Being Thankful

What a joy having Adriano here for Thanksgiving this year! Something to be truly thankful for.

Arthur was in charge of the preparing turkey and was very successful in this his first endeavor.

We also had butternut squash, cranberry sauce, tangerines, and pumpkin pie.

      

Those present were Adriano, Arthur, and our neighbor Bill. No one took a photo of Christine who was also present.

   

The Ashburn Melonis were unfortunately not present because they were up in the mountains far far south in the Commonwealth of Virginia.


              Colin and Christian in the mountains

From DVD to Silver Screen

Tim, John, and I traveled into DC to see the premiere showing of Gavagai at the lovely Avalon Theater on Connecticut Avenue (very close to the border with Maryland).

It took us forever to get across Memorial Bridge because of the construction and lane closures.

We had dinner close to the cinema at The Avenue. I had a very delicious sandwich with mozzarella and avocado and lettuce.

Christine, Tim, and John (photo taken previously)

For me it was an amazing experience to see Gavagai on the silver screen after having seen it 12 times on my TV set!

Everything about the film was more intense - the sounds, the colors, the music, the movement of nature (e.g, the wind through the grass), and the expressions of the actors.

Several things surprised me. What perhaps surprised me the most was the role of the two men. I had felt before that the Austrian was definitely more prominent than the Sami guide. But, watching it this last time, they seemed to be more equal. The guide seemed somehow bigger and more important than he had before. 

It was a wonderful evening - a special film and very good company.

Competition: The Print vs The Photograph in Japan

Today John, Janet, Beverly, and I went to the Sackler Gallery to see two Japanese exhibits interestingly juxtaposed.

The Japanese Print reigned supreme for quite a while until The Photograph appeared on the scene and gave the Print a run for its money.

The Print was not stupid, however, and was aware of two of its qualities unknown to The Photograph. The Print had access to color. The Print could also display nocturnal scenes. So the Battle was on. The Print added more color and displayed more scenes in the darkness of night.

The Photograph, however, was smart, too. It was particularly good at showing human figures.

Here are some examples for each of the adversaries.

PRINTS

 

PHOTOGRAPHS

 

              Traditional Raincoat                                  Children Singing in a Snow Cave

I personally feel that there is room in the world for both The Print and The Photograph.

After viewing the works in these two Japanese rooms, we went over to the Freer to admire Whistler's Peacock Room. Remember, however, to return on the Third Thursday of each month to see the room in natural light when the window of time and space is opened.

The Enchanting Entrance: "Terminal," an installation by Indian Subodh Gupta 

Christine and Janet in a forest of spires

Here we see towers of brass containers of different heights, ranging from one to fifteen feet tall, connected by an intricate web of thread. These spires bring to mind the architectural features that one sees on the tops of religious structures such as temples, churches, and mosques.

After leaving the museum, we returned to Springfield and had soup and sandwiches at Potbelly in Springfield Plaza.

              Janet, Beverly, Christine, and John

A wonderful outing on a holiday! The only flaw was the absence of our friend George who was unfortunately home ill. Get well soon, George!

 Beverly

 Christine

Refreshing Music In a Sea of Quilts

Indra and I attended the annual Recorder Concert at the Tree of Life Lutheran Church in Annandale.

When we entered the sanctuary, we beheld a sea of quilts! A quilt raffle was in progress and all of the pews were draped with beautifully colorful quilts!

 Indra in the distance

Indra close up

 Christine very close up

Dr. Friedler, the President of the Northern Virginia Society, 

very far away (second musician from the left)

The recorder concert was, as usual, relaxing and refreshing and interesting. I am always amazed at the variety of recorders. They range in size from very small (6 inches in length) to very large (the size of a tree trunk). I will list some of the repertoire.

Sinfonia grave - Salamone Rossi (1607)
Sonatella - Antonio Bertali (1605-1669)
See, Amid the Winter's Snow - Will Ayton (2014) - perhaps my favorite
Fantasia on a shape-note hymn - Eric Haas (b. 1956)

And I as Well as Thou - Michael East (1580-1648) - performed by Edward Friedler, Diane Mularz, and Deborah Roudebush

Celtic Fancies: Cold and Raw, Ward's Brae - Andrew Charlton (1928-1997)
They danced by the light of the moon - Joseph Wilcox (2018)
A Child's Medley - Richard Glenn (1945-2011) (This work contained 14 children's songs. It was great fun trying to recognize them. I heard 9 or 10 of them!) 

The reception afterwards had a surprising array of delicious goodies.

And the the wonderful women who make jewelry to sell to raise money for the children in the Village of Hope in Haiti were there. Indra and I couldn't resist and bought some lovely earrings. 

My earrings

Into the Woods with Larissa

I went over to Larissa's this morning and we had a fun time together.

We first walked on the trails behind her house. Very lovely with the leaves in their splendid fall colors.

Larissa on one of the bridges

Christine on the bridge

We then had lunch at Villa Bella, an Italian restaurant in Burke.

Inside the restaurant in 

[Note the squirrel on the roof!)

Ivan then came to pick us up and take us back to their house.

I voted!

I am delighted that the Democrats seized the House of Representatives. Hopefully we can check that cruel man in the White House.

Dinner with the Guys

Marcello and the boys came over for dinner. Tortellini and pumpkin pie!

Colin, Arthur, Christian, and Marcello

After dinner Colin and I played a round of Old Maid. He won, of course.

It was a marvelous evening. Lucky me with four of my special guys!

I met my friend Janet at Bob Evans for brunch and to hear about her trip to France.

I had an omelette with goat cheese and mushrooms and a side of pumpkin bread.

She took a selfie and I deleted myself from the photo!

Janet

Evensong and Greece

I went to the magnificent Evensong concert at St. Christopher's and then out to dinner with Indra and Judy and friends. A lovely evening.

We had dinner at Delia's, a Greek restaurant.

Alice, Norbert, and a friend on the left; a friend, Indra, Judy, and Christine on the right

My delicious meal with spanakopita, pita, grape leaves, olives, and Feta cheese.

Return visit to the Phillips

Jennifer and I met other members of Lakselaget for a tour of Nordic Impressions at the Phillips. It was my third visit to this fabulous exhibit.

Jen in front of the Phillips Collection

Read my review of the exhibit at
https://www.norwegianamerican.com/features/nordic-impressions/

Church and Museum

I went to the All Saints Eucharist at Church of the Epiphany with George and then to lunch at Au Bon Pain with him and Linda.

Then George and I went to the Women's Museum to see the exhibit on the third floor of the museum.

The works below were my favorites.