Daily Entries for the week of
Sunday, August 16
through
Saturday, August 22
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It’s Saturday, August 22, 2020
Welcome to the 863rd consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
By the rude bridge
A Revolution begins - A Nation is born. At Minute Man National Historical Park
National Park Service Digital Image Archives - http://www.nps.gov/storage/images/mima/Webpages/originals/359.jpg Gallery http://www.nps.gov/storage/images/mima/Webpages/index.html Transferred to Commons by Fæ
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2.0 Commentary
Saturday night I will be presenting to the Community Church sponsored memorial to
Sacco and Vanzetti.
If you’re interested, here’s the link:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AsGh3P8xTlDxnMBSB_jYs79hm_NWJA
On Friday, my day tripping group is heading out to Lexington and Concord to view the sites
wherein the first battle of the Revolutionary War occurred.
What has always fascinated me was that the Revolutionary War started before
there was a country of America or the United Colonies or the United States.
The war started between Massachusetts and the most powerful nation in the world.
We will include the Minuteman Man Historical Park and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in our trip.
The news on the covid front is encouraging for residents of Massachusetts: the testing-positives rate has fallen to 1.3%.
Won’t it be great to see that fall below 1%?
We’ve got to do better forestalling large gatherings:
Colleges have to do more to curtail the herding instincts of their student body.
And managers and owners of restaurants in which tables are closer than the six feet required by law must be deprived of the right to hold food and beverage licenses.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“The future depends on what you do today.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Thursday night I made meatballs in a brown sauce.
I fried the meatballs, chicken wings, mushrooms, and pig’s feet
(after I boiled the pig’s feet for 30 minutes)
as they fried, adding some flour for thickener.
After the frying I moved the meat and mushrooms and oil into
a Dutch Oven then added
my own chicken stock and good red wine.
I simmered the meat for a long hour.
I served the meatballs casserole with penne pasta and my own Marinara Sauce.
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Minute Man National Historical Park
commemorates the opening battle in the American Revolutionary War.
The National Historical Park is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and protects 970 acres in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord.
The engagement which took place at the North Bridge has historically been known as the "Concord Fight" and was a part of the larger Battles of Lexington and Concord.
On April 18, 1775, General Thomas Gage, the military Governor of Massachusetts, dispatched a force of roughly 700 British soldiers from Boston to confiscate or destroy military supplies being stockpiled in Concord by the rebellious Massachusetts Provincial Congress.
On their way to Concord, this force encountered a small group of militia on Lexington Green.
After a brief skirmish there, the British soldiers marched on to Concord.
Soon after reaching the town, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith sent six companies across the North Bridge to search provincial Colonel James Barrett's farm for munitions.
Three of these companies went on to Barrett's farm while three, totaling roughly 90 men,
held the North Bridge.
These were the British light infantry companies from the 4th, 10th, and 43rd Regiments of Foot under Captain Walter Laurie.
These companies initially held positions on the western side of the bridge but when the provincials advanced, they crossed the bridge and took up a position on the eastern bank.
At about 10:30, the provincials advanced in military order with the intention of taking the bridge and moving on to the center of town to prevent the British from burning the village.
As they advanced the British fired a few warning shots followed by a full volley.
Several provincials were killed or wounded in this first round of firing.
Seeing these casualties, Major John Buttrick of Concord,
in command of the provincial column, commanded,
"Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake fire!" and
the provincials returned fire,
causing the British to immediately retreat back to Concord.
Three British soldiers were killed and nine wounded.
On the provincial side two were killed and four wounded.
This first instance of Americans fighting in military order and
firing to deadly effect on British troops was a key turning point in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It precipitated the British retreat back to Boston and is regarded as
one of the most significant events in American history.
In his 1837 poem, "Concord Hymn", thinker and author Ralph Waldo Emerson immortalized the North Bridge Fight as "the shot heard round the world".
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
At this site also stands Daniel Chester French's well-known Minute Man statue of 1874.
Across the North Bridge, opposite The Minute Man statue is the Obelisk Monument.
The Obelisk is believed to be the country's first memorial to its war casualties.
Close by is the grave of the two regular army soldiers killed at the bridge and the Old Manse.
The five-mile "Battle Road Trail" between Lexington and Concord,
which includes a restored colonial landscape approximating
the path of the running skirmishes between British troops and Colonial militia,
a monument at the site where Paul Revere was captured during his midnight ride, and
the Hartwell Tavern,
a restored 18th-century inn and house on the Battle Road,
where living history programs are presented from May through October.
The Battle Road Trail winds through fields and forests and is
accessible from several different parking areas.
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It’s Friday, August 21, 2020
Welcome to the 862nd consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Detail from "The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti" by Ben Shahn
(1967, mosaic), Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
DASonnenfeld - Own work
Detail from "The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti" by Ben Shahn (1967, mosaic), Syracuse University
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2.0 Commentary
On Saturday evening I will be speaking at a zoom meeting sponsored by the Community Church of Boston.
The evening is a memorial to Sacco and Vanzetti.
I’m preparing my notes for that presentation and I’ve included here a link which provides you with details of the meeting as well as an invitation and instructions for accessing the meeting.
Hope you enjoy the meeting.
love
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AsGh3P8xTlDxnMBSB_jYs79hm_NWJA
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
My latest effort on the trip plan was typing in “Michelin restaurants in San Gimignano.” And then in Siena.
The inquiry produced a very nice selection of restaurants.
The prices at the best restaurants seem to be in line with the great Paris restaurants, so we can expect to spend $150.00 per person at the most expensive restaurants (which we will patronize) and less than that on others.
Whereas my Guide Michelin to Italy is in Italian of which I understand little,
the internet response to my inquiry produced some translation that was well appreciated.
And finally, using the information supplied for each restaurant
I came away with a template containing a chart of attributes I should ask of each restaurant I consider.
When I play with it a little I expect the chart to improve and then I’ll offer it up.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“The first step toward success is
taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment
in which you first find yourself.”
~Mark Caine
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5.0 Mail
We love getting mail.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
This from Colleen K,
If the K is disconcerting you’ll remember who she is once you open the link. And you’ll understand why the G became a K.
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2F0c980070358f%2Fyouth-program-wcat-film-series-7860057&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf6226270167944db5ce808d84447fdee%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637334423271418512&sdata=baP7k8Y5saDvGYW8hxOxNNukh7Brq7u1XUjGikZQXEc%3D&reserved=0
Blog Meister responds: A brave decision for this young writer, mother, leader, and a person I deeply admire.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Wednesday night Lauren and I had dinner at Smith and Wollensky.
While the corn and crabmeat soup was poor and the wedge lettuce salad mediocre, the eight-ounce steaks, one filet and one ny strip, were very good.
The desserts were average.
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Ben Shahn (September 12, 1898 – March 14, 1969) was a
Lithuanian-born American artist.
He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and
his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content.
Shahn was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, to Jewish parents Joshua Hessel and Gittel (Lieberman) Shan.
His father was exiled to Siberia for possible revolutionary activities in 1902, at which point
Shahn, his mother, and two younger siblings moved to Vilkomir (Ukmergė).
In 1906, the family immigrated to the United States where they rejoined Hessel, a carpenter,
who had fled Siberia and emigrated to the US by way of South Africa.
They settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, where
two more siblings were born.
His younger brother drowned at age 17.
Shahn began his path to becoming an artist in New York, where
he was first trained as a lithographer.
Shahn's early experiences with lithography and graphic design is
apparent in his later prints and paintings which often include the combination of text and image.
Shahn's primary medium was egg tempera, popular among social realists.
Although Shahn attended New York University as a biology student in 1919,
he went on to pursue art at
City College in 1921 and then at the
National Academy of Design.
After his marriage to Tillie Goldstein in 1924, the two traveled through
North Africa and then to
Europe, where he made "the traditional artist pilgrimage."
There he studied great European artists such as Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy, Georges Rouault, Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.
Contemporaries who would make a profound impact on Shahn's work and career include artists Walker Evans, Diego Rivera and Jean Charlot.
Shahn was dissatisfied with the work inspired by his travels,
claiming that the pieces were unoriginal.
Shahn eventually outgrew his pursuit of European modern art, and
redirected his efforts toward a realist style which he used to contribute to social dialogue.
The twenty-three gouache paintings of the trials of Sacco and Vanzetti
communicated the political concerns of his time,
rejecting academic prescriptions for subject matter.
The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti was exhibited in 1932 and
received acclaim from both the public and critics.
This series gave Shahn the confidence to cultivate his personal style,
regardless of society’s art standards.
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It’s Thursday, August 20, 2020
Welcome to the 861st consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Mike Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic nominee for President, 1988
Cropped version of a head-and-shoulders portrait of Dukakis speaking into a microphone.
Original image: O'Halloran, Thomas J., photographer - This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: Cropped. The original can be viewed here: Governor Dukakis speaks at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.jpg: . Modifications made by Jatkins.
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2.0 Commentary
Today I cede my place in this column to former Gov Mike Dukakis’ proclamation of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti Memorial Day.
WHEREAS: A half century ago next month, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after being indicted, tried, and found guilty of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick A. Parmenter; and
WHEREAS: Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who lived and worked in Massachusetts while openly professing their beliefs in the doctrines of anarchism; and
WHEREAS: The atmosphere of their trial and appeals was permeated by prejudice against foreigners and hostility toward unorthodox political views; and
WHEREAS: The conduct of many of the officials involved in the case shed serious doubt on their willingness and ability to conduct the prosecution and trial of Sacco and Vanzetti fairly and impartially; and
WHEREAS: The limited scope of appellate review then in effect did not allow a new trial to be ordered based on the prejudicial effect of the proceedings as a whole; and
WHEREAS: This situation was later rectified as a direct result of their case by the adoption of Chapter 341 of the Acts of 1939, which permitted the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to order a new trial not merely because the verdict was contrary to the law, but also if it was against the weight of the evidence, contradicted by newly discovered evidence, or "for any other reason that justice may require"; and
WHEREAS: The people of Massachusetts today take pride in the strength and vitality of their governmental institutions, particularly in the high quality of their legal system; and
WHEREAS: They recognize that all human institutions are imperfect, that the possibility of injustice is ever-present, and that the acknowledgement of fault, combined with a resolve to do better, are signs of strength in a free society; and
WHEREAS: The trial and execution of Sacco and Vanzetti should serve to remind all civilized people of the constant need to guard against our susceptibility to prejudice, our intolerance of unorthodox ideas, and our failure to defend the rights of persons who are looked upon as strangers in our midst; and
WHEREAS: Simple decency and compassion, as well as respect for truth and an enduring commitment to our nation?s highest ideals, require that the fate of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti be-pondered by all who cherish tolerance, justice and human understanding; and
WHEREAS: Tuesday, August 23, 1977, will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael S. Dukakis, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority conferred upon me as Supreme Executive Magistrate by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and by all other authority vested in me, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, August 23, 1977, "NICOLA SACCO AND BARTOLOMEO VANZETTI MEMORIAL DAY"; and declare, further, that any stigma and disgrace should be forever removed from the names of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, from the names of their families and descendants, and so, from the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and I hereby call upon all the people of Massachusetts to pause in their daily endeavors to reflect upon these tragic events, and draw from their historic lessons the resolve to prevent the forces of intolerance, fear, and hatred from ever again uniting to overcome rationality, wisdom, and fairness to which our legal system aspires.
Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston, this nineteenth day of July in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-seven and of the independence of the United States of America the two hundred and first.
By His Excellency the Governor MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS
PAUL GUZZI, Secretary of the Commonwealth
GOD SAVE THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
Yesterday I took notes on Duccio’s Enthroned Madonna at the Uffizi and
N Pisano’s pulpit in the Siena Cathedral.
We will visit both of these works.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and
leave a trail.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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5.0 Mail
We love getting mail.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
On Aug. 22, 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti were about to be executed.
Edna St. Vincent Millay interviewed Massachusetts Gov. Alvan Fuller
about the case, for a magazine article.
Later that day, she wrote a letter to him.
Your Excellency
Tonight, with the world in doubt, with
this Commonwealth drawing into its lungs with every breath the difficult air of doubt, with
the eyes of Europe turned westward upon Massachusetts and
upon the whole United States
in distress and harrowing doubt —
are you still so sure?
Does no faintest shadow of question gnaw at your mind?
For, indeed, your spirit, however strong, is
but the frail spirit of a man.
Have you no need, in this hour, of
a spirit greater than your own?
Think back.
Think back a long time.
Which way would He have turned,
this Jesus of your faith? —
Oh, not the way in which your feet are set!
You promise me, and
I believe you truly, that
you would think of what I said.
I exact of you this promise now.
Be for a moment alone with yourself.
Look inward upon yourself.
Let fall from your harassed mind all,
all save this:
which way would He have turned,
this Jesus of your faith?
I cry to you with a million voices:
answer our doubt.
Exert the clemency which your high office affords.
There is need in Massachusetts of a great man tonight.
It is not yet too late for you to be that man.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Blog Meister responds: Well, the Governor was not persuaded and the pair were electrocuted that night.
One of America’s most publicized miscarriages of justice.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Last night I led a group of BU students on a tour of the North End.
After the tour we ate outdoors at Limoncello.
I had some Caesar salad, delicious meatball, and fish soup.
The food was excellent and the service superb.
Thank you LouLou.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Michael Stanley Dukakis (born November 3, 1933) is
a retired American politician who served as the 65th governor of Massachusetts,
from 1975 to 1979 and again
from 1983 to 1991.
He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only
the second Greek-American governor in U.S. history, after Spiro Agnew.
He was nominated by the Democratic Party for president in the 1988 election,
losing to the Republican candidate, Vice President George H. W. Bush.
Born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Greek and Aromanian Greek immigrants,
Dukakis attended Swarthmore College before
enlisting in the United States Army.
After graduating from Harvard Law School,
he won election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives,
serving from 1963 to 1971.
He won the 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election but lost his 1978 bid for re-nomination to
Edward J. King.
He defeated King in the 1982 gubernatorial primary and
served as governor from 1983 to 1991,
presiding over a period of economic growth known as the "Massachusetts Miracle".
Building on his popularity as governor,
Dukakis sought the Democratic presidential nomination for the 1988 presidential election.
He prevailed in the Democratic primaries and
was formally nominated at the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
Dukakis chose Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running mate,
while the Republicans nominated a ticket consisting of
George H. W. Bush and Senator Dan Quayle.
Dukakis lost the election, carrying only ten states and Washington, D.C., but
he improved on the Democratic performances in the previous two elections.
After the election, Dukakis announced that he would not seek another term as governor, and
he left office in 1991.
Since leaving office, Dukakis has served on the board of directors for Amtrak and
has taught political science at Northeastern University and UCLA.
He was mentioned as a potential appointee to the Senate in 2009
to fill the vacancy caused by Ted Kennedy's death, but
Governor Deval Patrick chose Paul G. Kirk.
In 2012, Dukakis backed the successful Senate campaign of Elizabeth Warren.
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It’s Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Welcome to the 860th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
The Resurrection (c. 1463–65)
Piero della Francesca
- http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/piero/resurrex.jpg.html
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2.0 Commentary
Time.
Being on time.
Some people always are.
Some always are not.
Others sometimes.
I take pleasure being in control of time.
I like the way planning the broad strokes of one’s activities
puts one in control of time.
I like allocating ample time to accomplish one’s goals.
And so in planning our days in Tuscany
I have created these broad strokes.
Our first appointment will be at 9.00am, when the major museums open.
Between wake and leaving for the first appointment will be free time.
For me, I will stay in a café from the time it opens until it’s time to prep for the museum.
By noon we will be on the street for two hours of free time, perhaps a lunch/café break.
We will have another appointment at 2.00pm that will typically last half the time of the morning event.
From that appointment to getting ready for dinner, perhaps three hours,
we will decide as we go.
Then dinner and the end of the day.
The two fixed appointments each day will be chosen
according to a schedule prepared during the planning before the trip, for example:
in Arezzo, the Piero della Francesca frescoes of the History of the True Cross,
in Assisi, the frescoes of the Life of St. Francis of disputed pedigree,
in Padua, the Giotto frescoes of the Life of Christ and the Life of the Virgin Mary,
in Siena, the Cathedral and the Duccios,
in Florence, well,
Florence.
Point being that we will maximize what we see by careful planning and
by careful planning we will never feel stretched or frazzled or exhausted.
We will feel the exhilaration that must come with
partaking of the menu of choices presented us in
one of the great regions of the Western world,
without overeating.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
Worked on notes on Duccio’s Enthroned Madonna and Pisano’s pulpit in Siena.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“If opportunity doesn’t knock,
build a door.”
~ Milton Berle
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Monday night I pulled the remains of a roasted chicken from its carcass and
made a chicken salad for dinner.
I drank the remaining third of a bottle of Barolo opened the night before,
still plenty of life in it.
With the salad I had local corn, a local heirloom tomato and half of an avocado.
All in all, very nice.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Piero was born Piero di Benedetto in
the town of Borgo Santo Sepolcro, modern-day Tuscany, to
Benedetto de' Franceschi, a tradesman, and
Romana di Perino da Monterchi,
members of the Florentine and Tuscan Franceschi noble family.
His father died before his birth, and
he was called Piero della Francesca after his mother,
who supported his education in mathematics and art.
He was most probably apprenticed to the local painter Antonio di Giovanni d'Anghiari, because
in documents about payments it is noted that he was working with
Antonio in 1432 and May 1438.
He certainly took notice of the work of some of the Sienese artists active in San Sepolcro during his youth; e.g. Sassetta.
In 1439 Piero received, together with Domenico Veneziano,
payments for his work on frescoes for the church of Sant'Egidio in Florence, now lost.
In Florence he must have met leading masters like Fra Angelico, Luca della Robbia, Donatello, and Brunelleschi.
The classicism of Masaccio's frescoes and his
majestic figures in the Santa Maria del Carmine were for him an
important source of inspiration.
In 1452, Piero della Francesca was called to Arezzo to
replace Bicci di Lorenzo in painting the frescoes of the basilica of San Francesco.
The work was finished in 1464.
The History of the True Cross cycle of frescoes is generally considered among
his masterworks and those of Renaissance painting in general.
The story in these frescoes derives from
legendary medieval sources as to how timber relics of the True Cross came to be found.
These stories were collected in the Golden Legend of Jacopo da Varazze (Jacopo da Varagine) of the mid-13th century.
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It’s Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Welcome to the 859th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Photograph of Edna St. Vincent Millay
Arnold Genthe -
This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID agc.7a10216. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.
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2.0 Commentary
Sunday spent on a talk I’m giving on Saturday
to a group organized by the Community Church and
gathered on Zoom.
The gathering to help memorialize the
travesty of justice called Sacco and Vanzetti.
I’ll publish the speech on the 21st,
the day after I reprint former Governor Mike Dukakis proclamation of Sacco and Vanzetti Day.
Before buying the plane tickets,
the travelers will spend a lot of time
coordinating their schedules before
selecting the final start and return times.
Be careful here.
Buying the plane tickets sets the trip in stone.
Once the flight details, the arrival date and time are set
all other reservations, for the car, restaurants, museum passes, and accommodations can be made.
Jobs or schools or friends and family can be told.
“We’re leaving for twelve days on…and returning on…Please feed the dog.”
The plane tickets are the single biggest expense for the travelers so
buying the tickets might be made into an event
with all the travelers together
for a bottle of sparkling and
final flight search,
flight selection,
flight payment.
Pop the bottle.
Exhilaration.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I’ve lost almost 300 games.
26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why I succeed.”
~ Michael Jordan
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5.0 Mail
We love getting mail.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
This from Kali, now P:
I love hearing of your trip plans
They remind me of my 23 year old self traveling around Tuscany- no cell phones learning about Dante
I went to
Florence- bought a leather jacket in a market and rode a carousel- it felt like arriving home to be there and of course I went to the museums
Ravenna- going to Dante’s tomb
Siena - seeing Catherine encased ended up in a lot of poems after
I went to the house of da Vinci - we share a birthday 🎂 hahaha
It was a life altering experience for a young person- I had dreamed and saved since I was a child - I still dream of the olive oil and the way it tasted of the earth
I’m so excited for you
Blog Meister responds: Thank you for sharing your experiences and well-wishes. Of course, we can’t go now; Americans are disinvited.
We don’t want to go in the winter or early spring. So May.
Except, Kat graduates in May and she wants to come.
We’re thinking June.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Sunday night cousin Lauren and I shared a slow-roasted chicken brushed with gochujang paste.
Delicious with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an
American lyrical poet and playwright.
She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923, the third woman to win the award for poetry, and was also known for her feminist activism.
She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work.
The poet Richard Wilbur asserted, "She wrote some of the best sonnets of the century."
Millay's fame began in 1912 when, at the age of 20, she entered her poem "Renascence" in a poetry contest in The Lyric Year.
The poem was widely considered the best submission, and when it was ultimately awarded fourth place, it created a scandal which brought Millay publicity.
The first-place winner Orrick Johns was among those who felt that "Renascence" was the best poem, and stated that "the award was as much an embarrassment to me as a triumph."
A second-prize winner offered Millay his $250 prize money.
In the immediate aftermath of the Lyric Year controversy, wealthy arts patron Caroline B. Dow heard Millay reciting her poetry and playing the piano at the Whitehall Inn in Camden, Maine, and was so impressed that she offered to pay for Millay's education at Vassar College.
Millay’s 1920 collection A Few Figs From Thistles drew controversy for its exploration of female sexuality and feminism.
In 1919, she wrote the anti-war play Aria da Capo, which starred her sister Norma Millay at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City.
Millay won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923 for "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver";
she was the third woman to win the poetry prize, after Sara Teasdale (1918) and Margaret Widdemer (1919).
Millay wrote six verse dramas early in her career, including Two Slatterns and a King and The Lamp and the Bell, a poem written for Vassar College about love between women.
She was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera House to write a libretto for an opera composed by Deems Taylor.
The result, The King's Henchman, drew on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's account of Eadgar, King of Wessex, and was described as the most effectively and artistically wrought American opera ever to reach the stage.
Within three weeks, her publishers had run through four editions of the book.
Her pacifist verse drama Aria da Capo, a one-act play written for the Provincetown Players, is often anthologized. It aired live as an episode of Academy Theatre in 1949 on NBC.
"Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare" (1922) is an homage to the geometry of Euclid.
"Renascence" and "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver" are often considered her finest poems.
On her death, The New York Times described her as "an idol of the younger generation during the glorious early days of Greenwich Village [...]
One of the greatest American poets of her time." Thomas Hardy said that America had two great attractions: the skyscraper and the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay.
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It’s Monday, August 17, 2020
Welcome to the 858th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Pulpit by Nicola Pisano; Cathedral Siena, Italy
and the mosaic floor
No machine-readable author provided.
JoJan assumed (based on copyright claims)
Own work assumed (based on copyright claims).
Own photo - photo made on 11 October 2005
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2.0 Commentary
Traveling through Tuscany in a rented car:
I have not examined the specifics yet but
I have come to certain conclusions.
One is that car rentals are very expensive.
But since we are a group,
the cost per person will be much lower than traveling with just two.
So I would leverage this advantage into choosing a vehicle with plenty of room
for each person and her luggage.
Although none of the car trips are long,
more than half will be less than an hour,
we will drive at least one thousand miles and
we want it to be a comfortable time, not dreaded.
Next Saturday I am slated to speak at a memorial to Sacco and Vanzetti.
I‘ve started to assemble my thoughts which included
watching a 2007 film called Sacco and Vanzetti,
the story of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrant anarchists accused of murder and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial.
Find it on Prime Video.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
Did not find yesterday productive in terms of trip planning although
I did finish assembling my notes on Cimabue’s Crucifixion in Arezzo and
begin to look at his monumental Enthroned Madonna and Child in Florence’s Uffizi.
Oh! I forgot.
I also started to assemble notes on Nicola Pisano’s marble Pulpit in the Cathedral of Siena.
So, if not brilliant, not nothing.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
The old grey donkey,
Eeyore
stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest,
his front feet well apart,
his head on one side, and
thought about things.
Sometimes he thought sadly to himself,
"Why?"
and sometimes he thought,
"Wherefore?" and
sometimes he thought,
"Inasmuch as which?" and
sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
~Winnie the Pooh
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5.0 Mail
We love getting mail.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
This from my granddaughter, Francesca C:
Dear friends and family,
My summer classes were fantastic! The all-ages poetry course was an incredible experience: fourteen students ages 9 to 82. The middle schoolers killed it reading Pride and Prejudice, and the high schoolers explored experimental fiction with a good blend of excitement and skepticism. Click here to see some of the incredible poems that the kids (and adults) wrote this semester. We will keep updating that link as we get students' permission to share their work.
My fall courses are now up on my website. I would greatly appreciate it if you could forward this email to 3 people who have book-loving 4th–12th graders or are in book clubs themselves.
I'm offering seven courses this fall, and my dear friend and colleague Virginia Evans is offering a special high school creative writing workshop. The theme of this fall is fun, engrossing, and engaging books that teach us about the current moment. Younger middle schoolers (9-11 year olds) will read about the magic of books and words, older middle schoolers will read Jason Reynolds' gut-wrenching novel-in-verse Long Way Down, and high schoolers will delve into dystopian worlds with The Handmaid's Tale and Parable of the Sower. For middle schoolers, I will send parents written reports about their child's progress twice during the course.
I'm also offering exciting classes for adults, including a literature course about travel, and several creative writing workshops for anyone who has a story they have always dreamed of telling.
Courses run from mid September through early December (more info on the website). Since small group size allows for easy scheduling, day and time will be arranged to suit participants. Space is super limited. Please check out my website for the specific course information.
Readingcloser.com/courses
All my best,
Francesca
Blog Meister responds: I took her class on Female Relationships in which we read Toni Morrison’s Sulla and Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend. We had wonderful conversations. One of the attendees called the classes the highlight of her summer. And I agree. The highlight of my summer as well. This semester I am taking Across Europe in Experimental Literature.
This course unites three fantastic contemporary(ish) novels that explore what it means to travel.
James Baldwin’s 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room describes an white American man (written by a Black American man) who has gone to Paris in the hopes of escaping his queerness.
Ben Lerner’s 2001 novel Leaving the Atocha Station describes a white American man (written by a white American man) who, ill-equipped to speak Spanish and convinced of his own fraudulence as a poet, is on a fellowship in Madrid.
Finally, Rachel Cusk’s 2014 novel Outline is a truly modern novel; a British woman travels to Athens, and the story of the novel consists of ten conversations she has on the trip.
This course will provide adults the opportunity and luxury to (re)embrace careful, thoughtful reading. We will explore these novels alongside two Baldwin essays and one short story, and in doing so we will explore themes of travel, dislocation, modernity, nationality, geography, and identity. We will focus on close readings of the text: studying interesting passages and analyzing word choice, structure, voice, and images. The class will be challenging but accessible, and our main goal will be to pursue a love of reading, even as we ask difficult questions and study complex passages. The class will cap at 7 students to allow full participation, sign up now!
September 14th–December 11th (no class Thanksgiving week). We will meet twice a week on Zoom for one hour.
Price: $450
Note that Francesca allows participant to pay on a sliding scale, including nothing if finances do not permit expenditure.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Last night I had a veal chop.
I’ve forgotten how good they are.
I slow-roasted the chop then slathered it with gochujang hot pepper sauce and broiled/seared the chop for four minutes.
The sauce blacked into an integral crust which I easily removed and discarded.
Left on the chop was a thin layer of the paste.
Perfect.
I had some leftover chop suey which I had for the vegetable.
Yum.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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11.0 Thumbnail
The pulpit is made of Carrara marble and
was sculpted between the end of 1265 and November 1268 by Nicola Pisano and several other artists. This pulpit expresses the northern Gothic style adopted by Pisano, while still
showing his classical influences.
The whole message of the pulpit is concerned with the doctrine of Salvation and the Last Judgment.
In the top level, seven scenes narrate the Life of Christ.
The many figures in each scene with their chiaroscuro effect,
show a richness of surface, motion, and narrative.
On the middle-level statuettes of the Evangelists and Prophets announce the salvation of mankind.
The pulpit itself is the earliest remaining work in the cathedral.
The staircase dates from 1543 and was built by Bartolomeo Neroni.
At the same time, the pulpit was moved from the choir to its present location.
The inlaid marble mosaic floor is one of the most ornate of its kind in Italy,
covering the whole floor of the cathedral.
This undertaking went on from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and
about forty artists made their contribution.
The floor consists of 56 panels in different sizes.
Most have a rectangular shape, but
the later ones in the transept are hexagons or rhombuses.
They represent the sibyls, scenes from the Old Testament, allegories and virtues.
Most are still in their original state.
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It’s Sunday, August 16, 2020
Welcome to the 857th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts.
General view (b); photograph taken by me, August 2005.
Daderot at the English language Wikipedia
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2.0 Commentary
My weekly day-trip group visited the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.
During the pandemic, we must investigate websites so as not to be unpleasantly surprised.
Which we were.
But we overcame and enjoyed a lovely stroll through,
following a family of ‘wild’ turkeys, studying the stillness of a great blue heron, and
watch hawks glide over, looking for hapless chipmunks or rabbits.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting its essence
On Friday, a busy day, I was still able to work on trip.
It’s so much fun.
I am collecting art terms I come across into a glossary and
on Friday I added a few words, like fresco and distemper.
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4.0 Chuckles/Thoughts
“When your tail is missing,
Remember you have every right to mope.”
– Eeyore
A.A. Milne
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Six of us see each other regularly,
its own vetting.
We had dinner last night at my apartment, a traditional Italian gravy with baked pasta.
The Gravy offered short ribs, pig’s feet, meatballs, and pork roast.
Delicious and fun.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy/political story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
Today we post Chapter 22 in which Dee presents to the world her personal take on Christian mysticism.
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Twitter, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
Here’s the link:
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
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11.0 Thumbnails
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, established in 1872, is
the oldest public arboretum in North America.
This botanical research institution and free public park is
located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts.
The landscape was designed by Charles Sprague Sargent and Frederick Law Olmsted and is
the second largest "link" in the Emerald Necklace.
The Arnold Arboretum's collection of temperate trees, shrubs, and vines has a
particular emphasis on the plants of the eastern United States and eastern Asia,
where Arboretum staff and colleagues are actively sourcing new material on plant collecting expeditions.
The Arboretum supports research in its landscape and in its Weld Hill Research Building.
As of 2011, the living collections include 14,980 individual plants (including nursery holdings)
belonging to 10,117 accessions representing 3,924 taxa;
with particular emphasis on the ligneous species of North America and eastern Asia.
Historic collections include the plant introductions from eastern Asia made by Charles Sprague Sargent, Ernest Henry Wilson, William Purdom, Joseph Hers, and Joseph Rock.
Recent introductions from Asia have resulted from the 1977 Arnold Arboretum Expedition to Japan and Korea,
the 1980 Sino-American Botanical Expedition to western Hubei Province, and more recent expeditions to China and Taiwan.
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12.0 Diary of the Surrender of a Private Car
The summer is upon us and
day trips are beckoning.
Missing a private car but adapting.
Using a friend’s, always making some sort of contribution,
filling the tank, detailing the car, whatever,
or zip carring when the trip is only two or three hours,
or renting when longer than that.
It all costs money; it’s all inconvenient;
but never to the point of doubting whether surrendering the car was worth it.
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