Saturday, June 14, 2008

busy day

Today this gal was BUSY! I assisted a couple hours this a.m. at Commencement exercises at Kettering University, where I work my regular 8-5 job weekdays. Then I hit the 41st Annual Flint Art Fair, which is small enough to cover comfortably but not too large to tire me out. Afterwards I met up with my buddy Pat J and we headed to another buddy's house for her son's high school graduation open house. Then it was back home to watch the Open with my DH. I LOVE golf ... only wish I could PLAY it better! Tiger just shot an eagle, by the way - boy, that guy's good, even with his knee hurting him!

The art fair had 150+ artists from all over the US on the grounds of the Flint Cultural Center. For those unfamiliar with Flint, we've a cultural center with a planetarium, art center, library, music center, historical museum, and auditorium all along a main street just East of downtown. Next to the planetarium is the Mott Estate (yep, of the applesauce fame), which opens its gardens to the general public once monthly. Tho' not actually a part of the Cultural Center, I try to take in a couple trips to the Mott's gardens each summer, hitting it at different times each year so I get to see different flowers in bloom each visit. The estate backs onto the Mott Community College, and just West of the Cultural Center is the University of Michigan-Flint Campus. Less than a mile further West is Kettering University, where I work. Big happenings this past week - the city council just this past Monday approved renaming the street that connects Kettering and UM-Flint from Third Ave to University Ave. That, and Obama is making a stop on our campus this coming Monday!

The art fair was held outside on the grounds of the Flint Institute of Arts and the Flint Public Library, arranged in two long double rows of booths spread across their front lawns. There's an M. C. Escher exhibit at the art museum thru tomorrow, and tho' I'd hoped to take it in with my oldest brother, who's also a fan of Escher's work, it looks as tho' that's not gonna happen, so I went today after the art fair. The museum offers free admission on Saturdays, so that worked out fine for the pocketbook too!

OK, I digress ... back to the card. Now I'm back home watching the Open on TV w my DH and thought I'd multi-task and upload today's card! Jonathon's card is based on SplitCoastStampers' # SC180 sketch challenge and Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Challenge #39 (go BOLD), made with what I could find that closely approximates his school colors. I made a pocket from his school colors on the interior where I folded a check into quarters. We had a nice relaxing time at Kim's - good weather with good company!

stamps: A Muse Artstamps' Graduate, SU's Lexicon of Love (one word - celebrate - stamped as a background using VersaMark) and Mini Messages (bottom front and inside sentiment); paper: ColorMates' deep meri-gold, Prism unknown black and burgundy cardstocks; ink: StazOn Jet Black, Marvy and Tri-C watercolor markers, and Versamark (inkpad and marker); accessories: unknown black ribbon

Back to the golf match - catch ya tomorrow!

5 comments:

Jan Scholl said...

Sue-I hate to burst your bubble but the Mott Estate has absolutely nothing to do with applesauce. mr Mott was in on the beginnings of GM.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stewart_Mott

The Motts (with an s) food company is its own entity. http://www.motts.com/About/CompanyHistory/

As for the art fair, I havnet been in a few years. I used to work in the kiddie art tent for years. The first vegan food I ever had was at the fair back in the 70's provided by Merlin's Retreat on MLK(formally Detroit) and Fifth ave a block from St MIkes. (many a day skipping school to eat there too).

Maybe I may go tomorrow. I know the Sloan Faire is coming too. GM 100th BD.

I was watching Tiger on the internet too. Hubby has his war movies on. I don't play golf ever but I love my Tiger. Oh, heck, I just love sports in general.

Are you going to the Ann Arbor Fair in July? I always go and it always storms and I spend money on garden decor. This year, I had to buy a new roof and am getting my house painted I hope-know any painters who do that full time?

out for a run now-nice tonight. Keep fingers crossed for Iowa-my son is sick of water for sure.

Sharon (notimetostamp) said...

Adorable graduation card and often school colors are bold and bright -- LOL!!! Great job on this and WOW you surely did have a busy day!!! Thanks so much for playing!!!

SueB said...

ah, but Mott IS the Mott of applesauce fame ... which is a reason they have the apple orchard at the front of the estate - the bicycle company that later merged w GM just happens to get more press!
See http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/timeline/civics-project-0399/mottC.html
later, alligator!
- SueB

Anonymous said...

I had the privilege to see this card up close and personal and it is wonderful. Thank you for including us in your very busy day - you made the company good.

Jan Scholl said...

Samuel Mott started the beverage business in 1842. The cider business later became Duffy/Mott in 1900 after a merger with Duffy Beverage. It was not incorporated until 1914. Samuel of course was long gone. Samuel depended on his son early on to distribute the products beyond the local city and neighbors including using ships to take it to Europe in some cases.

It was not CS father's business as stated-altho he may have had an early hand in it. It was not his incorporation-his name is not listed in the legal papers filed with the state of New York. Interestingly it was the County of Genesee New York. And there was also a company called Genesee Beverage that some believe was part of this early branding.

CS Mott's father was John Coon Mott. His bicycle involvement became Weston/Mott in or around 1908. This is the company that later was absorbed into the history, lore and time line of GM.

The cider/apple business is part of several larger mergers and acquisitions over the years and did not introduce applesauce in the jar until after they had merged the businesses into Duffy/Mott-and CS was already a rich rich man from GM etc.

I have not been able to view a family tree (I am not gonna pay for it!) but Samuel was probably an uncle? or other close relative of CS-I don't think it was his grandfather as the age would be totally wrong.

Uncle Fred was the one who had his fingers in the Weston/Mott deal. I think Samuel stayed with the apples biz until he died and it went from there. John Coon was probably involved in the apple cider business somewhere and some assets then fell to CS and his other kids upon his death-there would have probably been an equal distributing of all the Mott's involved at the time-and there were over 100 descendants of legal age at that time.

Duffy/Mott went public as a company in 1958 as a way to raise money-it was overextended financially and in the midst of a country wide expansion and upgrade.

But none of that business became any part of GM--it was always a separate entity and still is. The company was purchased by the American Tobacco Company of all things in the mid 70's(under the American Can subsidiary) and was no longer under the Mott descendants tutelage-so unless they bought shares of stock themselves, they have nothing to do with the company anymore. The company then was streamlined with bits and pieces sold off (others added or traded) and in 1982 was purchased by Cadbury Schweppes of London England.
(I am a stockholder in cadbury Schweppes-big whoop, as I also have McLeod telephone now in bankruptcy court) In October 2007, the brand elected to be spun off after Cadbury could not find a buyer (Snapple is part of this in case anyone wonders-yum!) and will again be its own company-this will involve the American distributions only. It should take place sometime this summer. So get yourself some shares of convoluted history. And lets get the snapple lady back too-it was shown that sales plummeted when she was not on the commercials.

Off my history kick-unless you want to know why Queen Elizabeth is not the rightful ruler of England and that the line of succession is screwed up there really bad. Princess Diana had more a claim to the throne than Charles ever will.