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A Waterford Crystal Antique Story, What's in Your Basement?

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Not too long ago I had a gentleman from Vermont contact me saying he had found a pair of Crystal Lamps in his basement. They were covered with some old sheets and were stored in the corner behind some boxes. Not knowing how long they were actually there, he was wondering if I could advise him on the origin or manufacturer of these footed crystal lamps, and could they possibly be Waterford Crystal Antiques?, even without any markings.

The story goes... that his Mom and Aunt had been left a Crystal Lamp each, by his grandparents, who had lived in various States, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and eventually settled in Vermont, where he is living now. It's not sure whether his grandparents had visited Ireland at some stage or where the lamps were purchased, or how in fact they came to be in his basement ? These Crystal Lamps had a Tin Base that was somewhat rusted and he proceeded to dismantle the electric components to give them a proper clean-up.

The Crystal Lamps measured 16 inches high by 8 inches wide and had a steel rod that he carefully removed and placed aside in order to wash the crystal, he then placed them in a large basement sink. While cleaning the crystal lamps his doorbell rang so he stopped what he was doing and proceeded up the stairs to open the door where he was greeted my an old lady who asked, do you remember me? Richard responded "you do look somewhat familiar".

The old lady said that she was a dear old friend of his Aunt, was visiting her daughter and decided to stop by and see how he was. He invited the old lady in and offered her some tea, where she went on to explain the friendship. She had in fact met Richard when he was a young boy, while he was visiting his Aunt in Georgia, with his Mom.

After many hours of chatting and catching up on old times, Richard asked her if she remembered anything about Crystal Lamps and how they came to be in his Mom's basement. The old lady explained that many years ago she had given birth out of wedlock as a teenager and her parents sent her to a convent in Ireland where she had become a Nun for many years. The Crystal Lamps had been a gift from their Grandparents to each daughter, and she had the third one.

The pair of Crystal Lamps were indeed Waterford Crystal and appraised at a high value, even without the markings and watermark. It was further discovered that in 1952, three Waterford Crystal Lamps were commissioned by a "yank" who frequently visited Ireland from Southern Georgia in the United States. It was further established that these were some of the "first large crystal pieces" to be produced by the masters of Waterford Crystal. Ireland, post war. What's in YOUR basement?

Copyright © 2009 James Connolly. All rights reserved

US Minor Holidays and Occasions

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Hereunder is a directory of minor holidays and occasions in the United States. Some of them are virtually unknown, and others are quite obscure.

April Fools' Day - (April 1): the day for practical jokes (only before noon in the UK). Its origins are obscure, but it bears a resemblance to an ancient Roman festival for the goddess of nature.

Arbor Day - (last Friday in April): devoted to trees and their preservation. It is held on December 22 everywhere else in the world.

Armed Forces Day - (third Sunday in May): a day to honour the US armed forces.

Citizenship Day - (September 17): replaced Constitution Day in 1952 by presidential proclamation.

Daylight-Saving Time: was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but became the Uniform Time Act in 1966. It is not observed in Hawaii, the Eastern Time Zone of Indiana, most of Arizona (except on the Navajo Reservation), American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Election Day - (Tuesday after the first Monday in November): presidential elections are held in years divisible by four and elections for all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in years evenly divisible by two.

Fathers' Day - (third Sunday in June): was first observed in West Virginia in 1908, but this uniquely American holiday was not made official until 1972.

Flag Day - (June 14): was first celebrated in 1877, which was the centenary of the adoption of the modern design. Truman passed the Flag Day Bill in 1949.

Groundhog Day - (February 2): on this day the groundhog peeps out of his burrow. If he sees his own shadow there will be six weeks of Winter to follow, otherwise Spring is just around the corner.

Halloween - (October 31): All Hallow's Eve is the day before the feast of All Saints. It started as a pagan custom honouring the dead and a celebration of Autumn. 'Trick or Treat' is purely American with no historical foundation.

Kwanzaa - is a secular observance by African-Americans to commemorate their African heritage. It begins on Dec.26th when a candle in a candelabrum is lit every day for seven days. It was first practiced by Maulana Karenga in 1966.

Mothers' Day - (second Sunday in May): was conceived by Anne M. Jarvis of Philadelphia as a way for children to pay homage to their mothers. It received presidential proclamation in 1914.

National Maritime Day - (May 22): was proclaimed in 1935 to memorialize the SS Savannah's first successful transatlantic crossing by a steamship in 1819. It is also a day of remembrance of merchant mariners who died in defense of their country.

National Teachers' Day - (Tuesday of the first full week in May): is when pupils are meant to honour the teaching profession.

St. Patrick's Day - (March 17): has been borrowed from Ireland where it is their national saint's day.

St. Valentine's Day - (February 14): was originally to honour two saints martyred by Emperor Claudius (214 - 270), but has been devoted to lovers since the Middle Ages.

Susan B. Anthony Day - (February 15): Anthony (1820 - 1906) worked for women's rights and suffrage.

United Nations' Day - (October 24): commemorates the endorsement of the UN Charter in 1945 by the then five permanent members of the Security Council.

QM2 Transatlantic-Eastbound or Westbound?

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The pre-eminent long-distance ocean route is the Transatlantic Crossing. Today, the Queen Mary 2 is the only ship that has a regular summer schedule on this route, and many travelers are eager to take it. Years ago, when ship travel was the only way to go (actually, it still is!) people would logically take a round trip, but today, although some still do that, it's more likely people would sail one way and fly the other. The question is, is sailing eastbound or westbound preferable? How could it really make any difference? Well there is a difference. Let me explain the trip, and then the reasons for my answer.

Let's first make clear the difference between a cruise and a crossing. Cruises include stops in a number of ports, sometimes almost daily. I've even heard people express their preference for the stops, complaining that if an "at sea" day interrupts that shore routine, there's nothing to do. Of course, some ships do offer precious little to do on at sea days. In any case, on a cruise you divide your time between two experiences, visiting ports and enjoying life on board.

A crossing is different in that there are no stops. The QM2 connects Southampton and New York in six days. The occasional other ship doing a Transatlantic Crossing might connect other ports in a similar time frame. In any case this sort of trip consists of nothing other than sea days, and one's whole concentration is centered on life on board. How boring can that be? Not in the slightest. As a matter of fact, there's not enough time to do everything you'd like.

First there's the dining. Some go to the restaurant for all three meals, but I prefer to have breakfast and lunch in the self-serve restaurants because it's quicker, and I want to do other things. It's the evening meal that for me embodies the pleasure of dress-up dining in the formal restaurant, where you get to meet interesting people, possibly including ship's officers. (Tip: request a large table, for eight, to meet the greatest variety of people; these tables are also more likely to be "hosted" by an officer.) Jacket-and-tie suffices most nights, and a tux CAN be used on the more formal nights.

On the QM2 the day is filled with interesting lectures in at least two venues. Most lecturers are part of an Oxford University program. There are planetarum shows, performances by representatives of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a spa, swimming pool, games all day long, a floor show after dinner, dancing in two venues after that. Or, you could just sit in a deck chair reading and watching the sea. Better yet, a walk on deck will get you to experience the uniqueness in the middle of the ocean of having a 360° horizon surrounding you.

I often ask people on board why they chose a given direction for their crossing, and they say it was by chance, then usually agree with my opinion as to the preferable direction. Of course shipping companies will never tell you which direction is preferable, since they have to fill the ship both ways, but, assuming your travel schedule is flexible enough to choose either eastbound or westbound, here is my answer.

In another context, Horace Greeley famously said "Go West, young man!", and that answer applies here. But why?

The answer lies in the time zones. In the six days the QM2 takes to cross the Atlantic, it crosses five time zones. Picture this. You've just had an enjoyable dinner, and may have gone to see the show. It's about 11:00 and you look at your watch. Is there time to go dancing, especially considering that early lecture tomorrow? If you're going eastbound, you know there'll be a reminder in your room to advance your clocks by an hour, so it's virtually midnight. This is the experience we all have when daylight savings starts and you "spring ahead". It's not much fun.

But on the other hand, if you're sailing westbound and see it's 11:00, you know it's really only 10:00. The evening is still young. How about a dance? This is the same fun we have when daylight savings time ends and we "fall behind".

A westbound Transatlantic Crossing is therefore not only five hours longer than otherwise expected, which is close to half of a waking day, but each of these five hours is spread out, coming just at the right time, improving five separate days. Also note that any world cruise always, always, goes westbound, adding a full 24 hours to that sort of trip. To my mind, it's a no-brainer. Westward ho!

© 2007 by Dr Vincent DiNapoli

Apes of Gibraltar in a taxi

Disney Cruise 2007, the first ocean liner. Arrested in Gibraltar, and visited with the Barbary apes.