Gerald & Peter

with David Meredith on the deck at the end of their property

Peter with Julie Harris in Terence Rattigan's "In Praise of Love" (1974)

I attended the opening nites of 2 Jan Novak plays Gerald directd. "Czechs" (1979)  was done in Chicago.  Peter appeard in "Bohemian Heaven" (1980) off-Broadway.

with Gerald on Morris Rd. he wd often drive from NYC to Chicago & back & wd overnite in Kent.

those P'town summers

I've written before abt visiting Gerald Mast & Peter Burnell on the Cape. now I get to share a bit of that on David W. Dunlap's glorious site Building Provincetown. little by little Dunlap -- with the help of current & former residents -- is documenting the history of every building there. anyone who has spent any time there will delight in this site.

David Meredith took this picture of me with Peter & Gerald at 581 Commercial St.

the very last time I was a houseguest with them there I went out with both of them & David to see Wayland Flowers perform. now all 4 of them are dead. I feel old.

Jose Sarria (1923-2013)

when I attended a poetry reading during my recent trip to San Francisco there was something added. the gallery which hostd the reading was above the space that had been Black Cat Cafe. & certainly the aura of Sarria was there.

here is a picture I took of the legend when he was getting himself ready to grandmarshall the Palm Springs Pride Parade in nov 2010.

what a hoe

Rita's cleaning out her garage.  so she gave me this swell implement. it sure makes weeding easier.

here it is beside Dad's trowel & my fledgling hollyhocks.

rose of sharon

years ago I brought 3 of them from my parents'  & plantd them in my back yard.  they don't like the soil here.  one problem is the layer of caleche which prevents them from deep rooting.

2 have died.  the survivor looks rather bonsai-like because it doesn't grow.  but at least this year it's had more blossoms than ever.

nitemare

woke me around 3.  so I stood naked in my courtyard looking up at the meteor show.  it was less active than advertisd.  however I did see something new to me -- a cluster of stars shooting together.

my attempt to resume sleep faild. at first my stomach seemd to imitate the skies.  then my skin began to jump.  it was as if the heavens were in control.

sunrise rainbow

potluck

James Butler (who creatd the role of Fredrick Douglass in the 1985 opera) had one today at a nearby park. it was rich with laughter. I was happy to have been invitd.

Regina Resnik (1922-2013)

today's hike

Valles Caldera

John Grimes (1947-2013)

I met the timpanist when he performd a George Crumb piece on campus in the summer of 1973.  he was there as part of Blossom Festival School & returnd the following summer as well.

over the years he introduced me to composers Lee Hoiby & Daniel Pinkham (who dedicatd his 1974 piece "Liturgies" to John). I in turn introduced him to poet Ron Schreiber   my dear friend David Meredith & my cousin Regina Yando.

John visitd Santa Fe for the first time in the summer of 2005.  here we are together at Camel Rock:

when he returnd 2 years later we began looking at possible places for him to move to after retirement. here is a picture I took of John in Taos:

this past mar John performd Beethoven's 7th Symphony & got this review from the Boston Globe: The finale had some raucous outbursts, especially from timpanist John Grimes, who was the first to take a well-deserved solo bow at the end.

 I applaud a friend & musician as he takes his final bow.

for years

it was my belief that Shep Houghton was the only actor to have appeard in both of MGM's 1939 classics "Gone With the Wind" & "The Wizard of Oz."

if Houghton is still alive he'll be 100 next year.  he began his career as a child in silent films & appeard in small roles (often as a dancer) in countless hits. but he is not one of the 2 surviving Munchkins the press mentiond yesterday.

& in fact his Oz credit is suddenly gone from his IMDB credits.

also -- while factchecking this I discoverd that 96 year-old Dorothy Barrett who I met when the Munchkins got their star in front of Grauman's also had a bit in GWTW (altho IMDB fails to include that as well).

another Munchkin gone

Margaret Pellegrini (1923-2013)

I took this at the Hollywood Roosevelt before the Munchkins got a star on the Walk of Fame.

most sources claim only 2 actors who playd Munchkins remain alive.

dreamt

I was F. Scott Fitzgerald playing a sailor in a silent film

trying to grow a beard

searching for something else I discoverd this ancient photo of me as an undergrad:

in the past week

this blog got 66 hits from Latvia

before leaving

Regina shared this video. her husband Dr. John Mordes gave this '59 Olds to Jay Leno.

today's hike

Rio en Medio

Wilde & Whitman singing

a duet in jail.  like that?  how abt Whitman welcoming Wilde to heaven?  that's all part of the silliness of the new opera we saw last nite.

I really wantd to like Theodore Morrison's "Oscar."  sometimes his music is lovely.  but there are so many problems with the libretto.

for me the difficulties begin with the decision to make the role of Oscar Wilde in the range of a countertenor. that pegs the character immediately.  & for this listener it's tough going to spend 140 minutes with a piece whose lead is a countertenor.  it's simply hard on my ears.

I understand using Walt Whitman as a sort of narrator to frame the action but ultimately don't approve. 

then there are the cliches which end both acts.  the first turns the trial into an actual circus. but the major laugh is a stage full of angels welcoming Wilde to the afterlife.

on the plus side I did like the decision to make Bosie a non-singing dance role. perhaps some of his choreography was too much but the basic decision works.

opera week

Regina is here for her annual visit

one year ago

violent storm

woke me in middle of the nite.  when I got up I discoverd electricity went off abt 3:30.  another one set for this afternoon.

IMDB

look who's listd

Mary Leed (1930-2013)

I've learnd that Mary Leed died last month. I'm still in shock.

I've known Jake & Mary for 50 years. there are too many memories to record them all here.  the earliest were their legendary parties.  often they were for visiting poets -- such as Denise Levertov & James Dickey. & of course there were the famous G & Ts. in fact when they left Kent I got their gin & tonic glasses which are still in my kitchen.

here is a Guy Berard portrait of the couple:

for many Jake & Mary are best known for their acting in several of the films of Richard Myers.  my favorite is "Jungle Girl" (1984):

Jake took this of Mary with me in their backyard in Cambridge in 1997:

Mary kept her final illness private & there have been no obituaries publishd. but her life was important to me & I feel the need to share the grief of her passing.

Joseph O'Sickey (1918-2013)

Joe & Algesa askd me to come to their house just before leaving Kent for Santa Fe. each presentd me with a work of their art as farewell gifts.  here I am with Joe & his painting.

& here's an earlier picture of the pair at one of my gatherings on Morris Rd.  they're chatting with novelist Thrity Umrigar.

feeling like a daddy

before watering this morning I noticed that a cactus I brought back from Palm Springs is sprouting babies. so I had a look around & was delightd to see 2 tiny shoots coming from the batterd fig I recently brought from Culver City.

& of course in my front yard there's this lovely Crassulaceae (hens & chickens) from Elyria:

1981 poster

funny how memory works

Dave Roskos bought some issues of Intrepid & postd their covers on Facebook. that led me to look up the 1972 issue in which I appeard. for the first time in forever I read what I wrote abt the COSMEP conference in Buffalo.

there was a fleeting image of Kirby Congdon in "high black leather boots, motocycle jacket and silver chains." I record no conversation with him & if we did speak I no longer recall what we spoke abt. but that image of him came flooding back.

so I lookd Congdon up & found this striking portrait of him 2 years before we met.

now I'll have to read some of his poems.

Gail Factor (1942-2013)

I visitd her in her studio in Tesuque. & I'd see her around town.  but I didn't really know Gail Factor well. however I see this painting of hers in my livingroom every day & it continues to give me joy.

give "Big Joy" a boost

the film is nearing the end of its final Kickstarter campaign. it needs to be seen by more & more people.  you can help.

there can never be too much joy in the world...

Dad's belt

International Folk Art Market

West African Highlife Band

David McDaniel (1948-2013)

I just learnd that David died 2 weeks ago.

as so many I first knew him as one-third of the group Gotham  -- so important to me in the late '70s. I still hope someone does a documentary on this early openly gay group.



he was a beautiful man & sweet singer. as I type this I'm listening to Gotham's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" but my eyes are so full of tears I can't quite see the screen.

Kent Opera House (1889-1963)

Henry Halem postd this rare color photo on Facebook:

& here's a picture I took during the opera house's demolition:

justice Florida style

Tent Rocks

Frameline opening nite party

keep finding sweet reminders of my lovely San Francisco weekend.  here I am with "Big Joy" co-director Stephen Silha:

batterd fig

at the bottom of this picture in Billy's backyard you'll see a young fig tree:

he carefully boxd it for the flight to NM. I had it in the courtyard off my bedroom when the Hailstorm of '13 struck.  by the time I was able to rescue it the poor thing had lost a leaf. here it is in the kitchen sink with other rescue plants:

& this morning I transplantd the little thing -- hoping that will inspire it to grow & prosper after its rude welcome to Santa Fe:

my first Kindle edition

Crisis Chronicles Press has just issued the revised illustratd edition of my 2009 chapbook Elyria exclusively via Kindle. go here for a preview & to order.

aftermath of the storm

woke to find some hail still there.  hundreds of leaves under apricot trees.  new lilac smashd.  baby hollyhocks gone. Dad's Japanese lanterns in shreds.

covering on my outdoor table is in tatters with some pock marks on the table.

Rita reports dead birds in her yard.  other neighbors had indoor flooding.

& the morning paper tells of a woman who died in an arroyo.

damaging hail

Kidney via Beckett

& if you don't know the Numbers Band
look 'em up

Gildzen holdings at Kent State

books

mss

dessert & folk art

Billy buying donuts

me eating them

& the art that came with them

spent

the week of the 4th in Culver City with Billy

& Emma . . .

Billy took this in the lush space between house & fence on his property line:

City Lights 60th birthday party

I discoverd this online.  once again I found my bald head in the crowd.