Summer Nights & Summer Reads...

On Independence Day I like to take in a city Symphony Concert followed by a great city fireworks display. But this year we opted to stay home, watch A Capital Fourth on PBS, live from DC; Macy's New York City Fireworks on the Hudson River Parkway, a great place in and of itself, on NBC (and no one, except maybe Disney, does Fireworks like Macy's); and the 1812 Overture by the amazing Boston Pops on the Charles River (a GREAT place to run) in Boston, on CBS. With surround sound, we've enjoyed great music without the crowds and traffic. Our first "empty-nester's" 4th of July Cookout was fun: brats, fruit salad, deviled eggs, etc. We're also really enjoying a surprise find this summer: Fine Irish murder mystery books and British Television's "Midsomer Murders" on dvd. From the library we check out 5 at a time and watch one nightly. Take Agatha Christie, Murder She Wrote, and Diagnosis Murder, tweak 'em together and put it on a bit of steroids, and you've got this really great series, "Midsomer Murder". We began watching them before our Ireland trip, but while there British t.v. channel "TV1" showed episodes, so we felt at home.
For fellow history buffs.... David McCullough's latest book "The Greater Journey: American in Paris" deals with American's in Paris from 1830 thru 1900. Charlie Rose interviewed him tonight on PBS. Great next book to read. If anyone else plans to read it, let me know: let's plan on doing book talk emails, chapter-by-chapter
Be Well. Do Good.

Ireland & New York, Two Trips in One

An early summer trip to Ireland followed by time in New York City.... a lot of fun. Ireland was cold in mid June, but green and beautiful. It's rolling hills, quilt-like with fences made not by wood nor wire, but rather, green-growth bushes, makes for a unique pastoral beauty. Dublin is a large city with fine public transportation. With their Irish accents, the people are warm and helpful. "The Book of Kells" written in 800 A.D. was unique. Housed in famed Trinity College (which felt very much like we were in a Harry Potter book/movie) in Dublin's City Centre, this unique work of biblical art, influenced by Celtic culture & design, was worth seeing. Also, a unique Viking Tour of Dublin was worth our time. Unsuspectingly, we were allowed to go deep into underground crypts, seeing not only coffins, but leather skeletons. In fact, we were allowed to touch the hand of a Crusader. A train trip to southern Ireland's Cork region was especially fun. There on Ireland's southern coast we enjoyed a fine Museum "Queenstown Story" that highlighted the last place where the Titanic ship had taken on passengers: many of those 3rd class Irish immigrants featured in the movie. "Cove" is the English translation, from the Gaelic, for this little Celtic village with such rich history. Cork was also the site of Blarney Castle where the Blarney Stone was kissed, albeit lying down, head back and kissing this stone of historical significance, at the top of the castle. I was thankful for bars to hold onto as well as a man there that held me so that I wouldn't fall down, head first, to the ground so far below, where a beautiful garden lay; but dark, because it was a Poison Garden: all the plants growing therein were poisonous. Seems the keeper of the castle liked to have ready-available poisons in the event that an evening dinner guest ticked him off.

A fine meal with Irish music and storytelling was enjoyed one evening at Ireland's oldest pub, dating back to 1198. That my plundering & traveling Danish Viking ancestors may have been at this very pub back in the day was not lost on me. (I prefer to think that my Viking heritage is from one of the tribes that did not raid, but rather, stayed in Denmark where fishing for herring and agriculture pursuits were preferred over murder and theft. Of the 5 different Viking tribes, three were peaceful and opted to stay at home.) The Viking Splash land/water tour was a lot of fun too.

The River Liffey is a fine river that divides Dublin in two sections: the south side and the north side. I loved all the pedestrian bridges that span it, especially the "ha penny" (half penny) bridge. On a Sunday evening, (the sun didn't go down until 10:30) I took a nice walk thru a residential area and enjoyed unique plants and although very small, some very nice manicured yards. Irish wool mills were wonderful places to see hand woven sweaters. The country was strong financially in the 1990's, earning the nickname Celtic Tiger years. But now.... the country is experiencing extreme difficulties related to the worldwide economic recession beginning in 2007. Things are very, very expensive, and one pays, literally, for everything. To my surprise, they are dealing with an acute problem of Senior Citizen suicides. The country's economic problems have depleted the retirement accounts of the populace, and so those that had worked hard their entire lives are now left without retirement funds. This, understandably, has left them very bitter and angry. Also, religion, in general, is largely questioned. Bishops in the Catholic Church have been caught in lies and scandals leaving the populace distrusting and loathing religion. There is a faction of the population, in fact, that opts to relinquish all Christianity and return to the rites of the ancient Celts.

We enjoyed watching "hurling", on t.v. at nights. NOT the hurling game where my young daughters would fake throwing up, but rather, this most amazing competitive game where men compete in a kind of LaCrosse/Baseball/Soccer/Football sport. It is an amazing and wonderful sport. We really enjoyed this. It's fast paced, and requires great skill. Google it. Learn more about it. Hurling. A great game! One of my favorite parts of the trip was finding the Irish National Stadium and track where I was given permission to run at daily. It was a fine, fine track.

But....my favorite place to run is Central Park in New York, and it was there, upon our return that once again I ran over the many beautiful stone and wrought iron bridges and arches. For a unique treat to yourself, google these words: Bridges of Central Park, and then look at "images". What a fun place to run. We took in the opening night presentation of the ballet Cinderella by the American Ballet Company at Lincoln Center. I love that place. Yes, Broadway and the theater district where we stayed is always fun, Times Square is fun. But it is Lincoln Center where rich culture lives. We again attended a session at the Manhattan Temple across the street from Lincoln Center. I love how all the door handles there are brass motifs of the liberty torch on the Statue of Liberty. Simple, but very classy. And so being back in New York again was especially wonderful.
Be well. Do good.

BYU Singers at Sacred Heart Church

So I'm reading today's mail, in particular "The Mormon Times" newspaper, and I happen to look at happenings in Colorado, when I see that listed for our area, tonight, is the BYU Singers, a fine choral group in the chamber-music style, that I've liked for the longest time. Luck? I think not. I NEVER check that section because it doesn't apply to me; usually it's for Young Single Adults, so I stopped looking at it long ago.

Long story short: I went to the concert. My wife had Church meetings and could not go. I managed to get a last minute ticket and then wormed my way up to the 3rd row and asked if I could sit there in a spot that was vacant. 3rd row.

To my surprise it was a joint concert between BYU Singers and my local college/alma mater, Adams State. I've performed under the direction of the Adams State choral director, Beth, just a couple of years ago in our Community Chorale when we did Mozart's Vesperae Solemns" a difficult but beautiful requime. So I knew she was good.
And I've long admired BYU's conductor Ronald Staheli. And here there were, together in our little area, in this wonderful catholic cathedral with fabulous acoustics in a stained-glass nave. Both conductors were cordial and warm and complimentary of one another's respective choirs. Staheli paid tribute to our valley, the beauty of it, and the privlege of performing in this Catholic church with it's murals of Jesus. Good will and warmth, not snobbery nor snide slurs, was the mood of the night. The concert was flawless. Staheli had his group perform a piece by one of my favorite British conductors, John Rudder, "The Wings of the Morning", complete with flute and violin accompaniment.
One expects this kind of music to be sung in both English and Latin, but the BYU Singers performed beautifully in French, German, and Russian as well. Their repertoire was amazing, including a Celtic Invocation, a selection set to the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson (There is Sweet Music Here by L. J. White), and a new-to-me "When Summer Sets" (Jay Matthew Butler, born, 1981), that includes in it's text these poignant words: "God hears my prayer. I know He is there, and I am at peace." A beautiful hymn by Johannes Brahms, done in German had these English-translated lyrics:
"When we are in greatest distress and know not what to do, And find neither help nor counsel even when we seek it early and late, Thus our only consolation is to implore Thee together, O faithful God, For rescue out of anxiety and misery. Look not at our great sins, but speak to us out of mercy. Stand by us in our misery and make us free from all sorrow, So that we can afterwards thank Thee from the heart, And be obedient to Thy word."
All music was beautiful, all chords true. It was sublime. Extremely sublime.
Be Well. Do Good.

Easter in Oregon

The Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon is a great place to see rolling hill-fields in mass colors. It's also a great place for a grandpa to take his granddaughter on a Cow-Car Train ride on Good Friday. What fun we had! And being with our granddaughter on their porch, as she opened confetti eggs, and hearing her say: "Wow Wee Neat!" was the best thing that's happened to me in ages.
The suburbs of Portland have lots of great Easter Egg hunts on the Saturday before Easter. Again.... more fun.
Be Well. Do Good.

The Summer Art of Robert Duncan

Fortunate Beyond Words...& then Palmyra/Niagara Falls

As I type I'm watching a program that chronicles the lives of a couple that have, over the years and as a result of watching/responding to a CBS News broadcast in 1975 regarding the fall of Saigon, adopted 21 children. Part of the program also deals with a man that has developed technology that helps severely physically/mentally challenged people. And so my planned post to discuss feelings and show photographs of a recent trip to the Finger Lakes region of western New York state, seems seemingly mundane. Suffice it to say, I'm most appreciative for the many things I take for granted.

Spring Break 2011. Empty nesters. We flew to Buffalo, New York. Had a great experience attending LDS sunday services, meet a wonderful stake president that had his priorities together. Pres. Dayton lost his wife Kathy to cancer 7 years ago. But he's rooted and grounded and spoke of trials and agency as a way to help us "...develop the attributes of God." Good man. An older man there also shared the opposite of agency: his memories as a child in Siberia under the regime of Stalin. "I was a little boy and my mother and I were told to shop on Tuesdays. We were told how much we could buy, beans, wheat, milk, and how much we could not buy." Whew.

In 5th grade I learned about the Erie Canal, I've been so interested. So seeing it, running along it actually on an afternoon run, stopping and looking at the old locks, the new locks, etc., was of interest. This in "The Queen of Canal Towns: Palmyra" But there was a dark feeling there, one of "canal rats", profanity and meanness, that I didn't expect. And while the town of Palmyra itself did nothing for me, I did love the Grandin Building, a 3 story remodeled and restored printing shop and bookstore. I gained great respect for the young owner and printer E.B. Grandin and is business savvy wife. Here the Book of Mormon was printed. Great place in it's bright yellow interior paint and red brick exterior. Yeah, a very good place.

South of little Palmyra lies the farm of father Joseph Smith Sr. and his spirited little wife, Lucy Mack Smith. Here, the Sacred Grove is found. Here the little log cabin where Moroni appeared if found. Here, the larger Smith Home, orchard, coppers shed, and thrashing barn are located, as well as an original Black Elm (or black locust) tree planted at the time of the death of 24 year old son/brother Alvin Smith. We later found in Palmyra his grave. I certainly feel a feeling of love and respect for Alvin now. And I admire the work ethic of this family. On the floors of the Smith home are what appear to be rugs, but in fact are replicas of "painted oil cloths" Lucy Mack hand painted. These table coverings were painted by her and sold for supplemental income. I've seen countless kitchens from this era in homes in Nauvoo, Kirtland, etc., but I was warmed by the replicated dried herb "spice rack" in that home.

I took a daily run for an hour up and down and around and around The Hill Cumorah 2+ miles south of the Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove. A new appreciation for Joseph was gained. It's a HUGE distance in forested hills, where he ran from evil men. We drove to Fayette, New York and saw the Peter Whitmer Sr. farm, toured the replica cabin where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church was restored/founded. It was an unseasonably cold, windy day. But inside, the chapel and visitors center were warm (exterior and interior completely white) and in the little cabin...an amazing feeling of peace.

I've gained a new respect for not only the Whitmers, including Mary,the mother, sometimes referred to as "the 4th Witness", but also of Martin Harris. We found his farm site, and understood for the 1st time why when everyone back in the day held a 100 acre farm, but Harris has a 200 acre farm: 100 acres were mortgaged to pay Grandin's cost for $3,000 for the publication of the Book of Mormon.

And so when after we attended a night session at the Palmyra Temple and then drove back to Buffalo for our flight the next day, we were surprised that we felt saddened to leave the area. Our "home" was a wonderful place: The Palmyra Inn. I brought back flat glacieral split flat rocks and green growth material from The Sacred Grove. But mostly I brought back a memory of a place hollow and sacred.

Niagara Falls and the Buffalo Botanical Gardens (designed by one of my favorite landscape designers Fredrick Omstead, designer of Central Park in NYC) were fun to see, yes, but the highlight was the area south of Palmyra. Nauvoo, Illinois and Winter Quarters (Omaha area) remain my favorite Church historical sites. I've seen tons of them: Vermont's birthplaces of both Joseph and Brigham, Independence (Kansas City) and other Missouri sites (Hauns Mill, Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Gallatin, Liberty Jail, RLDS - Community of Christ temple and tabernacle replica, Temple Lot); Nauvoo, Illinois, Kirtland & Hiram, Ohio, etc. But I'm really glad we went on this trip, it was great being with my wife. We gained a huge understanding for geographic distances. We understand now things like distances from Palmyra to/from Harmony, Penn. And so the story of Martin Harris and the lost 116 transcript pages takes on new meaning for us.
Be well. Do good.

Alison Balsom 12/8 Letterman (TheAudioPerv.com)

I played trumpet when I was young, mostly so I could go on trips. But our oldest child and daughter, really took to the trumpet with all her heart. Trumpeter Alison Balsom reminds me of this daughter. So when Leterman featured/highlighted the USA premiere of Alison, I knew those of you that read my blog and know me, would also enjoy...
Be Well. Do good.