Over the mountain

Here are a couple of other ornaments from my neighborhood drug store in Tannersville. I have to drive almost 6 miles on a winding mountain road to get there, but it’s the closest sign of civilization to my house. If I want anything — food, gas, penguin ornaments — I have to go over the mountain to get it.

Clay dough with wreath

Acquired: November 22, 2008, CVS Pharmacy, Tannersville, Pa.

Number: 0571

Size: 4.25 inches tall

Price: $1.99

Clay dough with candy cane

Acquired: November 22, 2008, CVS Pharmacy, Tannersville, Pa.

Number: 0572

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $1.99

A familiar name

This one’s got a unique star shape, the year, “New York,” a penguin with a heart and the artist’s signature etched in the clay on the bottom right point. I should have bought one for my sister, Gale West, who has the same name with a different spelling.

New York 2004 penguin on a brown clay star by artist Gail West

Acquired: December 17, 2004, Christmas Cottage, New York City

Number: 262

Size: 4.25 inches tall

Price: $9.95

Sasha’s penguin

My Penguin Tree has borne its first fruit. When I told a colleague at work that I had started the blog, he said he had something for me. A few days later I found this tiny gray penguin taped to my computer. It was made by Sasha Kolomatsky whose father, Michael, works with me at The New York Times. She used Crayola Model Maker, a kind of modeling clay that hardens when it is exposed to the air. It’s the first new ornament of the year. Welcome to My Penguin Tree, Sasha, and thanks for the penguin.

Acquired: Jan. 13, 2010

Number: 769

Size: About 1 inch tall

Artist: Sasha Kolomatsky