As promised, out of chronological order, but herewith an essay inspired by my trip to Paris in April.
When I was at Barnard, everyone I knew took the survey course for Art History (or its corollary, Art in Humanities, or ArtHum, at Columbia). The Barnard Art History department was pretty good (and still is, I believe), which was no surprise, given the college’s location in New York City, with its plethora of museums, art galleries and auction houses. Instead, I took Ear Training III with Richard Taruskin, because I wanted to minor in music, and frankly, it turned out to be one of my more challenging classes, for a person who thought of themselves as a pretty accomplished musician.
My art history education has taken place outside of the classroom. It began when I was living in Riverside, CT, when I went on school field trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the City or the Mead Museum in Greenwich. Later, when I was living in NYC after college, my mom and I spent a lovely afternoon one spring at a Monet exhibit at the Met, and it became a fond memory for us both. On our family trips, typically we did not visit museums, although my father had a keen interest in art, and had an inclination to be an art major in college (thought he ended majoring in English). When we took our first European trip as a family, we spent more time in large outdoor exhibits (Legoland and Tivoli Park in Denmark, the Castle in Heidelberg, the Nordic Villages in Sweden) than we did in museums, presumably with the short attention span of three youngsters under 12 in mind.
On our second European vacation in 1977, my sister, brother and I were teens, and were prepped in a much more sophisticated way for the month long camping trip. We were each assigned a country for which we were responsible (Eric – England, Chris – Germany, Ari – France), and asked to provide an itinerary of what to do in that country. So in England at Eric’s suggestion, we visited Shakespeare’s home and the Anne Hathaway house in Stratford-upon-Avon, Stonehenge, and the Windsor Castle in London; in France, I had us head to Mont-St-Michel in Normandy and the menhirs at Carnac in Brittany. In Paris, I don’t remember having picked anything special for us to do, other than see the Eiffel Tower (which I don’t remember us going up at the time), but my Mom and/or Dad picked the Rodin Museum as something they wanted to see. So we drove through Paris to find the museum, and Dad even found a place to park on the street. Everyone got out to head into the museum, except me – it had been a somewhat difficult trip for me as a 15-year-old in the close quarters with my family in our VW bus, and I decided at that moment that I needed some personal time. So I gave up the chance to see Rodin’s bronzes, and sat in our VW camper bus and read for the hour or so that the rest of the family took to see the museum that afternoon. And I regretted not a moment of that hour alone, ever.
And when I returned to Paris as a college student on a three week swing through England, France and Germany (again!), I didn’t even think to visit the Rodin Museum. I was in the midst of my thesis exploration and my studies in medieval European History – I visited the British Museum in London, the famous Castle in Edinburgh, the Popes’ Residence in Avignon, and the Musée de Moyen Age (Musée de Cluny) in Paris. I was pretty focused at the time on my itinerary. I ended up writing my thesis on the Middle Ages, using a biography of a French Count in the 14th century as a starting point for observations about life, religion, and culture during that time.
Over the course of my adult life following college, I made many trips back to Europe, most frequently with musical/choral tours with the New Amsterdam Singers, during which visits to museums and cultural centers were standard fare on the planned itineraries. But on those trips, experiencing the cultural life directly, through our collaborative concerts or post-concert eating and drinking fests, was often my most vibrant take-away from the countries I visited. In Wales, it was the experience of staying overnight with on a Welsh farm that was as interesting as was the competition at the choral festival we were attending. In Turkey, it was the experience of hearing the frequent calls to prayer at the mosques in our neighborhood in Istanbul that deepened my understanding of Islam as much as it was seeing the Hagia Sophia. In the Basque country, it was singing Christmas carols in English and Spanish along with our chorus hosts at our midnight post-concert dinner that stayed with me as much as it was seeing the striking Frank Gehry Museum in Balboa for the first time.
And as one who lived in Washington, DC or its suburbs for over 20 years, my tendency was to bring my guests to the outdoor memorials – the Vietnam Wall, the Roosevelt fountains, the Jefferson, or the steps of the Lincoln – more than it ever was to walk through the excellent museums along the Mall.
But back to Rodin.
Well, not quite yet. A quick recounting of my first two trips to Paris. My first trip in September had been a whirlwind affair, mostly using the city as a jumping off point to visit Brugges, Belgium with my friend, Joanne. My schedule on that trip had given me barely time to wander up and down the Seine to see the Notre Dame before heading to the Gare de Lyons to catch my TGV back to Nice.
My second trip had been slightly spontaneous, prompted by an invitation to a Thursday night Barnard Club of Paris event in early December. It was also a short visit, due to my need to be back on Sunday morning to sing with my church choir. During that December visit I had made a pilgrimage to the Eiffel Tower – and spent nearly three hours at the icon, walking its stairs, standing on its observation decks (three of them), enjoying an espresso mid-tower and taking countless photos of the city. The second day of that visit was to see the Louvre – I figured if I was going to be in Paris, I couldn’t tell folks I hadn’t been to the most famous art museum in the City. So I spent the better part of an afternoon looking at art – not knowing exactly what I was looking at, but enjoying it anyway. The third day was a visit with my hosts Jean-Yves and Olivier to the Musée Jacquemart-André on boulevard Haussman. It was a fabulous mansion with incredible art collected by its itinerant owners from all over the world. Luckily this time we used audio-guides, so I had an idea of what art I was looking at. It was impressive.
After that short December visit, Olivier and Jean-Yves invited me back to spend another weekend, and we finally found time on our mutual calendars (they do as much travelling as I do!) in April. This time I gave myself a few days to explore the City of Light. But honestly, a week before I was to leave for Paris, I had no real idea of what I was going to do once I was there. It was over brunch with a Texan, that I met at my French church, one morning in April that I was given a few ideas.
My new Texan friend was a Francophile (he was taking a four-week language course in Villefranche-sur-Mer at the time), and had spent two weeks in Paris every year for I don’t know how long. When asked for his favorite places in the city, he was very quick with his suggestions: L’Orangerie, Musée Rodin, Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre. I hadn’t thought about the Rodin Museum for a very long time. But once he mentioned it, I decided that is one of the places I would visit on my trip.
So, that first day in Paris saw me walking from the Boulevard St.-Germain metro stop to the rue de Varenne to the Musée Rodin. After thirty-one years, it was time to see the bronzes. And they were wonderful. The garden, around which the statues were artistically placed, was blooming with lilacs and wisteria – it was a perfect April day in Paris – sunny, and very warm in the sun, but still a little chilly in the shade. I marveled at Rodin’s ability to capture the beauty of the human body – and of his characters (the Burghers of Calais, Victor Hugo, and Bastien Lepage) – and walked around the entire garden before I finally came upon his most famous bronze, “The Thinker.” It was placed high on a stand, but it didn’t seem far away – in fact, the way the figure is posed, pondering, with his head on his chin, it felt like you were interfering with a private moment. As I told a friend later, I’m glad I saved the moment to enjoy this art, even if it was a long time getting there.
I stayed in the garden for some period of time, enjoying the sun, before going into the Hȏtel Biron, where other works of Rodin’s are housed. It is inside this lovely (but completely needing a renovation) mansion that the statue “the Kiss” can be seen – a lovely alabaster sculpture that truly captures the passion of a romantic embrace – and was considered a bit too much when it was first shown to the public.
It was hard to follow that with another exhibition, so I didn’t. I walked up the boulevard des Invalides and sat on the Esplanade des Invalides with other Parisians and tourists enjoying the sunny afternoon.
The rest of my stay included visits to the Centre Georges Pompidou, to see the Kadinsky exhibit, a true retrospective of the artist’s works throughout his career, and the Calder exhibit, a show featuring not his iconic mobiles, but his works using iron wire – starting with what apparently is his best known work “The Circus.” I don’t think I had ever seen this art of his, and I was absolutely fascinated. He used the wire to create faces and bodies of all types, including John D. Rockefeller and Groucho Marx. Wandering through the Kadinsky exhibit, I had to admit that I liked some of his periods more than others, and basically thought, this man has a pretty twisted mind – the colors and shapes on his paintings at times just seem to portray moments of torment – but also moments of joy. I decided, in my own study of art, that I like the modern movement – it allows one to use one’s imagination as you look at it – rather than traditional art, which puts something in front of you to examine and understand.
The Georges Pompidou also had more permanent collections of modern art, which allowed me to see once again some art with which I was familiar (Mondrian, Picasso, Matisse), and to see some new works as well.
My art history lesson was done for this visit, but not my viewing of art. I finished that afternoon at the Musée de L’Orangerie – a lovely museum on the grounds of the Tuilerie Gardens. In it I saw Monet’s Les Nymphéas, two rooms, each with four vast murals lining the walls of scenes that evoke “Waterlilies.” It was easy to just sit in those rooms and stare at his colors; very calming and introspective art. And the next day, I made my way back to the Musée de Moyen Age, to see once again the “Unicorn Tapestry” (five tapestries, actually) that I had seen in my earlier travels to Paris some twenty-six years ago. Yet another room where I took time to sit and ponder the time taken to weave these amazing tapestries and wonder about the inspiration for these pictures.
Art is personal, and on this visit I found art that truly inspired me.
And for that, you don’t need an art history class.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Happy May!
We're already into mid-May, practically, and I haven't written a blog entry this month, actually since last month. Forgive me, faithful blog readers! I visited Paris at the end of April and started an essay on that visit, which I will post imminently (that's the plan!). But I will catch you up on my adventures since then first.
I visited Paris from April 23rd to the 26th, having a lovely time with my friends Jean-Yves and Olivier. I had the opportunity to see my Barnard classmate, Ginny, and meet her two daughters as well. Her eldest, Kristin, was accepted into Barnard for the Fall and was still vacillating on her decision when I visited with them, but since then she has decided to attend!(making all of us Barnard-boosters very happy).
Nice to Washington
Returning from Paris, I had two days to pull myself together before leaving for Washington, DC. This trip to the States was planned for a specific purpose, to attend the Gala Luncheon marking the end of a series of activities that marked the 25 years of the Barnard-Columbia Athletic Consortium at the University. More on that in a paragraph or so. I flew into Dulles and spent a few days in DC so that I could see some more doctors (trying to keep up my annual wellness visits), and visit my hairdresser, Rose, for a much-needed haircut. I also took advantage of my time in Arlington to pull my bike out of my condo basement and take a spin down around the memorials along the Potomac. It was a breezy and cool day (in the 50s, when it had been in the 80s the previous week!), but it felt good to be back on my bike - the last time I had been on it was to complete the Reston Century the day before I left Washington last August!
Washington to Amherst
My time in Washington was short, as I had promised my parents I would spend time with them in Amherst (the last time I was in the States I had not seen them). I flew up to Bradley Airport from BWI on Friday afternoon - another easy flight on Southwest. Mom and Dad met me at the airport, and we wound our way home through the Notch, ending up at Atkins Farm in South Amherst for ice cream and random food purchases. That night Mom made dinner for us at home, as I went through piles of mail that had been accumulating for me since Christmas (my last time in Amherst). Dad remains my faithful scribe and correspondent, communicating regularly with me about my mailbag, and appropriately serving as recycler when appropriate!
Saturday morning we all went to the Hampshire Athletic Club in South Amherst. My mom and dad are regulars there, and the woman at the desk seemed to remember me too - I've been there irregularly, but I always join them on Saturday mornings when I visit! After our workouts, Mom went to work at the Amherst Women's Club Craft Fair while Dad and I worked on some tasks we had set aside for us to work on. We didn't have much time, as we were on schedule to leave Amherst for Marlborough, Mass. to attend my nephew's Central District Festival orchestra concert that afternoon.
Amherst to Marlborough
Ned's a talent cellist, and his mom was proud that he was sitting 5th chair in the cello section for the regional junior high orchestra (a group for which you audition and are selected to participate). Eric and Jan met us at the middle school auditorium in Marlborough, and we enjoyed hearing a very talented group of kids perform the "Russian Sailor's Dance" by Gliere, the "Bacchanale" from Samson and Delilah, by Saint-Saens, and a finale of "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa. After the concert (which included a performance by a concert band), we all drove to a coffee cafe, where we enjoyed ice cream, sandwiches, coffee and cookies and caught up on the latest family news.
We drove back to Amherst by 6 or so, which allowed for some down-time (laundry for me, and some emails) before we headed out for dinner at Carmelina's, in Hadley. Connie Cahn was our hostess for the evening, a good friend of my mom's, and we listened to some jazz piano as we ate our veal and spinach salads and drank wine and brandy (me and mom, respectively). Sunday was going to be a big day, so we all went to bed early!
Sunday Morning Run
Sunday morning I went for a run on my traditional 3 mile route through the fields of Amherst, down Triangle and a left on Main Street, down the hill and then left on Northeast Street; left on Strong Street and up the hill and down past Wildwood Elementary (and along the high school cross-country race route for a short bit), and then a left onto East Pleasant and down hill through the center of Amherst before taking a left on Main and heading up Lessey Street for the final hill home. It's an inspiring run for me, as the run up Northeast Street has a magnificent view of the hills on the right, and I run by cows and corn fields and it all feels very rural - not a sensation I have on a regular basis! And the run through the center of town is always a good chance to see what's going on - even if it is before anyone is up - amazingly there are trips I make to Amherst when my run is the only time that I actually go through the center of town.
First Congregational of Amherst
Sundays are church days for my family, and my parents have been attending First Congregational Church of Amherst since 1974 - which makes for a very long time. They are both still very active in the church as Deacons (having served in just about every lay role possible in the church), and as members of the choir (of course). This Sunday was slightly unusual, as the pastor was absent, and the service was being led by a worship team of members. The service started with a liturgical dance - I was expecting a performance, but it turned out that they wanted everyone to get out of the pews and join hands and do a line dance together. It was just a series of about eight steps, easily learned, and the congregation was agreeable and nearly everyone participated. The thought was to have the movement and music help center you for the service to come, and I was surprised that it did in fact achieve that (I was being a little too skeptical, perhaps), and more - it was a lovely way to see who you were worshipping with that morning, and to interact with the folks around you. The leaders were hoping that we would all meditate briefly at the end of the two or three minutes of movement, but we all ended up clapping at the end of it, congratulating ourselves on having succeeded in our assignment!
The rest of the service was inspiring too, and at the end I had the opportunity to catch up with many long-time family friends, and meet some new people, in the congregation that morning.
Party I - May Birthdays
We all headed back home to prepare for the next event of the day - a birthday party to celebrate the May birthdays of Ilke, Anita and me. Ilke is the Turkish grad student who lives in the third floor apartment in my parent's house and Anita is my high school friend, who just returned to live in Amherst after 15 years abroad working in Egypt and London. Anita's parents live in Amherst, and were coming to the party, along with Anita's daughter, Maya, and her husband, who had just flown in from London. Ilke was coming downstairs with her roommate, Serena (I've Americanized, it's more beautiful in Turkish) another grad student at UMASS. And my brother Eric was driving in from Worcester to join us as well. It was a lovely gathering with mimosas provided by Ilke and Serena, some wonderful breakfast dishes provided by Edith, Anita's mom, and two gorgeous cakes provided by my Mom, via Whole Foods! It was an international gathering, for sure, given that Anita's Mom is Austrian, her Dad is Hungarian, her husband is Malaysian, and her daughter is half-Egyptian. As I like to say, my family is pretty traditional white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP), although I was born in Germany and my Dad's family all came from Germany or thereabouts. And, of course, I'm living in France!
That party broke up around 3:30 p.m., but my brother stayed around until 5 or so, which allowed the two of us to catch up on each other's lives - not so easy across the ocean. After he headed back east, I finished cleaning up the kitchen and starting preparing for the next party. My Dad's Sunday afternoon tennis group was coming over to celebrate the end of their season with a potluck dinner. Dad had alerted me ahead of time to the unintentional overplanning, but I was game to help out.
Party II - Tennis Folk
The tennis group was scheduled to come over around 7 p.m., which I thought gave me some time to rest quietly and/or nap for an hour or so. I planned to get up around 6:30 and help my Dad, who was planning to grill the 4 1/2 pounds of salmon he had bought the day before. So it was around 6:40 when I headed downstairs to get ready, and I found my Dad asleep in his Barcalounger. He was completely disoriented when I gave him a gentle wakeup - he had intended to doze for a few minutes - instead he had slept for nearly an hour!
I headed down into the kitchen and was happy things looked OK, as at that moment our first guests were heading toward the back door (where everyone would enter for the party). Everything worked out fine, the salmon was cooked perfectly, and presented with some appetizing asparagus, other dishes included an eggplant parmesan, roasted potatoes, a beautiful mixed salad with strawberry slices and feta, and even meatballs! The group of around 14 sat in a circle to eat in the open room (hard to describe, it's a dining/living space adjoining the kitchen that my Dad built onto the original house). Dessert was several different cakes, and plenty of wine was drunk too.
I had a good time with the guests as well, as the group included some familiar faces: my dad's former boss, who I know well, and the father of one of my high school friends. I also had a lovely time talking with a couple whose daughter goes to Barnard (although she wishes she were somewhere else - college is a very personal thing!) and who had lived in the Cote d'Azur during one of his sabbatical years 17 years ago. It was a tiring evening (Mom made a guest appearance; she wasn't feeling well, and I was just as happy to have her resting upstairs), but enjoyable.
Monday - New York City Bound
The other reason for my trip to the States this time was to attend the Gala Luncheon celebrating the 25 years of the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium. I was to be one of the honorees at the luncheon, which would be recognizing 25 women athletes on the Silver Anniversary Honor Roll and 25 women athletes as Most Influential in the 25 years of the Consortium.
Barnard-Columbia Athletic Consortium
The Consortium was created in 1983 when Columbia College went co-ed: given that women would now be competing for Columbia College, it didn't make sense for there to be two women's teams competing at the undergraduate level for the same university. So the Division III program at Barnard was combined with the Division I program at the University - I went from being a Barnard Bear my junior year to being a Columbia Lion my senior year.
Competing at the Division I level, and under the auspices of the University, was a big leap for the Barnard teams. More money was made available - I remember nicer uniforms - and the quality of competition increased four-fold in my mind. I competed against SUNY-Cortland and Union College, and the Seven Sister schools in Division III; in Division I, we competed against the Ivy League Schools, and then some. They made an effort to schedule some reasonable competition for us that first year as we transitioned, but the Outdoor Track Ivy League Championships pitted me against the likes of Lynn Jennings in the 10km race, a woman who went on to compete at a professional level post-college. It was in that last race of my collegiate career that I collapsed on the track in the middle of the race, and passed out for almost thirty minutes - awaking in the Cornell Infirmary with an IV in my arm and my coach anxiously sitting at my side. I had pushed myself beyond my limits (and had eaten little and drunk even less during that May day) and my body told me it couldn't handle it. It was an excellent lesson, and I haven't stumbled from exhaustion in a competitive race since (stumbling across the finish line of the NYC Marathon doesn't count! I was still lucid).
Amherst - New York City
Mom, Dad and I drove down to NYC on Monday afternoon, so that I could make my 3 p.m. dentist appointment with Dr. Hanauer on the East Side. I've been seeing Dr. Hanauer for fourteen years, like my hairdresser, Rose, in Virginia, he's one of those guys I'll plan my visits around. I discovered that he is a Francophile too, and was happy to learn that my adventure had spurred him and his wife to finally start making plans for that trip to France that they have always talked about but never taken.
That evening I headed off to dinner with a friend (ate at Aja, where I'd enjoyed a nice sushi dinner with friends John and Gail back in March) and Mom and Dad met Chelsea, my niece, for dinner close to our hotel on 47th Street near Times Square, the Hotel Edison. When I got back around 10, Mom and I walked across the street to the Starbucks for a late night coffee and a short wander around Times Square, before heading to bed. Tuesday was going to be a big day.
Gala Luncheon
The luncheon at Columbia's Low Library Atrium in the center of campus was scheduled for noon, but awardees were asked to arrive at 11:30. We were dressed and on the subway to arrive in time - actually a little early, as I had volunteered to do some fund raising calls for my class reunion in the half hour before the luncheon, during which time I ensconced my parents in the lounge of the Vagelos Alumnae Center at Barnard. We met Chelsea on the steps of Low Library (she was my guest at the luncheon), and at the greeting table, I was given a 25th Anniversary medal on a blue and white sash, and pinned with a white corsage (as all other awardees would be). I was then escorted into the atrium to get my picture taken with the Athletic Director, M. Dianne Murphy. I met Dianne when she came to the campus four years ago, and have met with her several times, as she continues to try keep communications open with Barnard in support of women athletes there (a complicated issue, too much for this already too long essay), and as she tries to raise money from athletic alumnae. She's an excellent administrator, and this luncheon was a reflection of her attention to detail and appreciation for ceremony.
There was a champagne reception before the lunch, during which time I was able to see some of my fellow honorees and friends, including Philippa, Ilaria, Ula, and Rachel. My New Amsterdam Singers friends Jennifer and Ellen came to the luncheon too, which was a lovely gesture on their part.
The luncheon featured remarks by the University President, Lee Bollinger, and a keynote address by Dr. Christine Grant, a former Athletics Director at the University of Iowa, and now a tireless proponent for encouraging women to become involved in politics, and run for political office. She said she felt the audience in front of her was the right forum for talking about politics, because the experience of leadership on the field was excellent preparation for the world of politics, and I agree with her. I've been considering political office for a long time; I think it's just a matter of time (and money). ;-)
The awardees were presented to the lunch guests via video - each awardee had been asked to contribute pictures from their careers to help build a picture, and the production was great. After the videos were shown (in three different groupings, in the case of the Influential Alumnae), the awardees were called up to receive a gift (in one of those signature Tiffany blue boxes), and have their picture taken with the gift bestower. It was almost perfectly choreographed. As I mentioned to a friend later, it was also somewhat of a fashion show; all of the women athletes still looked great, no matter their age (given the nature of the 25 year celebration, I was the oldest!) and were dressed for the occasion.
What was fun for me was to learn during the luncheon that the past and former presidents of Barnard, Judith Shapiro and Deborah Spar, were in attendance, and when I went up for my award, they were cheering loudly for me, along with several other Barnard administrators at their table. It was a lovely feeling to feel so feted!
Another perk for the day was the fact that at lunch I got to sit next to a former Columbia soccer player, Kevin McCarthy. I used to have a huge crush on Kevin, and several other members of the soccer team. The team went to the Division I Final Four my junior year, and they were known all over campus. My senior year I lived in a Columbia dorm, and a whole bunch of guys from that team lived in the suite across the hall from me. I was in seventh heaven - I thought they were all cute! Kevin coaches women's soccer at Columbia now, and we had a very pleasant table conversation, but the memories endure.
Tuesday Night Off Broadway
The excitement of the Gala Luncheon was not to be the only excitement for the day. I had also planned for us (Mom, Dad and Chelsea) to attend the play "Distracted," featuring Cynthia Nixon, at the Pels Theater that evening. Cynthia is a family friend, and when she learned that we were planning to come to the show, had arranged to get us good seats. The story is of a couple trying to come to grips with the fact that their 12 year old son may have/has Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADHD (H for Hyperactivity). They struggle with trying to find non-drug alternatives to managing his moods, but finally give into the psychiatrist and prescribe Ritalin and a host of other drugs for him. It was a funny, timely, tragic, and sometimes unsettling play, and Cynthia did a great job. The woman sitting next to me told me that she could have written the play (she has two ADD kids, and is diagnosed herself as such), and it was interesting to talk to her about the play too.
After the show we four went to the Marriott Marquis on 46th Street and (after some missteps) got on the elevator to "The View" - the restaurant at the top that rotates to give you a view of the entire city while you are sitting at your table sipping drinks. It was late, and loud, but we had a nice time relaxing and talking about the show and the day.
Wednesday - JFK to NCE (via CDG)
Wednesday was my last day in the States before heading back to Nice. Mom and Dad left that morning too, after picking up some things from Chelsea, which they will store for her during the summer. Mom and Dad are about to become repositories for both their grandchildren, I'm afraid, as Chelsea's brother Nathan has decided to attend Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Clark is about an hour from Amherst, so my sister and her husband will no doubt be spending more than just Christmas in Amherst, my guess, in the years ahead.
I spent my last hours in NYC shopping at Trader Joes, eating my lunch in Union Square in the sun, and then having a last Cafe Americano in Starbucks while checking my email, before heading out to JFK for my early evening flight.
I'll be back in NYC on Saturday, for yet another Columbia Award. Read about it here!
I visited Paris from April 23rd to the 26th, having a lovely time with my friends Jean-Yves and Olivier. I had the opportunity to see my Barnard classmate, Ginny, and meet her two daughters as well. Her eldest, Kristin, was accepted into Barnard for the Fall and was still vacillating on her decision when I visited with them, but since then she has decided to attend!(making all of us Barnard-boosters very happy).
Nice to Washington
Returning from Paris, I had two days to pull myself together before leaving for Washington, DC. This trip to the States was planned for a specific purpose, to attend the Gala Luncheon marking the end of a series of activities that marked the 25 years of the Barnard-Columbia Athletic Consortium at the University. More on that in a paragraph or so. I flew into Dulles and spent a few days in DC so that I could see some more doctors (trying to keep up my annual wellness visits), and visit my hairdresser, Rose, for a much-needed haircut. I also took advantage of my time in Arlington to pull my bike out of my condo basement and take a spin down around the memorials along the Potomac. It was a breezy and cool day (in the 50s, when it had been in the 80s the previous week!), but it felt good to be back on my bike - the last time I had been on it was to complete the Reston Century the day before I left Washington last August!
Washington to Amherst
My time in Washington was short, as I had promised my parents I would spend time with them in Amherst (the last time I was in the States I had not seen them). I flew up to Bradley Airport from BWI on Friday afternoon - another easy flight on Southwest. Mom and Dad met me at the airport, and we wound our way home through the Notch, ending up at Atkins Farm in South Amherst for ice cream and random food purchases. That night Mom made dinner for us at home, as I went through piles of mail that had been accumulating for me since Christmas (my last time in Amherst). Dad remains my faithful scribe and correspondent, communicating regularly with me about my mailbag, and appropriately serving as recycler when appropriate!
Saturday morning we all went to the Hampshire Athletic Club in South Amherst. My mom and dad are regulars there, and the woman at the desk seemed to remember me too - I've been there irregularly, but I always join them on Saturday mornings when I visit! After our workouts, Mom went to work at the Amherst Women's Club Craft Fair while Dad and I worked on some tasks we had set aside for us to work on. We didn't have much time, as we were on schedule to leave Amherst for Marlborough, Mass. to attend my nephew's Central District Festival orchestra concert that afternoon.
Amherst to Marlborough
Ned's a talent cellist, and his mom was proud that he was sitting 5th chair in the cello section for the regional junior high orchestra (a group for which you audition and are selected to participate). Eric and Jan met us at the middle school auditorium in Marlborough, and we enjoyed hearing a very talented group of kids perform the "Russian Sailor's Dance" by Gliere, the "Bacchanale" from Samson and Delilah, by Saint-Saens, and a finale of "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa. After the concert (which included a performance by a concert band), we all drove to a coffee cafe, where we enjoyed ice cream, sandwiches, coffee and cookies and caught up on the latest family news.
We drove back to Amherst by 6 or so, which allowed for some down-time (laundry for me, and some emails) before we headed out for dinner at Carmelina's, in Hadley. Connie Cahn was our hostess for the evening, a good friend of my mom's, and we listened to some jazz piano as we ate our veal and spinach salads and drank wine and brandy (me and mom, respectively). Sunday was going to be a big day, so we all went to bed early!
Sunday Morning Run
Sunday morning I went for a run on my traditional 3 mile route through the fields of Amherst, down Triangle and a left on Main Street, down the hill and then left on Northeast Street; left on Strong Street and up the hill and down past Wildwood Elementary (and along the high school cross-country race route for a short bit), and then a left onto East Pleasant and down hill through the center of Amherst before taking a left on Main and heading up Lessey Street for the final hill home. It's an inspiring run for me, as the run up Northeast Street has a magnificent view of the hills on the right, and I run by cows and corn fields and it all feels very rural - not a sensation I have on a regular basis! And the run through the center of town is always a good chance to see what's going on - even if it is before anyone is up - amazingly there are trips I make to Amherst when my run is the only time that I actually go through the center of town.
First Congregational of Amherst
Sundays are church days for my family, and my parents have been attending First Congregational Church of Amherst since 1974 - which makes for a very long time. They are both still very active in the church as Deacons (having served in just about every lay role possible in the church), and as members of the choir (of course). This Sunday was slightly unusual, as the pastor was absent, and the service was being led by a worship team of members. The service started with a liturgical dance - I was expecting a performance, but it turned out that they wanted everyone to get out of the pews and join hands and do a line dance together. It was just a series of about eight steps, easily learned, and the congregation was agreeable and nearly everyone participated. The thought was to have the movement and music help center you for the service to come, and I was surprised that it did in fact achieve that (I was being a little too skeptical, perhaps), and more - it was a lovely way to see who you were worshipping with that morning, and to interact with the folks around you. The leaders were hoping that we would all meditate briefly at the end of the two or three minutes of movement, but we all ended up clapping at the end of it, congratulating ourselves on having succeeded in our assignment!
The rest of the service was inspiring too, and at the end I had the opportunity to catch up with many long-time family friends, and meet some new people, in the congregation that morning.
Party I - May Birthdays
We all headed back home to prepare for the next event of the day - a birthday party to celebrate the May birthdays of Ilke, Anita and me. Ilke is the Turkish grad student who lives in the third floor apartment in my parent's house and Anita is my high school friend, who just returned to live in Amherst after 15 years abroad working in Egypt and London. Anita's parents live in Amherst, and were coming to the party, along with Anita's daughter, Maya, and her husband, who had just flown in from London. Ilke was coming downstairs with her roommate, Serena (I've Americanized, it's more beautiful in Turkish) another grad student at UMASS. And my brother Eric was driving in from Worcester to join us as well. It was a lovely gathering with mimosas provided by Ilke and Serena, some wonderful breakfast dishes provided by Edith, Anita's mom, and two gorgeous cakes provided by my Mom, via Whole Foods! It was an international gathering, for sure, given that Anita's Mom is Austrian, her Dad is Hungarian, her husband is Malaysian, and her daughter is half-Egyptian. As I like to say, my family is pretty traditional white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP), although I was born in Germany and my Dad's family all came from Germany or thereabouts. And, of course, I'm living in France!
That party broke up around 3:30 p.m., but my brother stayed around until 5 or so, which allowed the two of us to catch up on each other's lives - not so easy across the ocean. After he headed back east, I finished cleaning up the kitchen and starting preparing for the next party. My Dad's Sunday afternoon tennis group was coming over to celebrate the end of their season with a potluck dinner. Dad had alerted me ahead of time to the unintentional overplanning, but I was game to help out.
Party II - Tennis Folk
The tennis group was scheduled to come over around 7 p.m., which I thought gave me some time to rest quietly and/or nap for an hour or so. I planned to get up around 6:30 and help my Dad, who was planning to grill the 4 1/2 pounds of salmon he had bought the day before. So it was around 6:40 when I headed downstairs to get ready, and I found my Dad asleep in his Barcalounger. He was completely disoriented when I gave him a gentle wakeup - he had intended to doze for a few minutes - instead he had slept for nearly an hour!
I headed down into the kitchen and was happy things looked OK, as at that moment our first guests were heading toward the back door (where everyone would enter for the party). Everything worked out fine, the salmon was cooked perfectly, and presented with some appetizing asparagus, other dishes included an eggplant parmesan, roasted potatoes, a beautiful mixed salad with strawberry slices and feta, and even meatballs! The group of around 14 sat in a circle to eat in the open room (hard to describe, it's a dining/living space adjoining the kitchen that my Dad built onto the original house). Dessert was several different cakes, and plenty of wine was drunk too.
I had a good time with the guests as well, as the group included some familiar faces: my dad's former boss, who I know well, and the father of one of my high school friends. I also had a lovely time talking with a couple whose daughter goes to Barnard (although she wishes she were somewhere else - college is a very personal thing!) and who had lived in the Cote d'Azur during one of his sabbatical years 17 years ago. It was a tiring evening (Mom made a guest appearance; she wasn't feeling well, and I was just as happy to have her resting upstairs), but enjoyable.
Monday - New York City Bound
The other reason for my trip to the States this time was to attend the Gala Luncheon celebrating the 25 years of the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium. I was to be one of the honorees at the luncheon, which would be recognizing 25 women athletes on the Silver Anniversary Honor Roll and 25 women athletes as Most Influential in the 25 years of the Consortium.
Barnard-Columbia Athletic Consortium
The Consortium was created in 1983 when Columbia College went co-ed: given that women would now be competing for Columbia College, it didn't make sense for there to be two women's teams competing at the undergraduate level for the same university. So the Division III program at Barnard was combined with the Division I program at the University - I went from being a Barnard Bear my junior year to being a Columbia Lion my senior year.
Competing at the Division I level, and under the auspices of the University, was a big leap for the Barnard teams. More money was made available - I remember nicer uniforms - and the quality of competition increased four-fold in my mind. I competed against SUNY-Cortland and Union College, and the Seven Sister schools in Division III; in Division I, we competed against the Ivy League Schools, and then some. They made an effort to schedule some reasonable competition for us that first year as we transitioned, but the Outdoor Track Ivy League Championships pitted me against the likes of Lynn Jennings in the 10km race, a woman who went on to compete at a professional level post-college. It was in that last race of my collegiate career that I collapsed on the track in the middle of the race, and passed out for almost thirty minutes - awaking in the Cornell Infirmary with an IV in my arm and my coach anxiously sitting at my side. I had pushed myself beyond my limits (and had eaten little and drunk even less during that May day) and my body told me it couldn't handle it. It was an excellent lesson, and I haven't stumbled from exhaustion in a competitive race since (stumbling across the finish line of the NYC Marathon doesn't count! I was still lucid).
Amherst - New York City
Mom, Dad and I drove down to NYC on Monday afternoon, so that I could make my 3 p.m. dentist appointment with Dr. Hanauer on the East Side. I've been seeing Dr. Hanauer for fourteen years, like my hairdresser, Rose, in Virginia, he's one of those guys I'll plan my visits around. I discovered that he is a Francophile too, and was happy to learn that my adventure had spurred him and his wife to finally start making plans for that trip to France that they have always talked about but never taken.
That evening I headed off to dinner with a friend (ate at Aja, where I'd enjoyed a nice sushi dinner with friends John and Gail back in March) and Mom and Dad met Chelsea, my niece, for dinner close to our hotel on 47th Street near Times Square, the Hotel Edison. When I got back around 10, Mom and I walked across the street to the Starbucks for a late night coffee and a short wander around Times Square, before heading to bed. Tuesday was going to be a big day.
Gala Luncheon
The luncheon at Columbia's Low Library Atrium in the center of campus was scheduled for noon, but awardees were asked to arrive at 11:30. We were dressed and on the subway to arrive in time - actually a little early, as I had volunteered to do some fund raising calls for my class reunion in the half hour before the luncheon, during which time I ensconced my parents in the lounge of the Vagelos Alumnae Center at Barnard. We met Chelsea on the steps of Low Library (she was my guest at the luncheon), and at the greeting table, I was given a 25th Anniversary medal on a blue and white sash, and pinned with a white corsage (as all other awardees would be). I was then escorted into the atrium to get my picture taken with the Athletic Director, M. Dianne Murphy. I met Dianne when she came to the campus four years ago, and have met with her several times, as she continues to try keep communications open with Barnard in support of women athletes there (a complicated issue, too much for this already too long essay), and as she tries to raise money from athletic alumnae. She's an excellent administrator, and this luncheon was a reflection of her attention to detail and appreciation for ceremony.
There was a champagne reception before the lunch, during which time I was able to see some of my fellow honorees and friends, including Philippa, Ilaria, Ula, and Rachel. My New Amsterdam Singers friends Jennifer and Ellen came to the luncheon too, which was a lovely gesture on their part.
The luncheon featured remarks by the University President, Lee Bollinger, and a keynote address by Dr. Christine Grant, a former Athletics Director at the University of Iowa, and now a tireless proponent for encouraging women to become involved in politics, and run for political office. She said she felt the audience in front of her was the right forum for talking about politics, because the experience of leadership on the field was excellent preparation for the world of politics, and I agree with her. I've been considering political office for a long time; I think it's just a matter of time (and money). ;-)
The awardees were presented to the lunch guests via video - each awardee had been asked to contribute pictures from their careers to help build a picture, and the production was great. After the videos were shown (in three different groupings, in the case of the Influential Alumnae), the awardees were called up to receive a gift (in one of those signature Tiffany blue boxes), and have their picture taken with the gift bestower. It was almost perfectly choreographed. As I mentioned to a friend later, it was also somewhat of a fashion show; all of the women athletes still looked great, no matter their age (given the nature of the 25 year celebration, I was the oldest!) and were dressed for the occasion.
What was fun for me was to learn during the luncheon that the past and former presidents of Barnard, Judith Shapiro and Deborah Spar, were in attendance, and when I went up for my award, they were cheering loudly for me, along with several other Barnard administrators at their table. It was a lovely feeling to feel so feted!
Another perk for the day was the fact that at lunch I got to sit next to a former Columbia soccer player, Kevin McCarthy. I used to have a huge crush on Kevin, and several other members of the soccer team. The team went to the Division I Final Four my junior year, and they were known all over campus. My senior year I lived in a Columbia dorm, and a whole bunch of guys from that team lived in the suite across the hall from me. I was in seventh heaven - I thought they were all cute! Kevin coaches women's soccer at Columbia now, and we had a very pleasant table conversation, but the memories endure.
Tuesday Night Off Broadway
The excitement of the Gala Luncheon was not to be the only excitement for the day. I had also planned for us (Mom, Dad and Chelsea) to attend the play "Distracted," featuring Cynthia Nixon, at the Pels Theater that evening. Cynthia is a family friend, and when she learned that we were planning to come to the show, had arranged to get us good seats. The story is of a couple trying to come to grips with the fact that their 12 year old son may have/has Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADHD (H for Hyperactivity). They struggle with trying to find non-drug alternatives to managing his moods, but finally give into the psychiatrist and prescribe Ritalin and a host of other drugs for him. It was a funny, timely, tragic, and sometimes unsettling play, and Cynthia did a great job. The woman sitting next to me told me that she could have written the play (she has two ADD kids, and is diagnosed herself as such), and it was interesting to talk to her about the play too.
After the show we four went to the Marriott Marquis on 46th Street and (after some missteps) got on the elevator to "The View" - the restaurant at the top that rotates to give you a view of the entire city while you are sitting at your table sipping drinks. It was late, and loud, but we had a nice time relaxing and talking about the show and the day.
Wednesday - JFK to NCE (via CDG)
Wednesday was my last day in the States before heading back to Nice. Mom and Dad left that morning too, after picking up some things from Chelsea, which they will store for her during the summer. Mom and Dad are about to become repositories for both their grandchildren, I'm afraid, as Chelsea's brother Nathan has decided to attend Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Clark is about an hour from Amherst, so my sister and her husband will no doubt be spending more than just Christmas in Amherst, my guess, in the years ahead.
I spent my last hours in NYC shopping at Trader Joes, eating my lunch in Union Square in the sun, and then having a last Cafe Americano in Starbucks while checking my email, before heading out to JFK for my early evening flight.
I'll be back in NYC on Saturday, for yet another Columbia Award. Read about it here!
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