|
| Amazing...I was, as Nanci Griffith says, a child of the Sixties...I saw the train of change, watched the marchers, heard the cries of hatred...watched MLK speak at the feet of Lincoln... It is still difficult for me to imagine enough change in America to have an African-American be elected to the presidency. As late as Monday evening, I was still not convinced that enough people who had told pollsters of their intention to vote for Obama would actually do so. I don't know if his executive leadership will be up to the standards of his rhetoric. I know that many of my conservative friends believe that Obama is to some degree the Antichrist (even though he only has 5 letters in his name). Thankfully, our country's political structure is such that no one man or woman can completely dominate it. Even FDR was not totally able to rewire Washington the way he wanted to do. As was noted in a conversation I had last night, the country survived Clinton, and has survived Bush... He might be a terrible disappointment. But he might also be the catalyst for a rebirth of American spirit and hope, and he might also lead a new generation to reinvigorate American politics. Regardless, his election marks a major turning point in what is possible in America...and that's amazing. | | |
| From the Page B&BWe've had a busy couple of weeks.
After Mark & Mary came through a couple of weeks ago, Dawn's sister Sue, her son Joe and daughter Teresa, Teresa's son Josh and Teresa's SO Paul, came for most of a week. (They arrived on Tuesday and left on Sunday.) Their visit included a day in The City, and a trip to Stew Leonard's.
As soon as they left on Sunday morning, Kim and the kids came in that afternoon. We're enjoying their visit, too; we'll head into the City on Friday, to the Danbury RR Museum on Saturday, and possibly to the Jersey shore on Sunday!
Who's next? | | |
| I can't believe he left out Brubeck!Have you seen it?
There's a new book out from Workman Publishing called "1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die," by music critic Tom Moon. It's a hefty little book, coming in at nearly 1000 pages, including indices, and the author lists just that: 1,000 recordings (most of them albums) that he thinks are important.
My wife decided I needed this book, so I got it. It would give me hours of pleasure, she said. I could keep it next to my chair and pick it up to browse, she said.
What she didn't say, because we didn't know, was that I would end up yelling at the book the same way I yell at the radio sometimes, and for the same reason: He's wrong!
Oh, not about everything. He correctly deems Carole King's “Tapestry" album to be excellent (even if he doesn't go far enough and declare it the best pop album ever recorded). He praises one album each by Chicago, and Lyle Lovett, and the Eagles, and James Taylor, and Emmylou Harris – in every case, one of their earliest works.
But...no Brubeck. No Glenn Miller. No George Shearing or Nancy Wilson. And don't get me started on the folk singers who are not represented!
The author's blog doesn't have a "what were you thinking!?!"
So I guess I need to read a bit more of the book, to see what else I can argue with the author about!
I hate it when Dawn's right and I'm wrong...wish it happened less often. | | |
| On the trailLast weekend, driving along in western Massachusetts and Connecticut, we realized how close we were to the Appalachian Trail. So I did some investigation, and learned that there are two places fairly close by where one can access the trail and hike along it. One of these is south of us, along the River, where the trail heads back up into the hills after crossing the River; the other is just east of us about 15 miles.
So yesterday we put on good shoes, and I got my hat, and we headed to the eastern edge of the county, where we parked in a small lot and started out on the trail!
So here I am ready to head out:
And here's Dawn pointing out the trail marking -- the blue slash on the tree:
And here I am next to a trail kiosk, with the map of this section:
We didn't go a long way, but we had a good time!
And later, Mark and Mary (and their dogs!) dropped in to spend the night on their way back from Ohio to Jacksonville. We had a great visit; wish it could have been longer!
| | |
| While we were out...Things we've been doing this past week or so...
1. Shakespeare under canvas
Last Friday evening we had the pleasure of attending a performance of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare—Abridged! The three-man cast took us through "thirty-seven plays in ninety-seven minutes." I don't know when the last time was that I laughed so hard.
The festival is held on the stunning grounds of the lovely Boscobel mansion, across the Hudson River from West Point. From the grounds, we were able to watch the sunset over the river, and we wandered through the formal gardens.
2. Books and more books
On Saturday we took a drive along the Taconic Parkway, almost to the very end of the highway in East Chatham, New York. This is the edge of the Berkshires, bordering the western edge of Massachusetts. It was a beautiful drive, with deer along the parkway and vistas around every turn.
The northbound portion of the trip terminated, as noted just east of East Chatham, where we spent some happy time among the stacks of a rare/used book store called The Librarium. I am happy to report that we spent less than expected on the books we got by Gladys Taber, Grace Livingstone Hill, Eudora Welty, and others.
3. Diabetes and me
Last week I had an opthamology exam to determine if my diabetic retinopathy had worsened. It hasn't. The doctor said it looked like I was doing an acceptable job of controlling my blood sugars. Yay.
And it should get better. Yesterday I started using a new medication called Byetta, which is expected to give me even better control, while not hindering weight loss as Metformin does. And this morning my fasting blood sugar was under 80! Yay!
TTFN
| | |
|
