Monthly Archives:

October 2012

Worse for Sunday Wear

The Sunday morning after a fun weekend in Boston is often a rough time. Especially when it’s pouring rain.
If I hadn’t had to get back to upstate NY, I would have climbed back into bed with a book.
Instead I showered, got dressed, and hit the road – happy about none of it.
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The Fall Party Returns, With A New Baby

This year marked the return of my friend JoAnn’s Fall Party tradition. From the vines of bittersweet to the candy corn and Dickens Cider, it was a throwback to the parties of yesteryear on the Cape. The location was Quincy (not the easiest of destinations with a broken-down Red Line, but nothing a $40 cab ride couldn’t fix) and the day dawned perfectly – sunny and bright, though the evening quickly turned brisk and cool. Ideal Fall Party weather for a fire.
The main event was the debut of Baby Brandon – the new addition to Wally and Carolyn’s family. He showed up with a full head of dark hair, eyes mesmerized by the firelight, and a smile for his Aunt JoAnn. Another beautifully-behaved baby (of course I high-tailed it away whenever the threat of a crying fit surfaced, which wasn’t that often) Brandon joins the ever-growing group of babies that has infiltrated my life in ways I never previously thought possible.
As JoAnn said, it was a new time. Things had indeed changed, as they always would, but true friendships remained the same. There was solace to be found in that. Hope, too.
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My Husband’s Birthday

Today is a very special day, as it is Andy’s birthday. And not just any birthday – the big 5-0. Yes, if you can bring yourself to believe it, my husband is fifty years old. Luckily, I’m not one to have any hang-ups about age – or age-differences in couples – so the thirteen year span between us averages out when you consider our respective maturity levels. As for reaching the mid-century mark, Andy seems the same to me. As per his request, we’ll be having a low-key day and night at home, in which I’ll cook him the very first meal I ever cooked him, and I’ll force myself to sit through whatever video he wants to watch.
Sometimes Andy seems to get short shrift here (it is, after all, my blog) but he is ever-present, and one of the stalwart forces that gets taken for granted. On this day, I am reminded of all that he has given to me, and to our life together. I wouldn’t be who I am without him – and all that I’ve ever done here is due largely to everything he’s ever done for me. And so, to the kindest, gentlest, funniest, handsomest, and best man I’ve ever met, Happy Birthday. I love you, Andy.
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Life & Death in the Public Garden

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Boston for my friend JoAnn’s Fall Party (more on that later…) As per usual, I found myself back in the Boston Public Garden where the following murder scene had only recently taken place. A squirrel, face down in the grass, had died – or, more likely, been killed. Nearby, other squirrels chattered and ran about excitedly, agitated and bothered for reasons obvious and less so.
A few moments later, I saw why. At the edge of the pond, a badelynge of ducks squawked and broke ranks with a disruptive splash, and from the midst of them a hawk swooped through, almost gripping a squirrel in its talons before alighting on a nearby branch. Here, then, was the Fall Hawk – I’d been waiting since the start of summer to see some sort of closure from its predecessors in upstate New York. It sat menacingly above me, preening itself and keeping its keen eyes focused on all the activity below.
I looked around for the squirrel that got away, and at the others that now sent out warning clucks of danger, not that there would be anything I could do if the hawk were to spot one of these rascally creatures and zoom in on it. I’d always thought of the Boston Public Garden as one of the safer spots for a city animal to live. It seems it’s just as precarious as any other.
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My Mother & My Husband

This is one of the funniest pictures I’ve taken in a long time, all for personal reasons. Here’s the quick back story: we were in Ogunquit for Columbus Day weekend. After dinner, we stopped at a toy store to look for gifts for my niece and nephew. Earlier that evening I had tried rabbit for the first time, which went against everything Andy believed in, as far as not eating furry and cuddly creatures goes, so he is holding up a rabbit and pretending that it’s pissed at me or in the last throes of death – I can’t tell which – while my mother is blowing her nose at the cash register. The big-ass lime-green umbrella sets off the scene nicely, and that freakish baby looking over Andy’s head adds just the right amount of disturbing dementedness to the composition. Who needs children with these two in my life?

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Rotten to the Core

Every trip to Ogunquit requires a stop at the Spoiled Rotten. It’s actually an entire enchanted world unto itself. Stepping into its sweetly-scented environs is like entering a magical land of whimsical treats, beautiful home items, and delights for all five senses. Around every corner is a new surprise waiting to amuse and charm, to tease the nose and tempt the tongue.

From the gorgeously decked-out front porch to the furthest corner of the upper floor, there are stunning objects stacked from floor to ceiling, and one could feasibly spend hours in each of the rooms, perusing and examining all of the wonders at hand. The owners are just as inviting as their wares, and even more animated and entertaining. One of them, Toby, was even working on his birthday.

That love and dedication comes through – even if the goods weren’t this exquisitely gorgeous.

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Sympathy for Vanity

It was a chipmunk after my own heart. Climbing up onto a branch at eye-level, it stopped to look at Andy and me as we paused in our walk. I pulled the camera out and zoomed in on the little creature. In the dappled sunlight of the day, it seemed to be posing for us, turning this way and that, giving a fierce double-profile shot. Basking in the warmth of the unseasonable weather, it showed off the striking stripe that marks most chipmunks, accenting its features in the spotlight of sun and stepping into the most flattering illumination.
Vain, silly thing – I know exactly how you feel – and even without an audience we’d be doing the same thing.
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A Last Look Along the Way

It invariably happens, without planning or preparation, that I find myself alone on the Marginal Way before any Ogunquit vacation is over. Usually it comes toward the tail end of the trip – the night before we depart, or the very morning of departure. This time it was the day before when I took a bundled-up stroll during the wild, windy, wave-crushing window of high tide coming in.

Sometimes you have to walk a little way all by yourself. As one who has always cherished his solitude, I embraced this moment, even shedding a few unexpected tears as I passed the ocean spot where Gram’s ashes were scattered – brought on by a combination of the biting wind, the sheer stark beauty of the place, and the memories that Fall conjures.

As much as I love the spring, fall in New England carries its own inimitable mysticism, and a cozy enchantment all its own. As with most things, it is the preparatory anticipation that I love best ~ in this case the hunkering down for the impending winter. The dusk of the year is falling, and in the chill of the air, there is a frisson of excitement. Prepare the way.

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No Liberty At Liberty Ridge Farm

It’s one thing to hear about places that turn down same-sex weddings at their venues – I assume, disappointedly, that it happens far more than we’re aware of – but it’s quite another to hear about it happening in your own backyard. Say what you will about upstate New York, there are still a great number of wonderful people and places here that you can’t get anywhere else, and I take a certain amount of pride in living and having been raised here. Yet when I hear about something like this, it makes me sad to be a in a place where such beliefs still exist.

Liberty Ridge Farm recently turned down a same-sex couple who wanted to have a wedding at their venue. In a story reported at Kristi’s On the Edge blog and on WNYT, the owners of Liberty Ridge Farm politely turned down not just one gay wedding, but a total of three gay weddings, at their site in the past year.

If it is indeed a private establishment, does Liberty Ridge have the right to refuse service to someone? Absolutely.

Do I have the right to object to that decision and recommend a boycott? Absolutely.

That’s the beauty of the liberty that this country is founded upon. Unfortunately for Liberty Farms, it’s just bad business. It’s also hypocritical, as I have no doubt that at least a few of the folks who have been married there had been divorced previously, so if you’re going to espouse religious beliefs, at least be consistent about it. Picking and choosing is where the bigotry and discrimination come into play.

It’s upsetting to think that there are businesses that still refuse service to certain people based on their sexual identity. That is no different than denying service to someone based on their race, gender, religion, or other aspect. And if being gay is a choice, where does that leave religion? Surely that is more of a choice than being gay. What if a company were to deny service to someone because they were Mormon or Jewish or Catholic? Would you support a business like that, no matter how much you liked what they were offering? Would you support a business that turned customers away or refused service because they were black? Personally, I can’t, and I won’t.

What may be most insidious about this whole thing is that all reports indicate that the owners of Liberty Farm Ridge denied this couple their wedding in the most polite and nice way, even apologizing to the two young women that they couldn’t accommodate them. As if that excuses homophobia. As if it’s okay to say, “I hate gay people and don’t believe they deserve the same rights as me,” so long as you do it with a smile and an apology.

Well I’m sorry too. Sorry that Liberty Ridge Farm is such a homophobic establishment that they chose to turn down at least three loving couples who wanted only to get married in a beautiful place. Sorry that though they may have the right to deny the use of their land to anyone, they chose to do so based on someone’s sexual identity. Sorry that I refuse to just accept it and pretend it’s not a homophobic act. And sorry that thanks to the news of social media (and their own website, FaceBook page, and Twitter account), people know exactly what sort of hateful, homophobic practices go down at Liberty Ridge Farm, and how to get in touch with them. Most of all, I’m sorry that while I am sincerely asking any and all of those who decide to reach out to them to be polite and respectful (and doing so with a smile on my face), some simply won’t listen.  (Super sorry about that last one.)

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The Maine Wind Down

On Columbus Day, the crowd departs, and I’m reminded of the low-key scenes of our first few visits here a dozen years ago. One some of those nights it was tough to find a cup of coffee after a certain time – a far cry from today, when most businesses stay open until November at least – if not beyond. Personally, I like it when it gets quieter like this – when the noise and excitement subsides. It’s at odds with what a lot of people think of me, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, the undressed core, I abhor pomp and circumstance. This is not something that translates well to a website, or print for that matter – and it is one of the conundrums of all that I’ve done – and all that I continue to do. Yet it is a delicious juxtaposition – such contrast and contradiction are what keep life from becoming too unbearably boring. The quest for survival is sometimes as simple as a fight against stagnation. Tonight – and this extra-long weekend in Ogunquit – we have won the battle. The war, however, rages on.

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Hunk of the Day: Casper Van Dien – A Favorite

A number of the hunks featured on this site are those who are requested by other people, or recommended by whatever is going on in pop culture – not necessarily those men I personally find attractive (unless we’re talking Ben Cohen or David Beckham). Casper Van Dien is one of those who may join that vaunted pantheon of sex appeal, and not just because he’s bound and gagged (though that definitely doesn’t hurt).

 He reminds me vaguely of a younger version of Andy (though at that age Andy had the requisite policeman’s pornstache – someday I’ll dig out a photo of that). So I guess if I had to pick a type of guy I liked, this would be one of the prototypes. There was, and remains, much ado about Mr. Van Dien’s nude scene in ‘Starship Troopers’ – a movie I couldn’t bring myself to watch, but I’ll seek out those screen shots another day (a daily Hunk of the Day feature is going to require some thoughtful spacing-out of our chosen gentlemen).  He also went naked but for a loin cloth in a ‘Tarzan’ remake, another movie I missed. Sometimes it’s best to wait for the naughty excerpts and forego the hefty price of a movie ticket.

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A Surprise for My Husband: The Maine Event

It all had to be done with the greatest of care and the strictest of confidences. While good at keeping secrets when explicitly asked to do so, I am less good at not spoiling the surprise aspect of things that are too fun to keep secret. As Andy is turning 50 this weekend, I wanted to do something extra-special for him. Knowing that a surprise party was out of the question, and out of the realm of anything he would enjoy, I hatched a plan that would capture him by surprise, but also (fingers-crossed) be something he would love.
For our annual trip to Ogunquit, in which we usually depart on the Monday following Columbus Day weekend, I secretly reserved our room at the Ogunquit Beach Inn for two extra nights. I managed to keep it a secret until that Monday, when I woke him, and he groaned with the displeasure of having to leave such a wonderful place. The day of departure is always a very depressing moment, so it was with great happiness and excitement I handed him two new outfits and said that we would be staying for two more days in honor of his birthday. I actually got him to crack a smile (far more than the usual reaction that something as big as a pool table would normally elicit) so it was a success.
To go along with the pre-birthday surprise, our innkeeper Mike made this magnificent cheesecake in his honor. It was delicious, and miraculously gluten-free (I’ll need to get the recipe for my friend Missy – I’m told ginger snaps are the secret for the crust). We shared it with a couple of other guests and friends, and pulled off the perfect little celebration for someone who doesn’t like a big fuss. (For those wondering, his actual birthday is October 20. I’ll be accepting gifts in his honor. I know he loves the Tom Ford Private Blends collection. What?)
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