Category Archives: USA

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North Carolina wrap-up

We took the 30-minute ferry ride from Fort Fisher to Southport and spent several enjoyable hours strolling the lovely residential streets and downtown. Beautiful old homes, wide streets, sidewalks, live-oak trees all create a very southern setting. The downtown on Cape Fear River with brick buildings and nice little shops makes for a pleasing meander. We enjoyed lunch al fresco at Fishy Fishy Cafe where Lucy could also take part.

A long, long walk on the beach at Freeman Park.

Dinner @ home – grilled red snapper.

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Kure Beach, NC

Enjoying the mild temps and long beach walks. Love these colorful houses built on stilts for hurricane protection. Not much happening here at this time of year, which suits us perfectly. Spending the week in a little cottage with screened porch, where we can hear the gulls and watch the pelicans fly by in formation.

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Inle Lake – life at and around the pagoda

We were on the short boat ride from our hotel to the five-day market (in a different village every day for five days), when passing the pagoda we saw a boat decorated as though for a wedding or such. Our guide said it would be for an initiation ceremony (Shinbyu) of a young novice; we promptly pulled over and went to see what was happening. As Twe Twe explained, this ceremony is a very important rite of passage both for the young boy and the family. For parents, it is deemed the most important duty that they owe to their son by letting him go forth and embrace the legacy of the Buddha at least for a short while, perhaps longer, if not for the rest of his life. Therefore, those that don’t have sons of their own, will often seek an orphan or a boy from a very poor family in order to receive this special regard by the Buddha. Many believe that allowing a son to spend some time in a monastery, even only a week (although they can become novices on more than one occasion), is the best religious gift the parents can give.

Evidently the first Shinbyu occurred two and a half millennia ago, when the Buddha’s own son asked for his inheritance, and he was stripped of his princely garments and given the robe of an ascetic, head shaved and sent to the monastery.

We could walk from the pagoda to the market, which was vibrant as most markets are and with a wonderful array of vegetables, spices and everything else imaginable.

 

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Visiting September 11 Memorial Museum

A grey and rainy day, but a good day to visit the September 11 Memorial Museum. We drove to Jersey City, leaving the car there and took a quick 5-minute ferry ride across to Manhattan and a stone’s throw from the 9/11 site.

The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, on the former location of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed during the attacks. It is genius that the two pools are where to towers once stood.  The museum, which goes underground and has some of the original structures from the towers,  is extremely well thought out and the information and artifacts beautifully presented. I thought I would be much more affected by the reminders, but think the whole thing is so strongly etched in my memory from watching events as they happened on TV, that most of the pictures and images were familiar to me. Nevertheless, a sad and poignant place, but a lovely memorial for all those whose lives were taken on that fateful day.

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Maine’s Common Ground Fair

Unlike some of my friends, I only go to the Common Ground Fair every three years or so .. not because I don’t like it, but because I have become shy  of crowds, queues, traffic, etc. – especially in Maine. Anyway, it was good to spend some time there today, despite the cooler than forecast temps. My favorite demo is with the sheep dogs, and the apple tasting wasn’t half bad either!

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A morning in the company of Forest Hart

For years we have seen the magnificent bronze moose sculptures as we drove back and forth on Rte 1, and knew they were the work of Forest Hart. It wasn’t until recently that a couple of friends mentioned they had visited his property and seen his amazing works of art. Arrangements were made, and off we went – five of us – to visit Forest and see his domain – hundreds of acres in Monroe with far reaching views.

Of course, why would I have expected anything else? This artist, a native Mainer, who took all the time in the world to explain the whole process, talk about his life, share the story of the horrible fire that took everything that he and Susan owned, and all in a humble and selfless way. His interest, at a young age, in taxidermy and his knowledge of anatomy is astounding. His stories of Fearless, the fluffy tailed white weasel, that visited them for 6-weeks, and the photos of the other wildlife on their  doorstep is fascinating.

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More fun times in Belfast with the Dutch….

We are so happy to have Agnita, Henk and the girls here again (before they return to Amsterdam:(

It was especially festive with the Arts in the Park weekend, being on the waterfront and all the activities surrounding the visit of  the Lynx, and celebrating their 20th anniversary.

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(The) Lost Kitchen .. Debut dinner in Freedom on July 4

Erin French, proprietor, decorator, hostess, and cook is an artiste! Her restaurant officially opened with a 5-course meal in the beautifully renovated Freedom Mill, and it was flawless! Each item on the table had been carefully thought out, and each course lovingly prepared using the freshest of ingredients and cooked to perfection. I can’t wait it go back!