Election is Over: Huzzah!

It's been pretty quiet around the Homestead since our return from Kalamazoo.  Deb is deeply involved with her series 2 films, using brand new software.  I continue to practice piano, read, and pretend I'm an amateur astronomer.  It began clear on Sunday evening, but after 90 minutes I was forced to close down due to incoming clouds (not predicted).  It's been very cloudy since, and doesn't look promising for the rest of the session, either.  Perhaps one upcoming night, but I'll believe it when I experience it.  I literally spend more time preparing what to see than actually observing.

Our election is over and done with for now, even as Brexit and Trump doings drag on elsewhere.  We are fortunate that things, for now, continue to run somewhat smoothly and normally.  I am happy that the election phone calls will stop, and the signs will be gone from lawns.  We voted early Monday morning, getting right up to our poll with no delay.  Right afterwards we went to Tecumseh where Deb had her bi-monthly infusion.  All is well.  Next up are flu shots.

The listening program went through the 75s tonight.  Haydn's Symphony #75 was up first.  Gustav the Cat loves Haydn, as do I.  He is the perfect everyday composer, with just the right balance of art, beauty, emotion, craft, and good taste, something we should all experience every day of our lives.  Brahms' duets Op 75 were up next, four short songs based on very different poetry.  #1 was based on a very old Scottish ballad, and was a highlight, and the last, Walpurgis Night, is a classic poem and beautifully handled by Brahms as a song. Last came Britten's Op 75, written in 1965 for the 20th anniversary of the UN.  He took quotes about peace from many different sources and wrote a gentle piece for choirs and organ.

Getting back to my landscape painting project from the DIA, thoughts turn to Venice this time, and a great painting from Canaletto, who specialized in Venetian scenes.  His portrayal of the famous piazza takes some liberties with what one can see all at once, but it is an accurate description of the space before Napoleon did some renovations and alterations.

 The Piazza San Marco, Venice, ca 1736-67, Canaletto.

Oil on canvas, 29" x 47".  Detroit Institute of Arts.

 Detail of central area.  

We did conclude season one of Carnival Row.  Not much to say about it, except that the creators seemed to take their story ideas from Game of Thrones, or at least their overall outlook.  It is a dismal existence for most people, especially anyone with wings or horns.  Anyway, I survived, and am not really looking forward to Season Two, if there is one.  It's a Prime original, and if the look of the show is anything to go by, then the upcoming Tolkien production (now filming in nNew Zealand) should be at least as spectacular.

Tonight we watched Padre Padrone, a film from from 1977, by the Taviani brothers.  From an autobiography by Gavino Ledda, it was published only in 1974.  Medieval times carried on in parts of Italy well in the 20th C., and this bizarre film takes us to many places and situations we wish we had never seen nor heard of.  In that sense, it is unforgettable.  Somehow the author managed to not only survive such a brutal and empty upbringing (a lonely shepherd, terrorized and beaten by his father), but to transcend it and return to accept not what happened to him, but to acknowledge his roots in the landscape where he spent so many years.  The film won the Palme d'Or from Cannes that year.  Brutally honest and unflinching, there are moments when one wonders how Ledda managed to survive, and eventually to soar, above his upbringing.  With a father like his, who needs Satan.

 

Tonight's Criterion film. 

There are two more films available by the directors, as well as a 50 minute documentary about them.  Right now, I need some time off from the Tavianis.

Mapman Mike 

Autumn's Arrival

As per the past several years, autumn is arriving about two weeks behind schedule.  It is windy tonight, with grey skies and falling temperatures, after finishing up with our 8th warmest September on record.  October began in a blaze of heat and humidity, but that seems to have passed until next year.  Despite summers that are often fiercely hot and humid, and winters that seem to growing more severe, I still enjoy living somewhere that has four very distinct seasons.  In the summer the house temperature is kept at 77-78 F, while in the winter it is kept at 67-68 F.  So we have a period of readjustment to undergo over the next few weeks.

 Early Autumn, late 13th-14th C.  Qiag Xuan, Chinese.  Ink, watercolour, and gold on paper.  Overall size 12 inches x 34 feet.  Image size 12" x 47".  Detroit Institute of Arts.  Click on image for larger version.

 Detail of above.

Detail of above.

Tomorrow we will have our first wood fire of the new season, and change around some of our art on the walls.  I always get a hankering to read Tolkien in the autumn,and the bug is biting once again.  I think it is time that I reread The Silmarillion.  It's been a very long time.  And then the Unfinished Tales, Books 1 and 2.  That will have to be done before rereading the main series of LOTR.  I've been working on my Avon/Equinox series now for 3 1/2 years, so it may be time for a short hiatus.  I will complete one more iteration of works by the remaining authors, and then decide. 

The listening program continues in fits and starts.  The four recent astronomy nights tend to put such things on hold.  We are just finishing up the "73s," by Haydn (his symphonies), Brahms (his complete opus), and Britten (complete as well).  Tonight we heard the 2nd Symphony of Brahms, Op. 73.  It is almost like a time travel experience, as we hear some Beethoven in their (music from the past), some Mahler (music from the future), and plenty of Brahms himself, representing the present.  It makes a wonderful analogy for showing that time does not always move in a linear fashion, but can jump around randomly.  A most memorable and lovable work!

We watched episode 2 of Carnival Row tonight, the darkly fascinating steam punk tale showing on Prime.  It has some of the best costumes, sets, and locations of any fantasy series I've ever seen, but it is unrelentingly dark, like most series showing today.  The final season of Mr. Robot begins showing this weekend, too.  My Criterion movie choice for the week was Judex (French, 1963), a lovingly crafted remake of the Judex serial from 1916.  Tons of books were also written about the caped and masked hero, usually called Phantomas.  The movie is pretty slow moving adventure, but we are riveted by the bold and ruthless actions of the femme fatale.  She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, which is the fortune of very rich banker.  One of many things I found interesting about the film is how many people died, but then didn't really die.  First the banker is killed, then a man who knows that the banker is a criminal, and then the banker's daughter.  But none of them really die, often saved by chance interventions by bystanders.  Scenes that stand out (and there are several) include the Poe-like costume ball, with people wearing bird masks, the villainess, in disguise as a nun, undressing into her black "evil-action" body suit; and the final battle/catfight atop the roof of an abandoned building, black suit versus white.  Pretty memorable flic.

  From 1963--now showing on Criterion.

 The bird-themed costume ball, from Judex.

 The femme fatale meets her nemesis, and her doom , in the climactic rooftop scene.

 Now showing on Prime.  We have watched two episodes.  

Mapman Mike

Haydn's Farewell Symphony

The listening program continues.  I just finished hearing Op 56a and b by Britten, both short religious choral works.  56b is truly a wonderful, very short piece, with a back and forth between two parts to the choir, men and women, with organ accompaniment.  Oddly enough, last Thursday, which was the day we visited the funeral home to say goodbye to Anita, was time for Haydn Symphony #45, "The Farewell."  Haydn used the final movement to send a not so subtle hint to his Prince that it was time for the season to end and to send his musicians home for the summer.  It worked, and the overlong season finally came to an end.  In the final movement the musicians leave the stage in groups of two and four, blowing out their candles as they go.  At the very end, only two violins remain to quietly finish the work.  This makes for a totally amazing way to say goodbye in other ways, too.  I know Anita would approve.  I have lost one of my very few audience members for my home piano recitals, and she will be sorely missed.

Another odd coincidence occurred, this time on Friday.  For the past eight months my hearing has been reduced in my right ear to only 10% of normal.  In addition to not being able to hear from it properly, I have suffered from inner ear pressure a good deal, as well as ringing and hissing.  However, Friday afternoon following the morning funeral ceremony for Anita, my hearing began to return.  I now have 50% to 60% hearing in that ear, making piano practice and listening to music much more enjoyable!

Today we took a little journey to Lake Erie, down to Colchester Harbour.  It was pretty deserted this time of year.  With grey skies and grey water, it was an odd experience to stand at the end of the pier and gaze over a black, white, and grey seascape.

A large freighter crosses Lake Erie in the distance, appearing from at the edge of Lake Erie and grey skies.  Taken from Colchester Harbour.  

And Jenn sent us a photo her mom took on Saturday, at the Detroit Historical Museum.  I was not a participant, alas.

 Aston, Jenn's 14 year old son, "drives" his grandma, his mom, and Deb through downtown Detroit from the 1910s. 

Mapman Mike

Highpoints

Tuesday, October 23rd/18 

I seem to be on a roll at home lately, having read some truly remarkable novels, and listened to some of the best music ever penned.  Over the weekend we heard Benjamin Britten's spellbinding operatic version of "Turn of the Screw," from the novella by Henry James.  I studied the book in high school, but now need to reread it.  We are searching for an audio version on-line.  Britten brings exactly the right sense of drama to the work, and it will stick with me for a long time.

Brahms' Op 53 and Op 54, two works for solo voice and orchestra, are spellbinding in different ways, but essential to hear if one claims to love music.  Op 53 was Clara Schumann's favourite piece by Brahms, and Op 54 continues to be one of his most popular.  Earlier in music history  we have Haydn's Symphonies 41 in C Major and 42 in D Major.  Very different works, indeed, but captiving, energizing, and completely wonderful little worlds unto themselves.

In SF literature, reading "Aniara" by Harry Martinson (a Nobel Prize winner for literature) was one of the most moving experiences of my life.  He gets completely and utterly to the important matter, and the whole epic poem is a hymn to Earth, and to those who realize what we have (the prize of the galaxy, no less).  I will reread this book until I wear out the pages.  Also recently devoured was an utterly brilliant story called "Greener Than You Think," by the genius writer Ward Moore, who also brought us "Bring The Jubilee."  It actually has a lot in common with Martinson's novel, and it is interesting that by chance I read them back to back.  Reviews can be found in my Avon/Equinox blog, in the left margin.

We are continuing with the visually stunning PC game called "Obduction."  It has proved impossible to solve without a walkthru, and even then has been very challenging to try and finish it.  However, I am often just happy and sit and stare at it, or walk through the many different landscapes.

Lone Mtn Homestead Leisure Time Pursuits

Monday, October 15th/18 

With students fleeing piano lessons this year, I am way down in both numbers and hours.  It means a lot less travelling abroad next year, with possibly no major trip on the horizon after Vienna.  I can live with that for now, since it affords me more opportunities for observing, reading, writing, listening, practicing, gaming, and every other pursuit that interests me.  Teaching music for 37 years has never been boring or a disappointment, but I'm certain I will survive with many fewer students.  In fact I have no urge to even advertise open positions.  It is what it is.  If there is less money for travel, so be it.

We have been playing a visually astounding PC Windows game called Obduction, from the people who brought you Myst.  It started out quite great, with decent puzzles and mind-blowing graphics.  Now the graphics are decent and the puzzles are mind-blowing.  We have no hope of finishing the game, even with a very sketchy walk through.  We are stuck in a hell, nicknamed "the gauntlet," which appears just before "the maze."  The puzzles have been beyond Mensa level, which is evident from the comment boards, where virtually everyone has resorted to the walk through, often, like us, without luck.  Game designers apparently have not learned valuable lessons even today.  Needless to say we will not be purchasing their newest game.  On my older upstairs computer I am playing a very old game called The Last Express, which came out around the same time as Myst.  It runs perfectly on the old computer, and is quite fun, as you embark on the Orient Express in Paris, and become involved in a murder and mystery on board as the train travels past different stations.

Music home listening continues on three fronts.  We have finished with the first 40 Symphonies of Haydn, as well as up to and including the Op. 53 of Brahms and Britten.  Brahms Op. 54 coming up later tonight!  

Astronomy has been a disaster due to incredibly hazy and/or cloudy weather.  October is usually the best time to observe, and this month there was not a single good night to do so when the moon was out of the way.  In 2016 from July through October I was able to get out and observe 29 times.  In the same period of 2017 (a very bad year) I went out 16 times.  This year my grand total is 10!  I fear that I see a trend here, and it's not a pretty one.  So it is even more important that I am able to get out on almost any clear night, thanks to two less evenings of teaching.  The moon is waxing now, so of course it is wonderfully clear tonight.....

My Avon/Equinox reading project is still going great guns.  My right eye cataract is worsening, so it will need fixing.  I will try to arrange for the surgery right after our Vienna trip.  I currently have an appointment with my optometrist on Oct. 31st.  He will then refer me to a specialist, hopefully Dr. Emara, who did my left eye a few years ago.  Anyway, I am still reading like a demon.  I finished three books on the NM trip, including the enormous biography of Brahms.  I just recently discovered that the same author penned a Beethoven biography that was recently published.   Sounds like a must-read!  In the past two weeks I have finished and reviewed 8 books!  I am currently reading an early one by Robert Silverberg, having just finished a really fascinating one by Hal Clement.  Clement is a hard-science writer; he chooses an interesting situation on an interesting planet and then goes about demonstrating how things work there.  He  wrote a short series (two novels and three stories) about the planet Mesklin and its caterpillar-like inhabitants, and it proved to be one of the most fascinating discoveries so far in my reading project.  I have read the first novel (Mission of Gravity) and two short stories.  The novel was absolutely mind-blowing!  I have discovered so many fabulous authors in this reading project (see my Avon/Equinox page for a full blown discussion)!

My only current writing project is trying to finish the NM Trip #38 journal.  It's nearly done.  the problem is that I physically write this, and I find that I cannot write for more than 30 minutes at a time.  It should be finished soon, and I will begin work on the web version.  In other writing projects, I have a good start on my 2nd Valeria the Vegetarian Vampire story, and hope to finish it before winter is out.  With two short books in hand and ideas for at least two more, that will be the time to approach publishers.  Once published, Hollywood should snap up the film rights, and we will live the high life in California!  We will still visit Canada occasionally.