Peaceful people being slaughtered in diverse places of worship, the dismantling of long-held beliefs, tenets, and humane policies, the ‘raping’ of a society by warped plutocrats... not a very comforting atmosphere in which to endure. Aside from trying to effect change through the ballot box, we have little else with which to fight back, so, since neither of us can play the fiddle, we’ve resorted to retreating into areas of beauty that distract us from the daily horrors that continually impinge on our sang froid.
We’ve retreated into music, art and the out-of-doors to regain a sense of balance in this country that appears to have gone stark raving bonkers. We live in Westchester County right above New York City, and Westchester’s many towns offer a wonderful array of worthwhile distractions that help us cope. For instance, there’s the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College that features musical artists and orchestras playing the same programs they will play a week later at Carnegie Hall in the city. There is also the Symphony of Westchester and the Jazz Forum in Tarrytown [pictures attached]. At the latter, noted jazz artists, many in their 80s and still going strong, perform with up and coming musicians that will carry the torch in the future.
Yesterday we drove an hour or so to Storm King Arts Center, above the US Military Academy at West Point, to explore the vast array of outdoor sculpture and installations sited in a 203 hectare natural expanse. Although it was intermittently cloudy with a few patches of sun now and again, we thoroughly enjoyed taking a tram through the preserve to see works that have been specifically sited for the exact spot in which they’re installed. It was a tonic to be out in the crisp Autumn air and to experience those magnificent works!
We’ll be going to Boston this weekend to see daughter Abby, who’s coming in from her job in Rio de Janeiro for a conference. We’ll also be getting together with our close friend, Steve Conway [a frequent visitor to us in Menton]. Naturally, we got a list of critical items to buy that we’ve stuffed into a large piece of luggage that Abby will be on her own to maneuver back to Rio. Thankfully, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series early so we’ll hopefully miss the parade and madness that comes with winning a sports championship.
There you have it! Music, art, travel, family and friends. We also spend some time at the gym to keep fit for whatever life presents us next. Don’t need no fiddle...yet!
