Joyeux Noël

Second snow

The sound of the ice on the branches was beautiful.
Now the cold has set in.

Aggression and Disdain

Raaaawwwrrrr. Begone papers, applications, finals! Begone, I say.

A late-night message from me and Fooo. Really, this is her in mid-yawn but yawn or roar still amounts to great end-of-term disdain.

Late flowers.

.are great flowers! Danke.



Tonight I went to see Sleep No More. I felt like I was living some sort of childhood fantasy I had long ago abandoned hope of ever realizing. The show combines Macbeth with Hitchcock's Rebecca and stages it within an abandoned school in Brookline. All the viewers wear white masks so that the characters become quickly identifiable as they wander in and out of the many rooms that are open to be explored at all times. The first room I walked into had high ceilings, fog everywhere and smelled of spruce--in fact, there were trees everywhere along the sides of the room and there was this eerie blue light. From then on in there were elements that surprised my every sense. At first I just wandered room to room, catching bits of scenes as characters acted out their roles in different spaces. But then I started to follow specific characters around from room to room and through hallways. During Lady Macbeth's out/out bit (also there is no spoken text) her nose started bleeding! And then she tried to wash my hands clean. I saw Duncan mudered, I saw Lady MacDuff murdered. ...So many other bits, I missed!

Love-day!

Yesterday I had such a wonderful birthday! My day was so happy and simple and so many lovely people came out for drinks with me. Thank you, everyone!



New pandas :)

Schöne Socken

Danke Mutti!

Caught one!

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

Me and my ladies on a Friday night. Even Marmotte was there--I am so lucky to have her visiting me!

Bildnis einer Trinkerin

Another Ottinger film, though much more explicitly strange. The English title is Ticket of No Return...and odd translation.

Korean Wedding Chest

Last night it snowed for the first time and I went to see Ulrike Ottinger's 2008 film. Today I saw a portion of her 8 hour film, Taiga.



I enjoyed it very much and developed some new ideas about what I'd like to do with my next few years. Oh dear...

Also the workbooks on her website are very helpful to me and the way I'd like to work.

A Serious Man

The new Coen brothers' film. Sehr gut.

Hypnosis

It's what I've been up to for the last little while.

Foo Haloo

Here she is with her dear friend Sinky-Jinky-Rinky. It's a summer picture after my last swim out to the rock, on my last day on MDI. Doesn't bunny look road ready? Zooom.

Acadia

This is a final, nostalgic, look back to Mount Desert Island. I don't think I'll be living there again for quite some time. It's a good thing. But I'll miss the cool nights and beautiful places.

This is Lower Hadlock Pond where I had a little cabin all to myself, with loons calling through the night.

Room 8

This is where I am now for the next year. It is really nice and big with grey-green walls, and light! Fooo likes to hang out under the little bit to the right of the desk:



Some color and things from people I like:





And this is where I am sitting right now, writing this post thinking of people I love. It's always a little lonely here but I am feeling happier than I ever have in this town. The nights are getting colder and I have to remember what it will be like.

Come what may, cheers to a year away.

Night Swing

Wish this is where I was right now. Cold nights, colors slowly vanishing.

There were marmottes!

MARMAN-OTTES!

Water Wheel

This is the valley where Drakesbad is.
A lovely homemade water wheel in motion.
My dirty post-hiking feet.
The valley view in the other direction.

Textures

The charred inside of a tree. Red earth.

Terminal Geiser

Another hike, this time to explore the geothermal activities...

Boiling Springs Lake is not for swimming. Very hot with bubbly mud at the sides and, weirdly enough, a popular hangout for deer. There were two buck and one doe there for hours, several days in a row, sauna time I guess...



Terminal Geiser, lots of steam, and deep earthy bubbling and clanking sounds. It was incredibly noisy and I could hear it far away in the woods as I was approaching:

Kings Creek Falls

These are the first of many belated California pictures. They are from my visit to Drakesbad in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Many of the trails I hiked overlapped with those of the Pacific Crest Trail. It was simply incredible there, especially given that this was my first visit to California!

The following are from the first hike we did, packed lunches in hand.

Sifford Lakes--nice and cold, and very high up on a mountain:





The Falls in question:



Corral Meadow:

Kids, Stay Puft

Ahhhh, Gozer. What a great Saturday night...

Chungking Express

1994, Kar Wai Wong

Summer Studies.

Are impossible. But this is where I've been trying to do my own work while in Maine.

Sorry I've been gone so long--been traveling and Fooooo cut through my charger, more or less, so that's that...she also cut through my photo transfer cord so that's a little backed up right now as well. I'm done with my job so I'm hoping this next week will be productive, both for my research and loading pictures too.

Soon soon!

Birthday Pavlova

This is very late but my friend visited in July and we had some belated and festive eating. Pavlova with lemon curd filling and berries on top.

Night-time picnics and lakes and sparklers and sea salt. Such fun it all was! Good mornings.



Here's the recipe, from Gourmet April 2009! Such a delicious sweet summer treat.

For Meringue:

1 c superfine granulated sugar
1 T cornstarch
3 egg whites at room temperature 30 minutes
3 T cold water
1 t distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in middle. Trace a 7-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn parchment over and put on a baking sheet.

Whisk together superfine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Beat whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Add water (whites will loosen) and beat until whites again hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and beat in sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add vinegar and beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Gently spread meringue inside circle on parchment, making edge of meringue slightly higher than center (the "crater" is for curd and fruit). Bake until meringue is pale golden and has a crust, about 45 minutes (inside will still be marshmallow-like). Turn oven off and prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Cool meringue in oven 1 hour.

For Filling:

2/3 c granulated sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 eggs yolks
2 t grated lemon zest
1 c heavy cream
4 c mixed berries

Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add lemon juice and butter. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking, then continue to simmer, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Lightly beat yolks in a small bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup lemon mixture, then whisk into remaining lemon mixture in saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until curd is thickened, about 2 minutes (do not let boil). Transfer to a bowl and stir in zest. Chill, surface covered with parchment, until cool, about 1 1/2 hours.

Beat heavy cream until it just holds stiff peaks, then fold 1/4 cup beaten cream into curd to lighten. Spoon lemon curd into meringue and mound berries on top. Serve remaining whipped cream on the side

Sunday Hike

Sustenance first.



Top of the Beehive.



Swimming at the Bowl.



Top of Champlain.

Witch Hole Pond and Paradise Hill

Bike ride on the carriage road. Hike down to these lovely waterfalls. First ripe blueberries of the season! Feasting time...

Off to work, more details later. Happy Fourth!