Nan's grades are posted and the complaining has started; so it must be the end of the semester. A busy one it has been. The last week was no exception. Nan's course this semester was based upon the Civil War. The students were to write a formal academic paper based upon their research and then convert it into a public history format. Public history ranges from movies to websites to performance to exhibits. Many of the students opted for performance and I was recruited to provide both body and voice. I got to play William Lloyd Garrison, Robert E. Lee, several other generals, a confederate prison guard, and, in an ode to color-blind casting, Frederick Douglas. Some of the projects will be on a class web-site. I'll provide the link when it becomes available. Some of the projects are tremendous.
Socially we were busy as well. It's been a big band month for us. The Broad Street Cafe in Durham has a Sunday night jazz series and we went with our friend Michael to see the North Carolina Big Band. I was surprised that they were able to get 20 musicians on the small stage. They played a lot of old standards and it was a nice evening. We then went with our friends Jeff and Jane to the small town of Saxapahaw to the Haw River Ballroom for a night of dancing to the sounds of the North Carolina Revelers, another 20 piece big band. They too did the standards with some vocals. It was fun to dance to live music, although I wished they had added some cha-chas or rhumbas. The Music Hall is a busy music venue. It's an old mill that has been renovated into a great place to party.
The last big band we saw (actually I saw as Nan went with friends to the Carolina Theater to see Four Bitchin' Babes) was the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble. Hollenbeck is a drummer and Eastman grad whose jazz stylings are anything but standard. He was joined by vocalists Theo Bleckmann and Kate McGarry. His soon to be released albums uses "pop" songs of the past generations as a base, but are certainly not performed as standards. He played some of his own work as well. His work "Blessing", based on the Irish Blessing was particularly noteworthy. The singers were often used to augment the instrumentation, mirroring lines of melody heard in the various instrumental sections. The last few number could be categorized as very progressive with a number of section which I can only describe as cacophonous. But it was interesting and I truly respected the artistic vision and talent of the musicians. I afraid however that I'll always be partial to a good melody line that I can follow all the way through a song.
The Duke Music Department was busy the first week of December. They offered three concerts, of which we made two of them. The first is the Duke Chorales annual holiday concert held in Duke Chapel. We went with Jeff and Jane and spent a large portion of the time looking for parking. The Chapel was jammed and we had to sit in the back. Between having trouble hearing and an abundance of crying infants, I think we can skip this next year.
The Duke jazz ensemble usually features a guest artist. Their December concert guest was drummer Alvin Atkinson, who is a US Jazz Ambassador and is from the Durham area. He currently teaches as the Lincoln Center Jazz Academy in NYC. He played with the ensemble on all their numbers and was featured with the Duke Jazz Ambassadors. It was a very enjoyable concert.
One of my first dates with Nan was to see Keb Mo at the Troy Music Hall. So when I saw he was going to be appearing at the Carolina Theater I couldn't resist. When we saw him at the Music Hall, he performed with a band. A second time we saw him was at the Egg in Albany and that was also with a band. He was solo this trip and he was great. Almost a two hour set, which featured some of our favorite songs. It was just a fun night.
All our nights weren't tied up with music and dance. We went to see Disney on Ice over in Raleigh with some kids. It was fun. Mickey and Minnie were there with Donald and Goofy, but most of the night involved a retelling of Brave, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, and Beauty and the Beast. The kids loved it and that was enough to make us smile.
The only Duke sporting event I went to was the women's basketball game against U of California. It was more competitive than the other games I've attended, but we still won handily
77 to 63.
Well be heading north soon for Christmas. I'll be reporting in from there.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Where did November go?
In my last post I mentioned how busy we were in October. Well, November was even busier. Of course November always starts with my birthday and to celebrate the event Nan and I went to see the men's basketball team play Winston Salem State at Cameron Indoor Stadium. We actually got to sit in the student section and thus are now "official" Cameron Crazies. Here's a look at Mason Plumlee and the rest of the boys, who won.
On Novemebr 2nd we went to Reynolds Theater on the Duke campus to see a a performance by Meredith Monk entitled "Education of the Girlchild Revisited". Her bio describes her as a composer, singer, director/choreographer, etc. She is said to be a pioneer in what is called "extended vocal technique". It was an experience that I don't feel I have to repeat in this lifetime. Ms. Monk has won many prestigious awards, and been acclaimed world-wide. Her presentations are just is not the type of performance art I find enjoyable.
The next night I went to the Duke v. Clemson football game while Nan went to see a new play entitled "A Brave Woman in Mexico", which is opening in NYC this spring. The report on the footbal game - we lost(badly). Nan reported that the play needs work but that a panel discussion before hand was excellent.
My birthday weekend continued with a return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to see the women's basketball team play Queen University of Charlotte. It was another one-sided affair which we won by almost 100 points.
Our next event was the first round of the NCAA soccer tournement in which the Blue Devils faced a team from Loyola of Maryland, who were coached by a former Duke player, Katherine Remy Vettori. Her return was less than cordial as Duke won 6 - 0.
The next night we went to see Dar Williams and Loudon Wainwright III at the Carolina Theater in downtown Durham. It was a very enjoyable concert. Wainwright's father wrote a column in "Life" magazine and Loudon read some of them and used them as sources for his songs. (It would appear that he is working through some "father" issues - but then again who isn't.) If there was one thing that was a little unsettling about the concert, it was that there was a hum in the sound system. Otherwise it was great.
Even greater was the production of "Jersey Boys" we saw at DPAC. We've listened many times to the CD of the music and I actually thought it was more of a revue than a traditional musical. I was presntly surprise that the "book" was quite good. The guys playing "The Four Seasons" were great. The part of Franki Valli, played by Brad Weinstock, is extremely vocally demanding, but Weinstock handled it beautifully.
It was back to Cameron three days later for another women's basketball game. This time they played a Division I opponent - Iona. The results were very much the same however - a Duke victory 100 to 31.
This was the first year since we've been in Durham that we didn't go away for the Thanksgiving weekend.This year we had an invitation from our friends Jeff and Jane to join their family for dinner. It was a very nice time. The food was great and so the company. Jeff shared with us a treasure trove of old newspapers(and I mean old- 1840s) he found in a relatives attic. We spent a good deal of time reading them. History geek fun! Here are Jeff and Jane cutting the apple pie.
The last event of the month was a foorball game between Duke and Miami. For most of my life I spent Saturday afternoons watching college football on TV. It's been fun this year to actually go to games and see nationally ranked teams. I wish I could say we ended the season on a plus note, but, despite a spirited 4th quarter come-back, we lost. At least we're going to a bowl game for the first time since 1994.
This is the view from my season seat - Not bad, huh?
On Novemebr 2nd we went to Reynolds Theater on the Duke campus to see a a performance by Meredith Monk entitled "Education of the Girlchild Revisited". Her bio describes her as a composer, singer, director/choreographer, etc. She is said to be a pioneer in what is called "extended vocal technique". It was an experience that I don't feel I have to repeat in this lifetime. Ms. Monk has won many prestigious awards, and been acclaimed world-wide. Her presentations are just is not the type of performance art I find enjoyable.
The next night I went to the Duke v. Clemson football game while Nan went to see a new play entitled "A Brave Woman in Mexico", which is opening in NYC this spring. The report on the footbal game - we lost(badly). Nan reported that the play needs work but that a panel discussion before hand was excellent.
My birthday weekend continued with a return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to see the women's basketball team play Queen University of Charlotte. It was another one-sided affair which we won by almost 100 points.
Our next event was the first round of the NCAA soccer tournement in which the Blue Devils faced a team from Loyola of Maryland, who were coached by a former Duke player, Katherine Remy Vettori. Her return was less than cordial as Duke won 6 - 0.
The next night we went to see Dar Williams and Loudon Wainwright III at the Carolina Theater in downtown Durham. It was a very enjoyable concert. Wainwright's father wrote a column in "Life" magazine and Loudon read some of them and used them as sources for his songs. (It would appear that he is working through some "father" issues - but then again who isn't.) If there was one thing that was a little unsettling about the concert, it was that there was a hum in the sound system. Otherwise it was great.
Even greater was the production of "Jersey Boys" we saw at DPAC. We've listened many times to the CD of the music and I actually thought it was more of a revue than a traditional musical. I was presntly surprise that the "book" was quite good. The guys playing "The Four Seasons" were great. The part of Franki Valli, played by Brad Weinstock, is extremely vocally demanding, but Weinstock handled it beautifully.
It was back to Cameron three days later for another women's basketball game. This time they played a Division I opponent - Iona. The results were very much the same however - a Duke victory 100 to 31.
This was the first year since we've been in Durham that we didn't go away for the Thanksgiving weekend.This year we had an invitation from our friends Jeff and Jane to join their family for dinner. It was a very nice time. The food was great and so the company. Jeff shared with us a treasure trove of old newspapers(and I mean old- 1840s) he found in a relatives attic. We spent a good deal of time reading them. History geek fun! Here are Jeff and Jane cutting the apple pie.
The last event of the month was a foorball game between Duke and Miami. For most of my life I spent Saturday afternoons watching college football on TV. It's been fun this year to actually go to games and see nationally ranked teams. I wish I could say we ended the season on a plus note, but, despite a spirited 4th quarter come-back, we lost. At least we're going to a bowl game for the first time since 1994.
This is the view from my season seat - Not bad, huh?
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Busy October
Once our busy September was over and England and my week up north were just memories, I thought we'd be able to relax some and get into a comfortable pattern of life. But there is always something going on at the university and our calendars fill up quickly.
Duke makes it very easy for faculty, staff, and their families to purchase season tickets for sports. As a result I purchased a season ticket for football. Now I know you'll say that based on Duke's football history I was just throwing my money away, but it turns out we won some games this year and are bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. In October we beat Virginia and UNC. The game with UNC was incredible. We were leading all the way until UNC scored with less than two minutes to go on a fluke fumble recovery in the end zone. We got the ball back and drove the length of the field and scored the winning touchdown with 13 seconds left. The place went crazy.
I also attended a field hockey match between Duke and Virginia. Our field hockey team didn't do very well this year. A part of that has to due to the fact that 6 of our players were chosen to play in the world cup matches and returned to campus mid-season. I admit I don't really have a grasp of the rules, but appears that the best opportunity to score comes on fouls which occur close to the goal. Anyway, we played nationally ranked No.7 Virginia and only lost 3 to 1. Our men's soccer team was scoring challenged this year. I went to see them play No. 1 ranked Maryland and they played well, but lost 2 to 1. The only women's game I got to in October was a tie with Wake Forest. Expectations have been high for the women's team since last year they played in the NCAA finals against Stanford and had most of the team back. They haven't played quite as well this year, but did better than the men's team.
The final sporting event I went to in October was an exhibition women's basketball game between Duke and Shaw University. Shaw won the NCAA Division 2 championship last year. Unfortunately for Shaw most of the players from that team graduated. It was tough to watch - final score Duke 138 Shaw 32. Due to injuries Duke suited-up only 9 players including two freshman and a walk-on. The freshman and the walk-on played quite a bit and the score still was out-of-hand.
On the arts side of our activities, we attended two concerts - The Duke Symphony Orchestra's and The Duke Jazz Ensemble's. The orchestra played symphonies by Hayden and Schumann and a concerto by Mozart. The Jazz Ensemble was great. Their conductor, John V. Brown, Jr. is an accomplished bass player and well known in jazz circles. He has been able to bring in some high level talent as guests to play with the ensemble. This concert featured Wycliffe Gordon, who has been named "Best in Trombone" by Downbeat Critics Poll for 2012. It was a trip. He was great. The energy was tremendous and he made music at a level I've never heard before.
One of the more interesting things we attended during the month was a part visual art, part theatrical experience entitled "How to Build a Forest"(http://pearldamour.com). Over an 8 hour period the "cast" constructs and deconstructs a forest made of synthetic materials. As a member of the audience you are allowed to move about the stage as the construction is going on. It was a fascinating experience.
Of course no October is complete without a Halloween Party. Nan's friends Patrick and Jon hosted a night of good food, games, and great costumes. I went as a lumberjack(and I'm OK) and Nan went as our dog Hattie.
Duke makes it very easy for faculty, staff, and their families to purchase season tickets for sports. As a result I purchased a season ticket for football. Now I know you'll say that based on Duke's football history I was just throwing my money away, but it turns out we won some games this year and are bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. In October we beat Virginia and UNC. The game with UNC was incredible. We were leading all the way until UNC scored with less than two minutes to go on a fluke fumble recovery in the end zone. We got the ball back and drove the length of the field and scored the winning touchdown with 13 seconds left. The place went crazy.
I also attended a field hockey match between Duke and Virginia. Our field hockey team didn't do very well this year. A part of that has to due to the fact that 6 of our players were chosen to play in the world cup matches and returned to campus mid-season. I admit I don't really have a grasp of the rules, but appears that the best opportunity to score comes on fouls which occur close to the goal. Anyway, we played nationally ranked No.7 Virginia and only lost 3 to 1. Our men's soccer team was scoring challenged this year. I went to see them play No. 1 ranked Maryland and they played well, but lost 2 to 1. The only women's game I got to in October was a tie with Wake Forest. Expectations have been high for the women's team since last year they played in the NCAA finals against Stanford and had most of the team back. They haven't played quite as well this year, but did better than the men's team.
The final sporting event I went to in October was an exhibition women's basketball game between Duke and Shaw University. Shaw won the NCAA Division 2 championship last year. Unfortunately for Shaw most of the players from that team graduated. It was tough to watch - final score Duke 138 Shaw 32. Due to injuries Duke suited-up only 9 players including two freshman and a walk-on. The freshman and the walk-on played quite a bit and the score still was out-of-hand.
On the arts side of our activities, we attended two concerts - The Duke Symphony Orchestra's and The Duke Jazz Ensemble's. The orchestra played symphonies by Hayden and Schumann and a concerto by Mozart. The Jazz Ensemble was great. Their conductor, John V. Brown, Jr. is an accomplished bass player and well known in jazz circles. He has been able to bring in some high level talent as guests to play with the ensemble. This concert featured Wycliffe Gordon, who has been named "Best in Trombone" by Downbeat Critics Poll for 2012. It was a trip. He was great. The energy was tremendous and he made music at a level I've never heard before.
One of the more interesting things we attended during the month was a part visual art, part theatrical experience entitled "How to Build a Forest"(http://pearldamour.com). Over an 8 hour period the "cast" constructs and deconstructs a forest made of synthetic materials. As a member of the audience you are allowed to move about the stage as the construction is going on. It was a fascinating experience.
Of course no October is complete without a Halloween Party. Nan's friends Patrick and Jon hosted a night of good food, games, and great costumes. I went as a lumberjack(and I'm OK) and Nan went as our dog Hattie.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Quick Trip Home
When Nan and I came down to Durham from New York in August, we drove down together using Nan's car and leaving mine home. The plan was for me to head north after our trip to Wales and take care of some business involving certain legal matters I'm involved in and to meet with our contractor to discuss renovations that are to be completed before we get home in December. Nan's broken foot made me think twice about leaving her alone, but she got clearance to drive two days before my scheduled flight and we were able to get some dog walkers to help her out. So I went north. I did shorten the length of my stay however.
It was a busy week and a half. After taking care of the business part of the trip, I played a bit. September 22nd was a busy day. I started by driving to Cobleskill to run in the Fam Fund 5k. It's sort of a tradition and gives me a chance to see some of the people and friends I used to work with in Schoharie County. It was a warm day and my time was slow, but it was fun to see old friends, particularly Tim Holmes, law librarian at the Schoharie County Courthouse. He got me up-to-date about the renovations underway repairing the Courthouse from the flooding caused by hurricane Irene last year. The first floor of the Courthouse remains uncompleted, even after all this time.
On my way back from Schoharie, I stopped off in Albany and bought a ticket to the Albany Symphony Orchestra concert scheduled for the evening. While in Albany, I visited an all-day street concert called PearlPalooZa and listened to a couple of groups. The first was The Royal Concept from England. They were all right, at least I could recognize a melody line. The second was a country western group and it was too much for me. So I headed home. Here's a pic of The Royal Concept.
The ASO concert was tremendous. They featured Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony. Both were exquisitely done. The piano soloist was Valentina Lisitsa. According to Wikipedia(I can't believe I'm actually citing Wikipedia), she was born in Kiev, Ukraine and began playing piano at three. She now lives in North Carolina with her husband who is also a pianist. Interestingly, she started her career via social media rather than by having a tour promoter or a record contract. She was great. If you're interested, her website is www.valentinalisitsa.com
My son David is living in our home and working trying to get enough money to try and find work in California. We were able to get out and play golf twice: once at Burden Lake and the other at Wabeeka Springs in Williamstown. We didn't shoot all that well, but the weather was nice and the trees were starting to change.
In addition to golf, I got to spend an afternoon with my sister Suzanne as she performed her duties as Assistant Director of the New York State Writers Institute at SUNY Albany. I went to a program featuring Paul LaFarge author of a book entitled Luminous Airplanes. The book is supplemented(probably not the right word - but) by a web-site which continues and adds to the story presented in the book. It was interesting to hear him describe the concept and how it was created and continues to grow.
The trip gave me a chance to see a few people who I missed seeing over the summer, particularly Jim Miller and his parents. The Miller's home was behind ours in Averill Park, and we all grew-up together. Jim's parents are in transition to assisted living and it was good to see them.(This is particularly true since Jim's dad died last week. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim and his mom.)
The trip back was long, as it was rainy and foggy from Oneonta though Harrisburg. Anyway mission accomplished and I'm back in my daze.
It was a busy week and a half. After taking care of the business part of the trip, I played a bit. September 22nd was a busy day. I started by driving to Cobleskill to run in the Fam Fund 5k. It's sort of a tradition and gives me a chance to see some of the people and friends I used to work with in Schoharie County. It was a warm day and my time was slow, but it was fun to see old friends, particularly Tim Holmes, law librarian at the Schoharie County Courthouse. He got me up-to-date about the renovations underway repairing the Courthouse from the flooding caused by hurricane Irene last year. The first floor of the Courthouse remains uncompleted, even after all this time.
On my way back from Schoharie, I stopped off in Albany and bought a ticket to the Albany Symphony Orchestra concert scheduled for the evening. While in Albany, I visited an all-day street concert called PearlPalooZa and listened to a couple of groups. The first was The Royal Concept from England. They were all right, at least I could recognize a melody line. The second was a country western group and it was too much for me. So I headed home. Here's a pic of The Royal Concept.
The ASO concert was tremendous. They featured Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony. Both were exquisitely done. The piano soloist was Valentina Lisitsa. According to Wikipedia(I can't believe I'm actually citing Wikipedia), she was born in Kiev, Ukraine and began playing piano at three. She now lives in North Carolina with her husband who is also a pianist. Interestingly, she started her career via social media rather than by having a tour promoter or a record contract. She was great. If you're interested, her website is www.valentinalisitsa.com
My son David is living in our home and working trying to get enough money to try and find work in California. We were able to get out and play golf twice: once at Burden Lake and the other at Wabeeka Springs in Williamstown. We didn't shoot all that well, but the weather was nice and the trees were starting to change.
In addition to golf, I got to spend an afternoon with my sister Suzanne as she performed her duties as Assistant Director of the New York State Writers Institute at SUNY Albany. I went to a program featuring Paul LaFarge author of a book entitled Luminous Airplanes. The book is supplemented(probably not the right word - but) by a web-site which continues and adds to the story presented in the book. It was interesting to hear him describe the concept and how it was created and continues to grow.
The trip gave me a chance to see a few people who I missed seeing over the summer, particularly Jim Miller and his parents. The Miller's home was behind ours in Averill Park, and we all grew-up together. Jim's parents are in transition to assisted living and it was good to see them.(This is particularly true since Jim's dad died last week. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim and his mom.)
The trip back was long, as it was rainy and foggy from Oneonta though Harrisburg. Anyway mission accomplished and I'm back in my daze.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Trips End - London
The main purpose of returning to London, other than heading back to the US of course, was to do some research at the British National Library. The Library was originally part of The British Museum, but was split off in 1973 and moved into its own building in 1997. The Library is located by St. Pancras Station on Euston Road in London and we stayed at a hotel within walking distance. As a researcher you have to pre-register in order to gain entrance to the reading rooms. Fortunately we had done so on-line. What we didn't know was that 90% of the library's holdings are kept in York, England and thus it takes several days to get manuscripts to London. Fortunately, several of the books we were looking for were stored on site, so our first day there was not a total waste.
British National Library
The fact we had to wait a day for the rest of our requested material to arrive did give us the time to see some of the tourist sites in London.
We were able to get around by cab fairly easily and had some interesting conversations with our cabbies. One of them told us that despite press reports stating otherwise, downtown London was a ghost town during the Olympics. Most of the venues were outside the center of London and people just didn't come downtown He told us that he had cancelled his family's annual holiday to work during the Olympics figuring that he would make a bundle, but found that most days in central London were "like Sundays, nobody was about." We also found out that the Olympic sites were closed immediately after the events ended. They weren't even kept open for tours.
We did get a chance to see a play at the National Theatre. We saw Shakespeare's Timon of Athens starring Simon Russell Beale. Timon is one of Shakespeare's last plays and is very uneven. The production was set in modern times with Timon as an altruistic capitalist, who after giving away his wealth is hounded and pursued by the 1% to whom he owes money. He seeks refuge not in a cave in the Wilderness, where Shakespeare sent him, but in an Occupy Movement encampment under cardboard boxes. The concept worked well. The second act of the play however seems more of a rant against humanity in general which gets a bit tedious.
Our last day in London was spent back in the Library pouring through manuscripts and play reviews from the 1840s and 50s. I took some time off to go through the permanent exhibits at the Library and catch a look at a copy of the Magna Carta. Turns out that the nobles who forced King John to sign it were more concerned about the King vowing allegiance to the Pope than establishing a constitutional monarchy - but that's another story.
British National Library
The fact we had to wait a day for the rest of our requested material to arrive did give us the time to see some of the tourist sites in London.
We were able to get around by cab fairly easily and had some interesting conversations with our cabbies. One of them told us that despite press reports stating otherwise, downtown London was a ghost town during the Olympics. Most of the venues were outside the center of London and people just didn't come downtown He told us that he had cancelled his family's annual holiday to work during the Olympics figuring that he would make a bundle, but found that most days in central London were "like Sundays, nobody was about." We also found out that the Olympic sites were closed immediately after the events ended. They weren't even kept open for tours.
We did get a chance to see a play at the National Theatre. We saw Shakespeare's Timon of Athens starring Simon Russell Beale. Timon is one of Shakespeare's last plays and is very uneven. The production was set in modern times with Timon as an altruistic capitalist, who after giving away his wealth is hounded and pursued by the 1% to whom he owes money. He seeks refuge not in a cave in the Wilderness, where Shakespeare sent him, but in an Occupy Movement encampment under cardboard boxes. The concept worked well. The second act of the play however seems more of a rant against humanity in general which gets a bit tedious.
Our last day in London was spent back in the Library pouring through manuscripts and play reviews from the 1840s and 50s. I took some time off to go through the permanent exhibits at the Library and catch a look at a copy of the Magna Carta. Turns out that the nobles who forced King John to sign it were more concerned about the King vowing allegiance to the Pope than establishing a constitutional monarchy - but that's another story.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
On to London
The last section of our trip to England and Wales was a trip back to London for research at the British National Library. On our way back to London we stopped off at Avebury and its stone circle. I had been there once before, but Nan hadn't. I convinced her it was worth a stop.
Avebury consists of a circle of ditch and bank enclosing 28 acres. Within this acreage lie the remains of the largest stone circle in England. A prehistoric mound called Silbury Hill is less than a mile away, which in turn is overlooked by a long burial mound, the West Kennet long barrow.
There is no firm answer as to why Avebury was built or what its function was. It is surmised that, like its neighbor Stonehenge, it held some importance for marking specific times of the year or as a transitional area celebrating changes in or departures from this world.(We are talking about 3,000 B.C. here. People just didn't write things down then.) The 28 acre circle of stones held around 100 standing stones, only 15 of which lasted into the 20th century. During excavations in the 1930s, 21 more were found and resurrected(so to speak). Within the large outer circle there were a number of inner stone circles.
It's hard to imagine how Neolithic humans maneuvered the stones, some of which weigh over 100 tons.
In addition to the Neolithic sites at Avebury, a visitor can also tour Avebury Manor, a structure over 900 years old. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to take the tour. It was very crowded, as the BBC had funded and shot a TV series which dealt with the restoration of the manor. making it a very popular tourist destination.
We did however take time to walk through The Church of St. James in the village. Avebury village was founded in Anglo-Saxon times, that is the period after the Roman control of Britain ended. Many of its buildings date back to that period, including parts of the church which date back to 1000 A.D
.
Avebury consists of a circle of ditch and bank enclosing 28 acres. Within this acreage lie the remains of the largest stone circle in England. A prehistoric mound called Silbury Hill is less than a mile away, which in turn is overlooked by a long burial mound, the West Kennet long barrow.
There is no firm answer as to why Avebury was built or what its function was. It is surmised that, like its neighbor Stonehenge, it held some importance for marking specific times of the year or as a transitional area celebrating changes in or departures from this world.(We are talking about 3,000 B.C. here. People just didn't write things down then.) The 28 acre circle of stones held around 100 standing stones, only 15 of which lasted into the 20th century. During excavations in the 1930s, 21 more were found and resurrected(so to speak). Within the large outer circle there were a number of inner stone circles.
It's hard to imagine how Neolithic humans maneuvered the stones, some of which weigh over 100 tons.
In addition to the Neolithic sites at Avebury, a visitor can also tour Avebury Manor, a structure over 900 years old. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to take the tour. It was very crowded, as the BBC had funded and shot a TV series which dealt with the restoration of the manor. making it a very popular tourist destination.
We did however take time to walk through The Church of St. James in the village. Avebury village was founded in Anglo-Saxon times, that is the period after the Roman control of Britain ended. Many of its buildings date back to that period, including parts of the church which date back to 1000 A.D
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wales of a Time VIII - Raglan Castle
After leaving St. Fagans, we headed north and east towards the English border. It was one of the days that we didn't have a reservation for the evening and our search for a room was a bit stressful. Fortunately, we found a spot in Abergavenny, Wales. It was great. We heartily recommend Plas Derwen in Abergavanny, not only for the fine rooms(some with tubs), but also great food and beverage.
Our last stop in Wales was at Raglan Castle. It was an excellent site set in the rolling farmland of eastern Wales.
The remains of the castle dates from the 15th century when Sir William ap Thomas began construction of the castle by building the Great Tower which could only be entered from inside the castle and was surrounded by a moat..
His son continued work on the castle by beginning construction on sumptuous living quarters and a splendid gatehouse. Unfortunately William backed the wrong side in one of the many English fights for the Crown and was executed in 1469. His work was finished and expanded by the Somerset family who became the owners of Raglan, at the King's pleasure of course.
Through the 16th century the castle was expanded and refined to become an elegant Elizabethan country house with lush gardens, walled terraces, and a lake. The Long Gallery on the third floor was the entertainment center of the castle. All that is left of that room now is the remains of an ornate Renaissance fireplace.
When Civil War broke out in England between the Crown and Parliament in 1642, the owners of Raglan backed King Charles I. Oops! After a 10 week siege in 1646 the 5th Earl of Worcester surrendered the castle to the Puritan forces. It was decided by the victors that the castle should be destroyed and steps were taken to take it down.. After removing all things of value from the castle, the piece by piece destruction of the buildings was abandoned. The lead and timbers were removed and used to build bridges around Bristol. What remains however is an impressive reminder of the elegance of Elizabethan times.
The views from the Great Tower show the beauty of the surrounding countryside, which are as impressive as the remains of the castle.
Our last stop in Wales was at Raglan Castle. It was an excellent site set in the rolling farmland of eastern Wales.
The remains of the castle dates from the 15th century when Sir William ap Thomas began construction of the castle by building the Great Tower which could only be entered from inside the castle and was surrounded by a moat..
His son continued work on the castle by beginning construction on sumptuous living quarters and a splendid gatehouse. Unfortunately William backed the wrong side in one of the many English fights for the Crown and was executed in 1469. His work was finished and expanded by the Somerset family who became the owners of Raglan, at the King's pleasure of course.
Through the 16th century the castle was expanded and refined to become an elegant Elizabethan country house with lush gardens, walled terraces, and a lake. The Long Gallery on the third floor was the entertainment center of the castle. All that is left of that room now is the remains of an ornate Renaissance fireplace.
When Civil War broke out in England between the Crown and Parliament in 1642, the owners of Raglan backed King Charles I. Oops! After a 10 week siege in 1646 the 5th Earl of Worcester surrendered the castle to the Puritan forces. It was decided by the victors that the castle should be destroyed and steps were taken to take it down.. After removing all things of value from the castle, the piece by piece destruction of the buildings was abandoned. The lead and timbers were removed and used to build bridges around Bristol. What remains however is an impressive reminder of the elegance of Elizabethan times.
The views from the Great Tower show the beauty of the surrounding countryside, which are as impressive as the remains of the castle.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wales of a Time VII - St Fagans
On our way back towards Cardiff from Swansea we decided to stop at St. Fagans - National History Museum. Since it's the National History Museum of Wales I think its only appropriate that the title of the entry should be written in Welsh - Sain Ffagan: Amgueddfa Werin Cymru. Don't ask me - but it really does mean St Fagans: National History Museum. This large open air museum has over 40 original buildings from sites all over Wales which were moved and re-erected on the 104.5 acres of the site. They include everything from an ancient representation of how Iron Age tribal Celts lived to a 15th century Manor House with gardens to an 19th century Guild Hall. It was a very impressive collection of buildings, with interpreters at each site. If you want to get a flavor of Wales without braving the narrow country lanes, this is your spot.
One of the center pieces of the Museum is St Fagans Castle. It is an Elizabethan Manor House built in 1580 with major interior renovations done in the 1850s. It is furnished in a late Victorian style with many of the pieces being furniture used by the last owner, The Earl of Plymouth, who donated the "Castle" to the Museum in 1946. The gardens were incredibly beautiful.
To me one of the most fascinating structures was St. Teilo's church. The original church was built in the 12th century and added to over the years with the nave and the chancel dating from the late 13th or early 14th century. The structure is rather bland from the outside.
It's the insides that are amazing. It seems that when the church was being moved and reconstructed in 2007 the workers found the remains of pre-Reformation wall drawings. It is believed that the church members white-washed over the painting to protect them from being discovered and destryed during the English Civil War and the Puritan rule of the mid-17th century. When they were discover it was determined that they should be restored to their original splendor and the interior of the church is set as it would of appeared in around 1530.
The museum did an interesting thing with a series of 19th century row house that were built by iron mine owner Rober Crawshay to provide housing for his workers. Although the row houses date back to almost 1800, each separate house is set up for a different period from the early 19th century to the late 20th: more paritcularly 1805, 1855, 1895, 1925, 1955, and 1985.
Since there are over 40 buildings this report could go on for quite a while. Let it suffice to say it is a very impressive museum. And if you need to, you can even call home
.
One of the center pieces of the Museum is St Fagans Castle. It is an Elizabethan Manor House built in 1580 with major interior renovations done in the 1850s. It is furnished in a late Victorian style with many of the pieces being furniture used by the last owner, The Earl of Plymouth, who donated the "Castle" to the Museum in 1946. The gardens were incredibly beautiful.
To me one of the most fascinating structures was St. Teilo's church. The original church was built in the 12th century and added to over the years with the nave and the chancel dating from the late 13th or early 14th century. The structure is rather bland from the outside.
It's the insides that are amazing. It seems that when the church was being moved and reconstructed in 2007 the workers found the remains of pre-Reformation wall drawings. It is believed that the church members white-washed over the painting to protect them from being discovered and destryed during the English Civil War and the Puritan rule of the mid-17th century. When they were discover it was determined that they should be restored to their original splendor and the interior of the church is set as it would of appeared in around 1530.
The museum did an interesting thing with a series of 19th century row house that were built by iron mine owner Rober Crawshay to provide housing for his workers. Although the row houses date back to almost 1800, each separate house is set up for a different period from the early 19th century to the late 20th: more paritcularly 1805, 1855, 1895, 1925, 1955, and 1985.
Since there are over 40 buildings this report could go on for quite a while. Let it suffice to say it is a very impressive museum. And if you need to, you can even call home
.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wales of a Time VI - Return to Swansea
After wandering the lanes of the Gower peninsula, we went back to Swansea to spend the night at a very fine hotel called The Dragon(one of the symbols of Wales is a red dragon). We had an excellent room, bath with a tub, and a great meal. The next morning we set off to see a bit of Swansea.
In the middle of the downtown area are the remains of Swansea Castle(not much left, it's said to say) The castle was originally built in 1106, but all that is visible today are two sides of the rectangular shaped "new" castle built in the late 13th or early 14th century. Urban renewal and World War II bombing raids took the rest.
Across the street from the caste is a lovely park, which contained a large video screen that had been set up for people to watch the Olympics. The day we were there was the final parade of athletes associated with the para-olympics and people came to eat theirs lunches and watch the parade of athletes on the big screen.
Wales was the home of the Welsh poet and playwright Dylan Thomas, whose most recognizable works include the poem "Do not go gentle into the night" and the play "Under Milk Wood". Swansea is the home of the Dylan Thomas museum. The museum does an excellent job of displaying Thomas's life and works, and isn't shy about discussing his shortcomings. As a 20th century writer and actor, there are quite a few movies and videos showing him and his work. It was moving but sad to see such a great talent was ravaged by alcohol and infidelity.(He died in NYC in 1953 having put himself in an alcohol coma after a night of binge drinking. He left a wife and children back home in Wales)
Our last stop in Swansea was actually unplanned. After visiting the Dylan Thomas Museum we happened upon a theater named after him. As fate would have it, the manager of the theater was outside having a smoke and invited us in for a look-around. It seems that as a youth Thomas performed in some of the productions at the theater. It remains a community theater. In order to audition for a production you must be a member of the theater and pay an annual fee. The manager was a character. She never really introduce herself, but told us about the history of the theater and their productions. She even let into a rehearsal of a show being prepared for a school age audience based on a Welsh legend. It was an interesting 30 minutes. Many thanks to "whoever-you-are" for the tour.
In the middle of the downtown area are the remains of Swansea Castle(not much left, it's said to say) The castle was originally built in 1106, but all that is visible today are two sides of the rectangular shaped "new" castle built in the late 13th or early 14th century. Urban renewal and World War II bombing raids took the rest.
Across the street from the caste is a lovely park, which contained a large video screen that had been set up for people to watch the Olympics. The day we were there was the final parade of athletes associated with the para-olympics and people came to eat theirs lunches and watch the parade of athletes on the big screen.
Wales was the home of the Welsh poet and playwright Dylan Thomas, whose most recognizable works include the poem "Do not go gentle into the night" and the play "Under Milk Wood". Swansea is the home of the Dylan Thomas museum. The museum does an excellent job of displaying Thomas's life and works, and isn't shy about discussing his shortcomings. As a 20th century writer and actor, there are quite a few movies and videos showing him and his work. It was moving but sad to see such a great talent was ravaged by alcohol and infidelity.(He died in NYC in 1953 having put himself in an alcohol coma after a night of binge drinking. He left a wife and children back home in Wales)
Our last stop in Swansea was actually unplanned. After visiting the Dylan Thomas Museum we happened upon a theater named after him. As fate would have it, the manager of the theater was outside having a smoke and invited us in for a look-around. It seems that as a youth Thomas performed in some of the productions at the theater. It remains a community theater. In order to audition for a production you must be a member of the theater and pay an annual fee. The manager was a character. She never really introduce herself, but told us about the history of the theater and their productions. She even let into a rehearsal of a show being prepared for a school age audience based on a Welsh legend. It was an interesting 30 minutes. Many thanks to "whoever-you-are" for the tour.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Wales of a Time V - Mumbles to Rhossili
Our adventures on the Gower peninsula continued after our visit to Mumbles. The guide book we were using suggested a driving tour of the Gower peninsula which we decided to take. Driving on the left side of the road took some concentration, but it was the narrowness of the roads that was more of a problem. There were sections where I literally had to fold-in my side view mirror in order to get by oncoming cars without hitting them. It was stressful.
We took a break by visiting a beach at Oxwich Bay, where we had lunch and just sat on the beach and relaxed in the sand before heading on to the western portion of the Gower peninsula and the village of Rhossili.
Rhossili was incredibly beautiful. We were able to walk on a semi-paved trail along a bluff high above a three mile long beach to a point above what is called the Worm's Head. At low tide the Worm's Head is accessible by scrambling over exposed rocks to the tidal island itself. Naturally, because of Nan's broken ankle, we were in no position to take any such an excursion. There was a large sign at the top of the cliff notifying those able to cross the exact times of the tides. I couldn't help but wonder how often people get caught out on the Worm's Head because they didn't heed the sign.
Beach at Rhossili
The Worm's Head at Almost Low Tide
Yes those are sheep grazing at the edge of the cliffs. They are sprayed with different color paints. I assume that this is to indicate ownership of the particular sheep. It was truly a beautiful spot. From the cliffs you could see trails weaving their way along the headlands in both directions. We're putting a return to Rhossili on our list of future expeditions so we can hike a few of those trails.
We took a break by visiting a beach at Oxwich Bay, where we had lunch and just sat on the beach and relaxed in the sand before heading on to the western portion of the Gower peninsula and the village of Rhossili.
Rhossili was incredibly beautiful. We were able to walk on a semi-paved trail along a bluff high above a three mile long beach to a point above what is called the Worm's Head. At low tide the Worm's Head is accessible by scrambling over exposed rocks to the tidal island itself. Naturally, because of Nan's broken ankle, we were in no position to take any such an excursion. There was a large sign at the top of the cliff notifying those able to cross the exact times of the tides. I couldn't help but wonder how often people get caught out on the Worm's Head because they didn't heed the sign.
Beach at Rhossili
The Worm's Head at Almost Low Tide
Yes those are sheep grazing at the edge of the cliffs. They are sprayed with different color paints. I assume that this is to indicate ownership of the particular sheep. It was truly a beautiful spot. From the cliffs you could see trails weaving their way along the headlands in both directions. We're putting a return to Rhossili on our list of future expeditions so we can hike a few of those trails.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Wales of a Time IV - Swansea
On reaching Mumbles we had a snack at a waterfront cafe which overlooked Swansea Bay(scones with strawberries and welsh muffins) and then rode a tram which took us past the shops and homes of Mumbles.
At Mumbles pier, we looked out to Mumbles Head with its lighthouse(under renovation) which was originally built in 1794.
At the other end of town, we visited Oystermouth Castle, built originally in about 1106 as part of the Norman's efforts to extend their control into Wales. The day we visited there was an open house and we were able to take a guided tour with a very knowledgeable volunteer historian. They were celebrating a massive restoration project which had just been completed allowing visitors to visit parts of the ruins which haven't been seen for several centuries.
The view from the front gate of the castles shows why it was located at the top of this hill. The whole coastline of Mumbles can be seen, including an 11th century Norman church.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wales of a Time III - Cardiff Castle
One of the interesting historic sites in Cardiff is Cardiff Castle. It's actually a hodgepodge of different structures which trace the 2000 year history of the city from it's earliest beginnings.
It is believed that around 50 A.D. the Roman army had established a base to extend the Empire's authority into Wales. Over several centuries the Romans built 4 forts on the site the last of which was a stone structure. The Roman fort disappeared over time and was not discovered until 1888 when the 3rd Marquess of Bute decided to build a new tower. To his credit, Lord Bute stopped the work on his new tower when the old Roman walls were unearthed. He reconstructed the walls on their original foundation using a redish brick to cap the Roman walls to indicate the remains(which can be seen in the photo below).
The area continued to be used as a stronghold and was refortified after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. By 1135 the Normans had built their own fortification on a man-made hill within the original Roman Fort. It was called - The Keep.
The 12 sided structure is a "shell" keep, as its outer walls provide protection for smaller buildings built inside. It was surrounded by a moat, had its own well, and could be well stocked with provisions to defend against a siege. This picture from inside the Keep shows the remains of a fireplace and indication that structures of at least five floors existed.
As domestic warfare subsided, the importance of The Keep became secondary to the comfort of the Earl of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp, who became owner of the site around 1420. He desired a more comfortable and less fortified residence. Successor Earls continued to expand and "modernize" Beauchamp's residence, adding towers and assorted additions creating an interesting structure which features a variety architectural styles.
It was the 3rd Marquess that oversaw the last renovation of the "Castle" in the mid-19th century. He turned it into what has been described as an "extraordinary and outstanding example of Gothic Revival architecture". The interior is rich in ornate historically based decorations and was incredible to walk through.
The Chaucer Reading Room
The Banqueting Hall
The Library Chimneypiece
One other interesting is the feature attached to the "Castle" is the Clock Tower. Modeled after European clock tower of the middle ages, this tower was created by architect William Burges in 1874.
It is believed that around 50 A.D. the Roman army had established a base to extend the Empire's authority into Wales. Over several centuries the Romans built 4 forts on the site the last of which was a stone structure. The Roman fort disappeared over time and was not discovered until 1888 when the 3rd Marquess of Bute decided to build a new tower. To his credit, Lord Bute stopped the work on his new tower when the old Roman walls were unearthed. He reconstructed the walls on their original foundation using a redish brick to cap the Roman walls to indicate the remains(which can be seen in the photo below).
The area continued to be used as a stronghold and was refortified after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. By 1135 the Normans had built their own fortification on a man-made hill within the original Roman Fort. It was called - The Keep.
The 12 sided structure is a "shell" keep, as its outer walls provide protection for smaller buildings built inside. It was surrounded by a moat, had its own well, and could be well stocked with provisions to defend against a siege. This picture from inside the Keep shows the remains of a fireplace and indication that structures of at least five floors existed.
As domestic warfare subsided, the importance of The Keep became secondary to the comfort of the Earl of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp, who became owner of the site around 1420. He desired a more comfortable and less fortified residence. Successor Earls continued to expand and "modernize" Beauchamp's residence, adding towers and assorted additions creating an interesting structure which features a variety architectural styles.
It was the 3rd Marquess that oversaw the last renovation of the "Castle" in the mid-19th century. He turned it into what has been described as an "extraordinary and outstanding example of Gothic Revival architecture". The interior is rich in ornate historically based decorations and was incredible to walk through.
The Chaucer Reading Room
The Banqueting Hall
The Library Chimneypiece
One other interesting is the feature attached to the "Castle" is the Clock Tower. Modeled after European clock tower of the middle ages, this tower was created by architect William Burges in 1874.
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