Six?...I do not think this word means what you think it means...

they were calling for six inches of snow last night...they must be using metric inches...

as Asheville, and most of the southeast, bakes in the balmy 60F degrees, we're being baptized...blessed...buried in snow.  nothing brings neighbors together like snow shovels.

a wicked big storm's whipping through...what do you do?  you lace up your boots and go find a pub.  in Rockport's case, which is a "dry" town, you go find a coffee shop and dulce...not to worry friendly friends and visitors, Gloucester is two miles away, and they have many a watering hole to choose from. we bundled up in layers and went for a walk.  made a quick view for you...i intentionally left it rotated.  figured many of you who haven't seen real snow were told that it falls straight down...didn't want to confuse anyone.

One if by Land, Two if by Sailor...

a few more shots of our long walks on the beach... 

rockport landscaping consists of a few decommissioned traps, several candy colored buoys, and a well maintained class-D lobster boat...or maybe a well-kept dinghy...

as mentioned in a previous post, rockport's most famous landmark is a small fisherman's shack at the end of Bradley Wharf.  recognized by students of art and art history as Motif Number 1, this little red structure has commanded many a portrait and picture, now including my own.

while a lesser known landmark, perhaps due to its constant relocation, marks the labor and pride of cheerful exploration and thorough examination...recognized by students of the natural arts as Motif Number 2..

Silent Night...Holy S**t!!

Now, if a blow-up Santa Claus in a 7 foot snow globe with twirling propellers and bright blue reindeer doesn't ring out Holiday cheer, then how about 325,000 lights in your front yard and a $1800 electric bill?

WOW!! This little slice of North Shore Boston is legendary.  The Lynn Fells Parkway neighborhood in Saugus, MA has banded together for years to put on the coolest Christmas-lights display ever...the night we escaped to this winter wonderland was nothing short of awesome...

Wishing you all the Warmest Holiday, the Happiest Chanukah, the Coolest Kwanzaa, the Finest Eid Al Fitr, a Super Solstice, and of course, the Merriest Christmas of all.

much love and peace

Lighthouses Rule

a far cry from the rich reds and browns, and cool midnight purple we boasted on North Street...here, walls are as quiet and pale as snow; furniture covered in chalky white knits and canvas slip covers.  the achromatic theme of our new milk and tawny apartment is as untroubled and tranquil as the ends of the earth it sits.  

imagine winter on the rocky limits of Cape Ann, a neck of land north of Boston that protrudes out into the Atlantic, defining the northern frame to Massachusetts Bay...Rockport, MA is an old industrial granite quarry and fishing village turned artist colony that's as quaint as a couple of 18th century old maids knitting and purling on the steps of the church common...and about as quiet too.  

it has that old-fashioned charm of walking everywhere.  we walk everywhere with our three mutts, parading the thousands of acres of open spaces and public land.  we're a bit eccentric in that way...the three mutts part.  everyone in Rockport seems to walk.  and, everyone in Rockport seems to have a dog.  typically a black lab or golden retriever, occasionally a schnauzer...always a lone leash.

from our kitchen window, we gaze between the beach gazebo, the neighboring white cape cod-style home, and the other neighboring white cape cod-style home, and stare for miles upon miles.  the ocean size waves are a few yards from our front door smoothing millions of chilled beach stones in dark bronze and cold slate, and softening the edges of small bits of drift wood and sea glass.  it is these kinds of tiny treasures that populate our furnished beach rental.   watercolor lighthouses and faint beach dunes are matted and framed in simple white and chrome.  an occasional starfish or seahorse might pop up on a dish towel or oven mitt.  and rest assured, sea shells play an important role in the bathroom.  this house is a sea horse, sea shell party and you're all invited.

so, we're out on this icy peninsula for the winter months, removed of most colors and worries. slipping into a hibernation of mind and body...ruminating on a great year no matter what the news and our bank statements suggest.  we're finding our way around.  picking our favorite irish pub and roast beef house (i forgot how popular roast beef sandwich shops are up here). with a few short sunsets remaining, and a third of the heating season behind us, the flush activities of spring will be ripe and alive in no time.  until then, i'm going to enjoy an extra long Guinness to keep the fire warm and relish in the fact that i can smell the tides coming in and out.

come visit anytime:

3 smith street ct

rockport ma 01966

828.215.5788 (j)

828.582.5588 (k)

Goodbye Porpoise Spit

north carolina has finally been called in this year's presidential election.

i am very proud to learn my home state has chosen the most qualified candidate for president in this election. the delayed result in NC was a bit anti-climatic. Barack Obama had already been named President-elect. but his victory here underscores the changing face of politics in north carolina, and the country as a whole.

regardless of politics, the election of Barack Obama gives us all reason to celebrate and hope again.  i believe we have all been exhausted by the past ten years and are hungry for the kind of leadership that generates a feeling of hope in a world in crisis; the kind of leadership that inspires us all to be better people; the kind of leadership that engages us, not just out of fear, but by challenging us to participate in our own salvation and our own prosperity; the kind of leadership that has been absent in my lifetime...

the change we are witnessing today and the democracy we are continuing to evolve are not just words; the change we are witnessing has made it relevant to discuss and act out our dreams and desires with each other no matter our differences...it has made it cool to talk politics again, and in so doing, were learning we have a lot in common...in the sincere words of our president elect, "something is happening in America; we are not as divided as our politics suggests; we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can."

asheville, nc has engaged us; it has challenged us. we have been inspired by the people we have met and the friends we've made.  it has transformed our home, our lifestyles, our career, and our relationship to each other. it has allowed us to lead our lives with the enthusiasm of youth. it has fostered our imagination and allowed us to dream big. asheville has inspirited our family and roused us to get involved in our community. living in asheville has been nothing short of fulfilling...

i am very proud to have been a part of the north carolina community as america begins this next great chapter...however, it is now time for kate and i to engage in the next great chapter of our story...

so, it is with great celebration and adoration for our neighbors, and compassion for the ones we'll leave behind that i say...our work is done here. north carolina - Yes. We. Did.

dearest friends...we are moving back to new england.

for those of you who doubt our sincerity...i don't blame you. we've been squawking about a move like this for nearly two and half years.  however, to back this up, i will say that we are under contract for a  property in downtown marblehead, ma. furthermore, kate will be driving up there this tuesday to start settling in for the wintah...this bullshit's for real...i ain't kiddin'.

living in marblehead is still a couple of months off...after we close on the property, we are going to continue to lease it out to the current tenants until late spring. until then, we're moving to 

rockport, ma in a little winter rental right off the beach, where chowda runs freely through municipal taps every second and third tuesday of the month, and "the most painted and photographed building in the world", Motif No 1, silently sits muse to...well...the most people in the world painting and photographing buildings.

kate will be back to collect her belongings (me and the mutts) for thanksgiving...and then..."goodbye porpoise spit"

we'll keep y'all posted...

the grass is greener up here on my new deck

we've been in this house for five and half years...and we've made a LOT of changes to it...inside and out...and we have loved every minute of it...i mean, the house is deep purple, what more do i have to say.  however, in hindsight i have learned a very valuable lesson...

the quickest way to dramatically change the way you live (at your current address of course) is to build a deck...really.  walking out on your new deck in the morning will become habitual.  there's something fresh about standing out on a deck...like when hiking a woods trail, and you cross a bridge or a platform trail over a muddy stretch...there's an inventiveness to this simple structure rising out of nature, standing over, looking down...even though "outside" and the "backyard" has been there for the past 5+ years, it's the built environment that enhances the experience.

with a new deck you triple, quadruple, octaple (not really a word) your living space, even if the deck itself is only a few hundred square feet, really all it needs is to fit two chairs and a table.  but the fact that you can now see the stars from a comfortable seat with a place to set your beer... now your floor space is Buzz Aldrin big.

perhaps the best part of a new deck is meal time...

akin to the whimsical delight of chinese takeout or pizza delivery, a new deck creates unpredictable moments where every tuna sandwich and breakfast muffin takes on the desirability of grilling out on a sunny afternoon.  coffee tastes better on your new deck. even in the 40 degree chill of fall mornings.  just snacking on almonds is better on your new deck, rain or shine...'cause now you're snacking on almonds outside.

honestly, if done well, your new deck will make your grass greener...

head in the clouds

"We'll be back", we said standing in the departure line at the Dominica International Airport.  

It's hard to know when you're telling the truth in these moments.  So often you go somewhere incredible and anticipate a return.  But by the time you plan the next trip, a new opportunity has come up, or tastes have changed, or you just realize the world is big and you want to try more flavors.

But this one feels a little different...

Perhaps it's the magic of  4000 ft mountains and craggy cliffs dropping into the ocean, the bubbling hot springs at every sharp turn in the road, or coral reefs steps away from the lapping shoreline.  

Maybe it's the Dominican people, all of whom seem to be jockeying for the "friendliest person ever" award.  Or, it could be that we flew down there with full intentions of purchasing a cafe in downtown Roseau and had already cashed in the emotional investment of living 1000 miles off the coast of the United States.  

Or maybe, we'll just be back...

this monkey's gone to heaven

five things about me:

1.  when i was 5 years old, i had a yellow blanket with silky shiny yellow edges...the edges were torn...i would stick my fingers in the torn holes when i went to sleep...

2.  i like math...sometimes i like to play with square roots in my head

3.  i've never inhaled cigarette tobacco

4.  i miss the white mountains

5.  3 years ago today, i married the coolest woman ever...she's in this photo...she's not really that small...but she has stood on my shoulders before