Reading List

It's so  hard to keep track of all of the books I read especially since 

a significant portion have yet to be published.

Here's an incomplete, but close tally covering the last few months.

Christmas Eve

Once again, the coronavirus has thrown a wrench into holiday plans.

I find myself embracing a philosophy which has served me well over the years; 

surrender. 

Pivot. Roll with it.  Accept uncertainty, especially during a pandemic.

Heavy rains subsided by early afternoon.

After tea with friends,  Scott and I went for a hike in the subdued canyon.

Glorious clouds overhead and crisp air in our lungs.

What more could I ask for?

A crackling fire chased the chill out of our bones 

before we had a quiet, simple dinner.

It's delightful to move away from scheduled routines

 and embrace a lackadaisical quality to my days. 

Godspeed, Joan Didion

Memory fades, memory adjusts,

memory conforms to what we think we remember.

Joan Didion

It's Starting To Look A Lot Like Christmas

 

Monmouth Beach

We're Jersey kids who grew up with similar regional pop culture references

and style guide to '60s subdivisions and coastal boardwalks.  

Although we both left the state over 30 years ago, 

its imprint on us was immediately evident and recognizable.

Being back in The Garden State together was like putting on an old pair of well worn jeans.

We spent today driving the coast and visiting the small beach town where Scott grew up.

Sandy's devastation has resulted in new construction, but for the most part his community remains.

and he encountered ghosts at every turn.

Another Round

 

Repetition

I treasure the mornings I am able to carve out time for myself before the work day kicks in. 

With each breath the vibrant scenery connects me to something greater than myself.

Although I'm grateful for the exercise it's the transcendental

felling that compels me to do it again and again.  

The Day After

I've lost track of when the tradition to hike with The Spera's

the day after Thanksgiving began, but I look forward to it every year.

It is the perfect complement to the previous day

 which is dedicated to preparing and eating an elaborate meal.

This year the light was golden and the air warm as we made are way down the familiar trails.

Helen Frankenthaler @ The Palm Springs Art Museum

Helen Frankenthaler's innovative soak-stain technique involved

pouring thinned paint directly onto unprimed canvas.

The resulting combination of amorphous fields of color and gestural brushstrokes

produced a vigorous rhythm of activity

as conveyed in the surface textures of her mark-making.

At times throughout her career, she referenced figuration as well as landscape

in canvases that nevertheless remained consistently abstract.

Watching the Moon Rise