Fostering a new renaissance through creativity, authenticity, spirituality, and art
Polly Castor 
Something about summer requires some good chic lit. (Normally I’d call it a “beach read,” but the beaches I’ve been on recently were too gorgeous for reading anything…) Anyway, the kind of book I mean is something far from great literature or demanding concepts. I like it for it’s fashion, it’s indulgences, the food and … Read more
We had fun chasing Block Island’s sunsets. We could imagine what riches a longer stay would garner if these were the ones from our short stay! Our last sunset was the ferry leaving for the mainland when our sunset was swallowed by an immense black cloud which would later prove to be an impressive thunderstorm … Read more
Hundreds of rock cairns were built on Mansion Beach on Block Island, a few of which are photographed here. We made one ourselves. Many sides of me loved this – the fun-loving childlike side, the structural engineering side, the creative side… Which one is your favorite? Which one did we do?
Block Island, being on a migratory pattern, was layered with diverse birdsong. It both woke us up and put us to sleep, and we heard the birds more than saw them. Here are the creatures we did see and some of them were surprises! We especially enjoyed these teenaged seagulls. And why does the chicken … Read more
Vaill Beach was our other favorite beach on Block Island. Also on the Atlantic side, it is wild and picturesque. We loved the way the rocks made melodic tricking sounds every time a wave receded. We wish we had a recording of that! Depending where you stood, the tone was different based on the size … Read more
We enjoyed the island architecture, the mortarless walls with sky showing through, and the glorious flowers! Enjoy…
This was one of our favorite beaches on Block Island. It is on the southern edge of the island, with spectacular raw beauty and the crashing waves of the Atlantic. Apparently surfers on the island like it too, but we had it practically to ourselves. It is reached by 150 steps which cuts down on … Read more
Block Island is a wonderful tear-shaped island 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. This was our first visit but we hope to be back! It is surprisingly varied both in people and scenery, with interesting architecture and good food, and thankfully is not as overbuilt as many such areas due to an active … Read more
All three of our children are away at camp adventures and my husband and I had our first opportunity in over 17 years to get away alone together! My pottery teacher offered us her cottage on Block Island on days it hadn’t rented out and we snatched up this opportunity. Here are my photographs of … Read more
This page represents July 2, 2009 through July 13, 2009. See below for some close up photos from this page. Enjoy!
I liked this book by Malcolm Gladwell and give it five stars. He debunks the theory that success is based on talent and instead shows how it is mostly the result of opportunities and hard work. “Outliers” are people that represent a phenomenon outside of everyday experience, but Gladwell shows that these exceptional people are … Read more
You may already know we have a lot of books in our small house. We stopped counting at 10,000. At that point my professional organizer friend insisted that for every book that entered the house one must also leave. I used to patronize library sales frequently but two years ago quit cold turkey; I was … Read more
I’m just enough of a foodie that I couldn’t resist showing you these photos of a great gourmet grocery on Montague Street in Brooklyn, between the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn Borough Hall. Stores like these are one of the many pleasures of the city. What did I buy? A bag of plump, juicy Mount Rainier … Read more
It was a pleasure to see “Wicked” on Broadway in New York City. My sister was visiting from North Carolina for the Little People Convention and I came into the city to hang out with my her while her daughter (my niece) relished her scene. I had never before seen so many dwarves in one … Read more
My Twelve Year Old Brave Writer She’s hovering, constantly balancing dichotomies: Vigorous movement with deep stillness (literally jumping, with profound perception) Beautiful and serene with persistent agitation (like a magnificent landscape with mosquitoes buzzing) Warm and tenderly vulnerable but with defensively cynical walls up Fiercely glad she’s unique and different meanwhile feeling lonely and peerless … Read more
With exception of the one above done while waiting for my kids in their pottery class, the below doodles were done in church. It helps me concentrate and I enjoy them as pithy zingers later. I usually have a blank book with me to capture what inspires me. I recommend it!
