In Which the Squeak Niece Goes to New Jersey: Part Two

Clearly I'm excited. Clearly.

And showing off for the camera. But whatever, here's the story:

When I was 16 my Birthday present was a trip to Jersey to stay with my Aunties, and as I turned 26 this year I felt it would be sweetly sentimental if I went back. And then it turned out my Auntie M was having a show at Grounds For Sculpture in early May and it just made sense to combine the two!

Plus, the last time I was at one of my Auntie M's shows I was in diapers. So it was a while ago!

Grounds for Sculpture is on the old NJ state fair grounds and is a rambling garden filled with modern sculptures (including some of founder J. S. Johnson (of Johnson & Johnson)'s works which are...special.) as well as a fine restaurant and several exhibition spaces.

It's kind of like wandering through Wonderland, you're never quite sure what's going to be around a corner.

Alas, it wasn't yet in bloom but this massive arch drenched in wisteria must be quite a sight when it is! Bet it smells divine!

More wisteria, this time as a fun tunnel to walk through.

Dappled glade. Even the landscaping went into the realm of art here.

And apparently the climber gene was not completely lost on me, I simply had to climb the art! With such nice toe holds I could have gone higher but I was nervous of getting yelled at for disrespecting the art. Their website specifically says not to climb anything, woops! (Which is bull. Don't artists want people to react to their art?? I freaking climbed it yo!)

Aaaah! Panthers!
Just kidding, they're fake.

Aaah! Peacock!!
IT'S REAL.
(And it's entirely possible I stepped in some of it's poop. Entirely possible. But I discreetly wiped it off so I wouldn't break the illusion of being a Fancy Lady. Too late.)

After a really fancy ribbon cutting (thank God for champagne) I escorted the Auntie to her show space. I think I look like a bodyguard helping a celebrity through the paparazzi. But it was more like preventing her from running away to hide in the shrubbery until people went away. Shyness must be a hereditary quality along with being freakishly pale. Go us!

Marilyn Keating... Marilyn Keating. Go that way.

This guy was the first thing to greet you when you walked into the big building, just drawing you upwards to see what other magical things lay in wait.

It was curated excellently and the space itself was perfect for Auntie's art, being so open to nature which is such an important part of her work.

Auntie M and Auntie D had to talk to lots of people, but a lot of them were dear friends which made up for having to be nice to strangers!

The incredible 'Flying Fish'. My Auntie loves kites! And fish! Auntie Deborah did an exquisite job painting it, lovely irridescence to it.

This one made me laugh as it's a story about how Auntie M used to do that to flies and then chase Miss Linda around with them. Oh sisters...

'Carpenter Bee', I watched two buzz around chewing holes into the beams of the cantina, so many things that happen in that little paradise turn up as art. The hammer head and ruler frame make me giggle.

The original of the 'What Hums in You' print that hangs in my kitchen and it's companion 'Periodic Visitor'.

'Forest Feet'

As you can see, Auntie M loves a good toy. Much cooler than my Fisher Price Lil Snoopy I had as a kid. Though she did make me a horse I could wheel around on named Annabelle. And a Narnia dollhouse complete with a wardrobe you slid the back out of, sleigh, and lamppost (Miss Linda made the Pevensie dolls). And a horse with a weight you could balance on things to rock back and forth. And a paper mache fish I named Sputnik that hung in my attic room. Oh, and a playhouse in our backyard.

Basically I had the best childhood ever.

And I take it back about Snoopy, I saw one at a flea market the other day and wanted to take it home with me, I loved that dog!

'WaterBoatman' Get it!!

(In case you didn't take classes at Dawes when you were a kid, a Water Boatman is the common name for Corixidae, a water bug.) Hilarious!

'Dragonfly Road Rage' Hahahhahaaa apparently a sick sense of humor is also hereditary. The other day I was in a bar and made a joke about drowning cats in a sack. (How do I have friends?!?!) I love that she explained why a lot of her prints are of dead animals: because "they don't move". They seriously are some of my favorites of her work.

'Hand of Durga' Durga is a Hindu goddess (total badass) who is usually depicted holding all ten of her weapons in her hands (impressive multi-tasking). I like the idea that if she added a paintbrush to her arsenal she would be a patron saint to artists and aid them with her qualities of fearlessness, creative force, and sense of humor even under stress! With that handle looking remarkably like that of a knife she'd clearly use art as a weapon. Don't mess with Durga. She'll cut you. With a freakin' paintbrush!

One of the coolest parts of the whole night was this delightful story: while going through some papers Auntie M found her kindergarden report card in which her teacher, Mabel, says she shows clear artistic potential which should be encouraged and that she'd like to keep in touch to see how she grows. Well Auntie googled her, invited her to the show, and Mabel came!!

She is the dearest lady, and was just so happy to see what became of little Marilyn. I think she exceeded Mabel's expectations! Being an artist isn't an easy gift to be given, and I think we were all so touched that she'd had a cheerleader at such a young age. Now she has Auntie D and loads of friends and family too!

The show was such an exciting way to start off my visit, though we were all glad when it was over. Whew! Still, it's not every day one gets to be the niece of a famous artist! And if anyone is in the NJ area go go go!!!

In Which the Squeak-Niece Goes to Jersey:

New Jersey.
The land of my birth.

Can't quite say I've missed it...except for one little part. A magical bungalow in Gloucester City- the South Jersey Museum of Curiosities-also known as my Aunties' house.

Auntie Deborah, myself, and Auntie Marilyn!

With this fellow to greet you at the door you know it's going to be fun! He works like a nutcracker, the tail moves his jaw up and down and his marble eyes glow quite nicely.

 

Two charms I made in my jewelry class are now keeping a watch on their house.

And some of Auntie D's work in the front hall.

My favorite room is the kitchen, I spent a lot of time parked on the stool watching the Aunties and their animals go to and fro.

When I was very little Miss Linda accidentally got a black eye, which I drew a picture of, and it turned up in a few of Auntie M's prints. One of which is in the kitchen!

I love this monkey. He climbs up the string!

Wee but adorable pantry. And a convenient window to holler at folks in the cantina.

They re-did the kitchen a few years ago making custom cabinets and generally turning it from a room into a life size work of art.

Windows out to the cantina. You can holler out this one too.

Finches!

A shelf for lid storage and behind this door is a narrow rack for cookie sheets! Romance AND practical storage for cookie sheets?! Now that's true love!

The salmon pink dining room. It was here that I learned I was complete rubbish at cross word puzzles.

Check out that chandelier! And the beautiful built in cabinet. There are bookshelves in the living room, one of the best parts of a bungalow in my opinion.

And this beautiful piece by their dear friend Connie, with one of Auntie D's pieces in front.

And this is my Auntie M's hideaway-basically a child's dream room. When we visited as kids D and I would spend hours in here pouring over her collection of old toys and odd things. Nun's that spit fire. Eyeballs. That sort of thing.

Not much has changed as I still spent hours with my Auntie finding treasures.

My wee Mom on the left, wee Marilyn in the middle, Godzilla on the right.



Auntie D joined us for treasure hunting up in the attic, that's a box top I drew on ages ago with Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, and Tink flying to Neverland. Over twenty years later and I still love Peter Pan! You can't see much of it, but that wood framed thing on the left is a piece that's going to come live with me and I can't wait to share it with you!

Some treasures we found were old and in need of sprucing up, here's a wooden box getting tweaked down in the wood shop in the basement. (Yes. There is a fully supplied wood shop in the basement. And a metal shop in the garage and their computer/paint work is done upstairs. Paradise.)

My Aunties co-habitate with two adorable animals: Miss Ellie the doodle dog and Scout the cat.

 

We snuggled a lot. 

Auntie M and I fed Ellie lots of little tid bits from our meals, but not this ice cream. That's all mine.

And I made her a collar using our trailer ribbon, a reference to her being born under one. 

And have I mentioned the cantina? I failed to take enough photos of it but fortunately there's some on their SJMOC site I can show you:

image SJMOC

 The front gate- it's like walking into another world. Only the occasional waft of octane from the next door gas station or planes flying over head remind you you're in New Jersey!

image SJMOC

Door to the kitchen with the cantina on the right with Ellie the dog and Scout the cat standing guard.

image SJMOC

There's a different table now, but we ate here almost every day.

image SJMOC

Outdoor sink...

image SJMOC

...and brick oven makes a lovely outdoor kitchen. We grilled monkfish as an inaugural meal to open grilling season.

image SJMOC

There's now a hammock and two crazy lean-y back-y chairs that are divine once you get over the feeling you're going to fall head over heels. 

I spent a lot of time staring up at the ceiling from those chairs...when my eyes weren't closed since I was napping.

image SJMOC

And there's a lovely garden in back with a little hut where Auntie M holes up with the animals. 

image SJMOC

Cantina from the back of the garden.

Lots of skeletons. It kind of feels like you're in Mexico while taking a siesta in a hammock.

We spent most of our time in our pjs poking around the kitchen or the cantina. Auntie M even gardens in hers!
And we ate. And ate. And ate.
Gloriously.

Auntie D makes Molly of Orangette's scones once a week, but I managed to finish off a whole batch so she had to make another. Whoops. Cranberries and walnuts then lemon zest and ginger.

We went to the farmer's market for local bread and my first strawberries of the season!

 We also got some clams.

Steamy steamy death. Mwahahaa.

Bivalves and beer? Yes please!

Grilled monkfish and asparagus with my new love: green goddess dressing.

Aunt Deborah made olive oil cake which was served a la mode with vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries that stewed in Chambord for a while.

East coast pizza, how I love you! And more green goddess dressing!

We even left the house to eat: a sojourn into Philly to visit the Mutter Museum which didn't manage to put us off our lunch which we had in Chinatown. Cold sesame noodles, chicken we sucked off bones, scallion pancakes and best of all: fat balls. Dumplings that have fatty pork in the middle which liquifies when it's steamed. Dip them in sauce and suck out the juicy fat so it doesn't explode on you when you bite into it!



And we didn't eat anything there but we did pop in to their friend Joel's house to behold his stunning collection of clock radios (as well as other fun things).

But I think the most satisfying meal was this Vietnamese green curry. My senior year of college the Aunties came to visit for Christmas. On Christmas day Auntie M made a big batch of this but I fell ill and was too sick to eat any! Clearly an indicator of how sick I was since this dish is delicious! By the time I could manage a bowl that's all there was left. One bowl! And I've been craving seconds for about five years now.

It's from Mai Pham's The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking, the recipe can be found here (Auntie M uses cod instead of chicken). I ate three bowls. Finally satisfied.

We also left the house to feast at Sagami, a Japanese restaurant my family raves about every time they go to visit. I refused to leave until I'd eaten there. And now all I want is their seaweed salad. And the sushi.

And this fried seafood. :-(

I'm just going to have to go back.

I feel so rested and my brain has been buzzing with creativity since I returned. It was a delightful week, my Aunties have created a wonderful world that was a true pleasure to be a part of for a few days. And I've brought a bit of it with me in a box full of treasure. I can show you what I've done with my prizes in my next post which will also include the real reason I went to New Jersey: Auntie M's show!