Happy Thanksgiving

We had such a nice time at Lee's in October that we readily said Yes when invited for Thanksgiving. So tomorrow it is off to Glen Ellen, with the traditional pumpkin pies in hand. I hope to get back on the road at a decent hour, and avoid any drunk drivers. Alas, it is the most dangerous driving day of the year in America.

We usually spend Thanksgiving on our own, cooking on Wednesday and finding something fun to do on Thursday and eating leftovers that day.

Now I am going to tell a story about quince. If you want to see it, you can look on my other blog, which you can access through my profile.

Cheers!

The old fort

This is the old Venetian fort at Palaiochora, Crete. The photo was taken on a very hot June day in 2003.

I am cleaning out my little home office in my spare time and found a floppy disk of photos. (The format is almost obsolete by now.) There were 24 photos and this one brought back memories of the day for me. I walked up there on a lonely, hot siesta afternoon. There is so little left of the fort but what remains is so massive, speaking silently of occupation, war, of time itself: flowing yet stolid.

Wikipedia has a page on Palaiochora now. (Or is it that I never thought to look?)

the blazons of autumn

Yes, we do have fall here in the Bay Area, although it is not nearly as dramatic as the ones back East. However, it lasts LONGER. And for that I am grateful.
There are some liquidamber trees lining a road I drive sometimes at the end of the day, and they are starting to show their stuff. It's fun, surprising, enlivening to see the change.
You see, my favorite part of the Wizard of Oz is the Horse of a Different Color. For those of you who do not remember, every time Dorothy looked at the horse its coat had changed. I guess you call that whimsy. For me, it's an indispensable part of life.
On the other hand, I wish the mornings were not so dark just now. I dislike getting up before the sunrise.
***
Dave and I were at Vines in Alameda having coffee and I discovered the most amazing art magazine. It is called Works and Conversations. Let me know what you think of it. Hugs to all my lovely lurkers.

Boston/Provincetown

We did not make it over the water in 2009. This is the longest I have been away from Greece since I first went. Away 2 years now. But it will happen next year, we hope, and it will be wonderful.

Boston was a pleasure. Good weather. Scrod. Lobster. Accents. Friends. Biscotti. And the museum. I got to spend two wonderful mornings at the MFA. The first was spent with the Greeks and Romans, the second on American painting. This is the land of Sargent, Whistler, Homer, Eakins. What a joy to look at such beautiful paintings! Somehow it is ennobling. Or it feels that way.

For a side trip, D and I stayed at a beach shack at a motel just outside Provincetown, in Truro. There was not enough time. Provincetown is one of my favorite places on the planet. The street scene at the centre has been called Fellini-esque, but as you move out there is that end-of-land calm, permeating the place. In Provincetown there is no artificial barrier between the people and the environment. They are suffused--one with the other.

Hello World (Again)

Summer always goes by in a flash of brilliant light and sound; even the lazy beautiful vacation days have a hint of elegy, because it all must end.

Here in Northern California there is a variation on the theme. We have fog all summer till about now, and as hints of autumn show up, it ironically becomes hotter than the previous months. Outdoor activities are more attractive than ever. Meanwhile there is needed preparation for the fall. For me, that involves work in the garden, and usually some painting. This year I will repair the window trim that only lasted a few years. And--surprise!--we need a new water lateral from the street. Getting bids for that now.

Even with all that, I love August. Back East it was always a time to suffer through, too too hot. Here it is sublime.

Hugs to all.

Boston/Ogunquit

Just got back from the East Coast. Delays in both directions but safe home now with just a bit of jet lag remaining. Will post photos later.
Boston is smaller than the Bay Area, less transient, just as expensive, less hip.I like the South End, which has a huge swathe (the largest in US) of Victorian houses.It is like "the city" as I imagined it as a boy and which I first experienced in NYC. Walking down canyon-like streets bordered with roiling brick sidewalks, thinking of Henry James, Edith Wharton, E.A. Poe. I also loved the wharfs off the North End and thought of Elizabeth Bishop, who lived her last days, I think, on Lewis Wharf.
First time in Maine in 25 years. It has been raining and all of New England is an unadulterated green green green. Ogunquit quiet and charming, the beach, dunes and river, Marginal Way all ready for the summer season which starts late and ends early.
There is a Greek confectioner/chocolateer family there. Did you know there is a tradition of that in the Eastern US? My father's uncles were chocolateers in the late 1930's in Pennsylvania and their business is still there, although with new owners.

Summer Planning

This photo is from Cape Cod, last year.

I have been hearing through the grapevine that people DO read my blog to keep up with me, although many are shy to comment. Well, thanks for caring, and look for more fun stuff here since summer is on.

Summer is bliss and stress. The bliss is obvious. The stress is wanting to pack so many things into it that you know you'll fail. But if you do fail, fail with a sense of style, with aplomb. Sing at the top of your lungs as the ship of summer sinks into the foam!

Where to go this summer, in straightened circumstances? I just found out I will probably have an additional pay cut on top of the 10% I already have. Luckily I am a saver. My dream summer trip, which will probably be edited, is as follows:

• Oakland to Boston. Hang out in Boston and take day trips to Maine and Provincetown.
• Boston to Paris. Have never been to Paris.
• Paris to Athens. I could write a book on Athens. My beloved despoiled Athina. I love to walk in your streets and find ancient faces.
• Athens to Santorini, Mykonos, etc.on the boats.
• Boat to Chania, Crete. Stay in Chania for 4-5 days.
• Drive to Paleochora. Stay 1 week.
• Boat from Chania to Athens.
• Athens to London.
• Back home.

Well, hopefully some of that will happen.

Ciao, babies.