Hola de Ciudad de Mexico!

I find myself in the embassy district of Mexico City. 

Staying with the director of the film, Eva in her parent's house. It's just me, the DP Sebastian, Eva, Lincoln the German shepherd and 2 maids around. 


Eva's father is Homero Aridjis a writer of poetry and prose. He is also a serious environmentalist and has through Eva's stories become my immediate hero. He was a major player in saving the breeding grounds of the gray whales in the lagoons of the Baja peninsula. He did the same for the Monarch butterflies. The house is  incredible and filled with art, books, knick knacks from around the world and an all around awesome intellectual vibe. 




One of MANY traditional and ritual masks that decorate the house.

Handsome house mate and modern art.

There really is no strolling about Mexico City. It is just toooo damn big. The area I'm staying in is very nice and most houses have a booth with a security guard outside. 

Kooky fairy tale Gaudi inspired villa close to Eva's house.

We get in a van or a taxi and we get driven to where we need to go. Crime is obviously present but Eva says tourists are usually not the target. Of course there are muggings but kidnappings have gone down in number because there is just too much work involved and Americans rarely get nabbed because who would want the American government on your ass anyways. Drug crime stays outside the city, the big guys in the trade need the city clean for their legitimate affairs. But still, taking a lazy afternoon walk through Mexico City is not the best idea. I'm staying behind the bars of the house and am content taking hipstamatic snaps out the car window. 

We did a camera test yesterday at the rental house. It all went well but the language barrier is giving me a little bit of a head ache (made worse by the high altitude...). The camera department is Sebastian, me, 2nd assistant camera Stefania, our data manager Gilberto (meaning downloading of media from flash cards to computer) and our 3rd, Ruben. Both these guys don't speak much English so thank god Stefania's English is flawless. Poor thing will be translating her little heart out. Cause the same thing goes for Irving, our chief lighting technician and Ivanhoe (YES! Ivanhoe!) our keygrip.

Our equipment comes from Renta Imagen, a very cool rental house and studio in Mexico City.

I never met a dessert I didn't like so I wasn't going to frown at this one which looks like a slab of lard with raspberry sauce.

Tonight is dinner with the gang in the city and tomorrow we start our loooong journey to Palenque where we start shooting on Monday. 

Vaya Con Dios!

My last Clintondale weekend before Mexico (there's frikkin monkeys there!!!). It's a bit melancholy to miss Thanksgiving (AND I'm traveling on James' birthday. Happy Birthday to my American boy!) but maybe we'll do a turkey for Christmas instead. 


I'll miss some work being done on the house but James has promised pictures. Got to see some sheetrock go up though! Exciting.

It's a tough one getting around all the angles and stuff but these guys will get it. 

Bedroom ceiling.

We have closets!

Downstairs is almost done. We bought paint yesterday, Ralph Lauren: Club Navy. The chip does NOT do it justice, but the picture at the top of the page has this color on the wall and it looks mmmmmm... Rosemary helped us in a big way with picking it out. We are leaving the inside of the doors white and our wood wall will be white and the rest BLUE. Trim in a semi gloss and walls in a flat.

We took a  long drive yesterday to familiarize ourselves with WOOD. For our decorative wall and for our floors. Since we moved up here, people have told us we have to go to Ghent Lumber in Hudson.  And once you're up there take a little stroll through the strange but lovely town of Hudson. For starters, we had a bite at Tanzy's on Warren Street. 

We shared a cream of brussel sprout soup. I had a super tasty grilled ham and cheese with carmelized onions and James kick started Thanksgiving with an open faced hot turkey sandwich. We took a peek in a few antique stores  and also saw this house which looks sososo much like our spring house. 

So - back to the business at hand. We are looking for rough sawn boards for our wall in the pastry shop and wide pine boards for our floors, upstairs and downstairs.

I'm pretty sure we found what we are looking for at Ghent, but since we were kind of in the area we decided to check out 2 other places that had been recommened to us. Both of them located in Pine Plains.

Antique and Vintage Flooring and New England Wholesale Hardwoods, or floorings.com. Both places were extremely helpful and nice to see but in the end we are trying to get away with cheaper wood and maybe spend the extra money on a stupendous finish instead. So 12" white pine boards from Ghent it is.

These guys have been all over the feeder lately. The usually super shy and lonely tufted titmouse now in abundance! 

I really hate leaving my beautiful house but the next 5 weeks will go by fast and I get to come home to a Christmas tree and super cosy time for at least a few weeks. We stopped by IKEA on the way back to the city today and stocked up on Glögg and gingersnaps! 

Here is the little table Rosemary brought last weekend that fits so perfect in that corner.

And here is the living room with the new little chest of drawers we picked up at Pier 1 Imports. (WHAT! That place is hell on earth you say? And I would mostly agree with you and your shopping eye has to be very selective.)

And we had claypot pork chops with dilly mushroom gravy for dinner. 

I rubbed a little salt, pepper and olive oil on the chops and seared them for a minute each on both sides. Then put them in the clay pot with potatoes and onions. They were in the oven for about 40 minutes.

We made the gravy with baby bellas, white mushrooms, oysters and shitakes. Sauteed them up in 1/2 stick of butter. Added 1/3 cup flour. Then 2 cups of stock and 2 cups half and half. 1 teaspoon dill weed. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.

We mixed it up the day after by making potoates au gratin. The gravy was even better day 2!

Alright. I better start packing. See you in Mexico!

Getting ready for winter

We are seriously working our petuties off over here. It's non stop but unfortunately there's not too much to show for it. I finally put finish paint on the whole porch and James has one coat on all windows and trim. We know it but nobody else really sees it. Once we start to green EVERYONE will see but that's looking more and more like a spring project.

Rosemary came and visited last weekend and brought lots of goodies. Our dining and living rooms are up to detailing level and little lamps and cute tables make a world of difference. There was also lots of kitchen planning. Which gets us too excited and we want it to happen now!!! But alas, it's still a 2 year plan. Unless we win the powerball lottery. Which could totally happen. 

Jake and Brian, our new contractors have been working in the pastry shop getting it ready for the sheet rocker (who may start next week...). 

Today they put the final touches on the new staircase and the door to the basement. Rosemary got involved in the planning of the pastry shop also. We know that we are doing the white wood wall and we know that the rest of the room will be dark blue. We are now convinced that we are doing window and door trim blue as well, just like the dining room. 

So the week started out sunnysunnysunny and we got much done. I raked the last of the leaves and even mowed the lawn. I'm calling it - the yard is ready for winter.

Our furry neighbors helped out as well. 

It was time to harvest the basil plant and what else to make but PESTO. Just good old classic pesto.


2 cups of basil leaves
1/3 cup of pine nuts
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves


Put it right in the blender go.


Right before I served it I heated it up a little with some half and half. James says I would make a good Italian.

My mother's "oups people are coming over and I have nothing to serve for fika*" solution is always rhubarb crisp. We have no rhubarb (YET) but are surrounded by apple orchards so when Rosemary and I went down the road to get pumpkins for Halloween we also grabbed a bag of local Empires. I think I broke every desert record last night when the thing was in the oven before James was even back from the minimart with ice cream. So quick. So tasty.

Making the crisp is a feeeeel thing. I just start with a stick of butter and add flour and sugar until the consistency is right. Crumbly and falling apart. We cut and peel the apples and sprinkle some cinnamon and brown sugar on them between the layers. Then pour the crumbles on top. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. If you have marsan (martian) (vanilla) sauce that's how it should be eaten but if you are without, ice cream will definitely suffice.

*A coffee break with a little something sweet to go along with it. 


I get worried sometimes that I've seen all the good movies in the world. But then a little gem pops up and I find there is hope. We caught a yummy old thriller with Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster when Rosemary visited. (hm, some of us caught only half...). Anyway, it's called Sorry, Wrong Number and it's a thriller all right.


Also want to recommend (highly infact!) a Danish movie called Terribly Happy. A little Coen a little Lynch and a lotta original. (Copenhagen cop gets reassigned to a small town where things go from bad to worse.)


And of course, Infernal Affairs (Thanks E! for the tip!). The original version of Scorsese's The Departed which is WAY cooler. Tony Leung - you are my hero.


Heading out of town for the week, Charlotte then Detroit. And I got one more weekend in Clintondale before this blog goes Mexican. Please stop by for the cracking of the first bottle of Glögg for the season this coming sunday! 

Happy Fall from Linda and James!

For sale on 44/55!

This guy just came up for sale around the corner from us. Great house with a beautiful piece of property. View of apple orchards and mountains. It also has a very cool barn. Maybe even 2? Not sure if the 2nd one belongs to this house or the neighbor.

Bonus Sunday

Didn't think I would make it up this weekend but when I awoke all by myself in the apartment (worked late last night, riding around the city with a phantom. Not as scary as it sounds. It is a camera that shoots veryveryvery fast. See, life moves at 24 frames per seconds according to film, 25 if you live in the PAL part of the world. Now, the Phantom can shoot things at 1000 frames per seconds, so imagine that played back at 24 FPS and you have slooooooooo-mooooooooo) there was really nothing to keep me there. I want to be at my house. And why couldn't I ? 

I got in the car and drove up. A little lazy, a little slow brained I watched James' progress on painting, cleaned up some and decided to cook us something special for dinner. 

Hmmmmm, let's see now.

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH BACON

Once again a winner recipe from the Williams Sonoma soup book. I made a few alterations this time.

Heat oil in a soup pot and once it's warm add 2 chopped yellow onions and 1 packet of bacon. I scissored the bacon in to small pieces.

Add 1 chopped red pepper.

2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground coriander

a pinch (or 2) of Chipotle chili powder

Let it all become an aromatic dream come true.

Then add 8 cups of water and 2 cups of black beans.

I used dried beans but didn't have time to do an overnight soak so I put the beans in a pot and covered them with water + 2 additional inches. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let it sit for 1 hour. After that rinse the beans and they are ready to use.

My soup simmered for about an hour and then I placed all solid stuff in a blender.

Finally I added chopped fresh cilantro and juice from 1 or 2 limes. 

Serve with home fried corn tortilla strips and fresh cut cilantro.

My veggie thoughts on the matter are very uninspired. The bacon adds such a smoky, tasty flavor that it's hard for me to think of substitutions. More chipotle perhaps?

We ate it with sour cream and crunched up tortilla chips. And these little fritters on the side...

FRIED FLAT BREAD WITH SCALLIONS

Put 1 1/4 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Slowly add 1 cup of boiling water and mix till it becomes a dough. Take it out and put into plastic wrap for 1/2 hour.

Cut up one bunch of scallions and sauté them in oil.

Roll out the bough into a rectangle on a floured surface. 

Spread the leeks on top. 

Roll it up from the short end.

Cut up about 12 slices and put them between wax paper. Flatten the slices with your palm.

I stuck them in the fridge after this and about 2 hours later I fried them in oil in a pan until golden brown on both sides.

A superb weekend!

I can't really write right now because I have no fingertips. They have been stolen by the sandpaper demon and every key stroke hurts like bloody fire. F - oooooooo, I - fk #$%^@%** grrrr, R - aooooooo, E - omg I really should just stop writing.

But someone has to post pictures of our amazing Maple trees ablaze and the spectacular colors of the valley. 

And I have to brag about my homemade Alfredo that was just to die for for. 

So $^#%%@^~#**# here I go.

Maple Avenue

Yup. Those are our maple trees. We did goooood. And noooooo, for the 1000th time Mr. Scrap Metal collector man (they certainly are a special breed of people...), YOU CAN NOT have that radiator. Although I think we just decided to part with it and go more stream line (it's been waiting on going back in the pastry shop once it's done). So now - we are accepting offers. I really just want to see someone wrestle with the thing. It's like the weight of an elephant baby. Maybe someone could replace it with an elephant baby. I would love one of those. 

Our view is meh. Mediocre at best.

Great thing about Alfredo is that it's completely guilt free! 

Melt half a stick of butter in a saucepan. 

Add 1 cup of cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cup of grated gruyere cheese and stir until melted. 

Add 1 crushed garlic clove and lots of parsley.

I tossed the fettucine and the sauce with lots of fresh spinach and served.

No guilt - non whatsoever. And don't forget the Parmesan on top!

James put finish paint on the trim on the front yesterday and today it was the bay window. I sacrificed the skin on my fingers to the porch. Today I am painting it!

I took a little break in porch restoration and went up to our neighborhood look out point on Palazzo Lane.

Things we love about Clintondale. Our Gunk view. Apples! The fall colors. And even some birds.

Oh heck! Just one more. The ridge at dawn.

It's been quiet about the birds lately. Mostly sparrows hanging out getting fat on our seed. But all of a sudden they came back. 

I saw this little guy this morning. We haven't seen Juncos since last winter!

And this guy must have missed the train to Florida. The Blue Jays are back too doing crazy flybys and hootin and making a racket in the trees. 

We only really watched one movie this weekend and the angry critic says it was good. Not great. Could have been great but took a silly turn at 1 hour. It's a French movie called Un Prophete. A young Arab ends up in prison for what we know not. He commits a crime in there in exchange for protection. On one hand he is smart and starts to study but on the other hand he realizes he can make it big  in the crime world with the connections he's making inside. And it goes from Shawshank to a mobster pic. The title suggests an inspirational story of finding your roots . That would have been preferred. But its subtleties still make it very worthwhile.

Last weekend we did a double feature. Sam Mendes' Away we go (self proclaimed loser couple get pregnant and take  a roadtrip to find the perfect place to raise their child) and Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock (chronicling the events that led up to the Woodstock festival, and it should have ended when they got there. Instead we have to watch the protagonist doing acid and opening his mind and our interest dwindled FAST). It was a mediocre night I guess. Away we go was better than expected and Taking Woodstock was just as silly as expected. 

Best in awhile was Howl. In the theatre. Allen Ginsberg's (played by James Franco) poem comes to life by cool animation, recreated docu footage and courtroom drama. Verrrry good.

I've made no secret of the fact that I've been unhappy with my bizniz lately. Quoting in my head "hell is Hollywood and satan is a studio exec". But maybe the disappointments, straight up blow offs and cancellations all led up to this. I will be on the road until Christmas on cool, interesting gigs. Firstly, a travel job in the States - North Carolina, Yellowstone National Park and Detroit. And with no room to breath, off I go to Mexico City to prep a camera package and then I continue to the Chiapas region to work on an offbeat, creepy little indie in the vein of Nick Roeg's Don't Look Now. I'm excited. And I'm taking the Gazette on the road with me. James will get much done at the house and I will come home just in time to decorate the tree and throw the ham in the oven. 

Winter proofing

Foamco came and insulated in the pastry shop and upstairs bedroom last week. It looks like the rooms are covered in blue ice cream. Yum!

We got a quote from the sheetrock guy and he will spackle and prime as well. Good deal. Then we pick a floor and paint colors!

We have a slightly different plan for this wall. My sister and Gizmo are in the process of building a garage that also holds a workshop and a small boutique. They used this paneling in the boutique. 

They are unfinished painted boards.

This is their bedrom and these boards are stained. We want the same look for the one wall in the pastry shop and I think we want to stain it blue.

Also thinking about doing it to the 2 short walls in the NOW laundry room THEN super cosy kitchen nook. Whenever we get to that...

We got new contractors and the porch molding is finally done. 

I drove all the way to Pleasant Valley in the rain to pick up these bricks. I acted like an absolute craigslist crazy showing up with no money thinking this guy was the one with the free bricks. He took me on a drive that was just a little too long for comfort up behind his house and there was definitely a moment when I was getting ready to tuck and roll. But then the tables turned and I started asking about the nearest ATM. In the middle of the woods. I googled my way to a bank and came back and loaded up the car.

I am going to line the flower bed over on the other corner of the house as well but as long as the weather is good all energy goes into getting this house painted.

Fall is coming on like gangbusters and this is lovely Maple Ave in color!

Tomorrow I go to the Doorjamb to buy a new basement door. And since it is raining I am sanding the front door and all the trim around it. It's the only task that is under a roof. If I am lucky I will also have time for a dump run! This weekend is supposed to be nice so maybe I will get to finish sanding the porch and to mow the last bit of grass. Just in time to start raking leaves. James is coming in tomorrow night and will get to work first thing on saturday with caulking and priming. And sanding and painting.

It is so relaxing to have a house in the country.