I'm Gonna Miss This Place

Tonight is my last night in my Smith apartment.

I'm going to miss it.

The french doors, the hardwood floors, the windows (oh the windows), the nifty oldstyle ironing board that comes out of a small closet in the kitchen, the front porch where many fond memories were forged, the little market across the street where I shop every day and they know my name, the very short walk to downtown (i.e. cafes, food, and wine), the view up Bedford Terrace and the beautiful Smith buildings, the built-in pantry, the closet space, my enormous dining room, friends being right upstairs (good for a cup of sugar, a stick of butter, company, laughter, and sharing wine and chocolate)...

yeah, I'm going to miss this place.

(That's the view from our porch)

I want...I want

I'm lusting for craftsmanship I can't afford. I don't care much for material things for the sake of having them...for the sake of show or keeping up with the Joneses.

But I do have expensive taste when it comes to craftsmanship. My mother used to say I could pick out the most expensive item in a store in seconds flat when I was a child. She was referring to clothes. It was true, I based my preference on what felt good, and that usually meant more expensive fabrics, careful craftsmanship around the seams and so on.

Today, there are two things I'm lusting after.

1. A Vanilla bicycle. These are hands-down the most beautifully crafted bicyles on the planet and I WANT one. Actually, I would like two but that's just greedy.

2. A Leica camera. Again, I want more than one. I want an R-series, the new SLR digital body, and the mini-digital reproduction made by Minox (recently absorbed into Leica).

So forget the roses, bring me crafted metal and smooth working gears. I'll love you forever.

(Image from www.vanillabicycles.com)

At the Window

"At the Window"
Salzburg - 6/06

Bavaria Swans

"Castle Swans"
Bavaria - 6/06

Salzburg Kitty

"Salzy"
Salzburg - 6/06