I am drawn to the opening of Beyond the Horizon, landscapes by Ashby Carlisle and Rick Silberberg, because it is being held in a building designed by Sol LeWitt, whose work I’d seen recently at Mass MoCA. Once inside The Main Street Gallery in Chester, I am impressed by the crowds and enthusiastic response to the artists. I overhear one woman say to another, “Look at this trio of paintings, reasonably priced. You could get the group of them.” Although the price list is above my means, as I walk around, I am tempted.
At the reception, there is the requisite wine, cheese/crackers, dips, and jazz duo. Carlisle’s work calls to me; the nature scenes are simple upon initial view but more complex as I scrutinize them. Paper collage, wire, soldered or rolled paper buds; suggestion of movement, weather, pain or joy. Pastels suggesting sunsets or rises, water, sky. Cleverly disguised wire holders that merge into the piece to provide horizons, the edge between land and water or water and air. Paper bits with words or letters or perhaps even computer code, only discernable upon close inspection.
I overhear a conversation among three women about aging wisely, and join in. One well-dressed woman explains she’s part of a discussion group using the book by Rabbi Rachel Cowan and Dr. Linda Thal. She and I chat; she’s just celebrated her 82nd birthday and I congratulate her. She’s here as a friend of Silberberg and owns one of his pieces but would like to meet Carlisle. I introduce them, although I’ve never met Ashby before (I recognize her from the pre-event publicity). Ashby and I continue talking as our octogenarian moves on. Turns out her husband is one of the musicians; she’s moved her studio to New London, my home town, so I sense our connection growing.
I hear my name and a friend has arrived so I mingle; turns out Diane has sung with one of the musicians and I tell her that’s Ashby’s husband, which she didn’t realize. Here we are, making lovely, connecting loops between my worlds. I do love how life flows when we let it!
This show continues through January 26, 2018, Monday through Friday, 10am-3pm. The Main Street Gallery, 55 East Kings Highway, Chester, CT
A highlight of the visit is James Turrell’s Perfectly Clear. We are part of a timed entrance into this space, where the docent explains that the back wall appears to continue on, but actually is alarmed on its edges because there is a five-foot drop. With special paint enhancing the experience of light, this exhibit requires us to don protective clothing. (Small aside: 
I am so overwhelmed with the instructions and light that I quickly slide the provided blue covering on my head, only to be gently corrected by the docent that these are for my shoes. Oops.) We enter the exhibit and it feels foggy, entrenched in thick air and I look at my hands to confirm they still are visible – it is so convincing. As the light show continues, when I close my eyes, I see the complementary colors. A very fascinating experience.
We are invited to join him and Harry on their travels in the southern portion of the park, which will extend our hike significantly and we agree. We head off on more obscure trails that wind through glacial erratics and above water-filled gorges. We talk of their trip to New Zealand waterfalls and our guide shares photos from his phone. Harry’s love for water. How dogs keep us fit. Our hiking plans when we finish Friendly’s. Harry and his owner leave us at the southern tip of the park and Cherry and I meander back towards my car.
Cherry shares with me, and our waitress, her conversations with the Cromwell Friendly’s manager about celebrating the end of our Connecticut Friendly’s tour in the spring… only three more to go! Wow, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Through my intuitive sense of direction (strongly lacking in Cherry, she always says), we find the Vernon Rails-to-Trails crossing on Taylor Street. We park on a nearby side street and head north. We both are surprised by the beauty of the surroundings. And the weather is holding; “I won’t say the “R” word,” Cherry declares.
We see families with bicycle and other walkers, especially near the parking area. Here, we encounter a Reading Trail, something I’d not heard of but Cherry knew. For National Trails Day, the Vernon Park & Rec Department partnered with a local bookstore to establish a mile-long Reading Trail, where Curious George Makes Pancakes is parsed out, page by page. I think of my grandson’s love of George and how this would inspire children to walk!
I try to convince Cherry to be Queen of Friendly’s for a day, but she leaves the crown at the register. And as we drive home, we laugh about the silent “R” word – it was perfect weather! We are chugging through the remaining Connecticut options; according to my notes, we only have six more to go!
Recently, the Hartford Public Library sponsored a screening of and discussion with director Samantha Farinella. This award-winning documentary highlights the lives of Tlingit veterans from Hoonah, a small fishing village in Alaska. Their entire male high school graduating class went off to Vietnam, all but one returned, but their lives were changed forever. Many began drinking heavily, experienced emotional and physical illnesses, and found their way of life challenged by changes in fishing regulations and influx of logging industries from the lower United States.
Moving and compelling, parts of the film was difficult to watch, as there is authentic footage showing carnage and the realities of war. I had to look away at times, but continually behind the footage were the voices of the Native American veterans and their story. And the intensity was relaxed through the use of an animated folk story that was relevant and instructive in the ways of the native people. The veterans would describe, “You’re smiling on the outside but you’re cold on the inside” and then the animated folk story of the beginning of their people would intervene: Their father the Sun sent five boys and one girl down in a basket. “Pull the strings if you’re scared,” said the Sun.
28 June 2017
It doesn’t take us long to reach the junction with the blue Pomperaug Trail and then its junction with the Crest Trail. I am on the look for skinks, a type of lizard, and the only one found in Connecticut. I think the crest habitat might be a possible place for them, so we decide to walk along there first. As we reach an open area, we notice gypsy moth caterpillars hanging from trunks in abundance. “Those head down are dead from the fungus,” I say, having just researched the topic. We look more closely at one of the trunks and see dozens, maybe a hundred pupae! I grab a stick and scrape scores of them off, only realizing I should have photographed them before doing that.
And then I remember 
Beth Lapin 