Sometimes Susan and I describe our collaboration on Rosslyn and other projects (ie. ADK Oasis and Adobe Oasis) as the marriage of poetry and design. That sounds a little glossy and overblown. Perhaps. The reality is less glossy. Lots of stop and start. Lots of disagreement. Lots of slow-won consensus. Today’s glimpse at pirouettes and silhouettes is less a mission statement than a brief flicker of insight into this curious co-creative chemistry. By way of a smartphone video clip and an end-of-day snapshot — neither especially well documented — I offer you a peek into the peculiarity/ies of my perspective. And, just possibly, it will offer the first few “breadcrumbs”…
Hammock Pirouettes
Suspended beneath the American Linden’s trunk-sized limbs are two hammock-style swing seats. A fine place for two people to catch up while presiding over the lawn between our home, icehouse, and carriage barn as the breeze guides conversation.
Even when unpeopled, the hammock swings enrapture, sometimes pirouetting, sometimes swinging. They dance on a verdant stage, romancing the late day sun, striped by barn shadows.
This mesmerizing pair, part practical perch and part interactive art installation, exude welcome. An invitation to unload and linger, to pause and unplug, to wonder alone, and to chat together. Slow down, they remind us. Take this moment, this place, this opportunity to exist a little bit more fully. Hammocking heals.
Barn Silhouettes
Rosslyn’s barns, an ample carriage house and a now-rehabilitated icehouse, date to the late 1800s. Both buildings have likely stood for at least a century and a quarter. I say buildings, and yet I think of them as realms more than buildings. Environments. Oases. 
I have focused much over the last year and a half on the long anticipated (and now passionately, gratefully treasured) icehouse rehabilitation. An oasis to be sure!
In the photograph above, both barns silhouetted cinematographically against the sunset, there is a harmonious balance between manmade monuments and natural surroundings. Habitat and home couple in a timeless equation. An architectural and aesthetic affinity. Tranquility.
I have documented and riffed on this scene 1000 times. And each time it feels like the first. Each time I fall in love all over again.
Pirouettes & Silhouettes
I conceived today’s update as a 2-part poem and poetic diptych. Instead I’ve yielded to the wants of my meandering mind. And this scrapbook scribble is the artifact. Tending toward lyric essay, a praise-powered puzzle piece as yet unjoined by its neighbors. Soon, perhaps, adjoining pieces will come together and paint a more comprehensive picture. Perhaps.
Spend time in nature regularly. It will ground you, offer perspective, and inspire you to lead a simpler and more sustainable life.