health care in Daley Plaza. It was an energetic protest, complete with singing and dancing and nurses dressed in Robin Hood-style outfits. The nurses were calling for a Robin Hood tax to help pay for health care for everyone. We were watched by hordes of police in a variety of uniforms, representing a number of different police agencies. Included in this large representation of law enforcement was the National Guard.

On the night of May 18^th, I returned home. I did not stay for the larger protests of the next few days. I let my walk be my statement for peace and human rights. For me, it was truly the journey, rather than the destination, that made all of the difference.  I am grateful for the hospitality of the communities and the host families that we visited along the way. We made new friends along the way and it is these new friendships, as well and the support and encouragement of family and established friends, that make the time and effort of the walk worthwhile.

 

Madison images

On May 1st, I went with my friend Joy First to the sing-along at the Rotunda of the Wisconsin state capitol, in Madison. This sing-along has occurred every day since March of 2011. It features enthusiastic singing of old labor standards with updated lyrics. Many of the song lyrics recommend the immediate departure of office of Governor Scott Walker, who has polarized the citizens of Wisconsin.

Here I am at the sing-along with Joy First.

The conductor leads the performances each day. People enjoy singing and, sometimes, marching in circles. A songbook is made available to all who wish to join the chorus (either for the day or for the duration).

Joy First's wonderful cat, Alice Paul (great name, huh?)

This doll is one of Joy First's creations. She represents Joy when she gets older. She is a wonder, a sign of a woman's continued evolution.

At the May Day rally, on the steps of the state capitol in Madison.

One of the many folks at the May Day rally.

The Raging Grannies enjoy performing at the kickoff celebration for the walk.

At a Global Crossroads: Turn Against War

On Sunday, I am traveling to Madison,Wisconsin, to join a group from Voices for Creative Nonviolence. We will start walking on May 1st in Madison and we will arrive in Chicago on May 18th. I am looking forward to this adventure, as we will walk through some of the same places that we visited on the Witness Against War walk in the summer of 2008. Our walk is titled  At a Global Crossroads: Turn Against War. The walk is timed so that we arrive in Chicago to greet the visitors to the NATO summit.
During this walk, it is my goal to explore the conflict between Alice the Artist and Alice the Activist and to try to figure out ways to reconcile the two. I will be using a visual journal and am bringing paints and pencils and various other things so that I can do mixed media during my trip.
I'll have plenty of pictures to share when I return!

springtime!!!!!!

I've been taking walks and am getting ready for a long walk, from Madison, Wisconsin, to Chicago, Illinois, next month with Voices for Creative Nonviolence. The walk will be called "Chicago at the Crossroads: Turn Against War." It starts on May 1st and ends on May 18th. It will be nice to explore the midwest during springtime, when everything is blooming and vividly colored. The gifts of nature are reason enough to turn against war. I intend to bring a camera and a visual journal, along with art supplies. When I come home, I'll have much to share, both here and in my art blog.
Here are some of the colors of spring:

A delicate flowering tree

A vivid flowering tree

jonquil

Daffodil

Hyacinth

Crocuses

My new art blog!

Take a look at my new art blog! You can find it at Sun, Moon, Stars
From now on, I'll post my drawings and paintings, together with artist statements, on this new art blog.
Enjoy!!!!

This was painted on rice paper that had been crumpled. The paper was then pasted to matboard.

Ecuador story from my newsletter!

Exploring Ecuador!

This winter and early spring, I spent nine weeks in Ecuador, learning Spanish and doing volunteer work at an organic agriforestry project. Here are some of my impressions of my experience:

Week one: It took me much of the week to adjust to the altitude in Quito (9895 feet above sea level). I also became acquainted with my house parents Alicia and Galo and my teacher Consuelo at the Banana Spanish School (where we did indeed eat a lot of bananas). I got an introduction to Ecuadorian culture when Consuelo took me to a colorful, lively market, filled with all sorts of fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, and other assorted products. There are no English translations for the names of any of the fruits that I purchased. I also got to explore the countryside when Alicia took me out of the city to visit her father, who lives with several of his sons and their families on a small farm, where they grow vegetables and fruits. The fruit trees include lemon, orange, and avocado. I enjoyed climbing a tree to pick some of those delicious avocados. It was truly a culinary adventure.

Week two: After a long week of mind-bending language exercises, I went back with Alicia to visit her father. I drew in my sketchbook and picked avocados and lemons. Alicia made lunch, which consisted of soup and chicken and rice and vegetables. There was popcorn to go into the soup, instead of the crackers that I am accustomed to adding. I truly enjoyed all of my meals but learned, after a bout of indigestion, that I have to be a little more careful when on my culinary adventures.

Week three: Because Consuelo needed to spend more time with her children, I had a change in teachers. I enjoyed getting acquainted with Carlita. We took walks through Quito, and I learned grammar and vocabulary while dodging cars (street crossing in Quito is exciting, to say the least, because there seems to be no concept of pedestrians having the right of way). During the week, I also celebrated Valentine’s Day with my family and with the language school. This holiday is a big deal in Ecuador. It is called "El Dia de la amistad y amor" (day of friendship and love). Quito has the title "la ciudad de los geranios" (city of geraniums). Much of the city was decorated with geraniums on Valentine´s Day. Alicia and her husband Galo went out for a romantic evening. Irene (a doctor who lives with the family) and I took Ody (the family’s French poodle) out for a walk, much to his great glee. Many people and dogs were outside, celebrating the day (it seems that nearly everyone in Ecuador has a dog!). Later, we saw a band marching out of the nearby church, followed by people dancing to the lively rhythms.

Week four: On Tuesday, Carlita and I went to “La Mitad del Mundo” (literally translated, that’s “the middle of the world”). We started with a walk through Quito. I had fun exploring architecture and trees and gardens. After a bus ride, which featured people boarding the bus to sell all sorts of stuff, including chocolates, ice cream, DVDs (all pirated), and loads of other stuff, we arrived at our destination. I was offered a tour with either a Spanish- or an English-speaking guide. I chose the Spanish-speaking guide so that I would get more practice with my listening comprehension. I saw all sorts of interesting things relating to life in the Amazon rain forest, including a giant tarantula, an enormous snake, and a hammock that’s large enough to accommodate an entire family. As an added bonus, I was able to stand directly on the equator, with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere!

Week five: This was my first week at Bosque de Paz, an organic agriforestry project in the northern part of Ecuador, about 30 miles from the border with Colombia. The family that owns the land consists of Piet Sabbe, originally from Belgium, his wife Olda Peralta, from Las Esmeraldas, on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, and their two daughters, Naomi and Maikin. There were five volunteers: Kevin and Aurelie from La Reunion (near Madagascar), Rolf and Natascha from Germany, and yours truly from... Gringolandia!!!  (That’s the name that Mexican painter Frida Kahlo gave to the United States!) I learned that there are 20 different species of bamboo grown at Bosque de Paz. In addition, there are the banana, coconut, and grapefruit trees and groves of lemon trees and papaya and yucca. If you´re lucky, as I was when I was planting turnips one day, sweet fruit will fall from a tree and split open at your feet and you can have a taste test. If you’re even luckier, you’ll be invited, as I was late one afternoon, to do “social work”: Piet and his children and the volunteers sat at the table on the porch and shelled cocoa beans. That evening, we enjoyed a delectable chocolate spread on our bread!  Another day, when I was super lucky, we drank coconut milk. There is no word in any language that can adequately describe how luscious that was!

Weeks six and seven: I interviewed Piet, who told me his story. A mechanical engineer, he came to Ecuador in the early 1990s to work on an engineering project. He got married and never left Ecuador! He also became interested in the concept of habitat restoration. With his savings, he purchased a small parcel of land in northern Ecuador in 1995. That is how Bosque de Paz (“Peace Forest”) got its start. When Piet and Olda took possession of the property, they observed that the lower part of the main valley had been deforested and replaced by pastureland for cattle to graze.  Because the trees, which act as sponges for the precipitation during the rainy season, were gone, the water washed the top soil from the valleys and the steep slopes. What was left was arid grassland in the valleys and just the remnants of forest on the slopes. In the past, the entire area was a humid cloud forest, filled with many species of plants, birds, monkeys, and other animals. Piet’s first step to restoring the land was to plant bamboo, which grows rapidly and is a good building material.  He also planted vetiver grass, which is stiff and can be used to prevent runoff. After more than 15 years, Piet describes the land as a “young forest.” Piet walks to the forest remnants and collects plants and seedlings in hopes of restoring the forest to its original condition.

Week eight: I spent a few days at Pikyu Pamba, a Quichua community near Ibarra. I was there for a ceremony, which occurred on Monday, March 21st (the vernal equinox). The ceremony was begun with the lighting of the fire, which is considered to be the male spirit.

Next, a deep hole was dug in the earth.  Our Quichua hosts described the earth as our mother, the Pacha Mama. Then food, including potatoes, yams, yucca, beans, chicken, pork, corn, plantains, and pineapples, was prepared. All of this was placed in the hole, along with rocks that had been heated in the fire. Once all of the food was in the ground, hot water was poured over the food. Immediately, steam rose from the hole, which was then covered by a thick cloth and by dirt. A group of musicians began playing their instruments. We took off our shoes and socks, and we danced joyfully to the lively, energetic music. We let our feet sink into the soft, gentle earth, and it felt good. Later, volcanic ash was spread over the stomped-on, squashed earth.

Half an hour later, the dirt and ash was lifted and carefully removed. The food, which had been steamed under the ground, was removed and put into baskets, which were carried into a large building.

Before we could begin to eat, a plate of food was prepared and was taken outside for Pacha Mama. She is our mother so she is honored by being fed first. Then we all enjoyed a meal, which was a celebration of love for our beautiful earth.

Week Nine: During my last week in Ecuador, I reflected on my time there. Carlita and I also managed to visit “el centro historico” (the historic center) and the Botanical Gardens (los jardines botánicos).

In the Botanical Gardens, I saw a display of orchids. They are determined plants that will grow just about anywhere. They will grow on rocks and on the tops of tall trees, as well as from the ground. They come in many colors and sizes. I saw examples of plants from a variety of ecosystems in Ecuador, from rain forest to sierra. Unfortunately, as explained in at the Botanical Gardens, the beautiful ecosystems are endangered by poorly planned, out of control development.

And a final thought of my experience: Despite all of the ecological problems that I observed in Ecuador, many of which we have experienced here in the United States (the destruction of much of the great northeastern forests, among others), I truly enjoyed my time in Ecuador. Shortly before I left, I wrote on Facebook and in a group email: “I never imagined that I would become so attached to people here in Ecuador. And I never imagined, when I first arrived, that I would come to love Ecuador as much as I do right now.”

wildflowers of summer

yes!!! Purple!!!

I drew this while I was watching So You Think You Can Dance. I can feel movement in this flower. Much thanks to the dancers for their beautiful and artistic movement.

I found this at River Lea, the home of the Grand Island Historical Society.

just purple. more purple. so many wildflowers are purple...

I was trying to channel my inner Georgia O'Keefe!!!

This grows everywhere. It's called a weed but it

's so pretty and, of course, purple.

Apparently, purple flowers are very hardy in the wild.

Queen Anne's Lace is another very sturdy plant.

These guys will not wait on line. If you don't draw their portrait immediately, they will protest by wilting to nothing! They have set a speed record for wilting to nothing.

Rose of Sharon.

Weed? Flower? I've learned this year that the difference between the two is as simple as I love it, I love it not...

Purple rules!!

These reminded me of umbrellas!!!

Just when I was ready to give up on finding a flower that I hadn't already drawn, I found this bluish violet flower!

This hydrangea isn't technically a wild flower. But I drew it anyway. Oh! This was work, with all of those little flowerettes! But... it's good for character building... I guess...

This one seems to me to be the epitome of summertime...

Another version of a daisy.

cone flower

Yellow flowers abound, too! And purple and yellow are complementary colors!!! Nature is awesome!

Black eyed Susan, version two