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"I, Julie Byrne, do solemnly swear" ... ;-) ... Monica is showing me the not-always-obvious Typepad ins 'n' outs on my last day in NC and her 14th-last day in the United States. Here's to Monica!!!!!! for two years of stellar words, images, faithfulness and a lot of other intangibles sent out into the Universe ... and blessings for travel as she goes. Talk about big shoes ...
I'm back in North Carolina! And lucky, too, because travel out of New York has been pretty rough the past couple of days.
First I went to Vermont to visit Clare and Stefan. They took such good care of me -- I'm remembering especially the cayenne-seasoned cider Clare brought me one night as I was working. On the first night we had dinner at American Flatbread, where you could wait for your table outside, stamping your feet at a fire pit (!), and the exquisite pizzas arrived so hot from the oven that the crust was still smoking. Over the next few days we visited downtown Burlington, played with the kitties, and took a brisk walk to a nearby cemetery with graves dated to 1775. Clare said that, back then, the entire countryside was cleared for farming -- not the skinny virgin forest that springs there now. Amazing.
Then I went to New York to visit Mary and Mark! They ALSO took such good care of me -- I'm now converted to Mary's signature breakfast of homemade-cranberry-sauce-with-yogurt-and-peanuts -- and proved natural New Yorkers, helping me navigate the subway system ;) The night I arrived, Mary and I had dinner at the famous Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, where I had, assuredly, the best oyster I've ever had in my life. The next night I visited with my friend Paul Berger from Clarion, who graciously gave Mary and I tickets to the Natural History Museum, and especially the butterfly exhibit where he volunteers. (You can see his pictures of the exhibit here.) There was so much to see! We left with full brains -- reminded me of this.
You can see a few photos from both trips here :)
As for some upcoming travel -- as many of you know, I'm planning a trip around the world (literally), departing in less than a month. I may post a few more times until then, but during the time I'm gone, Julie will be your valiant webmistress. Famblee, rest assured I am compiling a gorgeous color-coded itinerary...that'll be along in a week or two via email ;)
Hello from beautiful Vermont! It was uncharacteristically warm today -- all of the beautiful snow has been washed away or slush-ified, but the forecast says there'll be snow again tonight, so I'm happy. I've been visiting Clare and Stefan at their chalet-style house in the Green Mountains, and we've had a wonderful time, as they are such gracious and generous hosts. So here is just a quick hello from us, plus Diego, who is the more outgoing of the two kitties and so is less camera-shy.
Off to New York to visit Mary tomorrow! :)
Look familiar? This is the kitchen of the communal cabin at Melleray, beautifully refinished by a local craftswoman (and Dad showing it off a la Vanna White). I stepped inside it and was amazed at how much space it created -- how much cleaner and prettier everything looked. Here is another view:
Bravo, Dad!!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I can speak for myself and Dad in saying that we had a lovely meal here at Vimala's house, with husband Rush, children Rajeev and Manju, and Manju's partner Rishi. It seemed like just the right amount of everything: people, food, prayer, conversation, communion, dozing. And I can't forget to mention that, courtesy of Rush, our turkey was DEEP FRIED. (We all huddled around the pot on the front porch to watch it go in.)
Sadly, I did not take any pictures this year. However, the Northern Contingent did! Julie writes: in vermont over thanksgiving weekend, mary, mark and i visited clare, stefan and the kitties for: csb's birthday [Clare, I heard you got TWO cakes...is that true!?] ... much indian-themed food, including an assortment of chutneys and outrageous hard-boiled-egg-stuffed meatballs ... abundant baked goods from mary, including orange cake ... several winter walks and forest hikes ... sampling local brews ...and road-trippin to burlington. my lasting impression will be bold white birch trees, snow-shadowed woods, and pink sunrise mountains, all unspoilt, given state laws against billboards and chain store proliferation! what a place!!!!
You can see pictures here :)
Clare's partner Stefan spent years in the Manhattan theater scene as a technical director, doing magic with light and sound. Once I even got to see one of his productions, of a play called The Blacks, one of the most enthralling and upsetting plays I've ever seen.
Now that Stefan lives in Vermont, he's been making art through different routes...one of them being earful, a podcast that showcases his created soundscapes. I'm making my way through them and they're incredible, especially if you close your eyes and listen -- such intimate sounds, it almost feels uncomfortable, like the cat purring; and so surprisingly musical, like the steam generator. And then there's eyeful, which features his gorgeous photography. My favorite is the one of two women having coffee, but they're all pretty stunning. Go have a look and a listen!
The Byrne Diaspora is almost two years old! In that time, we've gotten over 15,000 hits, averaging 22 hits per day. It's really fun looking at the Google searches that led to us...some expected ("byrne farm pittsboro") and some bizarre ("embroidery Vancouver," or something like that). In any case, we have many more visitors than the dozen-or-so relatives I email every time I make a new post.
Anyway, I thought I'd take this opportunity to invite anyone - whether you're a regular, or whether you're reading this for the first time - to say hi! Drop us a line, tell us how you know us, or why you're interested. We'd love to hear from you :)