Benign Neglect

Diversification and preservation often accompany a purposeful, deliberate kind of neglect. Witness the relatively intact architecture and perfectly preserved cars of Cuba, a nation that was in extreme isolation from us. What would new wealth have done to its iconic architecture? Probably given us one badly done renovation after another. How many beautiful brownstones would we have lost in New York City, if Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant were rich white neighborhoods? 

And so it follows in nature. The front lawn of a certain old house in the historic Hudson Valley has an intact lawn; not the artificial one made with an abundance of pesticides and aggressive weed-pulling, but an incredibly rich and diverse tapestry that holds hundreds of plants, weeds, and wildflowers one doesn't typically see untouched in the suburbs, simply because the current owner does not tend to it with the same kind of care he would to his own lawn. It is often through this kind of neglect that the most beautiful wildflower flourishes. 

Welcome to September, dear readers.

Old Houses

National headquarters for a fraternity.

You know by now that I love really old houses, especially the kind 
of atmospheric ones from the historic revolutionary region called 
"The Hudson Valley", and so it remains still to this day. 

I have a deep, abiding love for architecture that began when I grew up near some of the oldest houses in America, here in the tri-state area. They look good in every season, too. 

Small shed, big house.

Large and in charge, for a house.

The corner turret, and other domicile delights.

Stone walls, and other revolutionary structures.

Beautiful portico and side balconies with rocking chairs.

Peaked roofs and wide open porches made for afternoon breezes.

Big old trees, planted when the house was new.

 

The First Day of Spring

Springtime in Stuyvesant Square Park.

Stuyvesant Square Park.

Flowers in bloom, Stuyvesant Square Park.

Clusters of buds like barnacles.

Hello! Welcome to the new season. In celebration, I've put up a series of photos I took in 2013, when I lived (for a brief time) in Stuyvesant Town, a neighborhood in lower Manhattan. It was the first time I'd ever lived in the borough that is officially New York, New York, and as a native New Yorker, I had other surprising (and rare) "firsts", too: I discovered parks, foliage, trees, flowers, plants, and people I hadn't encountered before, as the glorious, gorgeous Spring of last year unfolded before my eyes. Here's to the newness, and yet timelessness, that marks the first signs of Spring. Enjoy!

Birdhouses: Stone Cottage

Stone birdhouse in Nyack, NY.

You should know I love birdhouses and tree houses, because they are mini houses for animals and kiddies. Babies!! And baby houses!! They are so cute and they come in so many varieties. If you like them, too (chicks <cough> chicks), check out my Pinterest boards. I post lots of pictorial content on there that's way different from here. http://pinterest.com/mariedoucette/birdhouses-and-treehouses/ 

Here's hoping your day includes some charm.

Around the Way: Gaslight Lamps

The gaslight lamps of historic Brooklyn.

If you've never seen gaslight lamps flickering cheerily 
in the purple dusk of a waning day, I can't tell you how beautiful a sight it is, because it's something you have to see for yourself. 
My town has them in abundance, and with time they became a symbol of hearth and home to me. 

After the brutally bratty boardroom battles in The Matrix of Manhattan, I can't tell you what a relief it is to walk through the warmth of our streets homeward-bound. I can actually feel my muscles loosen as I relax on my walk home from the subway. 

Who wouldn't want to come home to something as wonderful as this? What do you see every day that reminds you of home? Because those are the very things you'll miss when you're away.