Photography – Page 3 – Karen's New York Love Affair

Creative Risk-Taking Brings Joy – Looking Back at 2019

Karen Rempel, West Village Model — 2019 Goal List and my modelling comp card. Dusty Berke took the two photos on the right—my two absolute favorites of the year. Red pants photo by Morgen Purcell. Leopard photo by Zoë Pappis Schultz.

I just read an interesting article about creative geniuses. The key to great ideas like Edison’s light bulb, sublime music like Beethoven’s “odd-numbered” symphonies, and influential plays like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is to be continuously working and creating. Not all ideas are good ideas, and not all works will bear fruit. But the people who have reached the pinnacle of success have been driven to create (in enormous quantity), for better or worse, and haven’t been afraid to fail.

As I look over the past year and my successes and failures, I am cheered by this perspective.

I worked at my “day job,” technical writing, for the first quarter of 2019, and then was lucky enough to spend the remainder of the year pursuing various interests and creative projects. I tried a lot of new things, and was generally happy with the results. Even when I may have failed (to live up to my idea of what I should achieve), I am still glad I gave it a try.

At the beginning of the year, I wrote down my goals for 2019 on a small piece of notepaper that I kept by my computer all year long. Every now and then I whited out some bits and added new items or details. I also took great joy in noting my progress on the goals and putting a checkmark beside the ones I accomplished.

Modeling

Modeling was the first item on my list. Although I didn’t have an agent, I had quite a successful first year as a model:

A monthly style column, Karen’s Quirky Style, in West Village’s beloved WestView News, with my picture appearing every month
A print ad for a local healthy juice restaurant, Juice & Joy
Related video and sandwich board ads
2 photo shoots for glossy fashion magazines: The Face and Vogue — both amazing experiences!
2 photo shoots for clothing designers, for use on social media: New York’s Engineered by Andrea T, and London’s sustainable swimwear designer Elliss Clothing (photographed by the fantastic Rosie Marks)
1 runway gig at the United Nations
3 photos of me were on exhibit in an art show at the prestigious Salmagundi Club, and one of them won an award
I launched a website and Instagram for Karen’s Quirky Style, as well as a line of tiny purse essentials called Purse Pals

*My friend Dusty Berke from WestView took this great photo, which won an award at the Salmagundi Art Club. Definitely one of my fave moments of the year, doing this shoot with Dusty.*

I didn’t earn a wack of dough, but most of these gigs paid a bit, so I was actually paid for working as a model.

National Arts Club Membership

I fell in love with the National Arts Club (NAC) last year, when we had our graduation dinner there for the United Nations Association New York’s (UNA-NY) Worldview Institute leadership training program. I started attending their FashionSpeak Friday events, and set a goal of becoming a member. I put quite a bit of attention into creating a resume and application worthy of this institution, and with the help of two wonderful sponsors, Francis Dubois and Phillip Edward Spradley, I became a member on May 28, 2019!

*Linda Zagaria, president of the National Arts Club. I wrote a story about Linda for WestView and Karen’s Quirky Style.*

What a thrill. I attended a gala there honoring the best-selling and much beloved author John Irving. (I also attended a UNA-NY gala honoring those who have worked to end human trafficking. I was blown away by the enormity of this problem when I researched this subject for a story for WestView News.)

Karen Rempel and Ann Nicol — Ann Nicol, Executive Director of UNA-NY, and me, at the gala at Essex House on Central Park South. Gorgeous designer dress loaned by my friend Andrea, owner, designer, and creator of Engineered by Andrea T!

Photojournalist for WestView News

Karen Rempel Photojournalist Cover Story for WestView News — *My byline is on the cover of WestView News!*

This was not on my to-do list at the beginning of 2019, but WestView News became an enormous part of my life this past year. I researched and wrote more than 40 stories for them (which would make the State of California deem me an employee—one of the 2019 larger news stories that made all freelance journalists shiver). One of my stories was even a cover story! Thank you, George, publisher and dear friend. It was fascinating to interview people and write about them, and made me feel a happy part of the West Village community.

But more than that, I became friends with many people at the paper and feel like I’ve found another family here in New York. This has been a tremendous blessing in my life. I feel so lucky to contribute to one of the last remaining local Village papers in New York. (You may recall that the Village Voice closed in August 2018. Lincoln Anderson was fired from the Villager in October 2019, heralding a new era of schlock.)

Photography Course & Video Series

As I mentioned previously in a story about taking my friend’s portrait, I started an online Master Class with wizard Annie Leibovitz in the fall of 2018, and it was on my to-do list to finish the course in 2019. Aargh! Failure! I still have about 7 lessons left to do, and my membership expired.

*Summer Piano in Washington Square Park was on exhibit at the Salmagundi Club!*

But on the plus side, the course has been a huge inspiration, and I have had a few great impacts from the course:

My work was exhibited at the Salmagundi Club. (Picture shown above.) I learned about professional photo retouchers, printing, mounting, and framing. I was very happy with the result hanging on the wall.
I accompanied almost every published article for WestView with my own photos.
I did another photo series in the same vein as Warhol in the Forest, called Warhol in the Park.
I did another class through the site, taught by Anna Wintour, and it was very inspiring. Main takeaway—be inspired by life around you. Hello, New York!
I also took a workshop on video storytelling through the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
And Wow! I did 13 videos for YouTube in 2019. My goal was to do one a month to add to my New York Love Affair video art project, but I always feel like I’m neglecting my pet project. I guess I didn’t do too badly.

This was a very fruitful, creative part of my life and yet I feel like it is a demon, always chasing me to do more! I went through about 10,000 photos (from New York only) to find appropriate images to enter in the Greenwich Village exhibit at the Salmagundi Club. Of those, I entered six, and one was chosen. And didn’t sell. So I feel this tremendous urge to produce, but I don’t feel that I have succeeded fully. Partially, yes. It was a great honor to have my work accepted in the exhibit. (It was an item I added to the list partway through the year, when I received an email about it from Village Preservation.)

However, in March I have a solo exhibit for Shadow Play, phase four. We’ll see what happens there! (More details on that later.)

Shoebook.me

Failure! Or I’m not sure what to call it. This was a genius idea I had for social networking for shoes, Christmas Day, a week before I moved to New York. People like the idea, and I’ve got the domain name, built the site once and took it down, started again, and then abandoned it. I guess I am pulled in other directions. Perhaps I’ve lost my enthusiasm for shoes? [Moment to ponder additions to my shoe collection this year. Hmmm.]

Karen's shoe acquisitions in 2019 — *My 75% successful shoe acquisitions in 2019*

Honestly, I needed all of these shoes. Well, most of them…

Rubber boots to wear when I clean the shower with CLR
Two cool pairs of sneaks to wear while travelling in Scotland, London, and Paris
Pink feathery boots for my second Karen’s Quirky Style column, in April 2019
Wingtip brogues were actually a re-do; I stripped and painted these 70s-style platform boots for my David Bowie tribute performance at the NAC
Black flip-flops replaced an old pair, and I wear them all the time for doing errands around my building
Rainbow flipflops – cute mistake
Silver Margaux flats – just a mistake; I thought I could eventually like them, but it never happened. And I didn’t get any ad revenue from them, either! Moral of this story: never buy ugly shoes, even if you think they will be comfortable.

But I guess I have been following too many alluring tracks this past year to sit down and focus on shoebook.me. Maybe in 2020! I’m not putting it on the list, so don’t hold your breath.

Dance Parade

Yup! This was a lot of fun. I set the goal of participating, and couldn’t find anyone to go with me, so I joined another group and had an amazing time.

Butterfly Dancer with House of Yes — *My butterfly costume for the Dance Parade. I danced with the exuberant, colorful, kinky House of Yes, a “performance fuelled” dance club in Brooklyn.*

In addition, I’ve continued to study ballet at the world-renowned Joffrey Ballet School, and I took a couple of classes at Lincoln Center, taught by dancers from the New York City Ballet. What an amazing opportunity. Plus, of course, classes at Barre3 five times a week. When I had to stop running in 2018, I was worried about losing my figure, and also my sanity. I’ve managed to retain the former through Barre3, and found another family there as well. As for the latter, it might be highly over-rated!

New York Love Affair Website

This is another partial success. I had the domain name loveaffair.nyc for quite some time. When I first created the 20-minute video of excerpts from my New York Love Affair series for the Vancouver International Film Festival, I created the site to support the video series. But I never kept it up, so this year I folded it into this very website that you are looking at now.

*My wild New York view from my favorite reading chair. Ah, autumn in New York!*

I rebranded this site Wild Visions: Love Affair NYC. I didn’t want to lose the tremendous SEO I’ve achieved with the bcwildernessvisions URL, so I’ve kept it, and I point loveaffair.nyc to this site. I also revamped the graphic design a bit, and added an email sign-up option. Go ahead, sign up!

You won’t be inundated, as this is simply a monthly blog. If you want to dip into my New York doings from time to time, this is the place.

Total Blog Entries in 2019

I mentioned above that I wrote over 40 stories for WestView News in 2019. I also wrote lots of blog entries:

This website: 12
karenrempel.com: 6
karensquirkystyle.nyc: 30

I would have to count this as a rousing success! Almost 50 blog entries. This is probably what gives me the most satisfaction of everything I do. But wait… Every time I sing I feel a mix of euphoria and angst (wishing I was better). And there’s nothing like the feeling of dancing freely to music that moves me…

This year I’ve continually asked myself the question what am I meant to do? What is calling my heart?

I’ve sung, danced, modeled, written, photographed, created videos, and in general explored my artistic passions to the fullest of my capacity within a given year. I love all of these activities. I guess there is no single answer to what satisfies the heart. Except, perhaps, a singular mystical answer about abiding in the mystery. So they say!

Friends and Family

New Friends in 2019 — *Friends in wigs on Christmas Eve: me, Shawn, George, Dorothy, and Dorothy’s neighbor*

The recap of the year wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the amazing richness I have in my life, of friendships and wonderful times with my family. My cousins Irma and Julie and Stephan visited New York and we saw many amazing special corners of New York. My Mom and I went to Arizona with my dear friends Sally and Bill, and I also went on trips with Deborah (Scotland) and Rosanna (Switzerland), plus dipped into London, Manchester, Paris, and Big Sur. Wow. Some friendships may have ended last year, but many wonderful new friendships have begun, and I am very grateful for the ongoing friendships with people in BC, New York, and around the world. Thanks especially to all the friends who came to hear my Bowie performance. That meant so much to me.

The focus of this entry was on creative flow, so I didn’t touch on everything I did this year, but of course there were also many fantastic cultural events and lots of fun time with friends. All of this gladdens my heart and brings more inspiration in a reinforcing cycle of creativity.

Where’s the Money?

You might have noticed that in the upper left corner of my notepaper list for 2019, I had written a high number. I didn’t earn anywhere close to that. Not even a quarter of it! True, I only worked at my day job for one quarter of the year. I had hoped that some of these various endeavors might have led to a new income stream. Not yet!

But I have always looked to my technical writing career to pay the bills. I didn’t want to put any strain on the creative stream to have to be successful. That way the creative expression can be pure joy and love. My art doesn’t have to suit other people. I don’t have to convince anyone of its merit. It’s 90% creative flow for its own sake, as an unstoppable source emerging from my being. But there’s still that 10% that hopes someone will like it!

I guess in that sense, it has been a successful year. I hope yours was too. Thanks for reading. And all the best to you in 2020. There is much possibility for hope and positive change in the new decade.

Warhol in the Park

When I sold my 160-acre ranch in British Columbia, I thought I would never see Starshine Valley again. But my new friends (new at the time—now they are old friends!), Gary and Val, invited me to house-sit for them while they went on a long trip to Scotland. My art project Warhol in the Forest was born as a fun surprise for their return.

I subsequently wrote about my love of the Campbell’s Soup can, and keep coming back to this theme. The idea of bringing the Warhol project to New York’s Central Park has been simmering in the pot of my brain for a few years now.

Finally, this past Sunday, it was time. It turned out to be a special day, as you will see. Here is the result, my newest art project, “Warhol in the Park.” The original project entailed 28 images—the number of cans of Campbell’s Soup in Val and Garry’s cupboard. This time I’ve upped it to a nice round 30.

Our heroine humbly begins her journey here, on the shelf at CVS. The price in Vancouver in 1999 was $1.19 to $1.69.

Oh boy, the park! First a bite to eat. I was sitting on that shelf a long time.

Now a drink of water.

Aw, such cute friends. They gave me a good sniff, and now they’re ignoring me.

Good view from up here.

Transported to Paris.

I wonder if the park will ever have the budget for repainting.

WWI Mayor Mitchel, this is a beautiful, if unexpected, memorial.

Jigsaw puzzle perfect.

Ah, resting in a gnarly bole.

Hey, looking good! Well thank you, Mayor of Central Park.

What’s going on over there?

It’s the New York Marathon!

Protectors of the realm.

While the cat’s away…

No wait, there’s someone in there. Oops.

On the grid.

This is just so unexpected. An ancient urn with a bull in the forest.

A spaceship? No, it’s the Guggenheim.

Sun is setting in the park.

To the rescue.

I feel like I’ve been running forever. But it’s only 1.5 miles. Or is that 3.08? What the heck does this mean?

Ghostly night runners probably know what it means.

What a city!

A Greek temple in the forest?

Time traveling to ancient Egypt.

First Monday in May. Anna Wintour, we love you.

Art inside and out. The Seated II, bronze statue by Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu.

Where did everybody go?

Warhol Splash

Time for a splash. OK, I’m done. Taxi!

Home James, on the M2 down Fifth Avenue.

Thank you for joining us on our day in the park. This 121-year-old can is good until July 18, 2021. She’s going to have some more adventures before the casserole.

Camping at the Met

Camp at the Met - Voguing with Karen Rempel, New York Model — *Voguing at the Met’s Camp exhibit*

The Met has an exhibit called Camp: Notes on Fashion. This year’s Met Gala celebrated the exhibit, which is part of The Costume Institute at the Met. The exhibit examines how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration are expressed in fashion. Not to mention food!

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the exhibit.

I would love to wear one of these gorgeous gowns to the next gala at the National Arts Club! An inspired pairing…

Camp at the Met - Venus on the halfshell — Spanish designer Cristoba Balenciaga evening dress (1951), black silk velvet and pink silk taffeta.
French designer Thierry Mugler “Venus” ensemble (1995-96 haute couture), bodysuit of beige synthetic powernet embroidered with clear paillettes and pearl beads; dress of black silk velvet and pink silk satin with pink and blue silk satin roses.

Here’s a variation on wearing the lampshade on your head. There’s so much going on here, the mind boggles. David Hockney swimming pool, suit of armor, art deco shapes, wetsuit zipper. And so cute!

Camp at the Met — *British designer Mary Kathantzou ensemble, 2011. Top of polychrome printed cotton-synthetic crepe; skirt of polychrome printed synthetic satin and white synthetic velvet trimmed with clear crystals.*

Bob Mackie gown — When you think Bob Mackie, you must think Cher! This 2008 dress is nude synthetic tulle embroidered with iridescent crystals, clear seed beads, and clear paillettes; headpiece of white silk organza and white felt embroidered with polychrome crystals and iridescent paillettes.

Green twins — Wild and Lethal Trash ensemble (1996); jacket of yellow PVC, bodysuit of purple synthetic spandex knot.
French designer Jean Paul Gaultier dress (1995-6) of synthetic plain weave.

Leftovers? — This is making me hungry. According to Andrew Rose, camp is the “inherent funniness of leftovers.”
The Italian design House of Moschino (Jeremy Scott) “TV Dinner” ensemble (2019-20). Cape of jute plain weave, polychrome foam, and silver spandex knit; romper of green synthetic plain weave embroidered with green paillettes.

Souper dress — *“The Souper” dress, à la Andy Warhol, 1966-67*. You know how much I love the Campbell’s Soup theme!

MOMA Highlights to Enjoy During 4-Month Closure

Monet's Water Lilies at MOMA — *A triptych of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, 1914-1926. Altogether he painted about 250 pictures of water lilies in the series.*

MOMA is closed for four months for a major $450 million renovation. The reno will add 40,000 square feet and improve traffic flow. The good news is the museum will be able to display more pieces from its permanent collection.

The museum will reopen on October 21.

I went on the last day before the closure, June 16, in a pre-emptive move against MOMA withdrawal. Here are some favorite works of art from the permanent collection for you to enjoy if you are missing our beloved museum.

MOMA One

It almost seems a crime to present these inexpertly photographed works of art, especially as better versions are already available online in abundance. So I hope you will take this in the spirit intended—to share my love and appreciation of these works with my friends and family.

MOMA Two

Did you notice any suprising new artists or works of art in the above slideshow? 😉

Style on the Street: Paris in June

I went to Paris for the first time in early June, and was very interested to observe the style on the street, Parisian fashion. Of course the area around the Louvre was swarming with tourists (days after the strike by museum workers concerned about severe overcrowding), but I hoped that by staking out a corner on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, I would be able to see what actual Parisians were wearing as they shopped on le weekend.

The style themes I noticed are:

Parisian women almost always accessorize with a scarf
Fancy sneakers are popular all over the world, including Paris
Cross-body bags are a practical favorite
Leather jackets remain cool as ever

I snapped some Parisian pairs, which are featured in my July “Style on the Street” column in the WestView News. Here are some additional shots of stylish Parisians:

Paris Fashion

Chanel window in Paris — *So exciting to see the Chanel shop in Paris, but this look says Chanel is past it. That white dress under the classic Chanel suit is ugly, I’m sorry!*

Stunning dress on Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the fashion capital — Stunning dress at Balmain on Rue Saint-Honoré. The pleats and folds in this ivory satin asymmetrical number are exquisite. That’s me in the mirror in a magenta raincoat and fantastic pink satin sneakers by Diana Broussard. (A French designer in New York.)

And of course I had to take some pictures of the sights as well.

*The fantastic Hôtel Les Rives de Notre-Dame (with the red flower boxes in the windows). I was in a room facing the river.*

*My room was a glorious orange, just like my first New York apartment. I loved it so much!*

I was staying on the Left Bank in the Latin Quarter, very near Notre-Dame Cathedral. It was so sad to see this glorious old dame scaffolded and barricaded.

I was stricken by a majestic statue guarding the travelers who cross this bridge across the Seine. To me, she looks regal, yet humble and severe—a protective presence.

Statue on the Seine — *Protecting travelers who cross the bridge*

Statue Guarding Bridge — *Saint Geneviève statue at the Pont de la Tournelle. I later found out Saint Geneviève actually did protect Paris from Atilla the Hun! She is the patron saint of Paris.*

I went to a couple of late-night jazz clubs in underground caverns: Le Caveau de la Huchette (built in the 1500s; Count Basie and Art Blakey played here in a later century), and Le Caveau Des Oubliettes. So cool!

Le Caveau des Oubliettes late-night jazz session--in the dungeon where prisoners were left and forgotten — *Le Caveau Des Oubliettes late-night jazz session—in the dungeon carved out of the stone, where prisoners were left and forgotten*

And afterwards, people get crepes at an all-night stand on Rue de la Huchette. It was raining a bit, and at 2 AM there was a crowd of 10 people ahead of me waiting at the window for their crêpes. The cook makes them on a flat round griddle just inside the window, so it is performance art as well. And then the delicious reward—in my case, a cone of crêpe enclosing mushroom, tomato, and cheese. So French, so delightful!

Waiting for crepes in Rue de la Huchette — *Waiting for crêpes in Rue de la Huchette. There were many all-night cafés and restaurants in the neighborhood. New York, take note!*

I spent the final morning of my whirlwind visit (two nights, one day, one morning) going to as many pastry shops as I could find and reveling in French delicacies with espresso. I managed to go to four during my quest for an open post office. First off, I had two choux—cream-filled little round pastries—in la Maison Odette, a charming, narrow 4-story pastry shop and café with curving black staircases, near my hotel. Then a pain au chocolate at a sidewalk café near the Sorbonne.

I was surprised how modern and severe the Sorbonne looked. Closed for the summer, it desolate and forbidding. — I was surprised how modern and severe the Sorbonne looked (this is the Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, for the faculties of science and engineering). Closed for the summer, it seemed desolate and forbidding.

Next, I had a clod-foot cherry clafoutis on Île Saint-Louis, sitting on a stone bench on the north side, away from the hordes, watching boats go by on the Seine. And yes, reading Vogue! The final treat was to sit at this charming café, Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole, on Île de la Cité, the oldest, original part of Paris.

Karen Rempel in Paris — *Blissful moment drinking espresso at Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole, on Île de la Cité—wearing my New York black now, and feeling more like myself!*

I hadn’t realized that Paris began on Île de la Cité, possibly dating back to pre-Roman times (52 BCE), when it may have been a fortified crossing point held by the Parisii, a small Gallic tribe. By 300 CE, it was a walled city with wooden bridges on either side.

Curving street on Ile de la Cité — *Curving street on Île de la Cité*

But a few more modern sights were evident as well:

Scooters littering the sidewalk in a fashionable residential neighborhood — *Abandoned scooters littering the sidewalk in a fashionable residential neighborhood*

Political posters. The first I had heard of Frexit! — *Political posters, probably from 2017. The first I had heard of Frexit!*

The ubiquitous phone ad. I saw a similarly hideous iPhone 10 ad when I was in Barcelona. — *The ubiquitous phone ad defacing beautiful architecture. I saw a similarly hideous iPhone 10 ad when I was in Barcelona.*

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a few classic Parisian landmarks that everyone loves.

Eiffel tower & mosque — *That famous French tower and a golden-domed mosque gleaming in the rays of the setting sun*

Karen Rempel and the Eiffel Tower — *Me in pink and the tower in grey. So romantic!*

Hotel Plaza Athénée — *Hôtel Plaza Athénée on Rue Montaigne*

Thanks for joining me on my little Parisian jaunt. Remember, we’ll always have Paris!

Style on the Street: Highlighter Hues for the Hoi Polloi

I revere Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is my favorite vacay movie. But just to cut through the idealization, this time I’m going to take the piss and show how style translates from haute couture to proletariat.

Rempel - Style on the Street - 1 Hues July 2019 — *Highlighter hues as seen on the celebs in Vogue.*

I ripped this page out of May Vogue for inspiration, when I was in Paris checking out the style in the Fashion Capital.

When I got back to New York, I spotted these highlighter hues everywhere! Taking it to the street…

Wearing highlighter hues while delivering laundry — *Delivering laundry & multitasking on the phone.*

*Strolling on the street with a soda. Girl in foreground is in highlighter pink.*

Style on the Street - Rempel - Highlighter Hue 3 — *Waiting for the subway at Penn Station, phone in hand. Woman on the bench is in highlighter yellow too.*

Style on the Street - Rempel - Highlighter Hues 4 — *Unloading a truck on Sixth Avenue.*

So you see, you don’t have to be rich and famous to dress like the stars. Just color-match and you’re there!

Ghostly music in Ruby, Arizona

Miners at Montana Mine in Ruby, Arizona, circa 1930 — *Miners at the top of the Montana Mines mineshaft, which descends 600 feet into the earth. Their only source of light was the carbide lamps they wore on their belts. Photographer unknown.*

Last November when my dear friends Sally and Bill Sommer, West Village residents, invited my mother, Donnette, and me to visit a ghost town, we jumped at the chance. Sally owns a share of the ghost town Ruby, in Arizona, and it so happened we were all free to travel there in early April. I was curious to see what the vibe was like in a town so close to the Mexican border. This was at the height of the media coverage of border caravans, families being separated, and vigilantes off-roading along the border. In January, there was one of the biggest drug busts ever of fentanyl in Nogales (254 pounds of the stuff, valued at $4.6 million), just a few miles south of Ruby as the crow flies. It seemed risky to go, but we decided to proceed anyway.

*Longhorn Grill in Arivaca, Arizona. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

My mother and I drove down to Ruby from Tucson in a shiny blue rental car. Just south of Arivaca, we encountered dozens of white Border Patrol trucks going the other way on the two-lane highway. It was pretty creepy, frankly, and we pulled over to make sure we had our passports handy, in fear of being chucked over the border if a guard took a disliking to us. However, we passed through a Customs and Immigration checkpoint uneventfully, and then passed more BP trucks.

Pat Frederick, sculptor of animal essence in steel - sculpture in the desert — *Sculpture in the desert, by Pat Frederick, sculptor of animal essence in steel.. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

Our friends (Sally and Bill from New York, and sculptor Pat Frederick and zoo animal nutritionist Howard Frederick from Tucson) weren’t meeting us at Ruby until the next day, so with a little trepidation, we continued onto the final stretch of rough, puddled dirt road in the low-slung rental car. After a few hair-raising plunges through puddles of unknown depths, we arrived at the gate to Ruby. Armed with the code for the lock on the gate, we opened it and crossed the cattle guard into the historic gold and silver mining town that grew up around the Montana Mine. Now, if you’ve ever seen a Western movie, you probably have a clear idea of what a ghost town looks like. This wasn’t it.

Donkey bus to Ruby schoolhouse — *A donkey “bus” brought children to school. The Ruby schoolhouse taught grades one through eight. Maximum enrollment was about 150 children in 1936. Photographer unknown.*

At first all we saw were trees, bushes, and a ring of hills surrounding the former town, with the proud landmark, Montana Peak, rising in the south. Here and there were a few crumbling walls of adobe, and a few ominous, decaying mine buildings on a hillside. Suddenly we heard engines buzzing overhead, and saw two military planes circling the ghost town twice before heading off into the distance. This was anachronistic, not to mention ominous. What was going on?

*First impressions. Ruby mine building with houses nestled in the distance. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

We checked in with the caretaker, Michael, who told us that the US military likes flying over this area for flight training because it resembles Afghanistan! Not quite as sleepy a ghost town as we had imagined, even though it seemed there was no town left.

Case's Place - Lunches. One of the kids used to bring sandwiches to miners at lunchtime for a nickel per delivery. Photographer unknown. — *Case’s Place – Lunches. One of the kids used to bring sandwiches to miners at lunchtime for a nickel per delivery. Photographer unknown.*

The sun was about a fist from the horizon by this time, so we hastened to make camp where Michael had directed us, on a flat plain of mine tailings (fine white sand), located between two lakes. We erected our tents by the trees bordering one of the lakes, near a ramada (covered area with picnic tables) and fire pit. I’ve done a lot of camping, and this is the sweetest spot I’ve ever pitched a tent. The daytrippers at Ruby had to leave by sunset, and soon my mom and I and the caretaker were the only ones left in Ruby, or so we thought.

*Mine employees made bricks on site, to be used in house and mine construction. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

I had promised Donnette a champagne breakfast the next morning, but since we didn’t have the required corkscrew to open the wine we’d brought for dinner, we popped the champagne cork and poured golden libations into our travel coffee mugs. Ambrosia! We cobbled together dinner on a Coleman stove our hosts in Tucson had lent us, and made a fire with twigs and branches we collected under the trees. Guess which West Village newspaper I used to light the kindling? My mom had the fire crackling in no time. That night we listened to three-part coyote harmonies as we snuggled into our sleeping bags. The second act was a great-horned owl backed by the calls of an unidentified pair of night birds.

*Slide outside Ruby Schoolhouse. Kids used to race up the stairs and whiz down the slide, while nearby kids hung on to bars on ropes to swing around a merry-go-round. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

The next morning we had the promised champagne breakfast, with mimosas, scrambled eggs, and chocolate. It began to rain, but we’re tough Canadians, so we started to explore the remains of the town. The mine closed in 1940, and though at one time there had been up to 1,200 residents, and miners working in 3 shifts, that time was many decades in the past. However, the group of families that now collectively owns Ruby has done work to preserve and restore parts of the town, including the old schoolhouse, part of which is now a museum. After poking around in various decrepit buildings filled with incredibly large mounds of mouse and rat turds, as well as a few fascinating old furnishings, we finally came to the schoolhouse. The door was open and across a narrow hallway was a tiny room housing the creepiest piano I’ve ever seen, with more than its share of black teeth and exposed decaying innards.

Donnette is no stranger to ghost towns, hailing as she does from the Cariboo, home to Canada’s most famous gold rush. She headed straight to the piano. Being a leftie, she reached with her left hand and started playing. Dah-dah-dah-DUH. Beethoven’s Fifth roared forth! The only thing is, my mom has never learned to play the piano. Some haunting being was playing through her! She recalls “The way my back went was so creepy. A creepy, cold feeling. That was a ‘passed one’.” I felt the chill down my spine as well, and an enveloping cloud of cold air. I shrieked and we both raced out of the building. My mother had previously cleared spirits from a residence that had been built on an Indian (First Nations) burial ground. She said, “I just knew from past experience that that wasn’t good for you and you wouldn’t want it again. A little devil in me wanted to go back in, but I didn’t let it win. I could tell the cold was coming, and I was getting cold from it.” We raced back to our campsite, trying to shake off the chill feeling.

The piano in the school house museum at Ruby, Arizona — *The haunted piano. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

A little while later, the sun came out, our friends arrived from Tucson, and it seemed life returned to normal. However, although we were looking forward to margaritas and a good meal with our friends, the dramas of this sleepy town continued. We learned that the night before, while my mom and I were listening to nature’s serenade, Michael, the caretaker, found an illegal immigrant wandering up the rutted remnants of a road through the ghost town. The starving, extremely dehydrated man had exhausted himself on his journey on foot to the US, and now he wanted to surrender. This is what we’re reading about in the papers every day, and it actually happened while we were there in Ruby. We were sobered by this real, live example of a human’s suffering. It wasn’t just a story in the paper anymore.

We had a lot to talk about that evening over a wilderness-enhanced dinner of spicy chili and steamed corn tamales, washed down with Howard’s world-class margaritas. As the sun went down and the stars came out, we heard Ruby ghost stories of murder and mayhem around the fire, building new memories on the ashes of the old.

The fantastic five at the Ruby Schoolhouse — *Sally and Bill Sommer, Pat and Howard Frederick, and Donnette Rempel outside the Ruby Schoolhouse. Photo by Karen Rempel.*

Everyone loves the Easter Parade

As I mentioned in my last post, this year I attended the famous Easter Parade in NYC on April 21, beginning at 10 AM at 49th Street and proceeding north to 57th Street. The parade ended at about 1 PM. I also watched the 1948 film, “Easter Parade,” with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. This is a classical musical, with the song and dance numbers blending absolutely seamlessly into the story, in glorious color, with fun tunes by Irving Berlin. The grand finale is on Fifth Avenue, and this is where the Easter Parade takes place to this day.

Here are some photos of this year’s paraders:

Easter 2019

It was a glorious sunny day, and people were in a jubilant mood, as you can see. The man in the hounds-tooth jacket actually sang a few bars from “Easter Parade” to me! People were happy to pose in their festive finery, though I also captured a few candid photos on the subway and platform. It was a joyful day with the true Easter spirit of new life and growth bringing happiness to everyone’s hearts.

Leopards seeing spots at National Arts Club

National Arts Club Karen Rempel Alexandra Kargin and The Man — *Alexandra Kargin, The Bomb, and Karen Rempel in spots*

I’ve been attending FashionSpeak Friday events at the National Arts Club, ever since stumbling upon the Iris Apfel book launch (for Accidental Icon: Musings of a Geriatric Starlet) and award ceremony there, in May 2018. Suddenly a glamorous world of high fashion and style opened up before my eyes, and I knew I wanted to be part of it. I happened to be wearing fantastic Herchkovitch; Alexandre + Melissa clear vinyl platform shoes with flower cut-outs, and it appeared I fit right into the event, for people assumed I was part of it. (Actually, I’d been attending our graduation dinner for the United Nations Worldview Institute Executive Leadership Training, downstairs, that evening.) In any case, I was smitten with the National Arts Club, FashionSpeak Fridays, and fashion in general.

National Arts Club FashionSpeak Fridays — *The Bomb’s shoes & socks. This man has style!*

A few weeks ago I attended a leopard-themed event at NAC, in honor of International Women’s Month. The speaker was Jo Weldon, author of Fierce: The History of Leopard Print. She gave a very informative and fascinating talk, and the evening began with an amazing burlesque performance. What was most delightful about the evening for me was the prevalence of leopard prints, as New Yorkers love the chance to play dress-up. There were so many spots in that room that I thought I might have an epileptic fit.

National Arts Club - two shoes — *Sole mates – zebras and leopards in harmony*

FashionSpeak Fridays at the National Art Club are free to the public, so I like to go whenever possible. I just love the atmosphere at the Club, and the fashion events are truly inspirational. The Club, at 15 Gramercy Park South, is located in the historic Samuel Tilden Mansion. Samuel Tilden, the 25th Governor of New York, combined two mansions and gave them a complete redesign in 1863. Tilden hired Calvert Vaux, a famed architect and one of the designers of Central Park, to modernize the façade with sandstone, bay windows, and ornamentation in the Aesthetic Movement style. John LaFarge created stained glass panels for the interior of the mansion and glass master Donald MacDonald fashioned a unique stained glass dome for Tilden’s library that crowns the room where the bar is now located. This is truly one of my favorite places in New York to have a drink.

National Arts Club, Karen Rempel, Bert Daniels, Jo Weldon, leopard print — *Bert Daniels, Karen Rempel, and part of Jo Weldon’s leopard print collection, with DJ in background – he mixed a lot of great jungle-themed tunes for the event!*

In 1966, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission declared 15 Gramercy Park South a New York City Landmark; and in 1976 the Federal government designated the building a National Historic Landmark. Of course the club has had many illustrious members, including three US presidents and many artists, writers, architects, and other creative geniuses.

Dusty Berke, Alexandra Kargin, Karen Rempel, Anila Cobo, Nikki Nelson, Bert Daniels, National Arts Club, Rose Bar, Gramercy Park Hotel — *Dusty, Alexandra, me, Anila, Nikki, and Bert at the Rose Bar, across Gramercy Park, after the event*

The club is a great place to hang out, and I hope to be a member soon so I can lounge and dine in the gorgeous library and restaurant. The sparks of creativity in the atmosphere have landed in my heart, and ignited in my new role as Fashion Editor of the WestView News, the Voice of the West Village. As many of you know, I’ve been writing articles for the paper for a few years now. When I wrote a piece on the closing of the Cornelia Street Cafe (also discussed at length in this blog), the owner of the paper, George Capsis, said he’d like me to write, write, write for the paper. He invited me to HQ on Charles Street, and asked what I would like to write about. What came out of my mouth, with no forethought or foreknowledge, was the single word, “Fashion.” Wow! A revelation… My first fashion column came out in March, and the April edition is due out tomorrow, with the second column. You’ll see me sporting leopard there too!

Style on the Street: West Village in Springtime

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been writing fashion pieces for the WestView News. With spring hovering near, the West Village is starting to take on a greenish hue. Tiny leaves are budding on the trees in sunny gardens. Birdsong is in the air, calling us to spring forward out of our beds at an earlier hour. A sprinkling of fairy dust was also in the air on St. Patrick’s day, as West Village residents and visitors alike took to the streets sporting green to celebrate our favorite Irish holiday.

Paul MacKnight's St. Pat's Stache — *Paul MacKnight’s St. Pat’s ’stache*

It’s an eerie coincidence that Paul MacKnight works at both Barre3 and Bar Six, both in the West Village. (And frequents Hell’s Kitchen’s Bar Nine, the dueling piano bar?) He poured a wicked Irish coffee on Sunday, serving it up to St. Patrick’s Day patrons during his shift behind the bar. In honor of the day, he put on some gold and green sparkle, making him the pixiest bartender in town.

*Sana Siddiqui strolling down Sixth Avenue with Jefferson Market Library in background*

Meanwhile, Sana Siddiqui strolled with her family down Sixth Avenue, and this couple power-walked in green splendor down a Gold Coast side street.

Strolling in sync on St. Pat's — *Strolling in sync on St. Pat’s*