Freewrite Friday (not really)

It isn't that I haven't been writing a lot recently, because I have, but yet the freewrites inevitably involve names and places and people and you can't be so casual in this little town with stuff like that.  It frustrates me that I can't share all the stuff I am sorting through in my own mind in terms of life and work and making this new year even better than the last.  But what it really comes down to is that none of this is for the world to read.  I'm on a personal mission.  

Another Friday.  The second Friday of the year.

I stare out of the front door window a lot.  Or rather, I have been trying to stare out the front door window more often.

Back in mid December there was a great article in the New York Times that my mother tore out for me to read.  It was called "The Power of Concentration" and sure enough she was right, as I felt like it was almost written for me to read.  It spoke of the value of single-tasking in this crazy multi-tasking world that we have gotten ourselves so caught up in.  I won't do it justice so I won't try, I'll just post the link and hope that you read it.  ...because it is a very interesting read.

For months I had been saying to myself and others that I needed to write.  It was my way of saying that after all that happened in 2012 I needed time to reflect.  It wasn't that the year was bad, in sharp contrast it was probably one of the best years of my life, but there was no down time.  All of a sudden I was feeling spread so thin that I felt like everything was starting to suffer.  Or maybe a better way of putting it is to say that I was feeling that the quality of my work and the quality of life was lessening.  That scared me.  That scared me a lot, because this whole move was about making our quality of life better, not worse. 

I have to remember to get out of my own head sometimes, as I think we all do.  I need to stop and focus, even if it means focusing on nothing for a few minutes.  It is time to get re-centered.  Even on days like today when things don't go as well as I would have liked I have to remember to go for that run or surf, take advantage of the awesome gift of yoga my wife gifted me with, or in this case, write.  Every day we can learn and grow and move forward, that is if we are smart and conscientious enough to let ourselves. 

Oh yeah, that article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/the-power-of-concentration.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

New Year, new roof!

We woke this morning to good weather, which meant only one thing as we saw the guys begin to arrive at 7am, a new roof!  Buying the house we knew it was inevitable so we went ahead and bit the bullet, thanks in major part to Gramma and Grampa, Hilda and Howard Good, for their most amazing generosity.  After asking around town, facebook and whatnot, we decided to go with everyone's top recommendation, Straightline Roofing.  These guys were fantastic.  Like a fine-tuned machine they wasted no time and ended up doing an exceptional job, while being super-nice and professional.  A huge thanks to Steve and company.  We're psyched!

the Asclepias and the chrysalis

 

Monarch chrysalis
East Hampton
August 2012

 A few weeks ago I added some Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) to the garden.  A great sun-loving perennial, deer resistant and loved by butterflies, they grow to a couple feet and produce clusters of these bright orange flowers.  To the left of the flower you can see the interesting seed pods that follow the flower.  

 

Then one evening I was out back watering and to my surprise I found a number of caterpillars going to town on the foliage and seed pods of the butterfly weed.  Right away I knew they were Monarch Butterfly caterpillars.  As a child one of the all-time best teachers in early grade school was a woman named Sister Pat. I remember one year she raised monarch butterflies in her classroom, starting with the caterpillars eating some kind of milkweed (also Asclepias).  To be a little kid and see how this caterpillar metamorphosized into this beautiful monarch butterfly we would then draw and write about obviously stuck with me for years.  I am sure I had a boyish response of glee upon seeing these three characters chomping away at my perennials.

Of course it really is the chrysalis that the caterpillar envelopes itself in that is the stunning thing.  A vibrant green the chrysalis can often go unseen in the landscape, but then just for fun there is that delicate band of gold that let's you know something amazing is about to unfold.  In my case I thought it was hysterical that of all places the caterpillar decided the deer-repellent mesh over my tomato plants was prime real estate.

The second caterpillar was also already in chrysalis form, in this case on one of the bamboo tomato stakes.

I guess the third caterpillar had a bit more of an appetite than his two buddies.  Needless to say I will be thrilled to keep an eye on the metamorphosis these three go through and hopefully it means there will be some killer monarch butterfly shots coming by late summer.  If I remember correctly, you know, from first grade, the butterflies should emerge from their cocoons in a couple weeks time.

Asclepias tuberosa, a great addition to your garden that will grow more than just flowers.

twilight tour at LongHouse

LongHouse Reserve is the 16-acre residence of designer Jack Lenor Larson which over the years has been converted into a most amazing public garden right here in East Hampton.  Loaded with fabulous plantings and thought provoking artwork, LongHouse is tucked away in a nearby residential part of town and is such a treat for me given my love of horticulture and art.  The other evening we went and joined LH staff for an exquisite Twilight Tour which they are now offering on Mondays from 6-8pm.  As advertised it is a perfect time of day to see the gardens and grounds and various pieces and collections in a beautiful light.  Check out these sheered hornbeams (Carpinus) and sculpture by Izumi Masatoshi.

Fuyu, 2008
Swedish granite
H. 59, L. 59, W. 33", 6,600 lbs.
courtesy of Koichi Hara, Gallery Japonesque, San Francisco 

Tree of the Week: weeping European Beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula')

At The Bayberry nursery in Amagansett, NY they have a wonderful collection of trees throughout the 12-acre parcel.  Near the garden shop are a number of massive weeping European Beech trees.  Certainly this is one of my all-time favorite trees.  European Beeches (Fagus sylvatica) are magnificent specimen trees in their own right, but the weeping form (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula') is so stunning, and you never see two that are the same.  As you can see I am standing beneath it as it is just beginning to leaf out for the season.  Eventually it's leaves will create a canopy of deep shade making the interior space near the trunk like a secret wooded room.  At the Bayberry they prune the limbs up so guests can walk underneath them, but left alone in the landscape they create this wonderful organic fountain of lustrous green foliage that goes to the ground.  Beeches have long slender, sharp-pointed buds that make them easy to identify in winter, not to mention their smooth gray bark that can look "elephantine" as they mature.  Hardy in Zones 4-7, they are a slow to medium grower and can eventually get over 40' tall.

"Doubt"

Today begins my last week commuting in New York City after a major life-changing nine years.

The song is "Doubt" by Wye Oak, and it was on my headphones when I took this shot.

It's gonna be a heavy week.

Neil Young, genius.

Sunday my friend Bubba posted a link to a little Rolling Stone write up on Neil Young. They were letting people know to go to Neil's website to listen to a 37 minute jam that they guessed was recorded rather recently. Sure enough the jam is awesome, Neil Young and Crazy Horse doing what they do best, making amazing music. From there I had to dig through the archives and find this album, Live Rust, from 1979. If you like Neil Young this is a must have album in my opinion. Takes me back to when I lived in California, actually on a ranch next door to Neil's property. Such good music.

And definitely go to neilyoung.com and check out the jam too! There's a little Cortez the Killer about 19 minutes in. It'll take ya right back.

capturing the day, one year at a time

the 6:18am regulars

My wife wanted a new project, a new challenge, and as a result has begun a pretty fabulous undertaking. Her goal: to post a picture for every day of the year, a complete year of her life captured in exactly 365 pictures. We have been talking about the year ahead and for us it is going to be a year of big change, or so we hope. More and more we talk about getting out of the city and taking this flora and fauna show on the road. This might very well be the year. So what better way to capture it than a whole year documented in simple but complete encapsulations of the day. You all should check out 365 Pictures and keep checking it out. Krissy posted the first picture on her birthday, January 15.

I realized I never posted any Sharon Van Etten! A most sensational singer/songwriter from over the bridge in Brooklyn there, I somehow learned about her 2010 album "Epic" and was instantly so thankful I did. It still gets a ton of play, something about her sound is such music to my ears. If you don't have this album, go buy it, now, you can thank me later. This morning it was on the headphones sounding so nice as we battled the cold wind up 96th Street.


I would have the hardest time keeping it to just one photo...

"liquid bread"

One thing about working outside every day of the year, in winter you learn to really appreciate hot showers and serious stout.

Captain Rude's Blackwater Stout is a product of the Swashbuckler Brewing Company in Manheim, PA. For Christmas my father-in-law hooked us up with a case of their different beers, and all of them have been delicious. Definitely worth keeping your eye out for it wherever your favorite microbrews are sold.

Clemente's Crab House!

For Christmas we decided to get a gift certificate for my brother and his family to Clemente's Crab House in Sheepshead Bay, one of their favorite Brooklyn destinations for all kinds of yummy seafood. The only catch was that Clemente's only takes cash so we were forced to drive down there and have the place to ourselves for an impromptu winter feast this Sunday afternoon. I tell ya, this Christmas shopping stuff is exhausting! ;-)
Cheers everyone, and remember, it's about love and family and celebrating life, or should be at least!!!

funny flub on my part (aka orange board update)

A few weeks back I received an email from Chris about the orange board, the sweet new surfboard I got this past summer. I assumed it was Chris, the guy who had sold me the board. Reading the email in haste I didn't realize that it was in fact a different Chris entirely, a stranger wondering about the board thinking he might want to get one of his own. I would, of course, make the realization but only after a reply laden with the funny, foolish assumptions that it was surf shop Chris I was writing to. Ha ha ha, ooops! In any event, here is my silly slip-up and an update on the new orange board.

Question:
Aloha Alex

Was wondering what are your thoughts on the Fineline board you got? Also what size are you? Thinking about picking up a Fineline mp local to me thanks

Chris

Answer:
Hey Chris,

Great to hear from you. The Fineline has been a total dream of a board. Like you said it's been great to make the most of the smaller days locally, definitely smooth planing and an easy wave catcher for sure. It went with us out to Montauk in September and I got to play with it in some bigger surf. Since I was raised on and mostly surfed thrusters my whole life the single fin and sidebites took me a little getting used to but I was instantly impressed at how it performed and how quickly I got used to it. This fall has been so busy work-wise I haven't gotten in the water much but I am psyched to take out the side bites and play with it as a just a single fin. In that respect it's really the versatility of the board that's been killer - I feel like I'm not going to get tired of it any time soon and that's awesome. Your recommendation was spot-on and Brian certainly makes a solid product. Even with the learning curve I don't think the deck has one pressure ding in it, so obviously a strong glass job to boot.

As far as size, I'm 5'7" or so and usually somewhere between 165-170. The full dimensions of the board are 6'3", 16 1/4" x 20 3/8" x 15 1/8", 2 3/4". Needless to say I'd recommend it to anyone out there.

Hope all is well with you and the shop. Have a great rest of the fall.
cheers,
Alex

and yeah, sorry Aloha Chris for the email that must have been perfectly confusing. hope you saw through my flub and decided to go for a Fineline regardless. And for you fellows here in the north Happy Fall Surf y'all, let's don the hoods and booties and kick it!
all the best, -aef

genius tunes from a genius band

Sometime recently I was wasting time watching the tube and came across the band Phoenix playing an unplugged show. A French indie rock band originally from Versailles, my brother first introduced me to them back in 2000 when they came out with "United", a killer album that had that all the right hints of a throwback sound laced with fun new layers of sound. They would become huge in the world of hipsters and mainstream radio alike and as far as I'm concerned power to them. I definitely hope these guys are around making music together for a long time. But I admit some of their more recent albums I am not nearly as familiar with so coming across this show was a great find. Here are two extremely catchy tunes that I have been loving since: "1901" off Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and "Long Distance Call" off It's Never Been Like That.
...and of course huge thanks to KCRW and StepOutAgain for sharing! Enjoy,



Phoenix perform "1901", from their new album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix", live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. 06.29.09


Phoenix perform "Long Distance Call", from their album "It's Never Been Like That", live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. 06.29.09

Open House NY Sunset Boat Tour

Open House New York is a great organization that helps New Yorkers learn about and enjoy all the exceptional design, architecture and history here in the Big Apple. OHNY is mostly known for their annual weekend in October when hundreds of New York establishments open their doors for visitors curious to see more of the city. However thanks to having worked with them years ago at the Hort Society I am on their mailing list and get great notices about events. One such event that we decided to check out was the sunset boat tour. For two hours we toured New York Harbor and it's various sights on the Zephyr and had a ball.
Obviously some kind of work being done on the Brooklyn Bridge. We took off from South Street Seaport about 5:30 and would get back just after sunset. The Zephyr was bigger than I expected and very comfortable, complete with multiple decks, a nice cabin, and two bars!
We were a few minutes late taking off because the President of the United States was flying in for the United Nations conference.
We thought it was kind of cool to have an armed Coast Guard escort for the few minutes until we were past Governor's Island (background left).
I think too often we forget that this is all a bunch of little islands and the vitality the waters around New York bring to it's people.
Of course the mighty Empire State Building.

One part of the tour was going around to the west side to check out the Queen Elizabeth and the Aida Luna, the two massivmo cruise ships visiting the city. Eventually we would watch the Aida Luna make her way out to sea and wish her well on her way to the next port. Massivmo!
A sunset boat tour, never a bad way to end the day.
Even Jersey looked beautiful and inviting, go figure!
Lady Liberty looked lovely as always.

And as we got back around to Pier 16 the lights of the city were coming on. Ah yes, the city that never sleeps in all her grand glory.


Be sure to check out OHNY.org and their blog too!
Cheers,
arborboy

San Gennaro, 2011 edition

This year my wife and I made sure to get to one of our favorite September events in the city, the Feast of San Gennaro. Down in Little Italy for roughly two weeks every September the feast is a celebration of all things Italian. The streets are alive with food and drink, sweets galore, tons of other vendors offering everything from cigars to leather goods, games and performances, truly the quintessential Italian New York street festival. So you gotta come down and get roped into the madness and stroll Mulberry street, take in the sounds and smells and faces.
The Zeppole is the Italian version of that universally favorite dessert of fried dough tossed in powdered sugar. They're these nuggets of yum that are worth every calorie, and clearly a street fair must.
"Water Gun Fun" consists of a bunch of loud, chain-smoking carnies in your face as you try and shoot a gun with no water pressure in order to win one of these ridiculous Rasta Banana stuffed... things. It's a hysterical scene. Needless to say we opted to pass. ...but you gotta love it!
My waistline should be very thankful that we don't live closer to Little Italy. Gelato is like ice cream but with lower butterfat content and typically higher sugar content (thanks Wikipedia!). But just the same gelato is often made in smaller batches and is so creamy and delicious you are so psyched.
Torrone is something you see signs for all over during the feast and then you see most people are startled because they have no idea what they are looking it. Torrone is a basically a big block of white nougat with toasted almonds (or other nuts) mixed into it. It starts as a brick and pieces are broken off and sold by the pound. You can get a good torrone at Vinny's Nut House, and apparently a funny look from this guy. Hey, I'm Vinny, Vinny Baggadonuts! How you doin?!? The people watching is without question one of the best parts of the strolling around.
My wife had only been talking about getting her sausage and pepper fix all month so she was all over the smart menu the Mulberry Project was offering that day. We enjoyed their version of classic sausage and peppers, Tuscan truffle fries, and killer berry-based red sangria.
Not to mention their quaint little backyard space where we were invited to eat was such a welcome bit of down time from all the madness out on the street to which we would soon return.

"This is how I like my fruit, soaked in alcohol" joked the cute one.

But after the myriad of cannoli stands, when it really comes down to it, and you want to know who has the best pastries and sweet confections around, that would be Ferrara's, hands down.
Every year we have to treat ourselves to cannolis from Ferrara's, and this year in the box happened to fall another dream of a treat, a lobster tail! Fine layered pastry stuffed with rich custard created in this beautiful fan shape it was our first, and not likely to be our last. Because of a terrible stomach virus I had at the time I knew I couldn't handle zeppoles but a little cup of Ferrara's homemade chocolate gelato? Miraculously it went down just fine.
Every year we do a comparison of a different San Gennaro staple in order to figure out the better, if not the best. So this year we decided to pick sausage and peppers. After our slightly more "hipster" sausage and peppers at the Mulberry Project we had to get back to the where the real die hards flocked, places like Lucy's.

Here is a young zeppole master in training. Oh, the temptation, so dangerous.
The guys at Cha Cha's were jammin'!
"Get your sausage here!"
Of course in the end the more traditional street-style sausage and peppers would win the taste test. One little stand (not pictured) had a sweet sausage and pepper on a homemade baguette that took top prize. I tell ya, these guys and gals are magicians!
And speaking of guys and gals, take a look at these two. Geez, what can I say?
VIVA ITALIA!