At last! 12/06/2009
 What good is winter in New England without snow? This was only a dusting, but an especially pretty one. More to come later this week and -- hopefully -- on and on and on.   A good day to be alive ... 10/23/2009
 view from the living room window It's 41 degrees, cloudy and kind of damp today, but toasty inside and look at the view ...    More fish for meditation 09/16/2009
 National Aquarium, Baltimore MD Silver flash times two, Eyes and fins slide by in waves, whosh -- to you, then me.  End-of-summer delight 09/08/2009
I may have found paradise, and it is in a kayak on a Vermont pond in late summer.   A Ted Kennedy footnote 09/02/2009
 On October 31, 2003, I covered a conference at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston for the Harvard School of Public Health newsletter. Universal health care coverage was topic of the day in Massachusetts, which was considering several plans for the uninsured. The half-day program included a keynote address by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, given to a roomful of insurance, health care and business leaders, plus people from patient advocacy groups, research organizations and universities. On a break, I caught Ted Kennedy chatting with the focus of my story, economist Robert Blendon, of HSPH. I wanted a candid shot but was too slow and ended up with a very self-conscious one instead, just before Kennedy left. That story, with cropped photo, is available here. The two men were standing in front of the huge bowed window in the library’s meeting room. From there, you get a spectacular view of Boston Harbor and, as you can see, it was a crisp, sunny fall day. If the scene looks familiar, it may be because, on that day, Kennedy was standing in the same spot where his coffin would rest almost 6 years later. The entire Kennedy family gathered last week in the same room to bid Ted a final farewell.  http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/08/29/us/0829-KENNEDY_4.html Lazy days of summer 07/28/2009
Although the days aren't hazy because the soggy ground just hasn't heated up, we find late-July days still make us lazy. Our maybe it's just us. Our bodies keep telling us to slow down and relish the season, but our brains remind us it's unusually cool and wet. So, what season are we talking about? Saturday was our first real gift of a summer day. Dave and I spent the morning at Tanglewood, soaking up some rays (so to speak) to the glorious sounds of Brahms' German Requiem. If you're going to sit around in lawn chairs and knit, read and drink coffee, you might as well sit within earshot of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, right? After a picnic, we took the scenic drive home, stopping briefly to watch a motorcyclist get yanked from beneath a car on a very winding mountain road. Later, we saw more people in rafts on the Deerfield River than there are people living in the towns that line it. Quite a sight. On Monday night, Alash, a group of Tuvan throat singers came to town to perform outdoors between rain showers. What are throat singers, you ask? They're people who manage to sing multiple notes at the same time. Sometimes they sing chords; other times they whistle, imitate birds, frogs or insects and sing a melody line, all at the same time. These incredible Mongolian musicians toured with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones last year. In fact, we were mesmerized by the sounds they made at an extraordinary holiday concert in Northampton. Go here for a closer look at Alash, information on throat singing, and samples of their wild -- yet strangely familiar -- sounds.  The Shed at Tanglewood Music Center  Mt. Greylock from near Williamstown  Floating down the Deerfield  Montague Book Mill, hanging over the river  Louise Minks' art studio, Montague  Alash comes to Greenfield Living underwater 07/23/2009
 Aquarium, California Academy of Science, May 2009 If we added up all the sunny days we’ve had this summer, I bet we could count them on two hands, maybe one. Without hesitation, I've crossed off from my must-see list Seattle, Ireland, and anywhere else it rains 4 days out of 5. Yes, it’s nice to have lush grass and flowers that never need additional water. I’m happy for the white-water river rafters. What I worry about is rust, on me! If we must live underwater, let us have fish and coral and lifelines to the surface.  My neighbor's grandkids have the right idea.
Got veggies, bamboo? 07/10/2009
 Giant panda at the National Zoo, DC, June 14, 2009 Tomatoes, corn, bamboo, whatever it is you like to eat, we’re finally getting close to that time of year when all growing things are ready for the kitchen. Except in New England, where there’s been nothing but rain this non-summer. Here it is, mid-July, and our corn is about as high as a tall mouse’s eye! (See below)  Cornfield in Greenfield MA, July 8, 2009 Swimming as meditation 07/07/2009
 For years, I’ve tried to meditate, and failed.  Photos taken May 3, 2009, at California Academy of Sciences Blue Tuesday 06/09/2009
It's in the 50s and raining today in New England. Made me think of this photo, taken April 28 at the entrance to the Whole Foods Market in Mill Valley, California.  | Blogger Profile
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