Reading and Roaming

Carolina Comments: Reading, Racing, & Eating

RECENT READING: ESCAPE, ARTIST ON THE RUN

Saoirse (pronounced Sear-sha) by Charleen Hurtubise

Like the title character in Saoirse, her first novel published in the United States, Charleen Hurtubise spent part of her childhood in Michigan and is also an artist. Today, she lives in Dublin but is still attached to Donegal.

Saoirse initially appears to be a settled artist, living with her two children and partner in Donegal, overlooking the water. She has just won a noted art prize and has an upcoming exhibition. But all is not as it seems. Saoirse, whose name means “freedom,” is living under an assumed name. The novel jumps back and forth in time from the 1999 present to 1990, slowly revealing aspects of Saoirse/Sarah’s past.

What was her previous life like, how was Saoirse abandoned by her parents, and where did she and her sister end up? These questions are the strands that are delicately unwound in this beautifully written novel of mistreatment, escape, and enduring love. There is abuse, there is violence, there are secrets, and there is soul-saving art. Highly recommended!

Charleen Hurtubise was born in the U. S. but has lived in Ireland for twenty years. In this interview from the Irish Examiner, she talks about her current home and how she approaches writing. (~JWFarrington)

STAYING FIT: G5K RACE

Saturday was the 10^th annual G5K, Glenaire’s annual race and walk fundraiser. Approximately 500 individuals participated, including residents and family members along with serious local runners.

Last year, I power walked the 1K short course. This year, my Chapel Hill sister and I briskly walked the entire 5K course. It included a number of hills, winding up and down residential streets, and traversing the entirety of peaceful Higgins Greenway. We didn’t run, we moved right along, and we finished. We were not the last ones in! A fun experience on a beautiful morning.

LUNCH OUT

Royale Curry (Cary)

Royale Curry is an attractive Indian restaurant with an extensive menu. A group of us lunched here earlier this week and were pleased with the variety of dishes. I ordered the vegetarian samosas to sample. They were traditional ones with potatoes and peas and a tasty beginning to my meal.

For my main dish, I chose the chicken curry, and on a scale of spiciness from 1 to 5, I opted for a 4. The metal ramekin of curry was a generous portion, accompanied by an equally nice-sized dish of basmati rice. The curry was noticeably hot, and definitely a 4! It was all very good, and I had some left to take home with me.

The papadums with dipping sauces to start were also welcome, and several diners tried the garlic naan. We were the only diners, but our party was large so there was a bit of wait to receive what we ordered. Definitely worth a return visit!

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Comments: Sampling Charlotte

Girl with butterfly, Charlotte Serenity Garden

TRAIN TO CHARLOTTE

Earlier this week, we made a short trip to Charlotte to visit some very good friends who formerly lived in Florida. The train station in Cary is bright and modern and a most pleasant place to wait. Amtrak trains to New York and Florida absorbed most of the passengers while we awaited the arrival of our Piedmont train. The state of North Carolina provided funding for this train line, and thus, we are fortunate to have multiple daily runs to Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, and other towns.

The train car was clean, and we easily found seats for the 3-hour trip. Our friends met us in Charlotte, and we then proceeded to SouthPark, the area south of uptown, where they live.

ATTRACTIONS

Mint Museum Uptown

The Mint Museum in Charlotte was established in 1936 and is a contemporary art museum. It grew out of a group of resourceful women’s desire to save the United States Mint building. Today, there are two Charlotte locations, Randolph, which is the original Mint building, and Uptown, which opened in 2010 as part of the Levine Center for the Arts.

At the Mint Museum Uptown, you are immediately greeted by a colorful window wall art work made of mylar film. Titled “Foragers,” and created by Oklahoma City native Summer Wheat, it features women of different races and ages working as hunters, mothers, farmers, etc. It is simply stunning!

Overall we were impressed with the wide variety of artists and styles of works on display—mainly painting, but some sculpture as well. And a good representation of female artists, both contemporary and earlier. Several works were on loan from the National Gallery of Art including one by Georgia O’Keeffe.

Charlotte Serenity Garden

Wednesday was a lovely morning, and we visited the private, but now open to the public, Charlotte Serenity Garden, in the SouthPark area. Over four decades, Dr. Patrick Reames and his wife Patsy developed their hillside property into a beautiful garden with azaleas, waterfalls, and bridges. (We were a bit early for a full flowering.)

Paths with stone steps lead one up and around the slopes which are dotted with flowers, stone works, and art pieces. The overall effect is one of peace combined with whimsy.

DINING

Our friends are great hosts. They provided a light lunch in their apartment after we arrived and introduced us to two great restaurants. All this plus homemade cookies and wine and cheese.

131 Main (SouthPark)

We had dinner at 131 Main (walkable from their place), and three of us loved the North Carolina grilled rainbow trout paired with a piquant peanut ginger slaw. The Chief Penguin, on a quest to sample different versions of shrimp and grits, thought this Southern rendition with a Cajun creole sauce was delicious.

Mariposa (Uptown, next to Mint Museum)

The next day we lunched at Mariposa. Their around-the-world menu of large and small plates included a Moroccan pie with chicken, raisins, and spices; spiced cauliflower; salmon rillettes; and a series of bowls and salads. Among us, we sampled the pie, the cauliflower, fries, and a lamb burger. Tasty and different!

Our Charlotte adventure was a fun one, and we barely scratched the surface of museums and other offerings. We will return.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Spring Plus

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Redbuds & a tree with tightly held leaves

I have now lived in North Carolina for 2 years, and I still marvel at the beauty of Carolina springs. I think, living in Florida for 10 years, I was spring-deprived.

In any case, spring this year is again delicately beautiful, and then lushly so when the magnolias, wisteria, and soon the azaleas bloom. The trees too are coming alive, gently unfurling their new leaves into full-fledged glory.

FORTHCOMING NOVEL: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

The Take by Kelly Yang

In The Take, Maggie, a young woman in her twenties, is eager to get her first novel published. An encounter with Ingrid, a seasoned movie producer, gets Maggie help with her writing, some useful introductions, and maybe the chance to create the screenplay for a new film. This assistance, however, is part of a lucrative deal she enters into with Ingrid that has momentous consequences for them both, especially Maggie.

Initially, I thought the novel’s premise was wacky, but then I bought into it and got hooked. I found Maggie incredibly naïve and trusting and wasn’t sure she would truly see what was happening and how she was being used. A fast-paced read about money, morals, race, and gender, it’s played out against the movie industry.

This is Yang’s first novel for adults, and it has a breezy quality to it. Issues are not treated in depth, and some characters are less well defined, but the book is still good entertainment. (~JWFarrington)

(A version of this review appeared in Bookbrowse.com as part of their First Impressions feature. The book will be released to the public in mid-April.)

NO KINGS 3

On a cool, sunny March afternoon (cold compared to the 85 degrees of the previous day), the Chief Penguin and I lent our support to Cary’s No Kings protest. Angered and saddened by affairs in the U.S. and by the country’s loss of stature in the world, we believed that by demonstrating peacefully with our neighbors, we helped send a message.

Carolina Comments: Flower Artistry & More

ART IN BLOOM

This is the second year we have gone to Art in Bloom at the art museum in Raleigh. I enjoyed this year’s paired arrangements (flowers with paintings or sculpture) as much or more than last year’s. A few I found too drab or just not interesting, but overall, there was a plethora of showy and unusual blooms in vibrant colors creatively constructed to evoke some resemblance to the art piece. Here are photos of some of the arrangements.

This time, I focused more on the shapes of the blooms themselves or their vivid coloring.

In some cases, representing a painting with people or animals in it in flowers was a real challenge. The lion in a standing arrangement was spectacular and complete with long tail and paws.

Lion’s head in a massive upright arrangement

Great pairing with the art object in the background!

RECENT READING: THE OTHER ROOSEVELT

The Old Lion by Jeff Shaara

Author Jeff Shaara is perhaps best known for his Civil War trilogy focusing on several of the key battles, bookending novels written by his father. Years ago, I read The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, a fascinating portrayal of General Joshua Chamberlain and the Battle of Gettysburg.

In The Old Lion, another historical novel, Jeff Shaara takes up presenting aspects of Theodore Roosevelt’s life and career. Done partly as a memoir, with a young reporter interviewing TR in the last year of his life, it provides detailed accounts of Roosevelt’s explorations in the American wilderness, his service in the Spanish American War, and his dangerous expedition in the depths of Brazil. Interspersed are briefer passages about his political life, his accomplishments in government, and his personal life with his wife Edith. The book is long, and while Shaara captivates Roosevelt’s ebullient, brash, and sometimes flamboyant personality, I got bogged down at times in too many details. Recommended for American history buffs.

Watching: The Forsytes (PBS)

The Chief Penguin and I watched and throughly enjoyed Season 4 of Bridgerton focusing on second son Benedict and his love for a household maid. I thought it was excellent and the best of the four seasons. Season 5 is currently in the works.

Netflix hugely hyped and promoted Bridgerton. Likewise, PBS has been advertising and promoting The Forsytes for several months. Lots of short clips and a whole series of lavish video vignettes focusing on different characters and various aspects of this 19th century series. It finally begins this evening.

This series is not a new version of The Forsyte Saga, but rather a re-cast rendition of John Galsworthy’s novels focusing more on the women in the family with more contemporary, i.e. faster, pacing. I’m a big fan of the Forsyte Saga, having read it several times and, excited by all the teasers, I’m very ready for The Forsytes!

JOTS & JAUNTS