Director Atonioni dies

Director Michelangelo Antonioni has passed away. The timing is interesting, I have two of his movies at home (The Passenger and Story of a Love Affair), ready to watch. I've been thinking about the L' Eclisse, which is the first movie of his that I watched in Michael Shamberg's video class in college. Here is a brief article on him from BBC news.

Group Show

I'm in a group show in Milford, Pennsylvania

Art After Dark
Saturday August 11, 2007
5-8 pm Cocktail Reception
106 E. Harford St., Milford, PA

Sunday shopping

We left Pond Eddy early yesterday to get some Sunday shopping done at IKEA. I personally hate going to IKEA on the weekends. Weeknights are best for going in, grabbing what you want, and checking out. Things that you want are more likely to be stocked on the shelves as well. They did not have any new catalogs to give out but the new products were on the shelves. One new favorite I discovered while there is the STRIKT series for storage.

The STRIKT magazine files come two in a pack for $8.99. One is smaller than the other. It won't look too uniform but for the price, they will look lovely on my new white LACK shelf. I also got some larger STRIKT storage boxes for my overwhelming fabric scraps collection.

(image via ikea)

New backyard seating!

I just ordered two of these babies from Charles Keath. I have high hopes for these anti-gravity chaises. We have needed comfy outdoor seating for awhile. Unfortunately, these aren't expected to ship until the end of August. I'm optimistic for a mild Fall where I can still lounge around outside and read.

(image via Charles Keath.)

West of Then

I'm currently reading an amazing book, "West of Then" by Tara Bray Smith and have not been able to put it down. I met her two months ago, she is a super sweetheart. It's available on Amazon.

Publisher Comments:
A dazzling, devastating memoir about one woman's search for her wayward mother, whose past is inextricably linked with the bittersweet history of their home, Hawaii.

At the center of West of Then is Karen Morgan - island flower, fifth generation haole (white) Hawaiian, Mayflower descendant - now living on the streets of downtown Honolulu. Despite her recklessness, Karen inspires fierce loyalty and love in her three daughters. When she goes missing in the spring of 2002, Tara, the eldest, sets out to find andhopefully save her mother. Her journey explores what you give up when you try to renounce your past, whether personal, familial, or historical, and what you gain when you confront it.

A tender story that lays bare the anguish, candor, and humor of growing up a half-step off the beat, West of Then is a striking literary debut from a perceptive and original writer. By turns tough and touching, Smith's modern detective story unravels the rich history of the fiftieth state and the realities of contemporary Hawaii - its sizable homeless population, its drug subculture - as well as its generous, diverse humanity and astonishing beauty. In this land of so many ghosts, the author's search for her mother becomes a reckoning with herself, her family, and with the meaning of home.

(image via Powell's Books.)

Keep Calm and Carry On

I just got my "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster from Victoria at sfgirlbybay. Thanks Victoria!

Here's a little bit of history on the origins of the poster.

(image via pensive volcano)

Emma's recommendations for reusable bags

This morning's reading from Decor8 provided a new blog to read.
Swedish blogger Emma has a totally great design blog. I'm going to add her to my links on the side. Last month, Emma wrote about Envirosax, a company that sells reusable grocery bags in compact 5 packs ($35) or individually ($7.95). They come in great color and pattern combinations. My two favorite are below.


If you buy the five pack you can have enough stylish bags for all your groceries!
(images from Envirosax)

Galler Chocolate

Last night I met up with a friend who just returned from a trip to Europe. To my surprise, I was gifted Belgian Galler chocolate, which I had once before, when my sister went to Belgium and brought some back for me. They were amazing last time, I can't wait to sample my gift! Thanks JK!



(image via Galler)

Hugs and Kisses

Note to self: hugs and kisses in Greek is "aggalitses kai filakia"....
in Spanish "besos y abrazos"...

Shelving on my mind

I've been trying ever so hard to clear the floor in the bedroom and it never seems to work. Why not? With only a tiny closet and a scattered floor, loads of photographs in archival boxes, a growing collections of craft supplies and magazines, there isn't a home for everything I own. I've decided that I need to take some action! I love hive cube shelving but it's over my budget. The next best thing? IKEA's Lack shelving in white. I'm thinking two, just to be safe.



(images from Plush Pod and IKEA.)

Happy 72!

We celebrated Geoff's Dad, George's, 72nd birthday on Sunday. We went to his house on Culver Lake in New Jersey with lunch prepared.

The living room.

The view from the living room.

View of the back of the house.

The super long deck, there is a pool underneath...

The blackberries will be ready in about two weeks, yum!

The waterlilies, this is the part of the lake where the fish spawn.

Pretty purple flowers.

The dock that doesn't get much use.

Looking back at the house, the super long lawn.

Thai influenced lunch Geoff prepared. Grilled steak with peppers, salad, and onion dressing ready to be served.

Lunch! I had three servings...

This is a family tradition. Blueberry cheesecake for George's birthday.

Almond cookies that Carrie made.

Dessert!

Weekend dining in Pond Eddy

Carrie and Eric were over for the weekend. The bread machine and the kitchen aid became permanent fixtures on the countertop. They cooked and baked up a storm. I benefitted from the madness.

Zucchini Bread.

Red velvet cupcakes before they were iced. Carrie skipped the red dye part and used our bundt pan. We don't have cupcake molds.

We dined al fresco for two nights around the fire pit. Eric with Randy's headlamp. Really useful. Grilled onions and spiced drumsticks.

This is what we termed "pizza bread"- with olives, onions, sun dried tomatoes, cilantro, rosemary, before it went in the oven.

The baked result.

Leg of lamb from Lucky Penny's Farm with vegetables from the farmer's market.

Specimen No. 04

I sent this baby out on Friday to Greece for my dear friend Daphne's birthday. I bought the four pack pattern from Wunderkammer's etsy shop. It's a great pattern, considering that I've only made crochet flowers prior to this, the directions were easy to follow.

perhaps some Moroccan styled windows?

I have white roman blinds from Ikea. They look good but they are not practical. I have metal framed windows which makes screwing anything into them near impossible. The blinds sit above the window frame. The string for pulling the blinds up have broken on all three of my blinds. I'm not a rough person, I really am not! I need a new solution. I have curtains already but would like to maintain the blind idea. I've been thinking about window films as an option and today they posted about them at apartment therapy. These are pretty expensive at $76 a pop but they look pretty. I wonder though if I should get something plainer like my original blinds.

Muji x2 is coming to town!!!

I just found out via apartment therapy that MUJI, a favorite Japanese store of mine for browsing everything from make-up, clothing, furniture, home goods, to bikes is opening up not one, but two stores in the city this fall. what a breakthrough! Muji means "no label" in Japanese so the clothes just have s, m, l, xl on them and they stick to basic colors like navy khaki, and tan. They are great for basics. Woo hoo!

Purl loot

This is my loot from Purl. I picked up some of their fabric bundles and quarter and half yards for the project and some for gifting.

Progress on the swatch portraits. I don't think I bought enough embroidery hoops to cover the wall. I will try and pick up some more soon and when I'm all done, I will show you the finished wall.

Swatch Portraits from The Purl Bee

I've book marked this project for months. I think it would be perfect for my mom's room, right above her antique wrought iron headboard. I think I might just make the time today to run downtown and pick up some fabric and embroidery hoops at Purl .

(image via the purl bee)

White Inspiration from Australia

I've just finished reading Anna of Black & Spiro's entire blog Absolutely Beautiful Things. She is an interior decorator based in Brisbane, Australia. The above photo is from her May White Inspiration post. Her blog is filled with gorgeous images for the home. Check her work out and enjoy!

(image via Absolutely Beautiful Things)

Deviled Eggs

Geoff made curry deviled eggs for breakfast on Sunday. It was Justine's first experience with deviled eggs, and frankly, she was quite apprehensive about the whole thing. She really didn't need to be, she loved it. There were chives from the garden mixed in and it was served with some homegrown cherry tomatoes.

Dinner Paartay!

We like to have dinner guests, invite people into our home, and be good hosts. We had five guests, including twin (almost) nine year old girls, over for some Thai food (our favorite eating in and out food). This is our dining room pre-dinner with fresh flowers that Justine and I arranged that morning. The guests were served a fresh blackberry, blueberry gingerale as they walked through in the door.


Cucumber Salad in rice vinegar with garlic.

Marinated steak over a bed of salad greens.

Green curry rice noodles with peppers and chicken topped with fresh cilantro.

It was a successful and delicious dinner.

Barryville Farmer's market yumminess

During the summer, Barryville (one town over from Pond Eddy on the Delaware River) has a tiny farmers market behind River Mart, a sort of gourmet grocer. We stop by each of the vendors and pick up free range eggs, sometimes chicken or steak depending on what's available from Lucky Penny Farms. We buy fresh vegetables for salads to supplement our garden's crop. We buy super duper fruit from the Trapani siblings- juicy raspberries, plums, peaches, tart gooseberries, currants. Our beloved French baker of Flour Power makes the best espresso cookies with pistachios on top. Justine, our weekend guest, models the cookie below in our backyard. His semolina bread that we tried this week was excellent. It's such a nice treat to have fresh baked goods at the country house.

I miss the food in Hoboken

I lived in Hoboken, New Jersey for two and a half years. I have to say that the one thing I miss most about Hoboken is the food. Three of my favorite places are there and I make special trips (rather frequently) to dine there.
1. Fiore's Deli-the most amazing fresh mozzarella I've ever tasted. It's super juicy and writing about it just makes my mouth water. It's really that good. The line stretches out the door, as you make your way in, you pick up fresh bread on the side for your sandwich. The roast beef and mozzarella sandwich is extra special if you ask for sauce, all the juices form the meat that the guys ladle from the back of the store onto your sanwich. I normally just get the sun dried tomatoes with mozzarella and hot peppers. They stock a good variety of Italian products including fun shaped pasta. It's only open during daytime hours though, so I don't make it too often.
2. Karma Cafe- An amazing Indian restaurant with very fresh food and great service. The waiters are sweet. The papadums are just right and the dipping sauces are fresh and super addictive. The garlic naan is loaded with garlic and butter, the fish, meat & vegetarian dishes are great and the portions large. The crawfish vindaloo is very spicy! Just how I like it! During the day, only buffet is served. It changes daily and is a really good deal. Photos below show the interior and the beautiful tabletop.
3. It's Greek to Me- I know that it doesn't sound too creative, it's a franchise. The place is super casual, not necessarily somewhere you go to romance a date. It's really affordable, quick, and convenient. The pitas are warm and fresh and so is everything else I've tried on the menu, with portions big enough to satisfy my huge appetite.

Brooklyn Heights

Walking around Brooklyn Heights on Friday while waiting for my turn at the pool, I realized that this was really only my second time in the neighborhood. With time on my hands, I snapped some photos of the beautiful plantings in gardens, on stoops, and even on the lamp posts! The architecture was quite varied and charming. The cobblestone streets were quiet and the neighborhood is really a gem.


This is the view from a friend's apartment that is on the promenade. I had such a hard time leaving!

Swimming on a barge in the East River

For urbanites like myself who love swimming, there is an awesome floating pool in Brooklyn Heights this summer. I headed there Friday afternoon with two friends, enjoyed the the neighborhood, views, and the pool! There is a beach for lounging while you wait for your turn. Be sure to get there an hour (weekdays) or half hour (weekends) before the swim session to get the wristbands which let you in for free, capacity is limited and the slots fill up fast. Details here.

Xala

Senegalese director, Ousmane Sembene's 1975 film, Xala has an unforgettable ending like the one in his 1966 Black Girl. About a high ranking government official who has xala, the curse of impotence after taking a third wife, it leaves you with a bittersweet feeling for life. Sembene's passing last month reminded me of his films Black Girl and Faat Kine that I saw a couple of years ago at Film Forum. Mandabi is arriving via good ol' netflix today.

Wunderkammer-crochet pattern!

I found this pattern for Baby Octopus (No. 5) while reading about Wunderkammer via Design*Sponge. I will try it today and maybe, maybe if it goes well, I will order some patterns from her etsy shop.

(image Wunderkammer)

News from the photography world

An era is passing, two photography influentials, Bernd Becher, photographer of German Industrial Landscapes, and John Szarkowski, Curator of Photography at MOMA for three decades, have died.

(image Marian Goodman Gallery NYTimes)

I like to eat well

clockwise from top left: Blueberries from outside the kitchen window, in front of the bee balm. A blueberry, blackberry, peach, mango and honey smoothie sitting out on our terrace. Wild black raspberries sitting in our chives. Burger on english muffin with hot red pepper, avocado, tomato and sauteed wild spinach served along side salad greens from Randy's garden.

In Bloom

It's been about a month since I've been in Pond Eddy. It was nice to arrive and see what has bloomed since. The hydrangeas by the back porch are just wild. The bee balm is super happy and the hummingbirds and bees are happy that we planted it. Tiger lilies are doing well too, they are growing wild across the street and all along Rt. 97.

The blueberries are super fat and the tomatoes full of flavor. It's so nice to be able to get food from right outside the kitchen door.

Flower arrangements

I've found that simple things like making some flower arrangements for the kitchen or guest rooms make me happy. On Friday morning, I started the day with flower arranging so that I would have flowers indoors all weekend. I have no talent in this department, hence my big love for hydrangeas. They are easy peasy. The bee balm was fun too.



Black-eyed susans that ended up on top of the microwave so we could see the actual blooms.

My treasure!

I found treasure (in the form of this Herman Miller chair)! Last night as I was leaving Brooklyn Heights after the fireworks, I rolled my new treasure home noisily through the cobblestone streets and onto the subway all the way back to Queens. By the time I got home I was completely tired, hot, sweaty and satisfied. It should clean up fine. The seat has some cracks in it but I plan on making a little seat cushion for my find. The rug on the floor is a b-day present from Geoff from Urban Outfitters.

Jellyfish fireworks

I went to the Macy's fourth of July fireworks on the East River in NYC, watched from a friend's rooftop in Brooklyn Heights. The new jellyfish fireworks were the best! The danced and skimmed on the surface of the water.

Miami & Key West

I went on a short weekend jaunt to Miami and the Keys. The drive to the Keys was so long that I barely got any time in Miami.

Key lime pie from Blue Heaven was a pricey $8 for a slice. Too sweet for me.

Bahia Honda State Park near Marathon Key was the highlight of my trip.

Dramatic sunset driving into Miami.