A few weeks ago, I visited the James A. Michener Museum in Doylestown, PA. One of my earlier posts focused on the Eric Carle exhibition. Today, I want to focus on the extraordinary wood pieces on display. While I enjoyed exploring the paintings, the wood pieces kept drawing me in.

I love baseball, so I imagine how delighted I was to see this creation! Although these bats are all designated as “rejects” from the bat factory, I wonder what stories they could tell. From their different materials to their shapes and sizes, I found them so interesting.

“Baseball is in an uproar over the latest in bat technology, but art is way ahead of the conversation with Bucks County woodworker Mark Sfirri’s “Rejects from the Bat Factory.” This is a signature series from Mark Sfirri, always on view here at the Michener and with other sets included in collections at @smithsonian and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.” (from the museum website)

While I am awed by all of the woodworks housed at the museum, this door is my absolute favorite.

“In 1966, Philadelphia-born designer, sculptor, and craftsman Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008) traveled extensively through Spain, Portugal, England, Sicily, and Morocco, where he was inspired by the carvings and decorative elements he encountered. Powell particularly loved the intricately carved doors in Morocco, which inspired this brightly-colored, carved doorway made for one of his residences located outside New Hope, Pennsylvania.” (from the museum website)

When the museum acquired the door in 2009, it was covered with layers of blue and green latex overpaint, obscuring the original colors and crisp carvings.

People who remembered the door from its time in New Hope said it was originally red and orange. The museum then worked with a furniture conservator who carefully analyzed the layers of paint and restored it to its original splendor.

I sat for quite a while looking at and thinking about that door. Doors symbolize the transition from one state of being to another, leaving one part of life behind and moving on. Doors can also represent making decisions, such as ‘should I stay or go’ or ‘choose one path or another.’

We all go through many doors in our lifetimes, both literally and figuratively. For the past 45 years, Chuck and I have jointly decided which door to open and which ones to close. The last big decision we made together was that I would retire at the end of this school year, and I am sticking with that decision – closing the door on the 5:30 alarms!

Now, I am opening the doors on my own. While I do have many supportive family members and friends to consult with, ultimately I am the one making the choices. There are many doors waiting for me to open, I hope they are all as beautiful as the refurbished Powell Door.