Here’s another shot of my grandfather, with whom we lived, and who helped raise us.
He emigrated from Poland circa 1906, after (as the story goes) his commanding officer in the Austrian army suggested it was a good time to do so, as all hell was about to break loose on the land. He learned the English language early on, and became an American citizen in 1920. He loved telling stories; my older sister remembers hours upon hours of tales that were uniquely his, usually weaving in themes from the Old Testament, the politics of old Poland, and the natural world.
He was a community/union organizer, and an accomplished gardener and mushroom forager. I remember many long walks in the forest behind our home foraging for a certain type of Russula mushroom (called “Pravdzive” in Polish), which would be dried, and given to friends and family to use as a base for holiday soups at Christmas and Easter.
He had a strong faith but also a big love for his family and friends, and he seemed to be as comfortable in social situations as in the out of doors. I never did get a chance to thank him for all that he gave me, particularly the knowledge and presence that he so freely offered, every day of his life.
And on a side note, it might be time to once again read “Report To Greco”, the wonderful memoir of Nikos Kazanzakis (Greco being his grandfather).
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family,
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VT,
winter
Probably from 1970 or so, a couple of years before this wonderful man, Andrew Wasik, passed away. Photo probably taken by either my younger brother Jim, or oldest brother Stan.
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family,
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portraits,
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winter
Went back a couple of months in the archives for this one. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pond is frozen by now, on this last day of the year.
May you shine ever brightly, and find what you seek in the New Year! And thanks for visiting!
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autumn,
VT,
water
A magnificently rendered work of Chinese cursive in metal, perhaps eight feet tall, on a property overlooking RT 7. Best translation so far, reading from bottom to top: “wish you happiness and laughs”, courtesy of Claire at the CEAS program at Wesleyan U.
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VT
This dreary and leaden day was transformed, with the arrival of a spitting snow at dusk, into one of remarkable lightness and beauty.
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farms and fields,
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VT,
water
T-shirts, Long Trail beers, smartphones, and camaraderie were all very much in evidence in this group of twenty-somethings, standing at the top of Deer Leap Overlook, in a brisk late October wind with Pico off in the distance.
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current favorites,
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VT
A recent drive up Route 102 in Vermont’s NE Kingdom, which meanders through the bottomland of the CT River, offered some magnificent scenery, even by Vermont-in-the-fall standards. I came to realize that I was moving through a huge plain, bounded on the west by the Green Mountains, and the Whites on the east. Those are the foothills of the Whites off in the distance, and (probably) a cherry tree in the foreground.
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autumn,
farms and fields,
trees,
VT
