I love palindromes

For some reason my eye seems to blur out the red circle and slash.

I just rushed into town on the bike to get a gift card to give to Ms. Whitney.  She is a cat-lover so we thought a shopping spree at C.B. Paws ("a cat and dog boutique") would be nice.  We stopped in last evening but the clerk was newly employed so didn't know how to charge up a gift card.  She said to just come back at 9:00 AM.  I arrived at about 9:40 to discover the place doesn't open until 10.  Oh well.  Here is a shot of my view while I waited in the alley.  At about five after 10 the proprietor came out and said, "Oh, are you waiting for me?" and then told me he had to go to the bank and would be back in 15.  I took off.

We ate at Zocalito last night.  The name means "small meeting place".  I don't think we will go back despite the ample room.

I also snapped this pic of a sign on a bike rack over by the fountain which is just a little ways to the right after leaving the alley.  I suppose I should have wiped off that nitrogenous deposit but I didn't think of that.

Penultimate Friday

It is early on this second-to-last Friday in Aspen this summer.  Yesterday was a relatively slow day, or so it seemed.  Although full of activities there was less rushing around due to overlapping appointments so I was able to hang around and wait at the various locations.

To catch up we'll have to start with Wednesday afternoon.  Every Wednesday Maya attends Mr. Kantor's "studio class".  This is a group class which included all of the 40+ students who are studying with him this summer.  Each week three or four students are selected to play the piece they are working on after which the other students offer opinions, comments and suggestions.  It's like a big intervention.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that Maya played the 3rd movement of the Bruch violin concerto.  Here's a view of the crowd.

After we returned from the music campus I believe Taryn went for a run, Jamuna was babysitting and Abe and Maya relaxed (honestly I'm not sure what they did), and I took off on the bike toward the fruit stand.  I though it was going to be a long ride but the shortcut I took made it seem surprisingly short.  I picked up some peaches, a couple of tomatoes, green beans and an over-ripe cantaloupe.  When I go back I heated up some chili that Mom Mom had made, steamed the green beans, and cleaned myself up.

I had a few bites and then the fun started.  I rode over to the Paepcke Auditorium which is right next to the music tent to attend a lecture about lasers and anti-lasers sponsored by the Aspen Center for Physics.  I enjoyed the lecture very much.  While I was there the rest of the gang had dinner then drove over to ACES for an astronomy lecture.  As soon as the laser lecture was over I raced over to ACES to join them.  I thought the lecture was very well done even though it was too early to include any actual stargazing.  When that was over we loaded the bike into the van and dropped by Paradise for fuel.  Robyn was playing in a quartet.  We made it "home" before 10 PM.  A great evening was had by all.

As you can see everyone was seated nicely in these folding chairs.  Since I arrive late I plopped down on a plush sofa against the back wall.  Nice.







Now yesterday.   Our first appointment was a tennis lesson for Abe which didn't start until 11:30.  That allowed for an easy start to the day.  Abe was up early for a viola lesson but that was rescheduled to today.  Like the little angel that he is, he practiced anyway.  I took a walk around the neighborhood with the big camera, aiming for the cemetery thinking there might be some interesting compositions to be had with long shadows and the like.  I was a bit too late so will go back another morning.



Along the way I caught up to a cluster of monks on their way up Cemetery Lane.  I asked them if they were going to be creating a mandala like last year and found out that they had just completed their work and that yesterday was the blessing ceremony.  I was surprised to hear this as I did not know they were in Aspen yet. I learned that there are two groups who come to town - one that sets up in town and this group that works at the Aspen Chapel.  Those Buddhists are so competitive.  I'll have to get a few photos of that non-denominational chapel as it is a beautiful piece of architecture.  Anyway, we were all disappointed not to have seem the mandala before it got tossed into the river.

This photo obviously shows a few of the monks just a head of me and more farther up the road.  It is also interesting to me because it shows what appears to be a lot of road traffic.  The road can be busy at times but this was unusual.  And, notice the random inclusion of the "for sale" signs.  If you click to enlarge you'll see a third sign just ahead of the monks.  At least in the areas we travel I estimate that one in fours properties are for sale.  Abe and I have been discussing starting a business to install and maintain for-sale signs in Aspen.

Abe had another tennis encounter with Torre (not Tory as previously reported).  I sat on the grass reading Back of Beyond (CJ Box).  BTW, we entered Yellowstone on page 75 and now we're almost to Two Oceans Plateau, so named because this area sits atop the Continental Divide and water on one side of the area flows to the Atlantic Ocean and on the other side to the Pacific.  Jessie, a nice old dog, sat with me.

As soon as I returned with Abe I took Maya and Taryn up to a rehearsal with Tamara.  While they were working I roamed around the music campus.  I saw a dog named Maggie swimming around the big pond following/chasing a duck.  Apparently Maggie had been at it for 15 or 20 minutes before I got there.  It was a sight to see.  The duck seemed to be teasing the dog by swimming just a couple of yards ahead of her the whole time.  I then had lunch at the small cafeteria, sitting with Charlie part of the time.  I ate too much. After lunch I watched the duck-dog show a while longer.  When Maya's rehearsal was over we all walked back up to the pond and the show was still going strong.  It had been going on about 90 minutes and we were all starting to wonder if either the duck or Maggie would give up.

Later in the day we just hung out at the duplex waiting for Prema to arrive.  Taryn took a 5-6 mile run to the post office and back, I pumped up all the bike tires, and the squad stayed busy with various important tasks. Later we all went into town for dinner, walking, shopping, and yes, ice cream.  For the record, I do not have ice cream every time we go there.  Sybarite5 was playing.  They are all AMFS alumni, and they are great.

Prokofiev, Practice, Pedaling

It is a peaceful and brisk Wednesday morning and the house is still sleeping except for Taryn who is out on the deck in the midst of a research conference and I'm putting ice on my neck as I watch the stock markets whip down, up, down, ...

Monday evening we most thoroughly enjoyed Robyn Bollinger's  performance of the Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in the Benedict Music Tent.  It was a special evening because in addition to Robyn we watched the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet perform.  It was a unique experience for us to hear the music and watch the dancers.

Yesterday we kept quite busy with various practices and lessons.  After a productive morning and early afternoon we treated ourselves to a bike ride into town via the Aspen Meadows trail off the the Rio Grande bike path.  Although we could have gone into the tent we chose to sit outside on the grass as we listened to the AACA orchestra.  Being outside also afforded us the opportunity to move around and play with the "Frisbee".

After the concert we pedaled our way through the traffic to Little Annie's.  Abe has been determined to have a cheeseburger there for the past week so we finally made that happen.  In fact, we all had burgers.

Above is a shot of Taryn and Jamuna watching the orchestra through the open louvers.

To the left one can see our stack of bikes outside the restaurant.

And, I finally updated the B-Squad photo.

Today Maya will spend about five hours up on the music campus for rehearsals, practice, lunch and studio class.  I hope to join her and Tayrn for studio class.

This evening offers a lecture at the Aspen Center for Physics and possibly an astronomy presentation at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES).

Travel Days

It is a beautiful Monday morning in Aspen (rated AAA by the B-Squad, possible upgrade coming soon).  Prema is on her way to Rapid City which is mourning the passing of a second police officer to a shooting last week.  Our hearts are aching for his family.

I just returned from a bike ride to Clark's Market to pick up a backpack full of calories.  Right now Abe is in a lesson with Ms. Whitney, Maya is deep into her second hour of practice, and Jamuna is taking a break.

Mom Mom and Pop Pop are surely on the road to Rapid City after having spent the night near Fort Collins, CO.

Taryn arrived safely and on time from Minneapolis yesterday afternoon though her suitcase did not.  Fortunately it was delivered to the Silver King cliff dwelling before we returned from the evening concert.

Here is a blurry shot of Taryn and Abe (too much kinetic energy).  Below are a couple of shots to document the baggage excitement.






















As Abe and I were on the way to the airport we saw that the highway just past our turn was crowded with emergency vehicles.  Found out this morning that the brother of the man who owns Explore bookstore died in a crash there.  We have never met either of the brothers but feel sad about the whole thing nonetheless.

Back to fun stuff.  Right after Taryn arrived Prema and I buzzed into town for 45 minutes to conduct some business (retail) and get tickets for the afternoon concert.  I was finally able to give the ice cream gift card to Erin the box office lady who was so kind to us a week or two ago.  I had been searching for her ever since then and was glad to see her again.

We attended the AFO featuring soloist Veronika Eberle playing a Dvorak piece that was one of Taryn's award-winning specialties.  After the intermission the orchestra played Holst's The Planets.  It was a fantastic performance which featured women's voices from the Aspen Opera Theater Center.  Quite nice. Prema reported that Ms. Eberle sat right behind  her on the plane to Denver.

After the show we went to Takah Sushi for dinner.  The kids played a bit with a frisbieoid thingamabob shown in this action shot.  Interestingly, the spell-checker did not flag "thingamabob" as misspelled or unknown.

Here is a shot of a flower that sat near my chair at dinner.

We got home at a reasonable hour which meant that poor Maya could practice a bit more.

Finally, here is a pic of a hummingbird that flew into the front door.  It was stunned, laying on its side when I got back from the airport.  I held it for a few minutes while it gradually got oriented.  It was nice to see it fly away and settle in a nearby Aspen tree.

After lunch we plan to take a bike ride into town.  This evening we will hear Robyn play Prokofiev and see the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.

Hot Bunking

Mom Mom and Pop Pop pulled out this morning to head back to Rapid City.  In about one hour we should be picking up Taryn at the airport.  For the record we all attended a beautiful concert in the tent Friday evening then had ice cream at Paradise Cafe.  Last evening we roamed around town, did a bit of shopping then had a nice dinner at Jimmy's.

 Here are some shots from the day.  This store sign reminded me of our music theory professor, Dr. Carl van Wyk.  I'm not sure what the store was offering but I heard a lot of arguing coming from the back room.




To the right you can see Jamuna, Abe and a little bit of Mom Mom enjoying a group of students playing on the plaza.  One of our friends Annie was in the group.















Here's a shot of Abe taking a pause from texting to look handsome.

(What is that guy doing in the background, on the far left?)









This season in Aspen my greatest fascination is with garbage processing.  Here's a reminder of that, for the record.

I like this handlebar ornament which we saw outside the restaurant.  Click to enlarge, if necessary.

Cloudy with a chance of architecture

As with most photographs, this photo out our window this morning doesn't quite capture the grandeur of the scene, but it's still worth a look.

Yesterday I went down to the tent to get a couple more recordings from the dub room while Abe was at a tennis lesson.  I kept my camera in hand and just snapped away along the walk.   Here are a few shots:

This is the approach to the Benedict Music Tent.  Down the walk and to the right is Harris Hall.  We spend a fair bit of time at these venues.

As I was passing the tent I saw this photographer using a large-format camera to take a detailed photo of a marking in the Aspen tree bark.  We had a nice discussion about the camera and his technique.

The tent is a remarkable structure.  It is a lot like the main terminal at the Denver airport (same architect).  The pic shows some of the hardware holding the place up.  I like that the designers had the foresight to mark areas to place explosives should anyone want to destroy the building.



We just found out that Maya and Mr. Kantor agreed to have her lesson earlier than usual this morning so we need to get going.

From the Top

Last night we attended the Jupiter Quartet performance of a few of Beethoven's String Quartets.  It was beautiful music by any measure.

Each week AMFS produces a program booklet which is about 1cm thick containing a wealth of information about the festival and school as well as detailed program notes about all the major performances.  Steven Ledbetter is a well known musicologist who writes many of the descriptions of the composers and their works.  I usually enjoy reading his stories while the music fills the air.  Here is an excerpt from the notes about one of last evening's pieces:

"The beginning, with unaccompanied violin outlining a seventh and waiting, poised, for the others to produce a chord against which it might settle downward, is utterly unique.  The transition lands suddenly in a very foreign key, but Beethoven hurries out of it to the expected secondary key of A major and brings the exposition to an end with a dramatic, chromatic cello part climbing in half-steps from A to C-sharp, which harmonizes both the repeat of the exposition (the first time) and the beginning of the development (the second time)."  S. Ledbetter


I'm not much of a drinker but I wouldn't mind a taste of whatever he was having.


This morning Maya auditioned for a future spot on a public TV/Radio program called From the Top.  It is a fun program that highlights young musicians, their music and other aspects of their lives.  I believe she has already been accepted to appear based on an audition in TX a long time ago but she went through the process again this morning.  Maybe she will be on the show sometime in the next year or so.  It airs locally (in Rapid City) on Sunday's at 4:00 pm, 89.3 FM.


Here is a view of the enthralled-appearing interviewers.  After she played they asked her a bunch of questions about life in general.

Abe is heading out for a tennis lesson after which I hope we will all take a ride into town.  BTW, his tennis teacher's name is Tory, just Tory, no last name, just one word.  Prema should arrive just in time to join us at the Aspen Festival Orchestra performance this evening featuring Adele Anthony (violin) and violist David Aaron Carpenter.  If all goes well we should make an ice cream run after the concert.

Quiet Day in Aspen

We have had a peaceful day.  I rode into town mid-morning and was able to get some bread.  I stopped into the bookstore for a few minutes.  Here's a view of the bike I rode, and the approach to the door.




















I have to admit I didn't look too hard but I didn't see Cashmere today.  Let's hope all ye who entered there...

Maya had a nice rehearsal with a most wonderful collaborative pianist, Tamara Goldstein.  We are so lucky to have become connected with her.  She also had a lesson with Mr. Kantor's teaching assistant Natalie Lin.  She's the one with the cool New Zealand accent.  Here is a shot of the two of them though I don't think it does the Natalie justice.  I'll try for a better representation one of these days.

While Maya was at music school Jamuna and Abe took Mom Mom and Pop Pop on a brief tour of downtown Aspen.  The had walked quite a bit but had to cut the tour short due to rain.

We have been listening to Philip Glass' American Four Seasons featuring Robert McDuffie.  I also got a chance to take a nice bite out of the new CJ Box book I recently received.  I believe it is set in Yellowstone though we're not there yet.

BD Celebration

Mom Mom and Pop Pop arrived today from Rapid City.  First order of business was a belated birthday celebration for Jamuna who's birthday was in early July while she was at a music camp in Texas, and mine which was a earlier this week.

Today was kind of hectic due to a sequence of overlapping activities.  Abe had tennis at a new location which despite my having looked on two mapping programs and Google Earth was tricky to find.  After I dropped him off I came back to get Maya and deliver her to a practice with Natalie. Then right back to get Abe and drop him at the house then off to the music school campus to find and feed Maya.  Then I had to come back and get Jamuna so she could listen to the studio class.  Ben O. played the full Bruch Concerto that Maya is polishing.  He did a fantastic job with it.

I just returned from a ride to the post office, bakery (closed! - at 4:00 pm, gotta remember that), and Wheeler box office.  While I was getting tickets for the Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet program Monday night at which Robyn will perform the Prokofiev Violin Concerto, I had a nice chat with Ms. St. George.  She is one of the box office staff whom I have come to know.  I told her that Maya played at the Robert McDuffie masterclass and she was quite impressed then told me that Elena Kagan was there.  At first I was trying to think of a famous violinist or some AMFS dignitary by that name then I realized Ms. Kagan is the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Not much planned for this evening.

Masterclass

The big event yesterday was Maya's performance at a masterclass in Harris Hall.  I was so overwhelmed I didn't take any photos in the hall, plus photography is strictly forbidden.  I did obtain last-second permission to video the event, but apparently that was the source of some fussing backstage.  Anyway, Maya was selected to be one of four students to play for Robert McDuffie at one of the most highly sought after masterclasses of the summer.  She did a wonderful job in her performance of the Bruch 3rd movement for a large crowd.  Mr. McDuffie asked her to sing part of the 2nd movement which she did beautifully.

Here is a shot of esprit outside Harris Hall after the event.

Earlier in the day Ken and I rode into town to conference about some financial matters.  The wifi hotspot we sought was not working so we just went to City Market.  Along the way we encountered this crowd.  Not sure what the issue was, maybe public assembly without proper permit.  We didn't hang around as it looked like it could get ugly.

It does make me sad to think about the shooting in Rapid City yesterday that killed one police officer and wounded two others.



Here is a snap of the evening activities last night.  Maya and Abe are using hand-cranked marshmallow rotation devices so as not to injure their wrists.

Forgot Prokofiev

I forgot to mention that last night we attended the violin concerto competition during which nine AMFS students played the same excerpts of a Prokofiev concerto.  A panel of five esteemed faculty adjudicated. We are delighted that one of Maya's practice coaches, Natalie, was the runner-up and that the winner, Robyn, is a friend in Maya's studio class.  Both of these young women are student's in Mr. Kantor's Aspen studio so kudos to PK.

Spoils of the Day

So today is August 1st, my birthday.  I was treated this morning by several emails, phone calls and personal greetings all of which are greatly appreciated.  My friend Ken from Berkeley was able to make a special trip up to see me today.  What a nice surprise for all of us.  I met Ken in Carbondale, IL, in physics lab in 1977.  Today he made breakfast for all of us.

I was showered with a bunch of gifts some of which are displayed here.  I forgot to include the wire scalp massager.  You can see a cool bookmark, a hiking book, a gadget charger and some Buckyballs.  There is also a really nifty hand magnifier with lanyard (unfortunately there were no instructions with the lanyard).

Oh yes, Dr. Carl and Ms. Nicolette also gave me a fresh pair of Handerpants, displayed below.

Abe, Dr. Carl, Ken and I rode into town this morning to get some baked goods, Oreos, tea and marshmallows.  Once all these essentials were collected we picked up an ice-cream gift card to give to the young lady who gave us a free ticket to the Robert McDuffie performance last evening.  I tried to find her again at the box office but she wasn't there.  We'll find her someday.

On our ride we passed this lady fishing on the opposite bank of the Roaring Fork River.  Seems like she is always there.  Anyway, it makes me want to go fishing but I left my gear in RC.

Above is a photo of Ken doing what he does best.  Below is just some of the usual street activity in Aspen (click to enlarge).

What else?  Oh we rode back into town a second time to get lunch at Sabra - gyros, hummus and the like.  Tonight Maya has a lesson then the adults are going out to dinner.

Birthday Day

Well, it's against my nature but my family wants to have a current photo of me on the blog.  I'm a bit embarrassed about not having shaved today but as they say, what you see is what you get.

Yesterday was a Colorful Day

I had looked back at the last few days of photos and they seemed a bit dull and monotone so I wanted to color things up a bit. Yesterday started with the evening before as we were returning from -something, I already forget- we saw a sea of blue yard signs a few houses up the street.  I walked up to check it out and it was some kind of Aspen democrats meeting.  The street was lined with lots of cars and individuals of all varieties were streaming to the house.  Yesterday morning when I was riding the bike in to the bakery at about 7:00 am I noticed several cars and a motorcycle still parked at the house.  Too much to drink?  Who knows what those democrats do at those "meetings".

The days are starting to blur into one another.  Actually yesterday Maya was not feeling well most of the day after having been up a lot the night before.  So I guess it was the day before that just she and I rode into town.  She needed to stop in to Carl's Pharmacy for various and sundry sundries.  Here are a few shots along the way:

 Maya pedaling away.  Maya in the upstairs toy section of Carl's hunting for something she doesn't need.

This is where Maya went in to use a bathroom.  It wasn't too long after this that she started feeling ill.

So that was two days ago.  Yesterday, as I mentioned, Maya was not feeling too well - mostly tired from being up the night prior.  My day started with the early ride to the bakery.  It is actually quite cold early in the morning.  I noticed that most of the people I encounter in the morning are actually runners.  Later in the day the bikers come out.  Here's a shot of a view I enjoyed during much of my ride.

Abe had a tennis lesson with Tory at The Aspen Club and Spa in the afternoon.  After I dropped him off I stopped by to pick up dresses that were being altered for the girls.  The seamstress lives in an apartment above Clark's Market.

I encountered this rugby game in the park so watched for a few minutes.







I liked this guy's shirt, especially the silhouette in pretty Aspen leaf.

Here's an action shot of Abe going for a 100 MPH serve.  May the force be with you.

And an awkward pose with his coach Torre.







Last evening we had dinner at Mezzaluna then went to the opera Falstaff.  It was great.  At dinner we had a waiter named Biff who kept telling jokes that weren't very funny and that none of us really wanted to hear.  I was going to complain but then I thought about that pot/kettle adage.