Long Time Companion

Kathy baked a blueberry peach pie tonight for dessert.  She needed to know how much sugar to add to the filling.  So she got this cookbook out.  Man, this has gone a lot of miles!  She can't remember where she got it, but the publication date is 1970.  If I had given it to her, I would have inscribed it, as I have done with other cookbooks I have given her as gifts. I love how this book looks - it's patina and all the wear that is obvious on the outside.  Isn't it wonderful to have a book like this that you have used all your life?

Sleeping Kitens

These kittens are growing up so fast, and they are endlessly fascinating.  I found them sleeping on the couch, or at least one of them was sleeping - that would be Sam, in the foreground.  Is he cute or what!  He has huge eyes, and larger than normal paws.  It would be fun to know what kind of cat he is descended from.  Grace, the one with the pink ears was nearly asleep with her eyes closed, until the first click of the camera.  It is also amazing how big they have grown, as well.  When they stretch out they are both REALLY long!

From Outside to Inside

So I have shown you the outside, and now here's the inside!  All the insulation was installed, and I didn't take a photograph quickly enough and suddenly all the sheetrock was installed! The 3-man crew that showed up put up all the sheetrock in under three hours one morning!  The first picture is looking toward the door to the kitchen from the fireplace, and the second picture looks toward the fireplace.  I cannot believe the speed with which this is all happening.

How Pretty This Is!

So the exterior is pretty much done.  I have started to paint the rafter tails that stick out beyond the sheathing, because they would be hard to paint after the rain gutters are installed.  The whole building will be painted white, as well.  I love the square posts that hold up the portico.  On the drawing, they were shown as round columns, but the builder said he thought they would not be appropriate for this style of construction.  Square is perfect!  And the bluestone stoop and steps is gorgeous!

You Decide

I went to the harbor again to look for photographs.  I loved finding this scene with this unusual piece of silver driftwood.  I saw it in color, of course, but something made me think that perhaps this should be a black & white image.  I tried to imagine the scene without color, and I thought it might be a better photograph.  So when I got home, I converted one copy of the picture to black & white, and left the original in color.  I think I like the B&W image the best.  What do you think?

There is a Bike Under There!

There is a bicycle under here!  Actually there are two bicycles under here, if you look closely.  You might guess that this is absolutely painful for me to see bikes like this.  I am a maintenance maniac when it comes to my bikes, and I keep them cleaned and lubricated and indoors to protect them from the weather.  Bicycles are magnificent machines and a magical way to get around, if they are maintained properly.  I am guessing that these bike chains are completely rusted.  These are beach bikes in Montauk, with all the salt air that exists there, but having them overgrown with vines is beyond the pale!

Mystery Ship

This is some big yacht! It appeared early in the season, anchored inside the breakwater at Hempstead Harbor.  I have tried to photograph it before, but I needed to have a west wind so the yacht would be broadside to me, and also the sun would need to be in the south, around noontime.  I did a couple of photographs but neither was good enough.  Suddenly the other morning there it was in all its glory, broadside and lit properly.  Perhaps some readers (that would be you, Primo) would be able to guess the size of this yacht and tell us what kind of rig it is. My guess is that it is a ketch rig.