ten was bit too many

I'm talking about events that required me to be on my gluteus maximus to partake, events that demanded my attention to be focused on an unblinking eye at close proximity.

Yes, I'm talking about Zooms and related platforms.

 

Those began last Tuesday with three such events - all Zooms - on a single day.

The first, at high noon, from the NY Council Navy League, had billed itself as a National Security Briefing.

That it was not.

In truth, "Not Your Father's Naval War College", with James E. Hickey, was a history lesson and sales pitch for the Navy War College.

As a veteran of the US Navy, I found it interesting, but not pertinent, as the talk was aimed at encouraging officers to enroll.

The evening found me at two events that started close together, requiring me to miss part of one in order to fully sit in on the other.

It actually worked in my favor that the Telfair event began first.

That was in conjunction with the Savannah VOICE Festival.

"Mozart To Puccini: Opera Costume and Set Production - a Chat with Two Met Legends" was one I'd looked forward to for a while, as it featured the new fashion exhibit as well as noted Verdi baritone Sherrill Milnes and famed designer Fabrizio Melano.

That chat turned out to be more from Maria Zouves than from Sherrill, but that's okay; they're an old married couple!

Overall, it was a very nice glimpse behind the curtains of opera productions, emphasizing all of the work - set design, costume fabrication, lighting, set construction - required to turn words on a page into musical delight.

(Of course, I'd had years behind the scenes when I was with A.C.T.O.R. in Okinawa and the Masquers at Armstrong, so that was a nice trip down memory lane for me!)

When the Q&A began, I stayed briefly, then jetted off before the end.

The next event was already on.

I missed about twenty-five minutes of the Georgia Water Coalition's "Clean 13 Water Heroes Awards Ceremony".

As it turned out, that meant I didn't see the two-minute videos touting the work of the first four awardees.

The good news is that I caught the ones for the other nine recipients.

I am so impressed with the environmentally-friendly work they are all doing!

The one that most amazed me was the WaterHub at Emory University, a device, akin to the system at Armstrong's greenhouse, takes the sewage from the University, treats it, and recycles it into clean water for the on-campus air conditioning system and flushing toilets; that amounts to 40% of the school's water needs!

Emory is the first site in the United States to have this water reclamation system from Europe and have been using it successfully for five years.

Hopefully, others will follow their lead!

Wednesday, I only had one Zoom.

That was the monthly talk, at 9 PM, from the UCBRFA, this time from Lorrie Shepard.

"What Research On Learning Says About Testing And Assessment" mirrored what I'd found true back in 2010, as a full-time teacher.

(As such, participation in faculty reading groups was a requirement and mine focused on a book about methods of teaching.)

What her talk mostly told me was how very slowly change occurs, as many places of education still use a on-functioning system which is a century old.

So, nothing particularly new, but very entertaining in its presentation.

That was good.

Earth Day found me with a stunning number of online events: four.

Two have already appeared here. 

A third, sandwiched between them, was part of the FSU Three Torches series.

Titled "Versatility In Hospitality", it was something I know my nephew Tyler would like.

Brian Ford, Chief Operating Officer of the Super Bowl LV Tampa Bay Buccaneers , graduated from my alma mater in 1989 (that's when I was there!) with a BS in business, parlaying that, as well as experience in contract food and beverage, into this hospitality-centered job that he's had for the last 15 years.

His interest in working in the sports field began while he was a student, spending summers in the construction of an arena.

He impressed upon the audience his view that sports are the entertainment that brings in people to buy the food and drinks - which certainly sounds like the same mantra of Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas, right?

Very entertaining talk!

That evening found me back online, this time at the National Geographic website, for "Behind The Curtain: Secrets Of The Whales, A Celebration of Earth Day", with Brian Skerry at the helm.

This was a much more family-friendly event than the earlier one I'd seen in March.

Then again, this special was to promote a new series on Disney+, so that accounts for the emphasis on whale families, whale babies, and whale communication.

My favorite shot, though, was this: him perched on a stool against a brick wall in his office, an alligator away from the camera man with the cue cards, with a second camera capturing the scene.

I guess I was the third camera, eh?

After that surfeit of laptop scenes, the silver screen of AMC was the focus of my gaze on Friday and Saturday, as I watched lead characters fighting evil die near movie's end.

(Those would be: King Kong in "Godzilla Vs. Kong"; Raya in "Raya And The Last Dragon"; Hanzo Hasashi in "Mortal Kombat"; and Rengoku  in "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train".)

Yesterday found me at two Zooms.

The first event was the virtual coffee hour following AMC's "Dancing In The Rain" sermon.

(That would be the church, of course, not the cinema.)

That had a smaller number of fellow zoomers than usual, so no breakout rooms this time.

We also closed up earlier than usual, though not before I shared my car washing story.

The early release was part of the reason I sought out the museum afterward, as I wanted to be around others.

Just as well I was home at 5 PM.

That put me in time for the final Zoom of the week.

It was the first time I've ever been to one intended for the Friends of The Telfair patrons and it was termed a Virtual Garden Party lecture.

Elizabeth Jamieson led us through "Traveling In Style: The Horse And The Country House In England", showing the correlation to the carriage houses in Savannah.

Her talk was quite in-depth on the workings of such places and the care of the buggies and the horses and the many roles of the people who handled such tasks.

I must admit, when I realized the focus of her talk, I wandered off, tidying up my house for Carolyn's visit.

Part of the issue was the tone of her voice, but mostly it was a lack of interest on my part.

I had hoped, really and truly, for a discussion of something more pertinent to garden parties: tea sets, silverware patterns, dish art, serving containers, picnic baskets.

None of that was forthcoming.

Ah, well, you can't have it all, right?

Where would you put it?

(That's a favorite joke of mine.)

So, what is lined up for this week?

Not any Zooms, that's for sure.

Perhaps a trip to Tybee is in order, with a trip to the Jepson on the near horizon.

A break from the small screen is definitely due.

dawn of lunch!

Honestly, I had thought abut cropping this shot, to get rid of the truck in the background.

I had, truly.

Then I read what was written on it:

"CHEERS TO THE WEEKEND".
Well, I can vouch for that!

Friday - and the cinemas being open - is tomorrow, making this the 'weekend eve'!

How better to celebrate than with this woman, at what seems to be 'our' lunch place?

That's right, we were at The King & I for our fix of Thai... hey, that rhymed!

(smile!)

Dawn and I spent a little over two hours, her with salmon, me with Nam Sod, just as we had in the early part of 2020.

That time, we talked of her latest Soup Party and were trying to plan a murder-mystery dinner at my place.

This time, we talked about vaccinations (we're both done!), family and friends that have not yet stepped up (but my brother Smitty and nephew Tyler did so this morning!), her 2020 wedding to her man and the summer wedding of a niece that she will officiate (party of 5 on 26 December in her backyard; party of 150 planned for June in Chicago).

We also talked of being tired of the pandemic, tired of the political unrest still plaguing our country, tired of myths being taken as gospel... just tired.

I know, I try to make it sound like I'm having a good time more often than not, but that's for my benefit, mostly.

I have to maintain a positive outlook, I just have to.

What is the purpose of living if there is no life to it?

Right?

That's why I have a lot of different 'places' to go to on afternoons and evenings, 'events' that don't require the need to mask up and travel with alligators.

(She got a kick out of the 'pets' I have!)

In fact, after lunch with Dawn, I had time for an errand before going off to "A Day At The Beach"!

One Hundred Miles had Stephanie out at Tybee for the 'facebook live' event...

and she had a treasure trove of shells of local marine life!

Channel whelks and moon snails!

Lettered olives and sand dollars!

And that item right there in this photo?

It's a mermaid purse!

No, seriously, that's its name!

That's what skates use for birthing their young.

I learned that today!

I had seen these, or pieces of them, on beaches, but never knew what they were.

Charming name for them!

Just a little after that, I had another 'local' event, this time zooming with Jepson!

Sauda Mitchell, featured artist for the "#art912: Re-Cor-Dare" talk, was sharing insights on the four different sections of her works at the museum.

I am most looking forward to this one, "Voyages", a rare exhibit that combines the senses of sight (the visual of the art and the poem segments by each piece), sound (a piece of music in the background that speaks of the ocean to her), and smell (as I'm sure I'll catch the tang of salt water in the air!).

Now... if only I can touch some of the pieces... just run my fingers in the air over them, to trace the shapes, the catch the texture of the fibers...

yes, I can definitely do that!

And what was the errand earlier, post-lunch?

I buzzed over to Office Depot!

And why had I done that??

They have graciously offered to laminate the COVID vaccination cards for everyone that have completed their shot series...

for free!

When I handed the coupon to the young man at the counter, he practically bounced, he was so delighted!

He even told me, joyously, that he'd gotten his second shot - of Pfizer - just yesterday!

Marvelous!!!

busy, busy, busy, and even an elf

As I told my first niece when she texted, I have been so busy today! 

1 pm was a movie 'at' the SJFF18 - via Zoom, naturally, as the pandemic is still here - with discussion afterward with the director and the camera woman.
It was all about restoring a Torah scroll and I learned a lot!

The director, Miriam Lewin, said she loved being able to watch us as we watched her short documentary!

3 pm was a talk from Dr. Anthony Fauci and several military folks about the vaccines that are out now and how important they are to our country's recovery.
Mostly they are trying to make sure folks get the vaccine when it's their turn to step up.
That was very informative and the second such town hall from Blue Star Families.

Then at 6 pm was a talk about a new exhibit at the Jepson Center on theatre art, from set design to costumes.
I am very much looking forward to seeing that some Sunday in the near future!
The talk was originally scheduled for two weeks ago, but bad weather and power outages in Texas kept the presenter, Scott Blackshire, off-line.
Hence, an extra, unplanned event for me today!

I had just finished preparing dinner when she texted to tell me she and the girls had baked a cake - a sugarless one! - for their Daddy Chris, who is diabetic. Pretty cool!

As for me, this is a bag of chopped salad mix, with its chipotle dressing as well as chicken and black beans, making it rich in protein for me. I ate it with a toasted tortilla - yummy!

Then "Night Gallery" surprised me with a special treat tonight: a story I love about a hobo and an elf!

That's Art Carney as the down-on-his-luck department store Santa, just wanting to bring a little joy to the folks in his hood, in the tale "The Night of the Meek". Thanks to this little elf, he'll be able to do that every year now!

What a busy, but very good, day!

just for expanding his horizons

I woke to an alarm today, as I have done on Tuesdays for almost a year now.

That's because this is the day that Mayor Van Johnson gives his televised update to we citizens of Savannah about our progress during this time of pandemic.

It's usually at least thirty minutes in length, with questions from the media after.

Today, he didn't do that.

Not any of it.

I have no idea why, but it didn't happen.

So, instead, I pulled up a tv show I haven't watched for a while: "Beat Shazam".

That provides me a bit of entertainment and music, a winning combination, right?

Absolutely!

And I got that in spades today!

(Give it a minute and you'll know why I  went and fetched that definition.

I don't want anyone thinking I''m being racist with my choice of words.

Go ahead, look up the phrase, I'll wait.

*

*

*

Just a reference to a centuries-old game of cards, naught else.

Okay, forward we go!)

So... where was I?

Oh, yes, watching Jamie Lee Fox and his daughter, Corinne, this morning.

Episode 1 of Season 3 featured three pairs of teachers vying for the money.

One of the pairs, two brothers, did poorly the first round, scoring no money.

Then, for the second round, in which they were able to choose the song categories (they opted for 80's rather than 2010's), they continued to fare poorly...

until the final two songs, which they answered correctly...

preventing them from being dismissed and allowing them to continue playing.

They had gone from zero dollars to $9,000, putting them in second place.

For the next round, which was Corinne's choice, the artist was Shania Twain.

Let me allow that to sink in a moment while you recognize who that is.

Got it?

White woman, Canadian, the Queen of Country Pop.

Honestly, I know, possibly four of her songs, primarily because my husband was working at "KIX 96 and a half" during our first few years of marriage in the 1990's.

Two of those tunes I knew showed up in the game; I didn't know the other three songs that showed up at all.

I mean, I'd never even heard them and they were supposed to have been some of her top hits, as only those are used for the game.

The contestants - the two brothers versus a pair of female friends - had to correctly guess the title of the six songs and score the most money in order to continue to play for the truly big bucks in the final round.

"That Don't Impress Me Much" was one of the two I knew and the fourth one in the set...

and the one that cinched their lead.

After the last one in this set, Aaron and Martin, two African-American men, had $64,000 and had won the chance to play, versus the machine, for a million dollars.

Wow, what a Cinderella story, right?

From absolutely zero in the first round to almost losing out on the second round and missing the Motown song, then knowing all that country music that few would regard as culturally relevant for them and going to the final round - wow!

But it wasn't the two of them that knew the songs...

oh, no, Aaron didn't have a clue and was openly surprised that his brother knew them.

Seriously.

He was in open-mouthed surprise by the third Shania song.

Even the two white women they were playing against were in awe.

But Martin had it down pat.

I was thrilled!

I always am when people venture outside their comfort zone and open their minds.

That's what I do, trying out new ideas and concepts from different cultures, embracing the activities in the Savannah Black Heritage Festival, in the Jewish Film Festival, in the Clergy Talks by Zoom on Wednesdays, in the Savannah Music Festival, in the Telluride MountainFilm on Tour, in the Savannah Jazz Festival, in the Savannah VOICE Festival - most of which is free, by the way, so there really is no good reason to not attend.

Seriously.

Some folks may think I'm "just going to a lot of movies", but that isn't how I regard it.

Movies are the fastest way to 'read' a story about another person, another country, another culture, another way of thinking.

I've been a bookworm since I was young, eagerly reading of other's adventures, and I credit books with opening the door to travel, with the military, and on my own afterward.

I know so many who do not venture outside their circles, staying around only those who look like them and think like them.

How wonderful to watch this show this morning and see another adventurer!

And what were Martin's plans with the money?

His daughter was going to college to become an immunologist and he wanted to be able to help her with that so she wouldn't have loans to repay.

Wow.

So, how did their story end?

The two brothers won the million dollars, that's how it ended...

with Martin answering all the questions, correctly naming all six songs before the computer could.

The first was Taylor Swift's "22", a song I have never heard.

The second was an oldies tune that I did know: "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys.

Third was a pop-rock hit, "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train, a song I love!

The category for the fourth song had him worried, but Martin recognized Harry Chapin's "Cat's In The Cradle" before I did, and, more importantly, before the machine did, too.

The penultimate song was rhythm & blues and one I didn't know: "Nobody Knows", from the Tony Rich Project in 1996.

I suppose I might have been too busy trying to finish my doctoral dissertation...

but Martin knew it.

He knew it justthatfast, too, as he had known all of these songs.

His knowledge had brought them $189,000 and to the point of no return -

hmm, I wonder if he might recognize the pun-titled song by Kansas? -

(I'm guessing he would) -

meaning, they would need to decide if they wanted to opt to leave the game and to keep the money amassed, or risk losing half of it if they continued to play.

That final song category was "90's".

After the commercial break, Aaron had convinced Martin they should continue.

Aaron's wife had been in a recent car wreck and had not worked for some time.

Aaron told the audience that their mother had always told them to never give up...

so they kept playing, gambling that the adventurous brother would know the song.

And he did!

So did I, incredibly.

The Gin Blossoms' "Found Out About You" was, literally, the million-dollar tune for these two Pennsylvania teachers.

Wow.

He had a moment of uncertainly after, wondering if it should be "I Found Out About You",

as he said in an aside to his brother, then he had shaken his head -

no, he'd said it right the first time.

And he had.

Wow.

Good for Martin!

Being adventurous truly paid off for him, literally and figuratively.

I hope his daughter is just like him...

and I hope his brother will try to follow his lead.

What a wonderful way to start my day!

i thank You, God!

all zoomed out

I have had six ZOOM events this week...

yes, six.

Well, technically, one of the events was via "fb live", but I'm including it.

I realize that number is pretty low, what with the USA still being mired in a pandemic.

I realize that many people have at least six ZOOM events in a day.

However, I also realize that six is a few too many for me.

Monday evening found me at "Masters In VOICE: James Morris".

That's him, on the left, speaking with fellow opera star, Sherrill Milnes.

Primarily it was the two friends doing a lot of reminiscing about their early days when they were learning their trade and starting out at the Metropolitan Opera.

I would have liked more music, but it was nice to hear their memories.

Wednesday afternooon found me at my fourth episode of "Clergy Talks", a series I've been enjoying.

Not only is Billy Hester part of it, but so is Rabbi Robert Haas!

There are also two others that I don't know, but I enjoy their banter.

I've always liked listening to 'bands of brothers' and there's a perk here: the rabbi actually responds to my posts in the chat bar!

But more on that another time.

The series has nine episodes to go.

 

That evening gave me the PULSE opening lecture by featured artist David Gumbs, from his home in Martinique in the Caribbean.

That island air - or should that be 'flair'? - inundates his art, making his works heavily flavored with conch shells and tropical flowers and lush, rich, colors!

They're all interactive, too, with some intended for dancers - like me!

Hooray for PULSE!

Early on Friday afternoon I had another PULSE-related ZOOM.

This time, it was the curator of the Jepson, Harry DeLorme, providing a 'hands on' tour of the new exhibits.

He interacted with the pieces, but only briefly with each one, as the entire tour was less than 30 minutes.

I know I'll be spending much more time than that playing - I mean, dancing! - with "Cosmic Flowers"!

Maybe next Sunday...!
 

Last night, the Savannah Stage Company used 'fb live' to host a play, "Alice In Wonderland", which they had performed earlier at the Savannah Theatre.

There were even some songs!

But, as always on that streaming venue, sound and continuity glitches marred the production.

It was still good... but seeing their high-energy work on a 15-inch screen really doesn't do it for me.

(Sigh.)

That brings me to the ZOOM 'coffee hour' post-service today.

This may be the first I've attended this year.

The funniest thing was when Carol was talking about the rain making this a "three cat afternoon" and I piped up with "as opposed to a three dog night!"

I don't know if she thought I meant the band or not, but I thought it was hilarious!

 

Perhaps the highlight - for me, still in my bathrobe, hair unbrushed - was when the talk turned to weather and someone mentioned Captain Sandy... and I burst into song!

For real, I did!

Margaret Clay even joined in!

And Ray Ellis couldn't help but grin!

They, like me, are Savannahians.

They, like me, grew up when the person doing the weather had a lot of personality, as well as props and puppets.

All the new folks had no idea what was going in during my musical interlude!

Yes, that was much fun!

Now, to take a shower and get dressed...

and take a break from the small screen!

Oh... here are the lyrics!

Yo, ho, ho, what's the weather going to be?

Here's the man who knows, let's take a look and see.

Here is Captain Sandy and the weather he has found

for Savannah and for Chatham and the counties all around!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

artists' talks, hither and yon

 

Busy, busy, busy!

At least, that's how this week has felt, what with the svf-8 in full swing.

Tonight, I had something different to enjoy - two Q&A sessions by photographers.

The first was via ZOOM, shortly after I finally got the audio working - yeah, me!

This is Emily Earl, the one featured at the #art912 exhibit at the Jepson.

So glad I saw her work Sunday!

Here, she's holding the Polaroid ProPack camera that she picked up at a yard sale for two dollars.

Pretty amazing, right?

She was working in a photo lab at the time and thought she would enlarge some of these shots.

The actual photos, as shown here, are quite tiny.

Here's another amazing thing: for the eight years that she snapped the candids and poses, no one ever declined to be photographed.

Lot of exhibitionists out there, like the guy with The Beatles' caption!

I had asked and she told me he was only too glad to oblige.

In the last year, when the scarce film was $80 per box of 10, she became very selective of her subjects.

I mentioned Elaine's "sponge worthy" conundrum on "Seinfeld" and Emily Dunn of the Jepson nearly cracked up!

That was very funny!

I was not the only one with queries, though, and I have to wonder if the anonymity of the internet allowed folks to feel free to ask.

Truly, quite enjoyable and lively!

A scant thirty minutes later, I was on fb for questions with Ian Shive, the photographer who wrote, directed, and filmed "Hidden Pacific", an enchanting movie about the tiny atolls and the tremendous amount of life they support.

I was joined in a "Watch Party" by nine friends, so having interaction with them made it more fun!

(Sadly, none of our questions made it outside our little group, so we won't do that again.)
The National Marine Sanctuary

Foundation hosted the event, with a limited free screening of the film that day via Vimeo.

Of course I had a 'ticket"!

However, as busy as I have been making the most of the svf-8, I barely had time to view it beforehand.

I'm so glad I took time to watch an earlier interview with Shive!

That had been very informative and quite engaging!

To think: this all began from a request for a ten-minute short.

The movie itself I would have gladly watched multiple times if my day had more hours in it.

I especially loved watching these beautiful rays, with their 12-foot wingspans, gliding through the sun-dappled azure depths.

I wonder if they were flying near the coral atoll of Okinawa while I was there?

I'd like to think they were -

such elegance and grace as they swoop and swirl, almost as if they were dancing through life.

(smile!)

Right place, right time. 

breath of normalcy

"Instead of kisses,
we get kicks.
Instead of hugs,
we get hits,
it's a hard knock life!"
I just love this song from "Annie"!
It should be depressing,
but I find it to be uplifting!

That was "The Big Bang Theory" the universe graced me with last night before bedtime.
(smile!)
Then, this is the "Seinfeld" I selected this morning -
it's the bizarro world episode!
Elaine has a choice of hanging out with a trio of good guys (Kevin, Gene, Feldman) or continuing to pal around with Jerry, George, and Kramer.
In other words, she was able to choose between perspectives, just like Raj, Howard, and Stuart could.
It's good to have choices, isn't it?
We always do, even when they are not the options we prefer to have.
Who wants to scrub sticky floors and grubby counters?
Certainly not I!
But when I do, I choose to have music to sing along with.
That's definitely more positive!

Going to the Jepson Museum was more positive, too!
It's been open for about a month.
I had promised myself I'd go last Sunday, but reneged.
Not this time!
I have so missed visiting this beloved "Swarm" and allowing it to recreate my visage!
Today, I'm sporting a new seashell mask as well as my blue-ocean top from my second trip to Italy.
(smile!)

Then "I Saw Him Standing There" -
this Emily Earl photograph, not The Beatles' tune, silly rabbit!
Her #art912 exhibit was partly the draw to the museum.
I'll be 'attending' her talk about her Polaroids on Thursday, so I wanted to see them beforehand.
Know why she stopped taking photos after eight years?
She ran out of the discontinued film that her old camera uses!
True story!

"Fallen God-Runners" and "Fallen God-Dunks" are part of another new Jepson exhibit, Cut & Paste: Works Of Paper.
What I liked most were the shadows of the shoes on the wall!
That begged the question: did Matt Haffner intend those shadows to be part of that display, or were they an act of serendipity for my pleasure?
I do so like chiaroscuro!
Right place, right time!

Then I revisited an exhibit last seen in February, when I was there for the curator's talk and reception.
I had missed taking this photo of "The Savannah Art Club at Armstrong Farm in 1925",
enlarged as a wall mural for the original display.
Glad it was still in place!
I'm also so glad those kind folks so the need, a century ago, for fostering creativity in this seaport!
Right place, right time!

Next on my agenda: the Telfair!
I made it to the Academy just as the first rain drops began, too!
I had an ulterior motive for this visit.
I was not there just to visit "Belle of 1810", as I had missed doing for birthday62.
I was there because I had just seen her in the first installment of the Stay-At-Home Season VIII of the Savannah VOICE Festival and naught else would do but for me to go and to see her in person.

Here she is in the video, providing delightful background as Jessica Fishenfeld performed "Casta Diva" from the 1831 opera, "Norma".
Believe it or not, I once made a dress similar to the soprano's, for a military ball in the fall of my senior year of high school.
So many dances that academic year!
That was definitely one of the perks of meeting the three Benedictine Cadets I dated during the STERI science program.

Again, that's grist for another grind, maybe one day soon.
Back to my current story of "why I visited the museum today".
Belle's room was not the only featured place in that music video; the basement of the Telfair, with its lovely statuary, was also part of the scenes that were seen!
Specifically, this area, with the tortured Gaul, as well as the giant work with the man and his two sons.

See the songstress walking along in this same part of the display shared by the statue and windows?
That means the video must have been filmed some other time, during a sunshine-filled, blue-sky day.
The dark clouds this afternoon finally unleashed their summer thunderstorm, but I minded the weather outside not one whit.
I sat and enjoyed these art pieces for the next half-hour.

Then I bopped across the way to visit my cabana boy - ooh la la!
That Hermes is one mighty fine-looking young fellow, even though his chest is rather boy-like.
I prefer a man with hair on his chest - RAWR!!!
Yet another reason for my attraction to Scott Bakula in "Quantum Leap" and his shirtless interludes!
And no worries... I didn't actually lay my hand on this statue's buttock.
I didn't touch anything here.

After my delightful two-and-a-half hours sojourn at the two museums, with the air washed clean by the downpour, I drove past Ben & Jerry's on Broughton on my way home...
and, hallelujah, they were open!
Hallelujah, I found parking right around the corner!
And after getting my first ice cream of summer, I walked about in this empty parking lot to savor each and every little bit of it.
Right place, right time!
i thank You, God.

night and day art collection, deux

And so, as forecast yester eve, I returned to the museum for my repast this morn!
Still no unicorn in the marsh depiction above, but there was
a very nice duck floating along
in the katniss.
(smile!)
How very different it seems with
the blue sky of today!
(smile!)

And how wonderful it was to have a luncheon with the Boomers!
Even though I'm still an honorary member of their fb group, I'm fairly out of touch with most of them.
Most, that is, except Sue Gorecki - we run into each other all over town!
How very sweet of her to remind me last night about this monthly meetup!
Plus, Jackie Frant recently had a birthday, so I loved being able to wish her the best in person.

It was good to see others that I knew, too, at Joe's At The Jepson.
That's Karen Halloran at the head of the table, with Wendy of Pooler - I'd thought she was in Bluffton - sitting to my left.
To my right was Pat Youngquist, who I sometimes spot at Asbury.
Diane Johnson was sitting beside Jackie, then there were two others who were new to me (that means I missed their names).

The food was quite nice, too, as would be expected from the former Joe's Homemade.
The Jo'Life Style Oglethorpe turned out to be a winning combination of three courses on one plate!
Along with the salad, I had a fabulous black bean burger with chips, plus fresh fruit for dessert!
Of course, I had to get mine poison - I mean, strawberry - free, but that second fruit cup was excellent!

After the meal, Jackie and I explored the new art on the third floor.
This new mural, "Late Afternoon near the Academy", is in tune with the impressionism works culled from the Telfair's collection.
The artist, Dana Richardson, claims that Savannah's light has a blue quality at that time of day -
I believe it to be more lavender.
My favorite part of this painting?
The rich, purple, shadows... gorgeous!
Now to rescue my car from its parking spot!
(smile!)

night and day art collection

This was one of the most telling slides in the "Collecting Impressionism: Telfair's Modern Vision" members-only lecture this evening.
My many thanks to the speaker, Telfair Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs Courtney McNeil, and her love for this genre of art.
She had designed this slide to accentuate the difference in the museum purchases made by two very different directors.
The first, Carl Brandt, was also the first director of the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. He collected those pieces shown on the left, all of which could be termed classics from the masters, pieces which a museum would be expected to have. In other words, he stayed with the safe bets.
The second, Gari Melchers, was nearly two generations younger and born in the United States. After wedding a Southern lass, he was enticed to become the next director for the Telfair. His aim was to bring in much more current works, many by his contemporaries. In other words, he selected works that would be more valued in the future.
Even then, the value of Melchers' choices were noticed by the critics.
"Away down here in Savannah there is someone buying better paintings for a little museum than the heads of many of the big museums in the country have had sense enough or courage enough to buy."
So wrote Julian Street, in 1917, about the art Melchers had added in a decade.
The event was definitely worth my venturing out on this rainy, rainy, rainy day.

At the reception, I searched above for the unicorn in the katniss, but it had wandered off, perhaps looking
to find an ark.
(smile)
I had a nice laugh at that joke with Elaine and Ed, retiree transplants.
She was a librarian, him a math professor up north.
I look forward to seeing them again.
And I'll look forward to seeing Sue Gorecki again tomorrow, right here at the Jepson!
So very glad she was here!
i thank You, God!