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Like most, we sat dazed on September 11, 2001.  The next day I took this photograph of our children so our friends in Greece could be assured all was fine with us. 

We remember that day and all that went with it.  We'll never forget.

Hurricane Irene Upstate Devastation

Margaretville, NY, where we have a home was nearly destroyed during Hurricane Irene.  The devastation is beyond words.  Homes, farms and businesses are being condemned daily in surrounding upstate communities.  Relief and volunteer efforts are underway.  We hope you can help.

Local groups offering community support 

The Fleischmanns Community Church is accepting donations, canned goods, diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, bleach, cleaning supplies, and masks for the people to use while they are cleaning. The MARK Project (845 586 3500) is helping to locate temporary housing for displaced families. The Margarettville Fire Hall is serving meals (Call Via Christine DuBois at the Fire Hall during business hours, 586-6288, to volunteer for food preparation and serving). The Shandaken Fire House on Route 28 is taking donations of food, water, coffee, clothes, and other basics. The Belleayre Mountain Ski Center has also been accepting donations of essentials and providing meals and shelter.

Websites

The Catskills Irene Relief Resources website lists emergency relief efforts, including referrals for donations and volunteer opportunities, organized by county. http://irenerelief.forumotion.com/ 

NOFA-NY (Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York) is working to mobilize groups of volunteers to assist in area farm cleanup and relief efforts. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Lea Kone (email: Lea@nofany.org / phone: 585-271-1979 ext. 502.

Applications for emergency federal disaster funding:  http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY).

The Watershed Post continues coverage of the hurricane and flooding with updates on bridge and road closings and recovery efforts. http://www.watershedpost.com/tags/hurricane-irene

http://markproject.org/flood-relief-and-emergency-repair/

The Blue Osa

The monkeys, macaws, and other jabbering creatures of the jungle make sure you don't sleep through sunrise over the grey sand beach at the Blue Osa, twenty minutes outside of Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica.  As the sky lightens to yet another spectacular day at around 5:45am, the Blue Osa, an ecologically conscious yoga and spa sanctuary set on western shore of the Golfo Dulce, is bustling in its own gentle way.  People are moving about, preparing a glorious breakfast of fresh starfruit juice (picked from trees on the property), homemade granola, crepes, and eggs, while others are raking the leaves from under the spreading branches of the trees that dot the lawn (even paradise needs a little grooming).  Aaron, the resident yogi, is saluting the sun from a spectacular open air studio oriented towards the sea. 

Bill and I and our daughter Maxie had the pleasure of a week at this small --Adam Dolle designed--treasure last week, while Bill photographed it along with his long-time collaborator, stylist Peter Frank.

Some of the photographs, like the one here shot as evening and quiet descend over the casita where guests gather for meals and drinks, can be found on the website of Blue Osa

The Birthing / Rising Season

We don't love the ever present laptop in life, but we do know a great thing when we see it.  Recently, Andrea discovered the Nest Cam.  We've been watching live images and listening to the sounds of a bald eagle's nest in Decorah, Iowa.  It's birthing time for birds of prey in North America and like those dream machines we see in hotel rooms that simulate rain or the sea, the Nest Cam does the same.  Raise the sound, set it to full screen and take a step outside.

On a separate but somewhat related note, we recently got an email from Mayami Tatsuta an Art Director from McGarry Bowen that Bill's worked with.  Mayumi is organizing an benefit for the earthquake and tsumani victims in Japan.  Called Japan:Rising, the event will be at Milk Studios on April 28.  You can bid on Bill's photograph Birth of a Saker Falcon at that event.  For more information, contact Mayumi.

Watch The Hellas Book Trailer

We've just posted a trailer to Bill's new book, HELLAS Photographs of Modern Greece.  You can view it on YouTube by clicking here.

The book has had feature stories on it in British and Greek Editions of Conde Nast Traveller as well a number of other really positive mentions including House Beautiful (number 1 on their top 10 favorite book list) and Elle Decor.

Coastal Living magazine just published an eight-page feature on the book which you can view by clicking here.

An exhibition of photographs from HELLAS is being planned by the Onassis Foundation for June in New York.

Paris on Two Pairs of Panties

Arriving at JFK on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 28, was like walking into a living tableau of Rodin's "Gates of Hell."  JFK was Purgatory, a writhing mass of puffy brown and black down-coated travelers, sweating as they aggressively wheeled ungainly suitcases through the narrow and irregular passageways between lines.  Lines to check in.  Lines to drop off bags.  Lines to nowhere.  You got on a line and then tried to figure out which line you were on.  All along the edges, lightweight Coleman cots, scattered as if blown to the boundaries of the great terminal by the wind, strained under the weight of exhausted and storm-stranded travelers prostrate with bags squeezed between their knees or clutched to their chests in the rigor mortis of sleep.   The scene was worthy of Salvador Salgado. Bodies strewn everywhere. Every electrical outlet filled with the chargers of depleted electronics.  Garbage piled up well past the containers meant to hold it all. The people behind the counters at Panini Express looked like Red Cross workers after Katrina--pale, withered, exhausted from grilling mozzarella and ham, and filling plastic noodle bowls with hot water for cranky foreigners.

Despite walking into this Terminal of Babel, Maxie and I were in high spirits.  We were so happy to be on our way to Paris, after our Monday flight had first been moved to Tuesday morning because of the snow, then back to Monday evening, then cancelled completely.  My husband, an experienced traveler, found what may have been the only way to Paris Tuesday, a Royal Air Maroc flight to Casablanca, which would connect with an Air France flight to Paris.

We sat crosslegged on the grimy carpet at the gate, flipping through People Magazine together and passing the IPad back and forth for games of Scrabble.  All the while, the electronic sign never wavered from its conviction of a 5:45 departure even as we were finally shuffling aboard at
10:30pm.

Trouble with the baggage, the flight attendant mentions almost as an aside, long after we board, and long before we'd would finally take off.   We sat  long and hard on the plane at the gate. By the time we took to the air, we were well asleep, blissfully ignorant that "trouble with the baggage" meant our baggage.

Had they mentioned that much of the flight's luggage never got put aboard, would it have turned out any differently?  Could we have done anything about it at that point?  Besides, the attempt to locate our single suitcase packed with all the nice things we'd collected to keep us warm AND fashionable in Paris ate up a good part of our long day's stay Wednesday at the airport at Casablanca.

We were so close to our destination. Paris, France is just a 7 hour flight from JFK, and yet by the time we pulled up to the gate at Casablanca, we may as well have been on the way to Thailand or the Maldives.

The international standard for airport employees to address any customer with a problem would appear to be to foist them off on someone else.  If you go to the Air Maroc desk, then you are directed--with great authority--to the Air France desk.  At the Air France desk, you're dispassionately asked if you have been to see the Air Maroc people.  Where you need to be is always the place you are not, and the person you need to see is the one you just came from.   In this way, we the travelers get to meet so many more of the personnel with whom you have cause to meet with on a long
dispiriting holdover.

Our first order of business was to find out about a connecting flight to Paris, as ours had left hours before.  Those of us lingering around the one desk that all official employees pointed us towards as our solution begin to realize that with only one employee behind that desk, responding to every inquiry with
"the system is down," loosely translated as "You're out of luck here, sister,"  it behooves us to seek help elsewhere. We form a mob of angry travelers seeking redress, and a flight to Paris. An officially outfitted young man appears and enthusiastically leads us through an maze worthy of Casablanca at a fast clip.  After what we've been through so far, we can't help but be suspicious. Why does he care so much? We wonder if we're being scammed, and if he will demand Dinars to release us.

But he does lead us to a window where ticket agents can help.  They're flustered and confused but we push our agenda.  The next flight to Paris is sold out, they tell us, as is the one after that, but we can be put on a waiting list. By this point, my optimism was nearing its limits. I tell my daughter how smart it was of us to pack a carry-on valise with pajamas and a change of underwear as it appeared that we'd probably be spending the night in Morocco.  I was still imagining with great hope, however, that, as promised, our suitcases would be delivered the next day to our hotel in Paris (the aeronautical version of "the check is in the mail.")

Remarkably, after several hours killing time watching the yards and yards of fabric-clad people shuffling in leather slippers through the airport, several dry
baguette sandwiches and countless rounds of Scrabble later, we learn that we have made it on the flight!   Just to keep it real, however, the first announcement we hear as we reach the gate is that the flight is
delayed. As my friend's mother used to say in lieu of actually laughing at a joke:  "That's very funny!"

The plane was well on its way when we woke up.  Next stop, Paris. 

So, we arrive, but our luggage never does.  My daughter is thrilled to have free license to shop.  I lay in bed mornings simultaneously chastising myself for yearning for my material possessions while keeping a running list of everything I remember packing.  I bought my daughter new things, but each night, I rinse out my undies and bra.  Still, we have our boots and coats, toothbrushes, pills and contact lenses, and all of the sights of Paris awaiting us. 

At Charles DeGaulle on our way home, we can see that our small valise bulging with the purchases we'd made would be unlikely to squeeze into an overhead bin.  We would have to check it, I said, and we dutifully added our bodies onto a  line which snaked endlessly through the airport with no discernible forward movement.  But travel makes you smarter.  My daughter suggested we unstuff the overnight bag, add the bulk to the shopping bags we were each holding, and carry it aboard with us.  Smart girl.  That's what you can learn from a trip to Paris.

Happy New Year!

We wish you all the very best for the coming year. 

May peace prevail.









Ice on Window, New Hampshire, 2010

Hellas Signing at Rizzoli

Last week Rizzoli Bookstore on 57th St. in New York hosted a reception and signing for Bill's new book, HELLAS Photographs of Modern Greece.  We were thrilled to see scores of old friends and meet many new ones.  Additional signings are being planned for Athens and Los Angeles and an exhibition of photographs from the book is slated for New York in the summer of 2011.  We'll keep you posted on details as they firm. 

Pictured is photographer Sherri O'Connor with a copy of HELLAS.  Sherri told us this was the first signed photography book she's ever had.

UPDATE on Pate's Tapes

Yesterday we posted that PatesTapes.com, since being launched last month, had gotten over 6,000 hits.

We've just learned that number has jumped to 130,000 hits in more than 80 countries. 

Our friend, Sally Schneider noted on The Improvised Life that she thinks it has the best collection of Christmas music she's heard.

Pate's Tapes

Charles Pates, the Creative Director at Garnet Hill has a fascinating sideline.  In 1977 he started making mixed tapes from what sounds like one of the most remarkable collection of vinyl records on the planet. The tapes started to be heard at bars and restaurants but with the digital age, that changed.  But now that's changed again.  Charles just turned us onto a new site he's launched called PatesTapes.com.  He's taken this monumental collection of mixes and uploaded them for your pleasure.  Right now there are 10 mixes online but if the response to the site is any indication, he'll be making a lot more available soon.  Within the first month of launching, he had nearly 6,000 hits from all over the world and all the music aficionados we've turned onto the site are blown away by it.  Check out the site here and keep an eye on it for more releases.

Journey to India with Dominique Browning

In my new Slow Love Life, one of the most important lessons I have learned is not to defer our dreams for too long. So off we go!

Former House and Garden Editor and author of Slow Love Dominique Browning is going to India, she's invited A+B See readers to go with her and the beneficiary is GoodWeave – a nonprofit working to end child labor in the carpet industry and offer educational opportunities to children in India and Nepal.

You can view the itinerary and specifics by clicking here.

Our Dog Portrait

We want to share the talents of a local artist who paints lovely oil portraits of dogs in classic, regal poses and settings.  We discovered his work through our veterinarian, Dr. Jeff Israel here in Bedford, in whose waiting room hang many of Joseph Bushman's paintings.  These old-English inspired jewels are small--about 6 x 8 inches--and come in a simple wood frame.  A custom portrait of your dog is $95.  Our sweet Reagan, getting on in years, was captured to a tee by Mr. Bushman, from his diffident expression to his particular protrusions, all from a few jpegs we sent via email.  You can contact Mr. Bushman by email (jgbushman@aol.com) or by phone at 914-423-4971.  Tell him we sent you! 

Watching Paint Dry

The second stage of planning to repaint is to test Eve Ashcraft's color suggestions in place.  We bought sample sizes of all 17 options, and painted them on sheets of mason board which had been primed with white. 

Now, we can place the colors in their proper rooms throughout the house, and see how they work against the floor color choices and against rooms within the same sightlines.  We'll be able to see how the colors look in the light of our house, bright days, dark days and night time.  We'll walk through again with Eve, and make our final decisions.

Book Signing at Rizzoli NYC

The Amazing Woman of Color

Eve Ashcraft is widely known in the world of architecture and interiors for her remarkable sense of color.

We first met her nearly 15 years ago through our work with Martha Stewart Living.  Eve was responsible for the development of the original palettes for Martha's Everyday Paint line--still to us one of the greatest tools for introducing color into everyday living.  To this day, we've kept a complete set of the revolutionary sample chips Eve designed, which allow you to pick a color and see an array of colors that work with that choice.  We were fortunate to have Eve design the paint plan for our Bedford home when we first moved here in 1996, which I then photographed for Martha Stewart.

Since then, the colors in our house evolved--and away from her cohesive color scheme.   A few months ago, after not having seen Eve for some time, our paths crossed again on a shoot.  We asked Eve if she'd consider consulting with us again on a big palette change.   Lucky for us, she agreed.  Eve has worked on major projects with some of the best architects and interior designers of our time, and not only developed paints colors for Martha, but also Benjamin Moore and, come next spring, her own line of paints for the prestigious Fine Paints of Europe.  2011 will also see the release of her first book, "The Right Color" being published by ArtisanBooks.  It'll be Eve's year.

Last week, Eve came to our house with her giant color set,  an IPhone, IPad, and notepad.  We told her our we'd like to change from the black floors we've lived with for 14 years, to a light painted floor.  Andrea sums up the vibe we have in mind as "a Swedish beach cottage." 

Over the next few weeks, we'll test colors, move swatches and with Eve decide on a final schedule of paints.  It'll be the biggest change we've made in the house in a long time and we're really excited about the big bang that this relatively inexpensive effort will give us.  We'll share some of the process as we move forward.

Mann Oh Mann

This month's House Beautiful has a lovely story Bill shot a NYC apartment designed by David Mann.  Scot Schy, once again, provided a beautiful layout opening with one of Bill's favorite image from the shoot.  Our favorite room in this story is the bedroom perfectly styled by Robert Rufino, the new Interiors Director at Architectural Digest.

You can see the entire story here.

SEBASTIAN!

Our dear friends, Andree Chalaron and Franck Hoffman along with big sister, Elodie welcomed Sebastian Philip Hoffmann Chalaron to the world yesterday.

Bill's the godfather and could not be more proud.  Welcome Sebastian and congratulations Andree, Franck and Elodie!

Visit their blog, Giggle Gumbo

More on Acts of Love

This following was written to Andrea while she was on a shoot in Santorni, Greece.  I was home in Bedford, tending the kids and shooting in the city.  In light of an article today in today's New York Times on the disparity in French households, we thought it was a timely note to share.

I'll be asleep when you read this but I wanted to say how appreciative I am of what you do.  This house work is somewhat thankless.  Especially when you have a career.  Ok, making lunch, reading the paper, the dogs, the cat and chickens, and the hawk all need tending.  Laundry needs to be done and the beds, maybe not made, but at least, straightened.   Dinner needs to be planned, procured, made and then cleaned up.  The floor needs to be swept and the sidewalk neatened.   The vegetables and hydrangeas need water.  Zander's music and Maxie's Spanish homework need to be listened to and a full interrogation given to Simon in hearing him say, "I'm ready for my test".  Then the day job.  The car needs its tires filled and clutter needs to be removed.  There are worries about you traveling that include wanting to protect you and smooth your way.

It's a lot and I have grown a new appreciation of you -- of working mothers. The dogs are badly in need of a long walk.  My clients need my attention.  There is so much to do with the new book.  My cell phone is dying.  Did I call my mother?  Did I call yours?  The broker called.  Are the logistics on tomorrow's shoot finalized?  When you are here, I like reading the paper until the coffee is gone.  I miss you and while I am upset about having to miss the high school homecoming game that Zander came for, I want to be at the airport as you clear customs, to race you home to a very appreciative family that has missed you and needs you here.  We are once again made aware of how many acts of love you do each day.

Simpler is Better

This summer, when we visited our friends in Greece, we brought a load of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products--a gift that was absolutely loved.  

A few months ago, Bill shot the new Mrs. Meyer print campaign which is now running in magazines.   The images were shot at one of Andrea's location in Westport, styled by Peter Frank and art directed by Chris Lange at Mono.  Mono, in Minneapolis, prides itself on the axiom, 'simpler is better' and one of the great tag lines they wrote for Mrs. Meyer's is, "Nowadays, everyone is earth friendly.  Where were there manners before?"  Those of you that know us, know what that means to us.  We loved working with a company whose mission we believe in and whose stuff we've used for years. 

Talk About Intelligent Design

Baby becomes toddler, toddler becomes boy, boy becomes teenager, teenager becomes young man.  Each stage takes us by surprise, each stage thrills us.  Talk about intelligent design.  Just about the time our child begins to live a life independent of us at college, we are at a stage of life in which to see something more clearly, we have to hold it further away.  How appropriate.


Check out our young man's webcast radio show here.  Wednesday night's live broadcast is a family event.