Sarasota

The Howard Brother's Circus Model

We revisited the Ringling Center for the Cultural Arts today.  John and Kathy had never been and it is certainly a place one can revisit.  We had not visited The Circus Museum our first time and so did today.  The cornerstone of the Museum is the world's largest miniature circus, a model replica of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919-1938.  It took Howard Tibbals more than 50 years to build.  Other circus memorabilia  in the museum were costumes and wagons, games and posters.  
The John and Mable Ringling home on the grounds is a 5 story, 56 room palatial winter residence modeled on the Venetian Gothic style. This web site will give you a good idea of the grandeur.

Finally, we visited the Museum, which is now Florida's official state museum and houses over 500 years of the history of European art.  Our group voted one of the new acquisition as a favorite.  It is a glass sculpture, about 10 inches high, of a seated woman by Nicolas Africano.  The above image is not the sculpture we saw, but it is one that gives you an idea of his style.  The transparency is so beautiful.  
Tonight we drove to St. Armand's Circle to have dinner at Columbia, a Peruvian restaurant, recommend to us by Jack and Julien.  It was a warm evening that made for a beautiful stroll around the circle following dinner.  Pictures at flickr.

Anna Maria

Anna Maria Beach

This is our first day spent just relaxing and getting to know Anna Maria.  I took a walk this morning that went far beyond my intended goal.  It ended up being about a 4 mile, hour and a half trek.  Half was walked on the beach and half back through the streets.  When I left the beach it seems I had walked all the way to Holmes Beach.  So I walked the neighborhoods on my return as the sand can be tiring to walk on.  Most homes have rental signs in front.  So our options can be many should we elect to return here next year.  

Wayne went exploring in the car while I was walking and found a good little fish market and a bakery. We needed hor d'oeuvres for Kathy's and John's arrival.  We had dinner at the Beach Bistro.  Everything about it was what we liked:  sophisticated atmosphere with just the right noise level, extensive wine list, and inventive menu.  I liked the strawberry and arugula salad best.  A few pictures are at flickr.

Day Trip to Fort Myers

Fort Myers Art Festival

Today we drove down to Fort Myers in order to visit their annual art festival.  It's a 2 day event with over 200 artists, music and food.  The sun felt so good as we walked around.  The art was mostly commercial and did not appeal to me.  Some of the jewelry was nice and the leather purses.  But the prices were very high.  We stuck to a $5 pizza.  Tonight we are in watching the Ravens dominate the 49ers.  Half time has just ended with Beyonce doin' her thang.  She's amazing.  A few pictures are at flickr.

Daytona Beach to Anna Maria Island

Entering Anna Maria Island

It was a short 3 hour drive today from Daytona to Anna Maria.  We cruised right past Orlando without a thought or temptation to visit Disney World.  Although, we did consider Gator World, one of our favorite places.  
Anna Maria is a very small (1 sq mile) municipality on Anna Maria Island.  The Island is one of several keys that lie west of Sarasota.  Last year we stayed here for a week on Longboat Key.  The keys are connected by causeways.  Our house is large but dated.  We think it may belong to a young couple who have inherited it from parents or grandparents.  We base this on the generational pictures everywhere, the plastic coverings on furniture and the dated kitchen gadgets.  It is raised with parking under the house.  This allows for a great balcony where one can view the water.  We are about  50 yards from the beach.  
We are settling in tonight after shopping for essentials and having hot dogs.  

Daytona Beach

North Turn Restaurant

John and Kathy showed us the Daytona Beach area today.  The beach here is 23 miles long and hard packed sand.  11 of those miles allow cars to drive along it and park during the day.  John drove us down those 11 miles.  At the end we pulled out onto the road and into The North Turn Restaurant which is located at the original Speedway's north turn.  It was warm enough to eat outside and enjoy the Atlantic.  After lunch we drove around looking at the different neighborhoods and finally stopping at John D. Rockefeller's summer home, The Casements.  It is an unostentatious house which is now the cultural and civic center for the City of Ormond Beach.  Some of the rooms retain original pieces, pictures.  Our final stop of the day was at The Daytona International Speedway.  While I know or care nothing for racing, it was interesting to see something so famous.  There was a walk of fame with winner's hand and foot prints in the walk.  Dale Earnhardt was the only name I recognized.  This evening Wayne and John cooked steaks for us.
More pictures can be seen here at flickr.

Savannah to Daytona Beach

Savannah River

We started the day with a walk along the Savannah River waterfront.  The entire area is one long road of gallery, shop, and restaurant after another on one side of the road facing the open river.  My mission was to find the best peanut shop I have ever been to.  Twice, I've bought nuts here, but this time I couldn't find it.  However, the weather was warm, the walk pleasant.  It is early spring here and the trees are blooming.  It was about a 3 hours' drive to Daytona where we are staying with John and Kathy.  The house is beautiful with two outdoor living spaces with fireplaces.  John had prepared oysters on the half shell, crab legs, shrimp and cheese.  For dinner he served the wonderful mussels and pork dish that he is soooooo good at making.  Some photos are here at flickr.

Savannah

The Olde Pink House

Most of today was spent driving from Durham to Savannah.  We're listening to Ian Rankin's latest Rebus book, which helps the time pass and also reminds us of our time in Edinburgh where the book is set.  Our hotel is on Bay Street overlooking the Savannah River.  It is a perfect location to enjoy the sights of Savannah.  Tonight we walked one block to The Olde Pink House, a significant historic home turned restaurant for dinner.  We have eaten here before and knew it to be good.  This time we did not make reservations but walked in and requested a table in the cellar tavern where jazz is played.  On our first try we were there an hour before the Tavern opened so we walked to a local pub, The Churchill, to kill time.  There the bartender chatted with us about the trip.  He had recommendations for restaurants in Daytona Beach.  Back at The Olde Pink House we worked our way through throngs of people and waiters to the cellar.  It was packed to the gills with diners.  Playing jazz at the piano was quite a character; a woman of significant age wearing bright red sequined gown, bright red plumed hat and lipstick to match.  Her voice was so-so.  The room is very nice with  a large fireplace lounging area, an end to end bar and small tables along the wall.  We were told there would be a 1/2 hour wait.  We stood and listened to the chanteuse for about 15 minutes.  The hostess told us there was a table cancellation and took us to a small domed adjacent room where the wine was stored.  It was delightful.  We overate but had great fun as we were catered to by a charming waitress from Maine who knew of Joe and Lex.    See some more pictures here.

Durham, NC

Duke University Gardens

We are definitely south of the Mason Dixon Line today.  While yesterday we were bundled up against sleet and cold, today we shed our jackets to enjoy the 70 degree sunny weather of Durham, North Carolina.  We started our day at Duke University and the Nasher Museum where a fabulous show of 50 works collected by the Cone sisters of Baltimore was on view.  The Cone sisters began collecting art in 1905 directly out of the Parisian studios of Matisse, Picasso and more.  They were great friends with Gertrude and Leo Stein who introduced them around the Parisian art scene. The collection is just beautiful with pieces I've seen only in reproduction like Matisse's Large Reclining Nude.  You may link here to see a few of the pieces.    There is one other gallery of several enclaves that holds a few acquisitions, some Greek & Roman antiquities, and a show of works chosen from the collection, Exposing the Gaze: Gender and Sexuality in Art. Here, I saw a Mickalene Thomas, the artist currently showing at the ICA in Boston.  I was pleased to see a Petah Coyne (having met her several times at my old Fairhaven neighborhood B&B)  The last time I saw her work it was all white wax.  This piece was black.   
Later, we visited the Duke Chapel, which is a strong example of collegial Gothic architecture.  The organ was impressive, but we were puzzled by the representation of Girolamo Savanarola in the door jam statues.  He was responsible for the Bonfire of the Vanities, a most sad campaign of burning art and other vanities.  
A final campus venue was the Duke Gardens.  Extensive and already showing spring life, the gardens are 55 acres that include rose and iris gardens, a koi pond and 5 miles of pathways.  
We drove downtown for lunch where we found The American Tobacco & City Center.  Here, the old tobacco factories have been converted into a mixed use place of restaurants, businesses and schools.  We had a nice lunch at Cuban Revolution.  Nearby was the Bull Durham baseball stadium.  
Tonight we found Nana's, a very above average restaurant.  Wayne had a scrumptious short rib dish and I had risotto with a duck confit salad.  The waiter was professional.  The art on the walls superb, Jane Filer.  
See some of our day at flickr.

The Philadelphia Barnes

The Barnes

We had a 10:30 docent tour at the new Barnes this morning.  The last time we visited the Barnes it was in Merion.  Today the collection is in downtown Philly adjacent to the Museum of Art.  After much finagling the court allowed the Barnes to move its collection. While the exterior and the entrance areas are unlike the Merion building, the interior layout for the collection is identical to Dr. Barnes original setup. And what a fabulous collection it is.  Every room is packed with the greatest art from the 19th & 20th century.  The representations of Cezanne, Renoir, and Matisse are mouth watering.  Wayne and I had great fun visiting each room and then each of us deciding which piece we would take home. The foundation posses more than 2,500 objects, including 800 paintings estimated to be worth about $25 billion.  Dr. Albert Barnes derived his fortune from the development of the antiseptic drug Argyrol, used to prevent blindness from infection in newborns.  It was his goal in life to use this art to educate the greater public about art.  Still, today that is the mission of the Foundation.
We left a snowy and cold Philadelphia around noon and arrived in a much warmer Durham about 7pm.  We're settled in for 2 days here.  
A few more pics of the Barnes are at flickr.flickr

Philadelphia

Philadelphia City Hall, Broad St.

We had a really nice day.  We left West Haven about mid morning and arrived in Philadelphia around 1pm.  We are staying in the same hotel we used last year, The Double Tree on Broad Street.  It's a perfect location for us.  We can walk to everything.  Broad Street is the central artery of Philly and home to the major performance and art centers.  Out our 25th floor room we look directly down Broad St to the Philadelphia City Hall atop of which sits a sculpture of William Penn.  Much to my amazement I discovered the sculptor to be Alexander Calder, grandfather to the 20th century sculptor of the same name.  Tonight we had a perfect dinner at The Capital Grill. Everything was cooked to perfection, the service was unobtrusive and complete and the setting rich and comfortable.  After dinner we saw Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband at the Walnut Street Theater, America's oldest theater.  It is over 200 years old and has had such notable performers as the Barrymores, Will Rogers, The Marx Brothers, Helen Hayes, Henry Fonda, Sidney Poitier and Jack Lemon.  The play was funny and the acting good although a bit dated in its take on women.  

Yale University Gallery

Wayne admiring Abbey

Our winter trip began today with a short 3 hour hop from Wareham to New Haven, CT.  I had read Sebastian Smee's account of the new Yale University Gallery and wanted to visit.  The collection is marvelous, second only Harvard as a university collection.  According to Smee, 

"The result is wonderful.  For breadth, depth, and that crucial ingredient (call it the 'umami' of gallery-going), a sense of delectation and surprise, there can't be many museum-going experiences anywhere in the country to rival it.  The collection, like many other college art galleries (but with greater claim to success than most), aims at universality. Yale’s justly famous collections of American, European old master, and modern and contemporary art are complemented by more than respectable holdings in Indo-Pacific, African, Ancient American, Ancient Mediterranean, and Asian art, each of which have dedicated galleries. Photography, prints, drawings, Islamic art, and coins and medals also get a look-in. The American decorative arts displays are a knockout.

Both of us remembered Edwin Austin Abbey's  Richard, Duke or Gloucester and The Lady Anne from a visit several years ago.  Abbey painted several large paintings to illustrate a book of Shakespeare plays.  Hamlet Play Scene is hung on the adjacent wall to Richard.

The area around the Yale Gallery is filled with cafes and book stores as one would expect on a university campus.  We ate at the counter of the Atticus Book Store where we were waited on by a beautiful, friendly and funny Hispanic woman who had the features of a Mayan.  The entire wait staff of about 20 people hustled and bustled around, never stopping for a moment and all jabbering in Spanish and English.  It was simply delightful.

Later, we had clam pizza at the famous Pepe's Pizza. The line was out the door and about an hour's wait.  Since is was about 15 degrees, we went to the original Pepe's in the back of the new Pepe's and waited inside for about 15 minutes.  

A blurry me waiting for pizza.

There are a few pictures at flickr.

Location:West Haven,United States

A Little Bit of Cambridge

Our flight didn't leave until 5:40pm so we took in a little bit more of Cambridge. Peterhouse is the oldest college but had what I thought was the best chapel windows. I wouldn't compare them to King's College Chapel whose windows were simply massive. But Peterhouse's were beautifully painted with the richest, purest reds and golds. The images still sit in my mind. We also visited Pembroke where we found a statue of Pitt and need to find out if he is the same William Pitt of Pennsylvania. We are at Heathrow now. Some thoughts on the trip.

1. One month later I still want to live here. I admire the civility of everyone and the order of things. And enough of the colonized have come home to roost that even the food is interesting.
2. It was reenforced today that Americans are crass and rude when we got on the Avis transport bus with a couple who undoubtedly were from NY. He ignored the queue rule and pushed passed us onto the bus. He refused to move his arm out of the aisle causing me to bump his wife. He groused and snarled for the entire trip to the airport. He departed the bus without consideration of his wife. At the terminal elevator, he got on first with his luggage cart and immediately started pushing the close door button before anyone else could board.
3. The best meal was the grouse at York Arms. Also, it doubled as the funniest meal because we were alone in this Michelin starred restaurant. How often can that happen?
4. The best hotel was the Caldonian in Edinburg, a huge suite with a perfect view of the castle.
5. The most transforming moments were the drive through the Grampian Mountains in Scotland.
6. The most beautiful man made sight was King's College Chapel.
7. The weirdest thing was the 1am drunk intruder in Oxford.

Shades of Venice and Eel Pie

Bridge of Sighs, The River Cam at St. John's College

St John's College has a bridge over The Cam that resembles the Bridge of Sighs, or so it is said. The college is set deep in toward the Backs, and one passes through arcade after arcade and court after court traversing it. The Backs is an expanse of green that edges the Cam and offers some of the best views of the colleges. Before leaving for Ely, we visited the Round Church, built along the idea of Jerusalem's Holy Sepelchre. It's very small with powerful columns. There was a nice 20 minute video on the history of Cambridge and made frequent note of the many accomplished graduates mainly Isaac Newton, John Harvard,

The trip to Ely was a short 15 miles. The name Ely came to be from the fishing of eels in the area. Ely was once an island surrounded by fens. The fens have been drained (we passed a windmill) but eel pie is still served. Ely Cathedral could be seen across the fens as we approached. It is called the Ship of the Fens. It is asymmetrical. The north west transept was demolished when it began to show signs of instability. The central tower collapsed in 1322 due to one massive supporting column giving way. It had unknowingly been built on sandstone. The tower foot was enlarged and the current octagonal tower built in its place. We took a tour of the tower guided by a charming gentleman I would guess was in his 70s and spritely led us up the 170 steps. We got the bird's eye view of both the interior transepts and nave and the country around Ely. We were able to see Cambridge. It reminded me of our rooftop excursion on the Milan Duomo. It leaves me speechless when I try to comprehend how men were able to build these massive structures without machinery. Pictures at Flickr.

Cambridge

King's College Chapel is a wonderful formation of late Gothic English architecture. It is extremely perpendicular. As a chapel your eyes are not pulled to side aisles or transepts, instead they keep sweeping up the columns and across the delicate fan vaulting. Consider these dimensions: 289' long (300 make a football field), 40' wide (6 2/3 Waynes) and 80' high (an 8 story building). The ante-chapel walls are heavily decorated,with heraldic carvings of the Tudors. Dragons, hounds, roses, crowns, and more reside here without any religious accompaniment. The rood screen was a gift of Henry VIII and has his and Anne Boleyn's initials, which helps date the screen between 1533 and 1536. Beyond the rood and through the choir stalls the front of the chapel is devoid of wall carvings. Beneath the great east window is Reuben's The Adoration of the Magi.
From the Chapel we walked to the Fitzwilliams Museum which has a strong showing of Greek, Roman and Egyptian holdings as well as Italian Renaissance, Pre-Raphaelite, and French 19th century.
Lunch was at Dojo, a noodle place where we had rice curry. Berry, berry good.
More photos at Flickr

Peterborough and Cambridge

We are on the final stages of our trip spending the last 3 days in Cambridge. It is nice to book end the trip with Oxford and Cambridge, two eminent English speaking universities. On our way to Cambridge from Lincoln we stopped in Peterborough to visit St Peter's Cathedral. It is a fine example of Norman architecture with English Gothic adaptations. Three massive arches that grace the west front are unprecedented in Gothic architecture. There was a resemblance to Notre Dame de Paris for me, although certainly not on the same scale. The single story ambulatory was added last and is a beautiful example of fan vaulting.
Getting to our hotel in Cambridge proved to be problematic. The gps took us down a quite narrow, no not narrow, quite teeny impassable ally. Naive as we were we continued following her advice until passage was no longer possible. Ah, shades of Sicily! I jumped out of the car and directed the reversing of our route until we could turn around. We drove around the route about 3 times until we determined a possible alternative to Little St. Mary's Lane and ventured down it. Worming our way through throngs of people on the road we did arrive at the hotel at last. We spent the next 3 hours doing our regular walking down every street we came across. At one point we came across an impressive slow procession of robed children and adults led by a priest carrying a large scepter to Kings Chapel.
More photos at Flickr.

Lincoln

Both of us are a bit funky today. Fortunately the drive to Lincoln was a short 1.5 hours. Rather than going to the hotel we went directly to the Cathedral. It is an impressive site, set high up above all the city. In the medieval period it was reputedly the tallest building in the world. It has gone through many stages from Norman to present day Gothic as it was struck by fires and even an earthquake along the way. There is a road that leads from the main pedestrian shopping area to the Cathedral.  The name is Steep Hill so called because of the extreme grade.  A hand rail is available and vehicles banned.  Despite our frail conditions we managed both down and back up.  There was a stop along the way at Grays Tea Shop, however.
Our hotel is in a nice setting adjacent to the Brayford Pool, a naturally formed lake from the River Witham. Kayakers have been rowing past and there are barge restaurants. We ate on the Barge Restaurant mostly choosing it because it was spitting distance from the hotel. More photos at Flickr.

Light a Candle For Me

York Minster

This is not my picture but it does help illustrate the beauty of York. I have been stricken with what's most politely described as gastroenteritis and taken no pictures today. I did manage to drag myself out of bed and go to the Cathedral Tour we purchased yesterday. After, I immediately returned to bed and slept through the day. The tour wasn't up to the standards of Durham. But the guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the building. Most notable in the building was the absence of destruction from either Henry VIII or Cromwell. The large windows were intact and painted with a gray tint. The church has burned at least twice. The roof is wooden. The stone used is a sandstone which turns pink when exposed to high heat. There are pink markings on the columns witnessing the fires.

Durham and York

Before leaving Durham, we returned for a more in depth look at the Cathedral. A tour was just beginning, and we took advantage. What a great guide we had. He was a retired physics teacher who was also a Friend of the Cathedral. He was so clear and detailed in his description of both the history of the area and the Cathedral. He spent 2 hours with us. One of the best parts was seeing the tomb of Bede the Venerable.
We arrived in York mid afternoon. York has the most extensive remaining walls, called bars, of any English city. We entered through the Micklegate Bar. Our hotel is located directly across York Castle and a close walk to the Minster. The walk is through a great old city. Huge slates and cobblestones cover the area and make for small plazas and pedestrian streets. Boutiques, pubs, restaurants line the streets. York Minster, pictured above, is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. We stayed for even song and will return tomorrow for a guided tour. A few pictures are at Flickr.

St Andrews and Durham

St Andrews Golf Club

The above is for all my golfing friends. I thought fondly of you today as we gazed upon the links. If it had been a Sunday, we would be free to walk the links. The Old Club was open only to members which squelched our plans to have lunch there. Instead, we went to the University Museum and St. Mary's College chapel before hitting the road for Durham.
The road to Durham hugs the coast of the North Sea for much of the trip. The road is high above the sea and allows for views of distant coastlines. You can also see barley fields and grazing sheep directly below the road.
Our hotel is a riot. If I were going to design a brothel, it would look exactly like The Gadds Townhouse. It was hard to find the reception desk in the purple light cast by the multifaceted chandelier. But we did find it just beyond the purple round couch. Every inch of the place is covered in velvet, tassels, damask, chandeliers. The best? Our room has a glass shower that partitions the bed from the rest of the bath. You must see it to understand it.

The Gadds Townhouse, Our Room

Yes, that is a velvet curtain hanging across the shower. But it was a good location to the Cathedral where we walked in time for even song. We will return tomorrow for a more extensive look.
More photos at Flickr

Through the Grampians

After breakfast at Cordhu House we said good bye to Norman, who gave us directions for St Andrews saying, "it's a scenic drive." The drive was through the Grampian Mountains, and 'twas a glorious ride indeed. The mountains are mostly devoid of trees and covered with heather. There are large areas cleared of heather and we wondered why. That is the patchwork appearance seen in the photos. At one point we came upon about a dozen men on the mountain side snapping and flapping small flags. Of course we panicked thinking it was some sort of terrorist warning system or a kidnapping ring trying to divert our attention. A few miles on we stopped at a roadside cafe where I chatted it up with some geriatric bikers. They (and the old Scots woman at the next table) gave me the low down on all things Grampian. Seems the heather is burned in controlled areas each year. The grouse go into the old heather to nest. When the young are ready to feed the burned areas have sprouted new grow for them. The flag wavers were chasing the grouse from the old heather for shooting.
We're on the North Sea now at St Andrews, where the 3rd oldest English speaking university is located. It is also the home of golf. The sport has been played here since the 1400s. We can see the St Andrew Links from our hotel room. We walked the 3 main streets down to the Cathedral and back up to the Castle. I don't think St Andrews is as architecturally significant as Oxford, but it seems to have a great character all it's own. More photos at Flickr

Loch Ness

The fields of barley and the rolled hay here are beautiful and surround our guest house. I keep singing Sting's "Fields of Gold". We walked by this beautiful field pictured above on our way to the Cordhu Distillery this morning. Our tour guide was good. She told some of the same folk stories as the guide at Dalwhinnie, but was much clearer about the distilling process. I learned that it is not whiskey until it has been in the barrel for 3 years. Prior to that it is simply spirits. Both guides said that a bit of water releases the favors of the whiskey. We've been testing that theory nightly.
We also walked down the hill from the tiny village to the Knockando Woolmill, has been manufacturing continuously since 1784. I was hoping to see the weaving and dying, but there were no tours today. There were dozens of pheasants scurrying around the mill. It's hunting season for them.
In the afternoon we drove west to see the Loch Ness. The drive took us through Inverness, which was not remarkable other than the fact that we are listening to MacBeth, a Novel while we drive. Here, also are miles of fields with hundreds of hay roles scattered about.  It is very surreal. The Loch is a beautiful sparkling blue set among blue green mountains. We chose the Urqhuart Castle from which to view it. Though extensively ruined, it is still a splendid sight set high up on a headland. It was in its day one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland. It is also near this castle that the majority of Nessie sightings occur.
For dinner we returned to the Highlander Pub for steak and ale pie. It's a great little neighborhood pub with friendly and jolly Scots. More photos at Flickr.

Among the Fields of Barley

Dalwinnie Distillary

We drove north today into the Highlands. It is just the most beautiful countryside you can imagine. We're listening to MacBeth, A Novel, and it is so fitting. At one point one of the characters remarks, "they came through the Grampians" just as we were driving through them. Very moving. We stopped at The Dalwhinnie distillery for a tour and a taste. It was both educational and tasty. It took a while to find our B&B, The Cardu Country House. It's deep in the Spey Side in a tiny little village. We drove through deep woods and steep hills thinking "have we made a mistake?"  Not to worry. It is beautiful, and a nearby town has 2 nice pubs and an art gallery. Although it seems desolate, it is in fact quite busy with hikers, golfers, and whiskey seekers. There are in Spey Side alone 12 distilleries. Also here is the Knockando Woolmill, one of the oldest surviving mills. It has manufactured continuously since 1784.
Our host is Norman. We haven't met his,wife. But we have met the 2 terriers and the black lab.
More photos at Flickr.

Edinburgh Galleries

View of the Forth of Firth

We spent the better part of the day in the National gallery and the History Museum. The Gallery had a showing of Symbolist painters that focused on landscape, from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. I noticed that groups did not hover around the Van Gogh's, Monet's (no, I didn't realize he was a Symbolist either) or Gauguin's like they do in the States. Must just be a phenomenon there. It was nice to see works and artists unfamiliar to me. The galleries were large and bright, too. A second show was the watercolor works of Giovanni Battista Lusieri (1754–1821). Lusieri was one of very few Italian artists to use watercolor as a primary medium. I was astounded at the meticulous detail, precision and control of the medium in the works. They were primarily of Naples, Rome, Sicily, and Greek ruins. He was the draftsman for Sir John Elgin and many of his works were lost at sea when Elgin returned to England. Quite a few of the works were unfinished and one could see the process Lusieri employed. Every leaf, rock, blade of grass was first drawn in with pencil then ink.
The permanent collection was also extensive. What remains in my eye was Sargeant's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw. Stunning. Coming in close behind we're Titian's Venus Rising from the Sea, a Raffael Madonna, Canova's Three Graces.
We walked up the hill to Old Town hunting the History Museum. along the way we stopped for lunch at Porto and Fi. We wanted to see some of the artifacts from Scotland's birth. Most notable were some of the Lewis Chess Set, a 20' pike, and some renaissance wood panels.
We had dinner tonight at The Larder Bistro. Wayne had venison and I trout as well as starters and dessert....way too much. It was fun. We were snug in a back room with gay Scots. They really are a happy, joking lot.
No pictures today.

Edinburgh Castle

Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.  Edinburgh Castle is directly across from our hotel room. It is quite a beautiful site, rising abruptly from the Princes park, perched high above the city. The 1/4 mile walk was a gradual grade and easy although fierce with wind. The Castle was not often used by royalty unless they were seeking refuge from invaders. The most noted royalty were Mary Queen of Scots, her son James VI of Scotland and I of England, Charles I. The most interesting thing was the murder of Mary's secretary David Rizzio. While dining with the Queen, he was ripped from the room and stabbed 56 times by stewards of the Queen's husband, Lord Darnley. Darnley was latered murdered. Hmmmm.  Wonder who arranged that.  The most beautiful part of the grounds was the ruined Abbey.
We walked down the hill on the Royal Mile. Excuse me, but I would rename this the Commercial 3 Mile. A the bottom of the hill was Hollyrood Palace, official Scottish home of QE II. A quaint little abode with the usual waiting rooms prior to the grand throne room.
The best part of the day was our decision to end the day at The Oxford Bar, the haunt of John Rebus. Well, not really end. We also had dinner at a very nice place, The Wildfire. A small but excellent establishment.More photos at Flickr.

Edinburgh

Our gps took us on the scenic route to Edinburgh. It was a bit harry at times driving on roads built for horse and wagon and lined with stone walls. The walls are amazing here. There are miles and miles of them meandering up and down mountains, segmenting grazing fields, lining roads. They all stand straight and high. Robert Frost would need to rethink his ideas on walls. The mountains are almost completely devoid of trees, but green with grass, ferns and heather. Sheep are everywhere. Once in Scotland the land flattened quickly for us and Edinburg snuck up without warning. The gps took us to a glorious hotel, The Balmoral. The doorman, dressed in a kilt, took our luggage, arranged to valet the car, escorted us to reception and chatted until the clerk called us forward. While the clerk was looking up our room, I mentioned that we were Hilton members. She said, "that explains why I can't find your reservation. The Hilton is down the road." So....back out to the road in a rush before the car is taken, we retrieved the luggage and listened with embarrassment while the very nice doorman in the kilt got us a map and gave us directions. As we left he said with a note of pity, "the Hilton isn't the Balmoral." he was right about that. It is however very nice. And we have a perfect view of the Edinburgh Castle. After check in, we walked down the main street and had lunch, took a look at the Sir Walter Scott monument and returned via the park. It is a beautiful city.More photos at Flickr.

Wordsworth

We started out today to see Beatrix Potter's home, but found that we needed to take a ferry across Lake Windermere to reach it. That would be okay except that my inquires of those locals in the car line told me the ferry only took 6 cars at a time; we were number 21 with no ferry in sight after a 10 minute wait. Instead, we opted to go to our second agenda item, Dove Cottage, home of William Wordsworth. Wordsworth lived in the cottage in Grasmere for 8 years. His sister, wife, sister-in-law, 3 children, S. T. Coleridge and another minor writer all lived in the 5 room cottage at one time. Wordsworth had seen the area when he was 14 and declared it paradise. It had always been his desire to return. It was here that he purportedly wrote his best poems. There was a very nice museum attached with many original writings and paintings of his contemporaries.
From Grasmere we drove to Keswick. It was a very hairy but stunning drive on a 6'6" road along the edge of the lake. At times the mountainside was to the other side of us; covered with huge ferns and cedars, it reminded me of northern California. The lushness and the green were tangible. Keswick was a bit more charming that Windermere. But still no really nice galleries or antique shops. We had a pub lunch and returned to Cragwood for some R&R.More photos at Flickr.

The Lake District

We were up bright and early at 6:30. The fire alarm roused us, and as I'm trying to shut off the phone alarm, then the iPad alarm, I come to realize I better get dressed. Out in the hall I met Paul, also obviously hastily attired assuring me nothing is on fire. I left him to sort out the problem and returned for an additional 10 winks of sleep.
We breakfasted alone. There is a nice selection of art for sale in all the rooms. Carl Melegari's work caught our attention. Seems he was a miner, which you can tell feeds his work. Take a look.
The drive to the Lake District is filled with views of the dales seemingly covered by heather. At least the color appeared to be purple heather. We are staying at The Cragwood House Hotel. From the back lawn there are 2 views of Lake Windemere. The building is stone with multiple gables and leaded windows.
After checking in we drove to the towns of Windemere and Bowness. The we're filled with tourists and had a honky tonk look and feel. But we took a 45 minute cruise on the Lake. It's beauty out shown any of the tastiness of the towns. Back at our hotel, we had a wonderful dinner and will dine here again tomorrow. More photos at Flickr.

Yorkshire Arms

The York Arms

Once we packed and cleared out of Oxford, we spent the better part of the day driving to Ramsgill in Nedderdale, Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Try finding that on the GPS. Our destination was the York Arms, a Michelin starred restaurant and inn. We discovered the Arms while watching The Trip, a British comedy film about restaurants in the north of England, and put it on our agenda. The last miles of the trip were along narrow, stone-walled roads big enough for one Peugeot (our car) or 2 smart cars. Needless to say there was a lot of nail biting and breath holding.  But we did arrive unscathed.   The Inn is nestled among fields of grazing sheep, along side a bubbling brook, down from a reservoir, adjacent to a vine covered English cottage; you get my drift? We walked in past tables filled with chattering, laughing people having tea in the sunny front courtyard. The clerk showed us to a lovely room. After walking around the area a bit, we returned to the room. Wayne read, and I went out to draw the lovely vine covered English cottage. Drinks were announced for 6:30, dinner at 7:00. At cocktail hour it was so quiet we asked about the other guests. Seems we were the only guests in the inn. This made for a jolly evening filled with undivided attention from all. After a dinner of grouse, we retired to the lounge for espresso and a visitation from Chef Francis Atkins. She explained the grouse we had was locally hunted, feeding off heather, which gave it the flavor. We talked about Scotland, where she last worked, and Scotch whiskey. We got good advice about touring there. This is a day and meal that we will long remember.More photos at Flickr.

High Tea

Today was our last day in Oxford. I absolutely love the civility and order here. People really do queue up for everything. Among throngs of shoppers, They queue up at the bus stops a good 10 minutes prior to the bus' arrival. AND, then they stay in that line until all are orderly boarded. I want to live here. We did not encounter one surly, rude or curt person whether a clerk, a waitress, a porter, etc. (the intruder doesn't count). Even on the highways and byways, the drivers are courteous and considerate. I want to live here.
We spent most of the day walking around the city. We did get into University College to see the Shelly Monument. It's gated off now to prevent the students from defacing poor Shelly. Seems they like to paint his penis. And once they filled the alcove with water and goldfish. Poor fish!
We climbed to the top of the Carfax for another rooftop view of the spires. There was a nice woman who traded camera shots with us. After, we went to the Randolph Hotel for high tea. The Randolph is one of those famous Morse spots. However, it stands on its own as a very nice establishment, built in the Victorian Gothic style. After tea we revisited Magdalen College and then walked to University Park. There are very large specimen trees that we didn't recognized. We walked all the way to the Cherwell river where a beautiful scene of punters captured us. I want to live here. More photos at Flickr.

Will and Anne

Even though very little is known about Anne Hathaway outside of a few legal documents, she has been much maligned over the centuries as a shrew and a cradle snatcher. Probably, none of these characterizations are true. While she was 26 and pregnant, Shakespeare was 18 and poor and hardly a catch. We visited the house, now much enlarged, where Anne was born. The gardens were fabulous. There is a flower here, the anemone, that I'm coveting for our garden. The pink blooms, dogwood in likeness, sit on the ends of 3' stems. We strolled though a wooded path reading postings from Midsummer Night's Dream before leaving for Shakespeare's birthplace.
Shakespeare and Anne lived in the birthplace house. The Second Best Bed is here. The gardens here are lovely, too. We were amazed to be walking in the same halls as Shakespeare walked, breathed, sneezed, coughed, laughed and ......
More photos at Flickr.

Windsor, The Trout, and The Intruder

We went to the Queen's favorite week-end digs today, Windsor Castle. The castle had its beginnings with William the Conqueror who wanted to protect the Norman dominance on the outskirts of London and this strategic portion of the Thames. Thereafter it has mostly been a residence, in fact, the longest inhabitated castle in Europe.  It is an amazing piece of architecture, but not particularly interesting in terms of historically significant events...no blood and guts. The art, however, was nice to see: Rembrandt's, Van Dyke's. We came back early to Oxford for dinner at the Trout Inn, a must on our Morse was here list. It is in Lower Wolvercote north of Oxford, directly on the River Thames. Wolvercote is also where Wayne's sons attended school when he was a student at Oxford.
Oh,yes, the intruder. So, around 1 am I awoke to a lot of loud banging. Wayne said, "its just someone on the street." A couple of minutes later I awoke again and said, "someone is in the house". Big, brave, manly Wayne went downstairs, came backup stairs and said, "someone is in the house." My reaction: "What? Lock the bedroom door. No. Don't go down there. Call the police." His response, "Where are my pants?"  We both go downstairs like idiots. Passed out in the living room was a very drunk and vomiting male teenager. Wayne and I both are yelling, "Who the %.*#+~! are you? Get the **}>#>~£ out of here.". Nothing budged the retching retch. I try dialing the police with no success. Wayne is screaming in the guy's ear. I grab a tennis racket (yeah, good weapon) to hit him over the head. Then, suddenly he gets up, looks at us like we have 3 heads, and stumbles out the door without a word. Tonight we will double check the locks and make sure we have Inspector Lewis on speed dial.
See more of Windsor on Flickr. Sorry, no pics of  The Intruder.

Oxford Center, the Unfulfilled Quest

It was such a rainy day that we postponed plans to visit Anne Hathaway's home. Instead, we took the bus into the Center to look for 2 treasures, The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt at Keble College and the Shelly Memorial at University College. Alas, we were thwarted on all counts. The Keble College Chapel was under renovations and closed. University College was closed to all visitors. Not to be dissuaded we journeyed on to the Sheldonian. What? Closed for renovations?!?! Oh, you say we can climb to the cupola instead. Okay, why not. Why not indeed. First, the roof was designed by Christopher Wren, and his handiwork can be seen as one climbs into the cupola. Wow. Secondly, the best view one could hope for of the Oxford architecture is here. After lots of ogling and snapping of pics, we descended and headed for Wayne's college, Exeter. It's a small but beautiful college. We sat in the chapel for a bit and went to the door leading to Wayne's tutor, John Wilson. Later, we did some regular living, shopping for socks, having a new watch battery installed and buying some pasties for dinner at home. As we headed for the bus, torrential rains fell as the sun broke through. At the last moment the rainbow appeared.  Pics of our day.

Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral

I've often remarked to people who have never visited the Grand Canyon that photographs simply cannot capture the essence of the place. The vastness, the depth, the colors and the atmosphere must be experienced personally to grasp the spirit of the place. If you've been to the Grand Canyon, then you will understand what I mean when I say the same applies to Stonehenge. While the two places don't compare physically, the experience is similar. The scale of the stones seen here is under estimated. And the mystery of the who, why, and how only add to the amazement. When Wayne was here 35 years ago, his sons could climb on the stones. Today the area is cordoned off. We circumvented the site with audio guides that gave some insight into the henge origins. I sat and drew for a while. How lucky.
Salisbury is only a short drive from Stonehenge. The spire of the Cathedral rises dramatically over the horizon as one approaches. It is one of the few Cathedrals constructed in a short time and on a large close. As a result the building is one of the purest of English Gothic architecture. John Constable painted the Cathedral many times. Having seen these paintings at The Frick, The NY Met, etc. I've wanted to see the a cathedral in the same light as Constable. A bonus was seeing one of only 4 existing Magna Carta copies in the chapter house.
More photos at Flickr.

Bath and Wells

Wells Cathedral

We had a long drive through on and off rain showers to Bath to see the Roman ruins. Bath is a much larger city than I knew. There is a large pedestrian, upscale mall surrounding the Abbey and the Baths. The sun broke out and we ate lunch outside at one of the restaurants across from the Baths. It is just as fascinating to me that the Baths could be uncovered and reconstructed as it is that they ever were built to begin with. The Abbey has a unique exterior, angels climbing up a ladder on either side of the main entrance are book ended by a high relief carving of the Jesse Tree.
Wells was another 1/2 hour from Bath through narrow roads that were canopied by large trees. The Cathedral sits to one side of the town center and adjacent to the Bishop's palace. The cathedral itself, like all we've seen, is awe inspiring. Please see the photos for the best understanding.Flickr

Stratford -Upon-Avon

Wayne dining with Shakespeare at The Garrick Pub

If music be the food of love, then play on.We spent the afternoon with Viola, Olivia, Malvolio, et al at the Royal Shakespeare Co. It was a bright and sunny, crisp day suitable for a walk along the Avon. The streets were packed, but being mostly Brits they nicely queued up and gave way to the pushy Americans. So, we had no problems making our way to Shakespeare's birthplace and his grave in Holy Trinity Church as well as having lunch before the play. It was great fun watching a Shakespeare performance in Stratford. We will return later in the week to tour the birthplace home and Anne Hathaway's home.

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is the Churchill family estate. Winston Churchill was born here.  Built in the English Baroque style, it has been home to the Churchill family for over 300 years. Our guide was very good. She concentrated on the history of the family telling it through the paintings, furniture and tapestries in the rooms. Most notable sights were the furnishings that came from Versailles, the Singer Sargent painting of the 9th Duke and his wife Consuelo Vanderbilt, the C. Duran painting of Consuelo that hung nearby, and the 10 Flemish Victory Tapestries of John Churchill.  The gardens were very formal, very green and beautifully set against the River Glynne.


We returned to Oxford and the Ashmolean Museum in mid afternoon.  There is a beautiful Uccello painting, The Hunt in the Forest, here.  We later went in Blackwells Book Store (another Morse haunt) to pick up an Oxford tour book. We then returned to Summertown and had dinner at The Spice Lounge, a very good Indian restaurant.  
See more photos at Flickr

Inspector Morse, The Ashmolean, and Evensong

We have finally gotten our body clocks on UK time. After a late breakfast we headed for Oxford Center to check on our Morse tour. On our way out the door we met our neighbor, Harold. He was with Anna, his and our house keeper. She was kind enough to help us with the oven. Alas, it would not work for her either.
From the information center in Oxford, we walked down Broad St and over to Christ Church College, the most beautiful college I've yet seen. The gardens were lush and so well tended. We visited the Cathedral where there are several Burn-Jones windows. Funny story. One of the Burn -Jones windows was being cleaned and had plain glass in place of it. When the docent relayed the cleaning information to a visitor, she exclaimed, "Oh, no. You've cleaned it completely off!" You may see this
over-cleaning on Flickr.
Next on the agenda, Morse. We are Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavor fans. As such, Wayne is always pointing out Oxford buildings during the shows. This tour gave us the opportunity to see those spots in true time.
When at Christ Church we saw a posting for Evensong and decided to attend. After the Morse tour we had enough time to visit The Ashmolean. We went immediately the the Pre-Raphaelite Gallery. Wayne remembers when he first saw these paintings 35 years prior and fell in love with them. The collection is small and of early works.
We ended our day in Oxford back at Christ Church Cathedral for Evensong. The choir was young adolescents. The sound was quite lovely and soothing after such a long day on our feet. Back home we cooked some pasta and settled in for a little tv and reading.
To see more photos of today visit Flickr.

The Cotswolds

Wayne with his Scotch egg in Stow

Today we drove out to the Cotswolds, a very picturesque English countryside. The area is populated with small towns and villages built othat one. In the Middle Ages the wool trade made the Cotswolds prosperous. Some of this money was put into the building of churches so the area has a number of large Cotswold stone "wool churches". the first village we came to, Stow-on-Wold was having an art show in its church. We bought a small painting of the local landscape. Here we also had lunch. I had The Best Damn Fish and Chips; Wayne had a warm Scotch egg. As we drove through the countryside to the next village of Bourton-on-Water, we saw many sheep and fields upon fields of hay or wheat. Bourton-on-Water looks like it belongs in the Shire...too charming for words. A very shallow yet wide river runs through the center of the town. There were children everywhere wading and playing. I stuck my finger in for a test run and immediately withdrew it before icicles formed.
See more photos of the Cotswolds at Flickr

The Botanical Gardens, Magdalen College, The Bodleian

Wayne at the King's Arms, Oxford

Yep, we did all those things. We started the day searching Corn Market St for some electrical adapters. The street is pedestrian and has an enclosed market nearby where these poor pigs were begging for attention. From there we walked to the botanical Gardens. They were mostly interesting for the perennials and wild flowers. Across the street from the Gardens is Magdalen College. Inside is a most beautiful chapel. Among the many notable alumni are Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis, Cardinal Wolsey. Up the hill and on our way home was The Bodleian, the library for the Colleges.More photos at Flickr

Boston and Beyond

We began by being tourists on our home turf. We spent the day walking around Plymouth Harbor, visiting the Rock, looking at The Mayflower. Remembered the last time we were here with Carolyn and Ralf. Met Jeff at the house; he drove us to the bus. Arrived at Logan 5 hours early. We are EXCELLENT travelers. Really, we just rather sit there and read than kill time elsewhere. Met an interesting guy in the restaurant. He was from Cambridge, UK but living in Maine. The flight was smooth, quick and uneventful. Love British Air. Arrived Heathrow 9:00am, got the car, panicked, drove any way. Arrived at the house around noon. Left the house around 12:01pm. Strolled to Summer Town and caught the bus to Oxford Center where we walked down High St past the Sheldonian. Wayne was grinning ear to ear. Walked back to a pub, The Eagle and Child where we had the worst beer you can imagine. So close to Belgium, yet so far. There was a trivial pursuit game going on. After finishing the awful beer and stuffing myself on a burger, we caught the bus back to the house.
More photos at flickr.

The Night Before

We spent he night before our departure for the UK in Plymouth because our home exchangers had arrived and were in our house. There was the most beautiful sunset occurring as we approached the hotel. I think it is a very good omen. Tomorrow we fly to London.

Great Barrington and Tanglewood

Neighboring Picnicers at Tanglewood

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  We spent it in Great Barrington, which has a different feel than the other surrounding towns.  There are far more young people, more of a hip, funky atmosphere.  We ate lunch, roamed the streets window shopping and gallery browsing.  Tonight we returned to Tanglewood for an all Wagner program.  It was thoroughly transcending.  More pictures at flickr.

Norman Rockwell and William Shakespeare

Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell moved to Stockbridge, MA in 1953 so that his wife could be treated at the Austen Riggs psychiatric hospital.  (side note. James Taylor was also treated there and refers to his time at Austin Riggs in the song, Fire and Rain).  Stockbridge remained Rockwell's home until his death.  He helped established a custodianship which became the Norman Rockwell Museum.  The museum is the authority on Rockwell and holds over 700 pieces of his.  We went primarily to see the current show, Howard Pyle.  Pyle was an illustrator and children's book author during the fin de siecle.  Rockwell studied and admired his works as a student.  Pyle hardly had his own style.  He would mimic styles he felt best illustrated the texts he was illustrating.  To my delight, the show included Hokusai's The Great Wave of Kanagawa.  Previously, I've seen this print only in reproduction.  There is always something new to discover in the Berkshires.
Tonight we saw The Tempest at Shakespeare and Co.  It's our only play this trip.  The production was not great.  Olympia Dukakis played Prospero and she was extremely weak.  Her voice is not suited to Shakespearean dialogue.  Physically, she didn't control the character, either.  To our delight Merritt Janson played Miranda.  We saw her last year as Rosalind in As You Like It.  It was the best portrayal of Rosalind we've ever seen.  She was equally good as Miranda.  Other principals were also noteworthy.  Kristin Wold as Ariel was charming and captivating.  More photos at flickr.

Hancock Shaker Village

Hancock Shaker Village

The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing....USBCSA....nope, no hope of an acronym there!  The Shakers are a religious sect who live communally and are amazing at invention, music, egalitarianism. The only remaining members live in a Maine commune. Since we had seen Borrowed Light at Jacob's Pillow on Sunday, we wanted to visit the Shaker Village in Hancock, MA.  It is a beautiful setting in which most of the buildings still stand in pristine condition.  The Shakers have not lived in the village since the 1960's.  We heard nice talks in the round barn and the dormitory about the structures and life in general.  The dormitory dining room had 2 interior windows, borrowed light.  

This evening we attended a Brahms Piano concert at Ozawa Hall performed by Gerhard Oppits who, over 4 evenings, is playing the complete works for piano without one piece of sheet music.  Very impressive.  We sat on the lawn this evening among the crowd that spilled out of the hall like fruit from a cornucopia.  It was beautiful to watch the interior of the hall warm as the sky cooled to evening then night.  We re-visited our discussion about LeWitt's art.  I asked why Wayne could consider the Brahms' piece art and not the LeWitt wall paintings.  More photos at flickr.