Bang on a Can Marathon and Biggers at MassMoca

 Yesterday my ears were opened to sound. We attended the 11th annual music marathon and heard an incredible range of innovative musicians and inspiring composers. From the gurgling groans and rhaspy whispers of the soprano opera singer to the sounds of paper sliding across table surfaces (thank heavens my forgotten cell phone didn't ring during that performance!), to the punctuating breath of the clarinetist's intake, and the manila-envelop-altered piano keys for Schnee, Canon 2B, to the percussion flower pots, electric guitars and more... these musicians are culminating a summer of studies in the idealistic persuit to make the music for the world they WANT to live in. It is not called "contemporary" or "modern", but "present" music. Ken Thomson- an incredible saxaphonist improvisational artist...

 and- here- Todd Reynolds, an amazing violinist... I could listen to him all night...

 The Sanford Biggers exhibition next door to the concert hall was a good visual for the experience as well. bI will write more abut that later...

As far as the music, my favorites during the 7 hours... so many... were the 9 minute excerpt of an over hour long composition by Hans Abrahamsen called Schnee, Canon 2B, and Steve Reich's finale called 2x5, and Jeffrey Brooks' After the TreeWatcher and Julia Wolf's Lick. WOW. What a great world we live in. Mass Moca's Bang on a Can summer festival.

Studio view end of summer review

 I've had a bit of fun working in the spare bedroom. But now I am headed to my old stomping grounds and the memories of past studios start to haunt me...

 This room is bright and spacious with high ceilings! I love it when my boys visit, so the bed is always ready for them.

 I worked for years in a basement with plastic walls fitted for processing poultry! I put up a large panel to paint against. No windows at all.

After a brief sojourn in a rented place in the village I returned to the farm- only this time I started working in the loft of my dad's barn. It is a magical place, with skylights, high ceilings, and often really good music! I can't wait to get back there next week!

When it comes to doing small paintings

... I'd rather be doing something else these days...

I love my sketchbook! and the novel I am reading! And my patio garden! And even cooking is fun!?!

Eat well and honor the farmer

Tomato, basil and mozzarella! Ummmm

Halfway there with a change up

A bouquet of cranes
brings imminent changes
Could be good.
Signs are miss leading.

#24 in Series of 50 ways to find Joy

Sketchbook from the roadtrip

 Outside along the highway and inside my head

 Interstate 75 heading north, Interstate 95 heading south, Route 27 along edge of the Everglades,  the 386 and 326 exchange

 My ideal bedroom decor, my room at Mom's, dreams of the imperfect family

Making time for the Mango Festival with Michael

Only in Miami

A rocking cycle party through Wynwood's Saturday Night Walk. (I refuse to call it an "art walk" because nobody is looking at art). It's all about being seen, the spectacle, the flea market type of sidewalk vendors, the beer, and the food trucks. By the time we left, the galleries we wanted to visit had closed and the streets were still mobbed with hyped up partiers. If you rode the streets on the Cycleparty.com machine you were not (yet) served anything (BYOB) but you signed a contract disclosing your social media contact information.

The Mango Fest continues today

 Medics, pies, plants and our take home loot! Kenny's Pie's in small samples made my eyes roll in a swoon.... the mango medics were a nice distraction. They answered questions about ailments and diagnosed individual fruit problems. Coming from a family of doctors I am used to hearing about disease, blah, blah, blah, while eating. I didn't let a little topic of tropical rot stop me from shopping!

 Trees are each $35.

Fairchild grown mangoes are $2 each and various deals on bottles of jam, ketchup, and chutney!
Fairchild Botanical Garden

A Miami Mango festival

It is a bit of heaven on earth at the Fairchild Gardens this weekend!

Hundreds of happy people lined up to see the variety of mangoes on display for auction. There were over 200 varieties to feast our eyes on.

And yes- there was a tasting tent set up nearby and we went through it about three times, making notes and not taking any pictures because our hands were too full (sorry).

I love the long leggy versus the round and red, the smooth against the rough... the variety is astounding. And so it is with taste too. We narrowed our top favorites to the Florida mangoes such as the Beverly- which is so tangy it has to be served mixed with another variety, and the Kent- I leaned to it because it is my son's name, but it's a peachy sweet too, and the Fair Ruby- both fibrous and SWEET.

The Cac from Vietnam is described as citrus and peach with a floral bouquet. Lemon yellow flesh. Our favorites from overseas to our taste buds were the Mallika (Indonesia) soft and smokey, and the Nam Doc Mai (Thailland), pure sweetness.

The Fairchild variety was selected by Dr. David Fairchild in the 1920's from the panama Canal zone. It is tasty and among the "most ornamental" of the mango trees. The Graham, which thrives in moist tropical areas, has a thick skin good for rough handling and yet a fibreless orange soft and juicy pulp.

Look at these teeny wild mangoes!!!! Aren't they adorable?

Who thinks up these names?

Michael can't help fondling every one.

The Campus Tour through Florida's best

Clocking nearly 20 hours on the road since last Sunday, through thundershowers, brush fires and countless just-minutes-before car crashes, my son and I toured 5 schools in as many days! We compared the scent of the Gulf waves to the smell of the Atlantic breezes. We navigated city traffic to enjoy pizza in college villages and stroll by university pools. He imagined himself in the classrooms while I marveled at the man child beside me. It has been a good time.

So much of it is about standing in the moment before a big change, and having the resourcefulness to keep a sense of humor, gather wits, talk out a few dreams, and be flexible with conclusions. The car hours actually were for me the richest time of all... we chatted about politics, religion, our history, family, changing health, movies, new passions, and more. When we arrived at the campuses we appreciated the best they had to offer and compared notes. I am struck by how insightful and strong my little boy is! And I am impressed by the schools, both public and private, that Florida has to offer.

Sketchbook update

 Covering a lot of ground this week- tackling old art themes, scheduling appointments, hitting the road and escaping to the beach