disaster porn

Yes, that is the Goose, left. And, yes, that is Bear's truck and the concrete .slab where his house used to be. And then there's the cafe, which will likely never open again. And beyond that the bridge over the Bad, Naughty river that ruined us all. At least I hadn't been here for generations. Anyway, I'm very tired and having landed soft at Bill and Carla's, I am going to sleep. Nightie!

on the road

Goodbye New York; hello trucks. And more trucks. Lots of trucks. I left the city around 9 ayem and stopped outside of Dayton, Ohio, around 9 pm. Long day. My road trips are not stop-and-see-the-sights roadtrips. They are don't-even-stop-to-go-to-the-bathroom road trips. Though I am looking forward to one stop tomorrow. Hope the heirloom tomatoes are ripe in Greenup, Il. Seems a bit early. I hope to make it to West Plains tomorrow afternoon. Everybody seems to worry when I'm driving 1,200 highway miles. But the driving in the Ozarks while I'm there is what's really hairy.
And speaking of NY, Chien-Chi Chang has a pic in the New Yorker of NY. I was in the back seat of the cabwhen he took it from the front seat.

what will be in the truck

Just once would it be possible for me to go anywhere without a bunch of substandard furniture? Apparently not. Also necessary to travel with: a large ripe papaya and, of course, a lime. Oh, and a lot of lychees. Some people never learn! Not bringing kitchen sink. I figure I can buy one of those in Missouri.

my dentist

This is a paean to my dentist. I have been going to him for many years, and, believe me, I have gone to many dentists in my life. We are reduced to crown replacements, root canals and extractions. This is the last molar, extracted yesterday. I am hanging in Nueva York today to make sure all is well, hitting the road in the acka emma for Missouri. 

magnum opus

Chien-Chi Chang (left) was a man of few words on the panel of filmmakers.

Fanny Ferrato  attended for her father, the late Philip Jones Griffiths.

The 70th anniversary of Magnum Photos was a gala occasion, and photographers came from all over the world for their annual meeting and celebration. Chien-Chi winged in from Austria, and I stayed out til midnight two nights in a row, which is out of the ordinary. The big event was a screening of CC's video and then partay at MoMA. Heady stuff, and I can't deny I liked seeing my name in the credits. Shoulda taken a picture.

pitch

 

My yard. And others' homes.

I have been looking for someone who might be interested in a weird reality show/home renovation show. 

    Kind of a Duck Dynasty meets Martha Stewart. 

    Eight years ago,  I bought an old gas station/café/post office in a dying town in the Ozarks. It is tiny, just 16 by 22 feet. I redid it in a kind of ‘50s diner/midcentury modern style.

    Then, at the end of April, a seven-foot wall of water swept through the town, erasing much of it. I am trying to decide whether to rebuild, and it occurred to me that it would make a good TV “renovation” show.  I mean, the characters who are helping me out are too amazing—one is of the Hatfield clan. 

      Here are pix of the place before and after the flood:

    And here are pix of the place gutted. The second floor and structure were untouched, though the meth addicts may get in there to pull the wires out at some point, and the squirrels and skunks may take up residence in my beds upstairs.  My hillbilly neighbors and the local sheriff are patrolling to repel marauders  as of now.

   If you have any thoughts or contacts, please let me know. I am planning to go out and survey the wreckage at the end of June. 

  Keep with me for new developments.

the sunshine came softly

The sunshine came softly through my window today. And very early, being as it's the longest day of the year in this here northern hemisphere. We're talking 5:24 til 8:30. And that's a beautiful thing.

back to the mainland

Home again in the city so nice they named it twice. Slept well for the first time in months. There is a lot of news that has gotten away from me, so here is some that is not too out of date.
Hannah's new office is in this way cool live/work building in Providence. Here is a Providence Journal article about it.
  I just finished writing panels for Donna Ferrato's upcoming exhibition in Italy, American Woman.
  There has been a big hoopdedoo about Vacation Rentals By Owner and HomeAway's new policy, which charges not only owners but renters as well. I reduced my prices slightly to partially make up for the bump, and so far no one has balked. I have 13 weeks rented in each house, which is basically full. Here is a Washington Post article about it. 
   And for my next real estate venture, I am soon to head out to the Ozarks to see whether or not I want to rescue the Goose in a town that has been erased from the map. I still think it would make a fab reality TV show—a kind of Duck Dynasty meets Martha Stewart scene. Totally weird, what with characters like Bear. And speaking of Bear, according to this article he (aka Randy Walker) is the hero of Thomasville.
And PS Vogue (!) is calling the Ozarks happening as seen here.

father's day

Father standing baffled
At the bar
Long a site of potency
Another touchstone lost or hidden
The ice maker too had wandered off
Perhaps in search of his wits.
His spirits vanished
Now just tonic, but not for body or soul

it begins

The summer people inhabit my places as of today. When I left yesterday, all appliances were working and everything was done but for Ana's spit shine. And the weather was glorious. Today, as the tenants move in it is intermittently pouring and totally freezing. Uh oh. That's when they tend to find fault! But I am back in NY and they'll have to deal with me remote.

my daughter, rock star

 Done for a business publication to go with interview. Looking good!

strawberry moon

Moonrise over the Mansion Next Door

fluff and puff

 It seems like I've been fixing and painting and etc forever, but we're now down to the wire in Block Island. Simultaneously, I am trying to set things up for July in Missouri, where repairing isn't the issue. My current plan is to try to button the place up (four windows, two doors) while living at the Sage Cabin at , ahem, the Ananda Kanan Ozark Retreat Center. Probably just as well my brother Chris couldn't come.

conehead

Poor Ruca has been doomed to another two weeks of being coned. Apparently she pulled some of her stitches in her belly (from whence they removed a fatty tumor) and now she has been stapled. The saddest thing is that she cannot scratch her ears. Or see very well! With cone, she is no longer a danger to herself, but she is to others as she pounces at them with no idea how wide and how sharp her head is.

billy goat gruff

With troll

Receiving her public

stardom

The Littlest Billy Goat Gruff is very excited about her performance tomorrow. She will likely have the largest audience of any child. I am terrified that she will forget her lines, of course. But she is mega jazzed, and has been for weeks.
And she did give me the script.
 I am not taking it with me to the otutoryum.
Charging phone now.

island transport

The ferry bringeth and the ferry taketh away. The New London ferry took Debby away yesterday, back to New York, Land o' Culture. And shortly after she left, there was again rain. But that evening. . .

not beach weather

My poor houseguests (and tenants) have had a run of bad weather. The sun came out today, and you can actually go outside! Deb managed to grab a shot of a nice sandcastle (above) during a brief break in the rain, but for the most part it has been inclement.
As you can imagine I have lots of news (and pictures) saved up for a roundup, but haven't gotten to it yet. Too busy planning meals and writing copy for a retrospective exhibition Donna is having in Italy.
Mo' later.