Those of you out there who claim I don’t
have a cultured bone in my body (like the guy writing this), I’ll have you know
I spent a couple hours perusing an actual art gallery yesterday. So there. More
on that later, my day of hoity toity had to wait for the proper recognition of
the First Friday of the Week. In what is rapidly becoming a cherished standard
for First Friday, post-pandemic (how cool is saying that and having it be real)
was another very fun night at the Auburn American Legion Post with the Neighborhood
Mafioso and another couple. My Favorite Panamanian was making noises about
going to a more high-class place but I held out for this new favorite and was
very glad I did. There is just no substitute for hanging out with good friends.
You throw in rock music and a healthy supply of Coors Lite and now we’re talking.
It didn’t hurt they we were also amongst the youngest people there, that’s a
rare accomplishment these days.
The Very Fun Friday Night Table
Mafiosos on the Dance Floor
I was a little disconcerted that the advertised
“band” was only a duet. A key component of validating my choice of the Legion
Hall, at least with a certain Panamanian, would be dancing and I was dubious a
duo would be up to the task. They were. They played some of the best music we’ve
heard there and included a saxophone, my personal favorite in rock music. Yes,
Boss Bruce, I’m looking at you. I decided to forego the usual Friday pizza at
home because I was “jonesing” for the prime rib I’d noticed on the menu the
week before. I was therefore a little crushed when the menu had changed and no
prime rib was offered. I made do with steak tips but I was a little surprised when
they put the plate in front of me, weirdest steak tips I’d ever seen. I was
almost finished with the dinner when we discovered I’d actually been eating my
friend’s pork dinner. We made this discovery when he took delivery of my steak
tips. He didn’t want those and while I was eating that second entrée, the
kitchen staff was scrambling to create another pork dinner for him. Two dinners
for the price of one, beats pizza.
Admiring the Impressionists
My Cultural Guides
The Roman Mosaic
Apparently a few First Fridays ago I
agreed to escort Great Aunt, Soxfather’s sister-in-law and my Favorite Panamanian
to the Worcester art museum (WAM). I had no memory of this promise, that
happens a lot on late Fridays, for some reason. I can understand how it
happened, I’m usually in a really good mood during that time period. The Rhode
Islanders showed up late Saturday morning and we were off to the WAM. The Worcester
art museum has a world class collection and while I’ve driven by it literally hundreds
of times this is only the second time I’ve visited it. Okay so not scoring many
culture points, am I? Great Aunt appeared concerned I wasn’t enjoying it as the
ladies were swooning over a special display of impressionists.
Favorite Panamanian
Example of 600 Year old Striking Colors
In actuality I was having a good time. I
love history and there was plenty of that on display. The WAM absorbed the
Higgins Armor Museum collection years ago and as I was paying for our entry
there was a demonstration of pike warfare going on in a nearby courtyard. I’m
no art lover but I’m still astounded by paintings that are over 600 years old
and still bear the striking colors the original artist bestowed upon them. I
always think about what that painting has seen over those six hundred years
before ending up hanging from a wall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was a fun
afternoon perusing the vast collection. It included some artifacts from the
Roman Empire, my favorite historical epoch, including a full mosaic floor.
Entering Brew City - Open Fridays!!!
I was cultured out and the knee was
barking a bit after spending a few hours upright following a night of dancing
(even with the knee brace on the right leg) when I suggested a lunch break. We
ended up at that old First Friday favorite locale, Brew City. I hadn’t been
there in a couple years but was immediately recognized by our waitress which
made me feel right at home. I noticed a sign in the door saying Brew City was
now open on Friday afternoons for the first time since the pandemic so First Fridays
there are once again possible. I would therefore categorize my cultured
Saturday a complete success, not so much for the art, but because of the chance
to hang with these three ladies.
I’m seeing a lot of Memorial Day messages
online and this one really struck me. The attached video was really special. I conducted
a couple hundred funerals at Arlington National Cemetery when I was assigned to
the Old Guard and the playing of taps always got to me, just as this “new” song
based on that classic does:
About six miles from Maastricht, in the
Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation
Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter
of 1944. Every one of the men buried in the
cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries have
been adopted by a Dutch family who minds the grave, decorates it, and keeps
alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom to
keep a portrait of "their" American soldier in a place of honor in
their home. Annually, on "Liberation Day," memorial services are held
for "the men who died to liberate Holland." The day concludes with a
concert. The final piece is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece
commissioned by the Dutch, first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of
Holland's liberation. It's been the concluding piece of the memorial concert
ever since. The year is 2014. The soloist is a 13-year-old Dutch girl, Melissa
Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the
Netherlands). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version
of Taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.
Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers,
Shazam, Fury of the Gods, new addition to library, better on this second watch,
and back to the alphabet with Divergent, teenage angst in a dystopian future.
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