Hike to Smith Lake in the Flat Tops

As we are getting older we find that some of the hikes that we use to do are just too taxing... too steep and too long.  Smith Lake has long been a favorite and we are appreciating this hike more and more.  It is only 0.7 mile each way with an elevation gain of 277 feet.  While it is steep in the beginning, the rest of the hike is quite pleasant.   

Yesterday we headed out for this hike that is in the flat-tops about 30 miles south of Steamboat.  In less than five minutes after arriving we had put our back packs and walking sticks down and were busy photographing the amazing display of wild flowers.  The Indian paintbrush were spectacular.  

A highlight is the creek that flows directly out of the lake. Blue and white wildflowers grace its banks.  The lake itself is peaceful and serene and a wonderful place to just sit quietly.  We have rarely seen anyone else at the lake and yesterday we saw no one on the trail or at the lake.  

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from yesterday.  Enjoy as we did!!

A Visit to Georgia O'Keeffe's House in Abiquiu

Abiquiu Lake

Awesome is the best word I can use to describe our tour to Georgia O'Keeffe's house and studio. The tour is run by Georgia O'Keeffe Museum for which we made reservations by phone 10 days in advance. I understand that sometimes,especially in the summer. there can be a month or more wait. This is not surprising as the tour only runs three days a week from mid March through mid November (Saturday tours are added from June through October) with just five tours per day. Each tour is limited to twelve people at a time. No cameras are permitted

The meeting place is the Abiquiu Inn where the O'Keeffe tour office is located. After checking in we boarded a mini bus for our short five minute ride to the property. Located on a bluff close to the plaza of the small village of Abiquiu I was immediately struck by the beautiful grounds and spectacular view of the Chama River valley.

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable with a strong respect for O'Keeffe. She grew up and lives in Albiquiu as do most of the other people working for the tour group. She remembers seeing Ms. O'Keeffe walking in the village and met her on several occasions.

We began in the garden with an introduction to the general history related to O'Keeffe's purchase of the property. We also learned that she grew her own food and the strong impact of her gardener. The grandson of the original gardener now takes care of the property.

We could not enter all rooms as they have fragile floors so we viewed her main sitting room and dining room through a large window.  Later we also viewed her bedroom through large windows.

Our first stop in entering the house was an interior patio made famous by the pictures she painted of the "black door" and of photo's of her in this space. This was indeed a very special spot with an almost sacred feeling. A large fragrant sage brush neatly trimmed dominated the center.

The sense of the outside spilling into the inside by large windows was obvious in the kitchen where,besides a table near a large window,a sofa was also placed so one could sit and enjoy the  incredible view.

The living space is 5,000 square feet and O'Keeffe's studio and bedroom are actually a separate building linked by a garden. Again both the studio and bedroom are filled with light from outside.  The studio is quite large and contains two of her paintings. One of the paintings was inspired by an airplane ride observing the floor of clouds below and the second by her view of the Washington monument.  A small original sculpture was featured on a small table.  

Her bedroom featured two sides of windows giving her wonderful views of the valley below and the hills in the near distance. 

Our guide highlighted her commentary by showing reprints of paintings that illustrated how views on the property had inspired paintings. She also read comments written by O'Keeffe when appropriate.

Cameras, cell phones, purses are not allowed. This keeps the tour focused and attention on the guide. The tour costs $30 per person ($25 for seniors 65 or older). Saturday tours are $40 with no discounts. Reservations can be made by calling: 505-685-4539. I highly recommend the tour.

After the tour we had a delightful lunch at the Abiquiu Inn and then visited the Abiguiu Lake about 6 miles further up the road.  We had driven by Ghost Ranch a year before and decided to save a visit to Ghost Ranch for a later time.  Ghost Ranch is currently owned by The Presbyterian Church and is open to the public requiring no reservations.  We look forward to making a separate trip there and hiking some of the trails.  

Exhibit of our work in Santa Fe

This Friday our class and alumni of Tony Ryder's will have an exhibit at the Canyon Road Contemporary Art Gallery. The exhibit will run from May 22 to May 31. I am thrilled to have my still life of pointe shoes included as well as one of my drawings. The gallery has posted our work on it's website so if you would like to see the work of our teacher, Tony Ryder, alumni of his program and current students please check it out at: http://www.crcainc.com/index.html 

They seemed to have shortened my titles on line: The still life is entitled "For a Young Dancer" and my drawing is titled with a quote from Martha Graham, "The Spine is a Tree of Life."  

A Saturday Stroll through Art Galleries in Santa Fe

Today was an ideal day to check out a few art galleries in Santa Fe. Murray decided to relax in the sun on our patio so I set out on my own. My first stop was the Sage Creek Gallery which featured a juried show of the National Oil Painters of America. Their annual event was last weekend in Santa Fe and there was much buzz around my art intensive course about the show. It features realistic oil painting similar to the work we are studying. The show was fun with a diversity of work and to bouy the enthusiasm for fellow artist was how many red dots (SOLD) were scattered throughout the show. In fact I overhead one of the gallery sales people say that 15% of the show had sold on opening night. Sage Creek Gallery is located about two blocks from the Plaza in the center of Santa Fe.  

Next I headed over to Canyon Road. I checked out the Adobe Gallery which features art and antiquities of the Southwest Indian. I was fascinated with paintings of ceremonial dances my favorite being by Harrison Begay.  

Continuing up Canyon Road I stopped in at the Canyon Road Contemporary Art Gallery where we will be showing our work with the opening scheduled for Friday of Memorial Day Weekend.  Currently on exhibit are some of their regular artists. I particularly liked the pastel works of Kathy Beekman. It will be exciting to see our work hanging in such a lovely space so conveniently located on Canyon Road.

Next door is the Hahn Ross Gallery also featuring their regular artists. Murray and I visited the gallery last August on our quick trip to Santa Fe to find our housing for this winter/spring. I remembered liking the colorful Aspens of Chris Richter and enjoyed seeing them again.

My final stop was at the Moseley Gallery on Delgado. The bold oil paintings of John Mosely combine an abstract feel rooted in an interpretation of the landscape. I was disappointed when I came home to go on line to find websites for the galleries that I visited that his was not updated to include two very interesting feminist painters that are featured this month. I didn't pick up any flyers or information on them and indeed wish the website had included them.

All and all a very pleasant stroll. Fun to see the different styles in the art galleries and definitely builds my enthusiasm for our upcoming show. Tomorrow Murray and I head to Placitas to visit the open studios of the artists living there, especially the works of our friend, Bill Skees. This event happens once a year over Mother's Day Weekend. 

Tent Rocks National Monument

The first thing you notice as you drive from the Pueblo de Cochiti on a hard packed dirt road are the white cliffs, "Kasha-Katuwe" in the native Keresan language. It is not until you are out of your car and enter the trail that these amazing, somewhat unique geological structures appear. Shaped like various sized tents-thick at the bottom that come to a peak, they have been formed out of tremendous explosions from the Jemez volcanic field some 6 to 7 million years ago and shaped from over 1,000 feet of pumice and rock fragments. The "tents" vary in size from a few to 90 feet.



There are two main trails. A short loop trail that climbs to a cave, returning to the parking lot (1.2 miles). We did not do the portion to the cave having tired ourselves with the more intense trail that leads through a slot canyon and then up a steep hill (630 feet vertical) to a vantage point that overlooks the monument and to Taos, 50 miles to the north, the Sandias and Jemez mountains to the east and south and the Sangre de Cristo to the west and the Rio Grande.

We stopped many times to enjoy the scenery and to rest. Flowering cacti, Indian paint brush and alpine flowers dotted the path, but there is little shade. This trail is one mile after 0.5 miles along a flat path that also serves the loop trail. The total hike to the top and back is 3 miles.

Getting there: The park is 35 miles from Santa Fe, NM (exit 264, SR 16 to SR 22) and 52 miles from Albuquerque (exit 259, SR 22) of I-25.The turn off is right before the Pueblo and is well marked.

After our journey, we enjoyed a beer (Murray) and a diet coke (JoAnne) at the grill of a Robert Trent Jones golf course adjacent to the recreation area of Cochiti Lake.

Zen and the art of painting

One of the things I like most about studying with Tony Ryder is his emphasis on painting each stroke with intention and full focus. In our poster studies, we were encouraged to ask ourselves what is the value, hue and intensity for each brush stroke. Each stroke makes it's own statement. This carefulness is carried over into all of our assignments.

Each day begins with getting our palette ready. We check to see if we need to add any paint and if not to use our palette knife to make sure the paint is smooth and usable. Palettes are stored in the freezer overnight and this helps save our paint keeping most colors ready to go the next day. These simple procedures have a meditative quality. As we check our paints our energy transitions to painting.

Once the pose begins with the model a quiet settles over the room. For the next twenty minutes all attention is on the  model with an unhurried sense of capturing the pose. If someone comes in late his/her rush and organizing of materials is definitely an intrusion and slowly all fourteen of us are learning to make sure we are on time and to become considerate of the others. No music plays and if one wants music they listen with earphones.

When Tony demonstrates he talks about focus and intent and demonstrates how a single line or stroke changes the painting.

I am loving this carefulness. Maybe some will say it lacks spontaneity. That is not a problem for me, at least right now. I am learning the appropriate fundamental's of this approach, and seeing progress in this first month as I learn to train my eye and see the shapes and light patterns. There is a peacefulness as I work and Tony has talked about our ability to create best when our minds are open to look clearly and calmly at each shape and interpret it.

While I have done figure drawing before I have never done a portrait so this is a wonderful challenge for me. The picture at the top is a work-in-progress. We began by first doing a poster study focusing only on color, then a charcoal drawing on canvas followed by an ink-in. An ink-in means using an earth tone color with plenty of solvent so that it dries quickly. Then we did a wash of the portrait again using the oil with lots of solvent so that it acts much like watercolor. (That's the stage of the portrait at the top of the page.) This coming week we will start the final painting and have two weeks to complete it.

Check out this link to a blog on Tony's current classes  www.theryderstudio.blogspot.com

Economics 101

There are two ways to look at macroeconomics, one called Keynesian (government spending to prop up the economy) and one most recently related to Milton Friedman (monetary policy as the best way to manipulate the economy). From an accounting perspective, both yield the same answer (GNP), but they diverge in how each leads to its result.

Keynesians view GNP as the equation of the sum of income (what consumers earn for consumption, C, and what they save, S) and what the government earns in taxes (T). This side equates with expenditures, what consumers spend for consumer goods (about 70 percent of the total), private investment (I) and government expenditures (G).

The formula, C+S+T=C+I+G, symbolizes the basic model — the left side is income, the right side is expenditure. In today’s economic scenario, consumer expenditure (C) and private investment (I) have slumped to depression levels. The only salvation under the Keynesian model is for G, government expenditures, to make up the difference. The gap in the last quarter was over 6 percent, a reduction in C and I expenditures.

C and I are about 80 percent of GNP. They are so large that increasing G must be so massive to bring GNP back to equilibrium. GNP should be about $15 trillion. The 6 percent reduction would require about $1 trillion in immediate increase in G, and possibly a continuation for one or two years.

Monetary theory also has a formula for national income: M, the money supply and V, the velocity of turnover. GNP equivalent to the Keynesian would be M times V.

In our current circumstance, V has been slowed because it is the banking system that controls it. The Bush administration operated from the perspective of “juicing” the banks, getting them to lend funds so the economic system would regain its foundation and money would flow from buyers to producers to workers in an endless cycle. Nothing wrong with the thinking, it just did not happen.

Now, there is another measure of GNP I will call micro/macro. National income is the sum of all quantities bought (Q) times their price (P). In order to clear markets (Q), P must be such that there is enough money (MV). If the money supply is curtailed by a slow down in V, P must fall, a deflation — something to be avoided at all costs — it is a psychological killer.

Conclusion. If you are a Keynesian, increasing G is your chosen route. The amounts would have to be so substantial as to be impossible to comprehend.

If you are a monetarist, finding a way to increase either M (printing press) or V (getting the banks to lend) is your answer. Our first attempt was to increase V (lending by banks). It was a failure. Printing money is a possibility, but very dangerous.

The long run solution is that liquidity must be restored, that government deficits cannot be maintained at the trillion-dollar level. The real need is to restore confidence in the money supply and those who run it, the banks and the Fed.

Steamboat Springs Today March 11, 2009

Amazing Art Intensive in Santa Fe

I've just completed the second week of a fifteen week intensive art course taught by Anthony Ryder in Santa Fe. Tony, as we students call him, has developed a well thought through curriculum.

The focus is on realism and learning the ins and outs of figure drawing and portrait painting. Sixteen students gather in his studio for six hours, five days a week. Students come from all over the world to study with Tony, a disciple of Ted Seth Jacobs. Jacobs is known for his major contribution to the revival of traditional drawing and painting.  He taught in NYC at the NY Arts Student's League during the 70's when Tony studied with him.  

In our course we have artists from New Zealand, The Bahamas, Holland as well as all corners of the United States. There is a diverse age range. Most have studied art extensively and some are outstanding in their own right. A few, like myself, have had limited training. All of us are totally focused and intensive in learning as much as we can.

During our first week we did some (approximately 4" by 6") poster portrait paintings in oil. Here the emphasis was totally on color with demonstrations focusing on value, hue and intensity of each brush stroke. Some students came with their own palette of colors. Being totally new to oil I choose 20 colors from Tony's list and it was quite exciting to open my tubes and start my palette.

The second week included three demonstrations related to figure drawing. Early in the week we learned to do "envelopes" and "block ins" of 40 minutes poses. By mid week we expanded to three hour poses which added gesture curves and finally on Friday, shading.

The high level of teaching reminds me of Juilliard and the opportunity I had to study with some of the masters of modern dance such as Martha Graham, Helen Tamiris, and Louis Horst. Classes at Juilliard as well as other venues of master classes were filled with strongly thought out concepts and beautiful philosophy as well as an encouragement to reach your highest potential. It is quite wonderful to be experiencing this excellence again.

In addition, the atmosphere at the studio is not one of competition, but of acceptance, and warmth with everyone focused and eager to learn. I am so grateful to be able to be part of this program!

And of course it is really neat to be in Santa Fe. The weather has been great with mostly blue sky days and temperature getting into the 50's. We are wonderfully located close to the Plaza but exploring our own neighborhood will have to wait awhile since Murray is dealing with Sciatica and finding it hard to remain standing or walk more than a short distance. He starts physical therapy this week and we are hopeful that it will help and it won't be long til the evenings and weekends will be spent exploring Santa Fe together.

Doctor Appointment: Wait 3 Months

WHERE HAVE ALL THE DOCTORS GONE?

Incentives in our public and private health insurance are skewed away from prevention. The incentives for a medical graduate are to go into specialization. This incentive system has led to an excess of specialists and a paucity of preventive care primary care physicians. A recent survey of 1200 graduating medical school students indicated that only two percent were oriented to primary care. (TIME, 9/10/09). Because we have an excess of specialists, we don’t have the lines for elective surgery that exist in other countries. That is why a Canadian with means comes to the States for elective surgery. That is also why specialists, trained in Canada, come to the States to practice. To a great extent, that is why we spend over 16% of our GNP on medical care and most other countries spend (on average) 9%. That is also why our health statistics lump us with third world countries on such indicators as infant mortality. In addition, Dartmouth researcher, Elliott Fisher, M.D. suggests that too much health care may actually be killing us. His research indicates that as many as 30,000 Medicare recipients die annually from too much doctoring.

Primary care physicians report that up to sixty-five percent of what they are paid goes to administering their office. (Read Shannon Brownlee, July & August 2008 AARP Magazine, Why Does Health Care Cost So Much? Also read September 2008 AARP Bulletin.

Birding in Bosque del Apache New Mexico

In central New Mexico south of Albuquerque lies a premier spot for one of the most spectacular birding sites of North America. The Bosque del Apache is a National Wildlife Refuge in which you will have no trouble during the winter seeing bald and spotted eagles and hundreds if not thousands of Sand Cranes and white Geese.

I am not a great birder, but I enjoy the outdoors, and this year has been special in New Mexico. While the rest of the U.S. has suffered winter, temperatures have climbed to 60F with clear dark blue sky and no crowds.

The pictures on this page were taken by me and demonstrate the abundance just waiting to pose.

The Bosque is about 100 miles south of Albequerque just off of I-25. If you get a chance, don't forget your camera.

Super Bowl XLIII

This year's matchup between the Steelers and Cardinals should have been a repeat of one 61 years ago. As discussed in my father's biography, two coincidences are hard to ignore. In 1947 the Cardinals,led by Pitt All-Star Marshall "Biggie" Goldberg,knew the Steelers' offense and trounced them in the regular season. Then, Steelers' field goal expert, Joe Glamp, hit the cross-bar on a thirty yard attempt against the Redskins. Winning either of these games would have placed the Steelers in the championship game against the Cards, then from Chicago. VISIT
http://www.murraytuckerwriter.com

Oh well, that was then, this is now. Again the Steelers are up against a Pitt great,Larry Fitzgerald. The only way to stop him is to get to the quarterback. Let's hope that a great officiating team is sent to this game. I'm tired of throwing my yellow flag at the TV when Harrison is blatantly held.

[Joe Tucker would be 100 this year. Here he relates his disappointment on the missed field goal. Myron Cope, longtime friend, introduces Joe].

WE CAN AND DID IT!!

Volunteering in Pittsburgh


MEMORIES of THE CAMPAIGN

Future President and Future Press Secretary Deplane













David Axelrod juggles papers and cell phone


Barack's message of hope and change challenged us to work on this campaign and why we are so proud, today, to be Americans.

Placitas, New Mexico and More!

As the snow kept coming in Steamboat we were very glad that we had planned to spend five weeks in January beginning Sunday, January 11th in Placitas,NM. Luckily we had a sunny day between snow flakes the Thursday we left. An easy leisurely drive was highlighted by a short side trip to a castle made of beer cans in San Antonio, CO and a tour through the Earthship Visitor Center It was fascinating to see how discarded tires stuffed with mud were a key part of the construction materials used. The Center itself is "a fully functioning Earthship that combines passive solar architecture with thermal mass construction, uses renewable energy, integrated water systems and is made out of natural and recycled materials." Check out their website www.earthship.org.

We have been settled in our 100 year old abode house for a week. The house we are renting was built by the grandfather of the owner who welcomed us and showed us around. Friends who live in Placitas had found the property and checked it out. As you can see from the pictures, the house is nothing to speak of from the outside, however it is furnished in a lovely and comfortable way. About the only challenge is that the bathroom is through the kitchen and up stairs, rather than conveniently off the bedroom.

The village of Placitas has a long and interesting history going back to Spain. I have taken several interesting walks around our neighborhood, passed horses and a winery, strolled on dirt roads, and up hills to vistas.

Placitas, itself is a community 15 miles north of Albuquerque and six miles east of I 25 at the foot of the Sandia Mountains. Lovely housing exists on each side of the main route back and continues past the village for several miles. We have wandered into a few open houses and home prices range from $300,000 up to several million. Most sit on an acre or more and are nestled into the hills.

There isn't much commercial businesses in Placitas, just one small shopping area about three miles in and then a mini mart, gas station and post office in the village. However, all that one could wish for is a short drive to Albuquerque. We have discovered both Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, a good place to work out and a movie theatre with 24 screens and lots of diverse restaurants.

We look forward to discovering more about this area over the coming weeks.

Steelers Bars USA+

While in Steamboat Springs we have enjoyed Sunday Brunch or Late Lunch at the Tap House that has about 15 flat screen TVs. Other than when the Broncos played, Steelers fans dominated.

But, as usual, we traveled. For each Sunday we sought out a place to watch the Steelers. In Fruita, CO, I sold three books and yawned through the drubbing of the Bungles. On return from a family reunion in Lost Wages (thanks Aunt Bess Tucker-you really had that place pegged right) we stopped east of Grand Junction, CO. The bar there had seven screens-six covering the Broncos, one on the Steelers. Another easy day.

Then a near death experience in Atlanta (picture). This was truly Steelers country-Large screen and several 32 inch plasma screens provided more than adequate coverage. The old 14 inch screens provided coverage of the other games. It was close, but we prevailed.

CBS in Denver prefers airing infomercials to Steelers games, so back to the Tap Room for the second near death experience- the Ravens II, seemed to have creamed Ben.

The last bar was in Sarasota. Almost all the patrons were Steelers fans, but we had to argue to get a screen on the game.

Nothing really compared to watching the AFC championship and Super Bowl XL in Ushuaia-the most Southern city in the world.

Yes, JoAnne and I are part of the Steeler Nation and proud of it.

Izzy

Over the holidays we spent a week in Atlanta visiting with grandkids, daughters and son-in-law.  Accompanying our daughter, Julie, from NYC was her 8 month old Yorkie, Izzy, the first dog in our immediate family. According to Julie, no tranquilizer was needed for the 2 hour flight, but they did fly first class.

Well... need I say that Izzy was clearly the center of attention. Everyone wanted a turn to play with her and what I found most interesting was how Izzy adapted to each one of us. The 8 year old "loved" her .... hugging her tightly and she tolerated it from him and would play the roughest with him. She was also smart enough to welcome time in her crate knowing that it was a time out from Brandon.

I had grown up with dogs as a kid but once married, Murray and I preferred cats. Walks were fun except the one time she decided she didn't want to walk with me and just went belly down on the sidewalk. She made her point and back to the house we went. The rest of the time she was a delight to walk sniffing from side to side and playful, especially to other people and their dogs regardless of size.

At first she was reluctant to go the stairs at the house but that lasted only a day or two and she was soon bounding up and down making the whole house her own.  

A slice of carrot was her treat and she got lots of practice on commands of "sit", "down" and "paw" as all of us wanted a chance to interact with her in this way.

I came away from the week with a deeper understanding of why the relationship between dogs and their owners becomes so important.

At our condo in Steamboat over the years we have had countless "dog" issues. Originally there was a no dog policy, but two owners found a way around that and managed to have their dogs grandfathered in. One of those dogs is still here and royally patrols the property. Now we have a policy that an owner can have a dog on the premises for up to 60 days which works fine for non-resident/second home owners. Renters cannot have a dog and it is amazing how many people attempt to sneak a dog on site for a few days rather than selecting a dog friendly advertised place.  

Now the 60 day policy will work for us. Izzy can be our "registered" dog and visit us any time.

Winter Solstice in Steamboat Springs

We returned to Steamboat Springs five days ago just in time to experience the beauty of winter. Experiencing snow here is different. The lighting at this time of the year enhances the shadows and provides contrast of the whites and grays. Sometimes I find myself just sitting at the window, watching the patterns the snow has made on the pine trees.

Saturday Murray and I enjoyed a brief walk outdoors near our home. Despite the fact that the temperature was in the teens, we weren't cold. At one point I went to make a snow ball, but the snow was so powdery it just fell apart.

We suffered through a Steelers (Wrecklessberger) debacle on Sunday after which we worked out at the Health Club. For a grand finale, we went outdoors (17 degrees F) and into the Hot Springs (103 degrees). It is an amazing experience to soak in the hot sulfur water with lots of steam, surrounded by the snowy landscape.

Steamboat's economy depends on tourism and skiers enjoying the slopes. The city plows the roads efficiently and at least the locals know to drive slowly and respect the conditions. We live on a hill 900 feet above the valley. The road has lots of curves but is plowed regularly. And people celebrate snow falls because that means fresh powder! We are not skiers but our snowshoes are in our mud room and we have a trail right across the street that is calling us for a excursion before we fly off to celebrate the holiday with our family in Atlanta.

Life is just a bowl of Tai Chi

(It appears that in yesterday's post the text did not consistently appear with the picture. We haven't figured out why and are instead reposting the text that should have accompanied the picture.)

My mother-in-law, Janet Klineman, will be 88 in February. You wouldn't believe it to look at her, nor would you think that a lady of her young years could do so much. This diminutive four foot ten ball of fire paints, plays bridge and mah-jongg, drives everywhere, shops and takes care of her minimal health care needs. But above all, she is a Tai Ci devotee.

Starting three years ago, she took the beginning class of three months, three times. Now in her third session of the "continuing" class, she thinks she has progressed to her apex. Who knows?

She feels that continuing to perfect the 108 movements is a challenge in itself. Probably the most difficult part of Tai Chi for those her age (and much younger) is the movements requiring balance. But balance is one of the reasons Janet started on this journey. "Lift your leg like a dog finding its favorite hydrant!" What a mental picture.

Beyond the physical challenge, Janet loves the diversity of working in groups with people her daughter's, granddaughter's and great-granddaughter's ages. Besides age, the group varies size, sex and culture.

Her daughter, JoAnne wishes she will be able to remain as active as her mother when she achieves this age.

Life is just a bowl of Tai Chi

My mother-in-law, Janet Klineman, will be 88 in February. You wouldn’t believe it to look at her, nor would you think that a lady of her young years could do so much. This diminutive four foot ten ball of fire paints, plays bridge and mah-jongg, drives everywhere, shops and takes care of her minimal health care needs. But above all, she is a Tai Chi devotee.

Starting three years ago, she took the beginning class of three months, three times. Now in her third session of the “continuing” class, she thinks she has progressed to her apex. Who knows?

She feels that continuing to perfect the 108 movements is a challenge in itself. Probably the most difficult part of Tai Chi for those her age (and much younger) is the movements requiring balance. But balance is one of the reasons Janet started on this journey. “Lift your leg like a dog finding its favorite hydrant!” What a mental picture.

Beyond the physical challenge, Janet loves the diversity of working in groups with people her daughter’s, granddaughter’s and great-granddaughter’s ages. Besides age, the group varies size, sex and culture.

Her daughter, JoAnne wishes she will be able to remain as active as her mother when she achieves this age.

Celebrating the Avodah Dance Ensemble

In August 2004 I retired as founding artistic director of The Avodah Dance Ensemble.  It was a wonderful thirty years and I had pretty much reached a point where the dance muse was no longer a burning passion.  I knew it was time to move on.  Luckily at the same time a delightful and enthusiastic young woman expressed interest in Avodah and I was thrilled with the possibility that Avodah might have a future.  

This past Friday we had an Avodah board meeting where I participated via phone.  It was quite special for me to see that Avodah is  alive and growing in wonderful new directions under the guidance of Julie Gayer Kris.  For the first few years I was actively mentoring Julie.  I am still there for her when she wants it, but it is less often now.  It is exciting to see how Julie is developing her own voice and operation.  The Board composition is beginning to change to reflect the new perspective.  This year three new Board members became involved, bringing new ideas to the company.

 Avodah began as a modern dance company rooted in the Jewish tradition.  During the first fifteen years the program emphasis was in interpreting Biblical text and liturgy.  In 1989, Avodah created a piece called "Let My People Go" with Louis Johnson, outstanding Africian American choreographer, to explore the Exodus text from both a Jewish and African American point of view.  This piece successfully toured for over 10 years creating an new emphasis in Avodah and building bridges between communities.  Collaborations with Linda Kent introduced pieces presented at both Hebrew Union College and Union Theological Seminary.

In 2002 Avodah did a residency at York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's only  facility for women.  It was an amazing experience for those of us involved. The program has grown to where Avodah is active in three different prisons.  

At the Board meeting on Friday Julie discussed the different programs that are on-going or being developed.  It is clear Avodah is growing.  The prison program is taking on new dimensions having added a performance with inmates for their families.  A collaboration with a new Board member/rabbinic student is being developed looking at Jewish text and body image especially for bat mitzvah age girls. A collaboration with the Mark Lamb Dance Company is in the works.  In a discussion of our mission statement there was a clear consensus on keeping the idea of Avodah working with diverse communities and building community energy, an important part of Avodah programming.   

After I got off the phone, I felt a wonderful sense of fulfillment and gratitude to see something that I began in 1972 continuing to have an exciting future.  I am grateful to the many dancers and collaborators who over the years gave so much of themselves.  And I am especially thankful to Julie Gayer Kris, the current dancers, collaborators and Board members who continue to give Avodah new vitality!!

Check out Avodah's website at:  www.avodahdance.org.  Avodah welcomes bookings and volunteers.  If you are interested in being involved please email me and I will pass the information along to Julie.    

Out for a drive with my granddaughter

My granddaughter Jessica will be 16 the end of December.  Living in Georgia, she was able to get a learner's permit at 15.  Last week when we gathered for Thanksgiving I had the thrill of being the licensed driver with her as she drove from our restaurant back to her other grandma's house.  She is a confident, responsible driver and it is quite wonderful to see her so grown up.  Time does indeed fly.  Both my husband and I remember a great picture of Jess when she was three with a cute purple hat pretending to drive our Dodge minivan. We still have that minivan and love to tease Jessica that we have kept the car just for her.  

Certainly feels like a "coming of age" for us grandparents as Jessica can now chauffeur us around.