Metaboston

An Island Mansion-Commune-Collaborative in Narragansett Bay

 How do you maintain a 103-year-old mansion perched a few feet above sea level on a tiny island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island?  By keeping expectations moderated and depending on the kindness and help of friends and pretty much anyone who can contribute. 

"[Henry Wood] and a crew of family and friends who share his passion for the place’s “deep bohemian funk,” as Nicholas Benson, a stone carver from Newport, put it, have dedicated their time and skills (plumbing and wiring experience are always particularly welcome) to keeping the place from slipping into the water forever."

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"Every spring for a decade or so after the sale, Mr. Wood said, he cursed “this albatross,” his roofless, windowless, floorless, powerless, waterless house. Wrangling what had been a rich man’s plaything, attended by servants and even its own shipyard, into a working couple’s weekend getaway turned out to be much more than a working couple could handle. Eventually, though, as the Woods mustered the talents of their friends, Clingstone and its maintenance evolved into a communal lifestyle, and ultimately a kind of religion."

It seems like the house has become his life's work.  Wood has owned the house since 1961 and he is now 79.  The article has a lot of great details.  It's like the stories of British families who feel compelled to maintain stately homes, except in this case Wood voluntarily took on the project.(Image:  Erik Jakobs for the NY Times)

Teenage partiers trash Robert Frost's Vermont house

Teenage partiers trash archetypal New England poet Robert Frost's Vermont summer house Homer Noble Farm with vandals burning furniture for warmth:

"The intruders broke a window to get into the two-story wood frame building — a furnished residence open in the summer — before destroying tables and chairs, pictures, windows, light fixtures, and dishes. Wicker furniture and dressers were smashed and thrown into a fireplace and burned, apparently to provide heat in the unheated building.

Empty beer bottles and cans, plastic cups, and cellophane apparently used to hold marijuana were also found, according to [Sgt. Lee] Hodsden. The vandals vomited in the living room and discharged two fire extinguishers inside the building, on a dead-end road off Route 125."

Weird hyperlinking aside:  why does Yahoo News provide a link from the phrase "empty beer bottles" to a Yahoo search window?  Do they think horrified poetry fans will need an explanation of these mysterious objects?        (Image: Friends of Robert Frost)

Forbes Focuses on Brookline Estate

Forbes features a swanky Brookline estate as a fit residence for plutocrats with $22 million to spend.  If you want to view it for yourself head to 40 Cottage Street in Brookline and peek over the fence.

How to Build a Fire the Ritz-Carlton Way

Now that fire season has come for those lucky enough to have a working fireplace, the Boston Globe consults Norris Edgecombe,  a "fireplace butler" at Boston's Ritz-Carlton on how to successfully build a fire in the proper manner.  If that doesn't inspire you, consult Jack London's "To Build a Fire" to summon up the proper sense of desperation.