Miami Bound

This morning we were greeted with sunshine and warm temperatures. St Augustine was in her glory as we drove off through the old city. Miami was less than 250 miles but still took all day. There was a long stand still at one point and heavy traffic in Miami. It was around 6pm when we checked in. We switched out our bags for Costa Rica and stuffed everything else into the car trunk. The hotel will keep the car for 12 days. We ate at a Cuban restaurant across the highway. Wake up call is for 6:45am. Good night

Saint Augustine Bound

It was another miserable day of driving through rain. I suppose that was better than ice, but we were hoping for sun by the time we reached the Carolinas. A high point was the South Carolina Artisans' Craft Center. We saw a sign on the highway and went for it. Our first encounter elicited groans of, "oh, no. What is this?" The place appeared dilapidated and belonging to a wacko. But we drove by a second time and thought, "What the hell? Let's look". The parking lot was as you see above. The inside was an artist's paradise with fabulous works. Our favorites were the carved duck decoys and the pottery. I bought a small pottery piece to use as a salt cellar.

It was dark when we pulled into St Augustine, well past when we planned to arrive. Thus, we opted to walk next door to our hotel to eat at Harry's Seafood restaurant. It was a New Orleans themed restaurant and good. No one was out in old town, so we just went back to the room.

Florence, SC, Not Italy

We left DC this morning in freezing rain. On the way out we passed a beautiful monument to the Airforce the 3 monoliths suggest the soaring of jets. Our drive was long and difficult with areas of ice. We are listening to Ken Follet's trilogy, Century, which helps pass the time. Tonight we are in Florence, SC for no other reason than it was the proper distance from DC. It did have the advantage of a BBQ joint (what Carolina town doesn't?), Wholly Smokin'. The ribs were very tender and moist but lacked a smokey flavor. There was a salt rub that I found much too salty. The stuffed potatoe salad was worth the drive.

Washington DC

Wayne in the National Portrait Gallery

With the entire day ahead of us, we walked to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  We arrived at 10:30; it opened at 11:30.  We briskly walked down to the Mall and the National Art Gallery, braving a wind chill of 27 degrees.  Our time there was spent in the Italian Medieval and Florence Renaissance rooms.  We saw many paintings that we've studied for our Florence trip:  Fra Anglico and Filippo Lippi Adoration of the Magi, Lippi's Madonna and Child,  Castagno's David with the Head of Goliath

National Gallery of Art

At the 11:30 opening time we walked through the sculpture garden where we stopped to admire Roxy Paine's steel tree.  We have seen another of her trees at the Crystal Bridges Museum.

Wayne with Roxy Paine Sculpture

At the American Art Museum I wanted to see an exhibit on birds in art and Wayne was interested in the Grant and Lee exhibit.  The Singing and the Silence:  Birds in Contemporary Art held a large variety of mediums.  The use of the materials intrigued me as much as the depiction of the birds.  Petah Coyne had two large pieces.  I don't really like her work at all.  It always looks dirty, dusty and ugly to me.  Other works were amazing in their detail and interpretation of our treatment of birds.  Particularly nice were the photographs of birds held by bird banders.  

A walk through the Modern and Contemporary Gallery gave us a look at a beautiful David Hockney piece that was painted on the floor and wall of a black gallery and changed with different colored lights projected upon it.  

David Hockney, American Art Museum

The Grant and Lee exhibit had wonderful death masks of both men.  Tonight is dinner at the Woodward Table around the corner on H street.  

Florida Bound

On a dreary and cold New England day, we started out south to Miami where we will eventually fly to Costa Rica for 12 days.  On our return to Miami we will drive to Anna Maria Island and settle in for 6 weeks.  Today we drove as far as Washington DC where we planned have dinner with Adam and family, do a bit of sight seeing tomorrow and head out on Wednesday.  Adam emailed while we were on the road that he has the flu. Against my advice he intends to meet us tomorrow night to pick up his Moxie.  I'm not convinced he really wants to see us, just get his Moxie.  If we get the flu from him and miss our Costa Rica trip, he is definitely disinherited.  So this evening we ate a mediocre dinner in the hotel and kicked back in the room.  Wayne had a long, hard 10 hour drive in the rain.  

Millinium Park & Second City

Selfie at the Bean

We spent a good part of the day in Millennium Park, an expansive green space along Lake Michigan created under the leadership of Mayor Daley. Here their are large open gallery spaces, the famous Anish Kapoor Bean, Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Geary,  and Juame Plensa's Crown Fountain.  A great serpentine walkway, also designed by Geary, led us to the bicentennial park where we watched skaters of all ages enjoy an ice track with hills and turns.  In one of the open gallery spaces Plensa also has a temporary exhibit of gargantuan heads.

Juane Plensa

We had lunch in a tavern down Michigan Avenue, and watch the Patriots route Miami. They now have clinched the AFC East.
Tonight we went to Second City where we laughed and laughed for 3 hours. They were very good.

Chicago from the Serpentine Bridge

Pritzker Pavilion

Serpentine Bridge

The Field Museum andS the CSO

Skating Park, Grant Park

This morning we walked down Michigan Avenue to the Field Museum, which is located in Grant Park. Grant Park was built on all the rubble from the great Chicago Fire. Nothing is allowed to be built their now. Along the way we passed a skating park filled with skaters. And the walk into Grant Park is a wide, winding pedestrian/biker road.
The Field Museum has the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex. They have named her Sue after the woman who discovered the fossil. We listened to the history of the discovery and the biological evidence of the fossil. We also looked at the gems, birds, mammals, and Pacific culture artifacts.

Wayne with Sue

Tonight we walked 2 blocks to the Chicago Symphony to first hear a lecture on the evenings performance, and then the performance of Hadyn's 93rd Symphony, Richard Strauss' Don Juan and Beethovan's 9th. The conductor was Pittsburgh's Manfred Honeck, a most expressive conductor.
We had a very late dinner at Miller's Pub just around the corner from the Palmer House.

Art Institute of Chicago and Steppenwolf Theater

Selfie with AIC Lions

Our hotel is 2 blocks from the Art Institute of Chicago. The magnificent lions at the entrance were wearing their seasonal garb. This museum is so magnificent. We started with the Buckingham Japanese print collection. At present they are showing prints of demons which complement the James Ensor exhibit. While in the Japanese section we came across the Ando Room; the same architect who designed the new Clark addition. His design represents interior spaces of Japanese homes.  

Wayne in the Ando Gallery

After a quick look at Roman and Greek works in order to briefly relive our recent trip, we went to the Ensor exhibit, Temptation: The Demons of James Ensor. The centerpiece of this exhibit explores the making and meaning of The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Ensor created many works about St Anthony's temptation following the death of his father. Many of these works were inspired by others: Flaubert, Odilion Redon. The culmination was a nearly 6', 51 piece drawing. The AIC has a free online catalogue on the piece.

We spent the entire day at the Museum,  and could go back for another day. Also of note were a huge Napolitan Crèche, Chagall's Amercan Windows, a room of Manets.

Marc Chagall, American Windows, Detail

A pleasant surprise was a choral performance on the grand staircase.

This evening we saw Airline Highway at The Steppenwolf Theater. It is a new play about a group who live in a rundown motel on Airline Highway in New Orleans and are celebrating the funeral of Miss Ruby before she dies. Lastly, there was a late night dinner at Miller's Pub on State St

The Windy City

We took a flight out of Providence today for Chicago. When we arrived at PVD we were told our flight was cancelled and re-routed through DC. There was a beautiful view of the Chesapeake Bay as we flew into DC.  We quickly got our connection, and two hours later we were at O'Hare. 

O'Hare Concorse

The O'Hare concourse was beautifully decorated. Immediately we were in the holiday spirit.  

We took the airport train into the city, and walked a block to our hotel, the Palmer House, a landmark since 1871. The hotel is beautiful and filled to the brim with guests.  The lobby is a bustling arena of holiday shoppers, holiday parties and more.  After a drink and the famous Palmer Brownie in the hotel pub, we walked around the area soaking in the Christmas spirit and the always cheerful, friendly Chicagoans.

A completely inadequate look at the Palmer House lobby.

Hancock Village

Hancock Shaker Village's own Ophelia

Today we took a drive to Pittsfield with the intention of visiting the Berkshire Museum.  It was such a beautiful day that we just kept driving to Hancock and the Shaker Village.  The gardens were beautiful and full of the most unusual herbs.  Some of them are over 6 feet tall and completely unknown to me.  I love the animals the best.  We had the good fortune to be in the wood working house while a demonstration was ongoing.  Both Wayne and I were invited to try the lathe.  All the equipment is run using the power of water and hydraulics.  Those Shakers!  What innovative and creative people.  If only they had a little more libido.  Pics at flickr.

The Unknown Hopper

Edward Hopper's early illustrative work is currently exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum.  I was not aware of Hopper's career in illustration.  The earliest of the works were surprising to me.  Had I been presented with them and the challenge to identify the artist, I would have never been able to do so.  The latest of the illustrations (right before totally devoting himself to painting) are more indicative of his solitary, contemplative scenes.  Here is more Information.

Midsummer Night's Dream

Today we met with a possible new exchange person.  She and her husband live in Lenox, which is much closer to all the activities than where we are now.  She is a painter and he is a photographer with his own gallery in Lenox.  How much more perfect could this be?  The main glitch is that they both still work and summer is the prime time for him to make money from the gallery.  So, it will be difficult for them to get away.  But she seemed really open to working something out.  

This afternoon we attended A Midsummer Night's Dream production by Shakespeare and Co.  It was delightful.  Set in New Orleans there was jazz and period costumes from the 1920's.  We have been going to so many Shakespeare productions here and in Boston that we recognize a lot of the performers.  Johnny Lee Davenport played Bottom, and it was nice to see him in a comedic role vs the serious roles we've seen.  Meritt Janson has double duty as Titania and Hippolyta.  We absolutely adored her as Rosalind in As You Like It.  We weren't as enamored with this performance.  Could be a director's doing.  Her voice was squeaky and pleading.  I think of Titania as a really strong, powerful woman.  Rocco Sisto whom we saw as Richard II last year played Oberon.  He was too old in my opinion to play the part of an ageless fairy, but has a very sonorous voice which is lovely to hear.

Natalie Merchant

The day dawned bright, sunny, mild and dry.  We went early to Great Barrington to eat before our Natalie Merchant concert.  The intent to eat octopus at the Agean Breeze Greek restaurant was spoiled by many, many others with the same thing in mind.  So we went to the local Mexican place where we have eaten and know to be good.  Indeed, it was with fresh ingredients and well prepared.  

Merchant was at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.  This was the second show of her tour for a new album.  She's been on sabbatical for a number of years while raising her daughter.  But at 50 she still has a beautiful voice with that identifiable timbre.  She also still twirls and dances to the music as she seems to conduct the band.  The band which had a cello, double bass, viola and 2 violins along with the bass and lead guitars, drums and piano.  The drummer, Allison Miller, and the lead guitar, Gabe Gordon have been with her a while. Merchant seemed a bit nervous and unable to connect with the audience in the beginning.  I had visions of Dylan.  But toward the end and especially during the very long encore she was very relaxed, joking and interacting with people.

Back in the Berkshires

Tanglewood Lawn, James Taylor Concert

The annual sojourn to the Massachusetts Berkshires began last evening.  We are again at Fern Hollow in Becket.  This will be our last year here as the owners have sold it.  We must look for another exchange.

Our friends John and Kathy came last night.  They arrived accompanied by a great thunderstorm.  Wayne braved the rain to cook steaks for us.  The dinner was serenaded by great, fierce booms, cracks and flashes.  The rain was heavy and continued until moments before the Tanglewood concert.  As such, we opted to eat at home and skip the usual picnic on the lawn.  James Taylor still has a sweet, melodic voice and generously donates his performance to the BSO.  There were no fireworks this year.  Too much rain, I guess, to set up in the bowl.  

Woodbridge to DC

The Phillips Collection, Washington DC

We arrived in Woodbridge yesterday around 5pm and were welcomed by the esteemed Aunt Juanita and Uncle Carlton.  As always, they are the best of hosts, upbeat and interested in everything.  Sandra and Todd came a bit later and we all went to dinner at Carraba's (thank you Carlton).  Today we said our good byes and made the short trip to DC.  Our first stop was The Phillips Collection.  

Duncan Phillips was heir to a Pittsburgh steel fortune and use that inheritance to collect more than 3,000 works of modern and contemporary art.  The collection is in Phillips's boyhood home and 2 adjacent properties.  The collection is jaw dropping. As we were touring the special exhibition, Made in America, I kept remarking, "we saw this painting, but which museum?"  Finally, after reading the description of the exhibition, I realized the show had been on the road and we had seen it in Tampa last year.  Oy.  At least I could remember specific paintings if not when and where I saw them.  Add to last year's favorites John Sloan's 6 o'clock Winter, Everett Spruce's Arkansas Landscape, and Whitefield Lovell's beautifully rendered portraits.  

Tonight we ate at Cafe Mozart, a place we have eaten on other visits.  It is German fare.  The evening there was a Viennese woman playing the accordion and singing German/Austrian songs.  She serenaded us with Strauss while she whooped and laughed.  

Jekyll Island to St Simon Island

Jekyll Island, Driftwood Beach

First thing this morning we went to the Arts Festival.  It was just a showing of a local arts group, nothing memorable.  There was a live band and sunny, warm weather, which made strolling under the towering live oaks all the more lovely.  There is really only one place to eat good food on the island and that is the Jekyll Island Club.  Last night we tried the Driftwood Bistro.  It was really bad.  The wait for a table was 45 minutes.  But then the wait at the table was another 30 minutes.  That would have been okay if the food was good.  But, alas, I have given up on shrimp and grits.  As in the other servings of this dish, I could hardly discern the grits among the sauce that I would describe as a bad béchamel with bad cheese added to it?.?  So, we had our second lunch at the Jekyll Club, and it was as good as the day before.  Plus, the dining room is so beautiful and so reminiscent of fin de siecle (1900).  One expects ladies in long white victorian dresses to enter at any moment.  

This afternoon we drove over to St Simons Island.  It's much more inhabited and developed.  We walked along a public park and beach front with many people playing and dog walking.  After we drove to Fort Frederica Park where the architectural remains of the colonial fort remains.  It was here that Oglethorp built the fort and fought off the Spanish.  

Finally, late afternoon we visited Driftwood Beach which is the most unique and usual beach I've visited.  The pictures don't show the wonder of huge oak trees downed by the sea and aged into drift wood.  It is our belief that the trees didn't actually drift to the island, but have been uprooted and left to age.  Flickr Photos

Jekyll Island, GA

Christy and Wayne with Voodoo, their guide.

Jekyll Island is an island off the coast of Feorgia.  It is one of the Sea Islands and one of the 

Golden Isles of Georgia.  In the late 1800s Jekyll Island was an exclusive winter retreat for America's most elite families, the then 1%.  It was known as the Jekyll Island Club with members such as the Rockefellers, Morgans, Pulitzers, and Goulds.  By WWII the island was mostly abandoned and in ruin.  An interesting fact is the plan to create the Federal Reserve Act was formed in secret meetings on Jekyll before being presented to Congress.

It is a beautiful island surrounded by miles of salt marsh the views of which reminded me of the vast plains of Kansas. Magnolias, huge, ancient live oak, palmettos and scrub oak dominate.  We took a 90 minute carriage tour to see and learn about the development of the island, it's abandonment and finally its restoration and state ownership. Flickr Photos

Folkston

Dixie's Custom Framing

The Inn at Folkston is the nicest b&b we have ever stayed in.  Our room is large with a sitting area facing a fireplace.  The owners, Ted and Alise, are very kind, gentle and gracious.  Ted is retired from the railroad.  He served us a very southern breakfast of grits, biscuits, bacon and eggs.  It poured rain all day; we did not take the boat tour.  Instead, we drove to the west side of the park looking for the head waters of the Suwannee River.  This side of the park is operated by the state and offers mostly camping.  The geography was fascinating, though, with tall, tall and thin, thin long leaf pine.  
We had lunch at Dixie's Custom Framing. (I know.  Go figure).  Dixie was very friendly and talked a lot about the park, past fires and best places to visit.  She also made a mean chicken and grits soup.  re:  dining options in Folkston.  There are none.  Our host recommended the Okefenokee Restaurant as the only place in town other than fast food.  Well, we went there last night and left our full plates on the table.  Believe me, I know cafeteria food.  Not only did I grow up in a community that had at least 5 or 6 of them, I ate school lunches for 35 years.  The Okefenokee Restaurant was the worst.  The cat fish was whole (head, tail and fins) and fried to a dark brown.  There were no hush puppies, black eyed peas, green beans, shrimp or corn bread.  AND, no pies.  Really?  Really?  So tonight we returned to Jaylen's BBQ and got a rack.  They had a great smoky flavor but were big and too tough for me.  Wayne ate the whole thing.  A few pics at flickr.

Folkston, GA and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Okefenokee National Refuge Board Walk on Chesser Island

After arriving in Folkston, we had to get the winter travel bag out.  It is 43 here, and we plan to take a boat tour of the Swamp tomorrow.  The town is a typical small southern town with turn of the century architecture.  Buildings have been reinvented from banks to restaurants, dress shops to antique stores.  Eating options seem limited to cafeteria style servings.  We did find Jaylen's BBQ within 5 minutes of entering town, and later found it to be listed #1 in Trip Advisor.  
We took a drive to the Swamp and toured the Chesser Island area in the car.  There was a 3/4 mile boardwalk into the Swamp which gave me a look at black water, a thing I was most curious about.  The water looks like a black mirror that reflects all the surroundings.  I took ineffective pictures hoping to capture the magic. But, alas, they have a strange green tinge. A portion of the area was burned; a natural and beneficial event that occurs regularly. We saw neither Pogo Possum or Albert Alligator.
It seems Folkston is also a destination for train buffs. The Folkston Funnel is a double track which serves as the main artery for railroad traffic into and out of Florida.  Apparently one can view up to 41 trains from different railroads carrying a variety of goods.  There were people standing near the tracks photographing passing trains (there is one every 1/2 hour).
The Inn at Folkston was a pleasant find.  We have a room with a sitting area and fireplace, which is very welcome on this chilly evening.  
See a few pictures of the Refuge at flickr.

Cedar Key

Seahorse Island, Florida

What a difference a day makes.  We were correct in wanting to stay in Fort Myers.  While it was 80 there, It is blustery, cloudy and a bit cool (60s) here in Cedar Key, the 2nd oldest town in Florida.  Cedar Key is a town of 700 located in the Cedar Keys.  At its hey day Cedar Key was the home to Faber and Eagle pencils production.  The once abundant cedar trees that were felled to produce all those #2 pencils are now gone as is the industry. Today clam farming is the predominant mainstay.  We sampled them at every meal with every recipe you can imagine.  They are delicious.  Unlike the regulations in Mass that prevent anything under 1.5" from being harvested, these little babies are the size of a ping pong ball.   Cedar Key is funky and not at all like Anna Maria.  Here was one of the best artists' coop we've visited.  We bought a beautiful turned wooded bowl by Richard Levine. The people we have met seem to be here strictly to experience the geography, bird watch, fish, etc.  I keep expecting to see Jack Sparrow pop up.  This afternoon we took a 2 hour boat tour to the outlying keys where they are bird nesting sanctuaries. The entire area is low, low, low with depths of 4' at high tide.   The dolphins were friendly and played in the wake of our boat.  Check out the photos and video on flickr.