Part Two...

For the past year Carol and I have been participating in another transformation. It is happening just four miles downstream, on the Troy side of the Hudson River. It involves a transformation that has been welcomed by those who have preceded us and will be neighbors at our new home. We move in later this month. 

For someone who has relocated more than 50 times, it may seem pedestrian, but this move is truly transformational. You see, our new home was recently a crack house. And, it was the neighborhood eyesore for nearly a decade. 

When we first looked at it, there were trees growing in through the 2nd and 3rd story windows, the center of the first floor was sagging (or missing), and the utilities had been turned off for about 7 years. It was a wreck...but it offered possibilities for a pair of suburban refugees looking for a new beginning. 

In the past year we have contracted local craftsmen to build a new home inside an old exterior. When we began, people stopped by to introduce themselves and offer encouragement.  We painted, hauled tile, and cleaned up a bit, but mostly we wrote checks. Many hands joined together to bring a beautiful structure back to life in a city with a proud history and a promising future. 

The neighbors put their money to work as well. A year ago, our block looked tired. Now, building by building, facades have been restored, yards cleaned up...and the street is missing a few potholes. If one building can be transformational, many other things can be transformational, too. Look around. Pick one. Start something. You won't regret it.   

Artist Surf

I know I will never learn enough Art History! Perhaps I can make up for it by sharing information about someone you may not know well. This month's star is Dan Flavin. Although he had little formal art training, Dan Flavin helped create the Minimalist Art movement in the 1960's. Experimenting with commercial light fixtures, Flavin elevated the appliances to objects of transformation which subtly yet powerfully altered the spaces they illuminated. Mr. Flavin's sense of irony extended beyond his referring to his sculpture as icons; he described his work as material and not spiritual, but knew that his fixtures, when operating as they were intended, became agents of synergy and mystery. To learn more about Dan, Google him; there's plenty more to discover!