Spannocchia summer
11"x14"
Oil on board

Morning, Freeport, Maine
9"x12"
Acrylic on board

Afternoon on the promenade
9"X12"
Acrylic on board

Here’s an article I wrote for the Municipal Art Society about the anniversary of Pennsylvania Station. View it here, or see the screen shot below. 

 These shots were taken somewhere in between Salzburg, Austria and Prague, Czech Republic. It being a day train, we had plenty of time to gaze out at the stark midwinter terrain that eventually gave way to the concrete slab apartment complexes of outer Prague. One of the more interesting aspects of rail travel is the access to societal borderlands - those private spaces often neglected, or forgotten, by a community turned in the opposite direction. Discarded traces of humanity - bulging trash bags, furniture, stripped cars - blurred at the base of the ravine we powered through on the way to Prague. Up the embankment, life continued as normal.

The paths that crisscross the farmland below Drachenwand, near Mondsee, Austria, are widely used by cyclists, farmers and hikers.

Mondsee (Moonlake) is a small Austrian town located in the Völklabruck district, near Salzburg. Despite featuring the Collegiate church used for the wedding in The Sound of Music,  Mondsee’s architectural beauty is overshadowed by its natural surroundings. Above the shimmering lake that gives the town its name, mountains -  both the Northern Limestone Alps of the South and the sandstone of the North - rise, their craggy sides dotted with pine outcroppings. Towering above the southern shore of the lake is Drachenwand (Dragonwall), pictured here.

I stayed with a good friend in Mondsee for several weeks in March of 2007, using it as a base for our adventures along winding mountain passes to surrounding cities and notable ski areas. But Drachenwand, such an incredible backdrop to the trim cottages and placid farmland of the valley below, proved to be the image that has remained in my mind ever since. What makes is so striking is the gradation, from flat plains to jagged cliffs in what seems, at lake level, a very short distance. Its base is obscured from view by an impenetrable stand of thick pine, into which I never ventured, although the curiosity was always there. Dirt paths disappeared into the band of forest at irregular intervals, leading me to believe that some of the village’s more private citizens had found refuge at the very foot of Drachenwand.

Primed for skiing at several smaller mountains nearby - easy access, shorter lines - we arrived in Salzburg to find that an early thaw had relegated the Austrian winter to meager puddles and grimy snowbanks. Forced to reevaluate several days’ worth of planning, we headed inland from the lake to explore. The smell of earth and fresh grass engulfed us as we ambled without direction along the small paths that crisscrossed the fields below Drachenwand, and we forgot, for the moment, about fresh powder, steep downhills and lunchtime Glühwein. On days off from searching out any remaining snow at higher altitudes, I would return to jog along these paths, exchanging frequent hellos with cyclists and farmers enjoying the brilliant spring surrounding them, the verdant pastures peaceful under Drachenwand. 

90′ Dempsey pulls a U12 midfield move. This game looks headed for a draw.  

90′ Three minutes of added time…

85′ Because it’s Univision, I have no idea why Edu’s goal was just ruled out. This ref… 

81′ GOAL FOR THE AMERICANS. IT’S BRADLEY! Altidore’s knockdown finds Michael Bradley racing into the box, and he finishes well before sprinting to celebrate with the US bench. Tie game 2-2, and let’s hope they push for more.  

80′ Coming up on ten minutes left for the Americans to salvage something here. Onyewu makes way for Herculez Gomez.

78′ Feilhaber’s run is cut short outside the box on a promising US advance. Donovan seems to be everywhere on the field right now.  

68′ After a scuffle in the box, the ball pops free to Altidore, who fires low and straight at the ‘keeper.  

68′ Yellow for Marko Suler. He brings down Altidore right outside the box, and American players are arguing for more. Free kick to come…

Bob Bradley continues to look as if he’s tasting something really sour.  

The good folks at the New York Times tell me that the US has come from two goals down to win a match only once, against Saudi Arabia, in a 1995 friendly.  

62′ Good punch from Howard. A Slovenia free kick from the right curves dangerously into the box, but Howard is there to clear.  

57′ Altidore free momentarily at the top of the box! But he’s dispossessed. The mountains of Slovenia stand tall.  

"French Toast" was one possible headline I thought up for L’Equipe. They passed.  

No room for error on that Donovan goal - he found space above the keeper’s shoulder and hit it into the roof.  

50′ So close. A US free kick arrives at the back post, and Onyewu almost latches on.  

Donovan collects on the right, runs clear on goal at a tight angle, and hammers the ball past Handanovic. 2-1.  

47′ AND THOSE ANNOUNCERS GO CRAZY. GOL AMERICA! GOOOOL! 

 46′ Edu and Feilhaber on for Torres and Findley, for the Americans. 

Watching on Univision is great because a) there’s no John Harkes b) Alexi Lalas doesn’t appear at medio tiempo c) although I don’t know what they’re saying, the announcers are exciting and do a good job of carrying that enthusiasm through the game.

      FINAL: Mexico 2-0 France. So Mexico draws even with Uruguay on points, with four each, although Uruguay still boasts a better goal difference - three to Mexico’s two. What’s to say about France? A recent poll conducted by a variety of French media sources, discussed here in the New York Times, found that nearly 80% of respondents had little to no confidence of the team doing well in South Africa. And winning the World Cup? Only 4% thought that a realistic (perhaps optimistic) possibility. You can’t really say the team has done anything to change the minds of its fans. A lot of huffing and puffing, but a -2 goal difference, no goals, very little offensive prowess overall, and third place in the group to show for it. The team needs to be reinvigorated, and probably reworked, in time for European Championship qualifying. 

      86th minute. France needs goals, French fans look distraught, and it’s a party in the Mexican section.  

     And Henry is still on the bench? 

     Rock bottom for France. Abidal horribly mistimes his tackle in the box, concedes an obvious penalty, and Blanco nets to put Mexico up 2-0.  

     Domenech looks like a wet dog. 

    A beautiful feed from Marquez leaves Javier Hernandez, who timed his run to perfection, with only the goalkeeper to beat. And he finishes cooly.

    Cuauhtemoc Blanco is not my favorite player, but there he goes, running somewhat creepily all over the field. Mexico is out of substitutions. But they’re up, 1-0, and France looks to be in a bad place.  

    As I write this, early in the second half of the Mexico v France game, the score is 0-0, Toulalan, my favorite name in football and one of France’s better players, has been yellow carded and will miss the South Africa match, Domenech is still on the bench, and the midfield looks uninspired. Many people will point out that France drew its first two group games in the 2006 World Cup before reaching the finals, but I don’t see it with this group.   

    Every team has at least one game under its belt, and while the vast majority of groups are still wide open, Argentina sits alone with one foot already in the knockout stages. An impressive 4-1 victory earlier today for Diego Maradona’s team, against a valiant but ultimately outclassed South Korea, saw them accumulate a superior goal difference and cement two victories. A draw against Greece in the final game should be enough to top Group B. 

    Although an opening round tie isn’t a catastrophe - we saw the US and England refuse to give any quarter, and each gained a valuable point - Spain has reason to feel some concern heading into their next game on Monday, June 21, against Honduras. In the Confederations Cup last year, the Americans were able to hunker down and play a disciplined game defensively, stifling the attacking style the Spanish enjoy, and exposing them on the counterattack. Switzerland did the same yesterday, and while it earned low marks for style, it now tops the group with Chile and Honduras to play. With the impact that Fernando Torres had as a second-half substitute, Spain will likely employ a two-pronged forward line, along with David Villa, but whatever the changes, will need to find a solution for competition that defends, with numbers, industrially and cohesively.  

Here’s a link to my recent article in offmanhattan.com about where to watch the upcoming World Cup in New York’s surrounding neighborhoods. From Brooklyn to Hoboken, I’ve chosen some interesting spots to check out. Enjoy!