Jacqueline BlocklynThose words have been my mantra since I read them in that book many years ago. You've just entered my little world. You'll see my past, my present and my - well what I'm working on for the future. I would like to share my family with you. You will see pictures of my parents, Betty and Donald Moxley, of me and my siblings when we were little on the farm in Rothville, Missouri. You will find photos of us now, including pictures of our children's weddings. When we get all of my mother-in-laws copious albums scanned you will see Philip's family as well. And be prepared for thousands of pictures of Ty and Claire Ann - our grandchildren. They are the joy of my life!
I would also like to share some of my projects. I love to knit and crochet, quilt and sew. I also garden, cook and read a lot, so will share recipes and will suggest some good books to read. I love book arts - relief printing, book making, card making, painting and whatever else I decide to try. Philip and I love to travel, so you will also see all the wonderful places we have gone. In 1980 I married Philip Blocklyn. Both of us had been married before, and found common ground in being single parents. My daughter, Tamela Dee Elliott, was born in 1973, and Philip's son, Samuel Elias was born in 1977. We both worked at Walsworth Publishing - me in customer service, and Philip training in sales for a territory in New York. One day Philip asked me to go with him to New York - and I said yes. (there is a little more to the story, but I won't bore you) So in September 1980 we moved to New York and began a life I never dreamed I'd live. We worked together for Walsworth until 1995 when Philip opened an antiquarian bookstore in Oyster Bay, NY - Blocklyn Books. I continued solo with Walsworth until I retired in December 2011. Philip loved his bookstore and was very good at it; but it was like owning a restaurant -- 24-7. His store was popular and he developed a strong following. He even had a feature article in the New York Times. But the hours were taking their toll. In 2005 he returned to school for another degree, a Master of Library and Information Science degree. So we warehoused the book inventory and closed the bookstore. He worked as the Oyster Bay Historical Society’s Librarian and Archivist for three years before becoming Executive Director in 2010. He served on the boards of the Long Island Museum Association and the Friends of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. He was also a founding member of the Theodore Roosevelt Legacy Partnership. |
During his tenure with OBHS and after my retirement we once again worked together. I first started co-curating exhibitions at the historical society. Along with that came catering the small events we held. I was also the computer geek, the publication designer, and became the administrative assistant. I worked on the grounds and cleaned and painted the historical house rooms, and dressed up like a witch for Haunted Hamlet. Don't get me wrong - I didn't do these things alone - but we only had a paid staff of three, and me. And there were members who also helped. Many pitched in to make the Society work. But it became another 24-7 job.
I also started volunteering at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site - Theodore Roosevelt's New York home. I first worked with the landscape and maintenance staff in the gardens. At one of our historical society functions I'd met their curator, Susan Sarna, who asked me if I would volunteer to help in the house with the curatorial staff after the restoration was done and was time to move the artifacts back in. I had the best time working with these people and learned a tremendous amount about proper museum function. I worked in the dining room by cleaning silver, ironing the cloth, and setting the table. I researched and created appropriate flower arrangements in the parlor, and hung curtains and made beds with vintage linens, I cataloged books, I restrung all of the artwork with copper wire and rehung them in their documented spot. Prior to the contents of the house going into storage for restoration everything was photographed in situ, so we knew exactly where to replace things. After the grand re-opening I volunteered at the house on request to keep things clean. There are 27 rooms in the house and everyday they dusted and cleaned and inspected for any signs of trouble. I learned the museum way of keeping house which I now follow in my own house (sort of). Here's a good New York Times article about the Sagamore Hill restoration click here In 2017 we decided to leave Long Island and move to Asheville, North Carolina. Philip got to bring a lot of his books with him, but significantly less than the 10,000 that were stored. But he still has a library and spends his time reading, researching, and hiking. I am concentrating my efforts on crafting, and my new obsession - ancestry. I have researched both my family and Philip's and written narratives outlining the history of our families. There were things we already knew, but there were also some surprises. The narratives can be downloaded from the Genealogy page. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you visit often. Jacque 2019 One additional note: I read "Last One Home" probably 20 years ago and after moving to Asheville I discovered that John Ehle is from here and wrote this book about the Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville. Go figure! |