The concept of the general store revealed itself to me the instant I had boots on the ground in my new home state of Vermont. Most small farming communities here have one (and so that would be most of Vermont, which is largely made of small farming communities). But their store offerings vary widely, to say … Continue reading Farm Stand and General Store: Evolved New England Institutions
Architcture
Robert Frost House: Rainy Vermont Summer Saturday
Yesterday perfectly illustrated what people must mean when they say there’s a “damp chill” in the air—July in Vermont can feel distinctly like October elsewhere, when rain has elbowed its way in and made itself at home right on top of you for a few days. (Shorts? What was I thinking—hand me my sweater.) It … Continue reading Robert Frost House: Rainy Vermont Summer Saturday
Providential Weekend: Photo Essay
How often does the opportunity arise to combine three cherished interests—in my case ballet, architecture, and cuisine—in a single weekend? Almost never, but I just pulled it off. Add to this the intoxicating joy of unfettered time with Handsome Chef Boyfriend and a happy reunion with one Gwynn Root at the end of her second of three … Continue reading Providential Weekend: Photo Essay
Dancing in the Company of Giants
Robbins was more immediately successful than Balanchine, but the two together...when I think that we had them both! What a combination! We were incredibly lucky. —Violette Verdy In fall of 1969 Memphis Ballet School and its company had not long occupied the second floor of a mainly spent Depression-era building at the at the corner of … Continue reading Dancing in the Company of Giants
A Day at the Museum: MASS MoCA
Every small-to-midsize Massachusetts town I've had occasion to drive through or visit these last three years seems to possess a seamy industrial underbelly, more often than not in plain view of historic dwellings in varied states of loving restoration or decline, depending. (Second Empire is hands-down my favorite iteration of the Victorian style, and it … Continue reading A Day at the Museum: MASS MoCA
Homecoming Finale: In the Company of Artists
That is one Gwynn Root, a beautiful professional ballerina who currently dances for Festival Ballet in Providence, Rhode Island, although she has danced professionally with several other companies in her career to date. Here she is more recently, with Festival this past summer, in an image from the WaterFire Providence website: I met Gwynn eight … Continue reading Homecoming Finale: In the Company of Artists
Architecture of a Day: Cambridge, NY to Williamstown, MA
The 3rd of July: Cycling on the Battenkill
Great news: today is gorgeous, a perfect day for a longish ride. Less great news: the tourists have arrived, lots of 'em. Yes, I know they drive the economy. They also drive their luxury cars like maniacs on otherwise quiet country roads, and I still have a little grit in my teeth to prove it. … Continue reading The 3rd of July: Cycling on the Battenkill
Photo Essay: Found Objects
Moses Farm, Cambridge Arlington, Vermont Post Office Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs, Uncommon Grounds Arlington, Vermont Arlington, Vermont Tag Sale Finds: Vintage Tablecloth & Pie Tin
Rolling Back The Clock
Ever played that game where you imagine you could go back in time to some watershed moment in your life and make a choice that would instigate a dramtically different outcome? I do it all the time. Lately the theme has been work related for pretty transparent reasons. If I found myself poised on the … Continue reading Rolling Back The Clock
Sycamore Stories 