advance, retreat

For someone who doesn't like to leave home, I've been doing so a lot. Friday, I made a quick trip with a full car, to Brooklyn. The laundromat near my son's apartment is also a pinball parlor. The city is a wonderland of the unique and eclectic, and I savor it until I reach the point where I am saturated.

Then home to cats and books 

 and glorious flowers from Bow Street. 

back to Provincetown

Four days of harbor, bay and ocean; sunrises and sunsets, fishing boats, cottages and art galleries. I took a painting workshop with Christie Scheele at the Provincetown Art Museum. Christie's paintings are stripped down, luminous landscapes. I've long admired her work and felt I could learn a lot from her, and I did. After painting steadily for a year, noodling (phaffing, Amanda?) around with different styles, I may be getting to a place of my own in my paintings. Will post more on this in the Orchards in Space blog…

Summer is truly winding down. I look forward to some autumn weekends in the country and another trip to Brooklyn. For once I am not dreading winter, am looking past my usual stacks of books (a/k/a safety net) and into burrowing into my studio and painting. I hope this time of transition is going well for you too.

xo,

Jen

More Provincetown posts:

In Provincetown

Charming Houses, Secret Gardens

Sunset Anarchy

Cafe Solo

the roses of Kew

My favorite places at Kew Gardens were the rose gardens 

and the lily pond (saved for another day)

 I arrived at the gardens early and was the only person among the roses.

They made me crazy with happiness.

 They weren't tended to. Their entire life cycles were on view everywhere I looked.

I have no idea why, as other gardens were traditionally, immaculately snipped and shaped.

Of course I loved it this way.

 This was my favorite color.

 And now, of course, I want to grow roses.

 I have a couple of sweet and easy floribunda, 

but none of the extravagant colors, shapes, or fragrances.

a city weekend

Transitions. Two intense days in Brooklyn, last week, helping 

my youngest finalize his apartment search.

We ate Polish food (and Brazilian and donuts and pizza) walked along the East River,

 investigated the neighborhood (Greenpoint) hung out with my oldest, who also lives in Brooklyn,

walked to Williamsburg, drank beer (well, they did) ate ice cream, and

found a small but charming fourth floor walkup on a street where on summer evenings

the neighbors set up their card tables on the sidewalk and play dominos.

Friends, why was I thinking two blogs was a good idea?

(especially when I'm on Instagram regularly)

Because I'm a Gemini? 

Anyway…

Maybe I should just put it all here. 

Even though I'm more of an Orchards in Space person these days

than a Country Weekend person, this is home for me, in the blog world.

And if I write about some crazy thing that doesn't interest you, you can just skip on past it.

I'll do something with the other space--I'm sure inspiration will come to me,

but I'm not going to divide myself up between here and there…
I am changing to a fresher template. Bear with me, please.
(and if you have any problems with it, leave a note in the comments
or email me: jen (at) country weekend [dot} net

a Catskills weekend

I got to the country late Thursday night, and Friday morning went to Russell's for an egg sandwich.

The eggs are so fresh and flavorful that I don't add cheese or anything else. At Russell's weekenders mix easily with locals--old school farmers and Brooklyn stylist/makers can all agree on a good breakfast sandwich.

 Then I wandered through tiny downtown Bovina to take some pictures. This old general store is for sale, and somehow I discovered that the door was unlocked, so I went in and wandered around. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted most of my pictures, but it is such a cool place, filled with soul and character. It's for sale with an old farmhouse and 8 acres.

Pressed tin ceilings.

 Three or four rooms on each floor.

Old ledgers.

 There are a lot of pictures on the real estate listing here. Her exterior pictures are good, but her interior pictures don't begin to capture the charm of this place. It looks like the farmhouse has been woefully updated. Upstate NY is filled with charming old farmhouses at really reasonable prices. (If you're used to Boston, NY, SF prices). Bovina's only three hours from NYC. I'll never open a store again, but I was pretty excited for a while there, as I wandered around.

 We bought our house in the woods twelve years ago, and every time I go there I feel a sense of joy, freshness, clarity, peace. I get deep into nature, but also enjoy the simple pleasures  that abound in the eclectic rural life of the Catskills.