Salt Lake City

The Mormon Tabernacle

Forgive me for straying, leaving the store, and getting out and seeing the world, but, now and then, one needs to get away. The getaway for the Traditions gang, Robin, Diane, and myself was a trip to Salt Lake City to watch the Wichita State University Shocker Basketball team play in the opening round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Shockers beat first, Pittsburg, then number one ranked Gonzaga, and so they are on to the round of Sweet Sixteen in Los Angeles. The victories in Salt Lake were a big boost to Wichita, the team, and coach Gregg Marshall.

"How about them Shox!"

It is always fun to get away, more so, when it is a trip to somewhere one has never been to. Everything one sees is new and different. Salt Lake is situated in the Great Basin, surrounded on all sides by the towering Wasatch Mountains. On a clear day, the snow covered mountains shine in their spectacular beauty.

The weather for this time of year was a bit out of the ordinary. Even though Punxsutawney Phil promised us an early spring, it is snowing. There snowflakes float down like soft feathers on the city streets and those brave enough to be out in the cold. The local weatherman describes the resulting snowfall as lake-effect snow, a term familiar to those from Chicago, but not so familiar to Wichita. Lake-effect snow is produced when cooler winds cross warmer waters such as the Great Salt Lake, picking up water vapor and then shedding it as snow. Judging by the large number of umbrellas, the warm winter coats, and the long skirts and dresses on the women, the citizens of Salt Lake are used to this condition.

The city itself is surprisingly new and modern. There is plenty of downtown shopping, including a new indoor mall called City Creek Center. Then, there are dozens of great restaurants to choose from to eat at. Our breakfast favorite was Lamb's Grill. For an afternoon coffee and snack there is the nearby Eva's Bakery, a French style boulangerie.

Eva's Bakery at 155 S. Main Street

Free public transportation and wi-fi at the mall makes getting around Salt Lake or staying connected with friends easy. And, the Shockers played at the downtown EnergySolutions arena, a short 10 minute walk from the Hotel Monaco, where we stayed, or a hop on the clean and efficient city streetcars. When not rooting for our favorite basketball team, we found much to do in and around Salt Lake. There is the nearby Sugar Loaf neighborhood, and to ski one drives 15 minutes to the Park City Ski Resort.

One could go on and on, but shouldn't we get back to planning the next trip and rooting for the Shockers in LA?

Sarah Lanigan, Stickley Museum

This April, Sarah Lanigan, curator and executive director of the Stickley Museum in Fayetteville, New York is coming to Traditions Furniture in Overland Park and Wichita for a special event. We would like to picture the event as thrilling, exciting, and fascinating. And it will be, but not like this.

Instead, Sarah will charm us with a presentation on the history and style of Stickley, America's foremost name in furniture. Since 1900, when Gustav Stickey first created his iconic New Furniture, Stickley has represented the best in design and craftsmanship. It all began with the Mission style. This furniture reflected Gustav Stickley's ideals of simplicity, quality construction, and truth to materials. The grain of the quarter-sawn oak wood was emphasized and the mortise and tenon joinery exposed because Stickley believed this is what nature intended. The design innovations of Gustav Stickley' brother Leopold, and designer Harvey Ellis have both contributed to the rich legacy of Stickley Mission. Over the years, many of the Stickey pieces, including the Gustav Stickley Morris chair, have entered the lexicon of furniture styles. Auction values for early pieces have soared, but Stickley is furniture to be enjoyed now and forever.

Today the Stickley Furniture story includes other styles such as Pasadena Bungalow, based on the styles of the Greene and Greene brothers of Pasadena, California, as well as Traditional, Modern, and 21st Century.

Chairs

There will be refreshments, gifts, and plenty of chairs to sit in, but we recommend that you make a reservation, for these events are always popular. This will be a daytime event in both stores. We will post the times as soon as possible.

Sideboard

And if you are a fan of the Antiques Roadshow, but haven't been able to get there to find a value for your ancient piece of Stickley, here is an opportunity to ask what your piece of Stickley is worth.

Stickley, you buy it because you like it, and find that over time it is a decision to enjoy. Are you wondering how to get your favorite piece of Stickley?

A Night at the Oscars

Imagination at Play, Stressless

There is no argument here -  the best way to enjoy the Oscars is in the comfort of a Stressless recliner, sofa, or sectional. 

Stressless, not the kind of comfort you are used to. But something extraordinary. Comfort you never would expect from a recliner. As you sit, the chair comes alive, responding to your every movement. It is not something you have to imagine. It is something you have to feel.

Lincoln leads the list of movies with 12 Academy nominations. A history come to life movie that is well-written, well-acted, and everything else.

In addition to Lincoln, we enjoyed Argo, the true story of the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans stranded in an angry Iran after the fall of the Shah. It is a plot cooked up in Hollywood by an unsung CIA operative, and that seems too surreal to be real.

For pure action, there is Django Unchained, a movie that demonstrates that the guy in the black hat can be the good guy. And how did Django and Schultz, his German bounty hunter, travel from the Deep South to the Far West and back again in Winter? That, is the magic of Hollywood.

Les Miserables, something the kids can watch and sing along to. That is unless one remembers that the story is about Jean Valjean, a man who was imprisoned 18 years for stealing a loaf of bread, and the police officer Javert, who puts duty above justice, and a cast of despicable and  honor-worthy characters. This is Victor Hugo’s sweeping tale of revolutionary France, of crime and punishment, fear and flight, of persecution, redemption and love, all put to music.

Life of Pi - How do you make a movie about a young boy, a tiger, and a boat? Life of Pi might be the most imaginative screenplay, the story of a young man who survives a disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey with a Bengal tiger.  With eleven Academy nominations, Pi is second in total nominations. Director Ang Lee and Adapted Screenplay writer, David MacGee are good bets to win.

What would you do if you were adrift in a ocean with a tiger? That is something to think about.

 Oh, as for personal favorite - how about Zero Dark Thirty? At its core, the movie is a story about focus, persistence, dedication, and success? That is a winning formula in any book.

Whoever wins, we will be sure to watch from the comfort of a Stressless recliner, where you don't have to imagine comfort, you experience it.

Valentines Day at Traditions Home

 

 

 

 

St. Valentine

There are several early Christian saints named Valentinus. I must insert here the fact that, in my wife's family history, the name Valentine Van Huss appears often, a name passed down thorough several generations in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Perhaps the most popular St. Valentine is the 3rd century Valentinus who was martyred for ministering to persecuted Christians and performing marriage ceremonies for soldiers who were forbidden to marry during their long 20 year service. Valentinus was executed on the Via Flaminia on February the 14th. Legend is that the night before his execution, he sent a note to the daughter of his jailer, who he cured of blindness, closing the note with the salutation, "from your Valentine".

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343 - 1400), writing in The Parliament of Fowles (The Gathering of Birds), is credited with popularizing the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.

... And in a launde (land), upon an hille of floures (flowers), 
Was set this noble goddesse Nature; 
Of braunches were hir (her) halles and hir boures (bowers/shady places), 
Y-wrought (There wrought) after hir craft and hir mesure; 
Ne ther nas foul (fowl/bird) that cometh of engendrure (engendered/created), 
That they ne were prest (pressed) in hir presence, 
To take hir doom and yeve (give) hir audience. 


For this was seynt on Valentynes day, 
Whan every foul (fowl/bird) cometh ther to chese (choose) his make (mate), 
Of every kinde, that men thenke (think) may; 
And that so huge a noyse gan (going) they make, 
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake 
So ful was, that unnethe (with difficulty) was ther space 
For me to stonde (stand), so ful was al (all) the place....

New Years Resolutions - Making Life Beautiful

It is a new year at Traditions and we resolve to make it a little more beautiful.

Stickley Living

Our personal goals include the obvious ones of staying in shape, eating better, and maybe cutting back a little on the drinking, if that is a problem. Tackling bad habits is always up there on the list of new years resolutions, but we think it better to be positive.

So, our top vote getter is to spend more time with family and friends. Enjoy life.

Stickley Traditional Dining

And what better way to do that than, to dust off  the table top off, let in the light, and spruce up the house. Traditions has just the right designer to show you the way to a better living or dining room. Whether you are traditional or modern, rustic or relaxed, Traditions interior designers can turn your house into a home. After all, we've been making life a little more beautiful since 1984.

And, you will be ready to relax and enjoy life with the ones you care about.

Stickley Fingerlakes

 And at the end of the day, after the dinner, the friends, the conversation, and the fun, there will be a bed waiting for you - a bed fit for a king or a queen.

Stickley Marietta

And as my sainted mother used to say, "Good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite."

Life is a Gift

Life is a gift to be used every day,
Not to be smothered and hidden away;
It isn't a thing to be stored in the chest 

Where you gather your keepsakes and treasure your best;
It isn't a joy to be sipped now and then
And promptly put back in a dark place again.

Life is a gift that the humblest may boast of
And one that the humblest may well make the most of.
Get out and live it each hour of the day, 

Wear it and use it as much as you may;
Don't keep it in niches and corners and grooves,
You'll find that in service its beauty improves.

Edgar Albert Guest

Santa's Coming to Town

Undoubtedly, America's favorite tradition is the giving of gifts at Christmas time. Inspiration for this tradition comes from the celebration of the Epiphany, when the Three Magi appeared before Mary and Joseph bearing gifts for the infant Jesus.

In the 4th Century, Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra on the southern coast of present day Turkey, became famous for his generous gifts to the poor, including his presents of dowries to the three daughters of a pious but poor Christian. Today this spirit of gift giving is embodied in the person of Santa Claus, a jolly figure who is often dressed in a red suit and cap lined with fur. Santa lives at the North Pole and year-long with the help of his elves makes toys for good boys and girls. Then, each Christmas Eve he travels across the globe in a sleigh driven by eight reindeer. Santa lands on the roof of each house, slides down the chimney, and leaves gifts. Before parting, he enjoys a cookie and a cup of warm milk and utters a merry, "Ho, ho, ho."

In addition to Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus has many names - Father Christmas, Pere Noel,  Belsnikle, Kris Kringle, and Sinterklaas.

This beloved figure has been adopted by many cultures, each of which has its own unique customs and traditions. In Scandinavia, Kris Kringle appears in white and the celebration with food and gifts begins on Christmas Eve. In the 1800's, German immigrants to the US from the Palatinate Region brought with them the character of Belsnickle, a sterner version of Santa, who scared children with threats of whippings but always came through with a gift. In the Black Forest of southern Germany, Santa is often depicted as a rustic figure carved from the pine trees of the region. And, it was in Bavaria that the Christmas tree was born.

In England, Santa Claus is usually shown in a long green coat lined with white fur. A Christmas Story, is Charles Dickens' memorable holiday tale of a rich but unhappy man and a poor but happy family. Christmas, Dickens wrote, is a time for family and friends to share laughter and good humor. We should remember that giving is better than giving, and that we are blessed for that which we have.

And in the spirit of Christmas, let us all keep in our hearts the words of Ebeneezer Scrooge, who learned the true meaning of Christmas.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”