August is here, or as, how some (glass half empty) people lovingly refer to it, “The Sunday of Summer.”  There’s a looming dark cloud that reminds us it’s time to pack up the free spirited, laxidazical attitude of the summer, as an air of seriousness saturates our headspace. It’s time to settle back into a routine.

But is this really a bad thing? To tell you the truth, August can be every bit as exciting as April, but in a different way. It’s not the season of rebirth, but rather, the season of reinvention. It’s a new year of sorts. The idea of a  new school year is engrained in all of our psyches. And this, to us, is what makes this such a fun time of year.

Our featured artist this month has a theme that falls right in line with this logic. Risa Friedman’s photography is testimony to the idea that art is all around us, if only you take the time to see it that way. She is reimagining our urban landscape through her

amazing eye for composition and the beauty that lies within the otherwise mundane.  She gives a nod to the past with her nostalgic photos pasted on new buildings. She, in turn, allows us to look forward with a sense of fulfillment rather than regret.

So with the ideas of reinvention and reimagining in mind we wish you the best as you spiritually and psycologially  gear up for the fall. Take with you the memories you have made and as you slip back into the daily grind, allow yourself to mix it up. Avoid the mundane by making a promise to keep things interesting. There are no rules that bind us to our schedule. I trust that we can successfully get back into gear without drowning in the monotony.  So keep your heads up, and your eyes open so you don’t miss opportunities  as we slide into autumn.

Your neighbors – Sam & Shaleen DeStefano