The Intercoastal - 2 Weeks at Sea

For the  last two weeks, with kind waters and weather, we've gradually been making our way from St. Augustine to the Chesapeake with Blue Chip. One thing that makes these annual pilgrimages memorable is observing various communities along the way and the technology that makes this water journey possible. 

The Intercostal Waterway (ICW) is a mix of rivers and manmade canals that originally allowed shipping from Florida up through Virginia. Pleasure boats now often use it more than industry, but regardless, water locks, bascule and swing bridges permit boats of various sizes to make their way along the ICW, without having to negotiate the more unpredictable ocean waters. 

A water lock is an enclosed, rectangular chamber with gates at each end, within which water is raised or lowered to allow boats of all sizes to overcome water level differences. Locks are most often used by boats on canals, but can be found along rivers as well.  

Locks first appeared in Ancient Greece 14,000 years ago. In more modern Europe, they first appeared in Belgium in 1180, the Nethrlands in 1373 and the US in the 1820's to connect the Great Lakes. 

The lock starts out gated at the far end. Boats pull into the open end of rectangular and tie up by looping lines around metal kleats, allowing enough give to rise or drop several inches to more than 20 feet. Once the gate close, water is gently allowed in or out to bring your boat level with water on the other side. 

Once this achieved, previously closed gate opens and off you go, always thanking the "lock keeper," who operates the entire  process. The process then repeats in reverse, adjusting the height from the other side for the next group of boats. 

Clearance for bridges is the other ICW challenge. Because we can lower our antennas, our clearance requirement can drop from 22 to 16 feet. But if the tide is high or the bridge low, as is almost always the case with a railroad bridge, technology and a bridge keeper is required. 

Bridges either open on a schedule or "on demand" where you call the bridge keeper from your boat radio. It's always spectacular to see a huge piece of metal either suddenly swing 90 degrees horizontally or vertically to open and let you pass through. 

Although far from new technology, it's always a bit of a thrill to make your way through with a small regatta of other boats also making the ICW pilgrimage. 

Stopping at small towns, sampling the local fare, anchoring out at night and passing all manor of ships is all part of the ICW adventure. 

Florida to New York to Boston to New York to Florida

Ok, so that was last week. And YES, it gets confusing, even for us. But we are living on the boat these days, which is kind of like a hotel room suite - so it all kind of works, if you don't think about it too much.

                       

Is began with Guy's Bar Mitvah - that would be the smiling 13 year old nephew in the blue shirt. He is the first son of Steve's very dear "niece" Jill, so how could we say no? Accompanied here by his sister Sophie and brother Hunter, it was a memorable day for all, celebrated NYC Tribeca style at the Tribecca Grillnwith game room for the kids and casual elegant downtown ambiance for the adults. The weekend was rounded out with Shabbat Friday and brunch Sunday, while spending time with family and meeting new friends. With two others preparing for their big day, we are certain to all get to know  each other very well!

From there we made a quick trip to Boston. Did we go to a Red Sox game? Honestly I don't remember if it was this trip or the last one. In any case the BOYS are doing GREAT! Big Poppy is having a record breaking last year (?) and the boys are helping with a productive send off. We're thinking playoffs - but trying not to jinx it by saying it out loud. 

                  

Then it's back to NYC. Steve is a presenter at a midtown conference. Step out your door at Times Square and you never know what you might see. The theme here is "Falun Dafa is not bad" - a Chinese spiritual practice that combines meditation and qigong. I don't know about this Buddhist approach, but the midday parade was a blast! Two blocks away, great LYFT graphics!

                  

   Karen spent time with her Mom  and brother Chris in the west village near the HighLine. Rubber encrusted smart cars as art commingle with gardens, loungers and walkers.  The building from the village up to midtown was incredible. The number of cranes reminds you of Shanghai 10 years ago. These buildings can't go up fast enough, but threaten to engulf the HighLine, obstructing its views and ending up being a wharehouse of abandoned homes owned as investments for Ciniese, Russians, South Americans and Norwegians. Hey, you've got to park your money somewhere. 

There was also visiting a friend from Istanbul, artist studio visit, a Broadway show and dinner at Po, plus simply being with old friends. A New York City fix is food for the soul. 

      

Then it's back to St Augustine at sunset to pick up the boat and continue north - all in exactly 7 days. How time does fly by!

   

 

   

     

Lepidoptera Flourishes on Useppa - Or - If You Plant it They Will Come

The Useppa Island Butterfly Society originated several years ago when the island donated a sandy, unbuildable 1/3 acre plot to the care of islanders Colleen and  Craig Ligabell for a butterfly garden. When they departed three years ago, Judith Sear and I (that would be Karen)  took over its stewardship. 

Butterflies each have a specific plant or plant family they will lay their eggs on and can detect these from as far as five miles away. Could we attract more Florida specific butterflies to Useppa and encourage them to remain here? What began as simply keeping the partly developed site going turned into spread sheets identifying native flowering plants to reduce water usage, while cross referencing nectar versus larval plants in the correct proportion to attract less migratory butterflies that would happily reside on Useppa year round. This year was the big push.

      

        

Bamboo structures which had been built from island harvested stands were cleared, many having collapsed from the weight of 200 pound mature vines, coupled with the 40 and 50 MPH winds that can tear across the island. Gatewood Construction helped us to rebar and cement cedar trellises that we hope to have for many years to come. 

                          

Dutcman's pipe vine grew as rapidly as a couple of feet a day to quickly cover its trellis. The minute yellow eggs, the size of a pencil point, are the first sign of our success. Swallowtails search out pipevine as their preferred plant for laying clusters of eggs. The hatched larva/caterpillars remain in clusters as they quickly devour the vine's dense foliage.

                     

                            

Gulf Fritillary lay individual minute brown and tan eggs on the underside of passion vines. The Lady Margaret crimson colored passion vine boasts further evidence of success. The orange caterpillars "hatch" from the egg and quickly become the size of a nail's crescent. Voraciously eating the vine,  they will eventually grow black spikes and rapidly become over an inch long before curling up into a chrysalis from which a butterfly will emerge. These butterflies are native to the Gulf of Mexico, hence their name. Given the correct balance of larval and nectar plants, these hatchlings should stay with us on Useppa for generations to come. 

                         

The most rewarding aspect of the days dedicated to planning, planting, weeding, relocating plants, fending off gopher turtles that love our tender seedlings (don't get me started!) and repairing water lines, is sharing the garden with people of all ages. Young children either inherently know about caterpillars or must have read The Hungry Caterpillar, ever popular with the preschool set. Emerson, one of the island's full time children, visits with a Monarch caterpillar, happily munching on scarlet milkweed.

                         

It's us older folk that often have confusion about how the whole butterfly lifecycle works. Here's five of the seven stages we painted on stepping stones so that the the young people have a teaching tool for those that somehow missed hatching butterflies chapter at school. 

    

Having a garden has always been a dream of mine. As a New York City - and now Boston - girl, I thought I'd have to be content with pots and containers. Now I can spend days on end painting the landscape with color and structure that has purpose. (I know those of you that know me well are simply  shocked to hear that spreadsheets and highlighters  were involved in the creative process in creating this garden. It's just SO unlike me!) Do you think There is a graduate program that would certify me as a master gardener and lepidopterist while still obtaining an MFA? How many lives do we have? Come visit the garden.

What happens on Useppa?

It's challenging to imagine what could possibly occupy us on an island 1 mile long, a 1/4 mile wide, with no paved roads, cars or shops and only one small restaurant. To give you an idea, here's a recap of this past winter. 

Steve started the year winning a quadrant of the annual croquet tournament. When not addressing the ball in his whites, he's been working this past year to bring reliable  Internet service to our little island of 100 homes. UWIN - Useppa Wireless Internet Network - has been an experience of fortitude and patience (peppered with a bit of cursing) for Steve and his small band of determined, tech savvy islanders. Nothing deters the UWIN team. OSHA is clearly NOT present and life insurance policies have been significantly increased as the team scales the Inn's three story metal roof by rope, sans harnesses, and wearing boat shoes (!) to view potential tower locations. Fellow Useppans will be grateful when we're high speed live, but collections for the UWIN widows is also being discussed. 

Land stewardship was another theme this year as the Kaufmans, with their neighbors the Sears, identified an arborist (NOT island volunteers in boat shoes with ragged ropes!) to help rescue one of the island's two banyan trees that reside in front of our homes. 

Years of rot have been trimmed back. The tree is again safe to climb and hopefully will last another 100 years. 

A person has to eat and Useppans like nothing more than to entertain. Net result a coq a vin cooking class. You can guess who prepared the food and who oversaw the table preparation in his tuxedo. 

Any ocassion is worth celebrating. The island prides itself on being an equal opportunity venue as O'Kaufman presided over the St Patrick's Day golf cart Parade.

Family and friends are always welcome! They came this year from near and far - some too camera shy to appear here. Know that you are welcome to join us - just ask. And if the island activities don't win you over ...... 

  

... then sunsets surely will. 

Picasso - Sculpture - MOMA

Only the third retrospective  ever devoted to Picasso's sculpture, this MOMA exhibit contains 140 works and spans 40 years of an incomparable 80 year career, including what's believed to be his very first piece created in Spain at 21.

Pieces were gathered here from all over Europe, museums and private collections. Picasso exhibits a love of putting together found objects, as with this Cubist inspired sugar cube balancing on a glass of absinthe. Later a Woman in the  Garden of welded, painted iron. Halfway through his career the more voluminous and vessel like Head of a Woman and nearly 3 decades later, woman in sheet metal. 

Every room tells a different story. Re-read chapters you know and discover new ones.  Through early February, 2016.

Holiday Season in New York City

The traditional end-of-year holiday season doesn't usually conjure up skyscrapers or palm trees, but the Kaufman's are flexible. 

Friday Seder and pre-Hanukkah celebration was at St Paul's, the oldest church building in Manhattan, adjacent to the World Trade Center. (Hang in there & all will become clear - in a Kaufman kind of way.) Steve's niece Jill and her husband Guy helped establish the temple which meets twice a month at this Episcopal church, attended by George Washington after his inauguration on Wall Street in 1789. (No, he didn't sleep here, just prayed.) Their children Guy/Trace Sophie and Hunter, along with Jill's parents/Steve's cousin David and his wife Harriet rounded out the Kaufman crew. There were LOTS of kids, food and activities. Karen finally learned to play dreidel which she plans to bring to her game loving family's Christmas party. 

A Holiday trip to NYC would not be complete without a viewing the skaters at Rockefeller Center, the oversized surrounding decorations, official Christmas tree and jostling with the crowds to see this year's over-the-top themed store windows. 

For over 30 years, Steve has celebrated the year's end with his men's forum members and their wives. The beauty and warmth of Le Grenouille matched the spirit of the evening. Besides the company of 20 very close friends, we'll be long remembering the incredible wine, food, crepes along with warm chocolate and Grand Marnier soufflés.

An evening's rest and then brunch with Karen's mom Jinny and brother Chris at the always wonderful Blue Water Grill. Although the traditional brunch fare is delightful, book a bit later and indulge in the delectable sushi and other fish offerings. Note - reservations a YES and ask for a booth near the windows.

The end of the holidays will include Florida, but more on that later. 

Rome - Molto Bene

                            

Rome - where to begin? Fortunately Cinzia, a friend who recently moved back to Rome and who also has a background in architecture, came to my rescue. There were countless kilometers of walking, fortified with latte macchiato and high octane vegetable juices and you too can conquer much of Rome in a minimal amount of time. 

         

The Colosseum can't help but impress. Since pedestrian streets mean that  traffic is no longer an issue, you can wander around, envisioning the power the Flavian Ampitheatre had on its early guests in 80AD, when inaugurated by Emperor Titus. 100 days of celebratory games and the destruction of thousands of wild beasts set the tone for the Coliseum, until slaughter-as-sport was outlawed in 523AD. 

  

                        

A short distance down the street is Fora Romano - a series of forums, each built by successive emperors leaving their mark. The Forum of Nerva still boasts two Corinthian columns and a frieze depicting the myth of Arachne. 

                       

Layers of Roman life are revealed, with brick filling in for missing marble to show how columns were pieced together. Column decoration - Ionic, Doric or Corinthian - help to indicate age. They ages are all older than you can ever imagine - think Augustus completion in 42BC, Julius Cesar, Claudius and Nero, who watch Rome burn in 64AD, plus Titus and others. 

       

A panorama reaches across centuries. It includes  112AD Colona Traina, (Column of Trajan), the domed baroque 1685 Santissimo Nome Di Maria al Foro Traiano Church, (Church of the Holy Name), with a peek to the left of Altare Della Patria, (Altar of the Fatherland), inaugurated in 1911 to celebrate Victor Emanuelle, the first king of a unified Italy and is known for including the monument which contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, built after WWI. 

                                    

The narrow winding streets of the Jewish quarter, is one of the most ancient and truly Roman areas of the city. It is known to be the oldest Jewish community in Europe. And one of the oldest continuous Jewish settlements in the world. Near the Tibris River, it's a place to wander, escape the crowds and eat amazing food. 

                                  

The silence that can be found inside small neighborhood churches create an instant sanctuary. Each has its own character, yet keeping them separate in your mind can be a challenge. 

          

              

Piazza Navona is one of Rome's loveliest pedestrian squares. Bernini designed the central Fountain of the Four Rivers. The square is lined with palaces, and today, cafes. 

                       

The Parthenon - a marvel in 125AD - still awes hundreds of years later. It's airy interior and perfect proportion remain a wonder of the world. The bold 27-foot hole at the top of the dome's center provides light and structural support. The entire structure's design seems to hover, weightless.  

Cross the Tibris and to Vatican City's Saint Peter's Square and Basillica. Covering 120 acres, it is a theocracy to just over 550 citizens, headed by the pope. What may be most incredible, is it's extremely close proximity to busy streets filled with shops, cafes and homes. Imagine the White House in the middle of Boston's Beacon Street or New York City's West village. 

        

Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Donata Bramante were the most renowned architects of St Peter's Basillica. There is something about the symmetry that brings a sense of peace and containment. 

                                   

Before leaving Rome, make sure to find time to wander the Villa Borghese park. The southern views over the city can't be beat. Wander the gardens, rent a bicycle or visit it's wonderful museums. The Bourghese Gallery has a number of famous works and might require calling ahead to reserve tickets. The Galleria Nazionalle d'Arte Moderna has a collection of Italian focused and European art from the late 1800's until today. 

           

Setting the stage to the d'Arte Nationalle, the entrance combines cracked Venetian glass, topped with plaster cast of renowned female Roman statuary - juxtaposing the old with the new. 

                       

The art collection is broad - filled with names you know and others that you wan to know better. Originally built as a summer residence to the Borghese family, as a retreat from their Roman residence, this heart shaped garden continues to act as a retreat to many - residents and guests alike - so visit!

This overciew is about half of what was visited in less than three days. There's certianly so much more to experience. And I didn't even mention the food, the markets and the sidewalk cafes! Whats's the secret? A good friend whose keeps you from getting lost and contagious enthusiasm motivates you to wander down one more street.  Thank you Cinzia!

 

    

   

 

 

 

Venice - Arts excursions

   

                      

The Venice Bienalle is a much lauded international event that originated in 1895 to promote tourism. These days, tourism is certainly not an issue, but the Bienalle is certainly an important reason to travel to Venice between May and Novmber.  MIT has represented the US three times. This year, Paul Ha, the MIT contemporary art LIST museum director was the American Pavillion curator. H selected Joan Jonas, a pioneer of video and performance art and one time MIT instructor, who at 79, created what was easily one of the best and most memorable exhibits at this year's Bienalle, which was themed All the World's Future. 

                       

    

Jonas installation certainly reflects the Bienalle theme and brings you through four multimedia rooms reflecting fragility, loss, regeneration and conservation. It is an emotional, multi layered experience. Images of our delicate environment are layered with fragility of age seen in conjunction with video of youth interspersed with Joan Jonas in the winter of her life. It is a visually charged, highly personal yet universal conversation, where each viewer is free to take away what speaks to them. 

        

Although there were many notable pavilions, the Japanese "Key in Hand" by Berlin artist Chiharu Shiota had a sense of beauty and emotionality difficult to put into words. The exhibit took two months to install with its 15-thousand keys. Endless red string acts as a linear origami and along with other familiar daily life object, brings the viewer through a multilayered dream-like sense of the known and the unknown - life and death - light and darkeness and the possibility of spiritual brightness. According to the curator, "this is a light that is inherent not only in tremendous anxiety that plagues Japanese people but in the precarious state of things all over the world."

Other notable exhibits were Australia - voted most popular at the May opening - Switzerland, Denmark and  Holland. Look them up and take a tour. 

                

 The Peggy Gugegenheim Collection is not to be missed. Founded in 1951, it is clearly a personal act of love and considered one of the most important museums in Italy for European and American 20th century art. Picasso, Leger, Pollock (Peggy was his first financial benefactor), Max Ernst her one time husband - the list is a whose who of early 20th century art.

               

The experience is also personal. Note this Calder bedframe, made for and used by Peggy Guggenheim in this room. A unique woman for any age, she was born in 1898 to a wealthy New York family. Her father went down in the Titanic and she was the niece of Soloman R. Guggenheim who would establish the famed NY Guggenheim. Peggy made Venice her home. She evolved, traded and created this collection between 1938 and 1946. Exhibited in her home on the Grand Canal, it is one of Venice's most visited attractions - so plan on getting there early or do as we did and find a group that obtains unique access.  To find out more about this unque woman, look up Anton Gil, who was is her official biographer. 

                   

The Palzzo Grassi is a physical space worth experiencing as it strips an  ancient structure to its bare essence with exposed brick and wooden beams. Director Marco Ferraris introduces us to the current exhibit, Slip of the Tounge, curated by Danish-Vietnamese Dan Ho, who was the contributor of the Danish Biennale exhibit. 

                 

Palazzo Furtuny in some ways is reminiscent of the Musee d'Orsay. An ancient home in San Marco, it is a gothic building transformed by Mario Fortuny into his own atelier of photography, paintings, stage design and and textiles - some of which are subtly seen in several of the galleries behind the work. The contemporary art is the big surprise. Some is intermixed with ancient art, others invite you into their  own unique space. Allow for time to stroll and enjoy. 

                    

The Armenain Pavillion won the Golden Lion for the Best In Show. Amenity is an installation of 18 artists works that speaks to the Armenian diaspora. These exhibits are interspersed with the permanent collection which is considered to be the cultural center of the Armenian people. The Pavillion is  located on the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni at the Mekhhitarist Monastery, founded in 1717 by Mekhinar who was born in the Ottoman Empire and came to Venice during the hostilities between the Turks and Venetians. He was given the outlying island of San Lazzaro where the focus was to translate western Christian works into Armenian and still remains the headquarters of this congregation. The winning of this prestigious award was highly controversial. Certianly the art work and it's installation was comparatively  uneven. However, the history of an people and the monestary itself is worth a visit at any time. There must be reasons why it was the only Venetian monastic institute spared by Napoleon and Lord Byron chose to spend time here. 

         

What art visit would be complete without a visit to an artist studio? Giovanni Soccol lives wit Margarite in an artist garrison that is hundreds of years old. On the top floor, skylights offer incredible northern light. Two large rooms would have been used for painting and exhibiting work, while small rooms are reserved for living. 

                       

A contemporary painter, one of the things that makes Giovanni unique is his mixing of paints by hand from oils and natural binders. A nearly lost art, it is particularly surprising considering the contemporary nature of his work. The maze like images feel both like the caverns experinced when rowing on narrow Venetian canals between buildings or possibly the asphalt canyons he was exposed to when teaching in New York. In any case, it was a privilege to visit his home and a reminder to never give up the opportunity to visit an artist studio. 

                                

Enough art, it is time for lunch at the recently restored 16-th century Aman Grand Canal hotel. A magnificent building which hosts an original Tiepolo painting, old master frescoes, two gardens and some of the most beautiful Venetian chandeliers and mirrors your likely to see. Just steps from the Rialto Bridge and a vaparetto to bring you to St. Mark's Square - it is a slice of sanity - even if you just stop by for a visit.