March check in — knot so loud

It’s been a while since the post I wrote about what makes my heart happy (read here). I thought I’d check in with what’s been going on since end of January.

Snowstorm

We got one more big huzzah snowstorm. The highlight of which was going to Mystic Seaport when they were normally closed, they opened for a day to members so that we could see the snowy grounds. My photograph soul was fulfilled that day!

Stay at Luxe Villa

My birthday rolled around in early February which was coupled with an opportunity. I wrote a blog about a ‘stay’. I stayed at a new villa on the grounds of Norwich Inn and Spa. It was a fun experience, my first ‘stay’ blog that I wrote. I enjoyed it a lot and I hope there will be more in the future!

*At the restaurant inside Norwich Inn & Spa.*

Cat and books

February was a slow month, the cold weather keep us indoors more. My father-in law got a new cat named Barnaby, he’s adorable and my pup is very curious about the cat! I found more places to buy books that I *don’t need*. I never thought to check out Goodwill and some libraries were hosting ongoing book sales.

Mystic Deaf History

I got to see a piece of history! If you recall the Mystic Deaf History blog (here), I explained that the original Mystic Oral School (formerly known as Whipple School) was in Ledyard before they moved to Mystic. The original Whipple School is a farmhouse so it has been a private residence. It was listed on the market and no, I didn’t purchase it! I wanted to SO BADLY! I had so many ideas for what I’d do with the space to preserve the history. I visited the historic farmhouse during an open house, it was amazing to see the history! Only if those walls could talk!

*Those wooden beams on the ceiling were everywhere in the historic farmhouse.*

Family time

My parents visited during Presidents Day weekend. It always uplifts my soul when my family comes to town. We kept busy by going out to restaurants, exploring new spots and more. It was so nice going back to our favorite restaurants in person, restaurants that we haven’t visited in a long time. The visits always seems so short but I am grateful for the time with family.

*With my parents and husband at Inishmor Pub in Colchester, CT.*

Re-charge

March gave me a bit of a boost because spring is coming. We had a few days of great weather, the buds on our lilac bushes are growing and longer days now that the sun setting at 7pm. St. Patrick’s Day rolled around, so of course I enjoyed everything Irish. I watched a few new-to-me Irish movies. The re-charge also motivated me to give the website a long due change after 3.5 years. The website has organized categories that shows more blogs, two categories has sub-categories, a SEARCH feature! and cover photos finally shows on mobile version.

*Mystic is ready for St. Patrick’s Day!*

Wall Street Journal / CODA

Most recently, I had been feature in a Wall Street Journal article here, about open captioning in the movie theaters. I was thrilled to have this opportunity to share my thoughts. This comes after ‘CODA’ winning 3 awards at the Oscars. What an exciting time for the Deaf community! I have no words, how it feels to see a historic win (first Deaf male to win an Oscar) in my lifetime! Marlee Matlin had been the first Deaf person to win an Oscar in 1987, before I was born. It’s been a long 35 years for MORE to happen and it finally did! I only hope that we won’t have to wait another 35 years!

*Not the actual newspaper but this is how I announced about the article that was published online!*

Deaf

It’s been a busy year already for the Deaf community and it’s only March! The ‘Signs of Survival’ book came out earlier this year about a hearing sister and deaf sister who survived the Holocaust. Another book is coming out next month, ‘True Biz’ which I am looking forward to. It is written by a Deaf author. The book ‘El Deafo’ was adapted to a TV series on Apple TV this year too, it’s an adorable kids show to help understand deafness. The Super Bowl had sign language performers during the half time show. Unfortunately it was on a separate screen, so I had the computer laptop while watching the half time show on the TV. It was fun to watch the ASL performers. We always had issues not being able to see them during Super Bowl half time shows every year. This year was first time for the dedicated streaming to show them the entire time. I know there were issues with people not having access to the livestream, having to sign up, etc. so it’s not entirely perfect but it’s a start, I hope! We saw ‘CODA’ at the Oscars, but there was another Deaf documentary ‘Audible’ which was produced by a Deaf person nominated for an award. They didn’t get the win, but it’s amazing to see doors opening more and more for the Deaf community!

Artist Recreation

One last thing that made me happy recently, I always hoped that my photographs would inspire an artist to do an artist’s recreation. A photograph of the ferry passing a home in Groton, CT caught the eyes of Daniel Kenyon at DK Artwork. He painted a beautiful watercolor version of the photograph. The prints are available at his Etsy shop here.

I’m looking forward to what Spring will bring, as I know I will be back to photographing a lot more once the blooming starts! I have a list of new places to see, hoping to see more of New England again. Let me know what makes your heart happy!