Pink Ribbon Event 2008

Pink Ribbon Event 2008

I went to breakfast today with over 200 women and men for a great cause. Crescent Moon is one of the Retailers for Ribbon sponsors for the 2008 Pink Ribbon Event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Wilmington. We will donate a percentage of our sales during this month. Mike also has the five "PINK" vases shown to the left on sale at the shop and proceeds from them will be donated.

If you have never heard of the local Pink Ribbon organization, let me fill you in. I will paraphrase directly from their program...Since its inception in 1998, the Pink Ribbon event has raised more than $850,000 and provided over 4,000 "Comfort Bags" to area women as they undergo treatment for cancer. Distributed by the Zimmer Cancer Center and area physician groups, the Pink Ribbon Comfort Bags are designed to bring comfort to women as they traverse though their cancer journey...from diagnosis to treatment.

It was an energizing way to start the day and inspiring. Frances Weller, always an enigmatic speaker was the Mistress of Ceremonies. Brief words from Jack Barto, President and CEO, of New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the Presenting Sponsor of the event, and Event Chair Sandy Spiers, brought home the importance of local donations and participation in fundraisers benefiting this organization's work. Besides the Comfort Bags, the proceeds provide funding for uninsured women receiving mamography through the Coastal Care Van, our region's only mobile cancer screening van. We all know how crucial early detection is.

As a daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, and friend, I have been fortunate in the fact that I have not had this dreadful disease touch my life up close and personally. But I know I have met and shared conversation with probably hundreds of survivors in my lifetime without knowing their struggles or challenges. Which brings me to mentioning the guest speaker at this morning's breadfast, author Dana Sachs, who has traveled the world, now calling Wilmington home. Her work includes the books "If You Lived Here", a novel, and "The House on Dream Street, a memoir about her experiences living in Vietnam in the 1990s. In her talk she paralleled her journeys abroad with those of a dear friend recently lost to breast cancer. She offered a different perspective, one that made us laugh at one point, but struck a heartfelt chord throughout her speaking.

I guess my point is I've been considering myself lucky to not have had this ugly, debilitating, and sometimes humilating disease touch my surrounding life. But in reality it has. It is there with every woman that has to take the journey to survival. It touched me this morning being among 200 people who care and want to see a cure in their lifetime so that we don't have this reason to have breakfast together.

I have my mammography scheduled for October 17th. I will wait nervously until I hear the results. And I will remember all the support for women that was at this Pink Ribbon event. If you have not scheduled a yearly exam, please do so now...for your sake.

Six friends and my sister joined me at this breakfast and each and every one of them is important to me. I never want them to need a comfort bag, but if they or I ever do, the Pink Ribbon in Wilmington will be there for us.

Information on Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
National Breast Cancer Org
Susan Komen Org

A Yad is not a Yard in Boston

With Rosh Hashanah approaching at the end of the month, and the expansion of our art glass Judaica line, I thought it would be appropriate at this time to explain some of the most interesting works of art depicting the pieces used in the rituals of the Jewish religion. One such item is the yad. Most yads found in homes and synagogues are made of metal. But leave it to an inspired artist, particularly a glass artist, and you will discover what we here at Crescent Moon have; simply the most beautiful works of art by a few Jewish artists. Wikipedia is my resource of choice to look up definitions or to sort out information. The wiki below provides the best explanation for a yad.

A yad (Hebrew: יד‎), literally, "hand," is a Jewish ritual pointer, used to point to the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah scrolls. It is intended to prevent anyone from touching the parchment, which is considered sacred; additionally, the fragile parchment can be damaged by the oils of the skin. While not required when chanting from the Torah, it is used frequently. A yad can be made of any number of materials, though silveris most common. The yad is often shaped like a long rod, with a small hand and an index finger pointing from it.

Now that you know what a real yad is…you’ll never confuse it with a yard pronounced by a Bostonian! The picture above is a cobalt yad flame-worked by Andrew Pollack, a Crescent Moon artist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Crescent Moon has four other Judaica artists with Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukah art glass items. More on the artists and art as we go along.

How in the world did we get here?

I need to start by saying "it was a 5 year plan that became a 2 year plan that became a 9 month plan within a 1 hour car ride back from the Atlantic City boat show in 2004. Everyone should have a plan B when you work in the corporate world for 25 plus years. Ours turned out to be moving aboard a 42ft. trawler. Downsizing again from our townhome on the bay in central NJ and leaving jobs. Well, it didn't take us long to realize we didn't want to live onboard in the winter in NJ, soooo we were very lucky to have my sister and brother-in-law living in Wilmington NC to be our support system there. We cruised south on the ICW in November 2006 and spent the winter in Southport NC, fell in love with the area, found out Crescent Moon was for sale, and made an agreement with the owners to buy it in January 2007. Whew, that was a major Plan B for two jerseyites used to secure 8-5 careers in business and 50 something to boot! We wouldn't reverse our decision for anything! We cruised on our roomy Jefferson sundeck back and forth, met wonderful cruising friends and continue to live aboard in Wilmington; now at Wilmington Marine Center on the Cape Fear River. So we are living and supporting Plan B as retail owners of the best little art glass shop on the east coast and loving it. And...we've got Plan C in our dreams, and who knows maybe Plan D that we will look forward to.

Pictures: Above our home. To the left is just one of the sunsets we enjoyed

The "jellies" don't sting here

Artist Rick Satava and his truly realistic Jellyfish in glass have been a part of Crescent Moon for many years. Each year they attract our visitors and customers over and over. We hear it several times a week from people that they bring in friends to see his work. A shelf of "jellies" is pictured to the right. Do many assume it is a real jellyfish? Oh yes, and that is the testament to the talent of Satava. Even his magnificent Nautilus and Petroglyph vases, on display now, appear to have been painted with an artist's brush. We like to say..."Rick paints with glass without a brush"!

Jellyfish have been found on earth for over 650 million years - before sharks and even dinosaurs. They have no head, heart, brain, bones, cartilage or real eyes. Yet they're among the major predators in the ocean. Their tentacles carry stinging cells that are among the most complicated found anywhere in the animal kingdom. Did you know Jellies are 95% water and humans are 75% water?

Rick says that the complexities and contradictions along with the translucent beauty and grace are the characteristics that intrigued him and seduced him into spending five years developing the colors and hot glass process necessary to capture "jellyfish" in glass.

These sculptures are built from the inside out - starting at the core and adding one tentacle at a time and finally the clear dome is added and the "jelly" is born. Everything seen in a jelly is a different color of glass. The way it is layered gives it a translucent appearance. Developing the chemistry, yep chemistry even in glass work, was the most challenging aspect for Rick to bring the ethereal, ghost-like quality into his glass sculpture. His exclusive formulas blending various metal oxides such as silver, cobalt, selenium, cadmium, and others into molten glass work in tandem with his vast experience in hot glass, to bring to life these amazing works of art.

Come visit and experience the art of Satava...maybe one will captivate you!