Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Escaping


With a crunch, I fell through the thin layer of ice, sinking to my knees. Avoiding scraping my shins on the jagged corners, I pulled my foot directly up through the snow and stepped gingerly back onto the frozen Massachusetts countryside. As the sun set, I made my way across the snow-covered field towards the comfort of a warm fire and dinner. Every 10 or so paces, an overzealous step cracked the ice again, repeating the process.

The last flirtations of daylight retreated behind the hills as I kicked my feet together, in a hopeless attempt to remove the snow from my boots, before opening the backdoor. The smell of pan-seared steaks from a local farmer greeted me as I walked into the kitchen. "Fuck New York," I said to my roommates with a grin on my face like a thirteen-year-old that had just found a Playboy stashed in his older brother's dresser.

For two days, we holed up, watching the snow fall outside and the wind rattle the windows. Early in the morning and before sunset, I went on walks around the idylic New England roads that surrounded the Wijnberg's house. The honks and busy streets of New York felt worlds away.

Faded paint.

Edge reading on Sunday morning.

Sunset.

The fire place.

Breakfast.

Daybreak.

Kicking Snow.

Lunch time.

Sunset on a lone birdhouse.

A nearby barn through an antique window.

Function over form. Nike SFB.

Distance makes the heart fonder.

Here are some more links,
Getting Away (Picasa),
Two and a Half Hours (ART).

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

i feel like i'm there- nice work, foster.

Foster Huntington said...

Thanks Brian, its great to escape the city. your website looks great as always. hope your winter in london is going well,
foster

amy merrick said...

Those floors.

Foster Huntington said...

the floors are amazing. the house is amazing.

andy said...

What a beautiful home!
And the surroundings are pretty incredible as well.

Foster Huntington said...

Andy,
the house and area around it are everything new england should be. the only thing it needs is some ocean ha.
foster

Chris said...

Nice shots Foster. That there is some cross country ski terrain.

Foster Huntington said...

Chris,
this part of mass is perfect for xcountry skiing. thanks for the kind words,
foster

TK said...

i had to laugh at the first part there-- this weekend, i too was reminded that spring might actually be coming when the cross-river shortcut i've been taking for months did me wrong and left me with bootfulls of water.
as always-- great photos.

Foster Huntington said...

TK,
glad you got a laugh out of it. luckily, my mishaps didnt involve water. It sure didnt feel like spring in wester mass last weekend.
foster

Fern said...

Those boots are rad. And they look super comfy too, with their Nike Free soles. Since they are designed for hot weather, did your feet stay toasty enough?

PA2Florida said...

Foster,

Thanks for the pics and story... I said Fuck New York years ago and never looked back. :)

jeff said...

Amazing photographs. Looks like it was a really peaceful, idyllic weekend. Way to make the best of the snowy weather rather than suffer through it. I guess it helps to be surrounded by 100s of years of patina...

Jeff

KILKN said...

What is he reading?

Foster Huntington said...

Palm Beach Wasp,
dont get me wrong, I love new york for now. I do my best to get out of the city when i am not working on the weekend. Eventually i will say fuck new york for good though,

Jeff,
the surroundings certainly didnt hurt. they are amazing

Fern,
the boots were plenty warm. i wore merino wool socks. I love the free sole. try a pair.

kilkn,
edge claims to have been reading war and peace, but i doubt it...

MANDY said...

I need a trip like that ... no really to escape the city but to escape the heat, my it has been one hot summer here in Australia !!!
Your photographs are amazing.

MANDY said...

Sorry meant to say "not" escape !!!

Foster Huntington said...

Mandy,
trips like that are the best. incredibly refreshing. how often does it snow in australia? ever? i guess you would have to go to new zealand.
foster

GSV JR said...

If I could have a week here with my .12 GA, a flat of 3" shells, my typewriter and some paper, and a 1/2 gallon of bourbon, I could really piss some folks off.

Foster Huntington said...

what the fuck do you need 3 inch shells for? shooting down planes? that sounds like a good materials list to me though,
foster

GSV JR said...

Close. Geese. Head shots only please. I want those breasts fully intact so I can stuff them with pancetta and chestnuts.