TURKS AND CAICOS

It's cold so I thought I would torture myself (and you)  by editing and posting photos from our glorious trip to Turks and Caicos in October.  It was the first non family vacation we have taken since the babies were born and it was heaven.  I am not normally a big beach person (sand makes me cranky, I sunburn easily)  but this, my friends,  I could do more often.

We went with our friends Tim and Elizabeth and their kids Charlie (one of Roan's best buds) and Max.  Big shout out to Elizabeth who planned everything and all we had to do was show up. 

A nice way to remember 2014 which was, all in all, a great year.  

Roan and Charlie float about on their favorite secret beach

Sleepy Max

Conch shells for sale

Charlie at the pool we crashed at some fancy resort

They shooed us off the beach furniture however

Our pool with a view of the Taylor Bay

Charlie not quite ready for a dip

Cool Hand Max

Nudie swimming

Elizabeth with her boys

Roan was quite happy to go commando the whole time

Tim and Max

Taylor Bay at sunset

House at dusk

Dinner prepared for us at home

Sunset from the house

More Conch shells

Roan on Iguana Island

An Iguana on Iguana Island

All of us

Snorkeling

One of the boat tour operators making us Conch Ceviche.  I asked him "where can you possibly have to go on vacation if you live here?" and he said "We go to New York and go shopping"

This is the real color of the water

Sam was quite content

Sam Roan and I took a boat to North Caicos Island

We rented the oldest, most busted Jeep I've ever been in but it worked

Naptime on the road

The grill was a bug cemetery

This was interesting -

Signs of protest and discontent - these were the only ones I saw

We were hiking for ruins and decided to turn back when we met this guy

Basketball court

Little lady saying Hi to me

Blissful nap on the way back to Provo

Roan loves boats

Sam and Roan both love boats

Locals swimming at dusk

NAUGHTY OR NICE?

...Um, I'm gonna go with naughty.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

NEW WORK FROM THE CROFT

Some of my images from this past year in Scotland have been published on the fabulous Fiercely Made.

Prints are available! Check them out!

Fiercely Made Images from Micaela Walker

FIERCELY CURIOUS HOLIDAY MARKET

Fiercely Curious and Fiercely Made will be at this very Holiday Market in Cobble Hill this weekend.  They will be selling a few of my framed prints from Scotland!  And a whole bunch of other Brooklyn made really cool stuff.

Brooklyn Artisans Holiday Market

LIGHT WRITING 2014

I have done my own personal edit of the Light Writing Project I did this year for Extreme Kids and Crew  and put it on my website.  Have a look!

Light Writing 2014

I WILL KEEP BROKEN THINGS

                                                                   I will keep
                                                                   Broken
                                                                   things:
                                                                   In my house
                                                                   There
                                                                   Remains
                                                                   An

                                                                   Honored
                                                                   Shelf
                                                                   On which
                                                                   I will
                                                                   Keep
                                                                   Broken
                                                                   Things.

                                                                   Their beauty
                                                                   Is
                                                                   They
                                                                   Need
                                                                   Not
                                                                   Ever
                                                                   Be
                                                                   'fixed.'

                                                                   I will keep
                                                                   Broken
                                                                   Things.

                                                                   I will keep
                                                                   You:

                                                                   Pilgrim
                                                                   Of
                                                                   Sorrow.

                                                                   I will keep
                                                                   Myself. 

                                 - Excerpt from "I Will Keep Broken Things" by Alice Walker

                                               LULA NEAVE WALKER MURRAY

                                                  June 11, 2010 - December 4, 2011

DAVE DOES JOHNNY CASH

My good friend Dave is, I have mentioned before, a man of many talents.  He's a photo editor, an incredible painter and muralist, a remarkable illustrator and drawer, a soon-to-be dad with his equally lovely wife Jess, and to top it off, a first class musician.  How can one person behold so many talents?  Really, he's just being selfish - he should share some with the rest of us.

Per my posting a couple of days ago of Roan serenading Langston with"Ring of Fire", Dave has done a rendition just for Roan. 

Take it away, Dave.

ROAN DOES JOHNNY CASH

Roan's buddy Langston was over for a play date this weekend and I happened upon this little guitar lesson.

Incidentally, Langston's dad Ennis, ran in the NYC marathon on Sunday.  We went to his and his wife Rachel's house to cheer him on while eating mountains of bacon and waffles.  Followed by donuts.  Ennis blazed past us all looking fresh as a daisy at the 8 mile mark while we stood outside his home, bloated with carbs, highly impressed at Ennis' efforts and so thankful we could return to the warmth inside to eat more treats.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2014! ROAN THE RESCUEBOT

This was the first year that Roan decided he wanted to be something and I had no say (it was only a matter of time).  Special thanks to cardboard, industrial sticky tape, and a very resourceful dad named Sam for making this costume possible.

NOMAD CHIC IN SCOTLAND!

I wrote a piece about traveling in Scotland with my picks on where to stay, eat, visit, explore, what to bring etc.  It's accompanied by some of my photos. 

Nomad Chic Destination Guide to Scotland

COUNTRY WEEKEND

I've been threatening to crash my cousin Sarah's place in the country for years.  A place to escape the city periodically is essential to one's sanity and is something Sam and I routinely crave. We finally managed to invite ourselves up a couple of weeks ago.  

Sarah's house is north and west of the city, right near the Deleware Water Gap and just across from Pennsylvania. It's supposedly about 2 1/2 hours from Brooklyn but for us with Roan about a 4 hour drive. How does one quick lunch break and and several emergency pee breaks compute to an extra hour and a half?  I just don't get it.

Once we got there, however, all was glorious.  We were greeted by Gunnar, a very enthusiastic and noisy pit bull who seems unaware of how intimidating he comes across when he's really just SO glad you came to visit and is hoping you will throw a stick for him 60-80 times.  Trailing behind was Casey, 15 years old, blind and deaf but sweet and silky as can be.  

We had a lovely weekend sitting on the porch, as one does in the country, walking on the open rocks of the Delaware, and hanging out with Calvin and Chip, Sarah's horses.  I don't think I've ever really felt so much that horses really are like gigantic dogs.  They nuzzled up to us and followed us around begging for treats.  Roan went on a ride through the woods.  He absolutely loves horses, not the easiest hobby to sustain in Brooklyn, so this was a delight.

Every visit to the country opens up the ever mulled-over question:  to buy a country house or not to buy?  In the week after we've been upstate I can pretty much guarantee I will find Sam house surfing on the internet.  "Look at this one!!  It's got a barn and 50 acres!  It's like $60,000!!! Oh, wait, it's near Canada".  Sigh. 

Two weeks later I got an email from Sarah that Casey died.  He told her he was ready, she said.  How lucky we were to get to spend that last fun filled weekend with him!  He was very smitten with Roan although he could hardly keep up with him.  Still there was some lovely snuggling. RIP Casey.

Gunnar, the welcoming committee

Sarah's beautiful old farm house and Gunnar with a log

Delaware Water Gap

Sunning

Sunday Morning Paper

Calvin and Chip with Sarah and Roan

Getting acquainted

Curious

Grooming

Roan gets a lesson

Chip

Sunset stroll

Gunnar at the end of a very exciting day

Sam and Casey