The forlornness of forgotten objects

The forlornness of forgotten objects is not to be borne. Who amongst us has not felt the anguish of a discarded chair, steadfast in its grief, as it waits on the curb for the garbage truck? Who has not sensed the distress etched into the soul of that discarded dresser, drawers askew, sitting on the side of the road with the weekly trash? The birdcage poking out of the moldy cardboard box, the red wagon missing a wheel, that cheap 1950’s suitcase…Those things once fulfilled their purposes. People sat in that chair. That dresser was filled with clothes. A bird sang its little heart out in that birdcage. That broken lamp shed its golden light over many a page in its day. Objects once needed, used, appreciated. Objects living out their destinies to the hilt in gladness and joy.

Now they’re yesterday’s news.

This bothers me. Maybe their feelings are hurt when they’re left out on the curb...maybe it pains them to be exposed to the elements, unprotected...perhaps they actually mind that everyone can see their shame. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, right? How can I just leave them there? These things require saving, pronto!

So garbage day, which arrives every Tuesday, usually constitutes a bit of a rescue mission for me. Stuff I have dragged or carried home from the side of the road: a monstrously heavy art-deco dressing table with Bakelite handles, a ruinously rusted 5’ x 4’ luncheonette sign that reads “Texas Lunch”, a cast iron coal stove with pink legs, a Singer sewing machine from 1915, a twig table with a red top, a mandolin…and of course, many less noteworthy finds, finds beyond counting. Original artwork (who can forget the two giant sheep heads, done in acrylics?), lamps (how about that 36” tall shepherdess carrying a sheaf of wheat?), and of course, innumerable chairs, galaxies of chairs, universes of chairs...

Because is there anything lonelier-looking than a chair by the side of the road? What a pathetic sight. They just seem to epitomize every gloomy existential truth on the planet, each sad empty chair an actor of one in a poignant tableau expressive of all sorts of 3:00 AM-type personal fears. It is alone. Discarded. Unloved. Broken. Who doesn’t fear these things? I could be that chair…wait, what am I saying? I AM that chair. Would I leave myself abandoned on the side of the road like that? So what’s there to do but rescue it from its misery and bring it home…where I can guarantee you it won’t ever be lonely again, because I’ve got a dozen rejects just like it waiting to keep the damn thing company.

Happy Thanksgiving!

'Tis the season for giving! Our Newport office just dropped off the baskets for the Child & Family Services Thanksgiving Basket program. A BIG thank you to all of our staff who donated so generously this year.

It's not too late to give. The RI Community Food Bank is always looking for donations, as well as many other local food banks.

Wishing you and yours a very Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Befitting Honor

Recently, one of my listings was selected to appear in an upcoming issue of Country Living Magazine. Because of the beauty of the grounds, the editors decided it would be better to have the photo shoot in the summer – otherwise, they would have done it right away. All they had to do was look at a couple of photos and they said “Yes, we want this house!”

This is a house that really captures the imagination. I’ve written about it before – the icing on the cake is that it is adjacent to acres of conservation land owned by the South Kingstown Land Trust.

Do you like to wake to the sound of birds?

Waterfront on Perch Cove, which opens up to Potter Pond and open ocean, (it takes 20 minutes via motor boat to get from the house to the open ocean) the 2.7 acres is heavenly. There is a lovely inground pool on the property - Labs are particularly fond of jumping in and swimming around in the pool on a hot summer day.

The basic design was roughed out about 25 years ago by a landscape architect from Harvard who owned the house at that time – designed for low maintenance and sheer beauty. Since then, another architect and now an architect and interior designer own it. Quite a pedigree and little wonder that the house is gorgeous.

Anyone looking for the classic archetype of a New England cottage should take a look at this house. Anyone weary of the mediocrity that we are forced to live with should take a look at this house. It is so beautiful! Please mark your calendar and come to our Open House the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 29, 12 noon - 3 pm.

Miraculous Migrating Monarchs

Just about now, millions of monarch butterflies are arriving at their winter resting place in the forest shelters of the mountain village of Angangueo Mexico. And why do I know this riveting fact? Because one of the most miraculous events I ever witnessed was the migration of these monarch butterflies along the Rhode Island coast. And when it was over, I needed to know more about this intriguing phenomenon.

On a Sunday morning in 2004, my husband and I sat with friends overlooking the ocean, relishing the calm of September in Charlestown. As the sun began to take the chill off the morning air, we spotted a monarch butterfly just above the dune grass… seconds later there were several more… and within minutes we found ourselves among a flurry of fluttering wings. In the distance we could see that there were hundreds more monarchs along the beach, so we quickly headed across the road and began what turned into a two hour walk along the beach in the company of thousands of migrating monarchs.

As I said, at the time I knew nothing about this phenomenon. So the following day I headed off to find a book about these captivating creatures (that I cannot bring myself to call insects). I purchased one aptly titled “The Monarch” by Eric Grace. And then I found more information at

www.monarchwatch.org, where I signed up to receive updates about this annual migration. I continue to virtually follow them every year.

The short story (if you want the long one, you'll have to buy the book or go googling) is that at the first signs of frost each year, monarchs begin a journey of thousands of miles from Canada and the

United States to the 13,500 foot inactive volcano of Cerro Pelón just west of Mexico City. There they spend the winter months blanketing fir trees, in a state of semi-hibernation, until the warm spring winds call them back north. Thousands of miles... can you imagine… these delicate little fluttering things traveling all that way… with no GPS systems!

I see many monarchs in Charlestown every September and October. Some days I have even seen hundreds. But nothing has ever been quite like that Sunday in 2004. Last year I did witness the scene in this photograph as I headed out for an evening walk, where as the sun began to descend, the monarchs were all nestled together for the night on the pine trees near my house. Some day I will migrate myself to Cerro Pelón to see the end result of what I experienced that September morning. In the meantime, the memory of it will have to sustain me!

Lila Delman Real Estate hosts European Colleagues

Lila Delman Real Estate Hosts European Colleagues at Christie's Global Annual Conference

Christies Great Estates Newsletter

The Christie's Great Estates Global Annual Conference took place last week in Boston, Massachusetts, with 60 affiliate firms represented- 40 percent of which were outside the United States.

Rear Row L to R: Jose Ribes Bas, Rimontgo, Valencia Spain; Philip Sherry, SherryFitzgerald, Dublin, Ireland; Ueli Schnorf, Wetag Consulting, Ticino, Switzerland Front Row L to R: Robin Nicholson, Melanie Delman, Catherine Gazder of Lila Delman Real Estate

Lila Delman Real Estate hosts European colleagues. The principals of three European affiliates traveled south to Newport, Rhode Island, after the Global Annual Conference in Boston to visit properties represented by Lila Delman Real Estate. Jose Ribas Bas of Rimontgo in Spain, Philip Sherry of SherryFitzgerald in Ireland and Ueli Schnorf of Wetag, Switzerland joined Melanie Delman, Robin Nicholson and Catherine Gazder of Lila Delman on a tour of the Carnegie Abbey Club and other prominent offerings. "We were thrilled to introduce our friends from Spain, Switzerland and Ireland to Newport, Rhode Island," says Melanie Delman, company president. "Everyone especially enjoyed cocktails at Oakwood, one of our premier listings."

The Kinder, Gentler NFL

In these tough times, people all over the world are reaching out to others for a connection, comfort, and care. Before my very eyes, even the NFL is becoming soft. Kinder. Gentler. More aware. More compassionate and thoughtful. Yep. You heard me right…Have you noticed? It’s not Larry Czonka’s world anymore. Or Dick Butkus’, or even Bill Romanowski’s.

I’ve never really been a fan of the ‘pass interference’ penalty. It’s football, after all, not ballet.

The designed purpose of the game is to interfere with the other team scoring more points, right? I’m still trying to wrap my head around that age-old penalty. And now, as you football fans know, over the past few years, the list of penalties has been growing.

You still can’t touch a guy when he’s trying to catch a pass. You can’t hit the quarterback in certain ways when he’s trying to throw the ball. Did you catch that ‘tripping’ penalty last weekend? Really? You can’t trip? In the NFL???? SOFT. For me, the kicker (no pun intended) is, stay away from the punter. Actually, just don’t even look at him when it’s punt time. You’ll get 5 to 15 for sure. Yes, kinder and gentler.

But it doesn’t stop there. Even ‘off the field’, it seems that the NFL teams are attempting to connect more with their fans on a personal level. During the month of October, we witnessed the AFL teams wearing their ‘throwback’ uniforms to celebrate 50 years in the NFL. Are they trying to keep their ‘older’ audience by reminding us what our teams used to look like ‘back in the day’, just in case we forgot?

Then, there was all of the pink. I was amazed. Pink shoes. Pink sweat bands. Pink socks.…not something you connect with the bad boys of football. Pink, in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Unheard of. Really kind of nice when you think about it. Pink is the new black. I like it. Seems like they’re reaching out, maybe trying to relate to us, the fans.

The very next week, I witnessed the first penalty of the game (probably roughing the kicker!) being called in Spanish. WOW! The NFL was observing National Hispanic Heritage month. Have you ever heard of them observing anything like it? I’m telling you...something’s up. And it’s so cool. (Muy bueno)

Finally, the Patriots and the Buccaneers went to London to play a football game. What in the world? Football Save the Queen? They don’t even play American football in England. Did they return to the motherland for some sort of penance? The world just got smaller yet again. And I think I like it. Do you think that the NFL needs us? Do they need to appeal to us as humans in order to keep our loyalty? I think they might, and, again, I think I like it.

I am so excited to see where this is leading. I love football, and it’s great to see them connecting on our level. Maybe in 2010, we’ll be watching Sports Center, and there he is, Chris Berman, interviewing Tom Brady. ‘So, Tom, what are you hoping for during the next season?’, asks Chris. And reaching out to the fans and to the world, Tom’s answer is: ‘The Championship, of course, Chris. ….Oh, and world peace.’