I had a lovely stopover in Beacon with Kit and Nate and Fiona. We visited or revisited local parks, tried some new restaurants and some old ones and mostly just hung out together and with local friends. At this point in my nomadic existence, I am amazed at the number of friends I have in Beacon thanks to Team Burke-Smith, especially Fiona, who is a great contact person. Walking Murphy, the three legged hound, is also a great way to get to know people.
And now I am back in Amagansett. That means unpacking a car that hasn't been fully unpacked for about six months. Winter clothes (I did leave in January), Spring clothes, which came in handy in South Carolina, supplies of Carolina Gold rice (a heritage food that I learned about last year in Savannah), two new needlepoint projects yet to be begun, supplies for a knitting project that's underway (a blanket sized for a growing young lady like Fiona) which will probably be finished in time for the next Polar Vortex, and a new hunt print (its easier than finding the ones in the storage space).
There are, of course, the usual chores like appliance repairs that got postponed from last summer and renewing membership at the local gym, and the inevitable dentist appointment. I guess I have to get serious sometime. Fortunately that still leaves a good deal of time for watching from the deck for deer and turkeys and the fox. The deer are no problem as the deer feed is particularly green this year. It's still early in the season so the neighbors are just beginning to come back, which leaves it nice and quiet for me and the wildlife.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Research
As I wind up my second annual babysitting assignment in Chicago, I'm thinking back on the three weeks I've spent and what I've learned. One of the things I have really wanted to see in Chicago is the sculpture known as the Bean. I've tried to see it a few times as I made my way around Chicago on various visits, but somehow I just could not locate it. Very frustrating. So my answer was that this time I did not want to leave Chicago without seeing the Bean. I was assured that it would be taken care of.
So one day Elly and Annie and I set out for the Bean. Annie was delighted to show me the way through the park and tell me all about how big the Bean is. And I loved it. It was fun, delightful, charming. I took pictures of the reflection of the skyline in it and my own version of a selfie, a picture of the Bean and if you look hard enough you will see a picture of me taking the picture reflected in the Bean. Sort of a Dotty version of Where's Waldo?
Then Annie told me that, while the Bean was nice, the really great place was the fountain next to it. She had a point. The fountain is not your ordinary fountain like Bethesda fountain in Central Park or Buckingham fountain here in Chicago. It consists basically of two large flat rectangles facing each other in a shallow pool type area. The rectangles are tall and very plain and water runs down them thinly. Look again and you will see faces are projected on the rectangles. They are faces of random people in Chicago; young, old, men, women, kids. And the expressions change as you watch. And if you watch long enough, you will see the lips purse and a stream of water spouts from that place into the "pool". Kids shriek happily and run into the stream of water, laughing and shouting and playing. Then the faces change and we wait for the new expressions and the moment when the spout erupts again. It is a hoot watching the fountains, the faces and the kids and grown ups enjoying the water on a Spring afternoon. I did enjoy finally finding the Bean but I'm really glad Annie shared her fountain with me.
I'm also remembering that when I arrived, Luke was reading The Lightening Thief, the first in the series about a modern day boy who discovers he is related to the Greek god Poseidon. The speed with which Luke devoured the book and demanded the next in the series was only a slight surprise. I simply remarked to Luke that he had definitely come to the right family. But then I found that Luke was not content to just read the book series. He also wanted to find out about these gods and goddesses who were either characters in the books or were mentioned in passing. That led to a copy of a kid's book of Greek and Roman myths. That in turn led to books from his school library on the Greek and Roman gods, rather than just stories. Not to mention discussions with Gran, who happens to think myths are fun stories to read and talk about. At some point we found ourselves in a discussion about the founding of Athens and the competition between Athena and Poseidon for naming rights. We agreed that Athena's gift of the olive tree won the day but we disagreed on what Poseidon's gift had been. Neither of us, of course, were willing to just let the discussion end there. Luke went for his books and I dived for my iPhone. I loved the fact that we seem to have a budding research scientist on our hands and even more that Luke turned out to be right.
It's been a fun few weeks.
So one day Elly and Annie and I set out for the Bean. Annie was delighted to show me the way through the park and tell me all about how big the Bean is. And I loved it. It was fun, delightful, charming. I took pictures of the reflection of the skyline in it and my own version of a selfie, a picture of the Bean and if you look hard enough you will see a picture of me taking the picture reflected in the Bean. Sort of a Dotty version of Where's Waldo?
Then Annie told me that, while the Bean was nice, the really great place was the fountain next to it. She had a point. The fountain is not your ordinary fountain like Bethesda fountain in Central Park or Buckingham fountain here in Chicago. It consists basically of two large flat rectangles facing each other in a shallow pool type area. The rectangles are tall and very plain and water runs down them thinly. Look again and you will see faces are projected on the rectangles. They are faces of random people in Chicago; young, old, men, women, kids. And the expressions change as you watch. And if you watch long enough, you will see the lips purse and a stream of water spouts from that place into the "pool". Kids shriek happily and run into the stream of water, laughing and shouting and playing. Then the faces change and we wait for the new expressions and the moment when the spout erupts again. It is a hoot watching the fountains, the faces and the kids and grown ups enjoying the water on a Spring afternoon. I did enjoy finally finding the Bean but I'm really glad Annie shared her fountain with me.
I'm also remembering that when I arrived, Luke was reading The Lightening Thief, the first in the series about a modern day boy who discovers he is related to the Greek god Poseidon. The speed with which Luke devoured the book and demanded the next in the series was only a slight surprise. I simply remarked to Luke that he had definitely come to the right family. But then I found that Luke was not content to just read the book series. He also wanted to find out about these gods and goddesses who were either characters in the books or were mentioned in passing. That led to a copy of a kid's book of Greek and Roman myths. That in turn led to books from his school library on the Greek and Roman gods, rather than just stories. Not to mention discussions with Gran, who happens to think myths are fun stories to read and talk about. At some point we found ourselves in a discussion about the founding of Athens and the competition between Athena and Poseidon for naming rights. We agreed that Athena's gift of the olive tree won the day but we disagreed on what Poseidon's gift had been. Neither of us, of course, were willing to just let the discussion end there. Luke went for his books and I dived for my iPhone. I loved the fact that we seem to have a budding research scientist on our hands and even more that Luke turned out to be right.
It's been a fun few weeks.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Roads
A few weeks ago I was driving down a back road on one of the islands near Beaufort. I was really enjoying it. The live oaks arching over the road. The calm green and soft gray colors. That marvelous tunnel effect. I was thinking that this was the perfect atmosphere to drive through and just to be in.
Then I remembered that almost exactly a year ago I was driving on roads in Oklahoma and Arizona and New Mexico and thinking much the same thing but with different detail. I was loving the openness of it. The fact that the horizon was a thing of the far distance. The beiges and golds and immense sky. The Sangre de Christos at the edge. The exhilarating, freeing feeling that you could indeed see forever.
How different. And how wonderful it is that two things so different could make me feel great in different ways.
But I wasn't expecting much when I set out to drive from Beaufort to Chicago. I was surprised. I don't have any idea who's doing the planting but someone has done a huge job. For so many miles along my way there were the whites of dogwoods in bloom and the purples of redbud trees. Every time I thought it was over, another clump showed up. At first I thought they were simply wild growth but there was too much of it and it was too orderly. Not organized or landscaped but just too consistent to be Nature I think. And much more than I was expecting from an Interstate.
So to whoever is responsible for this program, "Thank you." It's the best project I've seen since Christo's gates in Central Park. And it reminds me that roads in and of themselves are a great thing and I need to keep moving because there are so many new and different ones to find and explore.
Then I remembered that almost exactly a year ago I was driving on roads in Oklahoma and Arizona and New Mexico and thinking much the same thing but with different detail. I was loving the openness of it. The fact that the horizon was a thing of the far distance. The beiges and golds and immense sky. The Sangre de Christos at the edge. The exhilarating, freeing feeling that you could indeed see forever.
How different. And how wonderful it is that two things so different could make me feel great in different ways.
But I wasn't expecting much when I set out to drive from Beaufort to Chicago. I was surprised. I don't have any idea who's doing the planting but someone has done a huge job. For so many miles along my way there were the whites of dogwoods in bloom and the purples of redbud trees. Every time I thought it was over, another clump showed up. At first I thought they were simply wild growth but there was too much of it and it was too orderly. Not organized or landscaped but just too consistent to be Nature I think. And much more than I was expecting from an Interstate.
So to whoever is responsible for this program, "Thank you." It's the best project I've seen since Christo's gates in Central Park. And it reminds me that roads in and of themselves are a great thing and I need to keep moving because there are so many new and different ones to find and explore.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Fried Chicken Adventure
A couple of weeks ago, when Judy was here, we stopped at Gullah Grub. It's a very nice restaurant in an old white house at the crossroads in Frogmore. (I say "the crossroads" because I don't really think it's big enough for more than one.) While we were there, there was a DVD playing with the chef showing you how to cook several dishes, including fried chicken. Unfortunately, fried chicken wasn't on the menu. As we were leaving, Judy commented that they would either have to change the DVD or start offering fried chicken. The young man behind the counter, who turned out to be the chef's son, went to get something for us and came back saying that he had told his Dad about our comment and Dad had said if we would call a day in advance, he would see that there was fried chicken for us.
We didn't make it back while Judy was still visiting, but I decided I would do this research on my own. I called to ask if the offer was still open. It was. I explained that there would be only one for fried chicken and that if it was too much trouble for just one person, I would completely understand. No, they said. They remembered the conversation and would be willing to make fried chicken even if it were just for me.
That, of course, could not be resisted. Yesterday I drove out to Frogmore again and was welcomed hospitably. The fried chicken duly appeared, along with butter beans and collards, as requested. I had to make myself slow down so as not to gulp it all down in a rush. It was that good. The collard greens and butter beans were better than I believe I have ever had, except maybe back when I was a kid visiting relatives in the South. I even got an explanation of how they got the chicken so crisp but light. I doubt I'll ever be able to come close to replicating it, but I will certainly remember it. Not to mention the good folks who were so kind and obliging.
We didn't make it back while Judy was still visiting, but I decided I would do this research on my own. I called to ask if the offer was still open. It was. I explained that there would be only one for fried chicken and that if it was too much trouble for just one person, I would completely understand. No, they said. They remembered the conversation and would be willing to make fried chicken even if it were just for me.
That, of course, could not be resisted. Yesterday I drove out to Frogmore again and was welcomed hospitably. The fried chicken duly appeared, along with butter beans and collards, as requested. I had to make myself slow down so as not to gulp it all down in a rush. It was that good. The collard greens and butter beans were better than I believe I have ever had, except maybe back when I was a kid visiting relatives in the South. I even got an explanation of how they got the chicken so crisp but light. I doubt I'll ever be able to come close to replicating it, but I will certainly remember it. Not to mention the good folks who were so kind and obliging.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Labyrinth or The Way in is the Way Out.
I've always liked puzzles so it isn't particularly surprising that I've read a little about labyrinths. They seem to me to be a rather intriguing type of puzzle. They are not Theseus and the Minotaur type labyrinths, of course. They are a pattern laid out on the floor or the ground. In a sense there is no puzzle because it's all laid out in front of you. No secret to discover. Just the center.
Nevertheless, I was interested in the idea of the labyrinth being a tool, a means to examine things and perhaps know a little more at the end of the process. So when I was checking the internet for a local church for Holy Week, I was surprised that a local Lutheran church had a labyrinth and was inviting people to walk during Holy Week. The idea at that point was, of course, irresistible.
The church was relatively new - about 50 years old - and the labyrinth was a path on a canvas, a copy of the one at Chartres, spread on the floor of a room that looked as though it were for overflow crowds on days like Easter. A very welcoming lady talked with me a bit about the labyrinth and provided me with some prayers and psalms if I cared to use them as an aid while walking the path.
A labyrinth is a convoluted, complicated circle maze that leads to the center and back out to the entrance. There were two people walking the labyrinth. I began walking as well. Labyrinths do not require you to solve the maze, only to follow it. It's the simplest thing in the world. Right? So I progress slowly, stopping to think, to look at the church banners decorating the walls, to read one of the prayers or one of the psalms. All very solemn. All very 'intellectual'. Then I look up and see that one of the other walkers is on the same section of path but heading toward me. How could this happen? I run my eyes quickly and as accurately as I can over the path that I have taken. What did I do wrong? Where did I make a misstep? And what on earth do I do now?
The first thing I did, of course, was to step out of the way and let the lady continue on her path. Then I tried once again to visually go over the path I had taken up to that point. Still can't see what went wrong. Can't figure it out, so I step quickly over to the beginning area and start over. Going more quickly and still trying to figure it out. Then it hits me. The way in is the way out. The path takes you to the center and then it takes you out of the center and back to the beginning. No one was wrong. No one had made a misstep. "And I am right and you are right and all is right as right can be. " There is truth in Gilbert and Sullivan and there is truth in the labyrinth.
Nevertheless, I was interested in the idea of the labyrinth being a tool, a means to examine things and perhaps know a little more at the end of the process. So when I was checking the internet for a local church for Holy Week, I was surprised that a local Lutheran church had a labyrinth and was inviting people to walk during Holy Week. The idea at that point was, of course, irresistible.
The church was relatively new - about 50 years old - and the labyrinth was a path on a canvas, a copy of the one at Chartres, spread on the floor of a room that looked as though it were for overflow crowds on days like Easter. A very welcoming lady talked with me a bit about the labyrinth and provided me with some prayers and psalms if I cared to use them as an aid while walking the path.
A labyrinth is a convoluted, complicated circle maze that leads to the center and back out to the entrance. There were two people walking the labyrinth. I began walking as well. Labyrinths do not require you to solve the maze, only to follow it. It's the simplest thing in the world. Right? So I progress slowly, stopping to think, to look at the church banners decorating the walls, to read one of the prayers or one of the psalms. All very solemn. All very 'intellectual'. Then I look up and see that one of the other walkers is on the same section of path but heading toward me. How could this happen? I run my eyes quickly and as accurately as I can over the path that I have taken. What did I do wrong? Where did I make a misstep? And what on earth do I do now?
The first thing I did, of course, was to step out of the way and let the lady continue on her path. Then I tried once again to visually go over the path I had taken up to that point. Still can't see what went wrong. Can't figure it out, so I step quickly over to the beginning area and start over. Going more quickly and still trying to figure it out. Then it hits me. The way in is the way out. The path takes you to the center and then it takes you out of the center and back to the beginning. No one was wrong. No one had made a misstep. "And I am right and you are right and all is right as right can be. " There is truth in Gilbert and Sullivan and there is truth in the labyrinth.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Beaufort Grows On You
Having spent a bit of time seeing the beautiful sea islands, I decided to concentrate on the center of Beaufort itself. This is, of course, another old, old town with a history to almost every building. In the "town house" where I'm staying there is an excellent book on Beaufort with several walking tours and lots of details on houses and buildings. Even the ones that look ordinary for this area (if there is such a thing) have histories and this book gives a few words on a whole lot of them.
Even the downtown shops go back to warehouses and stores that were here longer than you would think. In some cases, the old tabby walls have been carefully exposed so that you can see something of the original construction. I don't recall all the ingredients in tabby but it is a sort of concrete with sea shells as part of it and the shells are visible as shells in the structures.
I wandered in and out of shops and found in the process that there is an old fashioned ice cream parlor called Southern Sweets. Cute and it even has lemon custard ice cream, one of my all time favorites. I can see myself making quite a few stops here.
Continuing my walk, I found Waterfront Park. It seems to be the place of choice for walking your dog and, of course, in the good old Southern fashion, everyone has to say hi and ask how you're doing today. So I just sat in the sun.
What, by the way, is it about sunlight? How does this simple, normal, everyday thing make you feel so good? You sit there on the bank of the river, with the wind off the water and the warmth soaks into you. Muscles relax. Shoulders settle back. Even the "bad leg" feels the warmth and eases. Thoughts drift away. Winter and cold and the idea that you'll never get warm again are gone. There's healing for a lot of things in that warmth.
Even the downtown shops go back to warehouses and stores that were here longer than you would think. In some cases, the old tabby walls have been carefully exposed so that you can see something of the original construction. I don't recall all the ingredients in tabby but it is a sort of concrete with sea shells as part of it and the shells are visible as shells in the structures.
I wandered in and out of shops and found in the process that there is an old fashioned ice cream parlor called Southern Sweets. Cute and it even has lemon custard ice cream, one of my all time favorites. I can see myself making quite a few stops here.
Continuing my walk, I found Waterfront Park. It seems to be the place of choice for walking your dog and, of course, in the good old Southern fashion, everyone has to say hi and ask how you're doing today. So I just sat in the sun.
What, by the way, is it about sunlight? How does this simple, normal, everyday thing make you feel so good? You sit there on the bank of the river, with the wind off the water and the warmth soaks into you. Muscles relax. Shoulders settle back. Even the "bad leg" feels the warmth and eases. Thoughts drift away. Winter and cold and the idea that you'll never get warm again are gone. There's healing for a lot of things in that warmth.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Navigation
When Judy and I were in Charleston, navigation was not so much a matter of finding the place or thing we were looking for (witness finding the pineapple fountain while finding the ice cream shop). It was more about finding parking. Charleston is an old city and that makes for narrow streets, few parking lots and generally adding in extra time to find a parking facility or other place to leave the car.
But Judy seems to have a gift for finding on street parking that may rival Nate's gift for the same thing. Even on Broad Street so I could pick up another needlepoint project. And King Street and Tradd where we had the House and Garden Tour. Best of all was the one that was steps from the Huguenot Church where the concert was. That one was so unlikely and we were so delighted that we grabbed it even though we had over half an hour before the concert and sat there talking about how we had probably just used up our luck for at least the next six months.
Apparently the gift has shifted a bit here in Beaufort, but not disappeared. It's now concentrating on grouping everything conveniently for us. Example: We had driven out to Hilton Head to take a look around and managed to find a restaurant right on our route that had good reviews. The reviews were right and we had a perfect lunch on the terrace. Checking our iPhones (what else do you do at lunch), we found a bakery/cafe that looked interesting and decided that that would be our next stop to get some goodies for breakfast next day. I entered the address on Arrow Street and looked at the map slightly puzzled. It was hard to see exactly what I was supposed to do next. Changing the range revealed that the bakery was right around the corner from our current position on Archer Street. Should have known.
Then there was yesterday when we decided on a visit to a yarn shop to get yarn for a Fiona project, a visit to check out an old synagogue, and a spa visit. All of them were on successive blocks of Scott Street. I do like how Beaufort seems determined to make things easy for me. And seems to know exactly what we're looking for.
But Judy seems to have a gift for finding on street parking that may rival Nate's gift for the same thing. Even on Broad Street so I could pick up another needlepoint project. And King Street and Tradd where we had the House and Garden Tour. Best of all was the one that was steps from the Huguenot Church where the concert was. That one was so unlikely and we were so delighted that we grabbed it even though we had over half an hour before the concert and sat there talking about how we had probably just used up our luck for at least the next six months.
Apparently the gift has shifted a bit here in Beaufort, but not disappeared. It's now concentrating on grouping everything conveniently for us. Example: We had driven out to Hilton Head to take a look around and managed to find a restaurant right on our route that had good reviews. The reviews were right and we had a perfect lunch on the terrace. Checking our iPhones (what else do you do at lunch), we found a bakery/cafe that looked interesting and decided that that would be our next stop to get some goodies for breakfast next day. I entered the address on Arrow Street and looked at the map slightly puzzled. It was hard to see exactly what I was supposed to do next. Changing the range revealed that the bakery was right around the corner from our current position on Archer Street. Should have known.
Then there was yesterday when we decided on a visit to a yarn shop to get yarn for a Fiona project, a visit to check out an old synagogue, and a spa visit. All of them were on successive blocks of Scott Street. I do like how Beaufort seems determined to make things easy for me. And seems to know exactly what we're looking for.
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