My name is MacKenzie, and I am a junior at Westfield State.  I am currently studying communications with dreams to work as a videographer, editor, or photographer for a major action sports network or magazine.  I am extremely passionate about sports; both participating in and watching.  My camera is one of my best friends that I bring with me everywhere, so I want to show you my travels that revolve around snowboarding, since it is winter here in New England, right?  It has been a warm winter, but there is still snow if you look hard enough!

The beginning of my spring semester has been hectic, but I have managed to make plenty of time to spend slope-side.  The past few weeks have involved trips to Vermont to ride one of the best terrain parks on the  east coast: Carinthia, Mount Snow, as well as Crotched, Waterville, and my local mountain, Wachusett.  My busy and stressful weeks turn into fun and laid back weekends, spending time with friends and that white fluffy stuff.

Y. Nindito A.

(Pertama)

Ah, betapa indah di jauh negeri orang ini
Menembus di lembah sungguh hijau
Jalan-jalan masih ‘kan berliku
Gunung-gunung kelilingi nuansaku
Dari curam lereng-lereng
Bala pasukan pohon cemara
mengepung seluruh pandangku

Cemara bahasaku,
beribu lagi bahasa mereka.
Tannen, salah satunya,
yang kukenal dan kudengar
Itulah kawanan mereka

(Kedua)

Kulihat kau hijau kini,
dan pasti kau tetap hijau nanti
Sungguh hijaumu di panasnya musim,
Sungguh hijaumu di seminya musim
Dan tetaplah sungguh hijaumu
di gugurnya, dinginnya musim
saat semuanya di sekelilingmu
layu berguguran lalu berselimut putih

Hanya kulihat hijaumu kini,
belum lagi kupandang hijaumu nanti
saat layu dan putih salju peluk semestamu
Namun, itulah dirimu,
daun-daunmu sungguh setia
bertaut pada jemari-jemarimu
senada nafas jiwamu

(Ketiga)

Hijaumu kekal, selalu
Daun-daunmu abadi, senantiasa
seakan itulah suatu yang terbesar, Cinta,
karunia terindah dari Yang Maha Kuasa
untuk segenap kehidupan

Pohon-pohon Tannen, penghiburanku
pada kalbu ini yang meradang lara
merindu dia, sang pujaan hati
Namun laranya sirna, oleh senyum percaya
pada Cinta, yang takkan terhapuskan

Kekal hijaumu, abadi daunmu
seperti itu cintaku padanya,
Bidadariku, Dewiku

(Carinthia-Vienna, Juli 2009)

Finkenstein, Austria, 2011 - Pentax 67, Acros 100

Kärnten, Austria, 2011 - Pentax 67, Portra 160NC

Image via Wikipedia

What can be of more intrinsic beauty than Bludenz with its beautiful landscape, surrounded by towering mountain ranges, its green valleys and water streams and creeks you can drink from.
We march towards an epoch where such sights become increasingly rare.

So, why you still can visit the jewel of the Alps :

Bludenz, pearl of the Alps

on : africasiaeuro

Austria

We welcome you to visit Bludenz, Vorarlberg, Austria

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It’s no sniffer dog: The vulture experiment has failed

The force imported the feathered recruits from Carinthia, Austria, after hearing they had great eyesight and a fantastic sense of smell, which would help them find missing bodies.

But the three birds, named Sherlock, Miss Marple and Columbo, have not only failed to find a single cadaver laid out in the wild for them but one of the vultures – Sherlock – has refused to fly.

The other two also spend much of their time fighting.

‘The project has been a disaster,’ confirmed an insider working with the project at Walsrode in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Another said: ‘Everyone knows what vultures do when they find a body and they’re not going to be as easy to call off as a labrador. You could find half the evidence disappearing down their beaks.’

Trainer German Alonso  admitted: ‘They don’t seem to be able to do anything other than attack each other.’

And he admitted they had done more research on the birds that indicated they might not have been the best choice.

He said: ‘It seems they are rather cowardly birds – they would rather hide in the woods than be out and about in the open.’

√ Check.

This was one heck of a learning experience. It was fun, often stressful and frankly was enough to give me pause when considering whether we ever want to build a house. I’m not sure I want to care that much about drawer pulls again…at least for a good long while. Now it’s done and we can enjoy it.

There we are!

It's more put together than any apartment we've lived in. I'm not sure if that makes me proud or embarrassed.

Here’re all the related posts:

* A recap of what led up to this (link)

* Before, during and after pictures (link)

* How we dealt with reluctant workers (link)

* The Kitchen (link)

* The Entryway and Bath (link)

* The Bedroom (link)

* The Living Room (link)

* From Dining Nook to Cocktail Corner (here)

And we're done here for now. On to the next one!

Cozier, but now seats more.

The dining nook became the cocktail corner, sort of by accident. We replaced the original faux farmhouse table with a much smaller table we got from the proprietors of the oldest Hütte on the mountain. It’s a super cool old little table, but it certainly makes things cozier. But for cocktails, I reasoned, this is more than fine.

We’d been looking a long time for a table and had gotten nowhere until we asked someone on the mountain to help us find something with “Hüttenerfahrung” or a bit of mountain experience. They did one step above that. When we went to  thank them, the wife smiled and said with a wink that the table had tons of experience – including plenty of good times for them in their kitchen. What that really means, was purposely left open to interpretation.

At first I wasn’t sure if the table’s size was going to be a problem or not. But then I realized that we don’t normally have more than two people over for breakfast at a time, and dinner almost always takes place somewhere else on the mountain (or if we’re honest: on the couch in front of the TV). The new adjoining green leather benches makes it easy to have up to eight people for cocktails, so prosit!

The beer made it manly enough for my father-in-law.

The two farm chairs were eBay finds. Both are 90+ years old but surprisingly cheap at about 20 Euros a piece.  With a little TLC from our carpenter they’re steady and good as new.

So far the best thing I've gotten out of Nürnberg

I’ve been wanting a crystal chandelier forever. But we never had an old apartment with high ceilings. When we bought this place I told Oliver, damn the low ceilings I’m still getting one. After losing countless eBay auctions trying to score a cheap lamp from a store in Berlin, I happened to find one in the antique store down the street around the corner from us in Nürnberg. We still need to lengthen the chain a little, but I love it.

Ok. The wall. It’s pink.

I think the shade is called Rock Candy...or Princess Bubblegum. Whatever.

The painter was flabbergasted. The carpenter was horrified. The electrician figured this was a lame girly notion of mine. It’s a small mountain, so pretty much everyone has seen or heard about this wall. It’s a love or hate thing.

I love it, but I have to admit that this was my husband’s idea. The original inspiration came from a fabulously funky spa hotel in Bad Gastein, that some very dear friends  of ours have made their home away from home. We’ve joined them there a few times and took more than a few good ideas back with us, including this wall.

The horns were rescued from the estate of a hunter up north near Bremen. My mother-in-law snatched us a basketful of little ones too that are still looking for a spot.

…and here’s another ancient doily and the deer motif.

And there we have it. Renovation – done. Decoration – still a work in progress, but far enough along that I’m checking it off anyway.

Fin (for now)!

Moo.

So right before all that reproductive stuff happened, Oliver and I had been in Austria checking out our itsy bitsy little vacation apartment, figuring out what renovations we wanted to do.

There it is!

Here’s a little recap.

* A small idea snowballed and suddenly, almost by accident we bought a little place in the Fall of 2009. You can read more about the why’s and what’s here.

* The original owners had been there since the building was constructed, so it was packed full of everything, including four sets of oil and vinegar. We left everything in place until renovation time, because moving anything left a gaping hole. You can see some ‘before’ pictures here.

* In August of last year we drove to Austria to make the arrangements. We had some interesting ideas, including using pink. You can read about my concerns here.

* And then it began. First step: get rid of everything. Everything included all the inner walls. Ouch. See it here.

All caught up? Ok. Renovation is only partly about destruction, tomorrow we’ll see some of the fun parts. Until then, below are some final pics of reaching zero, rock bottom, the empty shoebox.

+++

…and then there was nothing left but the subflooring and some pipes.

I think this used to be the bathroom.

Time to start over from the ground up.

And then there was nothing but the shoe box it came in.

Remember that I said it was more like an Airstream trailer than an apartment?

Ossiacher See, Kärnten, Austria, 2009 - Yashica T5, Portra 160NC

In my own actions I have also seen similar traits that – sometimes more consicously than others – my decisions are driven by my inner self, by strong beliefs and values. And in most cases, it’s way past the actual decision-making that I realize what was the driving factor.

What’s a really stunning example – and I just noticed that this afternoon – is my choice of house, my 2nd home so to speak…. Everyone who knows me well knows that I call Northern California (especially Sonoma and Napa Valley) my home and a place on this planet that I fell in love with about 15 years ago. When I had to move back to Europe due to the (high-tech) bubble burst in 2000/2001, I was looking for a place to call ‘home’ around Central Europe – mostly around Austria, as that’s where most of my family lived. I chose to buy a house in the Southern part, mostly because (I thought then) of the mediterranean climate, warmer temperatures, more sunshine than in other parts of the country.
Well, I just realized today, though, when taking my dogs to the river not far from my house, that the countryside around here actually is looking just like parts of Sonoma County (Russian River). If you take off the higher mountains, you can picture yourself around Guerneville while actually being in Ferlach at the Drau river….

Take a look at those pictures…who could tell the difference if it wasn’t about the difference in temperatures and soil?

Creek leading towards the Drau

The Drau, running across Carinthia (Southern Austria)

Russian River, Sonoma County (Northern California, US)

My two boys playing along the river...Northern Cal or Austria?

Unconscious choice of location driven by the strong desire and everlasting dream to be somewhere that’s as Californian as it can get?

CARINTHIA

stamps in collection: 18

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Austrian – Yugoslav plebiscite – Yugoslavian post

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1920
15 para on 4 vinar
overprinted stamp: State of SHS – Slovenia

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Austrian – Yugoslav plebiscite – Austrian post

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****

****

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****

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1920
50 heller
overprinted stamp: Germanaustria

****

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]]> http://astrangelyisolatedplace.com/2011/02/20/audioglider-friends-and-latest-mix/ Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:52:49 +0000 Ryan http://astrangelyisolatedplace.com/2011/02/20/audioglider-friends-and-latest-mix/
Audioglider has kept my ears busy these past few weeks. Firstly Roberto’s latest mix installment, (Mixtape Vol5), then his latest remix EP which, as well as featuring the sterling original, has a stunning remix by Save.as.

Unlike Roberto’s previous electronica guided mixes, this one is much more serene and includes some beautiful vocal pieces, alongside ASIP favourites Solar Fields, Helios, port-royal and Winterlight.

Download.

Tracklist:
Caretaker’s Cottage In The Forest of Compiegne – Carinthia
Why Let Go – Zephyr Nova
Spare Smoke Template – Olan Mill
Heart Is Strange – School of Seven Bells (Active Child remix)
Sleep – Caroline
Blown Minded – Young Galaxy
Next Waiting – Solar Fields
We Are The Beautiful – Chapterhouse (Spooky’s Extravaganja mix)
Eva Green – Port Royal
Distance – Helios
Anya Sehnsucht – Port Royal (Winterlight remix)

Sticking to his more electronic production style, Roberto’s latest release features the winning remixes of his track ‘Coming Up For Air’ – a competition held on Soundcloud alongside German netlabel group FOEM. The Audioglider original, reminds me of early Chicane stuff with an upbeat melody and rolling downtempo beats, and the shimmering remix by Kultrun offers a dreamy take on the original. However it’s the Save.as remix that makes this EP. Italy’s Alessio Arcangeli turns in a balearic, dub infused remix with an extra piano layer, turning the track into a Summer stunner, reminiscent of Bossa Nova, Chris Coco and Jose Padilla. As if I hadn’t had enough of Winter already, cheers Roberto.

Stream the EP below and keep an eye out for the full release on March 4th.

—–
Follow ASIP on Facebook.
Follow ASIP on twitter.

Please take the time to rate this post/mix, thanks!

Pyramidenkogel, Austria, 2009 - Mamiya 645 Super, Portra 160NC

Carinthia Parks at Mount Snow.

Hallway and kitchen: Before.

Hallway, bedroom and kitchen: Gone.

Living room: Gone.

Pink bathroom: Gone.

I come from a family of packrats where everything is sacred and has value, unless it’s covered in excrement or on fire. My visits home inevitably include a forced funeral for an old cofffee maker or toaster that isn’t good enough for Goodwill, but according to my dad not good enough for the trash.

What happened to the contents of this apartment was a cardinal sin in my family.

I used to be one of them. But moving around so much during college and then abroad pretty much cured me. Still I tried to give away what I could and I surveyed eBay to see what if anything was worth salvaging. But really, who needs an egg cooker that’s 20 years old?

With a few exceptions, pretty much everything went.  I like to think that the building manager had some local folks come by and collect some of the furniture and that maybe someone grabbed a knick knack or two on the way out the door. But realistically, most everything went into the dumpster.

Out with the old, in with the new.

The view of the entrance hallway, from the kitchenette.

When I tell someone that we’re renovating a little vacation apartment in Austria I actually use the words “teeny tiny”. It’s almost like we’re fixing up an Airstream trailer rather than an apartment. It’s so small you can’t even say cozy without being sarcastic.

Everything had its place and every place was packed with stuff. All the cupboards, shelves and cubby holes were full. Behind those cabinet doors is a set of Villeroy and Boch china for 8 people, with tea and coffee cups.

Tucked among the multiple silk flower arrangements was a full spice rack, two juicers and four sets of vinegar and oil bottle for the table. Also, that lime green apron (which I kept).

Entering the super pink bathroom...

This cute little elderly couple had vacationed here since the early 60′s and their mark was everywhere. Note the symbol on the door to the (super pink) bathroom.

Pink. With roses!

And the rose appliqués that the lady had done herself. I’m standing in the bath to take the picture, but you can’t see that there was awashing machine tucked under the sink at my feet. In such a small space you could easily descend into chaos. The previous mistress had placed about 20 self adhesive hooks stuck all over.

Living room: Before

When we arrived last year for the holidays, we had planned to start sorting the contents and tossing things right away. But with so many knick knacks on the walls and shelves we quickly realized that anything that was removed left a gaping hole in the decor. A glaringly obvious, annoying hole. So we left it all intact until this Fall when we could finally make arrangements for the work to begin once the season ended and the building emptied out.

Regretfully everything was in wonderful shape and the apartment had been lovingly maintained. It wasn’t our taste but the interior had a consistent “grandma style” that was carried throughout the apartment.  We’d already discovered that changing anything had a domino effect, so it was clear that we had to choose between keeping everything and not keeping anything.

We have sworn never to tell this sweet couple what we did next…

I’m glad I’m taking breaks with my loved ones, not because I’m forced to, but because I enjoy every minute of it. And the more I do that, the more I open my eyes and ears again, and pick up all the energy from what’s happening around me.

Do the same…take a special someone out there – enjoy the last few days of a colorful autumn.

Bavaria 600.—

CARINTHIA

Upper Lorraine 799.—

Romagna —.599