long island for a year

I'm not so much a visual person as I am a word person, and especially when telling a story - best done in my own language - I'd concentrate on words very much.  Sometimes, though, looking at an image a story just pops out of my mind. This was the case looking at a picture I recently took. I was driving through Southold in a warm afternoon (after having unsuccessfully planned my morning) and I wanted to take a walk on the beach. Which beach? There are many in Southold, in fact. The one in the picture is on North Bayview. But don't try to get there! Unless you have a Southold parking permit, that is. The town of Southold put this sign e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e: on every possible street that might take you to whatever sight of the water. You are not on a boat?Not the lucky owner of a waterfront estate (read: filthy rich, because those are huge!) ? Well, you might as well forget you are on an island.  Many times I resisted the temptation of ringing the bel...

  View from our window Short post: I have been away from home (home-town and home= living place) for one year now. I miss my city life. I miss walking around and get things done without ever starting the engine of the car. I miss the culture, I miss the apartment, the bed and the kitchen. I miss my friends and my second family. But I am not sad.  Being away (from people and places) is a constant in my life. I will be back soon. And I will want to go away again. (Ralph meant I can always take the S-Bahn to Königs Wüsterhausen when I am fed off Berlin). I read about Berliners ...and I am ready to get angry again, to have a healthy amount of poison everyday to swallow and to talk back if necessary.

Last weekend my family and I were invited to  attend an "ice cream party" and for no reason in the world we would have missed that. In the first place because Gabriele - an Italian friend and colleague of Ralph - made this invitation and he and his family are such nice people we wouldn't have said no. Second, we love ice-cream. Third, we know that Gabriele's ice-cream is THE BEST. So, of course, I took a bunch of pictures, which are not doing justice to any of his creations (when technology will be able to convey taste and smell through the screens, then it will be fair). I might, though, tell you about some of the flavors that we had to choose from (well, I didn't go as far as to try them all because I'm a bit picky, but I tried many). The genius at work! And young and old enjoying...   Next to the classics like vanilla and chocolate - good but not extraordinary - there was a huge variety of fruit flavors among which pineapple, nectarine, bl...

From this point, the West Meadow beach is on the left (north-est) side. To know more about the little brown cottage, Stony Brook and the Three Villages, I recommend you read what Soundbounder has to say (he has nice winter photos and his blog is always an excellent source of information for all the Long Island Sound area!).   The mouth bars are supposed to be changing their shape continuously In the past months I have been hanging around the Stony Brook and Three Villages area a lot. Earlier this summer I spent some time with the kids walking and having picnics between the harbor and the Wetland Preserve in Stony Brook and visiting the Long Island Museum , where an interesting carriage exhibition took me back in the history of means of transportation on Long Island and the US altogether. I had the chance to walk in East Setauket, Old Field and Poquott (here we were looking for a house about a year ago, but I opposed any waterfront  option for fear of flooding and stro...

Dear Roger , it's me again. I know I said goodbye once, but I needed to tell you how impressed I was when I saw you on tv, winning the Lifetime Achievement Award. You in public, speaking to hundreds people... what an emotion that must have been! You looked pretty good, very elegant in your self designed turtle neck. Sorry I devoted myself to another little man - you know...that's how it is now (be aware, he's a singer and a dancer too!!!). No, I will not forget your back then in Paris. Sigh, more than ten years have gone... And yes, you more than deserve a spot in my heart - because with Ben and my cousin Monica, you'll always be my favorite Jehovah's Witness ! WARNING: Although the characters in this post are all real, I obviously  have never had anything to do with Prince. Too bad!

Montreal (but it could be wherever) - coming to a conclusion This is one of the pictures one just takes for fun and I wasn't going to put it up, but sometimes sleep brings good advice and so, there it is. It is a highly symbolic one, obviously. (Don't shake your head because it's AGAIN about food!) In fact we all have been there, in front of a choice in life. Haven't you? You are hungry and you are given two totally different choices: the one on top tells you no lie: it is clear and promises you what you see. Unless you are vegetarian or on a diet (or have high cholesterol), it sounds quite alright and satisfying. The one on the bottom is a vague suggestion. It reminds you about something familiar, but you don't exactly know who the hell Giorgio is: he may be the owner, he may be the cook - chef Giorgió - so you'll have to rely on your instinct...because it could be a stuffing, delicious lasagna plate or a nouvelle cuisine lot-of-aesthetic-b...

This one  is especially dedicated to Dede of "Varie ed Eventuali" . One more post isn't enough to talk about this beautiful city, but I should eventually be talking about the main attraction of these few days in Montreal: the Jazz Festival. I could start with a negative note, saying we missed the George Clinton & Parliament's concert and the Dave Brubeck's concert as well and  - given the fact that good Dave Brubeck is 90 - this is NOT one for the next time, probably. Anyway, in things music, I always tend to see the glass full. The amazing number of concerts (all of high quality) and the relaxed way Montrealers and visitors had during this festival struck me as an ideal of tolerance and good behavior I've seldom experienced at open air concerts. US Americans are a good example, but Canadians are perfection - this is something Europeans should learn. There was a huge crowd and I didn't see anyone pushing nor yelling (that would...

There are some spots of Montreal that I already declared as my most favorite. One of them is the Rue de Prince Arthur Ouest (photo above and below). It's a little walking area with nice restaurants, a little fountain, and such an enjoyable atmosphere I almost want to go back for one more ice-cream at the Pagliacci . This is the Carré St Louis, (between Rue Pince Arthur and the Rue St. Denis ) with its octagonal kiosk, which reminded me - although with a different purpose - of the Café Achteck am Rudesheimer Platz, in Berlin: one family favorite, being half a mile away from our home and offering a quiet  square with garden and fountain, plus a number of little cafes, excellent bakeries and the weekly market. Buildings are here a little shorter than in Berlin, though. These are Second French Empire homes, with the typical rectangular tower and steep roof (the style is also called mansardate and was originated in Paris, which makes sense because this part of town, caught ...

After having slept like stones, we were spending most mornings doing some sightseeing, which was - due to the few days we had in our hands - more or less a collection of impressions and a promise to "leave something for the next time".  As far as collecting impressions goes, my own state of mind during this vacation was inspired by the stoned oriental philosopher who - running short of good advice - once said " when you don't know what to think about yourself, just don't think about it ". So, I was projecting and collecting and fell in love with this place. With every single corner of it: With its people and with its European, international, open-minded, relaxed flair. Between the Champ de Mars, the old ruins of the city, and the Old Montreal walkable area, we found ourselves immersed in a fruit and vegetable garden, the Governor's Garden, on the back of Chateau Ramezay, the headquarter of American army during the American Revolution. It...