Cottages: The Sitzmark Ski Shop

The Sitzmark Ski Shop of Pearl River, NY.

One of the best facets about being from the original 13 Colonies is a palatable sense of history and lineage that's directly tied to our ethnic affiliations. Many New Yorkers count the craftsmen who built our cities and towns as their direct ancestors. With them came their European aesthetics: medieval cobblestone streets, peaked roofs, and charming cottages. At heart I love old homes, particularly old Victorians, with their creaking wood floors, tall ceilings, big open spaces, and design quirks around every corner. I miss the time spent on making things slowly but well, because it's built to last. That's something I try to keep in any work flow I find myself in: carving out space for quality, because craft matters. 

It's hard to fight for. As the pace of life quickens, people typically toss out time and care when under pressure. But some things are worth fighting for, and a beautifully designed space should be the first thing we want for ourselves. Our homes are where we spend the bulk of our time. The Sitzmark Ski Shops' been here since way before I first moved to Rockland with my family in the 70s, but I still love passing it by. It's like the proverbial fairy tale cottage in the woods, full of magic and mystery. I love that's it's a very old church, now an old seasonal ski shop, whose downstairs basement still houses the workspace.  

Do you have every day magic around you?

Come check out my board full of quaint cottages on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mariedoucette/cottages/

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.

Street Art: Yo, Vinny!

What is that? Who's Vinny?!

I have no idea who Vinny is, and back at art school in the 90s, when Andre the Giant stickers were passed around among us, I had no idea who his posse was. I still don't. But I know Shep Fairey is from RISD, and at the time I actually thought he was a printmaking major (he was an Illustration major), because he spent so much time screen printing projects in those studios. My friends in printmaking gave me my first batch of Andre stickers, and for years I still had one or two.

He's the hook that pulls you in.

I've traveled the world a bit, and I've seen Andre stickers on potted plants hanging in Amsterdam creperies, at an angle directly within my line of my vision, which was surreal, strange, and cool all at the same time. And that's how it goes: fine art thrives in the cult of exclusivity, that hipster feeling of being in the know, then spreads outward to the masses. I'm glad to see the next generation has taken up the baton of sticker art made for the streets. Go, man, go.

http://www.rocklandtimes.com/2012/08/16/vinny-raffa-still-has-a-posse/

Small Town America: River Towns

View of the Tappen Zee from Nyack, NY.

Oceans are one thing, and big ass rivers are quite another. Townspeople by the Hudson will tell you that the river is as fierce as you would expect a major artery to the Atlantic Ocean to be. Anyone whose driven along the Palisades State Parkway will tell you that the fog bank that rolls off it at night is like something out of a horror movie: thick, impassable, and almost tangibly powerful enough not to be cut through with a car. We've all had those nights when you simply follow the tail lights in front of you, hoping that car doesn't drive right off the road, and that's how we get through it.

Picket fences and a very big river.

There remain no lights to lead the way, because of it's Federal Park status. Some folks swear they "know" the road by heart, but any good pilot will tell you that the true test for them is flying solely by instruments, because looking out the window does you no good, and that's exactly how it feels. It's scary, surreal, and wild, and that's the way it goes with forces of nature: you're not in control. That's what makes great adventures. What adventures will you have?

Nature: Full Moons

Phase I: the moon.

I've written about full moons and mythology a bit before (http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2012/02/wolves.html), and still lunar cycles amaze us. My mother's cousin told me a friend went into labor right at the peak of the full moon, as did many women in her area. So busy were the delivery rooms that night that they had women lined up on gurneys in the hallway, because every room was already in use. That's how powerful it is upon our bodies. 

Phase II: the moon.

That mysterious lack of control over nature that women feel, right down to our bones, is also what connects us back to the source of us all as a part of Mother Nature. Enjoy whatever phase you're in, because there's one thing in life you can count on: it will change.

Street Art: No Dogs Allowed

Oh, no Snoopy!

Every time I see a sign like this, it takes me back to Charlie Brown Specials from my childhood. You know the one: Snoopy can't visit his sick little girl in a hospital, the little girl who loved him before Charlie Brown. Oh, so sad! Poor Snoopy!! But then, one of my brothers would come in a dis the show (usually with "This show is gay! Like, for babies and stuff."), then change the channel to something more boy-centric like baseball.



I wish A.D.D. drugs were more available then for those little devils! I kid. It's made me much more tolerant towards other people's interests, even the cripplingly boring ones, and for that I'm glad because contrary to our t.v. reality, there's a lot of boredom and boring out there, and the more bored I feel, the more creative I get. What inspires you?

You little devil!

Nerds Love Video Games

lhttp://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2011/11/video-games.html

We do. We love them so much, we even take pictures of our high scores. By the way, can you touch my Tetris, bitch? No, you can't. See? It's that bad. What games are you playing today?

Food: Hash It Out

A morning hash is happy fat.

The greatest thing about slop is that it can be made from anything. Ham, potatoes, onions, oil, and slapping on some hot sauce makes fat glisten very happily indeed. I know I smiled looking back at these pics, because sometimes the best comforts are also the easiest. Eat it!

Small Town: Main Street

Playing field, Pearl River, New York.

The heart of every thriving town must have a few essentials in my book: a bank, a pizza place, a movie theater, some good, solid pubs (nothing fancy, just beer and grub), a bus stop and/or a train depot for out of town escapes, a bandstand (or a gazebo), and a field to play in. We also have a really big fire house, but that's Irish for ya ;)  
Enjoy your town this weekend.

The H and L firehouse of Pearl River, New York.

Small Town America: The Ice Cream Stand

King Kone of Pearl River, New York.

For us kids and teens, the local ice cream stand was like a roller disco that our parents dropped us off at on Friday nights: it was a highly social time when girly crushes ran wild. We busted out the magenta can of Aqua Net to full on High Hair 80s effect, with lots of bright eye makeup, short shorts, and sequined clothes. 

Nowadays, kids may be more sedate, as is apropos with generational cycles, but I couldn't help notice that the stand in town has a steady stream of customers all day long, regardless of the weather outside or the temperatures. That's a steady community presence.

What in your town that brings everyone together?

Street Art: Mad Skillz, Yo

“Phreshness” in the country. But how?

With internet ghetto skills. Duhhh!

Nature: Hazy, Hot, and Humid

Oh, look at those clouds! Maybe it'll rain?

Welcome to that wet blanket time of year, when every minute outside feels like it's your last ragged, hot breath. Sometimes it's hard for me to understand people who like this type of weather, but this great big earth of ours has all types, living and thriving in all climates. 

No. Still unbearably humid, and still no rain.

Enjoy your time in the sun, worshippers. I'm longing for the beauty and warm cool of fall. See you then!

Small Town America: Treehouses

Tree house, Pearl River, NY.

I love tree houses and birdhouses, so much so, I have a Pinterest board devoted to such fanciful designs: http://pinterest.com/mariedoucette/birdhouses-and-treehouses/. It's that childhood love of all things small for our little hands to explore, like dollhouses. 

Growing up in an area that has a wonderful abundance of trees (and houses), we sent a series of summers trying to outdo our last one (http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2012/07/treehouse-of-horror.html), reusing the wood from last year that sat in a pile in the garage. It still says "summer" to me whenever I see one, and though I may have designed a different kind that this rather staid one, I found it's charm intact.  

What will you make this summer?

For more amazing tree houses, check out my Pinterest board here: http://pinterest.com/mariedoucette/birdhouses-and-treehouses/

Street Art: Vinny at Your Inn

Vinny strikes back.

Martial Arts: Belt Rankings

Every martial artist loves going up in rank. It's the proverbial carrot in front of the horse-cart, the lure that keeps us coming back for pain we willingly pay the price for. As proud as we are, it is also counter to those same values to brag about it, because someone of the same rank can take your words to heart (or completely nut out in fear, envy, anger, and malice), by trying to kill you in the very next class. I've had more than one person say to me, while eying my latest belt, "So, you went up in rank again, huh?", often followed by "You didn't even say anything!", and now you know why.

Which brings us to the next principle: not all belts of the same color are created equal. It's a deceptive thing to base your training on. I've seen more prowess in someone of lesser rank, because a white belt for them only indicates learning a new art form, but they're actually a black belt in another discipline, hence much more advanced as an martial artist than you. 

On the other hand, I've sparred with black belts who simply did the time and paid for the classes, but they'll never be a fighter or a warrior of any serious worth (for a myriad of reasons), and isn't that true with any art form? It was doubly interesting for me, because I went up in rank yesterday, on Sunday, a day of rest and contemplation for most Catholics. And wouldn't you know what the title of this week's program read? "May I never boast of anything but the cross of the Lord."

I had placed my brand new, key chain-sized belt for Tai Chi Chuan on top of the church program, and the symbolism struck me deeply: the cross for those of faith, plus the cross made from two belt rankings. Who would you choose to follow? Which one would carry more weight with you? But, then again, for someone like me, life is always like that.  

Have an enriching week.

Small Town America: Thug Life

 

Butter Fuco was here!

A great scam artist has to have a brilliant alias, and this one got me good at the cash register of a local convenience store. Who you gonna call to fix your computer?! Oh, right: a guy from the rough side of town with a name so fake and funny on his business card, it's practically got "I'll rip you off!" as a subtitle. Go get 'em, killer.

Street Art: Skate Punks

Jesus: by the people, for the people.

I saw some arty stickers up in the local park, as well as a group of skateboarders by the band shell, and this old punk rocker's heart swelled with pride. Keeping it fresh, by the next generation.

Hey, Spitfire! What's up?

Freedom is awesome. Happy Fourth of July!
 

Nature: Florals

Magenta Floral.

It's no secret that I'm most inspired by nature: flowers, trees, leaves, grass, clouds, sky . . . . I love it all. It's in the landscape that I find perfection: through the symmetry of a snowflake, and the quiet beauty of a perfectly realized leaf fallen to the ground. That is has grown from a seed to a tree that grows, sprouts leaves, and then morphs one last time into this temporary perfection in the form of a fallen leaf is something worthy of divinity, because it is the beauty of life itself.

Yellow Cactus Flowers in Bloom.

So if you've noticed I don't take pictures of people often, that's why. As a subject matter, I find the bland snapshots of smiling people posing in front of objects horrid and most dull. Taking pictures of them on the sly appeals to me even less, and at worst, makes lots of enemies who think you're looking to capture them at their most unflattering, instead of getting the point that the photographer is seeking a deeper truth than the poser wants revealed through a candid shot. 

Magenta Flowers in Light and Shadow.

That's the thing with nature. It's always perfect as it is.

What inspires you the most?