Vermont: The Food Issue

While in Vermont, I ate beautifully ...

My mother's and sister's gardens are both wildly prolific due to the perfect summer they've had. There was a fine showing of heirloom tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins and herbs. I considered grabbing a few things, but thought about how I would explain to airline security what I was doing with a soccer ball sized butternut squash in my luggage.

My brother-in-law, Louis, makes a storied corn chowder. I only eat corn chowder when he makes it because others just don't measure up.

The correct way to grill corn; soak it in water for a few hours, throw it in the coals with the shuck on to retain moisture and let the sweetness blossom. Enjoy.

This is what beets look like when you don't buy them in a can.

My mother has raspberry, blackberry and blueberry bushes growing behind the house. I make a batch of preserves with my mother every time I visit. If you have ever smelled raspberries cooking on the stove, then you know one of life's greatest pleasures.

My sister, Carol, has mastered the fine art of Middle Eastern eggs, which she made for breakfast for the whole family every morning. Paired with spicy Arabic coffee, what better way can you start the day?

They - Jem

Hi friends, I'm still trying to get caught up after my mini-vacation and I have a number of pretty exciting projects I'm working on that I'll share at some point.

Do you feel it? It's in the air ... the sky seems bluer, the grass greener. Autumn is here!  I'm actually pretty excited about cashmere sweaters and boots. I think it's time to plan a trip to Malibar Farms for a hay ride.

What are you planning?

Salem Lake

Hi folks, I'm just back from visiting my family in a small town called Newport, nestled in what is called the Northeast Kingdom. (History has it that years ago, a governor found this area of Vermont ungovernable, thus coining the term that inhabitants would come to wear as a badge of pride rather than an insult.)

It's beautiful country, and I'll share more with you as I recover from the clean air and fresh food.

Miike Snow - Animal

Hi friends, I'm giving you some music a day early ... I'll be missing for a several days. I'm taking a little vacation with my family, and will bring back all sorts of curious things for you to see.

Have a lovely holiday weekend and I hope to see you back here soon!

Dear Summer

We've exchanged words, and I'm sending you packing. Admit it, this hasn't been our best time together. First there were the mosquitoes that I had to keep on chains (until they ate through them, of course), and the heirloom tomatoes! And  there were other miseries ... but we had good times too, haven't we? A few merry mishaps, even.

But Autumn is coming ... you've heard about him? It's all true; he always feels like a second spring to me. The blood rushes deeply, creative passions stir, and restlessness takes hold of the
imagination.

C'mon, Summer, cheer up. We'll try this again next year and you'll be on your best behavior, right?

Always. Sometimes. Never.

I always ...
Make more coffee than I can drink
Have a book or three on the nightstand
Sing in the car
Eat breakfast. I would have it at every meal if I could
Look forward to trips and adventures
Am inspired by the kindness and generosity of my friends

I sometimes ...
Have my camera with me, and when I don't I wish I did
Say something in haste that I wish I hadn't
Wish that people have either a poor memory or bad hearing
Think that life gives us what we need, not what we want, for a good reason
Ignore the phone

I never ...
Drink milk
Pass up an opportunity to eat ice cream
Cook without passion
Am perfectly satisfied, nor do I wish to be
Underestimate the power of please, thank you, and I'm sorry

Look up!

I'm often in the habit of looking down or straight ahead when I'm carrying my camera, but more and more I find the most interesting things are up there.

On a related note ... I was talking with a friend today about wanting to do another blurb book. There are so many themes I'd like to cover. Reflections (glass, water, mirrors), Perspective, Seasons, and Color of the Month.

What would you like to see?

I'll be seeing you around, HDR

This is my last HDR shot for a while. We've had our ups and downs, but in the end, I think we'll remain good friends, perhaps even go for a walk together now and then. I broke up with HDR twice this summer. He can be so difficult at times; leaving extra files just laying around everywhere, taking up all kinds of space on my external hard drive, and demanding so much of my time and energy. But when things were good between us, they were really good. His dark side is so very dark, but he can be almost manic with color and light at other times.

Oh, HDR, you know me too well, don't you? You know I like a challenge ... there's supposed to be a glorious sunset tonight. Want to go for a walk?

Deea, we will miss you.

Last Monday I had lunch with an old work friend. She had looked at my photostream and had taken the time to type out a generous critique of my photos that stood out the most to her. She was a double-major in college; marketing and photography, combined with a keen aesthetic sense for composition and line, so I appreciated her feedback.

The conversation was lively and animated. She and her husband were planning on opening their wine bar the following Friday, they’d signed off on a new house – an old one, actually, with original woodwork and a wrap-around porch. But the thing that excited her most was that she’d recently taken an art class. We talked about the instructor’s technique of taking a picture to paint from and turning it upside-down, so that one could paint true color and form rather than get hung up on a preconceived notion of the thing itself. She’d taken the class at the James Cancer Hospital – a detail I chose to let pass, I told myself, out of respect for her privacy. Truth be told, it was a detail I was uncomfortable with because of the horror that lie behind it.

Deea's life was plagued with illness from a young age, though from her spirit and beaming smile, you would never have known it. I remember in the midst of a rather busy day, she stopped by to say hi, and we chatted about a friend of hers that suffered from depression with whom she’d recently had dinner. “I’ve never really understood depression,” she confessed to me. I must have looked at her blankly. After childhood leukemia, breast cancer, another onset of leukemia … she didn’t understand depression? Her indomitable spirit simply had no time for it.

I left work early on Friday, thinking about who/what I would shoot as my final photography project. As I was driving out, a fire truck was pulling in. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I only learned later that they were coming for Deea. But they were too late.

I like to think the angels needed a new recruit. There’s no other explanation.

Deea, you brought out the best in everyone you met, and will be seriously missed.

I debated the appropriateness of blogging about the passing of a dear friend, but reasoned that it’s no less appropriate than a newspaper article. While I try to focus my blog on art and photography, sometimes life interrupts.