EXTRA...

Bacalhau (cod to you) faces a frozen future; Truro Net-Zero Energy Beach House; Bob Staake creates a "Minimalistmas";

TODAY's quote: "As for the degenerate artists, I forbid them to force their so-called experiences upon the public. If they do see fields blue, they are deranged, and should go to an asylum. If they only pretend to see them blue, they are criminals, and should go to prison. I will purge the nation of them." - Adolph Hitler

Chatham artist does two covers for New Yorker in one month
Bob Staake's “Minimalist Christmas” is the current cover

When Bob sent this week's cover (on right) in he suggested the title be "Mininalistmas", which we thought funnier and more apt than what The New Yorker editors changed it to - "Minimalist Christmas".

My wife assumed the latter referred to the plight of department store sales this holiday season, and that Bob's predominate use of the color red proved her point.

Bob assured us that she is wrong, and the color is seasonal rather than subtle. When asked about being an artist in Chatham who must communicate with magazines all over the world, Bob said, "I'm extremely lucky to be working here in my little studio in Chatham where I'm pretty much left alone to create my work. Sometimes I'll walk out of the studio and encounter people taking pictures of it, but I can assure you it's the cupola that they find so photogenic -- not me!"

Bob Staake has illustrated seven previous covers of the famed literary magazine, two in the last month alone.

He has also authored/and or illustrated over forty-two books including the Orb of Chatham published by Commonwealth Editions in 2005. Read CapeCodToday's review of the Orb here.

Visit Bob's website here.  Click here for an animated version of the November 17 cover. - WB
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Truro Net-Zero Energy Beach House

A client came to Zero Energy Design with an interesting proposition. They wanted to commission the design of an environmentally sensible beach home on Cape Cod. The trick was that they had some unusual space requirements, a narrow lot on an environmentally sensitive site, and a magnificent west-facing view.

Over a year ago, we took a moment to discuss the Truro Residence, which was designed by Zero Energy Design.  Back then, though, the home was confined to renderings, while now, it's fully constructed and inhabited.  It is, as you will quickly note, a 7000 square foot second home that acts a lot smaller that it actually is.  The client wanted something to accommodate a large and fluctuating number of family members for weekends and holidays.  As a result, ZED split the home into a “living bar” and “sleeping bar.”  It’s an interesting idea that creates impressive results.   

The living bar includes the living and dining areas, as well as a master bedroom, so during off-peak times, the client can shut down the sleeping bar and occupy only the living bar.  The living bar space has everything that the client needs and allows them to save energy by not using the sleeping bar portion of the Truro Residence... Jetson Green.
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A Portuguese Tradition Faces a Frozen Future
And there are a thousand recipes for bacalhau (Cod to you)

ÍLHAVO, Portugal - Cod, the salted, cured, dried, smelly kind, may be the closest thing this country has to a national symbol.

A woman selling bacalhau (that's cod to you) at a Portuguese market

Bacalhau, as the fish is called here, is to Christmas Eve in Portugal what turkey is to Thanksgiving in America. Treasured since the 16th century, when Portuguese fishermen first brought it back from Newfoundland, it bore the nickname fiel amigo - faithful friend. Its correct preparation is a source of pride, a sign of respect for family values.

Every Portuguese, it seems, likes to boast that there are 1,000 recipes for bacalhau and that the people here eat more of it than do those anywhere else in the world.

"The greatest friend of Portugal is bacalhau," said Fernando Santos, an officer of the Friends of Bacalhau, a club that has 46 chapters around the world, hosts salt cod lunches and distributes cod-decorated neckties, pins, baseball caps, T-shirts and flags. "It has always come from afar, but it is part of our identity."

So as Christmas approaches, the rush is on to find the best-quality salt cod at the best price before supplies dwindle and prices inevitably soar. But the preparation - a ritual of soaking stiff, smelly slabs of fish in cold water that must be changed every few hours for two to three days before cooking - is less romantic than it once was. These days, more and more Portuguese are opting for frozen bacalhau... NY Times.