November is always a big month with the Thanksgiving feast and holiday dominating all. But it also contains my birthday, election day on alternate years, and the anniversary of the death of my sorely missed husband Eric, who died 6 years ago. This year the birthday celebrations expanded, and apparently will for as long as I live. But as there are not yet signs that I am fading away, next year promises to top this one.
Jenny arrived by car with NuNu (small black dog of uncertain heritage, charming but willful) just in time to help Terence and me with the clearing out of the shed. It will now accommodate a water saw for cutting glass and storage space for art materials and paintings. I am so enamored of mosaics that watercolor is taking a hit and my tiny studio is now being set up for both painting and mosaic. I finished another bird – an Atlantic Puffin with a bill full of fish and there will be a hiatus while I regroup.
The first birthday event was breakfast at the Waffle Barn, a treat from my watercolor friends – Jane Hardgrove, Elizabeth Aitken, Gene Leyden and Gigi Grizzard. Jenny enjoyed them all, and it was mutual; she will soon be spending more time here, and will then join us for our weekly painting workshop. She is accomplished in pastel, acrylic and watercolor. I asked for no gifts but still got cards, several small watercolors, and note cards made from their paintings. The birthday dinner was in Jenny’s hands and her chicken casserole was delicious, the wine flowed freely, everyone was really happy, and the conversation was rich and varied. We had 8 at the table and it barely dented the list of my friends; I would have liked to host 20 but that would not be fun, or even doable. Lolly arrived next day and the fun actually doubled. Heath could not make it, having just returned from a 3 week trip to Sicily, but sent an unbelievably funny card.
On Friday night we had such a memorable evening I am still in a state of excitement when I recall it; and it requires a short back story. When Eric and I move to Ashland in 1999 we left behind several pleasures that were very important to or quality of life (especially mine). They were our easy and regular access to the ocean, and to great, live classical music. I was addicted to long beach walks, jumping waves at Sunset Beach, tide pooling, grunion nesting, and fluorescent bay waters in summer were part of every year. And we were both classical music lovers and long-time subscribers to the L.A. Philharmonic and the New Music series, the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and its innovative opera, and all Long Beach State University department concerts (including a special Shostakovich festival which was our initial exposure to this fabulous composer, and in which our daughter Jenny played violin). Music was a serious part of our recreational lives. In Ashland we attended the first RVSO concert of the season and left at intermission. It was reminiscent of the interminable high-school concerts in Long Beach we attended because one of our daughters was playing in it. So we settled for the summer Britt festival where we became regular attendees. Intermittent trips to LA, SF and Portland were also timed for concerts.
Improvements in RVSO came with the arrival of a new conductor, Martin Majkut, in 2010 and accelerated rapidly after he arrived. Word got around that it was moving towards first class. How true. I became a subscriber and have not missed a concert since. After each one I am only sad that Eric is no longer here to enjoy it. As for the ocean, no such eventuality is possible, but I manage to spend time on the coast every summer.
On Friday Jenny, Lyle and I attended the 3rd RVSO concert which featured Bella Hristova playing a violin concerto by her husband David Ludwig, who was here as well. The work was commissioned by 8 symphony orchestras including ours, and is part of our 50th anniversary year. It was dedicated to marriage, was romantic, and wonderful. I usually find that new works need many listenings before they come together; this one was splendid on first hearing. At the reception afterwards we enjoyed talking with both soloist and composer.
Jenny is professional musician on both violin and viola, and has been playing at Britt since our arrival in Ashland. One of my dreams was that she would also play in the RVSO, but she now lives on Whidbey Island in Washington, reason enough to make that unrealizeable. But life can take strange turns, and one was that Carla Ecker became concertmaster of RVSO in September. She and Jenny were close friends and colleagues together in Tucson who lost touch with each other years ago. When I asked Jenny if she knew Carla she was thrilled and immediately wrote her – but to an old and deleted address. So Jenny, who was coming to Ashland for my birthday knew she would be seeing her but Carla was completely in the dark, and when she walked in to the reception and there was Jenny, she was truly dumbfounded. There followed a fast and happy conversation that raced at top speed thru the intervening years and left Lyle and me breathless. Here they are.
Carla commutes from Phoenix, AZ and when she learned that Jenny played in Britt and lived within possible commuting distance she asked if she had any interest in playing here, as a sub was in needed in the 1st violins. After Martin joined the discussion, the outcome is that Jenny will sub for the 3 remaining concerts, and then audition if she wants to join the orchestra as a full-timer. I hope that’s all correct, but I was by then so dazed I could have mis-remembered. What was clear was that Jenny would be coming as a sub in the winter concerts and playing in two orchestras in the Rogue Valley. I am a big winner in this event. Jenny has her stellar reputation to thank for this opportunity, which gives her reason to be here regularly with me as well as play great music with a fine orchestra in winter.Whidbey Island has many pluses, but they are mostly its splendid natural features like seabird and whale watching not classical music or theater.
The next morning Jenny Lyle, Kat Smith and I did a driveway painting up the street – two poppies entwined. We hope to do more but there is now a hiatus, as the December weather has arrived.
And now to take a deep breath before writing about Thanksgiving.