Friday Review: Olompali State Historic Park

Olompali State Historic Park

What it is:

A state park on the Marin peninsula, just over whatever bridge it is you cross if you drive from Berkeley to Santa Rosa, with hiking trails, picnicking areas, and historical buildings.

The good:

The park is gorgeous, very relaxing, and feels more out in the country than it is. The hiking trails are suitable for easy, light day hikes.



The best thing about the park is the animals. In one quick visit I saw dozens of turkeys, a handful of rabbits, two deer, and sundry lizards, birds, and attractive insects.





The historic buildings are pretty neat too, even though they aren't open and are in some disrepair. The range from early mud-brick architecture all the way up to Art Deco is pretty interesting, and the remains of the Victorian pleasure gardens are fascinating.

This would be a great place to hold a historical picnic. Most of the trails are easy enough that you could do them in costume (I hadn't brought hiking shoes and did them barefoot with my dress pants rolled up to the knee).



The bad:

The entrance to the park is a bit weird. You can't access it heading north on 101, so have to take the first exit after it if you are, get back on heading south, and then get off at the park.

Oh, and the park only has porta-potties. Nuff said.


The ugly:

Prickles in the grass. And I guess some lizards aren't that attractive.





My personal lovely little story about Olompali State Park:

I found this park only because I stepped out of my practical, logical, reasonable shell the last time I was in CA, and decided to do something wild and illogical and completely random and drive from Livermore (the last true part of the USA in California) up to Santa Rosa to meet an internet friend.

Wild and illogical it may have been, but it was also one of the best decisions of the trip. The friend was as lovely IRL as online, and the mental escape from Livermore (tltpotUSAinCA) and Berkeley and Oakland and stores and malls was just what I needed. I'm definitely a country girl at heart!



I noticed the park on the way up to Santa Rosa, so on the way back I stopped and decided to take a wander. And I had an absolutely splendid afternoon, all by myself, limping along gravel and prickle-filled paths in bare feet because my patent leather flats were not the right footwear choice for the trip, and taking hundreds of photographs, and just feeling alive and outside.

And I saw turkeys and rabbits and deer and lizards and attractive insects. And it was lovely!

Rate the dress: Tissot's 'On the Thames'

Last week's Country girl dancing met with approval, earning a 7.9 out of 10, and an academic analysis of how the social and gender issues of the 18th century are implied in Boucher's drawing. I'll never look at it the same way again!

This week we move away from pastoral simplicity to pastoral over-the-top-ness.

Tissot is famous for his portrayals of women in decadently feminine confections. Is this model in her 1874 bustle dress, with pannier affect and shortened hemline, fichu, bonnet, and lace mittens, just a little too coy and overdone for a boating trip, or the picture of sartorial elegance for a day on the Thames?



Rate the dress on a scale of 1-10 (and of course, comments, criticisms, and socio-economic gender analysis always welcome!)

There is something about chickens...

Cheep cheep!

The scary part?

These pictures were taken on two different occasions. And no one remembers the chicken, if it is the same chicken, or why I liked it so much!

Friday Review*: I Do: 100 Years of Wedding Dresses

I don't have images, so enjoy Toulmouche's The Reluctant Bride, who looks more like the 'Seriously pissed off Bridezilla' to me

What it is:

An exhibition of wedding dresses at Expressions, Upper Hutt's Arts and Entertainment Centre, with dresses spanning the period from 1875 - 2006.

Remember how I spent a lovely day a few months ago looking at wedding dresses? Well, these are them, and now you can see them yourself (as long as you are in the Wellington region).

The Good:

It's an exhibition about wedding dresses? What could not be good?

Beyond the instant appeal of the topic, the exhibition is beautifully designed and curated.

The selection of dresses is inspired, reflecting both the most popular and common dress trends of each era, and a few brides who broke with the trends and chose very unique and individual dresses.

The visual design is lovely: dresses are grouped by period, with each having enough space to stand alone, without feeling isolated. A few special dresses stand on individual plinths, allowing the visitor to see them from all angles, and keeping them from competing with the other dresses.

The centre of the room is occupied by the most extravagant and over the top dress in the exhibition: a 'princess bride on acid' confection of gold silk, gold lace, embroidery, applique, lacing, ribbons, bows and matching accessories which could have overwhelmed the exhibition, but is carefully placed to complement rather than swamp the other dresses.

The whole room is tied together with panels of romantic floral wallpaper and ribbons of plain wallpaper, presenting the entire exhibition as a present to be slowly opened.

The Bad:

The bad is that I don't have photographs (yet), but you can see a lovely article with a photograph here and TVNZ did a little short on it with three gorgeous dresses in their Breakfast programme.

(You just have to get through 2 minutes and 20 seconds of randomness involving a 6 foot tall texting rabbit first, and restrain yourself from trying to reach through the screen and give the newsreader a smack when she grabs one of the dresses.)

The Ugly:

Some of the dresses aren't quite to everyone's taste.

But that is good too, because there is something to appeal to everyone, from the minimalist to the maximalist, from the traditionalist to the uber avante-garde.

(oh, c'mon, you didn't actually think I was going to say "Well, this one dress with the green bows is just beyond hideous", did you?)

The so good it is bad:

Do I need to say? With all those gorgeous dresses I want to get married again! (to the same person of course). And everyone who attends is going to go slightly dewey-eyed and wedding mad for a little bit.

The other so good is that there are going to be floor talks on Saturday the 13th from 2-3 and Thursday the 17th December from 10.30-11.30 by a local costume historian, and I hear they are going to be very good (I hope!). Maybe I'll see you there?

*I know this is a bit late for a Friday Review, but this exhibition isn't on for very long, and is so utterly lovely, that I want to give you as much of a chance as possible to see it!

Giving thanks

Today is Thanksgiving in New Zealand.

Well, actually, today isn't Thanksgiving in New Zealand, as they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but today is the 4th Thursday in November, so if they did celebrate Thanksgiving, it would be today (unless, of course, they picked a different date, in which case it would be on that day, but now this is all getting too, too complicated!)

I love Thanksgiving. It's such a lovely, simple holiday. Eat lots of good food, spend time with family, appreciate what you have. Even the retailers haven't been able to create lots of extra crap that you have to buy to celebrate Thanksgiving.

19 random things I am thankful for today include:

Kitten tummies



Blogger friends

IRL friends

Cheap international phone cards

Flowers



Ducklings

Whimsicles

Music. I'm into Arcade Fire and Bruce Springsteen today

Lunchtime in the sun.



Compost

Good hair days

Terry Pratchett

aye-ayes



My in laws. (MIL made pumpkin and apple pies for Thanksgiving :-)

People who smile at you in the street.

A sense of humor

Trade winds



Hardship (really, I think a certain amount of it is good for you).

Being healthy.

Muslin bodice progress

I have actually, very slowly, and with a lot of distractions, been working on my 1850s muslin ensemble.

I've sewed in hooks and eyes by hand since I've broken too many needles to count doing it by machine.

I've sewed in all of the boning (by hand, thank you very much).



I've used plastic boning, as whalebone is obviously not an option, and metal is so expensive. I figure plastic is a good alternative to whalebone.

I've tacked down all of the piping finish on the bottom and top of the bodice with lovely little itsy bitsy hand stitches.



And I've cut out the sleeves and sewn in cuffs (are they cuffs when they are that far up on the arm?).

Still to do:

Sew organza frills to the bottom of the sleeves, and set the sleeves into the armsceyes.

Make an ruched organza and muslin bertha with a big bow in front.

And then the evening bodice will be done!

Rate the dress - Boucher's dancing girl

Last week's simplistic depiction of a little girl in her blue dress with bows didn't fare too well. We didn't appreciate the awkward styling, and while everyone liked the pineapple reticule, opinions were divided on the bows on her wrists and her sleek sausage curls, and she earned an extremely 'average' rating of 5 out of 10

This week we invert the equation - rather than a vision of sophistication by a simple artist, we have a vision of simplicity by a sophisticated artist.

How do you like Boucher's Country girl dancing in her lace-front stays with double bows, voluminous chemise, skirt, apron, and kerchief (date unknown, but probably around 1740).

Artless and delightful, or sugary sweet and contrived?

Rate the dress on a scale of 1/10