Quote of the Day (Stephen King, on Description)

“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” —Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000)

Photo of the Day: Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn NY

A few weeks ago, I asked an acquaintance with a sharp visual eye to pick which photos of mine he thought most worthy of posting to this blog. The one you see accompanying this post was high on his list.

I wish I could say that he selected this because of the skill of the photographer, but credit for this striking image rightly goes to those responsible for this entrance to the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS). For a long while, I had seen references to this urban history center. But nothing except the on-site visit I made in early October could have prepared me for the rich architecture that led to the building’s designation as a National Historic Landmark.

When this Queen Anne-style building (known then and for the next century as the Long Island Historical Society) opened in 1881, visitors were stunned by architect George Browne Post’s use of bright terracotta façade, intricate brickwork, and many decorative details. The latter include busts of generic figures (in the accompanying photo of the spandrels of the entry door arch, a Viking on the left and a Native American on the right), as well as specific giants of history (Columbus, Franklin, Shakespeare, Gutenberg, Beethoven, and Michelangelo) created by Connecticut sculptor Olin Levi Warner.

At some (hopefully, sooner than later) point, I hope to write about the fascinating BHS exhibits I saw, as well as its specialized but marvelous library. But I just had to provide now at least a taste of this cultural gem in the borough of Brooklyn.

Joke of the Day (Mark Chalifoux, on ‘The Biggest Change After Having Kids’)

“The biggest change after having kids was putting a swear jar in the house. Whenever I say a bad word, I have to put a dollar in the jar, and at the end of every month, I take all that money and buy myself a nice steak for being such a cool dad.”—Comedian Mark Chalifoux, quoted in “Life in These United States,” Reader’s Digest, October 2015

Photo of the Day: Richard Tucker Bust, Lincoln Center Neighborhood, NYC

For nearly 40 years, this bronze portrait bust has been, like the Brooklyn-born tenor it honors, a mainstay of the Lincoln Center neighborhood. It is, in fact, the main element of Richard Tucker Square, a small triangular park at the intersection of Broadway and West 66^th Street. I took this photo three weeks ago, while in the area.

A former cantor, Richard Tucker (1913–1975) made his debut with New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1945, and went on to a 30-year career with that institution. The bust, created by Milton Hebald and unveiled in 1979, sits on a granite pedestal.

The titles of 31 productions in which Tucker appeared, leaning heavily toward his specialty in Italian opera, are inscribed on the pedestal, including Rigoletto, Tosca, Turandot, The Magic Flute, Manon Lescaut, and Samson et Dalila.

Quote of the Day (Gospel of St. John, on Why God Sent His Son Into the World)

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3:17 (New International Version)

(The image accompanying this post is a detail from a 1654 painting by the Dutch Baroque era artist Pieter de Grebber of God the Father offering the right-hand throne to Christ. The painting is in the Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, The Netherlands.)