Studio Ruthe

Getting back to normal

Thanks to all of you who left comments and sent emails. I'm doing just fine--getting back to my normal routine. According to my doctor the only thing I shouldn't do is raise my right arm over the shoulder--not so easy as it sounds, but doable. Doesn't want me to drive yet; Robin is chauffeuring me around. She's been wonderful, doing everything she can with much love. Daughters are good, that one, anyway.

If the blog looks strange to you, it's because Typepad has given me some extra features. There is only a fine line between features and bugs. My discussion with them is ongoing. Sometimes one ought to leave well enough alone.

Did you catch the item on the news about the latest crane that fell in NYC? It's 2 blocks from Renee's apartment. We decided when we first saw it to avoid that corner. It looked risky even to us non-engineering types.

There is construction everywhere you turn in NYC. Here are some pictures of work on the Second Ave. Subway, just down the street from us.









Whatever the truck is hauling is part of the subway construction, although I certainly couldn't tell you what it was. Caused a huge traffic tieup as he kept jockeying for position.



One of my favorite things in NYC is a street fair. I've been to so many they've actually gotten a little boring. I keep going for those Mozzarrepas--a round corn arrepa sliced horizontally in the center with mozzarella cheese between the slices, then grilled until the cheese melts. It's obviously another thing I shouldn't eat, but I only get it once or twice a year. Here is a slide show of street fair pics.

Birthday day

Up at 7:30. Lazy day. 8 am, Julia calls--make plans--meet at Union Square. 8:15 am, Julia calls--not Union Square 3rd Ave, NW corner. 8:30 am, Julia calls--forgot Happy Birthday.
9 am, Carol calls, sings traditional family happy birthday. Very nice.
10:15, argue with myself about doing leg exercises. Finally do exercises.
11:30, shower and dress.
12: 30, leave apartment. Beautiful day, bright sunshine, cool breeze. Woman walking next to me asks, do I think we'll miss the construction fences from the Second Avenue Subway? She misses scaffolding when it comes down. Miss 3 buses. wait--wait--wait. Bus comes. Wheelchair goes in first. 20-30 people wait at each stop. Very slow bus--no hurry--fun people watching: mother and young girl with violin case; woman with huge thighs, makes me feel sylph-like; elder woman (like me) with 80's elegance (not like me)--gold rings, bracelets, large gold earrings, perfect large white-blond hair, makeup, white pants, navy-blue blazer with gold buttons, bright color print blouse. Tall elder man, head almost touches bus ceiling, waistline at my eye level. Another tall elder man, much shorter legs.
2 pm. Get off bus, walk to 1st Ave. to Theater for the New City festival. Very old building, interesting paintings on walls. Street fair on 10th St. Lots of old stuff for sale; more like antiques fair, but not antiques. No lunch yet. Find Tasti-D-lite on 3rd Ave. get small chocolate. Walk toward 14th St. Enter Trader Joe's. Julia calls. Keep meeting plan.
3 pm. Meet Julia. walk through 3rd Ave. street fair. Not very crowded. NYC empties out on holidays. Only tourist places are really busy, although Trader Joes was mobbed. Sit in Peter Cooper Park; continue talking. Watch homeless man sleeping on bench, another homeless man with shopping cart, couple making out, other couples eating, kid with toy sword running around, small altercation between young man who ran away. Peace prevailed. Typical New York.
4:30. subway to theater district. Renaissance Hotel to use facilities. Most beautiful wash basin ever. Picture to come. Walked slowly to restaurant for long dinner, mostly talk. Haven't seen Julia for a year. Never run out of talk.
7:30 Producers Club Crowne Theater. The elegant name makes up for the theater. early, of course. Nice sofa. Audience gathered. Actor delayed by subway. beTwixt, beTween, beTwain started late. Cute, but too long. Leave at intermission. Never feel need to tough it out.
10 pm. Thank you Julia. Subway home, lovely day.

A good week (and today is my birthday)

I've been too busy or too tired to continue writing all week. Spent most of my time with friends, and a few art shows during and in between. Wednesday morning I met Ellen at the natural history museum. We did a lot of talking, since I haven't seen her for about a year, and we saw the new exhibit about the horse. Thursday was a full day with Phyllis. First lunch at her place, a wonderful apartment on the West Side, then up to the botanic garden. Darwin's garden was fabulous; all of the colors and shapes were overwhelmingly gorgeous. We also saw a little of the Moore exhibit, but ran out of time and couldn't stay to see all of it. It's another reason to return to New York.

Back on the West Side, we returned the car to the garage, rested for half an hour, then went to dinner at a charming Japanese restaurant. New York is filled with sushi places, but this one was special, at 92nd and Amsterdam. After that a concert at Carnegie Hall with James Levine and the Met Orchestra. The first piece was by Elliott Carter, 100 years old and in the audience to take a bow. I guess being 100 is OK if you can be in such good shape and get that kind of recognition.

Friday I had coffee with Rose, lunch with Jean and dinner with C--a very rewarding day. Saw Mary Cassatt prints and drawings with Jean then went to the Japan Society before dinner. I often have mixed feelings about lacquer, but I loved most of this work by Zeshin. Along with wonderful boxes and trays they showed paintings he did with lacquer. Amazing stuff!

Met Tuesday

I can't believe I was actually in New York six days before I got to the Met. I saw the blockbuster, Courbet, when I was here last month. This time, walking toward the newly installed Oceania wing, I noticed the newest Costume Institute show, "Superheroes, Fashion and Fantasy," was relatively empty, so I walked in there first. These installations are often weird; this one certainly was. While I loved comic books, Superman and Wonderwoman, when I was a kid, I wasn't too keen on this show. Some of the fashions were intriguing; nothing you'd wear on the street.

I really enjoyed the new installation of material from New Guinea. Robin and Steve were there in the 1980's and I was able to go and visit them. I brought back a number of pieces from the Sepik River, some of which I'd like to sell. So I look at these museum exhibits with two ideas in mind: just enjoying them and how do they relate to what I own. I was told originally that the pieces had to be much older to have real value. The Met has many pieces dated to the 1970's. Can I be far behind?

After a quiet lunch I went to China, Japan, India and Korea. Those are the best galleries because they are usually quiet, not the crowded mess found in the more popular galleries.

I left the museum about 1 pm and went to the bus stop at 84th and Fifth Ave. After standing about 10 minutes I noticed there was no traffic emerging for the Park and on to 84th St. Even though I was tired and my feet hurt, I started walking; it's much easier than standing. Only after I got back near the apartment and made some purchases in a nearby deli, did the first bus show up. I'm glad I didn't wait.

In the evening I went to dinner in New Rochelle with friends and made a new friend: a woman who is going to Japan next October and wanted to hear about my trip. She's a lovely lady and I had a great time. I brought my book for show and tell. It's a great way to tell people about the trip

My New York Monday

Not prose, not a poem--just random jottings

A noisy place, my New York. Bright sunshine this morning, with thunder--or was that construction noise. Workmen in the hall, outside my door: hammering, talking, tools dropping. Building being renovated.

Walk outside--jack hammer, generator. Walk through the projects--street quiet--six buses hanging out. 3 cats in ASPCA window. If I look too long, one of them might be mine.

Got on the bus. Old man with walker--doesn't want special lift--climbs stairs like a mountain. I understand.

Subway to Bowling Green: Custom House, George Gustav Heye Center, National Museum of the American Indian. One of my favorite places in NYC. Beautiful pieces--headless figures like Yinka Shonibare. Is there some meaning in headlessness? More reading, like NMAI in DC--too low--too small--too dark.

Walk down Broadway. Big crowd on the traffic island with the Wall Street bull. Greeks commemorating the Pontic Massacre in the early 20th Century.

Trinity Church: sculpture of tree roots in the courtyard.

Walking to Century 21 Department Store. Looks like storm coming. Happy to get inside, but very crowded. Julia called while I was trying on sneakers. Couldn't talk, keep my seat, watch shoes I want to buy and old shoes I wore. Buy 2 pair, one pink and purple. Feet hurt.

More wind, a few raindrops--just spitting like Pittsburgh rain. Stopped at J&R Music and Computers. Saw Fujitsu, a tiny notebook at twice the price of the ASUS. Will probably buy the ASUS before I go to China. Getting hungry.

Walk under Brooklyn Bridge toward Chinatown, on East Broadway. Not familiar with street--too many people--need food--need to sit down. Turn on Division where I've been with Shirley Sun. Found buffet restaurant: 4 choices from enormous buffet plus rice: $4.50. Tofu, green beans, noodles, sesame chicken.

Crossed street to bakery: melon cake and lemon tea. Figaro cat loved melon cake from Chinatown in Chicago. Don't know if he loved melon or crust part best. Sitting again. Bakery got very busy. Old woman sitting near me got up and quickly took a tart from behind the counter. I think she stole it.

Walked down Canal St. to the subway. One block of shops locked up by government order. Must have been knock-off headquarters. Back to apartment. Still working in the hall. Happy to sit again. Photos next week.

Another trip

San Francisco wasn't enough for me. I stayed home long enough to do my laundry, look at the mail and get a haircut. Yesterday morning I boarded the train for New York. It's a long trip, longer than driving, much longer than flying, assuming the flight is uneventful. The great part is that you leave and arrive in the middle of the city. I had a good book, some of the scenery is interesting and I could get up and walk around.

Renee is leaving for Spain on Saturday, so I get to stay here and watch the apartment until May 27. I've contacted most of my friends and made arrangements to see them, and I never get enough of the museums. Also, just found out there will be a show of Henry Moore sculpture at the botanic garden beginning on my birthday--a great present.

I've already been out for a walk and some shopping. One of the interesting things about New York is that things leave and new things take their place. There is now an eyebrow threading store on Second Ave. Look for that to be the next big thing--after you have your nails decorated you can go down the street and have your eyebrows threaded. In my mind, needle always goes with thread so I find the idea of threading my eyebrows disturbing, to say the least.

Pictures from New York

From the family seder:

Steve (right) and brother, Michael


Steve and Charna


Seder table, celebrating spring


Michael couldn't wait to eat


The Pope's motorcade going up to Yonkers for a rally. I've never seen the FDR empty like that, although Renee says it happens fairly often for dignitaries coming into the city.


Rooftops from Renee's window. There is a woman sunbathing on the dark roof on the left.


Fashion statement: one way to keep track of the kids.


There seemed to be an epidemic of these prison stripes.


The Japanese garden at the botanic garden in Brooklyn


Tortoise rocks in the garden


One of the wonderful cherry trees. Everything was blooming.


Yellow magnolia. Amazing tree

Last post from New York

Tomorrow morning I board the train for Pittsburgh. If it's not as bad as the last time I rode Amtrak 2-1/2 years ago, I might even do it again.

I wouldn't want you to think I spent five days in New York without going to an art exhibit, my entertainment of choice. On Sunday, before I went to New Jersey for the seder, Renee and I went to the Asia Society where we saw wonderful Japanese prints. Yesterday we went to the Met and saw the Courbet. He was the penultimate avant garde artist of his time, but it's a little hard to think of him that way. Everything has been so much more avant in recent years, unless you understand what came before, he seems a little dull. I really loved his self portraits, especially the one on the show poster. Maybe I'll do some of my own: Fat Old Artist with piano, or Fat Old Artist with White Dog. (I don't know any black ones.)

Today we went to Brooklyn, first to the botanic garden to see the cherry blossoms, magnolias and the wonderful Japanese garden. It was a perfect day, warm, sunny with a great breeze. Renee is a great companion in a garden; she knows so much about plants.

The Brooklyn Museum is next to the garden and was our next stop. The featured exhibit was by Murakami, a contemporary Japanese artist, but the exhibit I liked best was more Japanese prints. I think I can never see enough of them. This exhibit had prints I've never seen before--a great treat.

I won't get home until late tomorrow; the train crawls--for 10-1/2 hours. (It's only 7 hours driving.) I'll try to post pictures on Friday.

Passover

We had a great seder last night, and I'm looking forward to another great, but longer, one tonight. Steve did the honors, making sure everyone participated; we got through most of the Haggadah, learned some things, had a few laughs. Pictures when I get home.

This was nothing like the seders of my childhood. They were always somber and more than a little agonizing. Truth to tell, everything about Judaism was like that when I was a child. Between the war (WWII), antisemitism and my father's paranoia about antisemitism, it was not a fun scene. My grandmother, who lived with us, sat at the head of the table, usurping my father's place, although I never heard him complain. She and my father would race through the readings in the Haggadah, entirely in Hebrew or Aramaic, their Austrian accents making them sound like they had stones in their mouths. I would follow, reading the English translation, which was stilted and not altogether intelligible to me.

My mother, whose only interest was cooking would sit there asking when she could start serving the food. There is a lot of reading and discussion before you get to eat.

The Haggadah, in addition to praising God, is primarily a discussion about how to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. In fact, the Exodus plays only a small part in the story, the recounting of the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. It is almost as though everyone knew the story so well they didn't have to repeat it in the Haggadah. Moses and Aaron get short shrift, as does Joseph and how the Israelites got to Egypt.

Unlike my childhood seders, in which I had almost no part except to sit quietly and behave, Steve had all of us reading, mostly in English, and discussing what was written, what was omitted, and what it means for us today. Good job. We had a great dinner; Renee's matzoh balls are easily as good as my mother's; we finished reading and singing the songs about 10 pm and had time to visit for a while.

All of this was punctuated by the sirens from the Pope's motorcade as he went up the FDR to a youth rally in Yonkers and returned to Manhattan. I have some pictures of that, also.

Photos from New York

View from a window at MOMA

Bergdorf Goodman windows. I love all the reflections.

Fifth Avenue street musician, getting wonderful sounds from old household objects.

Joshua Nelson performing kosher gospel music.

A member of the choir. There was no way I could do justice to her with a still photo.

Looking west on Canal Street. Chinese Christmas.

Origami Christmas tree at the Natural History Museum.

Rockefeller Center, about 4 pm.