Kurt Andersen's Farm: It's a Good Thing!
Sometimes, our mothers see our nasty apartments and beat us with copies of Martha Stewart Living. And sometimes, we read those copies and find fascinating articles on entertaining. In particular, we're enamored by a recent spread called "Dessert and a Movie: Cinema and treats under the stars are a sweet tradition at this New York farm."
While the web version doesn't say whose farm is hosting such an adorable outdoor gathering, the magazine does, complete with cutesy pic of the husband and wife behind The 3rd Annual Seeley Creek Film Festival: Why, it's none other than the crown prince of all media, Kurt Andersen and his wife, MSL contributing editor Anne Kreamer. Yes, our patron saint of detached irony hosts a decidedly unironic annual film festival, held on his remarkably sincere Seeley Creek farm.
But it gets even more precious.
Described as an "idyllic venue," Andersen's farm is "named for the stream that runs through the property...a working sheep farm an hour and a half north of NYC that dates to the 1740s." Party-planning details accompany images of the couple's two daughters swimming: "This party is about the thrill of simplicity," after all. Guests sit on bales of hay while enjoying cups of cherries served under the starry sky, which is punctuated with paper lanterns strung from tree branches. Blueberry-laced lemonade and white chocolate chunk brownies are capped off by a retro popcorn machine. If you don't already have a cavity, just wait for the peach-raspberry slab pie!
Darling desserts, cinematic shorts, the country sky at twilight — it's all so perfect. MSL knows that this gathering is well worth the effort: "The big payoff: A captivated audience." For Andersen and Kreamer, we're sure the real payoffs were more appreciable: A new set of curtains made from coscombs? Complimentary lessons in antiquing effects for decorative mirrors? Or perhaps just a free Mexican gardener, balled and burlapped and ready for servitude? Spy would have had a field day with this.
