backwoods greetings

 I am bemused by this picture. It's the main street of T'ville, but I can't tell where it was shot—from what direction, which end of town etc. Where's the Goose? Where's the cafe? Bill?

Enclosed in the card was the million-dollar bill from the creationist theme park in Kentucky. Yes, the one where dinosaurs are portrayed as contemporaneous with humans, about which the woman who sent me the card said how much she loved it because, "I learned so much history." Sigh. I can't even.

a grande dame

Many years ago, I think in 1977, I fled my boyfriend, driving his Fiat from Illinois to W. 78th St. in New York City, to Paula's apartment. The car was immediately towed away, of course. I slept in Paula's daughter's room—Gaby was about 7 at the time—for about three months while I looked for a job. I also began this painting of Paula, whom I had met in the People copy room.
   I found a job, wound up moving into Douglas's apartment and the painting was never finished. I cut this part of it out years later, framed it and gave it to Paula. It may have been the last painting I worked on, as I came to realize I didn't have the chops as an artist.
   But Paula and I are working on 45 years of friendship now.

family time

 Debby, Sam, Heidi and Abby pose for a family portrait.

Camilla: The difference a year makes.

Somebody gets in on the act.

Isaac is selling monsters to order.

Don't forget the dog!

great amercan eating ceremony

A new member has joined the groaning board. Baby Abby dons her turkey hat for the festivities.

ze will rock you

Inspired by my post about the new intake info [and also convinced I was going in for a sex-change operation (gender reassignment surgery?) rather than a shot for my knee], CBA sent me the above picture and the text below:

Now We Can be Confused from Cradle to Grave

The First Challenge:  The Birth Certificate!    followed by:

A Lifetime of Options: The New Age Medical Forms  and then:

The Final Bow:   This is a two person “family” monument.  You are on the left and your sex-to-be determined significant other is on the right.   Remember when Douglas registered your Fiat as Claudio Dowling?? He was So ahead of his time!

a new age

I will go back to the historical documentation of the New Orleans wedding presently, but first I  need to share.
  So I'm blithely (or, really, not blithely) filling out forms for the Hospital for Special Surgery that mostly read like intake documents for surgery which, by the way, I am not expecting to have any time soon, when I run across this section about my gender identity, preferred pronouns etc. This is the first time I have seen this on an official form. Sort of bolluxed by checking straight or lesbian, so I checked Something Else. As in, "I'm something else!"
   There was stuff about my religious practice, too. So it's just as well that I hadn't read this article about there being more Witches than Presbyterians in the US or I might have been tempted to sign on to paganism.
   And on that note, dude in Missouri thinks yoga is demonic, and people have stopped attending classes.
    But speaking of karma, here is the video about Chicken From Hell that CBA is referring to in the comments. I laughed my head off!

melting of the first snow

Hudson River, West Side Highway

flight from the north

Leaving Manhattan

Dawn in Charlotte

Rooms at the inn

Poolside by noon

Cousin Glenn arrives with Bunny Bread. Now we know we are in NOLA.

brief history 3

 I know, I know, this is going on and on and on, but I need to explain my dilatory postings. I returned home to welcome four houseguests. That's Clement, of Paris and his girlfriend Lauren, of Toronto; and Jane and Sylvain of Paris and Bretagne. The two couples didn't know one another before, but we were soon en famille. And it was impossible to know whose French toothpaste was in the bathroom.

Jane Evelyn Atwood was in New York to accept an award for documentary photography. Years ago, she and I spent the night locked into a women's prison in Nebraska for a story about, um, women in prison (!) which she did a book about.

And the winner is!

As two of the best known documentary photographers, Donna Ferrato and Jane have been friends for years.

Jane and Sylvain departed later the same day that I left for New Orleans, leaving Clement and Lauren in charge at 98 Riverside.

brief history 2

Within a week after Simon's birthday, I would be in New Orleans. But first. . .

 I waved goodbye to the kids as they got on the bus with the (no-longer-striking) bus driver. Then made a quick trip to Hannah and Chris's new studio. Yes, another new one. It was quiet that day, but is now the scene of much action as Christmas season has cranked up. Get your gifts now at Wear Your Music! from Bob Weir to Bonnie Raitt, Adam Levine to April Lavigne, Metallica to John Mayer! And so on. Do check out the new cuff bracelet. Nice! Huge!

And then, leaving the truck in Hannah's back yard,  I hopped on the train to New York. And I just can't resist showing a few pix from that beautiful ride.

a brief history

We're climbing into the wayback machine. Well, we're not going that far back—only three weeks or so. But I'm hoping my faithful readers will forgive my spotty posting when they see how much has been shoehorned into the recent past. So here are three days.
 

The Annual Santana Season's Over celebration coincided with a birthday. Happy birthday, Hector!

There were a couple of non-Santanas. Yes, that's Lina, now back in Brazil.

The next day Jose Santana helped me move all the outdoor furniture inside, and I closed up Hannah's house and packed up my stuff at Claudia's

The next morning I got on the ferry. As always, it was a relief to blow that ice pop stand.

That night was Simon's 15th birthday. Here he is held by his "big" sister. Lynn and Douglas have moved off island to Providence so that Simon can go to high school there.

Happy birthday, Simon!

 

view of vines

View from my window

Despite my absence, the karela vine was able to thrive. It likely doesn't have long to live (and will never produce bitter melons) as it is a warm weather annual. But it has been fun to watch it crawl up the side of the building, worth digging it up and transporting it from Missouri to Alabama to New York.
  

The sword bean, too, has thrived. It has made it all the way up and into Toby's window, one floor up. Probably about 14 feet. We'll see how long they last in a New York winter. So far no freezes.

View from Toby's window

grandpa elliott

So I'm escaping from Bourbon Street on Halloween (more about that later), and I recognize this dude. No big surprise: The video above of street musicians around the world playing Stand By Me  has been seen more than 120 million times, several by me. It took me a while to realize I should video him doing the song myself, but I finally did.

substandard posting

I have so many great pix and stories that I haven't posted due to houseguests and travels, but I am getting back with the program and will be dribbling them out. After I return to "normal" life in New York City.

still making mischief

Three cases of trouble, then and now. My cousin Richard, me and my brother Chris. My guess is the old picture was taken in about 1957 at Seminole Village in Florida. The new one was last week in New Orleans, where we all got together for some cousin love at cousin Silas's wedding. And now we have whole passel of new DuPont cousins. The Family That Ate The World!
   Picture credits: my sister Erin, for saving the old print. My brother Ben for reenacting the shot.
PS is the new pic better in color or black and white?