sunday morning poem and a museum visit

last snow

dumped wet and momentary on a dull ground

that’s been clear but clearly sleeping, for days.

last snow melts as it falls, piles up slush, runs in first light

making a music in the streets we wish we could keep.

last snow. That’s what we’ll think for weeks to come.

close sun sets up a glare that smarts like a good cry.

we could head north and north and never let this season go.

stubborn beast, the body reads the past in the change of light,

knows the blow of grief in the time of trees’ tight-fisted leaves.

stubborn calendar of bone. last snow. now it must always be so.

by heid e. erdrich (born 1963)

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(pre-brunch snack . . )

after having a big brunch with chanda at noon, the three of us walked to the museum to see the alexander calder circus exhibit. kendall had taken aurélien a few weeks ago and said we should go before it closes on the 9th. 

(these first three photos are of his wire sculptures . . )

before entering the exhibit we watched a video describing how the museum staff maintains the circus figures calder made and how they repair them. he made everything himself and carried the figures around for performing in five big black suitcases, along with thread, bells, sewing needles, etc. in 1925, while a student at the art students league in nyc, one of his assignments for a newspaper he worked for was sketching the ringling brothers, barnum and bailey circus. it greatly influenced him and he began creating his cirque calder in paris in 1926. 

it was quite dark in the exhibit and i actually thought it would have been better more brightly lit.

his signature, wrought so well with the wire.

the flying trapeze, 1925, oil on canvas

calder's flying trapeze set . .

a cloth camel . . 

the rolling dachshund . .

and fanni, the dancer.

video with the trapeze artist figures . . 

more trapeze work . . 

and the lion tamer. his circus figures were based on real people he had seen in new york: the ringmaster, the lion tamer and the bareback rider. i'll have to watch the video at the museum again for the names of the circus artists.

looking out at the river and the snow in the "beach" park . .  

admiring the portrait of museum founder gertrude vanderbilt whitney by robert henri.

and . . dinner at home - leftover linguini with clams.

to the neue galerie

 

i walked cross town along 13th street and stopped at joe for a decaf mocha to have during my walk uptown to the neue galerie . . 

i walked through union square where the sunflowers were bursting out all cheery and yellow . . 

a few weren't quite ready to say hello . . 

it was a beautiful day for a walk . .

the neue galerie on 86th street . . 

i was here to see paula modersohn-becker, ich bin ich; an exhibit eva had told me about. paula modersohn-becker was a german artist from bremen in northern germany (having moved there from dresden with her family when she was twelve) and became part of the worpswede artist colony around 1898, when she was twenty-two. the neue galerie doesn't permit photographs . . however, i did sneak a photo of the photographs of the artist with her stepdaughter and one alone . .

 

i was hoping to buy a few postcards of the paintings i liked, but they didn't have many. i did purchase a small book that described several from the exhibit along with information about her life. this photo above was not included so i took a picture of it from the expensive exhibit catalog (!).

sleeping child, ca. 1904, oil tempera on canvas, on loan from a private collection. it was a wonderful exhibit and i'm very glad i went. it closes september 9th. it included charcoal drawings and paintings, and i found her ability to show a person's personality and thoughts through pencil sketchings and oil paint very moving. (thanks so much for the suggestion, eva.)

----

i walked partially back downtown and hopped on the bus the reminder of the way . . where i met greg for a fish and chips dinner at a local restaurant . . 

and i couldn't resist taking a pic of this beautiful bush on the way home  . . 

and a pic of this pretty pathway . . 

on the beach and about the town

and, yes, it was always incredibly hot and sticky. i was glad for the cloud cover.

 

back at the condo . .

i went swimming in the pool after the ride . .

and we shared a peanut butter smoothie from the health food store.

 

we picked betty up for lunch in town at the little drug company . . 

 

it's not difficult to socially distance in florida . .

the prices of the lunch items are so low compared to nyc . . !

half an egg salad sandwich, a pickle and chips (favorite kind!)

 

they have the best hot fudge sundaes . .

greg had a butter pecan cone.

 

 

we looked in a few furniture stores and then made our way to the town's history museum . . 

again, the prices of the happy hour drinks!

zelia sweett, one of the main historians of the town, and a major donor. her dress reminded me of isadora duncan dancers and i wondered if she had danced in her youth.

traditional beadwork and clothing from the seminole nation.

in 1822 east and west florida  merged into the florida territory and tallahassee was made the capital.

the alba court inn which betty remembers from her childhood. it was knocked down, which she disagreed with. the assisted living place she will be moving to is partially on the site it occupied.

hillsborough street which is now riverside drive along the indian river, and is now paved and lined with beautiful homes.

 

the new assisted living building is just a few blocks from the museum . . 

 

her balcony is the one in the middle.
 

we went back to the condo and relaxed in the air conditioning . . 

and ordered greek salads again, but this time from their favorite restaurant in town (it had been closed on sunday). i did think the salad was better than the one we had prior.

making progress on the shawl . .