Tidy Tidbits: Literature & Music

RECENT READING

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

(www.annpatchett.com)

I thoroughly enjoyed Patchett’s new novel about two siblings, Maeve, and her younger by seven years brother, Danny.  Set in the Philadelphia suburbs and New York, it takes place over many decades.  This brother and sister are linked together, joined at the hip one might say, by the house they lived in for some of their childhood.  Deserted by their mother who leaves them to help the poor in India, their father eventually marries Andrea, a younger woman with two daughters.  Andrea loves the house, takes it over, and after their father’s untimely death, puts Maeve and Danny out.  

Bereft and neglected, they live briefly in Maeve’s cramped space until Danny goes to boarding school.  Over the years that follow, they drive to their old house, the grand Dutch house, and sit parked outside in the car.  There they re-live and re-visit their mother’s abandonment along with Andrea’s mistreatment. Maeve never marries, Danny does, but Maeve holds primacy in his life and his emotions over Celeste, his wife.

What happens when Danny and Maeve reach middle age and their mother re-appears raises issues of forgiveness, compassion, bitterness and disappointment.  Danny narrates their story, and he and Maeve are richly drawn characters.  Anyone who has left a beloved house behind will identify with their lingering memories.

 This novel makes a nice pairing with Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane.  In each case, a young person experiences a childhood trauma, be it a horrible tragedy or a major loss, and that event follows and, to an extent, haunts the rest of the person’s life.  Being able to come to a reckoning of what happened and move forward and beyond it brings acceptance.  Both Danny here and Peter in Keane’s novel achieve peace with the past. (~JWFarrington)

POLITICAL MEMOIR

The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power

(twitter.com)

If you’re a political junkie, then you will enjoy reading Powers’ detailed account of her time as a White House advisor to President Obama and then later as the US representative to the United Nations.  If, like me, you resonate with the life stories of accomplished and intelligent women, then you will find Powers’ personal story engrossing and fascinating.  As a child she emigrated with her mother from Ireland to this country and then spent the early part of her career as a journalist and reporter in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones.  She never anticipated that she’d work in government, but her positions on Obama’s team have been the most meaningful of her career.  

At the time she began work in the White House, she was newly married and soon juggling the demands of one and then two young children.  Generous in praise of her colleagues, forthcoming about her own shortcomings and mistakes, candid about what she learns about the roles and limitations of government, Ms. Powers’ memoir is engaging, compelling, and a worthwhile read.  (~JWFarrington)

FABULOUS CONCERT

This season the Sarasota Orchestra is hosting a series of guest conductors, part of its search for a new music director to succeed Anu Tali.  This week Bramwell Tovey, principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, led our local musicians in an ambitious and most enjoyable concert.  From the opening notes of Berlioz’s Overture to Rob Roy, the playing was crisp and energetic; it continued that way through the entire concert.  Guest soloists, Simone Porter on violin and Joshua Roman on cello, presented a spirited rendition of Brahms’ Concerto in A Minor.  I found the Andante movement especially lovely.  Before conducting William Walton’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Maestro Tovey combined British wit and verve to give the audience a bit of history about Walton along with suggestions on what to listen for in the four movements.  This was a tour de force of a concert!

CELEBRATING HOUSE GUESTS

We had a week of company beginning with our son and wife and their two girls followed by my niece from Raleigh, North Carolina.  These were lively days marked by tasty meals, time in the pool, some great conversation, blueberry pancakes with Grandma, a dollhouse, blocks and Calico Critters for added diversion and, lastly, an early birthday celebration for almost 4-year old, Frances.  The heart-shaped cake, iced with pink frosting, of course, and decorated with berries, was made by Grandpa and a big hit!  And not just with the birthday girl!

Note: Header photo is of a sea grape leaf at Robinson Preserve. It and the cake photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Tidy Tidbits: Food for Mind & Body

RECENT READING

Gripping Nonfiction

American Fire:  Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is a forgotten land of lost hopes and limited opportunity.  The small towns in Accomack County are off the beaten path and poverty and struggle are the norm for many.  What brings people together and is the center for socializing is the firehouse.  Dedicated volunteers leap to answer the call and in the long months from late 2013 into 2014, the calls to fires were numerous and almost always to abandoned buildings.  Over about five months, more than 86 fires were started in and around Accomack and required volunteer firefighters from all the departments in the region.  

After an initial article about the fires, Washington Post feature writer Monica Hesse went to Accomack to research and write about why and how the fires occurred and who was responsible.  It’s a fact that arsonists are often volunteer firefighters, but this perpetrator, Charlie Smith, went undiscovered for a long time.  And what was surprising was that he had an accomplice, a female.  The resulting book is a captivating and vivid suspense story.  You know who dun it early on but exploring how all the experts got there is fascinating.  (~JWFarrington) 

ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Inspector Vivaldi Mysteries (Amazon Prime)

(from MHzChoice)

Just when I was wondering what to watch next, my friend Patricia came to the rescue with a great recommendation.  This Italian series from 2005 is marvelous.  It’s set in Trieste and Frederico Vivaldi is a police detective whose son Stefano is also a policeman.  When a young woman is found dead after a lively beach party, Vivaldi has his son re-assigned to the team working to solve the mystery.  Vivaldi is estranged from his wife, Laura, and is unaware that his son is gay.  How he learns about his son becomes tangled up with the murder case.  Although the production quality is grainy by today’s standards, the characters are engaging and complex and, so far, the series is as much about their relationships as it is about the police work.    

BREAKFAST OUT

Mocha Joe’s Cafe

If you’re looking for a casual place for breakfast in Bradenton, Mocha Joe’s could be your answer.  A small café on Cortez Road West, Mocha Joe’s is popular, for sure with the breakfast crowd, and maybe later also.  We met friends there and were pleased with the wide selection of eggs, pancakes, and omelets.  Several of us ordered lightly, but one person sampled eggs and toast with sides and was most pleased.  It’s tucked in a shopping mall, but definitely worth a try for either meal as the lunch menu of burgers and sandwiches also looks tempting.

Note: Header image of fire in eastern Virginia by Jay Diem, AP.

Tidy Tidbits: Culture, Culture

A WEEK OF CULTURE

General John Kelly, former chief of staff for the current president, made national as well as local news for his comments about John Bolton.  Kelly was the featured speaker at Ringling College’s Town Hall series on Monday, and when asked about Mr. Bolton said, he is an “honest man” and a man of integrity.  

At Global Affairs on Wednesday morning, former advertising executive Peter Georgescu, a Romanian who emigrated to this country as a child, gave a thoughtful talk about the tension between business and society.  He contrasted Boeing’s misguided handling of the Max crisis with Johnson & Johnson’s more humane approach to the Tylenol tampering in the 1980’s.  

At Thursday’s Sarasota Orchestra concert, we heard several unfamiliar pieces in a concert that, to me, seemed somewhat flat.  After intermission, Sarah Chang redeemed it with an exhilarating rendition of Dvorak’s Violin Concerto in A Minor.  

Bachi de setola by Pino Pascali (1968)

Lastly, we made our inaugural visit to the new Sarasota Art Museum with my visiting sister and brother-in-law.  We were all delighted with both the gallery spaces and the art on display.  An eclectic exhibit of works by various artists under the title, Color Theory, on one floor and a career-spanning exhibit of Brazilian-American artist Vik Muniz’s collages and photographic works.  

One of the most stunning pieces is an installation of plexiglass plates with colored film on them that reflect light in intriguing ways. It’s by Christian Sampson, a Ringling College of Art & Design graduate.

Vita in Motu (Christian Sampson)

Muniz used many media from plastic toy soldiers to peanut butter and jelly to sugar to junk.  I found his horse head (plastic soldiers) and his collage of Jerusalem especially appealing. If you’re local, this new art destination is a must visit!

Jerusalem from Postcards from Nowhere, 2014 (Muniz)

RECENT READING

Family Dynamics

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

What happens when you witness a traumatic event as a young teen?  How does that impact your adult life in ways you never expected?  Keane’s novel explores the friendship between two cops and their families who are neighbors for a short period of time.  That relationship is ripped open by a horrible tragedy, and yet, the teenage boy and the neighbor girl who was his closest friend marry each other.  The consequences of the earlier tragedy echo and haunt them all, parents and adult children, through the next twenty years.  Can one forgive an injury caused by someone who is mentally ill?  

Keane’s novel is a delicate and nuanced exploration of hate, love, remorse, and confusion as Peter, the teenage son of the perpetrator, and Kate, his neighbor and later wife, suffer long-lasting fallout from the event.  Keane has Irish heritage and this plus her own life experiences are reflected in these characters.  A novel that will linger in your mind long after you’ve read the last page.  (~JWFarrington)

Notes: All photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is Blossom by Tony Feher (2009) at the Sarasota Art Museum.

Tidy Tidbits: Friendship & Food

FRIENDSHIP

The experts say, and I’m inclined to agree, that the older we get, the more we appreciate and value long-term friendships.  I now have close friends I have known for more than forty years and some more than fifty.  We recently had lunch with my girlhood friend and her husband.  I’ve known J. since we were in 4th grade.  She lived across the street from me for some years, and I was in and out of her house, much quieter than my home.  We played together, compared and competed on grades through high school, and often discussed and debated the differences between her religion’s Catholic teachings and my Protestant ones.  

Through college and into our 20’s, we had opportunities to get together, but then, didn’t see each other for several years at a stretch.  We kept in touch at Christmas and birthdays and through sightings by our mothers or our families.  I got to know several of her aunts and uncles and cousins and she my three siblings.  Later on, I and the Chief Penguin attended her wedding and then rejoiced with them when she and B. adopted a daughter.  Other than the Chief Penguin and my siblings, she has known me longer and better than anyone else.  Our mini reunion this week was a happy event, and we picked up right where we left off the last time!  We parted, vowing to be in contact more frequently. 

DINING AROUND

Bradenton Buzz—Chateau 13

Chateau 13 is a relatively new wine bar and restaurant in downtown Bradenton and it’s a winner!  Offering sophisticated and inventive fare, it’s worth a visit.  There’s bar seating, high top tables, and then a smallish dining room with standard seating.  They don’t take reservations, and by 5:30, shortly after they open, the dining room was full.  The menu has light bites, small appetizers, and full-size entrees.  For the bites and appetizers, think tapas.  We stuck to these sections of the menu and sampled some Parmesan truffled popcorn (fun!), Calabrian chili shrimp with broccolini, beef tournedos with foie gras, croquettes with prosciutto and a Caesar salad.  These are small portions so if you are very hungry, try an entrée. The shrimp, tournedos and croquettes were all superb!  Nice selection of wines by the glass too.   Closed Sunday and Monday.

St. Pete Beach—Leverock’s Great Seafood Restaurant 

Leverock’s is in the South Pasadena section of St. Petersburg and a great spot for lunch or dinner.  We met friends there for lunch and Tabitha, our waitress, greeted them warmly as they are regulars when they visit Florida.  Leverock’s fish is very fresh, and they have a wide selection prepared in a variety of ways, from sandwiches and wraps to salads to entrees with rice and veggies.  Two of us tried salads, the black and blue one with rare tuna and a Caesar salad with a perfectly grilled piece of salmon.  Our friends ordered their favorite salmon entrees.  Service was friendly and efficient.  Worth another visit.

Note: Header sunset photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).