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By Skylar Khan
Special to the Crier
Mary Salter came to Oracle by way of England, Canada, Australia and many other places in the world with her husband Martin, a mining engineer.
The Butterfly Garden on American Avenue was donated by the couple to the Oracle Community Center. That pretty piece of land is host to arrowheads, a lizard and a bench made out of mosaics created by children in the community under the direction of Martin Salter. After his retirement, Martin enjoyed getting the community involved in doing special projects.
An artist in her own right, Mary has continued the family tradition of helping others find their own creativity. Weekly jewelry making classes with Precious Metal Clay are ongoing in her workshop. Apart from silver creations, participants in Salter’s classes enjoy making necklaces from semi-precious gems that are found at the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
Salter’s high intellect and keen interest in current affairs are revealed during animated conversations. The lady stays up to date with current trends. This is reflected in her modern and unique jewelry designs. A keen mind and interest in worldly affairs have kept her young at heart.
Weaving, cooking and gardening are other activities close to Salter’s heart, as well as traveling to exotic places to meet up with her children who live in different parts of the world. There are few places one might mention that she has not either heard of or personally visited.
Mostly though, it is her love of books that make Salter one of the best read persons near and far. Eye surgery has left her with reduced vision, however, she has found a remedy for that in the Kindle tablet that allows for reading enlarged text.
Comfortably seated in her favorite chair by the window, Salter starts the day early in the morning by reading the news to be informed about current events, and then faithfully completing the New York Times crossword puzzle.
A quick analysis of Mary’s handwriting allows us to glean a little more insight into her personality.
The fairly wide ductus and pen pressure are indicators of her keen appreciation for quality and beauty inherent in textures, fabrics and other materials. She also makes bold use of bright colors in her designs.
The i-dots are penned in a simple dot. This indicates loyalty to one’s friends and family. The close placement of the dot over the i-stem (in delicious) reveals further that the lady has an excellent memory for faces, places and past events.
Wide spacing between words and lines cautions us to respect her need for space and privacy.
The horizontal expansion of the writing tells us that the writer has learned, over the years, to be mindful of her own needs in addition to caring for others. This allows for a lifestyle where stress is kept at minimal levels.
No doubt, Mary Salter and her late husband Martin have quietly made special contributions to beautifying Oracle and its surrounding areas.
For more information, please contact Skylar Khan at HandwritingAuhtority.com
Celebrating her birthday a couple of years ago, Mary Salter (center) is surrounded by former students of her Precious Metal Clay classes. (Skylar Khan photo)
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