Montauk. Land of selfies. (Spellcheck keeps changing it to "selfless"
which tells you something. What, I'm not sure, but something.)
Me in our sun-drenched room.
Frank is in the roses
wearing his new Warf t-shirt from Andrew and Jennifer that states: "I am not a Merry Man."
On the train from NY to Montauk, I see a huge church stranded in an ocean of concrete and tarmac, surrounded by ugly parking lots and cars. I wonder what it looked like in the past -
obviously this was not its original setting.
The first glimpse of the real ocean is always a thrill.
We finally slide into the station at Montauk...
I trek down to the beach first thing.
The path is filled with beautiful beach roses on the right...
...and nasty poison ivy on the left.
Frank has made it through the green gauntlet in order to hold up a wave with his powerful hand.
Wavy patterns in the sand.
I catch a wave straight away - a perfect specimen if I do say so myself.
And I should know because I am married to someone could win the Guinness Book of World Records championship for his collection of Long Island wave pictures.
For example, here is one of his pics from a rougher sea.
And another. And there are more where these came from.
Speaking of rough seas, I spend some time perusing a local real estate magazine and
see some tempting ads if one has a few extra millions lying around and wants to spend them on something on the verge of...
...slip sliding away...gone in the blink of an eye.
(Today via photoshop, tomorrow via the latest hurricane...)
(Today via photoshop, tomorrow via the latest hurricane...)
Here's some nice beachfront property today...
...and tomorrow? A little too close for comfort.
Frank and I have different dinners - his steak on the left, my fish on the right.
The full moon rises over the sea as we watch from our balcony...
...and Frank catches a great view with his new little Nikon S9700 camera.
He is amazed at its power and clarity.
He is amazed at its power and clarity.
We party under the moon with our friend
Aubrey Roemer who is in Montauk for a two month art residency.
We are entertained in royal fashion with gifts from the sea...
...that Frank, a native Rhode Islander, lends a hand.
All of it was caught by Anthony the fisherman par excellence, below right.
Here is Anthony in one of Aubrey's portraits of Montauk people, the current project she is
working on, documenting at least ten percent of the local people of the area.
...and scroll down for more cool pictures of Aubrey's studio!
The ride back to our room is a bit dizzying in the thick mist - glad I'm not driving!
More gifts from the sea!
I turn them into butterflies.
I am inspired by the women who do up our room every day with these charming and artistic touches.
Nothing escapes their quest for beauty and symmetry.
Frank walks moodily, as is his wont...
...when he isn't standing moodily, that is, which is his favorite activity...
...along with this one, of course...
Here are a few more pics of Frank's world, taken with his new camera:
Here I am walking moodily as is my wont. I'm not much of a stand-and-meditate-er.
Above and below is Willem de Kooning's favorite stretch of beach.
Enough of Frank's pics, back to mine - here we are at beautiful Gosman's Dock for lunch.
Sometimes iceberg lettuce seems like just the thing on a sunny summer day.
Frank gets fabulous fish cakes.
I spend a few moments hanging out in beautiful downtown Montauk,
but I always wonder about the custom of naming benches after people.
Seems a bit strange to me to sit and contemplate death...
Note to self, never have a bench dedicated to you after you die.
Back to life, in a vibrant way, we visit the studio of Aubrey Roemer to check out her
studio where she is working on her awesome project entitled "Leviathan: Montauk Portrait Project."
All the cloth for this project comes from local sources, some old, some new,
bed clothes, handkerchiefs, tablecloths, donated and store-bought.
Aubrey is a Pratt alum, whom I met at a gallery in Bushwick where she was speaking on a panel
at Loft 594 about her concerns re. the art world's high end obsession with money.
Aubrey is a person of light.
For more information about this and her other projects (like portraits of death row inmates, or
work with exotic dancers) go to her website at http://www.aubreyroemer.com/wp/
Aubrey tells us that "sundown" is a time of great importance to Montauk dwellers,
so Frank and I spend time on our little stretch of beach watching the day's end.
The waves deliver another gift from the sea...
...this one impossible to carry up to our room as it's made of concrete.
Amazing, the power of the ocean, and the patience.
Here are a few of our carry-able sea-treats:
We have a visitor, lured
to our balcony with its promise of delicious treats on the table.
He takes off in a huff he realizes they are only empty shells.
They do look like chips - I, too am tempted to eat a handful.
He or she visits later to share a glass of wine.
I'm sure it's the same gull because they look exactly alike.
Our last Montauk moments are misty...
Not so hard to leave when it's raining.
On the way we stop and buy a bottle or two at one of Long Island's wonderful vineyards.
And then we're back in the land of lines...
...and signs...
...some of them empty...
...some of them clever...
...some of them cryptic...
...some of them from forgotten worlds...
...some of them political...
...and some of them poetic.
I like this one that says "Rest in Poetry."
Brooklyn is a mix that continues to amaze me.
As does this skyline.
Brooklyn, land of selfless.
