As previously discussed, I took the kids and headed to New York for the weekend. Though I eventually ended up lost in the steam at the Russian baths, the kids and I had some other urban adventures as well.
As it turns out, Grandpa John and Grandma Judy were in town for the weekend, too. The occasion: to visit with my nephew Whalen, who happens to live in Brooklyn.
Whalen is a big boy. At five months, he is a pound heavier than Kato, who is sixteen months old. John and Judy are truly getting an opportunity to dabble at opposite extremes of the baby size spectrum.
And yet Kato fearlessly plunged into the strange new environs of the Fort Greene Park playground.
As did his fearless sister.
Asked why he had come to New York, Kato freely admitted it was for the Hot Chix.
And the really tall buildings.
This is the building where Baby Whalen resides. Here it is from another angle, rising like a shining promise.
Alden will be the first to tell you that tall buildings have elevators.
And that pesky little brothers can’t be trusted to push the right button.
Once we reached the 28th floor, Kato surveyed his domain.
While I enjoyed a longer view.
For just a moment, I could see the appeal of urban living. There was something quiet and peaceful about the seclusion of the 28th floor. The difference is, I only have to climb up to the hayloft to feel like I’ve escaped from it all in Chestertown.
Before I left the apartment, I had to take a shot of this fine fellow. You know you’re visiting with family when you see a French Explorer on the wall.
Etienne Brule is a character in our very first Idiots’Book, Facial Features of French Explorers, and this print is from our very first gallery show, The First Generation, which hung in the Carla Massoni Gallery in January 2007.
Here’s a closer look.
If you have never read the book (and if you have a spare 67 seconds), here is a Flash version to start your day.
I took this picture as I was driving out of town.
Threading through New York is, at moments, like rafting down the middle of a canyon—the play of light on vertical surfaces, the sense of being dwarfed, the abundance of stone.
Your post reminds me of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Love your closing paragraph.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Town_Mouse_and_the_Country_Mouse
next time you have to stop to see us, damnit. I told j this weekend that I felt like babe: pig in the city, so I agree with clare completely.
xo
Stella:
Shoot. I forgot that you live there now. The idea of you on this fair coast is so new and strange and unsettling.
Oh hey, I belatedly caught the flash version of French Explorers. I don’t have that book, it’s wonderful! The artwork is stunning, Robbi. Next order…
Stella: Watched Babe with Alden for movie night. God, I love that pig. Almost as much as I love you. So, you’re both in good company.
Clare: Yes, sometimes I look at those illustrations and wonder if I can ever capture that again. I don’t know where they came from.
Facial Expressions of French Explorers is a personal favorite of ours. It comes second only to Nasty Chipmunk. And then 10,000 Stories.
I found you guys while visiting a friend in Chestertown. Actually we were having a girl’s weekend, and found your Mom’s shop strolling through town. She had a garden stool that drew us in. A fabulous pottery bench. Your Mom & Dad were back in the studio while we walked around the shop. And then we saw the Idiot’s display (books, boxers, ties). Your parents were very quick to introduce themselves as the Idiot’s parents…”We aren’t the Idiots,” And, equally as quick to tell us that the “Idiots are still asleep” (I can only assume this was pre-idiot savants as it was noonish). We quickly became Idiot stalkers, and bought some stuff.
So, you have fans in West Chester, PA! And, although I couldn’t afford the pottery. I salivated over it. And now you have a lifelong fan.
I’m sorry to see about the loss of your Mom, Robbi. I love reading your blog posts that remember her. And of course, the rest is just perfectly idiotic.
Hi Michele – sorry for the slow response. It’s always nice to hear from folks who have actually been to our little nest. It’s also nice to hear from those who have met mom and dad and seen them in their real element. It’s hard every day, but so nice to see there are so many people out there that mom touched.
I’m sorry we missed you when you were here (you are right – we no longer have the privilege of sleeping till noon) – hopefully next time we will be conscious.