High Times at Cheshire Lake

Here are the swimming photos from last weekend. Lots of jumping from the rope including a video of Ross jumping off the rope, Max and I swimming from Island to Island, fishing, and the juiciest grilled shitake mushrooms. Have a good holiday weekend!

Country Living

I find myself wishing sometimes that I lived in the country, especially after I spend amazing weekends with friends out in the country. Last week, I went and worked up in the Berkshires and we spent the weekend at my co-worker/ friend Oleg's house. His house is like a tree house, surrounded by lush, green trees and plants. We did lots of country things, which included swimming in lakes, splitting fire wood (not me, Ross and the rest of the guys) and stacking it, barbecuing, and sitting around the fire pit.

Fernando y Aldo

Chemistry Rona Chang

I have a confession. I am thoroughly addicted to the Mexican soap opera La Fea Mas Bella (The Mexican Version of Ugly Betty, which was originally a Columbian telenovela). My obsession started this summer when I watched the first two discs, in the name of learning more Spanish. I get a disc from netflix and can watch 3 episodes on each side of the disc. This week, I have already stayed up two nights watching the 3rd disk, and have the last and final disk on my queue. I have a burning desire to see what happens so I can get my life back when I'm done watching this show. Um, the worst part is that I currently have a huge crush on Fernando Mendiola and Aldo Domenzain- two of the lead male characters that Lety (the ugly one) is in love with. Fernando is dark and handsome, loud and selfish. Aldo is fair and kind, the sweetest character, and is so dreamy... Ay Dios mio!

Chinese Sundays

Hornet's Comb Rona Chang

I have discovered that all Chinese people wake up early on Sundays, at least the ones that use the pool. Sheesh! I had a 9am swim date with my friend Crystal. We shared a lane with four others- that's SIX to a lane, in case you needed help counting. Um, we've decided that in the future, we'll go later in the day, to avoid the aggressive splashers. One nice thing about Flushing early in the morning is that it's fairly empty. After our swim, we went to have fresh warm soymilk at the Flushing Mall. Yum!

ps- don't forget that it's election day!
pps- this weeks photos will be from my summer in Mass.

To be a Shaker

Hancock Shaker Village Rona Chang

This is the last photo from Hancock Shaker Village. If I were dressing up for Halloween this year, maybe I would be a Shaker. I never dress up, I just can't seem to get into it. Maybe it's because I never dressed up as a kid. Ok, that's a semi-lie. I was Strawberry Shortcake in second grade. The costume was too small and borrowed from my best friend Mimi. When I visited Hancock, I really put myself in the setting and thought that I could be a Shaker, in terms of aesthetics and communal living, not religious belief. The communal kitchen was to die for. I would have liked to make my own yarn, knit and make linen out of flax.

For those of you heading out tonight, be safe and have a blast for me.

A little Astoria in my week

Towels, Boxes Rona Chang

Last night I trekked, well actually got a ride from Geoff to go to Titan Foods (a large Greek supermarket) so I can pick up 9 liters of olive oil. I buy a motherload of oils every year around this time. Most of you should know what it's for. Titan is a great place to pick up olive oil, they have a whole aisle devoted to it.

And two nights ago, my friend Alison and I had a grand 'ol time in Astoria. Eating from the kitchen of Moustafa El Sayed who runs Mombar. I really, really want to go to Egypt. I keep listening to podcasts about traveling to Egypt. I will get there but for now I will satisfy my wanderlust by eating.


Ceiling at Mombar

And this article from the NYTimes about Thomas Keller (the chef) and his dad, Ed Keller spoke to me. Here are some of my favorite quotes from What the Last Meal Taught Him:

In the cookbook ("Ad Hoc At Home"), Mr. Keller leads with his heart. He dedicates it to his brother Joseph and lays out in loving, exacting detail the recipes for the last meal he made his father. He reminds readers that life is better when you eat together with family and friends.

“I had him with me for some really meaningful moments before the accident and I didn’t have that as a child,” Mr. Keller said. “At the end of the day when we think about what we have, it’s memories.”

Memories are what Mr. Keller strives to create with all his food. And food memories are something he said he cherishes about his last years with his father. Especially that last meal.

While I too never spent that much time with my dad as a child, I savour all the time we spent together during my summers and visits and conversations we had when I was a young adult. Those memories will serve me for the rest of my life.

Oh so nice

Sweeper Rona Chang

I finally tried out the Parks and Recs pool in Flushing Meadow Park. It's oh so nice. While it's heavily used, it's well maintained. There's 10 lap lanes all the time and a wall of windows so you can see daylight! And what a bargain if you can get to one, especially if you are over 55. I have to trek a bit to get there by train but while it's still halfway decent out I'm going to be a trooper and try to go 2x a week.

(Shakers make the nicest brooms. Almost makes me want to sweep.)

Gray, White, Wood and Red

Wood Rona Chang

Sooo, I've been thinking about renovating the new apartment to be. It'll be three more weeks until I close and can get in and make actual measurements. It's been half a year since I've been inside the apartment. I took some photos but not enough. I have some room measurements that we made when we tried to figure out the square footage of the apartment but I don't have a floor plan. It's a bit frustrating this whole process is taking such a looong time. Good thing I was distracted and living in Mass. for most of the time.


Angled Wood Rona Chang

These photos are exteriors of barns from Hancock Shaker Village which has been a huge design inspiration. I'm dreaming of redoing the floors in a herringbone pattern or just an angled pattern but in reality, I need to get into the apartment and see if the parquet floors need to be redone. My recollection is that they are fairly scuffed up, but maybe they really aren't and I don't need to spend a ton of time and energy to redo the floors.


Red, White Rona Chang

While I will be on a budget, the one renovation I know I can afford is to repaint the whole apartment. It's now in hideous colors of puke (I'll post some photos to demonstrate). It's a darker apartment than the current one I'm in. It's on a lower floor and has less windows. I want to brighten the whole place up. So going back to yesterday's post about wanting to be Scandinavian- I really am going to pursue that wholeheartedly. I want to paint just about everything white. But I am thinking about dark grey- charcoal grey with red, a mustardy yellow, and a medium colored wood as accent colors with bits of neutral colors like flax and heather thrown in.

We have a great long yellow couch from the 50's that's sitting in P'burg right now that will be making the move into the new place. I'm thinking of pairing it with that rich charcoal grey wall I'm dreaming of, along with my Poul Cadovius shelving. We also have a flokati rug that I may or may not lay down. It does seem a bit hairy to upkeep. I guess we'll decide on that when we get a good vacuum cleaner.

I guess I'm just putting together some ideas for now and will figure it out slowly as we go along. I plan on doing all of this reno on a budget and green by getting as many of my supplies as possible from Build it Green NYC. I think lots and lots of apartment posts will be forthcoming.

Growing Up, and Becoming Scandinavian

Feet in the Air Rona Chang

I've decided that it's high time to grow up. Physically I mean. I've always worn flats because I like the way they look and I tend to trip in heels and never got used to them. But earlier this year, I started having foot/ shoe trouble. I went to the podiatrist and he basically recommended that I wear some heels and get a custom orthopedic shoe insert made (kaching $$$500). I've been buying shoe inserts instead and while it's gotten better, I still haven't gone for the the height. This summer I realized that clogs might be the answer, they are higher but not tippy. Cool Swedish girls like Camilla wear them and have been wearing them forever. A whole population of people can't be wrong, right? My new boss T was wearing some Dansko ones and I asked her about them. She said they were great. Clogs are kind of clunky but I went and tried on a couple of Dansko Professional Pull-Up Clogs and think they could possibly work but are slightly pricey. So I'm considering those or a pair of vintage ones (the set back is that I can't try the ones I have my eyes on online). Anyone have clog wisdom they want to let me in on? I'm all ears at this point. (All other wisdom taken too.)

Exteriors

Exteriors Rona Chang

Bedroom

Bedroom Rona Chang

Barn Chairs

Barn Chairs Rona Chang

Yellow, Red, and Blue

I will start sharing some newly scanned Breathing In photos again. This week and maybe next will feature some images from my favorite domestic inspiration from this past summer, when I lived in Massachusetts- Hancock Shaker Village.


Yellow, Red, and Blue Rona Chang

Oh how I wanted a huge stash of these oval boxes.