SLEEPING BEAUTY
The giant dune that made me think about hibernation.
Another view of the dunes from Route 6. I'm very close to the turn for Provincetown here.
Every time I come to Ptown the landscape inspires a revelation. This time, when I first saw the snow-covered dunes along Route 6—one giant one in particular that reminded me of a great bear—and all of the beautiful bare trees and gardens that surround the apartment in which I’ll be staying for two weeks, I thought about the nature of winter.
I’ve always tended to think of winter as a dead time, but it isn’t, really. Everything is just asleep—the trees, the gardens, the seasonal inns. And everywhere there are small signs of awakening: birds chirping, fences and brickwork being repaired, porches being swept.
Here are pix of this January’s Ptown writing spot. Enjoy!
The exterior of the house. The large window in the front is the one in my bedroom.
My key and welcome kit.
One of those great No Vacancy signs on Bradford Stree, which is what I use as a landmark for the turn into my parking area. I think this is for the place next door, but I'm not sure.
The parking area.
The path next to the garden that leads to the house.
The garden gate.
The door to the laundry room.
The path continues between the houses and out to the front yard.
This is my porch.
A view of the walkway that leads to my porch.
The stairs to reach the 2nd and 3rd floor apartments.
The first flight of stairs takes you to my apartment, which is on the 2nd floor.
The front door to my apartment.
The walkway that runs the length of the apartment and ends in a very small porch.
The porch.
The porch has a separate access from my bedroom, which is convenient at the moment since there's a patch of snow (rapidly melting) between the front door and the porch.
This plant sits on the porch's built-in bench. I have no idea what kind of plant it is, or if it's a kind that really isn't dead but will come back (somehow I doubt that), but I love looking at it because it's so Poe-esque.
I love the vines everywhere.
Inside the front door. There is a small "foyer," so to speak.
When I'm working at the nook table, this is the view out the window and door. I love the branches. I'd swear I've used "skeletal branches" in my stories so many times it's not even funny.
The view out the small window to the left of the door if you look directly out of it.
A view of the small "foyer" and bedroom. I really love the yin-yang fish scroll on the wall.
Entering the bedroom.
What I consider this place's showpiece--the gorgeous bedroom window.
There is a very small window to the left as you walk into the bedroom. Here's the view out that window.
Exiting the bedroom door to the small porch.
The full view out the bedroom window. I love the light. Once I bed down for the night I open the curtains so I can enjoy the dawn.
The view out the top window.
Another view out the bedroom window.
This is the garden - I can see it out my bedroom window.
The bedroom ceiling. Some features here remind me of the house I grew up in. My Dad would've loved this place.
The bedroom wardrobe and a view around the corner to the bedroom nook.
The bedroom nook.
The sunrise through the bedroom nook's window.
This is the view of the large window reflected in the bedroom nook's mirror.
The closet. This place has a great deal of storage space.
Exiting the bedroom and a view through to the main living area.
The living area.
View out the living room window.
A view of the living area. I'm standing in the kitchen nook. The beams run through to the bedroom.
This interesting piece of art is perched on the wall at the bedroom end of the apartment.
A view of the eating area and the kitchen.
The eating area. Sometimes I work here.
A view out the eating area window.
The kitchen and bathroom.
The kitchen. It's the most comfortable one to work in I've had up here so far.
View out the kitchen window.
The kitchen skylight.
Time to celebrate!
The winter moon through the kitchen skylight.
This sun is perched on the wall between the kitchen and bathroom.
This is on the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom.
The bathroom.
A candle holder on the bathroom wall.
Stepping out of the bathroom. This bureau is where I have my stereo set up.
View out the window next to the bureau--we're looking here at the underside of the steps that go to the third floor.
Morning coffee.
One of my two workspaces. The other is at the table.
Posted on January 18, 2011, in Deep Thoughts & Fun Stuff and tagged Norman Mailer Writer's Colony, Provincetown. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
These are some cushy digs! I was thinking bare room with a desk and a bed. No WONDER you keep running away to the Cape. OH, that and that you like to write! Here’s to productivity. Enjoy your time.
Yeah, Karen, this is the bee’s knees. The bed/desk thing I did at Goddard. I never did get any writing done there. Assignments, yes, but I really didn’t find the whole sterile thing very inspiring.
Those plants in the planter are called “Hen and Chicks” a succulent from the Crassulaceae family. They are very hardy and will survive the winter.
Thanks, Tony! I’m so glad somebody knew. It sounds like the kind of plant I need to have around — I kill everything. My friend Chami Østhus-Ott put this up on Facebook, too:
“Yes, they live all year and require little to no care whatsoever. Mom has tons of them. They reproduce on their own so they spread like wildfire. . .hence the name “Hen & Chicks” the small chicks sprout off the large hen and thus reproduction. ;-)”
I love the bedroom! Especially the nook — I would hole up there with my laptop for loads of writing, I love tiny spaces like that. Very cool flop you have this time!
Yes, Rachel, I thought the bedroom nook was really cute. I think whoever designed this made great use of space, giving separation, but still leaving the “huge open” feeling. The closet, which I took a picture of but didn’t post (I think I just posted photos of the doors), is REALLY BIG inside!
…oh, yeah, Rachel, and if there were a way I could put a small desk in there I’d certainly work in that room, facing the huge window.
Very cool apartment Miss Weed! 🙂
Thank you, Fish! I am finally used to it and settled in. Had a very productive day today and still have a few more hours before heading to dinner at Mailer’s.