Experience Mobile! Featured Content

Tonight: A Reading by a local playwright

Angela Trigg angplange@yahoo.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:28:12 PST

The MAC is sponsoring a reading of Artbruted, a new play by Danielle Juzan on Friday, August 7th, in the old Parkside building at 51 S Conception (thank you Richard Dorman, building owner, and Lynne Weeks with Roberts Bros!) There will also be ceramics and sculpture by Zach DePolo and April Hopkins on exhibit. We're starting at 7:00; come have a glass of wine and enjoy the art, and the reading will start at 7:30. PS: It's Free.

"When the M&M art gallery can't pay the rent, owner Marian, aided by Mark, the ghost of her dead partner, concocts a scheme to pass a local soccer mom's sculptures off as the work of an illiterate outsider artist from Dead Mule, Mississippi. They manage to deceive the local arts critic, but how long can it last? Artbruted raises questions about the relationship of art's provenance to its value, both perceived and intrinsic."

Ivan Davidson is directing; our wonderful cast is Candace Shiffman, Cannon Tucker, Stacey Driskell, Laureann Price, and Mike Greene.

Video Postcard: Dragonfly

Meggan Haller megganbooker@gmail.com — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:32:59 PST

Dragonflies at the Asian-American Garden at Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Ala.

Blue Porch Ceilings, With or Without You

Eleanor Inge Baker inge.eleanor@gmail.com — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:37:06 PST

People in the South have painted their porch ceilings blue for generations. There are a myriad of colors folks use, ranging from blue-grey to baby blue to even deep turquoise. Do we paint the ceilings of our outdoor spaces this color out of some fantastical superstition or is there a more practical reason? Walking east on Dauphin Street from my parents’ home in the Old Dauphin Way Historic District, I found myself looking up. Under deep porches, many of the ceilings are painted varying shades of blue. Some of these homes have been completely renovated and don fresh paint, while others fall deep into disrepair. Regardless, the blue porch ceilings of these homes seem to represent something significant about who we are as Mobilians today and who we were in years past.

Although there are many places to purchase paint around the Mobile area, The Paint Store located at 2051 Airport Blvd at The Loop is often chosen because of their high quality Benjamin Moore Paints and the expert advice they provide their customers. Charles Mallory and his son, Chuck, are known for taking the time to advise their patrons on the intricacies of sanding, painting and color choice. Mallory said the colors of blue ceilings will vary based on customer preference, but that most people tend to favor a more blue-grey color. Mallory said he had always heard the reason for porch ceilings being painted blue was because “bugs, mainly dirt dobbers, think the ceiling is sky and then won’t build their nests up there.”

My mother, Jane Inge, mused that perhaps people in the South paint their porch ceilings blue to mimic the sky. She suggested that a practical reason for blue was to make the summers seem cooler since blue tends to deflect the sun less harshly than white. She also had some advice for newbie painters looking to achieve just the right shade. She said,

“Whenever you think you have the perfect color blue, cut it in half with white. It should be much lighter than the actual paint chip you take home from the paint store. Another trick to getting the right color is to put a drop of black in your paint. This keeps the paint from becoming a garish blue.”

When looking for a painter, some locals will no doubt recommend John the Painter who, for 35 years, has worked for individuals and small businesses as a painting virtuoso. He says he does not advertise, but gets all his business by word of mouth. He is known by many of his customers for his perfectionistic tendencies, his attention to details and his insistence on taking his time to get it right the first time. When asked about the porch ceilings being blue he speculated that,

“Back in the old days they painted the ceilings blue because it keeps the bugs down, especially love bugs, because love bugs are attracted to white.”

Mobile’s Historic Development Commission, an organization which can serve as a helpful resource to historic home owners, provides inquiring Mobilians with invaluable information, including a helpful list of historic paint colors. John Sledge, an Architectural Historian for the Historic Development Commission, said of blue painted ceilings,

“In graduate school we learned there was something in the wave length of the color blue that freaks out insects.”

However, in contrast, In 2006 National Public Radio reported that the the O. Orkin Insect Zoo at the Smithsonian Institution concluded it knew of no scientific research on insects being deterred by blue paint on porch ceilings.

Whether or not messy dirt dobbers and love bugs are deterred by blue porch ceilings, and whether or not a paint color can keeps porches cooler during our insufferable summers is up for debate; however, one thing is certain, these ceilings provide something interesting for us to cast our gaze upon as we enjoy our lovely porches.

I thought about all these things as I returned to my parents’ home from my walk. I entered through the side door, poured a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc and walked through the house of my childhood to the front door. I wanted to enjoy my parents’ porch, rock in their chairs, feel the southeast breezes sweeping across their deep portico and, of course, continue my musings on their blue porch ceiling. I pulled open the mahogany door, ornamented with beveled glass set in leadened window panes and sat in the rocker, looking up.

“Its white,” I thought, “their stupid ceiling is white.” My memory had failed me for a false and wishful thought. I sat looking out on Dauphin Street, irritated and resisting the lovely breeze. My mother walked out on the porch to join me.

“Mom,” I said, “your porch ceiling is not blue!”

“I know,” she said, “We’ve lived here 24 years and I’ve never gotten around to it because it wasn’t blue when we moved in. But, you’ve inspired me-- I promise, that’s next on the list!”

The Paint Store at the Loop at 2051 Airport Blvd: (251) 478-0469.
John the Painter: (251)-366-8740
The Mobile Historic Development Commission www.mobilehd.org.

More Mobile Blue Porch Ceilings:

Crawfish Crazy

Amy Inge Amy.Inge@Expeditors.com — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:38:44 PST

My first crawfish boil was when my husband, Cortlandt and I lived in Seattle, WA. Many of our friends are transplants from the South and were craving the crustaceans, so Cortlandt ordered live crawfish from Mobile.

Transporting the mudbugs from the airport to the party, I could hear them crawling around in their corrugated cell. (Creepy). Our friend Kristen had a huge pot with a propane tank ready when we arrived. Cortlandt purged the crawfish, discarded the departed, and boiled the rest. Honestly, I thought it kind of icky. However, I have come around, and know while the culinary bounty is a matter of taste, the social reward is immeasurable!

A tip for the novas: At a crawfish boil the crawfish are served in the shell. You peel the crawfish and eat the tail meat. At a restaurant when you order crawfish pasta, rice etc, this is pre-peeled tail meat with no shell.

I have never been to a home crawfish boil in Mobile where crawfish are cooked on site. Your clever host will likely buy cooked crawfish, and traditionally serve corn on the cob, smoked sausage, potatoes and always iced cold beer. The Boil is casual. The food laid atop loads of newspaper for all to belly up.

Even if you are new to Mobile; during crawfish season, you are among friends. Don’t be afraid to dig in, peel, suck, eat, and swill beer.

• Crawfish Season: Spring and Summer
• Where to buy: I have enjoyed the cooked crawfish from Mudbugs on Dauphin Island Parkway (DIP), and Mobile Mudbugs at the Loop Area. The crawfish are seasoned well and harvested at the right size. Meaning tail too small the work of peeling is not worth the pay off. Too large a tail, the meat is tough.
• How to peel:

• Suck the head: Pull the head from tail, pinch the opening from the head closed and suck the juice (only) from the head. The juice is the seasoned water the crawfish is boiled.
• Where to Peel in Mobile: Some fun bars offer free crawfish during the season.
Hayley’s – Friday
Garage – Sunday
• Upcoming Events:
May 15-17: Gulf Coast Zydeco Music and Crawfish Festival