Pacing myself into Pasadena . . .

After a mammoth effort to close down my large Somerville studio and to vacate my Boston condo in search of my snow bird Pasadena wings, I'm finding myself with an empty iCal. And it feels uncomfortable/good and uncomfortable/bad. Sleeping has been at the top of the list to recharge the batteries: physical, mental, and spiritual. A yoga studio is barely a mile away, and all the usual haunts—Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Target—not much farther. Yes, I've traveled 3K miles from home but it's not a foreign country.


Yesterday I attempted to hike the little-known Bailey Canyon in Sierra Madre, with views over the San Gabriel Valley at Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park. I got about a quarter of the way up this 3000 foot climb and turned around knowing it's best to start small and work my way up to the top. Maybe by March I'll be able to make the top but for now I'm easing in.

In any case, I felt I earned a breakfast at the local Sierra Madre coffee shop where we were serenaded by students out x-mas caroling.

Getting a library card was a lot easier and I even found—through the help of a local Altadena friend—a book group I can join. We're reading a little known Steinbeck novel, To a God Unknown which is so far reading like a biblical text.

fall and winter together . . .

On a recent walk along Newbury St. I was struck by the convergence of the last signs of fall mixed with the promise of the winter wonderland that Boston becomes.

round shapes are soft on the eyes

Even though I'm back in Boston, I still had some leftover Astoria shots on my camera from Monday morning's brunch at Café Bar, a really cool place to hang out. It was the first time in my life I ever ate poached eggs and over smoked salmon, no less! It was delicious and the ambiance made me feel as though I were brunching in Europe.

Aspects of Astoria . . .

Steel against the sky looks like delicate lace
as we crossed the Queensboro Bridge

As I prepare to head back to Boston today, I wanted to share some scenes from my recent trip to NYC. My son's new digs are in the heart of Astoria, a richly diverse section of Queens, just over the Triboro bridge. I never knew until this weekend that the New York Marathon's path starts in Staten Island and travels through three boroughs into Manhattan. I took the marathon shots as the runners hit the 14 mile mark through Long Island City.

So many runners, so much thirst that was satisfied by Queens locals who offered a blizzard of cups filled with water and energy drinks.

On a quieter side of town we spread out on these waterfront undulating chaises to soak up some sun. What a view of Manhattan from there!

And closer up, here's a detail from a Japanese restaurant window that captures the fluid lines of those early woodcuts and brush paintings so evocative of an entire culture. Astoria is full of Greek, Venezuelan, Croatian, Slavic, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, restaurants and residents—a true Amercian "melting pot," but one that preserves the specialness of each resident culture.

Not Quite Yoga posture . . .

Here I am at the tail end of my studio purge taking pictures of the last items that still need to find homes. As you can see the mirror above is not longer hanging where it once was and to take the picture I had to sit spread eagle on the floor to take in its 30" width. It's one of those items that keep the phrase "aesthetics of decay" in front of me...not just when I look at myself in this mirror but also when I just look at this mirror's frame and see its scars: chips of the decorative trim that have fallen away. Many times over the years, I've looked at its flaws and thought about how many steps it would take to re-create the missing trim but somehow its flaws never bothered me. Still, I could have matched the color and painted the blank spots to hide them so they wouldn't be so evident. Like make up can sometimes hide the fine lines that cover my face. Not! So this little item will find its way tonight on craigslist and maybe a new home.

On a walk to the local pizza joint that is a few blocks from my Somerville studio, I passed a very elaborate front yard alive with all the symbols of Halloween. This picture is just a tiny corner of the display.

Still breathing!

It's been months since I've attempted a blog entry but my walk this morning stimulated my photographer's eye enough to make me attempt to break the inertia of unblogging. I've been sorting through a lifetime of manuscripts, art work, family photos and ufo's (unfinished objects!) as I close down my huge art studio in Somerville and downsize to a tiny sliver of a room with the saving grace of two huge windows, a radiator, and some electricity. See transformation from storage to office below.

Digging my way back into the blogosphere . . .tools will help

More than a month since checking in here. At the moment I'm in Cincinnati with dear friends. This morning an antique show set up in front of their narrow brick home in Covington, Kentucky, actually.