You Can't Get There From Here

Nothing has been more inspirational than being present to see my sister get married. To love that honestly and to trust that openly and to care so deeply. I didn’t think it would change anything but something has shifted. There is an ease about her. A happiness. A glowing.

may my heart always be open to little

birds who are the secrets of living

whatever they sing is better than to know

and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry

and fearless and thirsty and supple

and even if it’s sunday may i be wrong

for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully

and love yourself so more than truly

there’s never been quite such a fool who could fail

pulling all the sky over him with one smile

- e.e. cummings

I recently finished the book, Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton, which I recommend you read if you find the industry and culture of art at all interesting. Her perspective spans from interviews with academics, artists, dealers, gallery owners and media allowing for an incredible, and rare, comprehensive view into an intimidating world. 

There was a quote in the final few pages that I found particularly arresting, not because of it’s insight but because of it’s honesty and ability to transcend the setting in which it was delivered. Ms. Thornton, during her visit to the Biennale, happened upon Amy Cappellazzo from Christies who spoke to the mystique of the biannual contemporary art mecca.

“It’s not just that people hope that they’ll have a moving experience with an artwork or chance meeting with their favorite artist in a hotel bar…everyone is secretly expecting that something beautiful will happen to them.”

“Everyone is secretly expecting that something beautiful will happen to them”. Taken out of context there is something raw and honest about that perspective. Something whimsical and helpless, naive and starry-eyed. Aren’t we all, to some degree, hopeful and expectant that great things will happen to us?

Which begs the question, when do we stop expecting and start doing? 

I was recently in LA for a week. I used to hate LA. Well, maybe not hate but misunderstand. I couldn’t fathom the idea of driving so much, not watching the change of all four seasons or witnessing other humans looking like molded pieces of plastic. I’ll let you in on a secret though, if you drive during the right time of day it’s fine, if you stand to watch the trees, they do change and if you see just enough plastic people walk by you will notice that they, too, are flawed. 

Place is becoming more synonomous with people for me. As long as there are people I enjoy in the place that I am…things will be ok. During a week of vacation in LA, that place was not only ok but a whole lot of fun thanks to those people that I truly enjoy there.  

In a list, here are a few things I love about LA:

The beach. Venice Beach and Santa Monica in particular for people watching and a run along the shore

 

Fruit trees. Everywhere. Marnika has a lemon tree archway to walk through every day while Jardine has a Persimmon tree she pines over on her daily walk to coffee.

The Rose Bowl flea market. Where treasure is everywhere. 

Movies. Seeing where they film movies and TV shows…it’s a trip. This is where you learn that things on film are not always as they seem - Warner Brothers. 

Griffith Observatory. An amazing spot high in the hills overlooking the city. 

Horseback riding at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. I’ve never been a horseback rider per say but there’s something awesome about cruising around on the back of such an amazing animal. Here they offer trail rides an hour at a time for a look at the more natural side of LA.

Food. A few of my favorites from this last trip were Blu Jam and Jones Bar in West Hollywood,  Figaro and Home in Los Feliz and Pho Cafe and Flore in Silverlake.

Beverages. A few of the sweet spots were Bigfoot, The Thirsty Crow, The Roost, Smog Cutter and ,of course, around a friend’s kitchen table. 

Friends. No place is better if you have some of your favorites around.

May Sally and Mike continue to create amazing memories and host wonderful dance parties.

I had a teacher in grade school, or was it middle school, teach a poetry lesson. The class was tasked with remembering a short poem and reciting it to the class. I don’t recall the teacher, I don’t recall the class but I do, and always will, recall the poem. It was ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ by Robert Frost originally published in The Yale Review in October of 1923 and every fall these few beautiful stanzas come to mind:

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

      

Fall in Vermont is magical. The trees put on their best colors, the light is warm and golden while gardens boast gourds of all kinds. Pumpkin is my favorite.

Here is a Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin recipe I found on the blog Heather Drive and just had to try. I veered from the recipe a bit by using apple sauce I made a few months ago, adding half a cup more than she calls for and used roasted pumpkin instead of canned (directions for roasting pumpkins is on the amazing blog, elana’s pantry). It made the muffins incredibly moist and flavorful. Everyone who tried them commented on how great they were, not dry and not too crumbly like most low fat versions.

        

Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 eggs
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or you can whisk by hand), mix together the sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, water and eggs and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients.

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well to combine. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle a bit of extra sugar and spices on top if desired (optional).

4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin muffins comes out clean.

Makes about 16 muffins.

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

 Jacques Cousteau

Harborside, Maine with family

Swooning over the new Deer Tick album - Divine Providence especially the Ms. K track and was happy to learn that John McCauley of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit came together to create a folksy combo, Middle Brother. Worth it.

a hearty apple harvest, a bitter winter to come