July 19th, 2021
Belted Galloway ponders ancient telephone…

… 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.

August 6th, 2020
UD’s sister-in-law photographs her nearest upstate NY…

… neighbors.

October 10th, 2018
UD’s sister-in-law sends her a photo she took ten days ago…

… 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.

October 4th, 2018
It’s too maddening.

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.

August 9th, 2018
It’s extremely unnerving when your very precise wishes very precisely come true.

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.

***************

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

***************

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…

October 21st, 2017
Horst and his Brittany Spaniel Emma…

… work on our little upstate NY house.

August 19th, 2017
The night after UD returns to ‘thesda …

… an amazing storm approaches

the Soltan upstate NY house.

The row of evergreens marks
our driveway.

Photo by Joanna Soltan.

August 19th, 2017
On the Anniversary of Woodstock.

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

Camera: Frances Eby.

August 19th, 2017
The Aesthetic of the Ruined Garden

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.

****************

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.

August 16th, 2017
Fascinating Fascism

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

August 16th, 2017
UD’s Birthday in the Countryside

Family, cat, birthday breakfast.

View with cupcake.

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

July 11th, 2017
The Glamor of the Country House

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

June 30th, 2017
Joanna Soltan’s Cat Mounts Riding Mower…

… to clear the front fields.

**************

Taken this afternoon at our upstate house.

UD will be there for her birthday this August.

June 1st, 2017
Mud Season, Our Upstate NY House.

The driveway.

Mr UD’s sister’s car.

**********

UD will celebrate her mid-August birthday in NY.

July 4th, 2016
The Fourth of July in Upstate New York.

photo

Photo by Joanna Soltan.

View from the house
in Summit.

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