Landscape Architecture (magazine) is sponsoring what looks like a really great opportunity to visit and study one on my favorite small cities in the United States – Charleston, South Carolina.

Though they bill the program as geared towards landscape architecture professionals, I think anyone interested in design, city planning, great old southern gardens and even the New Urbanism, would enjoy this opportunity – plus have a great long-weekend getaway.
“Today, Charleston is considered one of the nation’s most livable cities, abounding in gardens, parks, and spectacular urban landscapes”.
“We will explore Charleston’s rich landscape legacy, then contrast that with New Urbanism, which has found a firm foothold in the city. Two outstanding speakers, the city’s beloved Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., Hon. ASLA, and visionary developer Vince Graham, will share their views on what makes Charleston the engaging city that it is today and their vision for its future.”
The program is planned to coincide with the city’s own Historic Charleston Foundation’s annual Festival of Houses and Gardens, and will include visits to some of Charleston private gardens never opened to the public before.
Dates are March 18th through the 22nd. You can get the details from the brochure on their website.

Alan

It has surprised and interested me that over the years many of the people who work here at Tanglewood Conservatories have found their way to us quite auspiciously.

A few years ago, we received an email inquiry regarding our conservatories from a woman living in the UK. She was actually American but had lived in the UK for some years as her husband was stationed there serving in the military.

She said she would be moving back to the US and was planning to purchase a home in a town coincidentally near Tanglewood Conservatories’ plant. She and her husband would be renovating the home and would love to add a beautiful conservatory!

We corresponded at length about the project, however it became clear that our conservatories would not fit into their project budget since there was so much else to be done to the house. She had joking asked if our conservatories were “gold plated” when we got to the budget question- to which I joking replied that “the gold plating would be an extra if they wanted it!”

Several years passed and I would on occasion drive past the house that they had purchased (which they had done online and unseen), and see the progress that they were making. I always remembered our conversation and the coincidence of her contacting us from UK- then purchasing a home nearby Tanglewood, and wondered if one day I would drive by and see a new conservatory! I never did.

Last fall, we were looking to fill a position in our production management department and placed an ad in the local newspaper. To our surprise, we received over 75 resumes and many of the candidates were highly qualified. One of them jumped right out at me- it was the very same woman whom I had spoken with several years ago! I instantly recognized her name and address.

She had spent the time renovating the house and getting settled into small town life here on the Eastern Shore but was now looking to re-enter the workforce.

Our evaluation team settled on 10 candidates to interview in person and we put them all through our pretty rigorous screening process. She was one of them. We narrowed the choice to just two candidates and finally selected her!

As a result, Stephanie will shortly be joining our Production Management department in the role of inventory and purchasing coordinator.

Best Holiday Wishes to everyone,

Alan

“Cambodian Yorn Sokhan from Prah Nethprah District is all smiles since piglets arrived from supporters of Heifer International.”

Someone introduced me to the organization Heifer International, a fantastic and absolutely unique group.

We visited their headquarters in Little Rock Arkansas where we are working on a large conservatory project.

Heifer (after the cow) began in 1944 with the aim of helping impoverished families worldwide by giving them livestock and teaching them to care for them. They have helped more than 10 million families in this way over the past 60 years.

They have a remarkable gift catalog which I would recommend to anyone, which features kids and their parents with their new calves, goats, chickens, pigs, sheep, rabbits (including angora), bees, llamas, buffalo. They also can give camels, oxen and donkeys!

They say of their catalogue: “The Most Important Gift Catalogue in the World”, and I think it may be.

One of the features of their program that I found interesting is that the families are required to “pass on” a certain number of the offspring to other families in need. This dramatically multiplies the effect of the gift.

Here’s a blurp from the catalogue:

“Heifers For The Holidays”

“What would be the better gift for someone you love this holiday season- another present that gathers dust on a shelf? Or a donation that represents a Heifer and training in it’s care, made in the honor of your special someone, that brings health and hope to people in need?”

“Better still, every gift multiplies, as the first calf from each heifer is passed on to another family in need- then they also agree to pass on an animal of equal value, and so on.”

“Now that’s quite a gift. A good dairy cow can produce up to four gallons of milk a day- enough for a family to drink and share with neighbors, and still have enough left over to sell.”

“The protein in milk can transform sick, malnourished children into healthy boys and girls. The sale of surplus milk earns money for school fees, medicine, clothing and home improvements.”

“And because a healthy cow can produce a calf every year, every gift will be passed on and eventually help an entire community move from poverty to self reliance. Now that’s a gift worth giving!”

This is truly a worthy enterprise. Please consider supporting their efforts.

“Heifer animals are like living savings accounts for struggling families… and may be the most interest bearing.”

Alan

I don’t know if anyone else picked up on the error in last weekend’s Financial Times annual holiday gift ideas piece, which included the suggestion of a glass and copper dome by Tanglewood. The price mentioned was supposed to be $35,000. Instead they printed $350,000! Wow!

Alan

As the holiday season approaches and my mind turns to the meaning of it all, I came across this apt quote which I want to share with everyone:

“Only that person is worthy to be a follower of any religion who, although he remembers the wrong done to him by someone, will not manifest any evil toward him.”

“Life is Real only then when, I Am”, George I. Gurdjieff (1866- 1949)

Alan

If you pick up a copy of the Financial Times newspaper this Saturday, you’ll find their annual Holiday Gift Guide will include at least one holiday gift idea from Tanglewood Conservatories.

They have asked to include one of our custom glass domes as a potential gift!

“We are running a gardeners gift guide in the House & Home
section of the FT Weekend, and one of the items featured is your glass
domes.” It mentions “…a shimmering curved glass dome framed in lead coated
copper”.

Alan