Chinese Proverb

Vermont Two

 One of the finest things you can do in Vermont is eat. The food is fresh and flavorful and uncomplicated. With my sister Carol around, one never knows when a picnic will break out, and one manages to work up an appetite when she produces a blanket, a variety of fruits, cheeses and bread. And maybe a chilled bottle of wine. And with views like this? I think of the Henry James quote, "Summer afternoon ... the two most beautiful words in the English language."

Vermont One

If you have not visited Vermont, I would like suggest you go now. And by that I mean right now. The weather is perfect with 40 degree mornings and warm, sunny days. If you do go, make sure to wake up before anyone else stirs and walk among the foggy fields covered in dew. Listen for migrating song birds. Giggle uncontrollably with your sister as you make coffee, and then drink it on the porch as the sun rises. Eat tomato cheddar soup with a slice of caramelized onion flat bread at a popular bistro in town. Take a walk around a pond that is deceptively larger than you had imagined. Eat apples right from the tree and breathe in the sweet pine trees all around. I have many more suggestions, but we'll start there.

Sean Hayes - Powerful Stuff

I had a short visit from my nephew William this week. He's neat, and he likes neat music. This is one of the musicians he shared with me. Thanks for sharing, Will.

First Aid Kit - King of the World

I went to see First Aid Kit recently and didn't get to hear this song live, but I've been enjoying it an awful lot in my car. I dare you to listen to it and not move. Go ahead.

National Ignore The Olympics Night: Clintonville

In case you didn't know it, tonight is National Ignore The Olympics Night. It is a night for neighborhoods and communities to turn off yet another beach volleyball match and reclaim their lives, to avoid watching Michael Phelps accepting more gold medals than some of the small countries competing. It's a night to ignore the scandalous twitter posts of athletes who have worked for years for this moment only to destroy it with 140 characters or less. It is a night to put aside national pride in favor of hot dogs, mac-n-cheese and frisbees.

Okay. Not really. It's National Night Out. It's when neighborhoods come outside to play and eat and listen to live music and fight crime by being outside. Or maybe it's both.

Jack & Benny's

I've been making some progress on my latest project, documenting some special things about my neighborhood, Clintonville. No such project is complete without a visit to Jack & Benny's, a breakfast joint that always has a line out the door. To get a good seat, I arrived when they opened at eight this morning. It's nice to see regulars shaking hands with the wait staff and calling everyone by name. The gals tending the grill were quiet but skilled. I could hear the sound of chatter over newspapers, and plates clanking against the counter. I ordered my coffee and heuvos rancheros and relaxed. Welcome to Sunday morning.

Blackie's Dead - Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johnsson

Hi folks. I've been dancing to this in my car on my way to work this week. It's weird, yes, but I like it anyway.

Joyeuse fête de la bastille!

Pairings

I've been having  fun pairing images lately, seeing what sorts of things work well together and create a new, interesting story by putting two or three images together. I like the sorts of things that you wouldn't immediately think of together, and watching a sort of energy emerge. I wonder what story can  be told by looking at these pictures?