Charleston, NC

Wayne, UNC, Chapel Hill

Before leaving Chapel Hill we rode through the UNC campus.  There were beautiful Crepe Myrtles lining the streets.  The Ackland Museum in on campus. The Museum was small and held paintings mostly "from the school of". The most interesting was The Study Gallery where pieces chosen by professors to complement their course were hung in dedicated areas.  For example, the Dismal Science course about European economics showed works by Daumier and Benton.

The drive to Charleston was short enough and the sun shown on us while we continued our listen of King's Dr. Sleep. We've returned to The Doubletree which is adjacent to the Market and in the Historic District. We walked to The Charleston Grill for dinner. Everything was superb: a beautiful room, live jazz and excellent fare. Charleston has much more the feel of New Orleans than of Savannah.

Location:N Market St,Charleston,United States

Chapel Hill, NC

There is nothing interesting to post today.  We spent about 9 hours in the car fighting one construction site after another.  The first one hour delay took place around Philadelphia where a crew with 3 large trucks had closed down the entire highway to fill in pot holes.  OY.  When we finally got to the hotel it was a delightful room.  More kudos to the Hilton family.  The most laughable moment came when we were in the elevator and discovered that the inspector (with picture included) was named Cherie Berry.  Now, come on.  You can't stop laughing either, can you?

Princeton University, On the Road Again

Wayne and the Princeton University Chapel

We've begun our winter 2014 sojourn to Florida where we will spend the next 6 weeks with our friends Kathy and John Lima in Anna Maria on Anna Maria Island.  It was a dark and stormy beginning; heavy rain followed us all the way to Princeton, NJ. The trek was made tolerable with Stephen King's newest book, Dr. Sleep, which is a sequel to The Shining.   We arrived in Princeton about 3:30 pm, checked into the local Hampton Inn and dashed immediately to Princeton University.  The University sits adjacent to downtown Princeton, the campus lining one side of Nausau Street and shops lining the opposite side.  We were simply wowed by the beauty and extent of the campus.  It rivaled any campus we have visited including Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge, and Yale.  The art museum has a respectable collection of the usual suspects (Medieval, European, American, etc).  The pieces that linger in my mind were Bosch's Christ Before Pilate, a most unusual Toulous Lautrec parody of Puvis de Chavannes, a Van Gogh and a beautiful Lucas Cranach.  The University chapel is a beauty claiming to be the 3rd largest university chapel.  It was well past dusk when we entered the chapel which denied us the complete experience of the stained glass and the soaring nave.  

Back at the Inn we took advantage of the offered free Italian dinner.  Agreeing before we went downstairs to head back into town if the fare proved not to please us, we were delighted with a great salad, stuffed shells and meatballs as good as anything we could prepare ourselves.  The meal came with wine and beer, too.  Oh!  And desert!  Hampton Inn has regained its spot in our hearts.  

For pictures of the University please visit Flickr

Berkshires, Redux: Northampton

Smith College Art Museum

I was thinking that today we would attend the Scottish Festival in Northampton, about a 55 mile drive from here.  As it turns out, it was so hot that we couldn't imagine enjoying log tossing.  Instead, we went to the Smith College Art Museum.  They have very impressive holdings.  The special exhibit was of posters from the 60's, Summer of Love.  For the first time, I realized how much influence the Art Nouveau had.  It was a wonderful nostalgic visit complete with 60's music playing.  The remaining 3 floors of the museum included new acquisitions that impressed me with the effort put forth.  The focus seems to be on works that are contemporary works which address political and social issues.  One thing I liked was a variety of benches made by artists and intended for sitting a viewing the art.  First, they were beautiful and unique.  Secondly, how nice to consider art while sitting on art, a continuum.

Tanglewood

This evening we returned to Tanglewood for Wagner's Ring Cycle, 2nd Act, The Valkyrie.  To me the voices in this opera are quite harsh.  But I love the instrumental section of the flying Valkyries.  Everyone else was enthralled and applauded, applauded, applauded, cheered, cheered, and applauded more.  It was a wonderful evening and way to end our time here.  Tomorrow we return home.  

Berkshires, Redux: Dream Away Lodge

Dream Away Lodge, Becket, MA

It is southern hot today, in the 90's.  It's been this way since yesterday and is predicted to stay so through tomorrow.  We had nothing specific planned so opted for indoor activities where air conditioning is available.  At the Rockwell Museum we saw a Disney Snow White illustration show.  Jack Craib would love this.  Also, there was a show by Jarvis Rockwell, Norman's son.  His portrait drawings were elegant and beautiful.  But he is also a collector of mass manufactured plastic toys which were displayed....not so interesting.  Most interesting to me were photographs of him in recognizable poses for his father's paintings.  I never knew Rockwell used his son for that. 

Next we went to Edith Wharton's The Mount.  We have not been there in several years and it was pleasurable to see the progress they have made in restoration.  The plaster carved ceilings were impressive.  The only Wharton book I've read is Ethan Frome.  

This evening we went to a fun and funky place, The Dream Away Lodge.  I discovered it by reading a previous guest's notes in the guest book.   The drive is about 8 miles up the mountain, through deep woods, past a few homes; no cars were on the road.  One pulls up to a large white house on a small hill with dozens of cars parked on the lot.  Where did they all come from?  Directing parking, the valet was dressed in torn off shorts, red tee shirt, floppy gray felt hat and sporting a beard.  Immediately, I knew this would be fun.  The front yard sloped down to the road with a scattering of chairs and tables.  To one side a big fire pit was billowing smoke and hosting a few people who were cooling off with beer.  Kids were running all over.  We ate on a rambling porch that wrapped around the house.  Plenty more seating was inside in rooms that had never been altered to become a restaurant.  The center room held a stage and musical instruments.  Every Wednesday and Friday local musicians play.  Once upon a time, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Dylan, Guthrie, etc have all played here.  What history.  After dinner we stayed for a bit of music from Podunk.  This will become a tradition, I think.   

The Berkshries, Redux: Williamstown Theatre Festival

Wayne in front of Louise Bougeois' Eyes, Williams College

Williamstown is a beautiful little college town nestled in the Berkshires.  Williams College is here as is the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Williamstown Theatre.  We spent the day there and took advantage of all these venues.  The little town has one main street that is filled with galleries.  My favorite is the Harrison Gallery.  This year the main show was a tribute to Henry Geldzahler with works by 4 artist who knew him.  Geldzahler was the first curator of contemporary art at the NY Met.  

Williams College is off main street and we walked to their little museum.  They were hanging a new show so all that was available to see was a bit of the permanent collection.  Most interesting was a maquette of Louise Bougeois sculptures that are on campus.  Eyes, Nine Elements was commissioned by the Museum in celebration of their 75th anniversary.  

Our next stop was the Clark, where a Winslow Homer show was in progress.  Sterling Clark owned more Homer's than any other artist, over 200 works.  I like Homer but Wayne does not.  Or, at least, does not like the ocean coast paintings.  This show had multiple wood engravings and watercolors, too.   I enjoyed seeing Homer's dedication to working and living in a place through his works.  

We still had time to kill before the theater and went to Bennington, VT.  Bennington is home to Bennington (duh!) Potters.  The pottery is very distinctive, stoneware with a speckled glaze.  We've bought things here over the years and today was no exception, coasters for our new table.  Bennington was readying itself for Midnight Madness that evening when all the stores open from 7pm to midnight with sales.  The town was jumping.  We had a great dinner at Allegro and then headed back to Williamstown.

Williamstown Theater is a nationally renowned summer stock theater that performs internationally recognized play writes and attracts significant actors such as Christopher Reeve, Blythe Danner and E.G. Marshall.  We saw, Hapgood, a play by Tom Stoppard starring Kate Burton.  I found it delightful.  The stage was perfect in deep grays and lit with a blue tone, perfect for the spy thriller.  The acting was so spot on, not a bit of over acting that I often feel is present on the stage.  

The Berkshires, Redux: Shakespeare and Co.

Wayne on the Grounds of Shakespeare & Co.

We have attended some of the best Shakespeare productions at Shakespeare and Co.  Founded by Tina Packer and originally performed on the grounds of The Mount, Edith Warton's Lenox home. The Company has moved to its own grounds in the center of Lenox. The extended facilities include training for professional and student actors, a footprint stage for a future replica of The Globe Theater.  Today we saw Richard II, first performed late in Elizabeth I reign.  This was also the time when Essex moved against the Queen to depose her.  The play was commissioned by supporters of Essex and seen as a means to help with the uprising.  It failed and Essex lost his head.  Elizabeth said, "Don't you know.  I am Richard II."  Chamberlain's Men (Shakespeare's troupe) were not punished.  You can see a bit of the play here.

The Berkshires, Redux: FDR Library

Stone Cottage at Val-Kill

It's a scorcher today, 90 degrees.  I love it.  Everything is soooo green and lush.  We drove to Hyde Park, NY down the Taconic Parkway with the glorious Catskill Mountains off to our west.  FDR's library was our destination.  We had been there in June to see the home and museum, but the library was closed for renovation.  The renovated library is very nice, beautifully captures FDR's personality and the period.  Boy, how I wish we had a politician like him again.  I think Bill Clinton came close to having FDR's empathy.  Of course, FDR had a Congress of his own party that backed his efforts.  There is so much today that echoes his era:  extreme disparity in wealth, efforts to undermine and extinguish social programs by business.  After, we drove over to Val-Kill.  It was closed but we could walk the property.  I am as much interested in Eleanor as Wayne is in FDR.  She was such a strong and caring person.  I find both of them amazing in their ability to empathize with the disenfranchised when they came from such privileged beginnings.  

The Berkshires, Redux: Mass MoCA

Rising Phoenix by Xu Bing at Mass MOCA

Our friends, the Lima's, left today.  They will continue their vacation in Philly.  We continued our's by going to Mass MoCA in North Adams.  Mass MoCA is a museum of contemporary art located in an abandoned mill which also offers a variety of music, dance, performance and education.  Thus, there are huge open spaces that offer wonderful opportunities for artists to come and built works.  Nothing is permanent here.  All shows are truly the newest works.  There were two artists exhibiting that I was interested in seeing. The photo above shows Wayne standing under the tail of one of Xu Bings sculptures of a phoenix.  For a better look visit  Xu Bing.  He has built two huge phoenix sculptures out of waste materials.  The other artist, Jason Middlebrook has pieces that address his relationship with nature.  He has taken vertical slices of huge trees and drawn or painted on them.  Both these artist's works are most impressive in person because the size and scale are so powerful.  

The Berkshires, Redux: Jacob's Pillow

This afternoon we went to Jabob's Pillow to watch Companhia Urbana de Danca.  Jacob's Pillow is a dance center, school and performance space in Becket. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives as well as year-round community programs.  The Companhia de Urbana troupe consists of 7 men and 1 woman from the favelas of Brazil.  Their performance is a mixture of hip hop and Brazilian dance.  They were certainly impressive.  Watch a clip of their strength, flexibility and control on Youtube
This evening we ate at Bistro Zinc in Lenox, then returned home for a repeat performance of Friday night.  Oy!  

The Berkshires, Redux: Tanglewood

After a lazy beginning to our day (who can doubt that after our 2am bedtime), we drove to Great Barrington for the Berkshire's Annual Arts Fair.  It really is a nice fair with very high end goods presented by over 50 artists and performers.  None of us bought anything although we were tempted by some beautiful silk jackets and inventive glass vases.  There was an area dedicated to local artists where 2 were painting the surrounding mountains.  The fair is on the Butternut Ski grounds where a little slope was covered with wild thyme wafting its aroma throughout.  We left the fair to have lunch at a local Greek restaurant and then shop for tonight's Tanglewood picnic.  The shopping was something of a Whole Foods repeat performance complete with more smelly cheese and sweet things. The crowds this year seem light; very few people were at the crafts fair, and parking at Tanglewood was easy and close to the gate.  We settled on the grounds with our blanket, table and food for a full evening of Bernstein's West Side Story.  The rain even cooperated and vanished.  This is one of my favorite musicals.  I had the album as a teenager and know all the words to every song.  The movie has been re-released in high def and was shown on big screens with the BSO accompanying it.  "Tonight, tonight won't be just any night."  

The Berkshires, Redux

We arrived for our annual sojourn in The Berkshires around 4pm and waited for our friends Kathy and John Lima to arrive.  On the way in we stopped at Whole Foods to stock up on goodies needed for an uplifting week end.  All the foods we never need or should eat can be found there:  smelly ripe cheeses, salty fried crackers, deeply processed and very hard meats, buttery and sugary deserts.  Wayne bought dry aged steaks which were grilled after a period of swilling gin and vodka to wash down the aforementioned smelly cheeses and crackers.  Have you gotten the drift of the upcoming week end?  The steaks, btw, were delicious.  
We are staying at Fern Hollow in Becket, MA at the home of Kate and Greg Losi.  They, meantime, are staying in our Wareham home.  This is our 3rd year to exchange.  So far it is a mutually beneficial adventure.  Fern Hollow is set in a hollow about 1/4 mile off the road.  We are isolated and surrounded by woods. There is always the possibility of spotting a black bear.  We spend a lot of time on a lovely screened front porch where we can eat and relax beneath the giant trees.  
Our evening ended the next day about 2 a.m. after solving all the political, legal and familial problems (at least for the moment).  

Washington DC

National Portrait Gallery, Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Today was my kind of day.  It was saturated with art. As I've stated before, the hotel is in a prime location, and we were able to walk about 5 blocks to the National Portrait Gallery.  We began our visit with the  "Portraiture Now" series' seventh installation.  Last year we saw the sixth installation of miniature portraits that were amazing in their detail and realism.  This exhibition looks at the narrow boundaries that once defined drawing and portraiture with artists who explore the melding of painting, video, writing, computer technology and photography as well as drawing.  All the artists are meticulous in their work, probe the psychological make up of their subjects and use scale to a very effective degree.  Please take a look at their works here.  Each artist is listed to the side with links to view the works.  

We took a long look at the early works that documented the beginnings of our country from the earliest settlements through the Civil War and Reconstruction.  Particularly, I remember portraits and busts of Pocahontas, Abigail Adams, Booker T. Washington, John Brown and Elizabeth I.  

The American Art Museum is attached to the Portrait Gallery.  We crossed over to see an exhibit , The Civil War and American Art, that examines how American artists represented the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath.  There were amazing works from the Hudson River Valley artists, Bierstadt, Church and Gifford, and, for me, a new look at Winslow Homer. Here is a video trailer of the show.   There is a large, beautiful atrium that connects the two museums.  We sat there for a lunch and rest before heading out to the National Gallery

The National Gallery, about 20 minute walk, took us past the Naval Memorial.  It had lovely high relief sculptures circling a open area.  The National Gallery is exhibiting Pre-Raphaelites, one of Wayne's top see list schools of art.  He fell in love with them while attending Oxford University.  They hold several levels of engagement for him.  This show was a curator's coup.  Neither of us have seen such a large grouping before.  There were 130 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and decorative art objects.  It was a fabulous show.  

We ended our day with dinner at Caiba (pronounced Say-Bah), a Latin American restaurant near the hotel.  You can see my interesting fish dish on flickr.  We had Italian Cream Cake for dessert back at the hotel provided by Aunt Juanita.  A perfect ending to a perfect day.  Flickr Pictures Here.

Washington DC

National Women in the Arts Museum:  Freya Grand Landscapes

We are in DC staying at our usual Hilton Hotel which is in a perfect location for us.  We are about .5 mile from the mall and the White House.  After checking in and eating at Cafe Mozart, another regular dining spot when we are here, we walked 2 blocks to The National Women in the Arts Museum.  In a small gallery on the first floor was a show by Freya Grand of landscapes she painted from visits to remote uninhabited places in Ecuador, Peru, Scotland, Ireland, Botswana and the Pacific Northwest.  I am glad we saw this as Grand develops the compositions of her paintings and drawings in her studio.  This means she is using photography and memory to paint the idea and emotional content in the landscape rather than an exact replication.  She certainly captured that idea in her paintings of Scotland.  Having just been there it was so clear how she had captured the essence of the place. 
We met Adam at the hotel for dinner and caught up on family, work and future plans.  Flickr pics.

Woodbridge, VA

Driving Cat

We've been doing nothing but driving the last 2 days, 7 hours from Anna Maria to Walterboro, SC and 9 hours from Walterboro to Woodbridge, VA.  There were some traffic issues that slowed us a bit.  (And there was the funny incident of the driving cat.)  We had a grand welcome at Juanita's and Carlton's.  Sandra and her beau, Todd, were there.  Juanita, the grandest hostess of all, had a full meal cooked for us.  Discussions were lively as always with them.  We criticized the sequestration which is personally affecting Butch and Sandra, analyzed the newest and oldest of movies, elaborated upon the Ai Weiwei show at the Hirshhorn.  A soothing end to a long day of driving. 

Perfectus

Christy and the Sarasota Art Center

Today was the final day of a wonderful and most relaxing month on Anna Maria Island.  I have high marks for the culture, one of civility, cheerfulness and openness.  We were told that the house we have rented for next year would be available for a visit today.  Before noon we picked up the key and drove over.  We are thrilled with it.  The flickr link includes a video of it.  Following the house visit we drove over to Sarasota.  They have a small community Art Center we visited last year and were impressed with.  Again this year the members juried show was hung as well as two invitational shows.  The members show is surprisingly good, the best being unusual takes on a subject or creative use of materials.  One of the invitational shows is an annual event in which artists from around Sarasota produce pieces of fashion from avant-garde materials.  The most interesting pieces were ones which surprised me when I realized what the materials were, i.e. a glittery gown made from pasta shapes that I first thought was threads and metals.  The second invitational, Child's Play, challenged artists to portray their formative years where "they were most likely a bully, victim, bystander or up stander-with the later being the least popular group. ... Some objects represent joy, other works, images of confusion and sorrow.reflect upon their formative years, they were most likely a bully, victim, bystander or up stander-with the later being the least popular group."  From the Art Center we walked up the street to a gem and jewelry show.  I anticipated jewelers selling unique and intriguing pieces.  Instead, it was vendors selling low end beads.  Back home, we're all packed and ready to hit the road tomorrow.  First stop Walterville, SC.  Pictures and video at flickr.

A Good Walk

Anna Maria, Bean Point

Wayne and I walked together today taking the beach route.  We walked completely around the end of the Island, known as Bean Point, over to the Tampa Bay side.  It was a good walk.  We stopped in at the Waterfront Restaurant again to repeat our experience with the fish tacos.  Still the best I've ever had.  On the way back to the house we finished off visiting any shop we had missed.  After a month we still love it here and are looking forward to next year.  Pictures of the walk are at flickr.  

Anna Maria

I began my day with a walk.  It is showing signs of spring here with plants that have new leaves and flowering trees.  I haven't seen any bulbs popping up.  But maybe they aren't prevalent here.  They might need a good freeze that doesn't happen here.  I think the plant pictured above is some sort of Magnolia.  The unopened leaf was about 12 inches long and the entire plant was approximately 10 feet tall and 12 feet around.  But it grew to the ground and was shaped like a bush.  I think it would make a nice painting.  Later, Wayne and I took a bike ride along our regular route which takes us to the end of the island and back along Tampa Bay.  

Singing in the Rain

Waterfront Restaurant, Anna Maria

It was pouring rain today; the first substantial, extended rain we have had since arriving.  We thought, "a perfect day to attend the movies and see Life of Pi".  We headed over to Bradenton for a 1:30 movie.  Upon entering the lobby I couldn't even see where the line began and where the crowds ended.  It seems everyone had the same idea.  Who would have thought on a Tuesday afternoon there would be so many people with nothing to do.  Well!  Anyone who thought for a second would.  The whole of the area is comprised of retired folk with too much money and too much time on their hands.  Before we could even have time to get bored standing in line, came the announcement, "Life of Pi is sold out."  Back in the car and back to Anna Maria we headed.  We changed our plans to shopping for Anna Maria Island t-shirts.  There are countless shops for such items.  In fact, every type store stocks tourist needs and wants; grocery, liquor, you name it, they have a t-shirt.  As we finished shopping, the sun came out and we decided to have our 2nd lunch of the day at The Waterfront Restaurant which faces Tampa Bay.  We had the best fish tacos ever!!!  No need to cook dinner when you've had two lunches!  

Friends and Neighbors

Kites Flying on Anna Maria Beach

Other than our normal day of living large, the only thing out of the ordinary today was that we locked ourselves out of the house.  That in itself would be annoying enough, but we also happened to be on the second floor deck.  Wayne had boiled some shrimp and we were enjoying them when the door slammed shut.  "I hope we're not locked out,"  I said.  And when Wayne tested the door saying, "oh, no,"  I of course laughed at his joke.  NO JOKE.  Although I did laugh a lot.  The deck is about 20 feet off the ground and cantilevers out.  No way to every get off without a broken bone or two.  From experience, we knew people would be walking past to see the sunset.  We bided our time and sure enough, Connie our neighbor came by.  Her first response was, "Jump.  I'll catch you.'  Now, the little added complication is that Connie has the beginnings of Alzheimer's.  It took some convincing to get her to go up the stairs and come in to let us out.  Thank goodness the outside door was unlocked.  At first, she just opened the door and was going to leave.  After some convincing, she came in and let us out.   
We walked down to the beach for the sunset.  Connie was there with Howard, her husband.  She lived in Lowell, MA and he is from Alabama.  It's quite convivial at the sunset ritual.  There are a lot of pictures of the sunset and day at the beach on flickr.