Narrow streets, Athenian houses, and cats are part of the city’s distinct personality. Sometimes, I feel that Athenian cats are way more cooler than people.
August 23rd, 2020
Tag: cats
Casual chat
When Greeks engage in a friendly discussion, it sounds like they’re arguing. Even if they’re just talking about the weather, under the sun, in one of the most stunning neighbourhoods in Athens – Dionysiou Areopagitou, a pedestrianised street around the archaeological site of Acropolis.
August 22nd, 2020
Old Athens
Neighbourhood || Neighbours
August 15th, 2020
Etched in Stone
The Stone House in Hurley was a Bed and Breakfast in a 300 year old Dutch estate, built sometime between 1705 and 1720, when New York was still New Amsterdam. There are more Dutch stone houses in Hurley, a village founded in 1662 as Nieuw Dorp by Dutch and Huguenots from Wiltwyck (now Kingston), burned to the ground by Esopus Natives, angry because they hadn’t been reimbursed for their lands, only to be rebuilt and remain Dutch until it was transferred to the English in 1664. And although its name was changed to Hurley, it remained Dutch in language and architecture. Our room was an homage to Vermeer’s most famous painting ”Girl with a Pearl Earring”, created around that time (c. 1665).
Our host was eagerly waiting to show us to the ”Girl with a Pearl Earring” – but only after we’d paid our dues!
The Stone House, Hurley, N.Y.
It has since been converted to a botanical perfume distillery, adding more aroma to its long history.
July 27th, 2019
Elegance
Elegance, about 1927 – marble
Heinz Warneke
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.
March 22nd, 2019
Customers waiting politely
Midtown Manhattan, N.Y.
February 14th, 2019
Accusing
The vase with flowers and the accusing look on the cat’s face;
I’m sensing an overly dramatic scene in…
2-3-1!
Robert Massey
Siamese Cats II, early 1960s
Oil and egg tempera on canvas
An obnoxious cat
”Firmin-Girard enjoyed great popularity at the time the Impressionists were revolting against the highly detailed, academic style that he practiced. However, Firmin-Girard shared the Impressionists’ interest in painting modern life, especially scenes along the River Seine. In this work, Parisians enjoy a Sunday brasserie overlooking the river at Bas-Meudon southwest of Paris. At left, the artist depicted his daughter stroking an appreciative cat as her brother chats with their grandmother…” (from the accompanying tag)
An appreciative cat? I don’t think so… What I see, is a mean character, eyes narrowed, probably plotting its next attack; I can almost hear it hissing and growling at the dog across the street.
Marie-François Firmin-Girard (1838-1921)
Sunday at Bas-Meudon, 1884
Oil on canvas
June 9th, 2018
Powell’s City of Books
Not just any bookstore – a giant bookstore that occupies an entire block, and an independent one at that. With thousands upon thousands of new and used books, gifts with smart messages and a great coffee shop. Also, someone in there is a cat lover, which automatically elevates it to my top favourite places in Portland.
Powell’s City of Books, Portland, OR
June 8th, 2018
The CATalyst
Tybee Island, GA
April 8th, 2018
The Humble Fabulist 