Dear Friends: Sorry we
have a case of Blog Neglect, but we are still up and about. It is just that our cups runneth over here in
the northeast where we lived for 52 years of our lives and still a bit off and
on since we moved to San Francisco 25 years ago. Too many old friends, old
haunts, and old pathways!
Aside from the surprise inserts from our kids, who have free
access to this blog, you have our Easter 2014 message from Wareham that
reflects on what this adventure means to us, but the last actual log of our travels
and people and sightseeing stopovers was
back in Asheville, NC on April 16.
We did then head up a good part of the Blue Ridge Highway,
beginning in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Knoxville, up through
Asheville on a good part of the 450 mile, two-lane, 45 mph highway through
mountains of NC, VA and almost to the outskirts of DC. Our weather was
beautiful and views magnificent. There was an irony: the mostly deciduous trees
were leafless so we could easily savor the mountains and valleys either side of
the ridge top; yet the massive rhododendrons under them most of the way were a
few weeks away from blooming. We could only imagine their splendor, but at that
time, the trees would be fully leafed out so the expansive distant views might
be largely blocked!
The Blue Ridge Parkway joins the Skyline Drive that marks
the spine of the Shenandoah Valley in western Virginia. That, too, is
breathtaking. It pained us to pass near numerous historic sights, mostly Civil
War battlefields, but our timing had become restrictive…(we must watch
that!) Soon we were skirting Washington
on our way to Chestertown to spend several days in the bucolic countryside of
Maryland’s Eastern Shore bordering the Chesapeake Bay and distinguished by its
vast low rolling countryside, farms, streams, forests and calm villages. Central for us in that land was the home of
Happy’s sister Peggy and her husband John – relatives yes, but also old and
dear friends and frequent traveling companions.
The peaceful respite there was welcome not only for us but
also for the delight of our 4-legged Luke, who could romp freely across their
fields and woods with their two dogs. Luke had by then become a magnificent
traveler, adjusting to being in his RV crate day and night pleased by frequent
stops for walks, and happy as long as he could see or sense one of us or both
at all times…and, given our tight quarters, that was usually the set-up day and
night.
From Chestertown we moved on to Philadelphia where we spent
a night with long-time (NYC just after college) friends Jo Walker and Margee
Kooistra. And now begins again a listing of the many upcoming friends with whom
we had overnights or meals. These connections were, of course, highlights of
our travel, likely known to some or many of you. In Swarthmore, PA our cousins
Penny and Phil Weinstein, the latter retiring after 40 years teaching there,
our nephew Jed Esty ad wife Andrea, both professors at Penn; then (without further
bios!) in Princeton, NJ, Meredith and Henry Von Kohorn, Fred and Betty
Morefield and Steve & Angela Bileca in Tarrytown, NY. A return to our old stomping ground, Westport
CT, where we lived for 5 years, began with lunch with our former landlords
& friends, Debby and Tony Angotti. We stayed with Giselle Wagner & Paul
Myerson and were feted by former Greens Farms Academy colleagues, Robbi Hartt
and Lynne Laukhuf and a gathering of my past faculty and staff, including
Happy’s long time friend and colleague Elizabeth Cleary, and current Head,
Janet Hartwell, who guided us through a largely reconfigured and expanded
school from my time there in 1998-2003.
We made a poignant stop in New Canaan, CT to see Happy’s 98-year old
aunt Lib Ogden. Then it was up to Newbury, MA to stay a few days with our son
Jay, his wife Susan and daughters Charlotte and Athalia. Had lunch in Gloucester
with David Foster and another in Newburyport with Terry and Wanda Blanchard.
Craving a city fix, in late April we left RV and Luke with
Jay & Co. in Newbury and spent three glorious days in Boston, using the
exquisite apartment of old friends and Amherst college roommate Jim and Hanna
Bartlett, who were in France. The fix was recuperative in many ways. Again we
could spread out, catch up with computer and paper work, plan coming weeks of
travel, walk, read, eat and go to the extraordinary Isabella Stewart Gardner
museum. The greatest of the cultural exposures was the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday concert, conducted by Charles Dutoit who brought magic to and a 5-minute
standing ovation for the brilliant Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique. Yet forever
memorable, we were mesmerized by the 24- year old Uzbek pianist, Behzod
Abduraimov, who performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The
rapt audience was on its feet for easily 10 minutes, demanding as many curtain
calls. This was truly again one of those sensations of speechlessness over
beauty and awe (albeit human art here) such as we experienced looking at the
Big Sur coast, The Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns.
Onward… From our Boston binge Happy rejoined the Jay Esty
family for some Granny duty while Peter took a train to NYC for a two-day board
meeting of Global Citizen Year. Always exciting is New York in spring and, as I
was staying with Bill Bullard and Bodie Brizendine on Park Avenue, I could
repeatedly view the masses of tulips along its center gardens running at least
from 96th to 42nd street.
I also had time to have dinner with educator colleague Peter Herzberg,
and lunch with Deerfield classmate Adlai Hardin. Meanwhile, Happy was able to connect by phone
with 8 members of our co-ed Sausalito book group who were meeting to discuss
two Steinbeck novels. We look forward to rejoining the group when we return to
CA.
And, finally, we returned to cool yet budding Massachusetts
in the last two weeks. Most time has been spent at Happy’s long-time family place in Wareham, MA on the coast of Buzzards Bay. Here, we have again had
time to relax, collect ourselves, do serious planning for the summer weeks soon
to begin, and also to do some spring house cleaning, inside and out, to ready
this big old house and adjacent cottage for the summer parade of family
visitors and renters. A welcome dividend is catching up with Happy’s brother
and wife, sisters and brother-in-laws, nieces & nephews as well as other
drop-ins. It all spells FAMILY, and it is one of the best and warmest. Some pictures of this place are scattered
here… We managed a break away last week
to spend two nights with Julie & Ridley Rhind, old friends of post college
NYC, then east coast, then west coast, partners in global trips over time and
now retirees in nearby South Dartmouth, MA. Our old and now nearby friends, Frank
& Laura Perrine, joined us for dinner one night while there.
We both have 55th college reunions at Smith and
Amherst in the next two weeks, and then our summer loops begin, taking us twice
to the Adirondacks, Ontario, Canada, and all New England states a few different
times. Our clock is ticking rapidly!
Love to you all, Happy & Peter
