TRIP TO HYDE IN 2015

 With our friend Peter in the hospital and having a serious time of it, we could not go up to Vermont next week where there was limited wi-fi.   

So, we met Elizabeth's old roommate and Eddie at a grand diner in Glens Falls.  I loved the place.  The food was on my diet and good.  There were books.  We had a fine visit.

From their books I brought a biography, The Life and Death of Andy Warhol. I've skimmed it for some interesting bits, but I'm still not a great Warhol fan.

From there we went to the Hyde museum.  I had heard a woman on NPR discussing the two newest shows, Winslow Homer and Andy Warhol.  She talked to bridge the gap in their differences and explain how the two shows might easily fit together

http://wamc.org/term/hyde-collection#stream/0

hit "listen" to hear the discussion.

Well, I just don't get Warhol.  Cara with her art background tried to help, to show me the value of these very minimal sketches, but I continue to think of this more as presenting a celebrity who challenged the ideas of art and less of anything of value.  I'm sure, given the on of his painting just sold for 32 million the problem is more mine than Warhole's.

I did come to like the Marilyn Monroe paintings and once saw them in some gallery now long forgotten.  There was no Marilyn at this exhibit.

I did enjoy the Homer.  These were wood engravings.  Homer would sketch out what he wanted and skilled carvers would create the wood to make the prints.  I like his paintings better except for the watercolors which I like less than these detailed prints. 

 

 

This is Gloucester Harbor

I've seen many versions of this "Snap the Whip" piece.  It is part of the art that focuses on boys who would have been like the boys my grandfather grew up with.  I probably like them because of that.

We saw the print for this painting, but not the painting.  It was a bit creepy.  Here was a union sniper waiting to ambush a Confederate officer.  His buttons are missing so there is no glint from the sun to give him away.

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Then we toured the permanent collection.  I know I've seen this before, but I did not remember much except the courtyard.  I liked these collected pieces very much and was very excited to see El Greco in the mix.  I responded to it in a way I have not responded to El Greco in decades, perhaps never.  

Then a print of this one is on our wall in the bedroom.  It seemed a good companion to the print we bought from friends of Craig in Italy on our trip.  We met the artist and he opened a bottle of wine to celebrate the buying of the $20 print.  They went his profits.





Perhaps we bought it at the Hyde in some long ago visit that we now cannot remember.

Along with the works of art was the comfortable feel of the rooms which were real rooms in what had been a real house. Some of the antique furniture caught my sense of beauty, especially some of the wood pieces.  I do love wood grain looks.







The photograph does not do this piece justice.




The marble top really looked modern in design





Elizabeth liked this bathroom.

I normally don't respond too well to Madonna scenes, but I liked this one.  The overview of the ocean helped.

 

Cara likes this artist.

 

 

 

Here Eddie poses in one of the rooms

This scene reminded me a bit of one of my favorites at The Clark called The Amorous Proposal.  The same technique seems to be used to  highling the woman getting water.

 

 

 

This Renoir is certainly on of the calendar pictures my mother had above the stove.  I was always curious about them.  Mom was distainful, but it was a free calendar from the Buffalo Evening News.

 

 

 

 

By Catholic Digest Staff


St. James the Lesser
Feast Day May 3
 
James the Lesser, meaning younger, is traditionally celebrated as being the author of a letter in the New Testament. His mother is thought to have been a sister or close relative of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to Jewish custom, James was sometimes called the brother of the Lord, which could refer to any male relative. Their family ties gave rise to the idea that Jesus and James might have shared some similar traits in appearance, and the speculation that their physical likeness could have been the reason for Judas having to identify Jesus with a kiss. Also known as James the Just because of his righteousness and devotion, James became the first bishop of Jerusalem.

 

GUIDO'S AND OTHER STOPS

As well as visiting the Clark ( see next post) we went to Guido's and I managed to get four bottles of Italian Volcano lemon juice and two Santa Clara.  They no longer carry Golden's pita bread.  We picked us a few more things, but it was a bit crowded and not at all as comfortable as the Clark.

We stopped at a little coffee place and had a light lunch.  Mine was a muffin. Elizabeth had a quiche.  We sat outside under a roof, and that was helpful because it did rain a bit.  It felt like great fun to be out with good coffee and something new to see.

We filled out tank and saved nine dollars by doing so.  That paid for the gas we used driving there.

It was fine to see the rolling hills along the way and the great greenness of them.  This is more out and about than we have experienced since coming back from Florida.

Such a fine day.

TO THE CLARK JULY 2020

Finally, we took a chance on a road trip and went to the Clark.  The virus was well managed there.  Also, we made reservations for ten AM and so for most of our visit we had the museum to ourselves and just one or two others.  It was the way to do it. 
I really enjoyed the visit.  We focused first on the old standbys and those are my favorite.
My favorite painting in the museum is this one and I'd go just to see it.  I can sit on a bench and study each of the faces..   These are Italians, but they remind me very much of the Spanish.  I'm tempted to get a print of this for my wall.
It is a huge painting.  I like that much better than small paintings because I can see it so clearly.

So we visited the two two Goya paintings.  This first is a grand favorite.  Fifty years ago I walked the Prado with Christine from France and this series was her favorite.  Of course, this it just a miniature version of the large painting, but it does remind me.  I've been reading about Goya lately and his possible affair with an interesting woman of his time,  The Duchess of Alba.  She is perhaps one of the faces here.
This is one of the happy Goya paintings and very much unlike his darker works.

We also visited the Winslow Homer.  I did not photograph them as I have them in books.  Here is one.  I always wonder at this one. These poor guides never get off the mountain.

Click here for a talk on this painting and a copy.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Homer+playing+a+fish&cvid=057c94f698eb4469a87957c85af35ddf&PC=U531&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dHomer%2bplaying%2ba%2bfish%26cvid%3d057c94f698eb4469a87957c85af35ddf%26FORM%3dANAB01%26PC%3dU531&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=CB2032B8667A48F004A4CB2032B8667A48F004A4&FORM=WRVORC

Interesting that he turned the rowboat that was in the earlier painting into a canoe.

Everytime I go to the museum I seem to be caught by some painting or painter that I've passed over quickly on other visits.  This time is was George Innes, especially this winter scene that spoke to me on that aesthetic level that seems to have a will of its own.

I'll have to read up a bit on this fellow.

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Of course, I have an interest in the card playing paintings.  It is interesting to see how long ago card playing was popular.  However, I am put off by the girl's wide mouth and laugh?..

And rightly so, I guess.  Looking this up later in the Art of Gambling I found that Dirk Hals had "a penchant for portraying human facial features as joyful but exaggerated, almost to the point of abnormality."

Perhaps it is not such a celebration of cards after all.  Here are better ones.

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Now here is a face I can much better enjoy.  However, cards are not involved.  Wine is.

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Here is a delightful contrast between how a country fellow woos and how his city counterpart woos.  It is not too complimentary on city folk.

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I've always liked these faces. 

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I read a bit in a mary Cassatt book I have, but I saw nothing like this.  I'll have to spend some time seeing what other views of Spain she took back from her visit.  Here are notes from the virtual tour website

“Offering the Panel to the Bullfighter” by Mary Cassatt

“Offering the Panel to the Bullfighter” by Mary Cassatt depicts a young woman flirtatiously offering a glass of water to a bullfighter, who dips panal (honeycomb) into it to make an energizing drink.

   Your Museum from Home

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Cassatt made several paintings of local Spanish subjects during her stay in Spain in 1873. The vibrant colors and brushwork were inspired by Diego Velázquez, whose artworks, Cassatt studied during her travels to Madrid and Seville.

The Bullfighter costume is depicted with the decorations and elaborateness of a torero’s outfit that the Spanish call the “suit of lights.” The flamboyant matador costume is part of the drama of a bullfight, which is considered performance art.

I have always loved the look of this young woman.  Delightful and very cheerful in all respects.

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We drove up to the top building to see a showing of  The Emergence of the Animals by Lin May Saeed.  The more modern exhibits up in this building rarely are my favorites, but it was worth seeing.  I especially like the bull.

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In the museum I also took these photos.

Here is a wonderfully ornate piano.

And I took this shot looking up to the shelved books from the large sitting area outside the library.

We saw two other new exhibits, one on decorative things and another ....  well, not  memorable.  However, we photographed this piece showing the work of mole hunters as a friend is having a huge infestation.

All in all a most wonderful visit that seemed very safe from the virus.  It has been a couple years since I visited the paintings I best love.  When we went for play readings there was never enough time.  Then this music exhibit held us for a full visit.  On my last few visits I needed a wheelchair.  So grand to be beyond that.

MGM SPRINGFIELD

I had a mixed experience on the trip to the casino.  I used points on Yankee Trail , so the entire trip cost just five dollars.  I got $25 in freeplay and $20 in food credit.

I wanted to play VP and found a 9/6 DB;  however, it was very confusing.  I could not figure out how to play just five coins per hand.  It seems all the slots and machines are geared to require players to play many more coins than they used to have to play.  I could find no old fashioned, simply presented slot.  I quit the VP quickly ahead $22.  Next trip I will try the roulette machines and just play off the freeplay. 

At Rivers I can find a bit of VP to play.

I never find full pay, but I don't play as long as I once did and not having planes and buses and hotel rooms, I can afford to play a lower play VP.

The poker room at Springfield did not have high hand awards as I expected.  They had a splash the pot promotion.  If the flop came suited, the next hand would have $75 added.  However the first hand had to have $30 in the pot to qualify for the splash.   This meant that we were pressured by some players to bet just to build the fist hand plot.  I did not like that.

Rivers 3/6 is a better game, but so far only succeeds in players on weekends.

I stayed about even, going up and down.  I ran into a real dry spell and could hardly play a hand.  A fellow really got mad at me when I beat him with 7-2 offsuit.  It was my big blind and it flopped two pair.  Then I foolishly  called a raise on my small blind of 4-9 spades.  It was near the end of my day and I thought I'd play. 

He had pocket Aces.  In the end he suspected we would split Broadway, but I had a spade flush.  He was so mad, he could not stay at the table.  The second play was a terrible play.  However, I was getting ready to pack it up and just decided to see what might happen.  

I hate it when players find it necessary to mutter to their neighbors in a voice easy to hear there distain for bad players.  Can't they make eye contact?  Cowards and whiners.  The game is a random game.  Get over it!  That also may have caused me to call his bet.  

I don't like players mad because I don't do what is expected and win against the odds.  It just isn't fun.  He should say, "nice hand" and chuckle a bit at randomness, knowing that if I played like that as a rule, he would beat me.   

There was a woman at the table who never saw a hand she did not like, at least to the flop.  She added to many pots.  She hit a couple splash pots, so she had money to burn.  She was the main one betting poor hands to qualify a splash pot.   She did object my folding, but she did it openly face to face.

I sensed that it was a closed group of regulars who knew one another and were not too interested in me.  I was very tired because I had not slept well, so I was very quiet.

The new buses of Yankee Trails are wonderful.  They are clean and comfortable.  Seats recline a bit.  Bathrooms are well stocked and all new and very clean.\They played a movie each way, both with kid characters.  One was about a geek who learns baseball.  The other was "Stand By Me."  I was amazed at how much of this movie I had forgotten.

So, the bus ride was great;  however, they were late leaving and very late picking us up.  No reasons were given.

I did not like driving in the dark both ways from home to Yankee Trails station.  It is an easy enough drive, but I rarely like driving at night.  

The food was unimpressive, but I went off diet and had my first lobster roll with my $20 food credit.  It was very good and the next morning I was down another two pounds of bloating, so the salt content could not have been very high. At $19 it was expensive for such a small roll.  However, free it was fine and the portion was plenty.

Rivers has small bars where we could help ourselves to soda, coffee, or water.  I did not want coffee to drive my bathroom visits and I don't drink soda, but the water came with ice.  I brought my insulated Contigo cup and that works very well when traveling.  For one thing, it can tip over and it won't leak.  I have two, but only one style really won't leak when tipped.  It has a thing called Autoseal.

The bus was late to take us home, and there were too few benches.  I ended standing up for quite a while.  I appreciated even more the comfort of this new bus.  I'm wondering if Turning Stone trips have  such comfort.

The final score was a loss of $33 dollars, less than the gas would cost to drive down.  So with free lunch the trip was basically a wash.   I might go again, but I'd want to go where there is a high hand award.  I had quad fives in this game and might have hit that promotion. They have it weekends at Rivers.  $400 every half hour.  You need only one card to play and no minimum in the pot to qualify.  I like that.

I missed the bad beat with that quad five hand by one card.  My opponent had trip Aces.  I would have won 10 grand. Kickers can play, so had one jack been an Ace, we would have hit.

However, that got me thinking about having a scheduled time of departure and getting into a situation where I would have to wait to get paid.  So, I left a bit early.  I was ready anyway.

DAY TRIP WITH BOB AND ROSE

Bob and Rose came for a couple night visit here on the lake after seeing relatives new Lee.  It was great fun to catch up and laugh.  It sure broke up my sedentary days.

One day we traveled to a botanical garden in West Stockbridge.  

https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/

It was very sparse in planted flowers and such.  However, for me it was a wonderful outing where the walking was minimal and there was a little to see.  I especially loved the cactus greenhouse;  that was full of all sorts of cacti and some were had leaves as colorful as flowers.  I have never seen such cacti, even out West where there are often little parks of cacti, I have not seen such color.

Afterwards, we went to Lee and to Salmon Run

https://salmonrunfishhouse.com/

for some of their fine salmon.   I found out that they will cooperatively accommodate my low salt diet, and that they do not salt the salmon before they cook it.  I did not get my favorite blue cheese version, but the grilled salmon was very good with a baked potato and salad.  I took enough home for breakfast.    I have always loved this restaurant and was very happy to be back.  

It was an easy, short trip and a good visit as well.  I was sorry it did not produce quite the spectacular views Bob and Rose had anticipated, especially lacking were greenhouses that could have offered an experience with plants grown year around.

It did take my Clark Museum membership, so the visit was free.  At that price, I'd gladly go back for just the cactus.