Guatemala

Block Island.

Photos by me with VSCO Cam for iphone

Outside Over There

It was heartbreaking to learn this morning that Maurice Sendak passed away. I grew up on Sendak's books, they just always seemed to get it. I've always loved how as soon as you open a Sendak book you're immediately in this mystical, dark forest - even if the book is about a bakery. He created the most fantastic places to go. His illustrations capture all the awesome things that make the wilderness so enchanting no matter how old you are. The drawings above are some of my favorite images of trees, ever. Sendak was probably just as responsible for my love of all things misty and verdant as the real-live forests themselves.

And check out this incredible behind the scenes photograph from the

filming of Where the Wild Things Are taken by the father of the actor playing Max:

wild in the wild.

Illustrations by Maurice Sendak

Photo of Max by Shawn Records

Bark

The East River

One of my all time favorite things to do in NYC is take a walk by the East River. When M and I moved into our apartment last year we started taking night walks to the river, a tradition that has continued the whole year. I love walking there either early in the morning or late at night. There's really nothing like watching water move to calm you down, especially after a long day of bopping around this crazy city. A few pictures, facts, and more things I love about this river below:

Getting Places: If you hang out by the East River during the day you're going to see some huge barges come by with their big cargo loads of STUFF. Sometimes I think about what the stuff is, where it's going, where its been, other times I imagine I'm a stowaway waiting to surprise an unsuspecting crew member when we get to India.

Other bodies of water: The East River is a tidal strait flowing into the Long Island Sound which is just a hop, skip and a lovely ferry ride away. Famous Newtown Creek is an estuary that flows in to the river (look for a future post on this baby creek).

Perhaps the real reason this river has a permanent place in my heart is that I was born on one of its islands. I spent the first year of my life on Roosevelt Island where I would ride above the waves in the tram with my parents before the F train had a stop there. Although I don't remember living there I always have a real no-place-like-home moment when I walk to the water at 82nd street and look across to Roosevelt Island. Check her out in all her sun drenched glory:

Do other folks have a sweet spot for the East River or the Hudson? Share your watery musings.

Just birds.

Incredible things about Paris



I just discovered some fascinating information about Paris. I think Paris is breath taking. Even just reading or looking at pictures of Paris I find myself holding my breath because I'm just so excited it exists. It's the kind of place where urban farming could be ridiculously glamorous, a man with a knack for sketching boats would live above and own the city's oldest piano shop and an American expat could own a bookstore that drew in the likes of both Hemmingway and Joyce. But it's not just that kind of place, it actually is that place. Hold on folks, this is real life and you're in Paris:

Jean Paucton raises honey bees on the roof of the Paris Opera house, Opera Garnier. He took courses on beekeeping at the Luxemborg Gardens and got the idea for using the Opera house from a coworker - the Opera's fireman - who bred trout in the canal under the building. WILD.

La Mer de Pianos from Films & Things on Vimeo.

While playing around on Vimeo I stumbled on this super beautiful video by Tom Wrigglesworth & Mathieu Cuvelier documenting Marc Manceaux, the owner of the oldest piano shop in Paris. He approaches the pianos like a wonderfully caring doctor with his patient.

This last bit is sad and romantic. Geroge Whitman, owner of the bookstore Shakespeare and Company passed away this week at 98. Whitman was host to some of the English language's most famous authors and  his bookstore became a welcoming home away from home for many of them. Marlise Simons of the New York Times tells the story here.

Eiffel Tour: The Europeans

Jumper: Elliott Erwitt

Opera house: Serge Ramelli

Bee Keeper: The Honey Gatherers and Lost

(P.S. If you come accross anymore information regarding the Opera's resident trout breeder let me know! I'm so curious.)