Kilns /  by Liesl Pfeffer

Kilns, Wassaic, NY
August 2014

Obscenely green nature at these amazing old kilns off an unpaved road in Wassaic. Adam and I stopped for a look around on the way for a swim in the creek. Another resident said there was a dead skunk surrounded by vultures up there when she went the day earlier, but we didn't see any sign of that crazy scene. 

Sag Harbor /  by Liesl Pfeffer

Liquor store, Sag Harbor, NY
May 2014

I bought Girl Scout Cookies from the man working in this liquor store. Four boxes between Adam and I. I had never eaten or seen them before - they were just a concept from movies and TV up until that moment. 

Well, I can confirm they are pretty great. Samoas were my favorite - coconut and chocolate. 

Lunch /  by Liesl Pfeffer

Lunch, Hamptons, NY
Memorial Day weekend, May 2014

I don't like lobster but I like everything about this restaurant, from the list of famous diners on the paper placemat to the homemade pies for dessert.

The Compound /  by Liesl Pfeffer

Smoke Bellow

Smoke Bellow

The Compound, Baltimore, MD
July 2014

I spent an afternoon reading on the couch at the Compound in Baltimore while Smoke Bellow rehearsed for their upcoming tour. I don't know if it's an official name or just what everyone calls it, but the Compound is a farm, a home, a venue, artists studios and rehearsal space. While I was reading and listening to the distant sounds of Smoke Bellow practicing, a beautiful girl was weaving fabric on a large loom upstairs, and a sculptor was working on a tree trunk with a chainsaw outside. 

Swimming /  by Liesl Pfeffer

Outside Baltimore, MA
July 2014

When winter finally ended this year I made a resolution to swim as much as I could once the weather warmed. Coming from a city in Australia with a subtropical climate, where I had a backyard pool as a kid and escaped to the beach with my sister many weekends, winters in the northeastern USA have not been easy. I never appreciated how lucky we were that in winter we would sometimes need to slip on a light sweater or a thin scarf at night.  

So this year, I managed a few trips to the Rockaways, and some creek swims in the Hudson Valley, and this very cold swim with some very good people outside Baltimore in late July. 

 

Houses /  by Liesl Pfeffer

Houses
Austin, Texas
March 2014 

I fell in love with these single-story stone houses and their arid cacti gardens when I was in Austin a few months ago. The neighborhood where I stayed was quiet and it always felt like it had just rained. 

The Big Duck /  by Liesl Pfeffer

The Big Duck
Long Island, NY
May 2014

I was chatting to a new friend recently and she happened to notice that the lock screen on my phone was a picture of the Big Duck. She got so excited. The Big Duck is on her list of places to go, she said. She told me some facts about the Big Duck that I did not know (which I already forgot).

It's when you meet someone new and they get excited about a Big Duck, that you realize you are really lucky you met this person and you need them in your life.

This post is dedicated to everyone who puts things like roadside ducks on their list of places to go. Stay golden you guys.