claudia's surf city

before the flood

2012-01-28T09:56:00.001-05:00

Looks like Zone AE in Block Island, where I have FEMA flood insurance on one house. But being as this rain means flood season is coming up in Missouri, I thought I'd look into flood insurance there. After much fussing on the website, I ascertained that the Goose is indeed in Zone A. If you look at where the two rivers meet, there is a tiny grid of the town under water. That would be T'ville and the Goose. However, after further research I found that the town of T'ville "does not participate" in the FEMA program. Whatever else that means, It definitely means no insurance for me. Just the usual prayer: The good lord willin' and the creeks don't rise. Oh wait, I'm told that's Creeks, as in Indians. Oh well.

rainy day

2012-01-27T10:53:00.000-05:00

No, there's no such thing as climate change. It's only 53 in the depths of January in New York City. The daffodils are up in Alabama two months early, and they say every summer now they have a drought. It's been icier than usual in the Ozarks in the past few years. The ice caps are melting, and there's a war on for oil and mineral rights in the Arctic—now that it's not so arctic—and for fishing rights in the Antarctic. Keep your raincoat, your woolies and your tank tops packed. You never know what you'll be needing.

2012-01-26T10:19:00.000-05:00

Are you jealous? J sends in "Remains of the Day," a picture of her current location: Courchevel, Les Trois Vallees, France. I am not jealous of the skiing. The beverage, maybe. . .

family time

2012-01-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

It happens more seldom these days, but there are the occasional gala evenings when the Artist is in the country and Danger Man hauls his ass out of Brooklyn and we foregather to talk about art and journalism and travels. And less erudite things like health and friends and dogs. And really, how lucky we are to be able to do it. Quadruple happiness.

the way it is

2012-01-24T10:12:00.000-05:00

I am still totally in love with this toon app even though it does make people look like Dorian Gray's portrait.

And in the latest news, the Alabama contingent was baking cookies and didn't even know about the storm, a Democrat's cat was killed in Arkansas and left on the pol's doorstep with the word "liberal" painted on it, 40 snowy owls were spotted in Missouri, friend Allison Adato's book, Smart Chefs Stay Slim, was plugged in Mark Bittman's column in the NYT, and Chien-Chi Chang held court at his opening at the International Center for Photography, everybody still hates Newt Gingrich and how about those Patriots!

how about those giants?

2012-01-23T10:05:00.002-05:00

Ready but not eager


Sour cream sans chips

happy new year!

2012-01-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

Or gongxi fa cai. Year of the water dragon is supposed to be a very creative time.

2012-01-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

The video for Wear Your Music is underway, including a cast of, well, quite a few, including a number of relatives (above). Those of you who have questions about just exactly what a guitar string bracelet is and how they are made should have them answered once and for all.

dada-ism

2012-01-19T11:56:00.000-05:00

Well, in this picture Dada is 34. Now he's twice that. Happy birthday!

no web for you today

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

living in the future

2012-01-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

That's the lot: Everything booked but Labor Day for 2012. Yes, some people may lose everything on 'change and need their money back, but basically all is set from June 22 to mid September. So, yes, the PR portion of this blog is in abeyance for a bit.
And speaking of the ocean, how about that cruise shipwreck? and this fishing boat off Block Island?

fore and aft

2012-01-16T10:06:00.002-05:00

fore

aft

Meanwhile, this is the guardhouse to my castle, and this is the guard at his post. My nevvie made it past last night. Okay, it may look as we're in the top 1 percent, but I assure you it's no such thing. Check out your percentage in this interactive map. And if you want to feel rich, check out how you compare in Memphis or Mississippi or Alabama or Arkansas or Detroit. I have this dream. But so far no reality.

my home is my castle

2012-01-14T12:51:00.001-05:00

OK guys, I keep saying that the Ozarks are a bargain for homeownership, but check this out: A castle for $1.8 million. That's what my apartment would go for in New York!
My commune for aging women would fit comfortably in here. It's not far from that fabu entertainment center called Branson (direct flights!) and should be pretty close to the new American Art Museum for the Recordbooks. I cannot find that has a pool, which could be a serious problem, but look at the listing for yourself. Maybe the nine-foot fireplace and the 13 bathrooms make up for the lack of a pool. Might need a trust fund for maintenance, but let's crunch the numbers: If 12 people (the number of bedrooms) put in $200,000 apiece, that allows $600,000 in the bank for expenses. Judging by the Goose ($48/yr), annual property taxes wouldn't be prohibitive. We could hire help! I mean serfs. . .

bulwark

2012-01-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's the white line on the makai side of Corn Neck Road. If the waves are 11 to 16 feet today and the water is already coming across the road by the Beach Head, it's just a thin crust of rock and sand that keeps the water from pouring down the driveway. We didn't call it Claudia's Surf City for nothin'!

really bad shopping list

2012-01-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

There has been some concern that I did not post yesterday. "Are you all right?" they want to know.
The shopping list at left should explain why I have not posted. I have now made the soup and purchased the mouthwash—as well as toilet paper and light bulbs. Now there's something to blog about, fans!
Fortunately, I have a fascinating inner life. But no way I'm getting into that.

like lightning striking

2012-01-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

Ran across this amazing picture from the balcony of Hannah's. Lucky I had a regular camera then—apparently the iPhone, which I've totally converted to, can't capture lightning. Something about the time lapse. Dunno. It was explained to me, but I blacked out during the explanation.

oopsie

2012-01-09T09:38:00.000-05:00

The
problem
of
living
in
a
stack
.
.
.
Plumbers
been
and
gone.
Plasterers
manana.

the view from here

2012-01-07T11:41:00.004-05:00

Now attempting: A return to normal. As normal as things can get with bookings, website problems, tax filings, financial roundups, scheduling and general housecleaning for a new year.

In exciting annual roundup news, Wear Your Music raised $60,000 for charities last year, and much press like here in doing so. And, oddly, while finishing the recent Jane Fonda biography on the subway, a friend ran across my name and here it is.

booking up

2012-01-06T10:05:00.001-05:00

Claudia's is almost booked for the season, and just as I listed Hannah's with VRBO as well, they had a website disaster. I am tearing out my long, blond, beautiful hair.
I guess it's that time of year—everybody scrambling to sew up their summer plans and jockeying with one another for position. And servers tanking. Too much traffic.
I was talking with another friend who rents properties on Cape Cod. "Some people think they are going to get better deals at the last minute," I said. "But there's so much demand this year I could fill the space twice!"
"Heck no," she said. "I raise my prices as the summer gets closer!"

heritage

2012-01-05T20:23:00.001-05:00

I went to lunch with a friend. We were wearing the same sneakers.
    When I went to get the sneakers, I looked inside them.
    "Heritage?" I asked the salesman."What does that mean?"
     He smirked.
     "Old," we said simultaneously.
     My friend, 81, said she got black laces because she thought they looked less old ladyish. At 61, I am thinking of detailing mine with permanent marker.

la petite famille

2012-01-04T13:03:00.000-05:00

The little family left today, bearing baby gear, Apple gear and camera gear.
And chia seeds. Much more on that later.

the long party

2012-01-03T13:25:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not referring to the Iowa caucuses, although I'm hopeful that this exciting primary season will go on and on.
I'm referring, as my Faithful Followers certainly know and probably never want to hear about again, to Hannah's 30th. For me, it began at 6 am and ended at 4 am the next day. It was good fun, and Ed's macaroni and cheese (made to the Reagan White House recipe) was a big hit. People started coming shortly before noon and the diehards (above) left after midnight.

Hannah's birthday 30

2012-01-02T03:40:00.001-05:00

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hannah's birthday 28

2011-12-31T13:02:00.002-05:00

hannah's birthday 27

2011-12-31T09:10:00.001-05:00

hannah's birthday 3?

2011-12-30T08:28:00.000-05:00

hannah's birthday 2

2011-12-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

more reasons to visit the ozarks

2011-12-29T09:17:00.002-05:00

Okay, there's the just opened Walmart heiress's art museum in Bentonville, Ark., called world class by the New York Times, and just a little further west there is or will be the new Woody Guthrie museum. And yes, those are Woody's New Year's resolutions above.
A list to live by.

hannahganza

2011-12-28T09:31:00.001-05:00

What a difference 30 years makes—and then again, not.

Let's celebrate the years between. Yes, omfg it's too true: We've been holding an open house on New Year's Day, birthdate of Hannah Weishart Gasner Garrison, for three decades now. And we're going to do it again.

WHO:        You and anybody you pick up en route
WHAT:       Hannah's 30th birthday
WHEN:      New Year's Day, January 1, 2012
                    @ noon to @ midnight
WHERE:    The Dowling Intercontinental
                    New York, NY
Bring your own anything—or not.

back to the city

2011-12-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

Nose pressed against the glass, I took the train south on the Atlantic seaboard, looking for another party to crash. Oh wait, I mean give.

and a fine time it was

2011-12-26T10:11:00.001-05:00

Is Christmas surreal for everyone or is it just me?

merry

2011-12-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

nonwhite christmas

2011-12-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

No snow this year. A mele kelikimaka to all!

tiny tina

2011-12-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

"Oh, no! Something terrible has happened!"

"Look, Mama!"

2011-12-23T12:43:00.000-05:00

My baby sister's birthday today. She had her party last night. One of her friends told me she was pretty sure that my sister would soon be the president of the garden club. I should have given the friend my phone number, because when she is sworn in, Sis will never tell me. I would make fun of her.
As for the rules of a happy house on her fridge, I would add, if I cook it, you better eat it. Any more?

for those who think young

2011-12-22T13:57:00.003-05:00

an appy christmas

2011-12-21T08:46:00.000-05:00

So this is a cool photo ap that basically changes your life into a coloring book. Those of you getting new toys under the tree this Christmas may be interested. Yes, I know it looks like Christmas morning here already. But this is actually daily life.

santa's list

2011-12-20T15:23:00.003-05:00

Eva's older sister Madison, now a teenager, still has her annual request on her Christmas list:

A black bear with a bear licence.

camilla and alabaster

2011-12-19T14:34:00.001-05:00

Now on babysitting duty while the elves work.
Here's what they're working on.

on the move

2011-12-17T07:52:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas time, and everyone's on the move. Rhode Islanders to New York, New Yorkers to Rhode Island, and etc. I'm off today. Merry Merry!

his list

2011-12-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

Eight years old.

deck the hall

2011-12-15T09:26:00.000-05:00

The winning Christmas card from last year, from Bill Dugan of Missouri, grapevine wreath from Block Island—on the front door in New York, NY.

where's claudia?

2011-12-14T13:15:00.000-05:00

My cousin GulEEun, went artwalking around New Orleans and took me with her! So fun!

just one more

2011-12-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

yes

2011-12-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, so today is my actual birthday. Thank you to my mother for birthing me, my father for siring me and many of you for showing up at the Explorer's Club last year to celebrate with me. Just going through the pix. Some of them are pretty bitchin!

holiday season

2011-12-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yes the season has opened, with two birthday girls bagging flowers and cake. Thanks to the Man with Manners for the roses. I looked up white roses, and the meaning is innocence and purity (not so much) and honor and respect (well, maybe). But I trust MWM to know which appropriate flowers to give the girls.

aerial of block island

2011-12-09T11:54:00.000-05:00

Water water all around. This is a cool surfable Bing map of Claudia's and Hannah's rental beach houses and the rest of the family compound in Block Island.
It forms quite a contrast to Chien-Chi's latest project about heroin addicts in Tanzania. Warning: Very tough to watch.

tis the season

2011-12-08T10:35:00.001-05:00

When last seen, the happy couple was in New York, marveling at the traffic on their guitar string bracelet web site, Wear Your Music.
Now they are in holiday hell.
They can hardly manufacture and package and ship fast enough to make Christmas deadlines, everybody caught colds, baby is too dislocated by the bustle to sleep—and so no one else can sleep either, which they need to do to manufacture and package and ship and oh yeah have the roof redone, new windows put in, deal with tenants, play Santa, plan the holiday stroll, edit photographs, juggle schedules and prepare for the imminent invasion of relatives.
Poor little things.
All will be calm, all will be bright. After December 23.

now renting block island

2011-12-07T11:12:00.001-05:00

Truth in promotion. There is a very funny slide show showing the difference between hotel rooms as seen in brochures and on websites and the rooms as they look in reality. You can see it here. The message seems to be that you should portray things a little more realistically so that when travelers get there they are not disappointed. I looked for reviews about Block Island stays on Trip Advisor, but they seem to have mostly hotels and restaurants listed. No feedback on Block Island rental houses.

Claudia tells all: Yes, I do pimp the place out for a photo shoot. I put flowers around or a bowl of steamers that are not there. I shoot the beach out front on a sterling day (above) that doesn't require photoshopping. I suppress the road in the views. And "cozy," as most people know, means small. But on the other hand, you can see warts and all in the home movies of Claudia's and Hannah's. Finally, I decided that if anything, the places are better than advertised. People realize how very few houses in Block Island are on the beach and come back, again and again.

winter's bone

2011-12-06T10:06:00.000-05:00

photograph by flmIII

And speaking of what's happening while we're not there, here's a photograph of what's going on in the Ozarks by someone who is there.

webfriends

2011-12-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

When I first started a blog, like—seven years ago?—it was suggested that you build readership by reading and commenting on other blogs. I did that for a while, and one woman started commenting on my blog as well, until it became a dialogue.
   Carly was a single mom who lived in the desert near Palm Springs, interested in writing and art, with a sly sense of humor. When I visited the area sometime later, we made plans to meet but didn't get it together. She stayed in my apartment in New York when I wasn't there for a week (people thought I was crazy). We finally met in New York and in Missouri, where she's from. I've met her brother and kid. She's married and had another baby. I keep up with the new baby on Facebook. This weekend she visited in person with her husband and brother.
    Go figure, an old-fashioned friendship from across a generation and a continent, connected by a medium that didn't exist a decade ago.
   Life is weird.

meanwhile. . .

2011-12-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

Don't forget what's going on in other places when you're not there. . .

subway panel

2011-12-01T23:27:00.000-05:00

This here is art.
OK, sorry I haven't been posting that well, but first it was houseguests and now it's a story deadline and next summer's bookings, and I keep trying to get to the gym any old how. Guess I could post from the stationary bike, but I can't answer for my typing under that circumstance. So, yes, I'm thinking of you (yes, every one of you!), and I will be back with the program soon. Just as soon as I finish this darned rough draft about steam locomotives.

one more

2011-11-30T09:39:00.000-05:00

Somebody had a special Thanksgiving outfit.

nails

2011-11-29T13:57:00.001-05:00

Much personal grooming also took place over the holiday weekend.
An unusual Thanksgiving tradition, but so New York.

the girls of hunter

2011-11-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

After school, the friends' paths diverged. One had a baby, one opened a restaurant, one moved to Costa Rica.

what a difference a year makes

2011-11-26T10:45:00.001-05:00

Thanksgivings past and present. From a bath in the kitchen sink to a stroll to the dinosaur museum.

great american eating ceremony

2011-11-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

crowded house

2011-11-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

Eva makes the place cards, Erin makes the mousse, Mason does the Zabar's run, Hannah monitors her website and Eva plays baby.

guess who's coming to dinner

2011-11-22T07:52:00.000-05:00

Maybe the appropriate question this year is guess who's NOT coming to dinner! At present we're sitting down 19—and Baby makes 20.

catwalk

2011-11-21T11:50:00.002-05:00

The nevvy and his friend admire the silly pet trix performed by pet dominatrix Donna Ferrato in her tribeca loft. We were gathered for the birthday of one of Philip Jones Griffiths' daughters hosted by the other. Much fun was had by all, including the cat Houdini (sister Puccini did not perform).
Several of our readers sent in videos referring to purring. Here is a catvertising video and don't miss the Moscow Cat Circus.

breaking news

2011-11-19T08:25:00.003-05:00

So you're sitting peacefully in your loft in a building hard by the tracks—a seed warehouse or some such built before the Civil War.
KABLAM!
One minute it's your home; the next it's a train wreck.
This actually happened yesterday to our own CBA. That is not her loft shown—she lives on the other side of the building. The owners, fortunately, were out. And now they have to stay out pending all kinds of litigation.
A logging truck, see, was crossing the tracks without looking both ways. The driver's okay. The engineer is okay. Everybody's okay except for, like, the stove-in part of the building. And the truck.
Was this incident predicted in the stars?
Find out on Heaven Knows What.

boogaloo down broadway

2011-11-18T08:58:00.002-05:00

This xerox of a photograph hangs on the window of the empty storefront where H&H bagels used to cook. The view is of Broadway looking uptown from just south of 79th Street. You can see the subway entrances on the left. The church is still there too, and the bagel store at the end of that block, though now my gym is built above it, and you can look out at the church turrets from the weight room.
That woman in the dress is not going to the gym. And I am not going to buy bagels. Time is a conspiracy to pull the rug out from under you.

my sexy sweet potato recipe is released even as the UN is trying to take our concealed weapons away

2011-11-17T09:32:00.000-05:00

Buy my book to read all about it!

oh well

2011-11-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

We know where I fall on this piechart. Maybe I should get into crafts? What would you suggest? Blogging was originally meant as a somewhat interactive form.

all about real estate

2011-11-15T11:58:00.001-05:00

Snazzy, real estate agent par excellance, can sell you anything—the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, or, here, the High Line. In her alter ego as Sarah Fearon, comedy queen and (surprise!) real estate agent, she is also quite amusant. Check out her standup routine here. We know her from Block Island.

And speaking of Block Island, ABC news and Coastal Living magazine both recommend the place off season—what I've been trying to tell you!
Should I put in heat?
Namaste.

look out, turkey!

2011-11-14T14:05:00.000-05:00

It was a bad day when I discovered the Sabatier with the tip broken off. Not to mention the ragged edge of my favorite Chinese knife. Naughty tenant kids.
    I was so bummed that when I brought the knives home from Block Island, I didn't look at them for a year.
    But as a certain holiday drew near, it was knife-sharpening time again. The knife grinder parks next to Zabar's (when not trolling the neighborhoods ringing his bell), and a line awaits his services.
    There are no fixed prices. I think it depends on how much he likes the knife. He charged the man in front of me $57 to sharpen one.
    Then he looked at one of my carving knives and said, "I sharpened this knife. A few years ago."
"These other two you may not be able to do anything about," I said, unwrapping the sad remains.
   He was on his mettle (!).
"Forty-five dollars for the three."

promo

2011-11-12T09:42:00.004-05:00

In family promotional news, wearyourmusic got featured in a Consumer Reports magazine (above). And the company's founder (and child) posed in another catalogue—check out the onyx/shining sea trim pic. (K says she looks like she's about to move to one of those suburban neighborhoods she reviles).

disquiet on campus

2011-11-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

You have to ask yourself how sports became so important to Americans that university endowments are based on football teams.

old school j school

2011-11-10T09:10:00.003-05:00

This 1940 film was made by Encyclopedia Britannica as part of its series "Your Life Work." Love the part at the end about "the country editor."
In other journalistic news, Donna Ferrato makes the New York Times (again) for her sex and violence work.
And in other, more tangential journalistic news, here's a fun typesetting game about kerning.
Now to prepare to speak about the narrative form at Elaine's journalism class this afternoon. . .

meanwhile. . .

2011-11-09T08:04:00.000-05:00

. . .back in Block Island, the outdoor furniture and the lawn mower have moved indoors for the winter and John Henry is coming to shut off the water. Wifi is off there (and finally on here in NYC). But the cycle is still in motion. Returning guests are already playing musical chairs for next summer, and new tenants are lining up for the remaining spaces. The seasons, they go round and round.

city so nice they named it twice

2011-11-08T08:09:00.002-05:00

Back in media central, without Internet as a means of communication. Forced to fall back on printed materials, phone and in-person interactions. Ok, so I do have the smart phone and texting--but my options are so restricted. How did we live and do business before?

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city or country?

2011-11-07T07:53:00.000-05:00

Let's say you were young and restless, and maybe you grew up a city mouse and maybe a country mouse, and you had two beautiful places. Which would you choose?

why it is a milltown

2011-11-04T15:46:00.000-04:00

OK, so the town, like much of Rhode Island, is on the skids. But it has some great natural features and unbelievable building stock. Take the old bank building (not visible), for instance. It had the grand entrance, maybe six floors, working elevator, great condition—just sitting there waiting for somebody to come up with a magical idea for—maybe—an ultra chic retirement commune or crack house. Yours for $250,000! Total! And then there are the mill buildings, in various states of rehab. Just add artists!

en famille

2011-11-03T12:22:00.000-04:00

Off schedule

2011-11-02T12:57:00.001-04:00

That would be me off schedule, not Camilla .

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Location:Providence,United States

what's on the boat?

2011-11-01T09:04:00.003-04:00

The truck.
Or will be at 12:30.

What's in the truck?
Hint: Diapers. Jigsaw.

And all I have to say is it's a damn fine day to be leaving.

this morning

2011-10-31T09:13:00.000-04:00

Let's look at the list:
Electrical cords
Breaker box
Unplug jacuzzi
Roberta money
Douglas hot dogs
Johnny coffee
John Henry song
Put away records
Rehang surfboards
Close fireplace dampers
Turn off gas
Wash
Fridge

Tomorrow we can play "What's still on the list?" and
"What's in the truck?"

ozarka!

2011-10-29T09:14:00.001-04:00

"Forget the Yellow Brick Road. If you are off to see The Goose, you have to follow the Long and Winding, Yellow, Striped, Road," writes Frank. He sends along this picture of Rt. 160 right before the Thomasville turnoff. Most people in the Ozarks call these stomach-addling ups and downs "whoopdedoos." The sight of the road makes me a little homesick (no, not carsick!), but the Goose is shut down for the winter now. Fortunately, snow is infrequent; your whoopdeedoo becomes a fine howdeedoo, I'm a tellin' you!

day sail

2011-10-28T09:20:00.001-04:00

Thursday is shopping day on Block Island. Or rather, off Block Island. Everybody piles on the 8:15 boat, gets into their cars on the other side, and takes off for doctors' appointments and supplies. We went to the car repair garage, Staples, a window factory, two pet stores, Trader Joe's, Home Depot, Wal Mart, Belmont gourmet market, Stop 'n' Shop, the Dollar store, the farm stand and the Bluebird Cafe. We took the 5:00 boat home, tossing in strong winds and rain.
It was 39 degrees, indoors and out last night. And, failing a warming pan, I put the laptop under the covers last night to heat up the bed. I am writing from bed now. Thank goodness I bought those socks.

tour of hannah's block island rental

2011-10-27T07:04:00.002-04:00

OK, so the production values aren't great—what do you want from me and an iPhone? Hannah's video tour of Claudia's is superior to Claudia's video tour of Hannah's, but I had to shoot the footage before leaving the island: I begin reserving for next year next month. And it begins again.

roll call

2011-10-26T11:12:00.003-04:00

It's raining, and the ice cream stores have closed. We're down to a couple of ferries a day. Last night was what they call the roll call dinner, where everybody sees who's left on the island.
It's an early Thanksgiving dinner. People cook turkeys and all the fixings, and everybody gathers at the Harbor Baptist Church where, for a donation of whatever they want, they can eat themselves silly. The kids from the high school (all seven of the graduating class) replenish the gravy and serve blackberry and pumpkin pies and coffee. It's a chance for the island folks who have ignored one another all summer to socialize. And we did.

Um. And due to this glowing article about me in the Block Island Times, I socialized while hiding out in the corner with friends and relatives.

second spring

2011-10-25T09:40:00.000-04:00

The birds have been going whacko, nesting all over again. This little one hopped out of the nest for the first time yesterday, ran into the window, then flew away. The evidence indicates, however, that the thump in the night was The Cat, and that other fledglings were not so lucky.

big doings in t'ville

2011-10-24T10:55:00.000-04:00

Sign at the Goose

There was a Bear sighting, or rather hearing, over the weekend. If I want to tell Bear something, I usually have to write him a letter. I wanted to tell him that I was going to have the plumber shut the Goose down for the winter, and I wanted to know whether he had ripped off the well housing and built a new one. So I wrote him a letter. Problem is, he doesn't write back. So I told him to call me using the phone I bought him that he never leaves on. It's a pain in the ass because, for reasons even Wal-Mart doesn't understand, you have to dial the number twice. And you can't use redial.
Anyway, he called. It took several tries to get through, but he did. The new well house (call it a well shack) is half built despite the fact that Bear got a full time job! He is working at a sawmill that will get pretty cold in winter, given that it's open on one side. And he will soon need a reliable ride with gas mileage that won't eat up his salary, but hey, it's steady work.
And then I texted him how to text.
"HI," he wrote.
Then, "firout."
That's "far out," I texted.
"OK."
Another step towards ruining one hillbilly's life.

after the fall

2011-10-21T08:52:00.002-04:00

In the autumn, Block Island closes down slowly and deliberately like your computer shutting off—the browser, the mail, the operating system. Blink, blink, blink, black. This weekend, I wonder, what will be next?

you cain't make an. . .

2011-10-20T09:37:00.000-04:00

Before

After

So the result of having fabulous new storage was—stuff had to move around, upstairs and downstairs, from house to house and closet to closet until, hopefully, it settles into a place it feels comfortable and we can all find it again. This has not happened as yet.
I confess I went to sleep dreaming of—new shelving.

stormy weather

2011-10-19T11:45:00.002-04:00

And on a completely different note, but also having to do with photographs, here is Chien-Chi's new video montage about Burma. The credit I receive is undeserved.
Oops, sorry. Link wrong, as Deb pointed out. Corrected now.

another obstacle removed

2011-10-18T08:27:00.000-04:00

Mowing is an art form, but in a place where about the only things we grow well are briars, poison ivy and grass, He Who Mows has a chore. It's a maze out there. He has eliminated a few lawn ornaments such as clumps of fountainy grass, but there's plenty left to dodge. The clump of brambles around the firepit whoozie was pretty close to others, for instance. You voted it out.
It's gone. The rock was not as big as feared and I rolled it down to another ride-around clump, moved the dirt to a hole in the driveway and sort of leveled the hump.
Takes a lot of doing to make things look natural.

golden

2011-10-17T10:58:00.002-04:00

John and Pam have pumpkins and chrysanthemums. There's candy corn on the table. The song Spooky is running through my head, and I've started waking up later and later. Guess the time's going to change soon.

pair of mallards

2011-10-15T08:59:00.002-04:00

Evening yesterday, as the weather vacillated between bright and rainy and sometimes both at once. I don't even want to say what I have been doing because it is sooo boring you would fall asleep before you got three items down the list—a screw here, some glue there and etc. Maybe I'll take a nap just thinking about what the day holds. Although there is sun—and 35 mph gusts. The weather is never boring here.
Off to the dump. The dump is never boring either.

flying fish

2011-10-14T08:31:00.000-04:00

Or whatever you think. . .

at the old stand

2011-10-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

I have returned home to Claudia's, making the long, long trip across the yard, accompanied by the vitamins I'm no longer supposed to take, the frozen lentil soup, the paint-covered overalls, and all the unpaid bills that seem to dog my footsteps. But not, apparently, accompanied reliably by my e mail on either my computer or my iPhone. And the hunt for the Great Gas Leak goes on, more urgently now that I'm the one smelling it in my bedroom.

landscape design challenge

2011-10-12T10:57:00.001-04:00

What would you do?
So there's this sort of wood- burning firepit deal that's right in the middle of the yard. Right next to a clump of bushes that is also right in the middle of the yard. A mowing challenge. The metal thing was placed there because there was a large mostly underground rock that we didn't want to run into with the mower.

Should we dispense with the firepit (seeing as we already have the two fine bbq grills shown here) and attempt to remove the rock that could be the size of a Volkswagen? Or stick with the status quo?

Vote now vote often.

storage

2011-10-11T15:02:00.001-04:00

Measuring

Assembling

I am better at jigsaw puzzles than I am at using a jigsaw, sadly, but I only ruined one piece of wood. Figuring out how to do it was harder than the execution, however. And if my skills with the skill saw ran thin, well—there's always molding!
PS I dare you to find a song for this one. . .

oops

2011-10-11T08:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I was just fiddling with the blog template this morning and, lo and behold, I applied it by accident and there was no going back to the same old same old. Hope you like the new look! More later. Gotta get to work and finish the thing I've been working on, which I hope comes out more predictably than the new template. But you love it, right?

down and dirty

2011-10-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

OK, so it's not rocket science. I just took the thingy off the other thingy and reattached the thingy with picture wire and then reattached the other thingy to the arm thingy. I should probably buy a whole new rubber thingy since the chain thingy had split the thingy's attachment whoozie. But on the other hand, how the hell would I know what to order? Anyway, it works

beauty shots

2011-10-07T09:51:00.001-04:00

This concludes the promotional period of our year.
The final renters arrive today, and I will be moving from House A to House B on Monday. The blog will also take a turn for the less scenic as I do not anticipate prospective tenants arriving on it (the blog or the Block) for quite a while. There have been Complaints from our Faithful Readers about the Paucity of informative Blog Posts lately.
I promise, my dears, to get Right Down to the Real Nitty Gritty, Yeah!
Maybe CBA can oblige with the appropriate You Tube link.

slated for destruction

2011-10-06T07:59:00.001-04:00

The house next door is going. A flatbed delivered a large storage container, and a group of guys came over to hang out on the porch and look around. I just hope they're done with the heavy moving by next season! Hear tell the plans for the new house look a lot like the one the singer is sitting in.
CBA offers up this appropriate tune, Eve of Destruction.

no photoshopping

2011-10-04T09:18:00.000-04:00

I swear, I did not do anything to this picture. This is just the way it looked in front of the house this morning as Kathleen sailed away on the Block Island high speed ferry.

deer in the headlights

2011-10-03T08:38:00.000-04:00

Right in the driveway. At midday. They must know that doe season hasn't opened yet. . .