taking the long way

diptychs - part deux

Kaitlyn and I have been busy snapping away all over Oregon and New England to capture daily photos for our diptych experiment (see earlier post for more details). Sometimes we end up snapping photos in places where people wonder what the heck we are doing. A little public humiliation never stopped us before and it won't be stopping us now. Here are a few more diptychs we've created as the first month of our experiment comes to a close.

the diptych experiment

Beginning on November 1, 2009 Kaitlyn Smith, living in Massachusetts, and Laurie Matthews, hailing from Oregon; started taking one photograph a day during the course of their daily lives. Their daily photographs are connected to form diptychs capturing the combination of their daily lives - sometimes showing the similarities and often times showing the contrasts between their lives on the east and west coasts. These are just some of the diptychs they've created. More can be found by clicking the flickr link to the left, a site which will be updated as the experiment continues.

The idea for the diptych is not new. The tradition reaches back centuries into the early days of artistic expression when two panels were attached with a hinge. Attaching two panels or tablets was a way of showing the relationship between two seemingly separate elements. Diptychs also allowed artwork to travel with added protection - folding the two pieces together until a traveler reached their destination. Modern inspirations for the WestEast diptych came from friends and other artists who are creating similar artistic experiments using 21st century technology.

Laurie and Kaitlyn met in Boston in 2005 at a cocktail party featuring a cocktail ice luge and a ton of designers. The best part was that Kaitlyn also met her future husband, Andrew (also a friend of Laurie's), that very same evening. An auspicious night for sure. Kaitlyn and Laurie quickly bonded over their love of the Boston Red Sox.

Now with 3106 miles between them, they devised this way to keep in touch with both the momentous and mundane aspects of their daily lives. Laurie's west coast images are on the left and Kaitlyn's east coast images are on the right. The "12" and "45" correspond to the numbers of their favorite Red Sox players (Mark Bellhorn and Pedro Martinez, respectively), both of whom were members of the 2004 World Series winning team. Go Sox! And enjoy the experiment!

rhythm of the train through new england

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boston - i love that dirty water!

kaitlyn, amy, joel and andrew at joshua tree in davis square (amy & chris and lynn & lance joined us later)

fenway park

kaitlyn and amy at fenway

kaitlyn, holly and amy watching the game

amy, holly, chris and kaitlyn

news stand outside fenway in kenmore square - go sox!

amy, kaitlyn and andrew in the public gardens

working waterfronts

New Bedford anchored the whaling trade along with Nantucket, when whale oil illuminated lamps extended across New England in the 1700s. Today it is still a working waterfront, a port where fishermen dock before heading out to sea for two to three week stretches of time to search for and catch fresh seafood like the tuna, scallops and lobster we had just finished eating.

On our way back to Round Hill we walked through the waterfront in the dark of night to hear the sounds and see the sights of the water’s industrial edge. I have to admit that walking by these large trawlers with their industrial size pulleys and spindles used to pull in loaded down nets sent chills through me. Maybe it is all the death and hardship these boats see when they’re at work, but something permeates their essence that is dark and foreboding. The one bright spot (literally) was a boat at end of the pier.

Three North Carolina fishermen had headed north to avoid the latest hurricane, docked in New Bedford, and were headed out the next morning to harvest sea scallops. Fishing is in their blood, they told us. They know that even while they entertain thoughts of leaving this life, they know they could never say goodbye to the sea.

p.s. I just had to include this fun photo of Amy! The docks may have been creepy, but they still provided an ideal stage for her dance moves!

meet you in padanaram

We spent a good four years together nearly every day while we were in graduate school in Eugene. Now we are scattered around the country – Amy’s in Boston, Catriona and Sam are in Philly, David is in Missoula, and Ivy and I are in Portland.

Every year or so we get together for a weekend, but it’s been a long time since the whole gang’s been able to gather. There was Philly in 2003, Nantucket in 2004, and Portland in 2008. This year we all met for Labor Day weekend at Round Hill in Padanaram, Massachusetts (Amy’s parent’s summer place on the shores of Buzzards Bay).

We ate lobster and fresh farm grown produce, swam in the calm ocean waves and lounged on the beach, rode around in golf carts and hiked through the woodlands, biked around the inlets and stopped for homemade ice cream. We watched a little tennis and played a little bocce. The weather was warm and gorgeous and the whole weekend was too dreamy for words.

vacation every day

Landing in Boston (after a nonstop from Portland – thanks Alaska Airlines) and getting picked up in a convertible with the top down is the right way to start a vacation. But that in no way compares to having a wonderful 24 hours with Lauri and Magnus at their new home in Newburyport. It was short, but Lauri and I really know how to pack amazing conversations and experiences into soul-enriching moments of time.

I love experiencing the everyday moments of life… from getting a little turned around in New England, to stopping by one of its best farmers markets (the farm had a live buffalo for pete’s sake), to listening to neighbors (they could give reality tv stars a run for their money) while we drank a decadent bottle of Pinor Noir. Dinner started by getting excited to cook an amazing Indian curry dish only to find out we were out of tumeric which led to picking up the phone and ordering Thai. Watching a little Ducks football (before things turned ugly) and then falling into a deep slumber in the best guest quarters a tired traveler could ask for – I nodded off to the sounds of New England church bells striking the eleventh hour.

In the morning we ducked into town to grab a little coffee before heading to the beach with our picnic breakfast where we got to talk and catch up to the sound of the waves and the sights of summer’s end. Newburyport is Lauri and Magnus’ new home and they chose well – it feels like vacation every day.

snowy memories

As I sit here watching the snow fall in Portland (yes in Portland!) I'm transported back to Boston six years ago. I moved to that city at this very same time of year in 2003. I was excited about my new job, but honestly had not warmed to Beantown. I'd only visited the city a few times before moving and each trip possessed a lovely little constellation of disasters which left a poor taste in my mouth.

But there I was - new job, new city, and new place to live - and I thought one out of three ain't bad. My living situation was not ideal. I'd had two days to find a home and so settled for a college-esque place in the densest part of Boston with a roommate who had perfected cranky into an art form. The city was dirty and grey - it being February and all... and I couldn't get anywhere without studying a map and practically tatooing it onto my body before leaving the house. (Even with all that effort I still ended up turned around at least once a day.)

The icing on the cake was what is now referred to as the North American Blizzard of 2003 or President's Day Storm II. Flakes started falling on Monday February 17th and within 24 hours a record-breaking total of 27.5 inches of snow had buried the city... and my car. I had not yet learned the keep-up-with-the-snow-as-you-go method of New England winter survival so I let my car sink deeper and deeper into a cavern of heavy wet snow.

By the early afternoon hours on the 18th I decided to venture out and clear off my car. What I thought would take an hour tops took me until dark. I had a small scraper and had found some kind of shovel, but neither were very effective. On top of this - those with cars parked next to mine (who had already shoveled their cars out) plus the street plows added a good foot of snow on top of the nearly 2 1/2 feet that mother nature had bestowed. It was a sight to behold, and I honestly think I was in a kind of snow haze that kept me from going completely insane. Some left over childlike wonder at the sight of so much snow.

Towards the end of this archaeological dig one of my neighbors exited his house and offered to help me unbury my car, which uncharacteristically I accepted. After about another hour of digging when we were nearly done he sheepishly admitted that he'd contributed to the piles of snow on my Subaru when he had unburied his car earlier. Although I could have been angry I was actually glad I'd found the first person outside my office that was genuinely nice. Honestly I'd had my doubts before that day. Fortunately he was the rule and not the exception and I grew to love being in Boston... and even sometimes miss the snow.

happy holidays

please come to boston

Kenny Chesney sings that song and I heard it loud and clear from all my friends before my first visit back to Beantown since moving away last summer. My trip began amidst a city wide celebration for the Celtics after they blew away the Lakers in the final game of the NBA Championships. It was there first title in over twenty years so you can imagine the how raucous the street parties were after the game. I couldn't help but think... a party for me?! Ahhh, you shouldn't have!

I flew into the city on a warm summer afternoon and met Amy Houghton at our old haunt - the Barking Crab - for lobster rolls and margaritas. We'd spent so many summer nights there my car just about drove itself. After we'd had our fill of the Crab we headed to Kaitlyn and Andrew's pad in Back Bay because "Big sporting event+Laurie in Boston=watching the game with Kaitlyn and Andrew." The ride there was no small event. Amy took us through a sea of Celtics fans making their way to the Garden for the start of the game.

With a start like that this trip was destined to be amazing. And by the next day it just got better when I woke up leisurely and then drove into Charlestown to have lunch with the other Amy - Amy McDermott. If I hadn't been up late to watch the game and a little weary from the time difference it would have been great to arrive at my former office at the old appointed hour of 8:30 and gone up to my old desk in our 2nd floor office to catch up just like old times. That office was the place of more meaningful talks that any other single place in my life. Of course the fact that someone new is sitting at my old desk would have put a bit of crimp in this grand plan. Ah, but it didn't matter where we were or how much time had passed since we last worked together at the Olmsted Center. Amy and I hit the ground running and had another great time talking and catching up. My only regret was that we couldn't do it again the next day and the next day and the next day...

This was only the beginning and the wonderful ride continued throughout the week. There were still so many adventures yet to unfold... drinks out with the girls to celebrate Kaitlyn's wedding; strawberry picking at a north shore farm with Lauri; banana pancakes at Paramount with Karen, Ian, Kaitlyn, Andrew and Amy; Lauri's birthday celebration; a pre-funk party for Kaitlyn and Andrew, and of course the main event - their wedding (see other posting). All the things I'd missed since leaving Boston were packed into one wonderful week. A week that allowed me to relive one of the best summers I ever had - my last summer in Boston.

I came full circle on my last day. Two things remained on my list - a coffee run with Amy in Charlestown - just like we used to do every day at work, and to sink my toes into the sands of New England. So after Amy and I sauntered into Charlestown for our last cup I headed north to Singing Beach so I could soak in the sounds, smell and feel of the north shore. I don't remember being overly impressed with New England beaches when I first moved to Connecticut, but I slowly grew to love them and now I carry them with me. Please Come to Boston he sang and I did. I'm so glad I did.