A Rat in a Maze...Again!

Well my good luck with driving in Boston has run out. Once again I was a rat in a maze driving in circles on one way streets, making numerous illegal u-turns and cutting off big, burly men in large trucks.


On Tuesday I was invited by my college friend, Kristen, to attend a private tour of the Museum of Fine Arts. The tour was being led by an artist and teacher who would give us an insider's look into the museum building itself and would highlight some of the museum's more famous works. How could I say no? Even if it did mean driving into the heart of hell Boston. Again. As you all know, I haven't always had the best track record driving in Beantown. But, the last time I went, I did great! So with my new found confidence, I gathered up my MapQuest directions and away I went. And the gods laughed. I got hopelessly lost, drove in circles and broke every traffic law known to man. But, I made it!


The tour was totally worth getting lost. Our guide knew a lot about the history of the museum and the different collections. He showed us a wide variety of artwork - from sculpture, to ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek artifacts to John Singer Sargent murals and paintings. But my favorite moment came when we were looking at a famous Sargent painting, Daughters of Edward Darley Boit.





I was not familiar with this painting (even though it is apparently quite famous). As the guide was talking about the unusual composition of the painting he compared it to another famous painting by the Spanish painter, Velazquez. He couldn't recall the name of the painting and was describing it and gesturing to explain the skirt of the young girl in the painting while searching for the name.


I nearly jumped out of my seat, because I knew exactly what painting he was referring to! I had seen it in Madrid with our friends, Amy and Roberto, this past summer. Roberto had proudly shown us this painting and explained its composition to us. I immediately called out Las Meninas (I'm pretty sure I mangled the Spanish pronunciation, but he knew what I was talking about). This was such a great moment for me. It felt so good to be able to connect those dots in that moment. I love when that happens. Of course, my bubble was burst when I left the museum and was trapped in a labyrinth of one of streets and was seriously worried that I would never find my way out of Boston. Maybe I need to give the GPS another try. Ugh!

Witches or Patriots?

On Tuesday I visited my college friend K in North Andover, MA. K and I see each other a few times a year and our visits are usually some type of field trip. The last time we got together we visited the ICA Museum in Boston to see the Shepard Fairey exhibit.

A few weeks ago I read a book called The Heretic's Daughter which deals with the Salem witch trials. Quite a bit of the book takes place in N. Andover and I recommended the book to K, thinking she might enjoy some of the local references. Not to mention K is a huge history buff. Of course, she had already heard of the book and she informed me that there were more woman from N. Andover accused and convicted of witchcraft than women from Salem. Who knew? She then suggested that our next field trip be a visit to the sites in N. Andover related to this part of our country's history. How could I resist?

So on Tuesday I drove to her house and she proceeded to drive me around N. Andover pointing out sites of historical interest. We stopped at two historic cemeteries with guidebook in hand in hopes of locating the graves of people related to the accused "witches". (None of the accused women are buried in N. Andover apparently). While we saw many interesting gravestones dating back to the mid 1700s, we never did find the relatives of the witches.

But all was not lost. While I may have been searching for evidence of one part of our nation's history, I actually found another. One thing I noticed right away was that many of the graves were marked with fresh American flags decorated with badges that said 1776! The cemeteries we visited were filled with Revolutionary War veterans. Since it was the day before Veterans Day it was clear someone had visited the cemetery very recently and place the flags there to honor these first veterans of our country. I was very moved to see this. It filled me with pride and gratitude to know that no veterans of the US military are ever forgotten. No matter how long ago they served. All of our veterans and patriots deserve our thanks and remembrance. Even the originals.

Image from Google Images (I had my camera in my purse, but I failed to take pictures. *slaps self on forehead*)

My First Friend

Thirty-eight years ago I made my very first "real" friend. Sandy and I have been friends since I was 7 and she was 5. We met when my family moved into her neighborhood. All throughout our childhood and teen years we were pretty much inseparable. After we both graduated HS and went off to college, we still kept in touch and saw each other on school breaks and during the summer. Even as our lives changed and we made new friends in college and had less and less contact with each other, we still had a special bond. When I got married in 1987, I didn't hesitate to ask her to be my maid of honor. And in 1994, I was honored to serve as hers.

We really haven't seen all that much of each other in the last 25 years. For several years we were both living in AZ (quite by coincidence), though an hour apart. For those years we managed to see each other a few times a year. Now that I'm living back in our hometown in RI, Sandy and I see each other every summer when she comes "home" to visit her mother and sisters. Yesterday was that day. She and her 5 year old daughter came over for lunch. I invited my mom, dad and Sandy to join us since they watched Sandy grow up and she is like a daughter to them. We had a great time sitting outside chatting and talking about old times. Even though we see each other so infrequently we never have any trouble picking up where we left off. Which is pretty amazing - considering she is the first friend I ever made.

Got Maps, Will Travel

No need to call the National Guard. I made it to Boston and back with very little trouble and nary a colorful word passing my lips. Yahoo! A red letter day if I may say so myself. I think I have figured out the key to not getting lost. It's imperative to have multiple sets of directions. I'm not kidding! When one set seemed a little ambiguous I quickly consulted one of the others and by compiling the information it all seemed to make sense. Of course there were a few minor snafus. For instance Map Quest said take Exit 20 toward I-90 and Google Maps very helpfully added the information that Exit 20 is on the LEFT. That is good to know. You're not usually expecting exits to be on the LEFT. The only problem here was that the exit was ... on the RIGHT! Oops! Minor details like that happened a few times, but otherwise it wasn't so bad. I didn't even get lost. Not even a little bit. So what's an incorrect LEFT vs RIGHT in the grand scheme of things, right? I mean, "correct".


As for the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art), I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I love art museums but I must admit that I am not a big fan of contemporary art. Most of it is completely lost on me. I just don't "get" it. But, since the ICA is a brand spanking new museum it seemed like something fun to try - once. Well, did we ever luck out. The ICA is currently exhibiting the work of Shepard Fairey, the artist who painted the Hope portrait of Obama that was featured on the cover of Time magazine! Because Fairey attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) our local paper (The Providence Journal) did an article on him when his portrait was chosen for Time magazine. So, I was familiar with him and his connection to RI. But, other than that I didn't know anything about him. Apparently he is quite famous in the art world and he is being touted as this generation's Andy Warhol. We listened to the audio tour provided by the museum and I learned so much about Fairey as an artist and how his art sends a political message. But the best part? The original Obama portrait was there! Larger than life. I was able to walk right up to it and study it closely. What you might not know from looking at the image on the cover of Time is that this portrait (like all of Fairey's work) is actually a collage of sorts with lots of different layers - paint, stencils and most intriguing of all pieces of newsprint. Very cool. AND we got to see the letter from Obama to Fairey thanking him for his support and for painting the portrait! Amazing! I was not expecting to see this and I am so happy that I did.


In addition, the museum is located right on a pier and the views are lovely. I've added some pictures here for you to see. Enjoy!

This is the actual museum. It's hard to tell but the entire thing is made of glass. The second story juts out over the harbor and the wall is made of glass. The view is gorgeous.




This is a view of the harbor from the second story of the museum. It's really very pretty and we had a great day. We also lucked out in that today was the first day of a three week Boston stop of the Volvo Ocean Race (an around the world sailing race). We got to see some of the sail boats and check out some booths. Kristen won a Beatles CD at a local radio station booth and we saw a Volvo SUV made entirely out of Legos.

More modern art! And this I get!

Boston or Bust - Again?

Wish me luck! I'm going to need it. Today I am going to Boston (yet again) to meet up with a friend from college. Kristen and I met when I was a Junior and she was a Freshman and we have managed to keep in touch all these years. She lives about 2 hours away and we try to meet a couple times a year - sometimes in Boston. Today we are going to visit the brand new ICA Museum. Since we both like museums and history, Boston makes sense. Except for the fact that every time I go there I get completely turned around, hopelessly lost, and lots of colorful language is used. Remember the GPS debacle of a couple of weeks ago? Well, I do. So, I've got my printed Google Maps directions, and for good measure I have Map Quest as well. Oh, and the directions on the museum's website. And just in case, I have a train schedule. Who am I kidding? I grew up in a small town far from any metropolis. I don't even know how to READ a train schedule. Much less understand how to switch to the "Silverline Waterfront". Forget it! I'll just drive myself there and travel the myriad one way streets like a rat in a maze trying to find the cheese. Fine! But please tell me if you have any idea what I should do when the Map Quest directions say this (and I quote):

Blah, Blah, Blah (this is the stuff I understand)
13: Take the I-90 E exit on the LEFT toward LOGAN AIRPORT/SOUTH BOSTON.
14: Keep RIGHT at the fork in the ramp.
15: Keep LEFT at the fork in the ramp.

WHAT?! I feel some colorful language bubbling to the surface even now. ARGHH! If I don't have a post up tomorrow call out the National Guard. Tell them to look for the brunette in the red Mini Cooper, swearing like a sailor with a crazed look in her eye!

I've Seen the Future and It Looks Bright!

Here in Rhode Island, in order to graduate from HS, every student must complete a senior project. A senior project is a yearlong research project on a topic of the student's choice, in which the student finds a mentor, performs 15+ hours of fieldwork, writes a research paper and presents all this in an oral presentation in front of a panel of judges! I am so glad I'm not a high school student these days. I get a sick stomach just thinking about it.

So far this year I have attended the culmination of two senior projects. The first was a one man show presented by my neighbor, Seth. Not only did he sing 12 Broadway Show tunes (quite well I might add), but he did this as a fund raiser for Save the Bay and The United Way's Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island. But, that's not all. He performed this show in a recital room at the Philharmonic Music School, to the accompaniment of 5 live musicians (one adult and 4 exceptionally talented students). But wait... there's more! He also collected donated items from local businesses for a silent auction. And he served refreshments. Oh and one more thing, he did this all as a 501(c)3 corporation (One Bay, One Voice), which he formed for this purpose. Color me impressed.

Then last Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a Fashion Show sponsored by the Barrington High School chapter of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America). The Fashion Show was organized and run by two HS students, Grace and Hannah. Hannah is also a graduating senior who worked on the Fashion Show as her senior project. This wasn't a simple show held in the HS cafeteria with kids wearing their own jeans and Ugg boots. Oh, no! This was held at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Providence and included a three course meal. The models (HS students and teachers) all wore designer clothes provided by local boutiques. They all strutted their stuff to the sounds of a professional DJ and the event was emceed! This event was also a fundraiser for The American Cancer Society and FBLA Scholarships. At $35 a plate and with an attendance of approximately 200 people, I'd say they were quite successful.

And then on Friday night I had yet another opportunity to be blown away by a group of talented teens at the East Greenwich HS talent show. Our family is good friends with two families who live all the way on the other side of the state - 35 minutes away! - in East Greenwich. Brian, Scott and Alex were all performing in the talent show and we decided to go to support these young men that we have know since kindergarten. Where did the time go? Anyway, yet again we left the auditorium with jaws hanging open and looks of disbelief on our faces. The level of talent displayed in these young people was incredible. I was blown away. So, better get yourselves a good pair of sunglasses, because the future it almost here and it is bright indeed!

Images from Google images