Massachusetts Overture

I'm having a hard time catching up on my blog because there's too many great things happening. So much has happened between VISTA pre-service orientation in Cambridge (north of Boston) and now, just having finished my first full month at Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity! Needless to say, I'm finally settled in and love exploring the Berkshires. I'm still trying to adjust to the proximity and convenience of everything; ten minutes in any direction and I can grocery shop, go to the mall, chill out to jazz at a tapas bar, dig into wings at a cozy tavern, swim and kayak in two lakes, attend a stage production, pour through museum works, walk through state forests and parks, or hike some of the state's highest peaks. For a small city on the rise from a post-industrial recession, Pittsfield is treating me well.

AmeriCorps VISTA training was at the Hyatt in Cambridge. This was my view of the Charles across to Fenway and downtown Boston. Between long sessions on capacity-building and eliminating poverty in the U.S., we were spoiled with classy rooms and scrumptious meals.

Although training was only three days, I met an inspiring batch of VISTAs who are serving throughout the northeast. Our focus areas include neighborhood revitalization like my own, housing, military and veteran families, education, and sustainable lifestyles. My ultimate takeaway was that even though poverty poses a tremendous challenge, every gesture can make a difference. How we help one another at the human level is just as important as more abstract action at the policy level.

Onota Lake, five minutes from my Pittsfield apartment.

My first assignment with Habitat? Selling charity raffle tickets at the local baseball park on a glorious summer evening that had one of the best turn-outs of the season (and fireworks).

Office views.
I love this paperweight that a family friend gifted.

My housemate, Elsa, is also an AmeriCorps VISTA at Central Berkshire Habitat. Her focus is on family services, whereas mine is on volunteer engagement. I've had a blast living with her so far. We make it a point to simply do things after work, like stroll around the woods, visit our friends, cook 'fancy' dinners, and revel in our selective frugality. It's not too bad!  

Another fantastic point of Pittsfield is that my former St. Lawrence Habi housemate, Luke, also lives here and works with me! I may have explained this already, but he's the primary reason I ever considered my VISTA position. It's pretty awesome to work with him.He and his girlfriend Emma (who I was also friends with at college) live on another small lake called Pontoosuc. This is the dreamy view from their dock across the lake and off to Mount Greylock in the north. It's the highest point in Massachusetts, but I still haven't hiked it.

As seen on one of my bi-weekly drives south to Great Barrington for ultimate frisbee pick-up games.

Hard to resist an afternoon roll with views like this (far side of Pontoosuc).

A pine-filled park along Pontoosuc where I brought my parents two weekends ago. It was muggy that week, but the weather is finally sinking into sweater season.

Labor Day weekend was celebrated with more lazy lake time and a hike up Monument Mountain, just south of Stockbridge. A quickie but with interesting trails, good company, and wonderful views.

A historical home at an arboretum in Pittsfield.

Pitt Park, which wraps around our office. Things are significantly quieter now that summer camp is over and kid's are in school.

Elsa and her dad strolling through a nice fountain park that is unfortunately placed in a very busy portion of downtown.

I hope these images grant some sort of vision of my time here so far. If you can't get enough of my rambling, I invite you to also check out my blog post that was posted on the Central Berkshire Habitat page. Onward to more adventures!

Listening: "The Last Day" by Moby

Adios to 5118

I have been alive and thriving in Massachusetts over five weeks now! But first, just a few photos of the house I will miss so much in Honeoye, for the record:

Kristen came to see me off that morning. She's the best.

One last barn portrait.

Since my departure, my parents have been toiling away to remove material items. They squeezed in a visit to me last Sunday and said that it no longer quite feels like a home without it all. They've signed the legal documents and will be closing the door to our home at 5118 Old West Lake Road for the final time on Friday morning.

I'll be in a car on the way to Boston, dreaming of my past life and moving toward my future one.

Listening: "Nevermind the End" by Tei Shi

Art Sessions

I'm moving myself away from the computer and back into book pages and clean canvasses. I love posting in our barn with the doors open, the sun and breeze washing in, and my stereo playing mixed CDs that resurrect memories of high school and early college. Painting, for me, is therapy; it's meditative, it's restorative, it fights melancholy and unnecessary regrets. I drag my brush across smudges of pigment and spread, analyze, and move until it has become that shade for that particular form, casting the light in different ways until it conveys the concept I envision. Sometimes, I don't quite capture what my mind sees, yet it's always important to step back. That's what art reminds me: to invest everything and focus on my vision, but to take breaks and assess the grander image to see how far I've come. There are days I can crank out a few canvases, others I've barely moved beyond a corner. It's a process, and one that I miss far too much when I'm at school and can't afford three hours to be consumed. I guess that's not a problem anymore.

Here's a couple things I worked on:

This is a portrait of me and one of my best friends, Kristen! Embarrassingly enough, I began painting this last October with the intent of mailing it for her 21st birthday because I was at college. In high school, my kooky and inspiring art teacher Mr. Williams had us create a painting emulating another painter, so I had Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in mind again. He was one of the drunkard Parisian artists of the Belle Epoque that spent way too much time at the Moulin Rouge drinking absinthe (and yes, he's even portrayed in the 2001 film!). Yet his charcoal croquis (sketches), oil paintings, and pastel gesture drawings breathe movement and vulnerability into a world behind the performances. Check out his foundation and work here.

I had an awesome time re-styling the photo as sort of a neo-impressionist, loosely linear portrait. But then I was stumped by our faces. Human faces have never been my strength, less I do my own because I can stare at it in the mirror endlessly (which develops a particular psychosis of it's own, but that's different). I finally sucked it up and just mad something for us, which actually I'm seeing that Toulouse-Lautrec avoided overly-detailed expressions, making me somewhat on point.

Fish on a canvas board. Nothing really conceptual here, I just wanted to make something detailed and graphic. My only trouble is running out of paint; I mix these beautiful shades, then use it all before I can fill in the micro-texture of the canvas board. This needs touching up.

These are paintings from Zach's New Hampshire lake house. I finished this canvas that essentially mimics the light house, because I love the use of form and bordering tonal families (I just made that term up):

This isn't anything crazy-conceptual, but the curled up elephant just kind of drifted into my mind and I wanted to make something graphic and vibrant.

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Here's a bunch of op-art I posted in June for RoosterGNN from my watercolor notebook:

25th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square 

 Brazilian Crackdown on World Cup Protesters

U.S. Debate on Student Loan Forgiveness

My art is not functional, but I love that I can share it. My backpack-like carrier for supplies will become especially handy in a few weeks once I'm in my new digs (have to write a post about that!) and might explore new places to paint. I also sent out quite a few letters last month and awaiting replies, though regardless, letters are one of my favorite gestures. I never know who's actually reading this, but if you'd like one, just send me your address!

Listening: "Sound of Erasing" by Rubblebucket from their new album Survival Sounds that releases at the end of August, eeee!

American Pastimes

Independence Day is one of the best holidays to celebrate in the northeast. The weather is balmy, barbecue smoke fills the air, everyone wears their crispest reds, whites, and blues, and as fireworks thunder across the sky we take a moment to remind ourselves that, dang, this country is beautiful and it's ours. At least, that's my take on things. 

Unlike last summer when I was on a rooftop in China's capital haggling for over-priced Pabst Blue Ribbon, this year I visited my teammate and good friend Eric at his family's cottage on Keuka Lake. There was no shortage of clear blue skies and warm water (and PBR, haha). I watched the local Fourth of July Parade with his family and other kids, cheering for the volunteer fire departments, antique tractors and fire trucks, and local residents tossing candy-- a quintessential rural America celebration. It was a nice moment to appreciate these small-town traditions that I seemingly try to escape.

Some other St. Lawrence and Habitat friends came as well, which was fantastic. We cruised down the lake to Hammondsport, swam near the bluff where the lake branches meet (Keuka Lake is shaped like a Y), sailed in Eric's little laser (which capsized at one point!), indulged in barbecue and salads, and played in the front yard until the sun went down for fireworks. Then we stayed up even longer at his friend Bobby's house up in the hills to have a bonfire next to a small wooded lake. The Milky Way was the clearest I've ever seen, and all in all, it was a glorious day.

Hammondsport, at the south end of Keuka Lake.

The Bluff 

Playing Spud with guests of all ages, and their golden doodle, Gracie!

The best lake cottages are those that have been passed down generations, like with Eric's family. They have prime front lake property with their wide, flat front yard and sizeable docks.

 Saturday morning while Eric and Phil went fishing, Eric's mom took McKenzie and I blueberry picking up the road. The patches are situated up a hill among equally long rows of vineyards. I may have mentioned in the past that Keuka Lake, hands down, has my favorite wineries of the Finger Lakes. Obviously I'm biased because of what my parents purchased, but it turns out the blueberries there are equally delicious. It was the opening day of picking season, so a lot of berries have a way to go to ripen, but I was thrilled to spend another weekend harvesting fresh fruit. Although the guys came home without a catch, we picked nearly four pounds of blueberries that generously joined our pancake breakfast.

And finally, our house is for sale (anyone looking to move to the Western Finger Lakes?) so my parents have been tackling every room to clean, renovate, and restore for potential buyers. The other day my dad took down the recessed vanity mirror of the master bathroom, revealing a pleasant message from nearly twenty years ago that reads "whole house remodeled." Looks like we have these previous owners to thank for the beautiful living space we've inhabited. I love thinking of houses as physical frameworks for memories and life, with predisposed characters based on their architecture, cultural significance, and general design. Yet the soul, that truly breathes through its inhabitants. I remember doing something similar when we replaced the kitchen counters of our former house in Brockport. I hope whoever finds it next smiles at the handwritten momento of the seven-year old girl who used to live there.

Listening: "Tempest" by Lucius from their 2013 album, Wildewoman

Wine and Climb

June brought a wide array of adventures in and around the Finger Lakes, two of my favorite involving wine and the outdoors. I went to a Gewurztraminer (say that fast three times) wine tasting at Keuka Spring Vineyards on Keuka Lake, just outside Penn Yan, with my parents earlier in the month. I was thrilled that they were hosting an event like this because Gewurztraminer became my favorite wine when I first tried with Alsatian grape at a wine and food exhibition in Rouen--it's smooth, earthy, a bit sweet. It was a gorgeous day and we sat under a white tent with sommeliers who enthusiastically described the origins of the grape, the wine-making process, and guided us through five varieties of pressings. Years ago we visited Keuka Springs in late November for a holiday-themed tour (I of course drinking grape juice), so it was great to return and experience the vineyard in the summer. It's in a stunning location with Keuka College across the lake in clear view, and a very friendly staff. I hope we can go back for their other wine and tasting events later in the season.

 Taking notes on the technique and grape sourcing while indulging on their crudités, brie and crackers, java-rubbed pork loin, and chutneys all regionally-sourced.

This past Friday, I went on a mini-hike with Kristen and Deonza at Grimes Glen. I've been there a few times because it's so close, just off Main Street in Naples. Despite it's close proximity to the village and even residences just beyond the park driveway, it's a wonderful shaded area with smooth shale creek beds, clear water (that wasn't too cold), and a few waterfalls. The park management even encourages exploration; there's permanent ropes tied to tries along the waterfalls so they can be scaled. I scrambled up both of them, feeling more confident than the first time I visited a few years ago because of muscle memory from the climbing wall. I always forget how magical, albeit crowded, the glen is, and I hope we go back again soon and trek in further.

 The second waterfall. 

The view from the top of the second waterfall, which has three drops. 

Climbing up was never the problem, it was always how to go down! The hills were muddy from past nights' rain and other visitors, making it hard to gain traction.

 Climbing up the first waterfall!

I feel like the majority of my posts during the summer unabashedly promote how awesome the Finger Lakes are, but hey, I'm proud of where I live. Come visit me!

 Listening: "Tous les Memes" by Stromae (a Felmish-Rawandan dreamboat from Belgium)