Awhile back I wrote a post, Progressions. . ., detailing three progressions that our world was experiencing. Actually that was back in 2011, not that long ago. Basically I pointed to three general trends and pointed to how culture and technology are intertwined and evolve based upon that relationship. Whether it is low-brow entertainment such as the Three Stooges, Jackass, and today Youtube, to recruiters moving from the New York Times to Monster and LinkedIn. Our culture and our technology do evolve, and there is an interaction between the two.
Another theme that I stressed or pushed upon in that post is that progressions are are not progress. And in the same breath they are more of an evolution. Which brings me to another topic that has haunted me for a long while: what is progress or Progress with a capital "P"?
Progress as I speak about it here is something expected in the world. It is a view of world as constantly improving. Whether you look at social issues, the economy, or technology there is a certain view that things are changing for the better and that is Progress. There is also the related and more limited version where only science and technology progress but not the social world. Here we continue to see the anticipated innovation in technology but not in regard to poverty and the economy.
Let me make one more point on what I mean by progress here. When I apply this concept I am not referring to a specific situation that happened to improve. Rather, I am saying it was inevitable that the specific situation and all situations will improve. In short there is or was a certain faith in Progress. It is Progress as the general improvement of life as the months and years unfold to which we are pointing to.
Going back to my original post, highlighting three cultural progressions, I doubt they involve this Progress with a capital "P" which I reference above. That said there is a certain progression that can be associated with the word Progress itself involving both "Progress with a capital P" and progress as a progression or evolution. It has a certain history or evolution.
To be continued. . .
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Views and Values
The Jay Estate in Rye and Jay Homestead in Katonah do make you realize the history around you. Here are the properties of men and a family that shaped the early history of the United States. You see how people lived in those times, and what was valued, what was important.
What was important was the land. The Estate in Rye was 400 acres. The Homestead in Katonah was 600 acres. The views seen from the front door of their respective houses were views of their property, their land. In Rye, this meant down to the Long Island Sound allowing them access to the water, and the preferred method of transportation and the distribution of goods..
These views were not just amazing views but amazing views of the Jays' property. They become a unique category, different from the view seen from let us say a NYC penthouse suite. In today's NYC suite, you have a range of views, from New York Harbor, to the East River and the bridges across it, to the towers and buildings making up the New York skyline, but these are not views of your properties.
Generally. I suppose that their are people who may own some of those buildings. Even that though is different. Viewing the building or even the block that your own in today's New York, is not the same as owning all that you can see. In this case the hills in front of you or the hill and valley between you and the Long Island Sound. It is a case of even with your own building or block in NYC, you still see so much more.
I labor a point and upon reflection 400 or even 600 is not that huge. They are between a third to half of Central Park. The King of England in the sixteenth century owned all of it before giving land grants to his subjects. (And it should be noted he saw none of it.) Regardless, what was seen from Jays' porches was largely their property and it stresses I believe what they valued. Wealth in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century translated largely to land ownership.
Generally. I suppose that their are people who may own some of those buildings. Even that though is different. Viewing the building or even the block that your own in today's New York, is not the same as owning all that you can see. In this case the hills in front of you or the hill and valley between you and the Long Island Sound. It is a case of even with your own building or block in NYC, you still see so much more.
I labor a point and upon reflection 400 or even 600 is not that huge. They are between a third to half of Central Park. The King of England in the sixteenth century owned all of it before giving land grants to his subjects. (And it should be noted he saw none of it.) Regardless, what was seen from Jays' porches was largely their property and it stresses I believe what they valued. Wealth in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century translated largely to land ownership.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Before Big Screen TVs
Continuing from my last post, the two Jay estates, the one in Katonah and the other in Rye are both beautiful locations. Go visit either of them and you will experience this.
The Rye residence you enter from Boston Post Road, driving past the house with its neo-classical design, with these amazing pillars, and then down into a back parking lot. We parked and walked back up to the front of the house and then up the steps to the front porch or portico. Colonnade is perhaps too much.
It was a warm sunny summer day when we checked out the Rye house and the large front door was open. The rear door at the back of the house was open. We came up the steps onto the portico, entering into the house. From the front door you could see out of the rear door down the rolling hill, down to the Sound, across the Long Island Sound proper, and even Long Island across the way.
That view was framed by the interior of the house. And I did not realize the hill we were on and the view we had until we stepped onto that porch and walked through that front door-only to see the view out the back door.
Now in Katonah you have a similar experience. You drive up this long straight driveway, parking next to the herb garden. The garden distracts, but you are again walking up the hill to the house.
The house in Katonah is a large colonial era farmhouse. It is much simpler, but still with a lovely porch the length of the house. And this porch once again offers a beautiful view. Once again it is not realized until you turn around and take in the fields and hills from which you came. Once again you have climbed up to this beautiful perch, this porch with a several chairs for you to relax in, and just take in this view of the land and hills surrounding the place.
Again, to be continued. . .
And do check out the John Jay Homestead in Katonah NY, and the Jay Estate in Rye NY.
The Rye residence you enter from Boston Post Road, driving past the house with its neo-classical design, with these amazing pillars, and then down into a back parking lot. We parked and walked back up to the front of the house and then up the steps to the front porch or portico. Colonnade is perhaps too much.
It was a warm sunny summer day when we checked out the Rye house and the large front door was open. The rear door at the back of the house was open. We came up the steps onto the portico, entering into the house. From the front door you could see out of the rear door down the rolling hill, down to the Sound, across the Long Island Sound proper, and even Long Island across the way.
That view was framed by the interior of the house. And I did not realize the hill we were on and the view we had until we stepped onto that porch and walked through that front door-only to see the view out the back door.
Now in Katonah you have a similar experience. You drive up this long straight driveway, parking next to the herb garden. The garden distracts, but you are again walking up the hill to the house.
The house in Katonah is a large colonial era farmhouse. It is much simpler, but still with a lovely porch the length of the house. And this porch once again offers a beautiful view. Once again it is not realized until you turn around and take in the fields and hills from which you came. Once again you have climbed up to this beautiful perch, this porch with a several chairs for you to relax in, and just take in this view of the land and hills surrounding the place.
Again, to be continued. . .
And do check out the John Jay Homestead in Katonah NY, and the Jay Estate in Rye NY.
Friday, August 29, 2014
History Surrounding Us. .
Most have been introduced to the Federalist Papers during the course of their education. Basically a series of Op-Ed pieces arguing the pros and cons of a strong federal government, states rights, the balance between democracy and republican governance and the like. All of which largely set the tone for the US Constitution enacted in 1787.
But you don't really ponder that the people responsible for such thoughts, articles, political movements, and ultimately the state and the form of government we have today were residing here in Westchester, in Manhattan and etc. We forget that the city of New York was the US Capitol for several years. We forget that Alexander Hamilton had a role in what became the NYSE, the NY Post and what is today Citibank.
Likewise here in Westchester we have John Jay. Granted he was not fighting the English along side Washington, but he was very much engaged in the diplomatic process during that period. He worked with the both the French and the English and for that matter the Spanish court. He went on to become the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and later the Governor of New York.
The man grew up in Rye and after a long career of public service retired to a farm in Katonah, which he lived on for roughly another 28 years. He started at one end of the county and ended at the other.
We drive by both of these properties routinely focused on the road ahead of us, not considering what we have just passed. His farm in Katonah and the property he grew up on in Rye are just two other pieces of property like so many others. They are nicer, larger pieces of property. They are estates, which are fairly common in Westchester. And like so many others, we simply pass by them. In this case we drive by them, ignoring them, and in a sense kill them.
We need to know what is near us. We need to know what we can reach out to and hold on to. To know they are there allows for them to become another option for us for us to hold on to. They offer us different perspectives. The provide alternatives to the road immediately ahead of us, and likewise by recognizing those possibilities, we allow them to live. With that recognition, these properties, the buildings found on them, and those who inhabited them are given life again. We come to share the land, the dwellings, and the road.
To be continued. . .
But you don't really ponder that the people responsible for such thoughts, articles, political movements, and ultimately the state and the form of government we have today were residing here in Westchester, in Manhattan and etc. We forget that the city of New York was the US Capitol for several years. We forget that Alexander Hamilton had a role in what became the NYSE, the NY Post and what is today Citibank.
Likewise here in Westchester we have John Jay. Granted he was not fighting the English along side Washington, but he was very much engaged in the diplomatic process during that period. He worked with the both the French and the English and for that matter the Spanish court. He went on to become the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and later the Governor of New York.
The man grew up in Rye and after a long career of public service retired to a farm in Katonah, which he lived on for roughly another 28 years. He started at one end of the county and ended at the other.
We drive by both of these properties routinely focused on the road ahead of us, not considering what we have just passed. His farm in Katonah and the property he grew up on in Rye are just two other pieces of property like so many others. They are nicer, larger pieces of property. They are estates, which are fairly common in Westchester. And like so many others, we simply pass by them. In this case we drive by them, ignoring them, and in a sense kill them.
We need to know what is near us. We need to know what we can reach out to and hold on to. To know they are there allows for them to become another option for us for us to hold on to. They offer us different perspectives. The provide alternatives to the road immediately ahead of us, and likewise by recognizing those possibilities, we allow them to live. With that recognition, these properties, the buildings found on them, and those who inhabited them are given life again. We come to share the land, the dwellings, and the road.
To be continued. . .
Sunday, July 27, 2014
An update on "The Cat That Meowed"!
Today, we jumped into the digital age regarding a story I wrote back twenty plus years ago! "The Cat That Meowed", originally written for a creative writing class and published in a university literary magazine is now an e-book on Amazon!
You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M6D0784
You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M6D0784
It is the story of young
Andres Segovia and his cat. The story tells a tale of how Andres
began as a drummer and that it was his cat that actually played
guitar. It tells of how this relation between boy and cat brought
Andres to pick up the guitar. It is in short a fable, a short story.
As I said, I wrote it in
college, specifically for a creative writing class I had at Raritan
Valley Community College. It was was in fact the first assignment
that Professor Minus assigned to the class. Write a fable he said.
The story was well received in the class. I went on to submit it to
the Rutgers University College literary magazine and it was published
in 1990. It perhaps was and is the best thing I have written, granted
that it has been a long while since I have even attempted fiction.
Today seeing others play
with and explore the publication of e-books, I figured it would be
fun to reintroduce it to the literary and Internet age. With that I
am offering this first edition, a bare-bones text only edition. If
there is a response, I will explore a second edition with
illustrations.
The other piece to this is
that I do maintain several blogs, including this one, that are largely ignored by this
writer, and likewise readers, Something that at least in the case of
the writer, I can and should change.
Again, you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M6D0784
Again, you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M6D0784
I do hope you enjoy this
story and with a little luck I will haves others to share at some
point.
Bob Schaffer
July 27th, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Hydrangea and Bees
I am not much of a gardener. I am lucky if I plant some bulbs in the fall and still get annuals confused with perennials.
That said, I am every year amazed by the Hydrangea, a bush about three or four feet high at the foot of my steps up to the roadway. It has been there since we moved in back in the fall of 2000. I was amazed at its big flowers our first summer here and every summer since then.
I am not the only one. Check out the pics of the hydrangea and various bees enjoying it's flowers, made up smaller flowers and a large center flower, which is were the bees hang out. I wish i had a camera to truly catch the bees and flowers.
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