Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Preservation Hall, Faulkner House Books, Music, People, NOLA

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Let me start off by saying that last night’s performance at Preservation Hall was something I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. I’ve always wanted to go there and the chance to listen to these seasoned (and often hilarious) musicians play the jazz that originated in New Orleans was a dream come true. I got in line early for the 10:00 show and then Don met me there as soon as his show finished. It’s a small room, an intimate space in which to hear music.

It was a shared experience: the audience, the musicians, and the energy of the room with all its history. I’ve had a couple of musical experiences here in New Orleans that brought me to tears. This was one of them. If I did nothing else for the rest of the week, I would be just fine. This was everything to me.

The doors/shutters on the outside of Preservation Hall. Gorgeous. The Preservation Hall All Stars were simply brilliant. I got to shake their hands afterward.

Blessed, I am. Blessed.

More glass flowers sighted as I walked around the French Quarter. I went back to that little green cottage and an artist who happens to use the front room for his studio happened to be there and we had a nice chat. He rents that space. The longtime owners of the house had to relocate to Houston after Katrina and now are thinking of selling the cottage. He also gave me the card for the artists that created the glass flowers. I may have to contact them.

I love, almost more than anything, the conversations I have with people I run into. The young woman standing next to me in line last night was here with two of her friends – they’re from Canada – and she said that she was the one who insisted on coming to Preservation Hall. They also took part in the Halloween Parade the night before. Lovely woman.

I also stopped by Lucullus, a shop I have known about for years. They carry china and old copper pans and all sorts of  vintage French cooking/kitchen items. It’s far too expensive for me, but I wanted to drink it in. I ended up having a wonderful chat with the proprietor.

And I made a second stop at Faulkner House Books, which is now my favorite – ever – bookshop. It’s small. It’s impeccably curated (and you know I don’t use that overused word very often.) It’s gorgeous inside. This shop is in a building that William Faulkner lived in at one time. In fact, he wrote his first novel there. I bought a few books the first time I discovered the shop and I couldn’t wait to go back there. I could go there every day this week and I just may do that.

This time the owner was there – a courtly gentleman who bought the building with his wife 28 years ago. As he said, they don’t have a lot of space, so they pick and choose wisely. It’s filled with fiction and non-fiction and New Orleans history and poetry and current events and biography. Let’s put it this way: if I lived nearby, I would be doing some damage to my bank account daily. Because what they do, in addition to choosing interesting books, is carry special editions of books that you can’t find in a big box store. You might be able to find them on Amazon but you’d have to know about them. I found myself wanting to buy books that I already had simply because the editions were so beautiful. You want to hold them in your hand. You want to savor every detail.

The shelves were made by a cabinet maker from cypress, I think it was, that is incredibly strong and impervious to moisture. They are stunning and they have little reading/writing surfaces that pull out – sort of like a breadboard in an old-fashioned kitchen.

There are autographed photos and bits of writing by some famous authors on the walls.

Tennessee Williams.

A testy George Bernard Shaw. (I love everything about that man.)

There’s also a signed photo of Hemingway and of Harper Lee. And more.

The Wodehouse editions were gorgeous and I bought one for Don. He is a huge Wodehouse fan.

I went back to buy this 100th anniversary edition of  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is so beautifully done, with gold end papers and beautiful illustrations.

I could go on and on about this shop. Let’s face it – I could live there. Discovering this shop and hearing the Preservation Hall All Stars is all I need. Not surprising is it? Music and books. That’s the way it’s always been for me.

More tomorrow. Today is Don’s day off and we don’t know what we’re doing yet but we’ll have fun.

Happy Monday.

 

 

Wood and Strings: The Luthier’s Showcase

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Yesterday, we went to the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase and it was simply incredible. This is a yearly event in which luthiers (makers of handmade guitars, mandolins, banjos, dulcimers and fiddles) can showcase their creations. There are also performances on the stage all day long, with musicians playing the instruments so the audience can hear how they sound. Along with that, there are workshops by renowned musicians.

It was held in three different buildings in Bearsville, which is really part of Woodstock. It’s a historic area (Don has played there before) where musicians have played for years, including Bob Dylan and Levon Helm. The building next door was the house of legendary manager and producer Albert Grossman. The Bearsville Theater, which was the main venue for this showcase, was Grossman’s idea, finally opened after years of construction by Grossman’s widow. Grossman, by the way, was a visionary, with a stable of artists that included Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary, Janis Joplin, The Band, and Todd Rundgren. In fact, the other building – Utopia – was originally Rundgren’s video studio.

That’s some of the history surrounding this complex of buildings.

Here are some photos:

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The rainy road to Woodstock.

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Right inside the entrance.

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This is a guitar made by Rodrigo Shopis, who lives in NYC. He is inspired by the music and guitars of the legendary Django Reinhart.

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Rodrigo and yours truly.

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Don playing a guitar made by Rick of Running Dog Guitars, based in Seattle. I fell in love with these beauties and we had the opportunity to listen to a demonstration of their beautiful sound later in the day.

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I’m sure you understand why I fell in love with this one. If I could have this, I’d take up the guitar – I promise!

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Lame Horse guitars – a father/son enterprise (Chris and Jeremiah Jenkins) out of Austin and Dallas. Jeremiah has a pin on his lapel that is almost exactly the same as a vintage pin I own.

We bonded, of course.

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I particularly loved the handmade guitars of Sam Guidry, who lives in Michigan. Of course, I’m more drawn to the artistic embellishments. Don, while appreciating all of that, is also drawn to the sound and how it feels to play each instrument. This guitar had this lovely design around the hole.

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Same guitar, sides and back. Gorgeous.

Sam also made my favorite of the day:

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This one, inspired by the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. The back of the guitar, though I don’t seem to have a photo of it, subtly repeated the design.

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Don and Sam.

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Don absolutely loved playing this guitar, made by Benoît Lavoie, who lives and works in Quebec. Ben was passionate about his work and such fun to talk to.

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Don holding the guitar right after playing it. He looks happy, doesn’t he?

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He also loved this guitar made by Nick Lenski of Brier Road Guitars in North Adams, MA.

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Check out the back of the guitar. I can’t believe how beautiful these instruments are!

And finally, I fell in love with the work of Zach Lefebvre of TreeHouse Guitars in Ontario, Canada.

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The bird, the branches, all done by Zach.

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And on the back. Be still my heart. Really…I’ll learn to play! Please, pretty please?

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Don and Zach.

This is a three-day event, and I can see why. It’s truly amazing and full of such incredible talent and artistry. Don had long conversations with so many of the artisans, often trying our their guitars.

I checked in with him this morning. His favorite: the one made by Benoît. Next favorite: the one made by Nick.

Of course, these guitars take time to make. Everything is handmade by each individual artisan. So they often cost several thousand dollars. Gulp. But it’s all relative. So does a good piano. And if you’re a musician and you fall in love with a guitar, one that no one else will have, made just for you? You find a way to make that dream come true.

I really loved the show and we will definitely be going next year, as well.

And hurrah for the Cubs! Watching that game was a great way to end the day!

Happy Sunday.

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Reading, Routine & Blogging

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Early morning cottage.

I’m sitting at my desk, listening to some Diana Krall via my bluetooth speaker. Very nice, indeed.

Gosh, my friends, there’s not much to share with you. Sometimes, I wake up and think “Well, yesterday was routine, nothing really new, what the heck am I going to blog about??” Of course, there’s a comfort in routine. Nothing out of order, nothing earth-shattering. But, it doesn’t always make for an exciting blog post.

I’ve been reading a lot. I finished Pretty Girls  by Karin Slaughter this morning. When you look up ‘page-turner’ in the dictionary, there should be a picture of this book.  Slaughter is an incredible writer and I’ve read everything she’s written. Somehow, I missed this one, but I ordered it from the library and oh my heavens! Dark, disturbing, unbelievably well-plotted, with Slaughter ratcheting up the suspense until it almost became unbearable. Actually, I need to correct that. It did become unbearable and I would have to put the book down for a few moment to collect myself. Get more coffee. Open the blinds. Anything to slow down my heartbeat. Excellent, excellent read. But not, my friends, for those of you who have a weak stomach for this sort of thing.

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Early morning yard.

Yesterday, I drove to the bookstore (B & N) because I wanted to browse a little. My new trick? I walk around and pull the books I’m interested in from the shelves, sit down and browse through them. This doesn’t work for novels, of course, but I had a copy of In the Company of Women  by Grace Bonney (of Design Sponge), in my hands. It’s just come out. It’s priced at $35, which I was quite hesitant about spending. So I browsed through the whole book, treating it very, very gently, and got an idea of the look of the book and the photography. It’s lovely and Grace has done a beautiful job, but I found that just doing that was enough for me. I put it back on the shelf, saved $35, and all was well.

I was quite proud of myself because I am a bookaholic, you know.

I’m also reserving several books from my local library system that I want to read but don’t want to buy. I just picked up two more. Huzzah! I’m in a stretch where I don’t have any review books that I absolutely have to read at the moment, so I am treating myself to reading for the sheer pleasure of it.

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See? I’ve somehow written a blog post, when I thought I had nothing to say!

My first grade teacher would laugh at that. On a note home to my mother, she said, “Claudia is the only student I have had in all my years of teaching who, when I look at her and tell her to stop talking, simply looks the other way and keeps on talking.” Miss Brown was a formidable and strict teacher used to her students towing the line, so I imagine I threw her for a loop. I must take a moment to thank her for being relentless about learning to read and spell. She certainly contributed to my love of reading and to my 6th grade spelling bee win.

The winner of a copy of Echoes of Family  is Nancy. Nancy, I’ve sent you an email. Send me your mailing address. Congratulations!

Happy Thursday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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