Outside looking in: The Red Barn, 7/19/08
Meet the chef, part 1
“The reason I am the way I am is because when I was 12 I lived for six months in a Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. Breakfast was a perfect soft-boiled egg in a little silver cup. I never recovered.”–Leah Caplan, 7/21/07
Moonshine and Lamb Candy
The moon last night was so stupid big and bright that as it was rising I squinted at this weird glow through the trees and panicked, thinking the field across the way was on fire. Seriously. It’s sweater weather up here already, at least after dark. But it’s also a new kind of gorgeous. At … Continued
Street frites!
French fries on wheels. I have been talking about this–my fantasy new career–for a year now, and it’s finally happening. In New York. Come on Chicago, step it up! Or, give me a small business loan. [Toronto is hip to this as well, only in Canadian they’re called chip trucks.]
Washington Island Fair
Storm clouds loomed–and my camera battery died just as the parade started, of course–but the Washington Island Fair carried on in fine form. The island’s oldest resident holds court with her attendants The American Legion, three men strong Breakfast of champions Kate bravely staffs the air rifle shoot Blue ribbon beets Winner: tallest corn
Rare sighting of an elusive breed
Under the Big Top
“Well we’ll ne-ver have this night to live a-ga-in. So why not [beat] live it up [beat] while we can?”–“Northern Lights” So runs the hedonistic chorus to the unofficial island anthem, the traditional sing-along finale to the annual “Under the Big Top” concert. The penultimate event in the W.I. Music Festival, it’s the island talent … Continued
!!!!
Surprise guests en route on the 12:15 ferry! Unprecedented . . . And I’m sort of ridiculously excited. I didn’t realize how hungry I was for friendly, familiar faces until one called from Egg Harbor at 8 AM. Even before the call I was feeling at a loss for words. Spent most of yesterday fighting … Continued
“A sustainable paradise”
That’s what I called Washington Island last year, in a blog post about a weekend trip up here. I think I was trying for a sort of tongue-in-cheek, self-conscious hyperbole (Wisconsin? Paradise?), but obviously my writing skills weren’t up to snuff, because the phrase turned up, attributed to me with utmost sincerity, on the Death’s … Continued
No cheese
Willi Lehner, who was supposed to lead a cheese tasting here tomorrow, has cancelled. Darnit. If you wonder why I am bummed, check out Sula’s profile from May of this year (linked to below but I’ll do it again here) as well as recent coverage in the New York Times and the Isthmus. I tried some … Continued