Enter quaint Alfred, with the original office of the Celadon Company (AKA: The Terra Cotta) built in 1892 at one end of town. The contemporary building in the background (photo above right) is Harder Hall, of Alfred University, inside of which is located the Ceramics facilities in the basement (where I have a small studio).
HOT STUFF!(Test rings being taken out of a Soda Firing,
one of the first firings I witnessed briefly.)
one of the first firings I witnessed briefly.)
Welcome to my town, I live 1.5 miles from campus. Traveling past my town, further east of Alfred Station, if you blink you'll literally miss the next town. Or maybe it's just a town within a town because shortly after you go through it you are back in Alfred Station. I'm not sure really how it works, all I know is that across from the above sign on route 244 you find this sign:
This town seems to be about the size of one property lot.
Welcome to my home, I call it the shack in back. I have no idea what it was originally, but now it's my humble abode. It is awaiting visitors from far and wide that want to venture on over to western New York , a far cry from upstate but that is often where people think I am when I mention Alfred University. I guess for many Big Applers anything outside of their borders but still in NY state is considered upstate regardless of actual location.
I live upstairs on the right side. Note the maroon Volvo on gracious loan to me from my parents. It helps me keep my sanity by giving me easy departure tactics when I'm feeling claustrophobic.
This is the property next to the lot where I live, it is commonly known as "Grad Ghetto" perhaps because between the two houses are multiple trailers (one of which I looked at to rent). Thankfully, I'm apparently on the "right" side of the bushes, allowing me to glow in my upscale status or at least rave about it online. And I thought leaving NYC would get me far from any ghetto...guess not. At least the ghetto tenants here seem to be of a high caliber without firearms nor drug dealers on the corner (that was reserved for my Northgate/Seattle house of 1997).
4 comments:
very informative miss brod! and thank you for the pics, its nice to picture you in the country with art and stars and grass and stuff...
Stars indeed! Almost every night, if it is clear, just before entering my home I look up and gaze at the stars. Oh what a sight, oh so many, oh so nice. Indeed very nice.
I forgot about the drug dealers - but they weren't on the corner, they were in the 'shack in the back' of that house!
What are you implying??? Not all shacks are created equally! Yes, it was in the back folks and yes there were drive by cooperatives, but that ain't happenin' here in the Southern Tier...well at least not where I live, although I can't really account for my downstairs neighbor....
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