After a serious trimming last year, this redbud looks much better.
John Gorka concert at Next Stage Arts in Putney. He’s got a lot of clever lyrics, great guitar playing, and a lot of funny between-songs patter.
First outdoor bike ride of the year yesterday, in which we bagged a total of 7 covered bridges. I hope you can see the sign on this one. We did actually go faster than a walk at some points but overall we kept to our goal of making this a social ride rather than a competition.
When Brattleboro’s new eight bay Tesla charging station went in last year, we were the most rural of any spot on the nationwide supercharger network. I don’t know if that’s still true or not, but it is very cool to have them here. I have definitely seen more Teslas in town than I would expect simply from local owners.
I first saw the Alash ensemble more than 10 years ago in Ridgefield, Connecticut. They are the ambassadors of Tuvan throat singing in the US, and perhaps the rest of the Western world. Tuvan throat singing is a remarkable vocal trick… You make a tone somewhere in your throat, and then shape your mouth so that a harmonic overtone gets emphasized, making a kind of whistling noise. With practice, you can sing an entire song in overtones while maintaining the underlying note as a kind of drone. Built-in bagpipes.
It’s weird, for sure, and I find it completely mesmerizing. They accompany themselves on banjo-like instruments, guitars, and drums for the most part. Early on in the concert I leaned over to Lee and said the only thing that could make it better would be if they found an accordion somewhere… and then, presto, the guy in the middle pulled out an accordion. Heaven. I should also point out that the red figure in the background is a mannequin, part of the museum’s exhibit. I’m not sure exactly what she is supposed to represent, but she made a colorful backdrop.
The Tuvans are nomadic herders, living in what sounds like a difficult region somewhere between Mongolia and Siberia. Their music is really kind of like bluegrass, all about horses and cold weather and lost love and how you woulda showed that guy if you only had a chance.
This concert was at the Brattleboro Museum, whose director is a former college a cappella singer, which explains his geeky interest in this ultimately geeky musical form.
Once again, Brattleboro lives up to our expectations.
Top Of The Hill Grill
Another sign of spring… The BBQ joint is open.
Yes, Dorothy, we are still in Vermont.
Deja is content now that she’s adjusted the picture off its oh-so-boring straight angle.
We were thrilled to get this print from John Dimick, local cycling buddy and a marathoner of some renown back in the day, because our house is slightly visible in the foreground and because the frame so perfectly matches our IKEA Malm chests.
One more from last week’s trip to Indianapolis… The White River rushing over its falls in springtime exuberance as the sun rises behind the factories.
The bike / running trail along the river is another sign of the area’s prosperity.
In Vermont we prefer the simplicity of classic silver duct tape for window repair.
It would take a lot of monkeys and a lot of typewriters to juxtapose Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Rachel Carson. However, only a couple of Pittsburgh mayors accomplished the same feat.
Imagine you’d had the kind of day where everything that could’ve gone wrong did. Now, after dinner, you’re being called back into work and you decide that you deserve to park in a visitor space. Who pulls up behind you but the security guard… He rolls down his window, and you know that if he tells you to move your car there’s going to be a crime.
Instead, he becomes only the fourth or fifth person ever to ask about the obscure science fiction reference on your custom license plate, BARSOOM, the Martian word for Earth from the John Carter of Mars series.
Thank you Josh! for making a bad day a whole lot less bad.
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 