Sunday, February 25, 2024

Prelude to the Blue Ridge Parkway

 


We shall be returning to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the summer of '24 with our dear friends from Charlotte, NC and our dear friends from Germany. In the meantime, we shall continue to enjoy the slightly nearer treks and stays in Cloudland Canyon and Rabun Gap, Dillard and Highlands. The days of the Dillard House may now be numbered since being bought by a company in Atlanta. The promise is of an expanded and luxurious resort there. We know how those promises usually turn out. 

https://whatnowatlanta.com/upgrades-coming-to-the-dillard-house/

Here are glimpses and comments from our stays in North Georgia and North Carolina.




How did I imagine old age? Sitting in a rocking chair like the ones on our balconies over the years, taking in the view of mountains or forest, hiking down to the waterfall, or up to the scenic overlook, enjoying good meals, spending precious time basking in the love of my husband of many decades. and sharing it all with friends. Whether the Stars, Planets, and the Milky way, or a total eclipse of the sun, or the nod of a a beautiful horse, there is so much to enrich life up here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 







The Road to Highlands, Autumn









 






Cloudland Canyon



Our favorite Cottage/Cabin









  
Spring Cherry Tree








Friday, December 29, 2023

Holidays

 


The center piece of the 2023 Holidays is our train journey to New Orleans. Unlike Proust's novel, it was not a case of the past recaptured. There was certainly nostalgia and longtime friendship involved. Yet, I felt New Orleans was somehow diminished. Perhaps things that have impressed me for decades no longer sparkle so brightly. Perhaps I am diminished. The numerous pleasures and revelations of  relationships and variations on the menage-a-trois I experienced in New Orleans are only dreamlike now, very fond memories and nothing more. Well, what did I expect? Only the Rémoulade Shrimp Darryl had at Galatoire's, which he shared with me, had the savor I recall so vividly. 

Our stay in the lovely, eccentric, timeless Parkview Hotel on Audubon Park was a joy. Remind me, if I'm ever there again, to stay in room 20 with its grand view of the park and its ample balcony. Our second floor room was fine, especially with the jacuzzi. It too had  a balcony on which I managed to sit and read. The hotel lobby with its Peacock Bar, and a gorgeous Christmas tree, also with peacock ornaments, was a delight. We all imbibed the free cream sherry always replenished with fine crystal sherry glasses. The breakfasts were fairly good and certainly adequate, far better than breakfasts we paid for in the French Quarter. 



Audubon Park gave us walks and 500+ ducks to watch. Swans and white egrets also appeared in this sanctuary. Walking paths and the bridge I remembered enhanced our strolls. Tulane brought back memories of my first philosophy teaching experience and my defense of my doctoral dissertation. The houses around Tulane and along St. Charles Ave glowed in their rich grandeur.

New Orleans provided plenty of renewed friendship: Wolfgang and Sebastian, Maggie and Jocelin, and Katie, our ever gracious hostess. We rode the street car to the Quarter, dined at Frankie and Johnny's, The Napoleon House. With Katie we dined at Commander's, Antoine's, and Galatoire's, all attended by hordes of diners and wait staff. The food was good, impressive, and diminished from my memory of times past. 




One tourist event stands out from the rest: our ride on the Natchez Riverboat with its highly enjoyable jazz band. We also heard a great jazz band at the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street on one rainy night. Loved the crowd there. And at the Rock and Bowl where we played an embarrassing game before hearing the rousing performance. All but Sebastian danced. Our holiday fun was followed by delicious Chinese cuisine at the Five Happiness

In the French Quarter, Darryl and I had a nice room with a balcony overlooking St. Ann St. at the Place D'Armes. 5 days at the Parkview and five there. Noisy but fun, I'd say. 




For all the food, the fun, the music, and the activity, I must say news trickled in from sources other than TV (where Darryl and I watched TCM and Judy Garland or Cary Grant). Even on holiday in New Orleans, the planet's destruction by climate change and corrupt politics cannot be ignored. The awareness of disaster grows; there is a sense of anxiety everywhere. Even my optimistic friends, like Barbie in the movie of her name, are forced to face the real world, instead of their imagined fantasy world. 





Saturday, December 02, 2023

Beethoven, Piano Sonata 32



Daniil Trifonov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8m9Lqu_t2s&ab_channel=EscuelasdeMusica

What a remarkable work of art Beethoven's 32d piano sonata is. This performance of it by Daniil Trifonov is recorded beautifully and, for me, it is incredibly moving. It has always amazed and confounded me that Beethoven, himself, could not hear it. What transcendent state of mind he must have had to be able to hear, only in his mind, what this sonata would sound like. 

The 32d Sonata was his last. As the age of 80 comes into view for me, I want nothing more than the peace of mind and simple beauty of this sonata. I've seen much of the world, had a fine life, had love, especially the love of my ever patient husband, had wonderful friends, have been told how much my teaching has meant to others. There is so much to be grateful for, so much to praise in my experience of almost four score years. 

There has also been grief and suffering in my life, the tragic loss of three profound friendships to murder, AIDS, and suicide. My own personal grief pales in the face of wars, starvation, poverty, and cruelty. Perhaps Shakespeare got humanity best when he presented us with fools strutting upon a stage, embodying the utter absurdity of the human condition. That, alas, is what I see every day. No amount of good food, or even great art, can blind me to what is happening worldwide, to what atrocities we are committing day after day. The good are not winning... Let me count the ways.

Can I live with global injustice and the horrors it spawns? I don't know. Can I count my blessings and ignore the rest? Isn't doing so, itself, contributing to the injustice? Well, I have no answers. All I can do is listen to another great work of music, or go back to sleep this early, fog enshrouded morning in Druid Hills. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwas_7H5KUs&ab_channel=BATACHANDESU


Glenn Gould











Sunday, October 29, 2023

Day of the Dead

 


Ah, if it were only I who will be dying in the decade ahead. But what better time to think of the balm of death than the Day of the Dead. 

Why, you may ask, am I so pessimistic? Well, I call it realistic. Israel and Palestine are killing thousands of innocent people in a war of bigotry. Russia and Ukraine are at war for years. Threats of future wars are simmering. The endless mass shootings continue unabated.  Climate change is killing people all over the planet. Our own Congress is run by bigots and people spreading hate. For me, no amount of good food, beverage, or travel, or even my delightful hikes in the forest and in the mountains can numb the awareness of the evil we  daily inflict on ourselves, on the animals of the world, and on the planet itself. Mankind is cruel and destructive, no matter the gorgeous art, the creativity, the genius, if you will. We are killers. Eventually we shall kill ourselves in a painful way, whether by war or by pollution. And when we hide our heads in the sand, we suffocate. 

That being said, I do want to fondly remember some the dear dead in my own life. Murder, suicide, disease, and broken hips took them. Only Dad lived into his mid-nineties. All the rest died too young. Still, how grateful I am for the lives they shared with me for so many years.