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Contact sheet for Shame, 2005. Intertidal cover.
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Pancakes.
The sun was setting as we made our way home, south to Massachusetts. We whizzed past this smoke stack that looked interesting in a valley off the right side of the highway. I decided to “quickly” get off the highway for one last run. Most of the times I get off I end up backtracking a half-hour for nothing. But this mill was pretty close, easy to find and I wasn’t done shooting. We found a road that went up a bluff so we could face the west and down to a paper mill. Clover was totally over it before we even arrived. We hopped out and hiked down a little ravine to a sweet spot overlooking the valley. It was cold as shit, which sucked, but it smelled like fresh maple syrup, which was awesome. Clover said “I’m going down there for some pancakes.” Funny. We shot for about 20 minutes, some video, some stills. Time to go, we were shivering.
This trip wasn’t as fruitful as the last, but it had its moments. It was more frustrating than fun but I gotta keep pushing it. We’re starting to build some solid material. Shooting in the cold and dark of winter is not my favorite, hers either. So where to next? South. Who know, right now I just need heat, home, bed…
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Trip 2, Day 3. Franconia, NH. to Rumford, RI.
I love long johns, I was happy in mine. Clover, on the other hand, was still complaining, and wearing long johns was one more good reason to bitch. “They feel weird, my sock has a string in it, I’m cold, I’m hungry.” Wait, we just ate. Let’s go dude…
We headed out fairly early to check out Echo Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain. We arrived and they were blowing lots of snow on the few runs that were open (not much snow in New England thus far.) It was pretty magical to see the snow waft up into the sunlight, making little glints of light in the sky. We hiked down to the beach to check out the lake and ice. It was covered with about a foot of snow, which created a blanket of silence over the valley. All we could hear was the vibrating hum of the snow machines and the squish of the snow underfoot. We followed what looked like a set of mouse prints and a set of fox prints along the lake edge down to a stream. It was as good as it sounds. We collected lake water to use back in the studio.
We hopped back in the Element and drove south down the Franconia Notch Parkway to the trailhead at Lonesome Lake trail. Lonesome Lake is set at the top of a 1.6 mile trail. Not so bad unless there’s a foot of snow and your basically dragging your five year old up a steep, icy mountain. After stopping every 50 feet for a rest and lots, and lots, of contemplating turning around going back we made it to the top. Big thanks to all the hikers that passed us and cheered her on. It was actually pretty gnarly; I’m totally impressed she did it. It was beautiful and awesome. We played around for a bit and took some pictures on the frozen lake and of the mountains, then quickly headed down. Going down was cake, she was cruising. About 1/3 of the way down we saw some people and they asked if we had made it to the top, to which we responded with an emphatic YES. Then they asked if we saw the cabin and went over to get some free hot chocolate, to which responded with an emphatic NO! What the… Free hot chocolate after all that work would have been perfect. Damn you Lonesome Lake. Clover gave me the “should we go back and get some” look. Keep it moving, keep it moving. We dragged our sweaty, tired asses back to the Element and blasted the heat. We collected some white birch bark and a big Ziploc of snow to use back in the studio. After a quick refuel at Dunkin back in Lincoln we dipped out and headed home. But not before stopping off in Concord to hit the LL Bean outlet and Boloco. That night I awoke to Clover in bed crying because her calves were cramping and keeping her up. Oops.
Song of the day: Telephone, Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce.
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Birch Trees, Franconia, NH.
Like veins into the night. I Love the flat even light of the ice rink fluorescents.
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Hoop II, Franconia, NH.
As we arrived in Franconia we had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things, namely a comb. Don’t ask. Franconia is a crappy little town but it has two really sweet attributes:
1) The local ice rink also doubles as full basketball court. And it’s lit well into the night, allowing for hours of freezing fun and photography.
2) The Garnet Hill factory outlet. Crazy goodness for all you Martha Stewart/Pottery Barn types. Present company included. I can Martha out, for sure, NBD.
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Trip 2, Day 2. To Franconia, NH.
Cannon Mountain View Motel, Franconia, NH.
We were originally planning to drive north on VT. route 5 straight up to the US/Canada border, but we got sidetracked with a business matter and had to divert East to New Hampshire. No biggie, because we were headed right through Franconia Notch, one of my favorite places in New England. We cruised south through the notch and made it to Lincoln, NH just in time for dinner. We needed some time out of the car so we decided to stop and get some pizza, to stay, for once. We chilled, ate our pie, and watched as the little girl next to us spilled her brand new gatorade bottle all over the table and onto the floor. It was pretty funny, I know there was picture in there somewhere…
I decided we would go back up north and stay in Franconia, on the other side of the notch. That way we could wake up and explore in the am, at the foot of the mountains. We got to the motel, grabbed the keys from the bar and slipped into our no cell reception/internet free comas. Peace out matrix, see you in the morning.
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A few weeks ago Clover and I took a quick trip to Stowe, VT. to pick up some work from the Helen Day Art Center. It got me thinking about the hotel bed shots. I’v been wondering how they fit in, what they represent. They seem to act as a reset, the end of the chapter, the daily epilogue. It’s a place to recalibrate and to prepare for the next day’s adventure. They are quiet and soft, almost sleepy.
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When we are out there I feel like we are all alone, like hobos on a lonely train. No schedule, no plans, just exploring. We hop off when the train stops and stretch our legs.
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Trip 2, Day 2. Fairlee, VT. to Franconia, NH.
It’s always weird to book a room sight unseen, in the middle of nowhere, in the dark. We stayed in a nice place last night. I brought the swimsuits, so we were looking for an indoor pool. We arrive to the hotel, check in and schlep our bell cart upstairs to our room. We get off the elevator to find the hallways on each side pitch black, and the doors of every room wide open. It was creepy as hell, straight out of The Shining. Chills… Clover was creeped out, I was creeped out. It was super weird. The whole place was empty, quiet, and dark. So, we requested a room on the first floor, closer to the pool, and front desk, humans. A quick dip and off to bed.
We awoke to a beautiful huge window over looking Lake Morey and all it’s wintry glory. It was a vast mountainous landscape with hints of snow and a smooth wet untouched coating of ice on the lake. Back on route 5, our first roadside attraction was a waterfall that was gushing and half frozen in Bradford, VT. Tremendously loud and powerful. I love waterfalls.
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Dead Tree, Norwich, VT.
The snow, ice, and fog seemed to consistently give the landscape a blue tint. At sunset it just gets bluer.
Stay frosty.
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Route 5, Norwich, VT.
After gassing up and grubbing down at the mini mart we were off. Vermont Route 5 runs along the VT. and NH. border and parallels the Connecticut River. It’s an awesome winding, hilly drive. We spent more time driving and less time exploring the first 2 days of this trip. We shot pictures along the roadside when cool things would present themselves, which seemed like every five minutes. There were tons of basketball hoops, corn fields, and lots of fog and slush. We just sat back and absorbed the wintry landscape.
Theme: Linear by Peter Vidani
