A MacKenzie-Childs Christmas #WordlessWednesday

For this Christmas Day's Wordless Wednesday, we go back earlier this year to a visit to MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, New York.  

 They had a room set up for Christmas, although Christmas was (at that time) several months away.

Checkerboard heaven.

Enjoy.

So hard to believe this is the last 2024 #WordlessWednesday, brought to you by Sandee at Comedy Plus,  Time has gone too quickly.

Today is special to both Christians and Jews, and so:

Merry Christmas to my readers who celebrate Christmas.  And Happy Hanukkah to my readers who celebrate Hanukkah.

May today be a special day for all of my readers.

Art of Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

The other day, I blogged about a visit to the campus of MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, New York.

I am not sure I can show you any of the beautiful pottery or other items they make or import, but I liked the shadows in this courtyard.  It's hard to see the planter or the chair with stripes or what they call the Courtly Chec pattern (the checkerboards) but these are some of their signature patterns.

The campus is beautiful.  Check out (no pun intended) this weeping willow. Sorry about the sun glare.

From 2001-2008, the company was owned by Pleasant Rowland, the founder of the American Girl doll company.  She had gone to college at Wells College, just up the road from MacKenzie-Childs, a college which, sadly, closed suddenly this spring.

When MacKenzie-Childs entered bankruptcy, Rowland purchased it from the bankruptcy court and was successful in turning it around.

One more picture.  I can remember visiting perhaps 15 years ago and seeing chickens on the property.  On Thursday's visit, I saw geese, but no chickens, but the chicken house and its beautiful gate remain.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures and her #ShadowshotSunday.

MacKenzie-Childs Reflective Skies #SkywatchFriday

Sometimes, you don't have to look up to admire the sky.  Sometimes, that involves looking down.

Yesterday, on the way home from somewhere else, we made a short stop at the beautiful MacKenzie-Childs complex just outside of Aurora, New York (on Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes).  It's a beautiful complex which makes and sells what I would consider high end decorative art.  I love their style, I just wish I afford most of their merchandise. 

Let's take a moment and reflect (so to speak) on the scenery.

In season, their flower plantings are lovely.

Sadly, this pond was green.  I wonder if it is algae, but it didn't ruin the reflection.

Peek-a-boo.

Finally, one more reflection, including a tree that has already turned color.

I'll blog more about MacKenzie-Childs another time.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

Throwback Tuesday - Checkerboard Heaven

I originally posted this in 2009.

Since then, I have visited MacKenzie-Childs twice, once taking a tour.  They have beautiful grounds with gardens (they used to have chickens, too, but I didn't see any last year) and a beautiful house you can tour for free.  Unfortunately for you, my readers, they don't permit photography on the tour.

You either love their style or hate it.

I love it.  I just can't afford it.  The more expensive pieces are made in Aurora and the craftsmanship is impressive.  Better yet, it doesn't cost anything to look.

It's checkerboard heaven.
Here's the original post.

MacKenzie-Childs: Not for the Timid

We went up to Aurora, NY (in the Finger Lakes) to the annual MacKenzie-Childs barn sale.


MacKenzie-Childs is not for everyone. Their pottery, furniture, and other decorative items are...shall we say, quite bold. If you love checkerboard patterns, this is your place.

Here is an example of some of their furniture.
Unfortunately, photography was not permitted inside their "farmhouse" which was decorated in this style: but this will give you some flavor











Outside, there is a "chicken palace" where normally there is a nice collection of rare chickens - to my disappointment the chickens were removed for the occasion. They did leave some geese, who ran up to everyone who came close-I assume waiting for a handout:









Some metal work was featured. Here is a gate showing the detail put into their garden gates plus a little peak into one of their gardens:










Finally, here is a view of one of their gardens.

One day I may afford one of their artisan pieces. Until then, I will feast on the art.

Laughing Back at Life

This has been an interesting week in many ways.  

This post is dedicated to a friend  and a fan of this blog, and she knows who she is. 

If you will excuse the expression, she is in the midst of kicking a$$ and taking names (an "urban" expression here in the States).  And she's doing that today, so she doesn't want to hear any of my whining about life in general.

For that, I am grateful.  This will not be a whining post. (or a wine post, although I should do one soon.)

I am grateful, daily, for the fact that she has been my friend for 51 years.  Yes, someone has put up with me all that time.  That's important for someone like me who is an only child.

And now, she will have to put up with me some more.  I'm confident that she will be putting up with me for years to come.  Despite that foe that begins with the letter "C".

What this week has shown me, as life has shown me so many times, is that life is not a straight line.  No, it is a crooked line, meandering here and there.  As you age, you have to understand that if you can make plans all you want, but sometimes life laughs at those plans.

Mannequin Lamp, MacKenzie Childs, Aurora, NY

So we have to laugh back at life.

I thought this lamp (yes, it is a lamp) I saw at one of my stops on Wednesday was "you", dear friend.  That's because you, like this lamp, are one of a kind.

You have style.

You have class.

And you're a little strange, but in a good way.  Just like this lamp.

I guess we deserve each other, because I'm strange, too.  As long as you will have me, and the post office doesn't lose my cards to you, I want to dance through life with you with a lampshade on my head.

So there.

Thank you for being my friend.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Checkerboarded

Come with me to the small village of Aurora, New York.

Early in June, I visited a local upstate New York company called MacKenzie-Childs.  Their products are expensive (very expensive) but once a year they have a "barn sale" where you can buy items on sale.   I would only be able to afford most of their items if I won the lottery.

Many of the goods, true, are imported, but there are others that are at least partially produced on site.

But it doesn't cost anything to look at these luxury goods.  And it doesn't cost anything to dream. 

We didn't have time in June to visit the area where the artisans work.   That's a dream for another time.


People come from many miles on barn sale days to shop and to look at the gardens on the grounds.  I decided to be different and visit on a day when hardly anyone was there.

This is just one example of their ceramics.

A garden swing greets you.

If there are checkerboards, it must be MacKenzie-Childs.

You enter here into a wonderland showroom.

This is a sample of their outdoor garden..

This is where their geese live.


This is the house that checkerboards built.

The annual barn sale started yesterday.  I'd love to go back one day for the sale, but right now, I'll content myself with what I saw during my June visit.

And if my dreams came true, I would buy....ah, that's a post for another time.  Maybe even tomorrow.

Checkerboard love.