Clingstone, an unusual, 103-year-old mansion in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, survives through the love and hard work of family and friends. More photos here. NY Times article here.
"The Swimming Cities of Serenissima is a fleet of handmade boats and a crew of artists traveling the Adriatic Sea from Slovenia to Venice this May and June, 2009. We made art boats from junk and will be performing the dreamy story of a drifting metropolis during the Venice Biennale, a celebrated contemporary art exhibition.…"
This 1915 wood frame home in Berkeley, California was designed by Henry Gutterson, a prominent Arts and Crafts-era architect. It has paneled redwood walls and a cathedral ceiling with carved crossbeams. It's for sale for 1.6 mil, featured in the San Francisco Chronicle recently. Berkeley and Oakland are full of wonderful old (not all this exquisite and expensive) houses. You only have to drive up and down the streets to see them. Gutterson was one of the turn-of-the century architects (including the wonderful Bernard Maybeck, with whom he worked) who veered away from gaudy Victorian architecture and established the Bay Area Arts and Crafts style.
Regarding Michelle Obama's veg. garden, the Slow Food movement, Michael Pollan's tribute to small farms, etc.: "These ideas have crept forward toward the mainstream in the wake of the economic collapse which inspired calls for a return to real work — a return in other words to activities more tangible (and, it was hoped, less perilous) than complex swaps of abstract financial products.…"
The Dipsea race is the oldest cross-country race in America, 7.5 miles from Mill Valley, Calif. to Stinson Beach. It's a tough course, with 4000 feet of vertical up and down. It's also an age- handicapped race, with older (and very young) runners getting a head start. Here is the first starting group (2 days ago), of 70-year olds and one little girl. She just charmed everyone with her energy and joy, racing out in front of the others.
Rick Gordon, our Macintosh maestro, and builder of all our books, is also a singer extraordinaire. Friday night he performed before a packed house at the Jazz School in Berkeley. Occasion was his father's 100th birthday, and it was called Song for My Father. A wonderful event, everyone in the audience was with Rick all the way.
It was a minus tide and I got up at dawn, put on waders, grabbed my eel pole (20'-long bamboo pole with hook on end) and went out on the reef — a spot I'd never tried before. First off I stumbled and fell almost face first in a pool. But, I baited up (clam scraps) and started poking the bait into cracks. It's called poke poling. In about an hour I caught 3 eels. I was elated, because in my last eel foray, I got—as they say—skunked. Eels are kind of prehistoric. I'm going to smoke them. I also picked up some nori seaweed and incorporated it into an omelette when I got home. Mighty fine. Now at the Mac with a latte made with Blue Mountain Jamacia beans. NTS stands for not too shabby…
I rode my scooter all around Manhattan last week. On different occasions, I went from my hotel at 7th Ave. and 31st, up to Central Park, across to the Hudson, down to Washington Square. I rode about half on sidewalks, half in the street. It's 3 times as fast as walking, and FUN! Once you get the hang of the joystick (as opposed to handlebars), it makes for graceful maneuvering. I'd fold it up when going into restaurants. Teenagers and 20-year-olds gave me V-signs. I don't know why more people don't ride these in cities. At left is the model I now have, but I'm going to get the same one with fat wheels, called Micro Monster Kickboard: http://bit.ly/1ahULG
For a page out of Arthur's book of magic tricks with everyday objects, see: http://bit.ly/jgvzW
My friend and neighbor Arthur Okamura stopped by yesterday to show me a series of paintings he's just done of asparagus, done in tempera paint and tempera watercolor paint (the latter a new product). Arthur is a delightful and productive artist, working in many mediums, always exploring new frontiers.
Susan and the Serenaders were doing doo-wop harmonies, a form of music I love.
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