PREVIOUS NEWS

Monday, September 16, 2002

Fellow Belleekers !!  (lettre # 6.5)

** A SAD FAREWELL !! **

I was saddened to learn of Eugene Krach's passing this 
past week, 10-Sep-02.  Gene was inducted as our Society's 
6th Honouree and a person to be admired.  He will be 
fondly remembered by all who knew him.  

** CHAPTER NEWS !! **

WONDERFUL NEWS !!  The Keystone Chapter of Pennsylvania, 
has become our 29th. Official Chapter of the B.C.I.S. !!  
Welcome aboard !!  They ALREADY have their own WebSite, 
which may be located either off my B.C.I.S. Chapters and 
Friends Page or directly at the following Link :

http://www.geocities.com/irishtke223/keystonechapter.htm

They JUST had their inaugural meeting this past Saturday, 
14-Sep-02 !!  I JUST checked their Site for any breaking 
information regarding this meeting, but so far, nothing 
has been posted !! SO, for now, PLEASE feel free to 
contact their organizer Tom Eyre @ teyre01@lycos.com !!

AGAIN, WELCOME ABOARD Keystone Chapter !!

** THINGS TO DO ON A RAINY DAY !! **

First off, I've been (somewhat) busy updating my WebSite 
with newly discouvered Dealer Sites as well as some 
Chapter Information and a few additional items for 
sale !!  If you haven't been there in a while I believe 
it's worth a look-see, especially, with some additional 
dealers inventory available !!  

** HAVE ANY POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS ?? **

Have you ever just been 'sitting around' discussing the 
State of the World or virtually ANY issue or news of 
the Day ??  WELL, this JUST may be the Site for you !!

EASY to remember :  http://www.vote.com  !!

This is REALLY a FANTASTIC Site !!  Including issues 
spanning everything from Political and Environmental 
to Sports and Movies, you may EASILY cast your opinion 
on VIRTUALLY THOUSANDS of issues !!  

AND, the Site is subdivided internationally, by the 
U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea and, OF
COURSE, the U.K. !!  Within the U.S., it is further 
subdivided right down into individual State's issues !!

Furthermore, if an issue of interest promotes 'lobbying' 
style contact, your input or vote, may even be 
automatically tabulated and forwarded to the White 
House or appropriate Congressperson, committee, 
organization, etc., as my be necessary !!

** 2003 COLUMBIA CHAPTER CONVENTION !! **

If you're NEW to the World of Belleek Collecting or an 
'Old Hand' Affectionardo, the 'Host' Columbia Chapter 
of Oregon has promised ALL Belleekers a WONDERFUL 
excursion to the BEAUTIFUL Pacific Northwest !!

Pat, the Convention's organizer, has recommended that
you plan to either arrive a few days early or schedule 
several days following the Convention as the Chapter 
is offering some exquisite tours of the Pacific Northwest 
and surrounding regions !!  Check out the 'brief' tour 
synopses at my Site for additional information !!

Complete information, including Registration Forms, can 
be located thru the EVENTS Page on my Web Site, address 
below, OR directly thru the following Link :

http://delyicious.magix.net/public/conv_2003.html

Again, if the above Link is NOT Clickable, simply 
EDIT/COPY then EDIT/PASTE it in your Browser and GO !!

** CHICAGO SUMMER ANTIQUE FAIR !! **

What a SPECTICULAR Fair !!  This year, I would have to 
speculate that there were approximately 100 additional 
dealers from last year's participation !!  BUT, on the 
other hand, to be completely accurate, attendance was
still rather sparse, with the noon openings having only 
like 100 eager antique buffs waiting for entrance at 
the gates !!  This, though, did allow for a relaxed 
viewing and browsing through the booths !!

As Belleek doesn't hang very well on walls, I found 
excitement in a booth containing, primarily, etchings, 
mainly those of Picasso, Chagall and Monet !!  ALL, 
WAY out of my price range, but none-the-less, extremely 
fascinating !!

I discouvered something new each day !!  One unique 
item, appeared to be just a simple decorative glass 
or porcelain egg, was in reality a 'ladies hand 
cooler' !! These were utilized during the cold weather, 
when women wore muffs and their hand palms would sweat 
inside the muff !!  These eggs were designed to be 
cupped in your hands to keep your palms cool and free
from moisture !!

Another fascinating relic I stumbled upon, I at first
thought to be a fancy cigar cutter ??  Upon inquiry, 
I was amazed to learn that it was in truth, a 'vein 
cutting' tool utilized in the 'bleeding' of horses !!

CAUTION : For those of you with 'queasy' stomachs, 
'squeamish' constitutions, OR you're just plain 
uncomfortable with female biology, you may wish to 
skip over the following Link !!

For a BRIEF history of the Medical Practice of 
'Bleeding' click on :

http://delyicious.magix.net/public/newslettre_archives/lettre_6_5sup.html

I spent the entire three days of the show there and 
discouvered additional Belleek each day !!  There were 
three MAJOR Dealers of Belleek with, I would venture,
at least a Dozen additional Booths with 'bits and pieces' 
in their displays !!

Although I felt the prices quite fair, I arrived home
completely empty handed, with no new treasures !!

** MORE EGG CUPS !! **

I am ALWAYS pleased to receive comment, EITHER positive 
OR negative regarding ANYTHING I publish !!

Following my recent exposé regarding Egg Cups I was 
ecstatic when I received the following from a VERY 
enthusiastic Belleeker !!  I will quote his comments 
and observations in their entirety : 

"Thank you for the Newsletter too, particularly the 
'Egg story.' I was very interested in the instruction
to break open the LARGE end of the egg, as by coincidence 
I was re-reading 'Gulliver's Travels' at the time. You 
may recall that at the time of Gulliver's visit to 
Lilliput that country had been "engaged in a most 
obstinate war for six-and-thirty moons past, with a 
loss of forty capital ships, plus a much greater number 
of smaller vessels, together with thirty thousand of 
our best seamen and soldiers. The damage received by 
the enemy being somewhat greater than ours." 

"This war came about as a result of a dispute on which 
end of the egg should be broken. The traditional way 
had always been to break the LARGE end, but "his present 
Majesty's grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat 
an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, 
happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the Emperor 
his father published an edict, commanding his subjects, 
upon great penalties, to break the SMALLER ends of the 
eggs." The people so resented this law that history 
records six rebellions on account of it, resulting in 
one Emperor loosing his life and another his crown. These 
civil commotion's were constantly fomented by the 
Monarchs of Blefuscu, a country just across the Channel, 
(and the country that Lilliput had been for so long at 
war,) and when they were quelled the exiles always fled 
for refuge to that empire. At the time of writing it was 
computed that eleven thousand persons had suffered death 
rather than break their eggs at the SMALL end. Many 
hundreds of large volumes have been published upon this 
controversy: but the books of the 'Big-endians' have 
long been forbidden, and the whole party rendered 
incapable by law of holding employment."

"Of course this being a work of fiction (corrected : 
Satire) we know that Lilliput represents England, 
Blefuscu France, with the Big-endians being Roman 
Catholics and the Small-endians Protestants. "His 
present Majesty's grandfather" who changed the country
from BIG to SMALL was of course Henry the Eighth who 
broke away from the Catholic Church in order to be able 
to divorce his wife. Charles the First lost his life 
and James the Second his crown. Your story was well 
timed just the same."

ENDE !!


 

              A WONDERFUL example of the
          Belleek 1st. Period Egg Cup Holder !!
        (NOTE : The 'delicate' lavender trim !!)


Belleekingly,

Del E. Domke, Belleek Consultant
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue,  WA    98008-2711
U.S.A.

Telephone :  1 (425) 746-6363
Message :    1 (425) 746-6363
FAX :        1 (425) 746-6363 
E-mail :     delyicious@comcast.net
Web-site :   The Beauty and Romance of Irish Belleek  (or) : 
              http://delyicious.magix.net/public/index.html