A few more works.

The Clark has a fairly large collection of works by Renoir: a gallery is devoted to his work. This portrait caught my eye because this young woman reminded me a bit of Tamar, Ellen's granddaughter.

P-A. Renoir (1841-1919), Thérèse Berard, 1879. ************************ I like this bust of Balzac. I have not read any Balzac for a long time. I remember loving Père Goriot

Bust of Balzac by Pierre-Eugene-Emile Hebert (1877).

Art works at The Clark.

I took a number of photos of works of art displayed at The Clark: they permitted photos (1) of works owned by The Clark and (2) without flash. Here is a sample of a few: Winslow Homer:(1836-1910)

West Point, Prouts Neck, 1900. Homer considered this one of his best paintings. The scene is close to his studio, which is located at Prouts Neck, ME, about 12 miles south of Portland, ME. It is possible to tour his studio out of the Portland Museum of Art, by reservation only. We have never done that, but maybe we still could. Homer wrote of this painting, "The picture is painted 15 minutes after sunset. . . . not one minute before." So he must have gone to the same spot, day after day, and set up to be ready to paint fifteen minutes after sunset each day. Of the paintings we saw, this is my favorite. Here are three more paintings by Winslow Homer, of the same genre:

In the same gallery with Homer were works by an artist who was a contemporary of Homer, but represented a different region: Frederic Remington (1861-1909):

A solitary member of the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation leans forward on his horse, gazing across the snowy landscape toward a distant encampment. The figure's pose, the horse's breath, and the glittering nightime sky create an almost palpable stillness and tension. The setting is likely what is now the province of Alberta, Canada, where Frederic Remington spent time in 1887 and 1890 and where the Siksika Nation is located today. The image is fictive, painted over a decade after after the artist's time in Canada. Remington's earlier work as an illustrator for Harper's Weekly and in particular his images of the American west, contributed to racist misconceptions about Indigenous life; this painting made later in his career, reflects a more sensiitve view.

Note the peculiar fact that all the soldiers look alike.

The Clark

The weekend of May 10-11 we didn't do anything notable that I recall, even though it was Mother's Day weekend. There was a Mother's Day brunch at the Community Center in Guilford, which we have attended in previous years and have enjoyed very much, but I just didn't feel up for it this time, so we stayed home. I think John and Cynthia came over later in the day. I know the next big thing was Tuesday. J&C had given me a Christmas present of a trip to someplace special, and we finally did it Tuesday: we went to The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, which turned out to be a spectacular place. I can't believe I've lived here over 50 years and have never gone to The Clark, which is only a 1 1/2-hour drive from here, and a very nice drive at that. The Clark opened in 1955, but was much smaller initially. The big expansion came around 2013, I think. Today it sits on 140 acres, has expansive buildings, huge galleries, as well as smaller ones, higher education facilities, a 300,000-volume art history library, a nice cafe with an outdoor patio, reflecting pool and lovely views. It is an architectural wonder, with the unforgetable feature of huge red-tinged granite blocks forming walls and corridors. Most of all, it has an amazing collection of art - European and American - Monet, Renoir, J.S. Sargeant, Winslow Homer, etc. We saw only a small part of what is on display. You could easily spend a couple of days there. I would love to go back again. I used one of their wheelchairs, which was comfortable, and E, J and C all took turns pushing me. But even so, I was exhausted by the end of the day - exhausted but happy. These snaps of the visitor's brochure give a glimpse of the size and layout of The Clark:

The main facade of The Clark.********************************** And here are some photos I took which give a feel for the building we were in:

The Café,

Just outside the Café.

In the bookstore. ELlen was thrilled to find lots of postcards!

One of the large galleries - mostly Monet

A smaller gallery.

Big Catch-up

Wow! I have really been out to lunch. So much has happened! So here is an attempt to catch up: May 7th: John Carnahan died Wednesday, May 7th. He was 96 years old. He and his wife, Mary, were married the same month Shirley and I were married - August, 1955 - but we didn't know them then. We met them in 1973-74 when our daughter, Betsey was in high school with their son, Paul. She dated him for a while, and did a lot of activities with him - esp. debate club. We became good friends with John and Mary and for several years we had a tradition of going to their house on Friday evenings to watch Washington Week in Review. We shared an interest in politics and public affairs, and John, who was a lawyer and judge, was very involved in Democratic Party politics in Vermont. E.g., he ran for the office of Lt. Governor (unsuccessfully). Shirley felt she could share experiences in the Guilford Church with them because they could be trusted to hold information in confidence, and that was a big plus for her emotional health, just to get things off her chest with someone with an objective standpoint. Our families did a lot together down through the years. E.g., we always went to their yard for refreshments after the Brattleboro Fourth of July Parade. After Shirley died, and I met and married Ellen, the friendship continued. A few years ago, John and Mary gave up driving, and in 2021 or 22, they moved to a senior housing unit in Randolph, VT, near their son, Paul. Ellen and I visited them there 2-3 times, but we saw far less of them. More recently, John had to move into nursing care - the same facility but a different building from Mary. Their daughter, Susan Vodrey, has been very good about keeping in touch with us and she sent the news that John had died. Another major loss, another milestone. Rest in Peace, John.

Susan Vodrey, John Carnahan and Mary Carnahan. This. photo was taken at St.Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro just before the Carnahans moved to Randolph. ****************************** I will continue this "catch-up" in subsequent posts.

The Great Gatsby

In our reading out loud series, Ellen has read Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huck Finn; Percival Everett, James; Dusty Miller, Danger in the Air; Marilynn Robinson, Gilead and Lila, and now she is just finishing F. S. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. I read aloud the entire Gospel of Luke. Quite a variety! We got into Gatsby because this is the 100th anniversary of its publication. We weren't sure about including it in this company, but it is a great book. I think I read it when I was much younger, but I don't think I "got" it then. The times we are in now add another layer of meaning to what is already a complex book. James is a re-telling of the Huck Finn story, but from the perspective of Jim, Huck's companion on the raft, going down the Mississippi. Jim was a freed slave. It is a brilliant book. Dusty Miller is a close friend of Katie and Savanna who in mid-life took up writing mysterys. She is good! Danger in the Air is based on a true story from about 50 years ago when anthrax-laced letters were mailed by an unknown person to politicians and other famous people. It's a thriller! Marilynn Robinson has written several novels which have as a central character John Ames, an elderly pastor in a Congregational church in the little town of Gilead, Iowa. We love her novels, have read two so far, and probably will read two more: Home and Jack. Later:We just finished Gatsby last evening - what an amazing book! It is still relevent to what is going on in our country.

F, Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940).************************************** Monday, May 5th, Mark Kennedy and Cathy Rude stopped by on their way home to South Hero from So. Conn. We hadn't seen them for ages, and they were bursting with news. We were so glad they stopped by. Tuesday we had our summer tires mounted at Pete's, and Wednesday, Mike Mayer spent time with me while Ellen went to Westminster, MA to have lunch with Katie and Katie's old high school friend. Thursday was a quiet day and Ellen started reading aloud a new Dusty Miller book - Danger in the House. Today she has the car at Richmonds and I'm home alone.

Sue Owings comes to be with me.

Yesterday (Friday 5/2/2025), Sue Owings stayed with me while Ellen met her goddaughter, Ruthie, at a bookstore lunch place in Peterborough, NH. Sue is the second woman to fill that role - Terry Sylvester came a few weeks ago. We had a good visit and we also listened together to an audio recording of a Guilford service from Jan. 13, 1997 - on the theme "Beautiful Aging." That fits nicely into my retired clergy study on "aging with wisdom and grace," and I wanted to check it out to see if it was something I could play for that group. I thought Sue would enjoy hearing it - she knew Shirley well - and she did. I think I will play it for the men. Jack Bixby knew Shirley, who was serving in Guilford at the same time Jack was at Centre Church. Lee and Jeff have never heard or met her. Sue led the service in Guilford last Sunday and did a great job. Things are falling together nicely. Ellen's goddaughter, Ruthie, was testing the waters in Peterborough, so to speak, with regard to moving to NH on a more permanant basis. I guess she has decided not to. I have a feeling that the cost-of-living may have something to do with that decision, but it may also be more social. New Englanders can be sort of clique-ish sometimes, and newcomers can feel unwelcome. That was not my experience back in the 1950's when I came to Vermont, but being a minister also opens a lot of doors. I feel for Ruthie, who I think may feel lonesome.

Sue Owings

And now, May is here ……..

......but it's looking more like April! The weather forecast has it raining every day for the next week. However, May 1st, yesterday, was beautiful. I went to my retired clergy group gathering in the morning, where we talked about having the "attitude of gratitude" as an important element of graceful aging. We all agreed we are grateful but could do better at openly manifesting our gratitude. Afterward, Ellen and I drove up to Londonderry, VT, to Grandma Miller's bakery. A lovely ride with an abundance of Spring Green in newly opening leaves, yards full of daffodils, flowering shrubs and trees. And then a chocolate eclair with coffee and a bag of morning glory muffins. We took the long way home through Weston and Chester - a really nice ride! I am deeply grateful for it all - especially Ellen's part in it. Weston, of course, is home to the original Vermont Country Store. Hard for me to navigate so we didn't go in. But Ellen did go in the old country store across the street, where she found postcards.

The Vermont Country Store in Weston.

An older country store across the street - interesting in its own right, and lower prices than TVCS.

Very early spring.

Same day but different location - leaves more advanced.

Forsythia bush