The nice New Ramp And Steps At Greene Walk

Productive Weekend

I got lots of work done at the beach house this weekend. Hurricane Sandy left the beach littered with lots of wood planks that are great for small projects. Our old garden table disintegrated last year so yesterday I built a new one out of wood from the beach.

Festive Friends

Richard, Mark and Dan having dinner after enjoying an HD opera performance Saturday.

In The News

George Bush opens his presidential library. My take: he should be prosecuted for war crimes. France passes marriage equality. Too bad they too have nut case right wing extremists who hate gay people. Boy Scouts will allow gay scouts but not gay adults. More bigotry.

Of Innocents And "Collateral Damage"

While I had a lot of fun with friends at my semi-annual toy train meet in York, PA this past week, the Boston bombing and subsequent events also held my attention and not in a good way. Who would not be upset by the deaths and the injuries of so many at the Boston Marathon. I hope that questioning of the surviving bomber insures that there are no followup acts of violence by associates if any. I also hope that we find out how these two brothers could have morphed into such cold blooded killers. While events in Boston were upsetting, just as worrisome to me are the killings and maiming of men, women and children done by our military and by our use of attack drones in the conduct of our foreign misadventures. Are not the innocent victims of our official attacks worthy of the same level of concern as the victims of the Boston bombers?? Such "collateral damage" is not acceptable to me. It is too high a price to pay for successfully targeting those we consider our enemies.

Starbucks York

Enjoying my usual hot oatmeal breakfast.

My Connections To York, Pennsylvania

I went for a late afternoon walk yesterday in downtown York. I'm in town for the semi-annual Train Collector's Association meeting. This meeting is the largest of its type in the country and maybe in the world. Attendance is usually something like 20,000. York is an historic city and the downtown is handsome with much ninteenth and early twentieth century architecture. Unfortunatley, many of the big bank buildings and other storefronts are vacant. York is struggling and it's sad to walk through the town and see how much of the once vibrant city is now abandoned. I have a long history with the York area. My father's sister once lived in the area and I first visited here when I was a child. It's curious how I have returned over and over again to the area much later in life. The photos below show the Yorktowne Hotel where I stay, a grand old style hotel that is nice even if it is showing its age a bit. I have a new favorite restaurant in downtown York: Bistro 19. They make a great Maritni. I had a berries and nuts salad and New Zealand green mussels for dinner last evening. The food is delicious. A York Peppermint Patty accompanied the dinner check. It tasted really good...it was fresh unlike the ones you get in stores...or maybe it was just that I was enjoying it in York itself.

Masa Japanese Restaurant, York, Pa

Spicy vegetable soup for lunch on A dreary day.

Spring Blossoms

Trees in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia this morning.

Sunken Forest Pathway Hurricane Damage

The western most segment of the walkway through the Sunken Forest is impassable. The storm ruined a segment of the walkway near the bay.

New Walk To The Beach At Surf Walk

The town has rebuilt the walk to the beach at Surf Walk in the West End of Cherry Grove. We have a ramp and steps.

Loki Is Trending

Rebuilding The Walks Has Started In Cherry Grove

It looks like the walks to the beach may be rebuilt differently this time. Instead of an elevated walk with stairs at the end, we will have a slanted ramp to the beach as indicated by this new construction at Surf Walk in Cherry Grove.

Sandy Damage On Fire Island: Sailor's Haven Wash-Over

At Sailor's Haven, so much sand was from the former dunes was washed in land that the cement path was buried. The park service has used bulldozers to clear a path.

"Boys Of Summer" Opening Photos

Dan with fellow artist Anthony Gonzales

"Boys Of Summer": at the Leslie-Lohman Prince Street Display Space

Artists Carlos, Dan, and Michi

Ed, Juan, and Dan

Busy Opening At Leslie-Lohman, NYC

At Starbucks On Houston Street

Dan With His Art

At Leslie-Lohnan NYC

NYC Bound

At 30th Street Station in Philly...

At The Starbucks Bellevue

A nice place to take a coffee break.

Drawing By Dan

One of several of Dan's drawings that will be on display this weekend at the Leslie-Lohman Prince St. Display Space in New York City.

Dan's Art On Display In New York This Weekend!

Drawing by Carlos Pisco

BOYS OF SUMMER: Artwork from the Pines Nude Drawing Group April 6 - 7, 12-7 pm Opening Reception: Friday, April 5, 6-9 pm Leslie-Lohman Museum Prince St. Project Space 127‐B Prince Street, New York, NY 10013 NEW YORK CITY (March 15, 2013) - Prince St. Project Space will present a curated exhibition of over 120 works on paper created by artists of the Pines Nude Drawing group. Opening reception April 5, 6-9 PM, exhibit continues April 6 & 7, 12-7 PM. 127-B Prince Street, between West Broadway and Wooster, NYC. Admission is free. The artwork will be for sale. Summer brings the annual weekend exodus to Fire Island Pines, the iconic beach community that, for decades, has come to represent liberation and freedom for generations of men seeking a release from the sweaty confines of New York City. Pines Nude Drawing, founded in 2011 by artist Carlos Pisco, is a casual drawing group established to evoke the community’s past as a haven for artists and intellectuals. Using a variety of mediums, including ink, acrylic, charcoal, and color pencil, the artists assemble each week to draw nude models, sometimes including friends and occasionally the curious onlooker. A key aspect of the group is its changing outdoor locations, which have included pool decks, a yacht, an elaborate English garden and secret corners deep inside the Meat Rack, the Pines’ infamous cruising ground. The artwork will be organized by location, allowing visitors to see different interpretations of the same scenes. Additionally, in the long hallway leading to the gallery, the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society will display the past and present history of the Pines through photos and printed material. The participating artists include Grant Arnold Anderson, Rob Clarke, William Bil Donovan, Dan Evans, Anthony Gonzales, Richard des Jardins, John MacConnell, Robert de Michiell, Kenneth Nadel, Duane Neil, Carlos Pisco, Shungaboy, Ian Sklarsky, W. Douglas Topper, George Towne and Todd Yeager. Quotes from Artists: Sun, surf, and sand are the perfect backdrop to be with this talented group of artists and inspirational models...it's paradise with a sketch pad. – William Bil Donovan It's not only great working outdoors but having passing observers sometimes become models can really add an impulsive, unpredictable dynamic to the sessions that I particularly enjoy – Todd Yeager High-resolution images are available for download at the link below: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qz3f1dxmdfm6a0l/HPAW5c-Vgl About Pines Nude Drawing Pines Nude Drawing is a group of artists that meets on summer weekends to draw male models, both in private and public settings, in Fire Island Pines. For more information visit PinesDrawingGroup.com, or their page on Facebook/Pinesnudedrawing.

Supreme Bigots

Max Mutchnick, one of the creators of the TV show "Will and Grace" comments (via Maureen Dowd in the New York Times) on the behavior and statements last week of conservative Supreme Court justices Scalia and Alito:

I live in a place where all men are created equal, but, for some reason, I am not afforded the same rights. Should my take-away be: I am not a man? It feels as though the Supreme Court is O.K. with that notion. This court is speaking some of the same language that was being used before Stonewall. Justice Alito raised the question of whether or not it’s too soon to allow gay people to marry. Is it better to keep doing what’s wrong until people are good and ready to do what’s right? Scalia uses the word “homosexual” the way George Wallace used the word “Negro.” There’s a tone to it. It’s humiliating and hurtful.

PA. Senator Casey Now Supports Marriage Equality

It's about time. Activists had to hammer him about this for years.

Fire Island Pines vs. Sandy

Walking on the beach in the Fire Island pines and looking at all the hurricane Sandy damage to the beautiful oceanfront houses.

The Perils Of Beachfront Living

Many houses in the Pines lost pools when the small dune that was there was washed away by Sandy.