Sunday, August 28, 2016

Camping At Newberry Caldera

Newberry Caldera, East Lake Newberry Caldera, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, volcanic lake

Volcanoes are both scary and fascinating. The thought of being near an exploding volcano is frightening, but as I stood on the floor of Newberry Caldera last week and thought about how this very large caldera was produced as a result of a volcanic eruption 75,000 years ago, my mind was blown away!

Newberry Caldera, in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, is located on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in the Deschutes National Forest of Oregon and encompasses 54,822 acres. When Newberry Volcano exploded, the violent eruption produced two lakes - East Lake, pictured above, and Paulina Lake which is about one mile west of East Lake. Newberry Volcano is, to this day, an active volcano with both seismic and geothermal activity! 

Last week our family took great pleasure in escaping city life for a three day camping adventure in this captivating environment. For three days and two nights, we basked in warm sunshine and breathed clean dry air, surrounded by volcanic mountains, a variety of tall conifer trees, clear cool water and a fair amount of wildlife such as birds, mule deer, ground squirrels and chipmunks.

Cinder Hill Campground Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Cinder Hill Campground, Anderson campsite Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry Caldera East Lake, Newberry National Volcanic Monument East Lake, Newberry East Lake
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Golden Manteld Ground Squirrel Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Chipmunk Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Cinder Hill Campground Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, camping at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Cinder Hill Campground Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Map of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Lakes of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, East Lake Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Paulina Lake Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Our campsite was situated amongst many pine trees and located near the shore of East Lake, in the Cinder Hill Campground. There's about one hundred yards between the camp and the lake, with willow bushes, tall grasses and sandy soil between the two. Of particular interest are the red, white, and black 'cinder bombs', or volcanic pumice rocks, that litter the floor of the caldera:

cinder bombs, volcanic pumice rocks, Newberry National Volcanic Monument volcanic pumice rocks

The campsite had ample room for our three tents and included a large picnic table where we set up the campstove. (That's Jim tending the stove.) There was also a fire pit which we used during the evenings for light, warmth and cooking. 

Newberry National Volcanic Monument Cinder Hill Campground, James Aoyama, James Aoyama at Cinder Hill Campground, James Aoyama at Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Cinder Hill Campground Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Coleman campstove, Coleman Powerhouse 413, campstove cooking

There were also some very simple meals:

camp breakfast, breakfast at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Cinder Hill Campground camp breakfast, Joe's O's, Joe's O's breakfast cereal

On our one full day in this beautiful wonderland, relaxing and exploring were on the agenda. Audrey relaxed in the sun with a favorite book on the shore of East Lake and took occasional cooling dips in the calm water. Takeo explored the variety of interesting rocks that lay within the waters edge.

Audrey Anderson at Newberry National Volcanic Campground, Audrey Anderson at East Lake Newberry National Volcanic MonumentTakeo Anderson at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Takeo Anderson at East Lake Newberry National Volcanic Monument

A hike was also a priority and Takeo, Jim and I did just that. We headed straight up the hill from the lake and found an animal trail to follow. We saw ancient volcanic rock formations, skeletal-like dead pine trees, and many new pine trees bursting with cones.

Newberry National Volcanic Monument, East Lake of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, snag at Newverry National Volcanic Monument, pine trees and rocks at Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, pine cones at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, East Lake forest at Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, pine cones at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, pine forest at Newberry National Volcanic Monument

It was a great pleasure to be able to sit quietly on the mountainside, soak up the magnificent view, and breathe in the fresh pine scent. To listen, watch, and observe. As I sat watching a flock of Clark's Nutcrackers flitting in and out of a snag (dead tree), communicating through call and response, I thought to myself: these are the moments to live for. 

June Anderson at East Lake of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, June Anderson photographer, June Anderson at Newberry National Volcanic Monument

As is characteristic of all of the National Parks we've visited here in the Western United States, one of Newberry Volcanic Monument's primary missions is its focus on recreation, and that is exactly why our family made the trip. Of course we all understand recreation to mean something we do for fun and is not work. But recreation also refers to a mental or spiritual consolation, or a source of comfort. On each of the two nights we camped, I lay in our tent, looking out its screened window at the silhouette of the trees against the sky at dusk, listening to the quiet stillness of the forest as the last of the evening light faded into darkness. That view and the tranquility of that moment came home with me and still resides in my mind's eye.

"Keep close to Nature's heart. Break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."
-John Muir
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Saturday, August 27, 2016

#collectandstyle - August Monthly Favorite

 @atelier_cocon_m Instagram favorite, collage, floral wreath, papier collie, collage with dried flowers, dried flower collage, shabby chic collage, shabby chic dried flower arrangement, shabby chic dried roses, shabby chic dried hydrangea, floral craft, crafting with dried flowers, vintage floral paper craft, vintage floral collage, vintage paper collage

Hello #collectandstyle community! Thank you for visiting the Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I'm so happy you are here!

Welcome back to another edition of #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite, where at the end of each month, one image from the Instagram hashtag #collectandstyle is featured here on the blog.

Have you had the pleasure of viewing Mayumi Ichiryu's Instagram gallery @atelier_cocon_m? Mayumi is a craft designer who possesses boundless energetic ideas for composition, using a wide variety of antique and vintage items.

Mayumi's use of well-worn backgrounds, coupled with an amazing collection of interesting objects and dried flowers that she crafts into pretty wreaths, contribute to a very unique take on the shabby chic style. As well, her strong pastel color palette provides beautiful harmony and stability to her Instagram feed.

I love the art form of collage, and really enjoy how Mayumi utilized it in the image above, with her creative use of dried hydrangea petals as a 'dress' for her 1950s inspired piece.

Besides creating beautiful images for her own Instagram gallery, Mayumi is also a moderator on Instagram for @tv_retro and @antique_r_us, as well as being a member of #9vaga_members99. You can also find her on her own website, ameblo.jp/haidosora.

Thank you for stopping in! If you would like to participate in #collectandstyle, click here for the details. I hope to see you there soon!
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Monday, August 8, 2016

Vintage Finds: Antique Brownfield & Son Chinoiserie Revival Pottery

Brownfield & Son, Brownfield & Son dishes

On a recent weekday trip to my favorite downtown charity store, the Assistance League Thrift Shop, I discovered a small box of dishes tucked away on a shelf in the back of the shop. A sign on the box said "Brownfield and Son dishes, pattern number 8909, introduced 1879. Dishes are as found. Use for crafts? Priced as a set, $5.00." I suppose someone who knew anything about antiques would have scooped up the box and happily paid the five dollars.

Not me.

Although I've become quite familiar with the 'vintage scene', and comfortable in my knowledge and expertise in buying pieces that I'm attracted to, I know next to nothing about antiques, so I passed up on the purchase. 

But that evening I found myself thinking about those Brownfield dishes, recalling the pattern, the colors, and the crazing on the glaze. What was especially interesting was the very wide range of wear and use amongst the pieces, from chipped, cracked and color-worn, to almost perfectly preserved, and all had a gorgeous aged patina. Clearly these varying levels of wear show how the items were individually used and cared for during their lifetime over the past century and a half. From a favorite teacup used each and every morning for many years, to the one dinner plate that sat reserved for a special guest, just imagine the stories that each piece could tell!  

As well, I realized that the pattern, with its graceful chrysanthemum-like flowers and the interestingly shaped urn with a depiction of a tiny Asian style building with mountains and a tree in the background, were in fact, the very Chinoiserie style I have recently come to love.

So, when Saturday morning came around, I went back to the shop to see if the box of antique dishes was still there, and if so, that I would buy them. And I did.

Brownfield & Son, W. Brownfield & Son, W. Brownfield & Sons, Chinoiserie pottery, Brownfield & Son Trademark VS, Brownfield & Son 4773, Brownfield & Son 8909, Brownfield & Son 8908, Cobridge Works, Cobridge Factory, Cobridge on Waterloo, Cobridge 1808

Although the Chinoiserie style was fashionable worldwide during the 17th and early 18th centuries, it fell out of favor by the 1760s. Then in the mid-nineteenth century there was a renewed interest in Asian themed decor, and it has continued in popularity into the modern era.

My 'new' old box of dishes were made during the 19th century revival period of the Chinoiserie style. A few of the pieces are back stamped 'Brownfield & Son, No. 115', and I've been able to confirm that this particular back stamp was used between 1871 and 1891. Each of the pieces has the number '4773' hand painted in red, as well as 'Brownfield' and dates of manufacture impressed into the clay. These dates are 1878, 1879, and 1880.

Brownfield & Son, W. Brownfield & Son, W. Brownfield & Sons, Chinoiserie pottery, Brownfield & Son Trademark VS, Brownfield & Son 4773, Brownfield & Son 8909, Brownfield & Son 8908, Cobridge Works, Cobridge Factory, Cobridge on Waterloo, Cobridge 1808

Curious to know the history behind these lovely dishes, I did some research, and here's what I found:

According to an 1886 advertising pamphlet, William Brownfield & Son were successful manufacturers of  'Useful and Ornamental Goods in China, Earthenware, Stoneware, Majolica, and Parian'. From about 1850 until 1891, their Cobridge Works factory, at Stoke-on-Trent, England, made these house wares, and employed about 500 men, women, and children.

William Brownfield (1812-73), the son of an earthenware potter, began his own career in earthenware manufacturing at the Cobridge Works pottery factory, which was built in 1808 and located on Waterloo Road. The factory was occupied by a succession of producers over the years, including Brownfield, until November of 1850 when Brownfield started working on his own there, producing his signature earthenwares, blue-printed and iron-stone ware, hand-painted wares, and one of the firm's specialties: moulded stoneware and Parian jugs. In 1871 the business became a partnership, when Brownfield's eldest son, William Etches Brownfield, joined his father. Porcelains were introduced that same year. In 1876 another of Brownfield's sons joined the business. W. Brownfield and Son(s), as it became known, grew into a successful large home and export trade business, with about 600 employees, into the 1880s.

In 1893 Brownfield's Guild Pottery Society Ltd. was formed to carry on the work of William Brownfield, until 1900 when the Cobridge Works was closed down and demolished. The Myott brothers rebuilt on the site in 1901, establishing yet another pottery factory - but that's another story in the great tradition and historical timeline of pottery manufacturing in the United Kingdom!

As mentioned, I've become very fond of the Chinoiserie style and a recent purchase of a c.1950 James Mont Chinoiserie Limed Oak Hutch brought the historic aspects of Asian themed house wares into focus for me. Since then I've been actively researching it, as well as going through my vintage collections looking for similar items with which to style my hutch.

I'm very pleased with the purchase of these historic pieces of Brownfield and Son pottery. These new old dishes will certainly enhance the variety of Chinoiserie style items in my collection, and I look forward to adding my story to such beautiful old relics.

  
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