Summer continues

Rod and Boris in the Smoky Mountains

One of the great traditions in America is the is dispatching of children to summer camp. In an effort to avoid accusations of being 'un-American' we decided to participate in this most venerable of institutions and booked Boris into the Smoky Mountain Adventure Camp (SMAC!?) for three weeks. This involved a long car journey up to Tennessee to drop him off (and to pick him up again). Since it was such a journey we decided to make a bit of a trip out of it and first drove up to Asheville in North Carolina (via Georgia and South Carolina). Ashville is considered a centre for the arts, and when we were there there was plenty going on - heaps of people, galleries, street performers, and outdoor dining. It is a sweet town high up in the mountains with a relatively intact historic district. The hotel we stayed in was new and very well designed. Down South one doesn't see much in the way of contemporary architecture and design, most places are either corporate bland or 'traditional'. It is very refreshing to be somewhere which embraced good design without defaulting to 'old world'. Having said that, we didn't see a great deal of innovation in the art sitting in the numerous galleries, but one step at a time.

Having spent a night in Ashville we drove via the famous Smoky Mountian Parkway, to Tennessee to drop Boris off at Camp. The photos below were both taken from one of the lookout spots along that road.

Smoky Mountains - view from the road

The camp is located in a sleepy little community called Cosby, deep in the mountains and forest. It comprises a collection of hut-like buildings distributed in the trees. B slept in a cabin with 12 other boys. To give you some idea of the conditions, half way through his stay we got our only letter from Boris which, after a quick reassurance he was having a great time, pleaded for us to send food and air freshener (this from a boy who before he went decided that he would not need to shower while he was away). Caving, horse riding, tramping, camping, swimming and such like were all on the agenda. They sang around a camp fire every night (Ging-gang-goolie anyone?).

We had a perilous journey home however. The car kept cutting out while we were negotiating the narrow windy roads. It seemed to be related to overheating (after all it was well over 40 degrees outside and the journey long and hilly), so in an effort to cool the engine we had to have the heater going full blast... I'll say no more other than the journey home was not a happy one! Anyway, the heater treatment did the trick and we had no more trouble.

Last weekend we took the opportunity to spent the weekend in a lodge at Eufuala, a small town with a large lake about 1.5hr drive from Auburn. The town is lovely with graceful renovated antebellum mansions lining the main street. The lake is a large wildlife reserve filled with flowering lotus and allegators and surrounded by forest. It is also the large mouth bass capital of the world (although try as we might, we didn't manage to catch a fish - too hot apparently). We had the canoe and while fishing was an unfruitful activity, it was really lovely being on the quiet lake early morning and evening.

In the forest around lake Eufuala

Early morning on the lake

Boris fishing, hoping to see a 'gator

I guess the most exciting thing that has happened recently in the garden is the arrival of hummingbirds - at last! We had given up putting out nectar ages ago, then, all of a sudden there they were wanting to be fed. We now have at least four pairs which hang around - they are fascinating and not at all shy. We love watching them zooming from place to place. Don't know how long we will have them for as they will be migrating south in the autumn some time. Hope they hang around for a while yet though, they are such fun to have around.

Other garden news... we have had a bumper crop of tomatoes and I have been busy making tomato stuff (chutney, relish, sauce) we have also had loads of figs which I have been preserving in a rum syrup which will be something to look forward to in the dead of winter. Chili production has also been good and I have combined them with tomatoes to make a strong chili sauce. We have also had lots of green peppers which is slightly problematic as I don't really like them although they too have been combined with tomatoes to make green pepper and tomato chutney which had been quite a success. Poor Rod loves green peppers but never gets to have them cos other members of the family don't like them (ie me) so the chutney is a good compromise. Other star performers include apples and egg plants. As for the muscadines (a local green grape), I can't wait to get my hands on them but have a few more weeks until they ripen.

Meantime the dysfunctional self-organizing system of systems called American politics lunges on. It may slowly be sinking in to Obama and his supporters that individuals cannot make a difference and that unless he finds a winnable overseas war (and wins it) he won't be re-elected. The system is so autonomous and so interconnected that the appearance every four years of a so-called 'leader' (think 'commander in chief') is a tiny blip that flashes weakly and then to all intents and purposes goes away, leaving the political machine to follow the world's money like it always does, swallowing conflicts and heaving them up and swallowing them again. Its painful and funny listening to well-meaning liberals on public radio rationalizing and smoothing as if anything they say is worth a coot, the media being like the system (well its part of it lets face it) in its ability simply to ingest contingencies that are inconsistent with the systems needs, just lickin' 'em up an' movin' on.

Luckily in the South no one talks about politics, sex or religion (tho they certainly practice them) and we can concentrate on the important things like getting the squirrels out of the apple tree before they eat every damned one and wondering just why it is that even girls who should not, do - wear soffies that is. Talk about a uniform! My favourite combination is lime green soffies, cowboy boots and a Just ask Jesus T-shirt. Rodeo Day is a blast!

Now that B is playing the saxophone we have seen an upsurge (possibly short-lived) of interest in Saint Lester and his angels of jazz. The sax is on long-term loan. It is very cool, being silver as opposed to brass, and of 1950s origin. Sixty years old and still going strong.

Summer

Well, yes, I know we are slack about updating the blog - sorry. Lots been going on though. Boris and I had a lovely visit to NZ - Boris spent most of his time on the farm, it was hard to prise him away (the photo might give some indication as to why!)

It was great to spend some time with Tony and Kath - Tony has been very busy on the house and done a fantastic job completely renovating the upstairs bathroom (one job amongst many he has completed) he may well be working harder now he is retired than before... Just before I left one of the big trees in their back garden blew over which caused a bit of excitement.

As soon as I got back Rod and I took a group of students to New Orleans. What an interesting place it is. We had seen Spike Lee's documentary "When the Levees Broke" by means of preparation (highly recommended viewing by the way, but make sure you have a box of tissues handy).

We did all the obligatory things such as eating beignet (which Rod is attempting to do in the photo without getting icing sugar everywhere), hanging around the French Quarter eating oysters, alligator sausage and gumbo. (A lot of eating going on...)

We walked around the Garden District (very elegant) but also drove around the 9th Ward which was an area heavily hit by flooding post-Katrina. That was very sobering. The markings made by searchers are still on many of the remaining homes and the place is really devastated.



The site that the students are using for their design project is not in New Orleans but in Plaquemine's Parish, right at the end of the road where the Mississippi forms a delta which fans out into the gulf of Mexico. The area is comprised of wetlands which are the main defense against storm surge for New Orleans. Unfortunately the oil industry has riddled the area with canals which have caused massive erosion. If things don't improve rapidly then New Orleans is in real trouble. It is a fascinating area - it is also sinking due to the extraction of oil, so all in all, lots for the students to work on. The place is called Venice - how appropriate given that the place is now more water than land - at high tide even the road is flooded. The landscape is unmistakenly one of oil.


I had no idea there were so many oil wells - there are 3,500 just off the coast of Louisiana alone. There are over 27,000 abandoned wells in the Gulf, many of which are not properly sealed. It looks like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an accident waiting to happen. On the way home we went to look at some oil - we had no trouble finding it (spot the clean-up crews). It is everywhere - brown sticky blobs all over the beaches. The water was also a nasty black colour - I guess because the oil is mixed with dispersants. No way I'd swim there!

Back in Auburn it is hot and dry - It hasn't rained properly for weeks. Boris is off on camp, the Smoky Mountain Adventure Camp no less. We had a letter from him saying he was having a great time and had lost track of time. It also pleaded for us to send some food (quote: the food is not that great) and some air freshener - apparently his cabin smells of sweat (this from someone who said he wasn't going to bother taking many showers while at camp...)

events since the snow

the pictures show Boris shaking hands with the young Elvis depicted in Tupelo where he was born, at the same age as B is now (notice bib overalls), and from the museum at graceland (note changing tast in clothes).

its been a while since we updated the blog, primarily because we've been busy updating the house: painting rooms, hanging curtains, having the floor done, putting up bookshelves and the like. you can see familiar items rearranged not too differently in the photo of our new dining room. this has all required a pretty comprensive upgrade of our equipment and tools, so we've been out at the local version of mitre ten every weekend buying sanders and scrapers, brushes and sharpeners, paints and polyurethanes, as well as big items such as a new lawn mower, a bbq and a canoe (!) we've also completely renovated the vege garden and replanted it with summer salad things and 'erbs, 'erbs, 'erbs ...

it was great having kath and tony here, and the trips we went on with them were a lot of fun, especially visiting memphis tennessee. tony said he would never have though of going to gracelands, but he was very impressed by it. they also went to savannah (east) and new orleans (west). tony was handy about the place at a crucial time, and his expertise in things electronic helped a lot (eg my record player).

i have just spent ten days in the netherlands, france and belgium, mostly at a conference, but i managed to get to carnac where the prehistoric stone alignments are, and now that i'm back am settling in to the warm weather. the porch is the place to be, with home-made lemonade, mint juleps and jacqueline's wicked margueritas.

we had the landscape architecture faculty and students for a bbq a couple of weeks ago. even when they're drunk the students call you sir.as i think we've mentioned you can't get lamb here, so we bbq'd texan steaks and weenies, and the grilled squirrel went down a treat too!

carnac alignments




graceland

Snow in Auburn

Yes, well, it is very exciting. Today it snowed. Such a big event it was that all the schools and the university closed in anticipation. We had about 4 inches I'd guess. It seems to have stopped now, and I suspect that that might be it (hardly the blizzards they are having in Washington, but a big deal for Auburn.) Photos of our front and back yards in snow.

Ironically, we had the last coat of polyurethane on the bedroom floor done today so can't put the heating on till tomorrow - funny that the very day it snows we can't put on the heating.... (we took up the carpet in the master bedroom, which was a horrible aqua colour which you can see in the photo I took before we moved in (previous owners' furniture), and have had it replaced with hardwood floor). The curtains in the bedroom have also made an exit except they have done stirling duty as drop cloths. The smell of polyurethane pervades our whole living environment right now, making one quite light headed. Hope it will dissipate soon, but not holding out much hope.

We have been busy painting and generally getting organized in the new house. I have painted the lounge, the master bedroom (and walk-in closets). and made a start on the kitchen. Next on the list is the dining room. That fireplace which Boris is sitting next to is now white(ish) - we painted the brick so that it wasn't so dramatic.

The fireplace is great actually, and cunningly designed - there is a gas pipe which supplements the fire - put the gas on and you don't need any kindling - the gas flame gets the big logs going, and if the fire isn't going well, we just turn the gas up and bingo! A roaring fire sans effort. Boris loves it (of course), what boy doesn't like mucking about with fire?

It is Mardi Gras next week - don't really know what that it, but no doubt we'll find out. I'll post pictures if any eventuate.

Love from Jacqueline

PS to Christmas

As requested by Cassandra - some photos from our "Christmas Morning" (actually, the morning before we went to NY, so a few days early).

Jacqueline tries on her new apron - looks particularly good with PJ's... Impressive bit of sewing that! Is that Imogen's hand we detect? By the way, many thanks for the cards - they were all lovely!

Boris takes aim with his new gun.

This is Jacqueline's Lane Cake, an old Southern classic high cake. It's over 30cm tall and comprises three layers encased on a custard-like fruit mix. There is over a cup of Bourbon in that cake! It was a hit at the Thanksgiving party we went to. Very hard to cut as it is soooo tall, but it was structurally sound - it didn't disintergrate once people started slicing into it.

Christmas in Manhattan

In an effort to distract ourselves from the fact that we had no family to celebrate Christmas with, we took ourselves off to New York for 7 days. The day before we arrived there was a massive snow storm, much to Boris' delight.

The buildings had on their best livery- Sax 5th Ave went for the snowflake look, but others had exquisite window displays.

We did a great deal of walking, but it was difficult to prevent the icy blast penetrating our numerous layers of wool. The only problem we really had though was that once we went inside we roasted. We spent lots of time dressing and then undressing as we moved between cosy inside and Artic outside.

We did many of the usual tourist type things, including a boat trip on the river, which gave Boris the opportunity to see the Statue of Liberty up close and to also get a good look at the Manhattan skyline. They are only allowing 10 people up the statue at a time these days (selected by lottery) we we didn't attempt to get lucky - the odds are too great given the number of people. We did, however, make it up the Empire State Building and got a great view of the city under snow.

There were skaters in both Central Park (particularly picturesque) and Bryant Park. Very Christmassy. Boris, of course, was mostly interested having in snowball fights.

The museums were wonderful. The Natural History Museum had the best dioramas I have ever seen , and their dinosaur exhibits were also remarkable.

Boris enjoyed the Andy Warhol pieces at the Museum of Modern Art, and has started to show an appreciation of Roy Lichtenstein.

The Metropolitan Museum was astounding - the stuff they have! I particularly enjoyed the impressionist collection, but also the early Italian masters - of which they had an abundance. W hardly scratched the surface in the three hours we were there - it would take weeks to get around it all.

One late afternoon we left Boris watching TV in the hotel (he'd done his dash looking at cultural masterpieces) and Rod & I went to a Kandinsky exhibition at the Guggenheim.

On Christmas Day we went to the movies on 42nd St. It was packed! We were at the opening night of "Sherlock Holmes" - very enjoyable it was too. Perfect Boris-type movie - lots of action and an easy story to follow...

On the last day Boris and Rod both picked up food poisoning - we think Rod got his from the place we had breakfast - (surprisingly, as it was a nice little restaurant which looked clean enough), and Boris later on in the day from a kebab roadside cart (which wasn't surprising at all). Both had a really rough night and the next day we had to get up early to head for the airport. Thanks to that scare on Christmas Day when that Nigerian tried to set off explosives on the flight from Holland, we had to be super early at the airport to deal with security. We managed all that, then about an hour before our flight was due to depart, it got cancelled. We ended up waiting hours before getting on an indirect flight to Atlanta (via North Carolina). You can imagine the state both Rod and Boris were in by the time we got home -poor things. It took days for them to recover. Anyway, they are both fit and well now, ready to take on the New Year!