Blue And White

Ever since shipments of blue and white Chinese porcelain started to land in the West in the 17th century, it has been collected, displayed and sold for princely prices.Contrary to popular myth, it was never used as mere ship ballast. True, it was heavy and did help balance ships when it was stowed in the holds for the long voyage back to England and eventually the American Colonies. Records do show that British and American merchants advised the Chinese to make their porcelain a little heavier to withstand the rigors of the China Seas, but it was never cheap.

Blue and white were the dominant colors at Jim Parker's funeral yesterday. He lay in a blue casket, which stood in a sea of blue and white floral arrangements, one a Baltimore Colts horseshoe and another bearing his jersey number, 77. Blue and white were the colors of the old Baltimore Colts. Hundreds of people turned out at New Antioch Baptist Church in Randallstown to pay respects to Parker, a National Football League Hall of Famer who died Monday after suffering from congestive heart failure and kidney disease.

POLICE LOG* Hickory Ridge: 12200 block of Bonnett Brim Course: A resident reported seeing a burly, bearded man standing on a the deck of a town house under construction and breaking its glass window Saturday night. The man crawled through the glass window and attempted to steal a dishwasher before fleeing in a blue and white truck, police said.

The beauty was in the details. Peony petals floated in a birdbath. Bright orange daisies were paired with lilac lobelia in a container. Dark orange koi swam in a black pond as visitors crossed a narrow footbridge. Waterfront gardens sloped down to a backdrop of sailboats catching a breeze on Spa Creek. Several hundred visitors endured the hot, sticky weather Sunday to walk through 14 private gardens in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Annapolis. This was the sixth year of the Secret Garden tour, which benefits the historic Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis.

POLICE LOG* North Laurel: 9100 block of Bourbon St.: Tools and coins were stolen from a home Wednesday. Police said residents are in the process of moving.9600 block of Hitching Post: A 37-year-old woman who heard a noise at the patio door and peered outside saw a man in a blue and white shirt exposing himself late Sunday night. Police said the man ran after the victim screamed.9100 block of North Laurel Road: A blue 1986 Isuzu Imark with Maryland tags CFL-556 was stolen from the lot of the Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center on Wednesday, police said.

Founded: 1838 Location: Durham, N.C. Enrollment: 6,368 undergraduates Tuition and fees: $25,630 Famous alumni: Former American Red Cross president Elizabeth Dole; CNN anchorwoman Judy Woodruff; NBA player Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic; novelists Anne Tyler, Reynolds Price and William Styron. Academic ranking: No. 8 among national universities, according to U.S. News & World Report School colors: Royal blue and white Nickname: Blue Devils, after an Alpine unit of French soldiers noted for their courage in World War I. Last trip to Final Four: 1999 NCAA basketball titles: Two, 1991, 1992

This week --The neighbor boy forgot to cut the grass.The lawn remembered that it was a fieldAnd rioted in flowers -- an uprising.Dandelions, shocking yellow, exploded into seedWhite six-pointed stars burst on slender stalksHarebells hung out, blue and white, tossed upOvernight from clumps of mock crabgrassAnd purple violets gathered under dogwoods --All reaching toward the democratic sunCelebrating blessed reprieveFrom the inexorable (almost) mower.And I'm relieved, I guess, to be alive myself,A continent and then some from LA --From California where the people livewith earthquake and mere human scaleBrutality can go unnoticed, almost.

A heavyset robber stole an undisclosed amount of money from York Federal Savings & Loan Association at 2006 Rock Spring Road before 4 p.m. yesterday, a Harford County sheriff's spokesman said.Witnesses told investigators that the man gave a note demanding money to an employee, but displayed no weapon. They described the man as white, 6 feet tall and 20 to 25 years old. He was wearing a blue hooded sweat shirt, a blue and white ski mask, a clear poncho and dark pants. Witnesses said he ran across Rock Spring Road toward Klein's Tower Plaza.

Blue and white were the dominant colors at Jim Parker's funeral yesterday. He lay in a blue casket, which stood in a sea of blue and white floral arrangements, one a Baltimore Colts horseshoe and another bearing his jersey number, 77. Blue and white were the colors of the old Baltimore Colts. Hundreds of people turned out at New Antioch Baptist Church in Randallstown to pay respects to Parker, a National Football League Hall of Famer who died Monday after suffering from congestive heart failure and kidney disease.

YOUR ATTENTION, please," blasted the tinny-sounding public address system interrupting the afternoon festivities. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a missing child."

It was simultaneously endearing and appalling, this idea of requiring a potential mate to pass a test of football trivia as a condition of matrimony. The concept forms a climactic scene in the movie Diner, when a character solemnly submits his fiancee to a rigorous exam on Baltimore Colts history. The bit delightfully conveyed the struggle between maturity and immaturity that is the crux of the film. It is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, which was released 20 years ago and made pop culture heroes out of a clique of Forest Park High School grads upon whom the film was loosely based.

All this reminiscing about the Baltimore Colts started when a collection of business folks and political figures finally decided to tear down Memorial Stadium. I kept thinking back to my days as a Colts ballboy and training camp assistant. Then I decided to make a farewell visit to the long-vacant stadium. On a brisk morning in late January, I spent half an hour in the building that once felt to me like a shrine. I walked alone through the old Colts locker room and slowly made my way through the dark, narrow tunnel leading out to what used to be the field.

Founded: 1838 Location: Durham, N.C. Enrollment: 6,368 undergraduates Tuition and fees: $25,630 Famous alumni: Former American Red Cross president Elizabeth Dole; CNN anchorwoman Judy Woodruff; NBA player Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic; novelists Anne Tyler, Reynolds Price and William Styron. Academic ranking: No. 8 among national universities, according to U.S. News & World Report School colors: Royal blue and white Nickname: Blue Devils, after an Alpine unit of French soldiers noted for their courage in World War I. Last trip to Final Four: 1999 NCAA basketball titles: Two, 1991, 1992

''I have had a lifelong love affair with blue and white in its many variations," writes British decorative-arts expert Stephanie Hoppen in her new book, "Blue & White Living" (Clarkson Potter, $35).The book's reverential text and more than 250 eye-catching pictures -- including rooms, artwork, collectibles and furniture -- underscore Hoppen's belief that blue and white is one color combination that will never go out of style.Hoppen, who lives with and collects blue-and-white wares, includes these nuggets of blue-and-white wisdom in the book:* Be they wide or narrow, blue and white stripes always look crisp and fresh.

Ever since shipments of blue and white Chinese porcelain started to land in the West in the 17th century, it has been collected, displayed and sold for princely prices.Contrary to popular myth, it was never used as mere ship ballast. True, it was heavy and did help balance ships when it was stowed in the holds for the long voyage back to England and eventually the American Colonies. Records do show that British and American merchants advised the Chinese to make their porcelain a little heavier to withstand the rigors of the China Seas, but it was never cheap.

POLICE LOG* North Laurel: 9100 block of Bourbon St.: Tools and coins were stolen from a home Wednesday. Police said residents are in the process of moving.9600 block of Hitching Post: A 37-year-old woman who heard a noise at the patio door and peered outside saw a man in a blue and white shirt exposing himself late Sunday night. Police said the man ran after the victim screamed.9100 block of North Laurel Road: A blue 1986 Isuzu Imark with Maryland tags CFL-556 was stolen from the lot of the Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center on Wednesday, police said.

Q: I inherited a teakwood stand. It is 25 inches high, and the top is 11 inches in diameter. The top has a pink marble inset. A paper label on the underside has the words "Fau & Hing -- Made in China."What is its approximate worth?A: Carved teakwood stands were made in China for export in the early 1900s. They are generally seen in antiques shops in the $200 to $300 range, depending on the condition.Q: I have a porcelain creamer and sugar bowl that are at least 70 years old. They were made in Japan and decorated with multicolored flowers against a white background and trimmed in orange.

The beauty was in the details. Peony petals floated in a birdbath. Bright orange daisies were paired with lilac lobelia in a container. Dark orange koi swam in a black pond as visitors crossed a narrow footbridge. Waterfront gardens sloped down to a backdrop of sailboats catching a breeze on Spa Creek. Several hundred visitors endured the hot, sticky weather Sunday to walk through 14 private gardens in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Annapolis. This was the sixth year of the Secret Garden tour, which benefits the historic Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis.

A heavyset robber stole an undisclosed amount of money from York Federal Savings & Loan Association at 2006 Rock Spring Road before 4 p.m. yesterday, a Harford County sheriff's spokesman said.Witnesses told investigators that the man gave a note demanding money to an employee, but displayed no weapon. They described the man as white, 6 feet tall and 20 to 25 years old. He was wearing a blue hooded sweat shirt, a blue and white ski mask, a clear poncho and dark pants. Witnesses said he ran across Rock Spring Road toward Klein's Tower Plaza.

Q: I inherited a teakwood stand. It is 25 inches high, and the top is 11 inches in diameter. The top has a pink marble inset. A paper label on the underside has the words "Fau & Hing -- Made in China."What is its approximate worth?A: Carved teakwood stands were made in China for export in the early 1900s. They are generally seen in antiques shops in the $200 to $300 range, depending on the condition.Q: I have a porcelain creamer and sugar bowl that are at least 70 years old. They were made in Japan and decorated with multicolored flowers against a white background and trimmed in orange.