UD‘s old friend has been immensely honored in Poland, and here’s the latest thing!

He was a quiet gentle giant of a man, engrossed in his painting, in love with his wife, and, in his off time, busy maintaining his one hundred upstate NY acres, and the beautiful house/pond at their center. A lover of the night sky (like UD), he built himself an observatory. He and Magda drove around most weekends finding the quirky Americana that filled the house. They often had guests (not in the winter!), many of them famous Polish artists, and Magda cooked everyone spectacular meals, topped off with dusky strolls through the woods.

Then we’d all sit on the big front porch and gaze at the pond Fangor made until we started falling asleep.

… at Joanna Soltan’s upstate country house. Les UD’s

used to own it with her, but withdrew when this

fancy wedding venue moved next door. Like Marie

Antoinette, the place has recreated, for its New York

City clientele, a pastoral paradise, with many farm

animals. Occasionally some of them escape and

trample Joanna’s flowers.

… neighbors.

… at the Schoharie County Apple Barrel
Country Store. She bought pumpkins.

It’s the site of the terrible crash.

The people in the limo
were on their way to
Brewery Ommegang
outside Cooperstown.

You know UD‘s obsession with oreo cows; you know that, bizarrely, oreo cows now live right next door to our upstate NY house. They’re part of this elegant new outfit down the street.

Now UD‘s sister-in-law, currently in residence, sends her photos of the cows having wandered out of their enclosures and DIRECTLY ONTO our front field. She has AWAKENED to a herd of oreo cows at her door.

I’m so fucking jealous.

At least it’s unnerving to me.

Faithful readers know I have long loved Oreo – also known as Galloway – cows.

UD loves them so much she has elaborate plans to visit places around Maryland that feature them. She loves them so much she has priced houses in places like this.

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And now it turns out that a herd of Galloways has moved in right next door to her house in upstate New York.

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Yes. That precise breed, just around
the corner from her country house.

UD‘s sister-in-law, Joanna,
is staying there now, and sends this
picture of her and the cows.

Let me just say again how unnerving I
find it that those particular cows of
all cows materialized on that particular
patch of earth…

… work on our little upstate NY house.

… an amazing storm approaches

the Soltan upstate NY house.

The row of evergreens marks
our driveway.

Photo by Joanna Soltan.

UD and her sister (at the wheel) driving into Woodstock NY two days ago.

He loved our corner of the deep country, and with his framing hands he set about creating one bounded garden after another on his big sunny acres.

After his death, they’re
still beautiful –
still bounded – barely –
in ruined abundance.

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He, the prior owner of the gardener’s
acres, loved their massive true dark
skies, and he built himself an observatory
in the field across from the house.

During intermission yesterday at the otherwise way gloomy Siege of Calais at Glimmerglass, UD was amused to see a woman wearing this t-shirt.

Family, cat, birthday breakfast.

View with cupcake.

Chinese goodies, a gift from Ashley,
a student of UD‘s from China.

Today the guys came over to
deal with our septic tank.

… to clear the front fields.

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Taken this afternoon at our upstate house.

UD will be there for her birthday this August.

The driveway.

Mr UD’s sister’s car.

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UD will celebrate her mid-August birthday in NY.