Tag Archives: historical

Inspiration: (My) Father’s Day

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It’s Father’s Day this weekend.  (If you’ve forgot, you’ve got until Sunday!)  So, in honor of my dad, I thought I’d use this blog post to try to figure out what to get him for the holiday.

My dad is a history buff, especially American History.  Want to know who ran against James Pollk in 1844?  Dad knows.  Wondering what the second biggest civil war battle to take place in South Carolina?  Dad could tell you.   Honestly, I don’t know how he can keep all those dates and names straight.  I have trouble remembering when I need to get to work unless I write it down.

Maybe Dad would like a pair of authentic Civil War socks.  He lives in Chicago, after all, and a nice pair of woolen socks is always useful in the Great White North.

Union Civil War Socks by Robin Stokes

IMG_2452_medium2[1]Dad likes kayaking in the little lakes and rivers that dot Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.  If you haven’t had a chance to try kayaking along a slow-moving river, it’s totally worth it.  You can sneak up on herons and other critters.  It’s lovely and relaxing, and a lot of fun.

Maybe he would like a little knit kayaking-dude.

Kayak athlete by Sue Mcbride

ethereal_shawl_024_medium2[1]My dad, when he isn’t reading about the Civil War or kayaking down the Illinois River, likes to play the bass. He’s been playing since before I was born in a series of bands- rock, jazz, country and everything in-between.  We even played together a few times when I was in high school (me on the piano and him on the bass).

Even though I don’t think he’d actually wear them, I think these fingerless mittens with bass clefs are kind of cool.

Fingerless Gloves “Musica” by Anne Neumann

2391762103_aaa624eecf_z[1]Dad, you’re very hard to find gifts for, but I won’t hold that against you.  I hope you have a fantastic Father’s Day!  I love you!

Young Girl with Two Sheep

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Last week, in Portland, my husband and I visited the Portland Art Museum.  It’s a nice little museum, and a lovely way to escape the heat of July for the afternoon.  We had wandered through most of the museum, when we stumbled upon an exhibition of photographs of gardens, and the people who enjoyed them.  It sounds like a weird show to curate, but it was actually pretty neat.  There were modern photographs as well as pictures from the beginnings of photography, when ‘snapshots’ were less popular.  It was interesting to see how, though the clothing has changed from the 1800’s, people still enjoy their gardens in pretty much the same way.

My favorite photograph was a tiny (about 4inches by 6) print that had been taken in France in the late 1870’s by someone called “Auguste Giraudon’s Artist.”  I looked online for more information about him, but came up blank.  I can only assume that Auguste Giraudon must have been a member of the aristocracy, and his unnamed artist must have been paid to take photographs of his holdings and the people that lived there.  Of course, I’m just making that up, so it could be totally wrong.

2012.81.4Anyway, look at this beautiful little picture of a young shepherdess and her two charges.  It’s almost 150 years old, and it’s still a lovely little photograph.  And, look closely at the girl’s hands.  See that?  She’s knitting!  I know it’s historical whitewashing, but tending over your flock while knitting socks for your family sounds like a lovely way to spend your time.