LIGHTS

  For the last few years thousands have flocked to Cambria's Christmas Market, a venture of a local hotel and garden center.

   Cambrians are of two minds, at least, about the display and the traffic and commotion. It is said two million lights are used. Count them if you'd like.

     The little ones and more than a few adults seem mesmerized by the displays. 

    I like the Surfin' Santa, complete with Hawaiian motif in the jacket. 

   Something for all, including a tribute to Aliens, here for the holidays. 

   A variation on a roasted artichoke. 

  This vendor was selling high flying spin activated and lit helicopters that continued to arc high above the millions of lights below.  

   The scene below is set off to the side, canted in such a way as to require a special effort to see it and read the warning sign.

     Krampus is the anti Santa Claus. Half goat-half demon, his thing is to punish or carry off bad children. The origin is unclear but it is a figure of the season in some northern and eastern European nations. Glad we skipped that in our childhood.

    This Christmas 2017 this creature could find plenty to carry off at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington D.C. and at the opposite end on Capitol Hill.  

     On further reflection, I think the beast has already been there, and probably had a large had in the writing of the new tax fraud bill.

      See you down the trail.

     

NAKED TRUTHS

    It is one of those coincidences or ironies of life. This replica knock off of David by Michelangelo has been recently "liberated." 
   It stands in the court yard of Cambria's renown Pewter Plough Playhouse, home to the Harmony Cafe. When Chef Giovanni began serving patrons alfresco, David's midsection was wrapped in the Ivy. We were never sure why such a travesty was permitted. Was there a morality vigilante operating as a gardener-or non-gardener?
   It seems unlikely that most men would feel threatened by a
comparison to that portion of the anatomy that was concealed.  However I will go on record and acknowledge envy of those six pack abs-but they were not covered.
   As mysteriously as the modesty ivy appeared, it has been pruned and David stands before the world as Michelangelo intended. And all of this as the #metoo revelations have begun shaking bad men from high places.

     There is of course still one prominent and powerful accused serial predator and accoster who has been untouched, so far. 

    trump has been rebuffed by voters even in his base states, reproached by powerful men and women and accused, again, by many victims but thus far there has been no serious action to investigate the claims or hold him accountable. 

     It seems there will be a breaking point for the serial liar and bragger. His approval rating is as low as any American President. Even some who had begrudgingly supported him are starting to shed the slime pit and reach for traditional American political ground.  

    The image above is for those of you who feel the need for a shower whenever you think of the president.

    The trouble is, he's leaving a legacy.

      This time of year one can't help but think about children and in turn, the life we are presenting to them.  

       I was particularly touched the other evening as a long time dear friend, a tough and realistic professional women who raised a son and step-daughter and is not an overly sentimental person, teared up as she spoke of the president and his behavior as being seen and read by millions of boys and girls of impressionable age. Ponder that for moment, if you have not already.

       He mocks, brags, derides, lies, is proud of not reading, practices no physical fitness and is a pig. Until he does us a favor and departs or is thrown out of office we must explain and account the likes of him. 

       When our granddaughter is around and when nature has it's way, I refer to that as trumping her diaper. Her mother and grandmother don't approve and don't want me to "confuse" her, but I know in a couple of years she will know exactly what "poppy" meant.

        I especially worry about boys and teen males who have enough trouble finding good mentors and role models. When the president behaves as he does, he is poisoning the future.

       The revelations and fall of men who behaved as creeps is a good thing for society.  It would be an even more effective antidote if the predator in chief were held accountable.

        Something now to bookend this post. They are not the current royalty of Beyonce and Jay Z, nor even Harry and Meghan, but when the King of England, Edward fell in love with Wallis Simpson it was not only a scandal, but created a constitutional crisis. Of course he abdicated and the dashing couple were known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

       The abdication was in 1936, before I was born, but the Duke and Duchess were big conversation in my childhood in the early 50's.  My grandmother and her sisters where English and emigrated as young women. I spent a lot of time with them-my widowed Nannie and her sisters and their husbands including 2 Scots and a Scots-Irish Uncle, plus the Welsh widower of one of the sisters. They shared a three story home, a warren of apt's and rooms and it was very much like a UK boarding house-all related. 

      When I was dressed, they made sure I was "turned out" like a gentleman-the Duke of Windsor being the role model. But they were divided about the abdication and about Wallis Simpson.

     I contrast those sometime spirited discussions-Maggie Smith style-about propriety with what kids today are seeing and hearing. I can't help but think we are spiraling down.

      Maybe this Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa the jolly elf  will bring us civility, decency and class. We've already got a chunk of coal in the White House, well maybe it's not coal yet but the White House has been trumped. 

    See you down the trail

EERIE

    An eerie twilight and hushed nature shrouds the California central coast. A red-pink sun burns behind brown and gray clouds as the charred remains from Southern California drift northward in expanding smoke, arial evidence of the devastating fires.

      Birds have grown silent and the abundant wild life, turkey, deer and squirrels have disappeared as the plume drifts northward over the Santa Lucia range.

    Air quality alerts have been posted. People are urged to stay inside.  

    A somewhat clouded morning was absorbed by the smoke. This patch of blue disappeared in moments. 

      The usually lustrous light has fallen to a mournful shade. The clear day become brown and umber.

  The pernicious Santa Ana winds whip the several fires, burning and destroying areas of an American paradise.

    An LA Times headline notes  "AS CALIFORNIA BURNS

CONGRESS PLANS TO SLASH TAX WRITE-OFFS FOR FIRES AND OTHER DISASTERS"

     The gloom also extends to our hearts. This is a state

sending thoughts and prayers to fire fighters, fellow citizens, friends and loved ones.

     See you down the trail.

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

it's complicated

   The rigging on the tall masts anchored in Morro Bay symbolically captures the mood of complexity in the US these days-lots of angles.

     And so does a scene from Hamlet, especially the lines

      "Let me see. (takes the skull) Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times, and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! 

      An explanation in a moment but there is a fascinating detail about the image above. The actor is David Tennant from the 2008 Royal Shakespeare Company Production and the skull is no mere stage prop, it is the skull of Pianist Andre Tchaikowsky. Tchaikowsky's skull was used by Tennant at the Courtyard theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. When the production moved to London's West End, the skull was replaced by a prop as the company thought news of Tchaikowsky's skull distracted the audience.

   The painting above by Philip Calderon is from 1868 and depicts the young Lord Hamlet riding his beloved jester Yorick one of those thousand times. 

    Now here's the link. Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, and Kevin Spacey- "...and now, how abhorred in my imagination..."

Hamlet and Horatio in the Graveyard
by Eugene Ferdinand Victor Delacroix

      I suspect our revulsion at the revelations about these media stars abusing women and misusing their influence is because we had admired their talent. That is for Rose and Spacey, in my opinion.

what do you say to your kids, matt lauer?

     It was reported the first thing Lauer did after being fired was drive to the private school to tell his teen son. How do you explain your perverted behavior to your offspring? What could he have said to offset the news of his disgusting behavior?

     I'd like to hear Lauer square his treatment of women colleagues with the fact he has a daughter. Someone should ask him what he would think or do if someone did to his daughter what he did to someone else's daughter?

     I was never a fan of Lauer. I was surprised he got the job after Bryant Gumble departed the Today Show. On his best day he was only a middling talent. There are many more effective communicators, hosts and news anchors working on local television stations. Even in the NBC stable there were more talented people.

     what do you say to all your high falutin' friends charlie rose?

    What a painful series of calls, visits and conversations for Charlie Rose. As a journalist and interviewer he had the respect of the worlds best, brightest, most powerful, creative, beautiful and important. People seemed in awe of finally being a guest on his long running interview program. It must be a huge fall. I watched Rose for as long as he did his PBS program and over the years learned and gained insights. Rose's behavior surprises and disappoints as much any on the list of fallen.

     It seems no matter the level of their wealth, a wealth that can allow them all to live more comfortably than a majority of people, they cannot escape the ignominy their vile behavior earned them. 

    It proves again, you can't always trust what you see-especially in a celebrity conscious media.

    revolution?

     Revolution is costly. I hope we are in the early days of a new era in interpersonal relationships in the work place. Perhaps a greater awareness of past abuses will guide us to more appropriate behavior and fairness, but I also hope that it will extend to race, ethnicity, gender identification and age as well as sexual behavior. Equal=Equal, period!

the pence coup?

     Atlantic's new opus on vice-president Pence contains revelations he and other republicans discussed a coup to depose trump after the Access Hollywood tapes were released. The piece documents the Pence "nod and wink" approach to supporting trump, as though saying-don't worry, I've got this covered.  I wonder how long before trump starts blasting his loyal servant?

      Like all those ropes and lines. Angles. Power. It's complicated.

     See you down the trail.

THIS YEAR, MORE THAN EVER

 

      There's a little magic in this story and I want to share it, especially if this December finds you a bit wearied; amazed at how rapidly the year has flown, crestfallen by the state of the nation, or world, wrestling with health, worried about loved ones or other complexities in the messiness of life.

      This is our little story, but there is something in this for you, a portal to a place where you can lift your spirits. Simply, immerse yourself in the peace of musical artistry as expressed in Christmas music and search your mind for a piece of your childhood.

        Full disclosure. I enter this Christmas season struggling to find that sweet balance where I can be rid of the anger I carry, a disgust that is renewed with each new headline or word of another friend being depressed, troubled or stressed by Washington. Worried about the loss of reason and civility. Saddened by that and news of diagnoses, or the indignity and labor of an aging generation.

     Frequent readers may recall my seasonal ecstasy over Strings in the Chapel.
You can read these love notes beginning here with 2016
Or 2015 Where the title Could it Last Forever gives you a hint.
Over the years the photos and post celebrate a connections to something deep.
      This year I entered into the historic Santa Rosa Chapel and its place in the slipstream of time with a different mind set. But I'm here to say music is indeed therapy. 

     There is a timeless and expansive joy in the music of Christmas, the origin story of the Christian faith. The rich beauty of the music soothes and enlivens that place in us in need of nursing. 

      A cappella vocals with chapel bells, magnificent strings, harp and guitars combining for Low How a Rose, Mary Did You Know, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, O Holy Night and a stunning Ave Maria performed by violinist Brynn Albanese and guitarist Eric Williams lifts one above worry and fretting.

Wandering Shepherd with Molly Pasutti's vocals, accompanied by Eric with Ron Poulos on mandolin sears into your heart. So too was Robin Covey's O Holy Night accompanied by Jill Poulos on Harp, Ron Poulos on mandolin and Bob Liepman on Cello.

     There is also a power in reaching a memory and the images of childhood. It invigorates. Each year at these marvelous concerts Judith Larmore invokes an exercise that awakens the images of Christmas past. She animates our world with the tinsel, winters, family moments, excitement, tastes, sounds and sheer joy of that time in our lives when the magic of Christmas was real. This years reflection, entitled Abundance was a massage of the soul. Much needed. Much appreciated.

     Bruce Black recounts hilarious Christmas adventures with his grandmother as a lead in to his spirited recitation of Twas the Night Before Christmas.

      Between Molly Pasutti's ethereal opening,  Let all That Are To Mirth Inclined, and the closing Sing-A-Long, Christmas invaded my heart.
       And so there is a pass it along moral here.

       Even if you are not a person of faith or even someone 

who eschews religion, let the purity and joy of the origin story's music, some of the most beautiful ever written, wash over you this year, especially this year. Hearing these beautiful songs, performed by strings, is magic.
And surely there is a Christmas or winter fest story from your own childhood that can kindle your heart.

         In a Scandinavian custom, candles were lit at the graves behind the historic chapel.

         We are reminded that life is fleeting. Christmas comes every year, with a purpose, to put light into our life and joy in our hearts. It is an advent. It is also an adventure in lifting ourselves beyond despair or gloom. If you are like me and  really need a dose of this, listen to some of the music listed above-it was employed to spread magic over Cambria this year. Lift your spirits!

       Thanks to the Players and Singers

The Vocalists

Robin Covey

Molly Pasutti

Mark O'Bryan

Eric Williams and Guitar

String Quartet

Brynn Albanese 1st Violin

Sonya Lanzen-Castellanos 2nd Violin

Peter Liepman Viola

Bob Liepman Cello

Ken HJustad Bass

Jill Poulous Celtic Harp

Justin Robillard Guitar

Ron Poulous Mandolin

And a special Thank You to Judith! You made Christmas arrive.

  See you down the trail.      

CORRECTIONS

 night work in Morro Bay

resembling the freeway

a light in the darkness

   The moment I saw this photo by Jim Wilson of the New York Times, I wanted to share it. Christmas season has come to even Santa Rosa California where normal is a word without relevance this season. 

twilight hopes

    There was a time when people were sure dreams could become real, that visions were visited upon souls and that spirits could roam. It was in the gloaming, in the twilight, that narrowing distance between day and night, thought to be a time of magic. Hope and fear nestling together, dependent on the other.

after the prelude

     Who could expect a tech dependent culture, a society risen on the muscle of science and fed on commerce would find itself stumbling into a wilderness, shredding itself by means of an inner, bipolar war, voluntarily blinding itself by a refusal to see, ignoring truths and exercising meanness while celebrating venality.

in the time before

    Those of old could never know what would come with the morning, nor how might they survive the mysteries in the dark. How weakened would they be by the fear that built in the night.

who shall we be?

      Women and men who deserve our respect tell us we are divided and in a cultural war-rural against urban, those with higher educations and those without, fractured by economic class, riven by ideologies, splintering into enclaves, separated by expectations.

      Indeed, we are like those ancient hopes and fears, nestled together on the fulcrum. 

      We watch as an executive branch and federal establishment implodes and disintegrates, departments being dissembled, with no skilled hand on the tiller and scores of important positions unfilled. The legislative branch is locked in an insular world though in a free fall decomposition. 
     Integrity and decorum are abandoned. It is dangerous and foolish to ignore the lessons of 240 years.
      Perhaps you read the remarks of General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA

      "If this is who we are or who we are becoming, I have wasted 40 years of my life. Until now it was not possible for me to conceive of an American President capable of such an outrageous assault on truth, a free press or the first amendment."

      It is the fair axiom of politics to ask, are we better than we were? Are we better off, are we a more united United States after a year of trump than we were at the end of Obama? Is anything better than it was?
       Here's a link to good and brief assessment of the trump year from Foreign Policy Magazine.

       Are we living into Shakespeare's Richard III lament-

"Now is the winter of our discontent..."

      Who shall we be when the sun returns to its fullness? Who shall emerge in the primaries of the spring and who will lead the challenge or defense in the campaigns of fall? Who will have the power to turn the votes-rural or urban, the educated or those who are not, those who carry tiki torches and spew or those who invite diversity? 

       Some hope for candidates of vision, compassion, integrity, pragmatism and strength to clean, correct, make right and restore. Others see no fault nor sins nor madness in the regime. We are divided. We enter this winter on the throes of fear, discord and anger. 
       The older I get the more I am convinced it was ever such. We can destroy or we can heal. I am of the camp that looks for light, a peace out of the chaos. Be alert. Watch with hope and live that way.

        See you down the trail.