This week, the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh hosted its 11th annual Art in Bloom. It’s the museum’s biggest fund raiser; museum admission here is free except for special exhibitions. The 40 floral works range from brightly colored (lots of orange) to subdued browns, from low bowls to pillars of blossoms, and from elegant to wild and exotic. Sometimes the works seem closely related to the art and sometimes it’s hard to appreciate the inspiration.
Piece inspired by R-DHYA by Bhavsar
In my San Franciso life, I went to the de Young Museum of Art’s similar exhibit entitled Bouquets to Art. Now in its 41st year, it too pairs elaborate floral arrangements with paintings and sculpture. My sense, after visiting Art in Bloom, is that the local exhibit has larger and taller pieces in the mix. In any case, what floral designers can craft using a wide variety of plants and flowers is stunning and even sometimes amazing.
Column of roses inspired by painting on the far wall
Set in and around gorgeous Queenstown, the crime series, A Remarkable Place to Die, is almost worth watching just for the scenery. Detective Anais Mallory returns home to lead the homicide division and gets caught up in trying to solve the mystery of her sister’s death in a violent crash several years ago. Assisting on her team is detective Simon Delaney, who was a candidate for Anais’s job. Adding to the complexity is the fact that Anais and her mother are not on good terms, despite Anais’s desire to forge a warmer relationship. As Mallory digs deeper into her sister’s accident and her father’s death before that, she risks losing her job and destroying friendships.
The series consists of four episodes, and each is 90 minutes long. It takes a bit of getting into and Anais is not always a likable character. Fans of the comedy series, Under the Vines, will recognize Rebecca Gibney (Daisy) who here plays a serious role as Anais’s mother Veronica.
WEIRD CRIMES IN PARIS
Astrid Season 4 (PBS Masterpiece)
Raphaelle & Astrid (entertainment-focus.com)
Fans of this autistic super sleuth will be delighted with Astrid’s return in Season 4. Astrid, based in the criminal records archives, works with detective and now good friend Raphaelle to solve unusual crimes in Paris. These murders occur in unexpected places and under strange circumstances. Astrid’s encyclopedic memory and keen observational skills enable her to see things her colleagues miss.
Astrid is literal, sometimes missing slang or subtleties; a Monday night dinner is a Monday dinner and not one on Tuesday instead. She is a regular participant in an autism spectrum support group led by patient and caring William, and she has a slowly developing romance with Tetsuo who lets Astrid set the pace.
I’ve watched the first three episodes in this 8-part series and am looking forward to the others. I continue to be intrigued by the evolving relationships between Astrid and Raphaelle, Astrid and Tetsuo, and Astrid and her colleagues, who are still sometimes baffled by her responses. I also like Dr. Fournier the pathologist. In French with subtitles. Recommended!
Note: Unattributed photos by JWFarrington including header photo of blue and white flowers.
One year ago this week, the Chief Penguin and I moved to North Carolina. Our last and final home. In our more than 50 years of married life, we have moved nine times and lived in six different states. I was born a Michigander, but only lived in Ann Arbor for one year before my folks moved us to upstate New York. We lived in Syracuse, and then in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, for about a year when my dad was called back to the Navy during the Korean War. My next sibling, sister Sal, was born in the base hospital.
Hoopes Park (auburnny.gov)
We returned to Syracuse (second sister Ann arrived) and then moved to Auburn, a small city near Owasco Lake in the Finger Lakes Region. My brother, the fourth kid and only boy in the family, made his appearance several months after this move. Consequently, I lived here for ten years here before going away to college.
The Chief Penguin was born in Bronxville, NY, and he and his parents and two younger siblings moved around the greater Albany/Capital District area as his father advanced in the power company. We met in college in northern New York State. Abandoning my desire to study for my library science master’s degree at the University of Michigan (the alma mater of both parents and paternal grandparents!), I followed my soon-to-be husband to Cambridge, Massachusetts. These several years were student years at Simmons and Harvard in a culturally exciting place. Here we lived in a tiny graduate student apartment.
CAREER AND FAMILY
The seven years that followed in Clifton Park, an Albany, NY suburb, consisted mostly of career building; I at the University at Albany and the C.P at General Electric’s research center. We bought our first house, a ranch house, in a quiet residential neighborhood. I was a something of an anomaly since I was one of the few women out of the house all day with a full-time career–this was the early 1970’s.
The birth of our son in 1979 and a job offer on the faculty at Penn for the C.P. coincided. The local grandparents were thrilled with their new grandchild, but not so much with our impending move to the Philadelphia area. We moved first to a house in Wallingford and then to a stone colonial home in Swarthmore, which we loved.
Swarthmore house
We worked almost 20 years at the University of Pennsylvania in Van Pelt Library (me) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (him). These were years rich in the joys and challenges of being parents and for the development of long-lasting friendships, several of which still thrive!
Van Pelt Library (wikipedia.com)
CAMPUS LIFE
In 1998, the Chief Penguin became president of Lehigh University, and we moved an hour north to Bethlehem, PA. For eight years, we lived a much more public life than ever before in a Gothic-style president’s house built in 1868 and located smack in the middle of campus. It had needed major renovation which happened before we moved in, and I had a voice in some of the furniture and fabric selections. Being involved in this project made this grand and gracious house seem more like our home.
We both liked living there (even when the enthusiastic ROTC cadets came running by at 5:00 am) and hosted student groups, alumni, and community folks for a variety of dinners and events. To round out my roles as library staff member and hostess, I also served on several nonprofit boards. It was a very stimulating time for me and that house, featured in Architectural Digest in 2001, was truly home for eight years!
GOING WEST
What do college presidents do after they are president? Some go on to become heads of other nonprofits such as foundations or museums. The Chief Penguin and I were comfortably situated in London for a year-long adventure with some higher education consulting for him. Lo and behold, the California Academy of Sciences, a museum and research institute with a planetarium, aquarium, and rainforest, came knocking. San Francisco beckoned us, and despite those who questioned, “Moving there at your age?”, we went West, young or not!
These next seven years were fascinating both culturally and topographically (think hills and ankle-bending streets). California is different from the East coast. A more casual style in the workplace, wide expanses of nature (Muir Woods and wine country), and a welcoming informal spirit endeared us to this new adventure. I enjoyed working in the Academy library and then becoming involved in and leading the lifelong learning team.
Jackson St., San Francisco
Here we lived in the Academy’s historic house built in 1906. Large and lovely, it was conveniently located near shops, restaurants, and a bus stop, and I never drove while there. San Francisco thus became our home, but home with shallower roots. I made friends through a book group and the public library’s friends’ board, but knowing we planned to move back East meant we put less effort into establishing ourselves outside of work. Despite this, some of these friends remain Facebook friends today.
SUNSHINE STATE
When we were in our 30’s and living in suburbia (something new to us), we vowed we would never ever live in Florida. Just a place for old folks and what about culture? But we bought a condo on the Gulf Coast when we lived in Pennsylvania, thinking it would be our getaway place. Then we moved to California, seldom visited Florida, and yet kept the condo.
Tidy Island condo
Upon retirement we knew we wanted to be back East near family; our condo seemed like it might make a good home base. It was spacious with a lovely view over Sarasota Bay, and we made some wonderful friends. It was a very special community. We lived here for 10 years, delighting in the abundant sunshine and the stellar theater and music scene. But as we grew “more mature,” we realized that this setting was not the best for the longer term.
HEADING NORTH TO THE SOUTH
Trees outside our building
Hence, we find ourselves today living in North Carolina in a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community.) It’s a vibrant and lively community in an attractive urban setting. We are happy here. We have a spacious light-filled apartment, we get lots of exercise including frequent walks downtown, we have made new friends among the residents, and my two sisters and their families live not far away, a bonus. I think it’s one of the best gifts we could have given our son and daughter-in-law! And we now easily call Cary home!
OTHER HOMES
The Chief Penguin and I love travel and have enjoyed staying and being made to feel welcome in cities and countries around the world. We also have what one might call secondary homes. These are places with strong emotional ties where we have spent considerable time. Two that come to mind are Southport, Maine, and Manhattan. We first went to Southport in Summer 1990 for a graduate school reunion which began our yearly visits for ever longer long stretches of time.
Southport, Maine
We visited New York City right after our wedding, and over the years, we got to Manhattan for business, and then to visit T. and J., and then to spend time with our granddaughters. Now we spend close to two months there each year.
So, where is home? “Home is where the heart is.” “Home is where you are loved.” “Home is not a place, it’s a feeling.” The Chief Penguin and I have had many physical homes, but I like the idea that home is a feeling. It’s where you are comfortable and appreciated and find friends or family. I wonder, where and what are home for you?
Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love by Sophie Elmhirst
Maurice Bailey was a quiet Englishman, a print setter, awkward, insecure, and uncomfortable around other people. He lived alone, wanted to escape his dowdy village, and never expected to marry. Nine years younger, Maralyn was confident and assertive. Maurice substituted with a friend to attend a car rally with Maralyn, and to his surprise, she enjoyed his company. They married and then started saving and planning to build a boat to take them far away from England, as far away as New Zealand.
Maurice and Maralyn, a small gem, is the story of their fateful voyage. They loved their little boat, but a collision with a whale caused it to sink. That left them adrift in the Pacific with just a raft and a dinghy and each other. Maurice without Maralyn’s bolstering attitude would never have survived; Maralyn was purposeful, always with a goal, but she needed him also. Awaiting rescue and watching the few passing ships not see them, they managed to forage and eat and survive. It was a lengthy endurance test for their marriage and their lives. Recommended for readers looking for harrowing and poignant adventure!
HOT THRILLER
Seeing Red by Sandra Brown
Author Brown (wikipedia.com)
Sandra Brown is an author I had not previously read until a friend loaned me one of her books. She’s written numerous romantic thrillers, and Seeing Redis good escapism with a bit of steamy sex tossed in.
Texas TV broadcaster Kerra Bailey is thrilled to have finally finagled an interview with retired Major Trapper. A local hero for his role in successfully saving people from a horrendous warehouse blast, the major has avoided the press for many years. When he is shot in his own home after the interview and Kerra must flee for her life, she becomes entangled with the major’s estranged son John.
John Trapper is now a private detective. He left his job working for the Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms bureau under duress after he asked too many seemingly crazy questions about that earlier blast. Together Kerra and John become targets, while he remains obsessed with solving the old mystery of who set the blast. Traps and lies and secrets abound as it’s unclear who can be trusted. The plot details are not always convincing, but I still found this mostly fast paced novel a good read!
DINING OUT: JAPANESE FUSION
Zest Sushi & Small Plates
Zest interior looking out
As a treat to ourselves, we headed downtown for lunch at Zest, a relatively new restaurant on Chatham Street. It’s on a corner in an expansive space with lots of glass and a very open feeling. The menu is huge, and everyone should be able to find something to order, whether a lover of sushi or just curious to explore new tastes. There are sushi rolls galore, both classic and specialty ones, along with seafood in various forms (bowls, towers, chilled), lots of oyster preparations, entrees from shaking beef to green coconut curry, and lunchtime bento boxes.
The service was friendly and very welcoming. The Chief Penguin ordered fried calamari (we love fried calamari, and every restaurant seems to add its own twist), and theirs had a bit of heat from the Japanese spice blend, togarshi. He followed that with Screaming “o”, a sushi roll with spicy tuna, seared tuna, and tempura shrimp. I sampled the shrimp tempura Bento box.
Bento box at Zest
The box was lovely and delicious; everything was very fresh, and I got to try tidbits of spring roll, California roll, and pork dumplings along with the shrimp and a ginger salad.
With the many menu choices, you could eat here for weeks before sampling everything! There are also daily specials such as Two for Tuesday (specialty rolls) and Sake Sundays. We will be back.
TEASER
Watch for more next week on a new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Detail, Sometimes the King is a Woman, Amy Sherald
The Chief Penguin and I are new to the Chamber Music Raleigh series. It’s held in an intimate auditorium in the North Carolina Museum of Art on Sunday afternoons. To date, the performers have included a cello quartet (yes, 4 cellos!), a trio of female string players, and most recently, the Italian pianist Alessandro Marangoni.
Pianist Marangoni (prestomusic.com)
Marangoni’s playing was a delight as he entertained us with a handful of pieces by Gioachino Rossini. Most of these were unfamiliar but light, and in one case even quirky, with the pianist vocalizing the sounds of a parakeet (Les raisins: A ma petite perruche) while navigating the keys. Marangoni was the first to record many of Rossini’s works on disc.
For us, and for the friends with us, the highlight of the concert, however, was his rendition of several pieces by Chopin, including a nocturne, a ballade, and a polonaise. These showcased both Chopin’s virtuosity and Marangoni’s talent.
RECENT READING: EXPERIENCING BOTH SEXES
Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Boylan & Jodi Picoult (mysteryandsuspense.com)
I have read and followed Jennifer Finney Boylan since the publication in 2003 of her groundbreaking book on transitioning entitled, She’s Not There. For years, Boylan was a columnist for the New York Times; more recently, she co-authored an excellent novel with Jodi Picoult. That is Mad Honeyreleased in 2022.
Her new book, the cleverly titled Cleavage, is a series of reflections on both parts of her life, before transition as a boy and man, and later as her current female self. Boylan relates anecdotes about incidents with her father, her mother’s loving acceptance of her as Jennifer not Jim, and a series of adolescent friendships with guys Jim hung out with and some she knew later as a woman.
She also riffs on how she was treated differently as a female, as for example, no longer being seen as an authority figure in the classroom. Unusual as it might seem, Boylan and her wife Deedie remain happily married to each other. They have two adult children, and Boylan recounts her angst and mixed feelings when their younger son came out to them and transitioned to female.
Boylan was a professor at Colby College for 25 years and then became a writer-in-residence at Barnard. She has given many lectures over the years, both in and out of the classroom, so quotes from literature and philosophy are numerous. She has also written several other personal works (none of which I’ve read), and some material here feels cobbled together and occasionally like it doesn’t quite fit its chapter’s theme.
Overall, however, Boylan writes with warmth, wit, wisdom, and graphic candor coupled with an overarching love for her family and friends. She states that when she transitioned 25 years ago, she was mostly greeted with acceptance and felt comfortable. Would that the national mood today were the same! Recommended for readers wanting to know more about living in two genders. (~JWFarrington)
LOCAL FARE
Dinner at Saap
I have written before about Saap, Cary’s Laotian restaurant, but it’s worth mentioning again. Located on Walker Street behind the Cary Downtown Park, it offers a flavorful menu of both familiar and new Asian cuisine. The space is bright with large windows and a hardwood floor, and you can dine here at lunch or dinner.
Spring rolls (carolinas.eater.com)
This week the Chief Penguin and I started our dinner with an order of their delicious crispy spring rolls followed by pad lao, a noodle dish with tiger shrimp, for him and the red chicken curry with jasmine rice for me. My curry was excellent with just the right amount of heat. The portion was generous, and I brought some home for the next day’s lunch. We dined on the early side and the noise level was minimal; as it filled up, it became what many would consider too lively. Highly recommended!
