Snow in October

Yes, we did have snow over the weekend! But it has pretty much melted now. Hope you all have a very 

HApPY HaLloWeEN!! 

Autumn Color

 HaVe A HaPpY FALL WeEkeND EvErYOnE!!!

New Interest in Life of Van Gogh

I was intrigued by the piece on 60 Minutes, Sunday night, regarding the life & death of Vincent Van Gogh. Did you happen to see it? If not, it may be viewed in its entirety at the above link, as well as interesting out takes from the show. The segment featured Steven Naifeh, who along with Gregory White Smith, has written  a new biography of Van Gogh, entitled “Van Gogh: The Life’’. 

The book reveals many new insights into the life & death of the artist, & I am extremely anxious to read it. In the mean time, I found the following extra "overtime" segment form the 60 Minutes show, very moving. Morley Safer, reads excerpts from Van Gogh's letters.  In his own words, the artist, speaks of his paintings, colors, & inspirations. I thought that you might enjoy it, too.

http://vangoghbiography.com/AboutTheBook

Charleston, South Carolina

A brief visit to Charleston, South Carolina last week, did the spirits good. If you have never visited Charleston, it should be on your list of places to go. What a beautiful & interesting city!

With its palm trees & beautifully colored, old buildings, dating back to antebellum times & beyond.

I love the long porches & wrought iron gates....

.... the water ways & inlets.....

.... the food, oh my goodness, the food! You must eat grits at least once, while you are in Charleston 

..... & the signs! there are so many lovely old neon signs in Charleston.

.... & the marshes, & the palmettos of the low country....

.... the pastel colors of commercial buildings ....

..... & elegant homes alike.....

..... the beaches ....

.... & oh yes, did I say the porches? Who would not want to while away the time on one of these inviting porches?

Degas and the Nude

Earlier this week I went into town, to the French Cultural Center to hear a lecture on the up coming Degas exhibition at the MFA. The lecture was given by Xavier Rey, a curator of paintings at the Musée d’Orsay, who along with George Shackelford has brought to fruition    the magnificent exhibition "Degas and the Nude". Although, the lecture was in French, & I may not have gotten every word, it did give me a good foundation on the subject before actually, viewing the exhibit, which I was able to do yesterday.

The official opening will be this Sunday, October 9, & will run until February 5, 2012. I attended a members preview yesterday & found the show even more beautiful & moving than I had anticipated. I love Degas & have always cherished seeing his work, whenever & wherever I could. I was so pleased, to see pieces that I have never seen, but have known only through photographs, as well as pieces that I have been privileged to see before. I have seen the work of Degas many times on visits to the d'Orsay, & seeing them again here in Boston, was like seeing an old friend.

The exhibition will not be going to any other American museums, but will go directly to the d'Orsay  & run from March 13 - July 1. This is just another reminder, of how lucky we are here in Boston, to have such a wonderful museum. I hope everyone in the Boston area will be able to find the time to see this beautiful exhibit, & maybe it will even be a good reason for those not in the area, to make a visit to Boston.

In Gratitude

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” Steve Jobs

Embracing Boston

I confess that I have had a bit of trouble deciding what to post since I have been back from France. I think I have had a case of blogger's block, but a trip downtown made me decide just to plunge ahead & embrace the city I live in.

Boston is after all a beautiful city.

And it has lots of beautiful doors & windows too! 

There is of course the famous Boston Common, so pretty at this time of year. It was founded in 1634, by the way, & is the oldest public park in the US.

Although the swan boats have already been put away for the winter, there are still the real swans.

And there are also the ducks of Make Way for Ducklings fame.

Further on, there is Downtown Crossing, 

where you will find the Old Brattle Book Store ,with it's outdoor stalls.

 And just around the corner is the revitalization of the Washington Street Theater District.

Although the old Filene's department store is no more, its memory still graces Downtown Crossing.

Yesterday was a beautiful day to be out exploring Boston, I hope you enjoyed the little tour.