10/4 I began a new activity at North Mountain Park. There is a yearly program in the fall with elementary schools, introducing kids from kindergarten thru 2nd grade to some simple ideas about the natural world. I was away at Sitka when they did the training so signed up as an assistant instead. A good thing, I wouldn’t want to try it without some training. It goes all morning for 6 Tuesdays and is very fun. We do a little unit on the cooperation between plants and animals and used puppets for the animals and bags of appropriate food (acorns, manzanita berries). The first kids were from Jacksonville and smart and it was fun. It appeased somewhat my strong desire to interact with small kids, since my own great grandchildren are so far away. Here are some photos.
10/15 The 2nd annual Mosaic Conference was held the first weekend and was less fun than last year’s. The best work, in my opinion, was Solly’s fiery orange concoction seen below.It was done when he was a resident artist at Crater Lake last year. Unfortunately I didn’t get a very good photo, but the colors are pretty true. This was his only submission and it was not for sale. He only does 1-2 pieces a year and prices them way out of normal reach so they wont sell. He was here for coffee after I did the mosaic workshop and is a delightful person. He arrived on a Segway, swooping down my driveway like a 15-year old.
Equally fine were Karen Rycheck’s unusual slate works.
She taught the workshop I took in August. I did poorly
again with the photo but you can see how original she is.
10/19 The second concert by Rogue Valley Symphony was even finer than the first. It was a fabulous event. It featured the Dvorak Cello Concerto with soloist Amit Peled, an artist new to most of us and overwhelmingly wonderful. He was born in Israel but is now a U.S. Citizen living in Baltimore and teaching at Peabody. He plays on Pablo Casals’ cello and must have a great soul to play so movingly. I had a similar experience at the Britt several summers ago when Charlie and I were so overwhelmed by Augustin Hadelich’s playing of the Sibelius Violin Concerto we could hardly speak afterwards. Eric and I used to have such experiences like this at the LA. Phil, but I never thought they would occur in the Rogue Valley. It is Martin Majkut’s 5th year here and he is a really fine conductor who has great musical taste. We now have a first rate orchestra and very interesting programming, all a mile down the boulevard. How I don’t miss driving into LA!
10/20 Early next morning after the concert I was on my way to Klamath Lake to join 6 other members of Jane’s workshop for a weekend of painting, kayaking, birding (only me) and eating. We were in a capacious house on the waterfront which cost us each $50. On Saturday the living room looked like an atelier with 7 easels/tables scattered around and intense silence as we all completed various stages of plein air inside, listening to the rain. It was great to be able to look out the big windows and see the lake. Below is one of mine after the rain stopped and the skies began to clear. Maybe fake plein air but very much more comfortable.
It cleared on Sunday and gave us a perfect day – so still the reflections of clouds in the lake looked like the real thing. And next morning there was a breathtaking pre-sunrise sky which I photographed to paint at home. It was fun spending time with these women, as we usually talk only about painting when we’re together. What a batch of bright, interesting, liberal women! And I liked seeing different renditions of the same subject.
I got some satisfying paintings and here is one. The dramatic sky is the result of using the new acrylic mat which comes in white and gray and is magical to use.
And here’s a happy spin-off: At a coffee shop in Talent where I was meeting Peter and Anita on the morning of the first concert, Martin Majkut was in line ahead of me. He and two friends had been biking, apparently a big pastime and he does it even on concert days. I intruded into their conversation to tell him I was excited about the coming concert and especially pleased at hearing the Neilson ‘Inextinguishable’ Symphony. He was surprised (and delighted) that I was familiar with it. His friend jostled that he underestimated the sophistication of his Rogue Valley audience. When Gwyneth and I attended the pre-concert talk that evening he mentioned that he had met a delightful 90 year old fan and wondered if she was in the audience. I raised my fan and the audience murmured in unison. After the concert I emailed him how much I enjoyed the Neilson and told him a little about myself and gave him the link to my blog. He replied immediately. I did the same after the second concert and after my painting session at Klamath and sent him a photo of the above painting to which he also replied. So we now have a pen-pal thing going, which I enjoy very much.
I joined a book club in August, at Jackie’s urging. I’ve never belonged to one, altho I remember trying one out in Long Beach and one evening was enough. But this one holds promise. There are only 5 of us and two I already know and like from Mah Jongg. And the reading list looks good and it is a combined supper and discussion group and both proved enjoyable on first attendance. The 2nd one was almost 2 months later as Anne Coyle, who was to be hostess, was stricken with a serious vascular condition which has required hospitalization, chemotherapy (altho it is not cancer) and oxygen. She was better enough to host us in late October and Jackie and I drove up to her home in the Ashland Hills east of Tolman Creek Road on a Tuesday night. A fascinating person, Anne was a nun in her early life and has had many pursuits since. She is Irish and her sister was here with her for a few weeks, assisting in her recovery. I loved hearing them talk, especially her sister who is thoroughly Irish. Anne lives in a large house filled with books and mementos, with a commanding view and a very big dog. It is very isolated and probably not the best place to live when you are in questionable health. We had read the new biography of Beryl Markham, and also gone back to ‘West with the Night’, her autobiography, which we had all read decades ago. The discussion was stimulating enough to keep on going. Our next read is Kent Haruf’s last book ‘Our Souls at Night, also worth reading and discussing. Jackie is serious reader and has such a great library and is so willing to lend that I scarcely go our public library anymore. Right now I have a pile of 4 from her waiting to be read. And I just finished ‘The Oregon Trail’ which was a great read. About a pair of brothers in their 50s who did the trail in a covered wagon drawn by 3 mules, from Missouri to Oregon. Trying the stay on the original trail and over the same ruts the pioneers traveled. Their many misadventures combined with some easy-to-digest history made lively reading.
Last night (Oct 30) Sooney and I attended a fabulous fund raiser by Southern Oregon Land Conservancy at the Ashland Springs Hotel. This is a great local Land Trust that has grown steadily since we arrived here. The event was sold out, like 20 tables for 8. Gourmet food and a silent auction offering a huge variety of goodies from cases of wine to weekends in San Diego. Plus a non-silent auction offering land at $2000 for 10 acres and on down to $100 for 1/2 acre to raise money for a big acquisition of land along the Rogue River. They have always done this and they took in enough for 700 acres! Lots of money in the room, obviously. Eric used to donate every time we went. I didn’t because this month has been one of heavy spending. Car insurance, property taxes, 10,000 mile checkup and a new heating unit have made me pull back a little.
To end the month on a high note, I am about to have a really good heating/cooling unit installed in the livingroom. I have been shivering in winter for years with two small heaters that just don’t do the trick. It is called a floor-mounted mini-split, not cheap, but comes highly recommended. The City of Ashland gives owners a $1500 rebate because it is so energy efficient. The state is also enthusiastic and gives around a $1000 tax credit. It will be installed next week and should be working when Heath and Lolly arrive for my birthday. It is almost noiseless and is expected to lower my electric bill as well as keep the downstairs comfortable in all seasons. I am very excited and hope it lives up to expectations.