I always enjoy seeing photos from others taken during their vacations.
Not long ago, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, and his son Mingmar, returned from a brief trip to Thailand. Located in the heart of Southeast Asia, Thailand is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea. Thailand is home to more than 71-million people and is well-known for its tropical beaches and islands, its culture, and its ornate Buddhist temples. Chhiring and Mingmar spent most of their time in Bangkok, the capital and largest city of the nation.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is a floating market in Bangkok. Floating markets are mainly found in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. These are markets where goods are sold primarily from boats.
These markets were first opened when waterways served as primary modes of transport and trade. Now, these floating markets are more popular for visiting tourists. Chhiring and Mingmar stopped for this photo aboard one of the floating market boats.
One of their first purchases – fresh coconut juice. Here, Mingmar made a hole in his mask to drink safely.
Thailand is a Buddhist country, so it is well-known for its many Buddhist temples. Chhiring and Mingmar visited as many as they could while in Bangkok.
Here is Chhiring in front of another temple. There are thousands of Buddhist temples in Thailand, most of which are still active. The temples vary in size, but are largely used for praying to Buddha and asking for good health, good fortune, and advice from its monks.
While walking through the city of Bangkok, Chhiring stopped to pose with one if its police officers.
Chhiring and Mingmar also visited Ancient City, a museum park constructed by Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphant. The park, located in Thailand’s Samut Phrakan province, occupies about 250 acres of land made in the shape of Thailand.
The Ancient City features 116 structures of Thailand’s most famous monuments and architectural attractions including these long temple bridges.
This is a temple re-production in the Ancient City, known locally as Muang Boran, which means “Ancient City” in Thai.
Here is Chhiring with a small potted “Bodhi Tree” or sacred fig tree, Ficus religiosa, recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or Bodhi circa 500 BCE under this type of tree.
Here is another reproduced temple within the Ancient City.
Some of the local foods Chhiring and Mingmar enjoyed included bowls of boiled rice, fried fish, sautéed bamboo shoots, pork, and peppers.
This is a tuk tuk – Thailand’s iconic rickshaw taxi. Tuk tuks are motorized three-wheeled rickshaws that transport passengers around Bangkok and other places in Thailand. The name comes from the sound the engines make as they move along city streets.
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings in the heart of Bangkok. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925.
This is just outside the monastery of The Grand Palace.
Here’s Chhiring inside The Grand Palace paying his respects to the giant Thai kings and statues.
Elephants are the national animal of Thailand. They represent strength, loyalty, and longevity. Many Thais believe walking under one will bring good luck.
On one of the last days of their trip, Chhiring and Mingmar visited Khao Phing Kan or Ko Khao Phing Kan – an island in Phang Nga Bay northeast of Phuket. The smaller islets nearby are limestone karst towers and are part of Ao Phang Nga National Park.
The two were able to take a boat ride to James Bond Island – a famous landmark in Phang Nga Bay.
Before 1974, the island was a rarely visited; however, it was chosen as one of the locations for the 1974 James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun.” After the movie release it turned into a popular tourist destination and was named James Bond Island.
And look at its beautiful beaches – the weather was perfect with blue skies and clear waters. Chhiring and his son love to travel, and continue to check off places they want to visit. Thanks for sharing your photos from Thailand, Chhiring.
During this time of year, while delicious, organic produce grows in my vegetable greenhouse, more vegetable and flower seedlings are developing in my Urban Cultivators.
My Urban Cultivators allow me to sprout greens in appliance-sized devices right inside my main greenhouse. Urban Cultivator is a hydroponics company in Canada that creates indoor gardening machines. There's no need to use any pesticides or chemicals of any kind, so we know we're growing the highest quality plants. I have three Urban Cultivators at my Bedford, New York farm that I have been using for many years - and they continue to help me germinate strong, healthy seedlings for every growing season.
Enjoy these photos.
This is my commercial-sized Urban Cultivator. It weighs 545-pounds and can hold up to 16-flats. The automated system provides a self-contained growing environment with everything the plants need to thrive.
The large Cultivator has four grow drawers for the seed trays – well spaced so there is plenty of room for seedling growth. There are also 16 specially designed grow lights – four on each level.
The Cultivator provides the proper aeration and circulation for its plants. There is a fan on the inside wall of every shelf.
And the seed trays sit over these reservoirs and are automatically watered from the back of the unit. The Urban Cultivator Commercial model uses only about 32-gallons of water a week to refill and clean the reservoir.
Each of the 16 trays measures 10-inches by 20-inches. Seed starting trays are available in a variety of sizes and can be saved and used over and over again.
Seed starting mixes are also available at garden supply stores. It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. We keep our soil mixes in these large commercial grade ingredients bins often used by bakers to hold flour.
Once a tray is filled with seeds, it is placed into the Urban Cultivator.
Each tray is then covered with a humidity dome. The humidity dome remains positioned over the seed tray until germination begins. Each tray receives about 18-hours of light a day.
Here, one can see where the water comes out from the back of the Urban Cultivator. Each spout also has a water sensor, so the machine does not overflow.
The water is absorbed through the holes at the bottom of each tray.
Some trays are different, but all seed trays have holes at the bottom for water intake.
Here it is all filled. The entire unit covers the space of a double-door refrigerator. We keep ours in a small alcove between the head house and the greenhouse where it can be accessed easily.
The liquid crystal touch screen enables one to control the functions and monitor watering, lighting, temperature, relative humidity, and nutrient data.
The machine has pre-set growing conditions, but users can also custom program the cultivator to fit specific needs and then reset them at any time.
Here is the sreen for setting the unit’s temperature – just press the desired setting and save.
All the settings are then clearly listed on the main menu screen for quick reference and monitoring.
It is fascinating to see how much the plants develop from day to day. These seed trays were just filled earlier this week.
This is a tray after two weeks in the Urban Cultivator. Taller dome covers are also available for the growing plants.
Once the seeds germinate, the domes are removed.
I also have two smaller Urban Cultivator residential units in the head house. These units each take up the same footprint as a dishwasher and are plumbed to water and electrical sources in the same way.
Each residential machine has two grow shelves for the seed trays. The units also have pre-set control centers to ensure plants get exactly the right amount of water, light, and humidity for what is growing inside.
And, once they’re big enough, they are transplanted into bigger celled trays or individual pots and moved into the greenhouse until they’re ready to plant outdoors. It’s a wonderful process. In coming weeks, I will also share our tips for seeding these trays and growing many plants from seed.
If you're in the New York City area through Sunday, January 29th, there's still time to attend The Winter Show at the historic Park Avenue Armory - just click on the highlighted link to get tickets.
The Winter Show is the country's première art, antiques, and design fair. This year is its 69th annual edition. Last week, I attended the event's Opening Party along with antiques and design professionals, and private collectors. The affair included works spanning thousands of years presented by more than 65 internationally renowned dealers. We saw the most exquisite pieces - paintings, fine furniture, jewelry, ceramics, glass, wood, and so many more. The Show is a benefit for the East Side House Settlement, a community-centered organization serving the South Bronx, which combats poverty and focuses on using education and technology to help individuals pursue career goals and further economic opportunities - it's a most noble and worthy cause. Following The Winter Show, I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with friends at Daniel, the extraordinary flagship establishment owned by my friend and celebrated chef, Daniel Boulud. Daniel is one of my favorite restaurants serving award-winning, contemporary cuisine rooted in French tradition.
Enjoy these photos.
There are so many magnificent pieces to see at The Winter Show. It is a great place to learn about antiques, their history, and possibly shop the booths. This sculpture is by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) called L’Un des Bourgeois de Calais: Pierre de Wiessant. It was cast c. 1905 and measures 17 3/4 inches. Its Exhibitor is Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, LLC
This piece was included in a design co-chair vignette by Bunny Williams and Elizabeth Lawrence of Bunny Williams Interior Design. It is by Wheeler Williams (1897–1972) and is one of a pair of Gatepost Roosters, 1932. It’s made from Terra cotta and is 34 inches high. It is also signed and dated by Wheeler Williams, 1932.
This piece is a Gold Ground Shell Ewer and Basin from Dagoty Porcelain Manufactory (France 1798-1820), Circa 1810-15 The Exhibitor: Michele Beiny.
Another design co-chair vignette was done by my friend, Stephen Sills of Stephen Sills Associates. This is Silver Plate #1, Koopman Rare Art.
This is Silver Plate #2 also from Koopman Rare Art.
Stephen and I stopped for a quick photo in his booth.
In another booth, I spotted some stunning wood trays. This is George III Pie Crust Tray C. 1770, London, England shown by exhibitor: Michael Pashby Antiques. I just love the detail.
This is a fine and very rare George III Yew Wood Tray English, provincial c. 1780 also shown by Michael Pashby Antiques. Last year, I had a large table made out of a yew tree that was cut down at my former East Hampton, New York home. Yew wood, Taxus Baccata, is a species of evergreen tree in the conifer family. Yew is native to Western, Central, and Southern Europe, Northwest Africa, Northern Iran, Southwest Asia, and is also known as common yew, European yew, and English yew.
Here is another beautiful George III Oval Tray. All of these trays are in such excellent condition.
And here is a George III Mahogany Oval Tray London, England, c. 1770 Exhibitor: Michael Pashby Antiques. Mahogany is a straight-grained, dark reddish-brown timber.
Also in this booth – a fine and rare pair of Christopher Dresser Silver and Glass Wine Decanters from London, England, 1890.
This is a Charlotte Major Wylie (London 1828 – 1909 Aberystwith, Wales) piece called The Veiled King Death. It is made of tempera and gesso, with silver and gold leaf, bone, pearl, agate and colored stone inlays, on a circular wood panel, set within a richly ornamented frame designed and fabricated by the artist. This piece is part of a special curated exhibition for The Winter Show by exhibitor Robert Simon Fine Art titled “Heroines of the Brush: Women Artists from the Renaissance to the 20th Century.” The Exhibitor: Robert Simon Fine Art.
This majestic bird is part of an installation view of Barbara Israel Garden Antiques. It is an impressive zine pilot-house eagle with outspread wings. Its details show feathers that are finely articulated, with the beak slightly open, and the talons resting on a domed base. It is American, ca. 1880. Eagles were regularly used as maritime ornaments positioned on the top of a ship’s pilot house, or on a tugboat’s prow.
In the Thomsen Gallery is this Hasegawa Chikuyū (1885-1962) Clouds over Mountains. This is half of a 1920s pair of two-panel folding screens made from ink, mineral pigments, gofun, and gold wash on silk. It measures 66 x 72 and a 1/2 inches.
And this is Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts Tiffany Studios, 1902-1932 Marsh Marigold Planter, ca. 1905 Bronze with the original copper liner. It is 10 and a 1/2 inches in diameter by 3 and a 1/2 inches in height. There was so much more to see – I hope you are able to catch The Winter Show if you are in New York City this week.
Next was a wonderful dinner at Daniel with friends. We started with baguette épi. Épi resembles an ear of wheat and is often made with French baguette dough.
Next, a most delicious Winter Chicory Salad with burrata-gorgonzola emulsion, Bosc pear, radish shavings, and “mostarda di frutta vinaigrette.”
This dish includes Day Boat John Dory “Goujonettes”, black truffled “dashi”, parsley root, and braised Brussels sprouts.
This is Montauk black sea bass, with broccolini, bottarga-potato “croquette”, Buddha hand lemon emulsion, and pine nut gremolata.
And here is Highland Farm Venison, black currant dusted quince, foie gras “copeaux”, myoga, parsnip, and sauce “Poivrade.” Every dish was beautifully presented and every dish utterly delicious.
Before leaving, Chef Daniel and I posed with the kitchen crew at Daniel. What a fun evening. The next time you’re in New York City, and want to treat yourself to a very special and most luxurious feast, go to Daniel – you will love it.
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