Hurricane

Irene essentials: flashlight, new books, shiraz

The rain and wind is currently pounding the windows of my apartment. I kind of feel as though I am adrift on a ship in the middle of the ocean (or in this case, my apartment). I am all stocked with goodies: eatables, wine, books, movies, and a bathtub full of water in the event of a power outage.

It's been quite a dramatic week - earthquake, hurricane, and tornado warnings - so I am looking forward to some quieter times to reflect and be grateful for my safety. I wish all those in the path of this gigantic storm (400+ miles wide!) safety and the company of loved ones!!

Jet| Plane

There's a huge field - a park really - right on the other side of the landing strip at Reagan National Airport. On the weekends, people will bring picnics and lay out in the field as planes land directly overhead. I can't begin to describe how dramatic it is to watch these planes land. Because you are SO CLOSE. And they are SO LOUD. Like within of a few hundred feet of you sometimes. You have a 757 clearing you at a FEW HUNDRED FEET. Sometimes, it doesn't feel safe. And I love it. LOVE it. I could just sit there for hours and be so close to these flying monstrosities as they touch down. It's humbling in a similar way that the mountains or the ocean can sometimes feel like. Something bigger, grander than yourself.

Also, I think two things when I run through this park (part of the Mount Vernon trail that runs along the Virginia-side of the Potomac in this park): this place would be great for a North by Northwest photo shoot and then I think about LOST because, as I said, the planes fly right overhead and have that roaring sound heard on so many episodes.

Apartment Blooms and Some Passing Thoughts

Purple daisies for the kitchen

Purple daisies in my mini Burleigh pitcher

Tulips and Hyacinths (with some violets to boot!)

Some merry yellow fleurettes

My family is coming for a visit this Easter week and I have made every effort to fill my apartment with fresh flowers. The project has been an absolute delight as spring is my favorite season and spring flowers are so fresh and a welcome sight.

***

I am so excited to have my dear family here this week. They are bringing the remainder of my belongings from Maine - absolutely incredible of them. I am so blessed with this life - cherished family and friends. However, now that I live by myself, I sometimes feel a more acute sense of loneliness as a still single girl. I know there are a myriad of things I could do to change that, but somehow, I feel I lack the will and faith that these things will produce any kind of a genuine connection. Anyways, I am glad my family will be here this week to fill the void a wee bit. 

Wishing you all a joyous week!

Blooms on a Moody Day

The blooms were fully present on this changeable day

I adore the deep blue of the sky here

The approaching rain fell in sheets as it approached us

Last Saturday I found myself caught in a torrential rain and hailstorm while attending the Cherry Blossom Festival in downtown DC. Picture thousands of people (mostly tourists) in a mass panic due to the pelting hail, running across the Mall to see shelter in the closest Smithsonian. Pretty amusing actually.

Then, as suddenly as the storm came, it ceased and sunlight shot between the clouds. Such a moody day that created an interesting backdrop - dark greys mixing with the luminescent pastels of the cherry blossoms.

The weather reminded me so of England, prompting such yearnings to return to that beloved country.

Clear and Bright

I took this shot at a tiny point near my parents' house in Maine. I have also shot this place here on a moody October day. During the summer, I would often ride my bike over to this place to read or to just sit in the silence of the quiet ocean inlet.

Today the expanse is frozen, white, so incredibly bright. It almost burns your eyes. The sun is brilliantly reflected. In some ways, I think this is what heaven must feel like. Brilliant. Pure. An alabaster haven.

Not that this winter is my heaven. It's been so bitterly cold and snow-filled. My heaven would only have snow from December until mid-January.

During the past few days, I have been furiously packing and tying up loose ends in Maine. In the midst of all this chaos, I realize how much I will miss Maine. I love this place so much. This is the place where I have lived the longest. But I have such yearnings for new experiences, new people, and a varied life. I so crave a varied life.

So I'll leave for now with the promise to someday return. To return, when my life once more requires the calm, clean tempo of a Maine lifestyle.

Winter's Mantle

A Winter Dawn Above the marge of night a star still shines,  And on the frosty hills the sombre pines  Harbor an eerie wind that crooneth low  Over the glimmering wastes of virgin snow.  Through the pale arch of orient the morn  Comes in a milk-white splendor newly-born,  A sword of crimson cuts in twain the gray  Banners of shadow hosts, and lo, the day! ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery The house and yard appear in a alabaster mantle of newly fallen snow. I am tucked into a cozy home, fires sparkling merrily and Julia Child's coq au vin simmering in the dutch oven. Rich, comforting smells waft throughout the house. The day will be spent reading Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky (based on the recent film), watching The Young Victoria (and craving an English Spring), and perhaps a game of Scarbble or two! Hoping you are cozy wherever you are!

Christmas Skies

{A Christmas Eve moon}

{The walk to Pott's Point in Harpswell, Maine}

{Pott's Point, Harpswell}

{The barren branches were decorated with merry holiday ornaments}

{Waving to the Irish cousins}

{A Maine Christmas sky - love the little splotches of pink amidst the greys and blues}

I hope you all had a beautiful holiday (or weekend, if you don't celebrate Christmas)! We had the typical quiet, peaceful time, which I believe Christmas is all about. We went down to the beach on Christmas day to commune with the oceanscape and wave to our cousins in Ireland (to whom we had just wished a Merry Christmas on the phone)! I am so taken by the skies this year - never before have I ever noticed and been in awe of the stunning skies we have here in Maine (Maria Alexandra Vettese created scarves from images of the Maine summer sky). The first picture is one I took of the moon on Christmas Eve night - the most magical night of the year! 

A Winter's Tale (by Mae)

 

Wait, something's different. I can't quite put my paw on it. 

MUST. GO. OUTSIDE. TO. INVESTIGATE. Please hurry up and open that door!

Oooo! I think I know what this stuff is and I think I love it!

Going to check it out for official confirmation.

Okay, this fluffy stuff is AMAZING! Now please, throw me a...

SNOWBALL!!!

Image edited via Rollip.

If It's Just Us, Then It's an Awful Waste of Space

Once upon a time, I wanted to be an astronomer. Well, when I first read Carl Sagan's novel Contact and then saw the movie starring Jodie Foster. The story's content is both fascinating and humbling - the idea that there is a whole universe out there so much greater than our minuscule Earth and yet, at the same time, how "rare and precious" we all are here on Earth.

At 12 years old, I had my little telescope (three years later, I received a much bigger one that, regrettably, I never quite figured out how to use) and would perch on our porch most summer nights trying to find signs of life beyond our own. It was the greatest thrill of my age - to wonder at the vastness and possibility of the night sky.

So it was exciting to read about astronomers' findings that there may be sextillions and sextillions of stars in the universe as well as galaxies that have similar properties to the Milky Way, meaning there is a much higher chance of other planets like Earth.

It's mind boggling and it makes me think of my favorite line that Ellie's dad tells her as a little girl in Contact:

"If it's just us, it's an awful waste of space."

Below, a clip that is an incredible tribute to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence and life here on Earth (you might need to turn the volume up to hear effectively).



Image found here.

Low Tide

A low tide in Harpswell, Maine on a fog-filled November afternoon. I love how these tiny islands, small clumps of firs, seem connected to the mainland. A few hours from now, they will be earthen oases once more as this little inlet fills with the dark, briny waters of the Atlantic.

Morning Sky

I've been rising early every day for a run. To awaken my mind and body, both of which have become quite slovenly of late.  This is the view that greets me once I finished running up a long hill (Brunswick's version of Heartbreak Hill) and it is so satisfying to see the open November sky, filled with stunning clouds and morning light. Clusters of sheep mosy around damp fields, their wool greyed and spotted with clumps of mud.  The air is fresh, the scene is natural.

Simple Views

I sat at my little desk this morning to think of ideas for The Weekly Marginalian and could not conjure topics worthy of discussion. So, instead I offer a picture taken (and edited using the iPhone TiltShift application) during a drive through New Hampshire last weekend, seeing the pretty fall colors and the cascading valleys and mountain passes near Mount Washington. See how the billowing clouds cling to the mountain tops? The landscape felt so fresh, pure, and sparse in its makeup. I loved it.

This week, though short, feels worn like an ancient leather satchel passed down through generations. That elusive next step is still hiding in the wings. The new leaf yet to be turned. But, I am blessed and I intend to enjoy this cozy fall weekend. I hope you all do, as well!

A Lovely Wedding By the Sea

Last weekend, I celebrated the marriage of my high school friend, Emma, to David, a charming young Scotsman. They were married at The Bradley Inn, a darling property in Pemaquid, Maine. The reception was held under the traditional white tent and the decorations were gorgeous: green, blue, and yellow bunting and twinkle lights decorated the tent's ceiling, fresh summer flowers sat prettily in sparkling blue Ball jam jars, a four-course meal was served, consisting of lobster bisque, an heirloom tomato salad, vegetable risotto (the vegetarian option), and a choice between vanilla cake with raspberry filling or carrot cake. There was lots of dancing and revelry under a moonlit sky. After the bride and groom departed, the younger folks in the wedding party strolled down the road to the Pemaquid Lighthouse to continue the celebrations into the wee hours of the morning. Despite our joyful noise, there was a profound quiet walking through the tall, spare pines to the rocky cliffs of Pemaquid Point.

I rose early the next morning and returned to the point, gazing out upon the cool, lulling palette of the morning sea. Grey-blue colors, peppered with the soft pink of the rising sun. I remembered the first time I came to this spot - eight years old and bemused by climbing all the craggy rocks and discovering the vernal pools and shallow ecosystems. And now I was here, let's say many years later, and everything was quite unchanged. But at the same time, always moving. The sea, cold and powerful, crashing against the rough-hewn rocks. I've missed being close to the sea. There is nothing quite like the feeling of the cold Atlantic air against your skin. It was a peaceful moment amidst these crazy days.

Coming Home

Last evening, my family and I drove down the peninsula to procure ourselves some delicious lobster from a place we have been frequently for almost 20 years - Shaw's Lobster Company in New Harbor, Maine. We lived in Round Pond (seen above), a neighboring fishing village when we first moved to Maine and returning to that place every summer always feels like coming home. A quiet hamlet with pretty historic homes and kind people, it was an ideal place for my nine year-old self to find warmth and adventure.

The ritual lobster of Shaw's

The local general store down the road from where we once lived. For $1, one can enjoy a paper bag full of traditional sweets and the company of the local shopkeeper.

A fleeting glimpse of the old house - once painted a stark white, now in earthy tones, but still lovely amidst the verdant yard.

July's Joy

Maine in the summer is an easy perfection. Enjoying the love and humor of family, the gorgeous sun-kissed weather, and the incomparable scenery of a simple life adjacent to the stunning Atlantic Ocean.

Patriot games

Friday evenings at Five Islands Lobster Co.

A delicious friend

The view from our picnic table

Low tide at Popham Beach

Big summer sky

Lupin Love

It's that lupin time of year in Maine. The fields and slopes along 295 and Route 1 will be lined with scores of pink and purple cone-shaped flowers. Seeing these indigenous blooms will always remind me of when I first moved to Maine with my mom as a little nine year-old girl. I had grown up with Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, which, in tangent with my mother's encouragement, inspired my commitment to making the world a better place. I cannot wait to head Maineward later this week and reside in the Land of the Lupin once more.

1.) Photo by AJJPhotography; 2.) Image found here.

A Perch

Some mornings I would rise before dawn and walk up to a hilltop meadow to sit and look down upon this English scene. The sun rose each time to shine its forgiving rays on these historic structures. Sometimes, I just sit back in awe that the sun rises each day. Even on those days that, at the end, make you wonder if it can all begin again. And it does. That everlasting reminder of resiliency.

There is something about perching above your life that helps place the mind's detritus into order. I miss that perch and have yet to find one in my current setting. And it is so important: a place to go in solitude to reflect and mend the frayed edges of your thoughts.

Image found here.

The Look of Pride and Prejudice

{I love the light in this first scene and the fact that Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley)
is reading a book while walking- something I myself do quite often}

Many people hold that the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice is nothing in comparison to the 1995 BBC version. My mother is chief among them. For the reasons pertaining to the way the 1995 version paid such loyalty to Jane Austen's novel, I do agree with those naysayers for the most part.

However, I have a special place in my heart for the 2005 film. For the feeling it evokes through its incomparable cinematography, beautifully-composed music, and gorgeous set design.

On a personal note, I studied abroad in England near many of the locations used in the film, which also premiered in Bath during my time there. The film - especially the soundtrack - takes me back once more to a splendid time in my life. It feels like coming home to the England I love.

Watching the 2005 film calms my soul. A quiet homage to the simple joys of English life.

I love that the film reveals the Bennett's laundry, showing the authentic, chaotic nature of their family life.

The Bennett's home appears in constant disarray - ribbons spilling out of boxes, tea cups left on sidetables - which is a very realistic interpretation of the family conceived by Austen. Though the height of propriety was observed during these times, I do believe that a family like the Bennetts would have acted and kept a house in this manner. Another note is the costume designs. Every character - especially the women - wears outfits that suits his or her personality and generation. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have clothes from the Revolutionary period (three-cornered hats and corseted blouses), while the younger daughters don empire-waisted gowns from the early nineteenth century. Jane Bennett's (Rosamund Pike) clothes are soft, flowing silk and chiffon in feminine pastels while Elizabeth Bennett's (Keira Knightley) attire consists of darker, earthier tones in linen and cotton. The cut of Elizabeth's clothes has a hint of masculinity, perhaps a homage to her progressive personality.

I love this realistic, unapologetic shot of the Bennett girls (Carey Mulligan, Rosamund Pike, and Jena Malone) as their disheveled selves are driven home from the Netherfield ball.

The thing this film does the best is capturing light. This incredible shot of Elizabeth and Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) frames the morning light shining between them and their newly realized love. Simply breathtaking.


What woman wouldn't want to stand on top of a cliff, getting a bird's eye view of her world? Perhaps this scene is a tad dramatic, but England offers such incredible precipices, so why not show them off? While living in Bath, England, I would often climb one of the seven hills surrounding the city to a meadow that looked down upon the picturesque buildings of Bath. There is something about being perched above your daily life that brings such perspective. I have not found such a place since but am always on the lookout!

And here we have a shamelessly gratuitous shot of Mr. Darcy. . Though Colin Firth will always be THE Mr. Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen did a fine job in the role. This scene where he walks through the mist will ALWAYS set my heart aflutter.

The first proposal scene was shot at the Temple of Apollo, part of the Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire - not far from where I lived in Bath. I remember visiting the Temple and standing in the very spot where Elizabeth stands in the above photo. I recall feeling the history and utter romance of it all in this immortalized place.



Images found here, here, and here.