Tanglewood: The Color of Music

At least once during the summer,  I select a Tanglewood concert to attend in Western Massachusetts.

The K&L Tours bus picks up guests from Park Street in downtown Boston.  After a pleasant three hour trip – with a rest stop on the way there – the bus arrives at Tanglewood, the music center and summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Tanglewood’s Shed 8.6.2017

The price of your ticket includes a seat in the “Shed” to hear a concert and the round trip there and back.  If you travel on your own steam, you can purchase inexpensive lawn tickets and picnic before and during the concert.

The Tanglewood grounds are lovely with walking paths and grottoes, benches, views of the Berkshire Hills, exhibits in the Visitor’s Center and Manor House and, gorgeous stretches of lawn with pockets of flowers.

Berkshire Hills from Tanglewood 8.6.2017

I attended a sold-out Tanglewood concert this past summer where Yo-Yo Ma was the star performer.  He is one of my favorite musicians.

When I listen to and watch Yo-Yo Ma play, an extraordinary thing happens:  I see colors emanating from his cello like streamers in the wind or colorful kite tails wafting over the audience.

Tanglewood Grounds 8.6.2017

This mostly happens when I attend live performances with certain musicians.  It is as if the musicians are coaxing their instruments to sing rather than the musician actually playing them.

 

Origami Cello 9.24.2017

When I was a child, I experienced this music-color phenomena far more frequently than I do now as an adult.

I thought everyone saw colors when listening to music and was surprised to find out it was not the case.

Perhaps, I imagined, those musicians who produced these colors had tapped into an extraordinary dimension where they effortlessly and magically animated their instruments which then played and created the streams of colors.

I could not find a Cello design to fold this morning so opted to modify a Dollar-Bill Origami Guitar model to make it look like a Cello.

Wish there were more Origami musical instrument models to fold.

 

Day tripping to Provincetown, Massachusetts

“Four foot waves and rough seas.”  That’s what I read on a sign at the Provincetown Fast Ferry ticket booth in Boston’s Seaport District.

The warning did not deter me as I grabbed my ticket and raced to the boat in the rain.

The 90-minute ferry ride on turbulent seas left many fellow passengers looking ashen.  Some fled to the head with upset stomachs.

Pilgrim Monument 9.1.2017

Our captain advised us to remain seated due to the extreme up and down motion of the boat.  As a safety precaution, no one was permitted on the deck.

Usually, it is a delightful ferry ride from Boston to the tip of Cape Cod.  This trip, I  felt quite unsettled until we arrived at our destination.  Thank goodness, the rain stopped and sun eventually came out.

P-town, as Provincetown is referred to by tourists, is a gorgeous locale full of art galleries, shops, great restaurants, bike trails, and beautiful beaches.

There is so much to see including a public library with a large boat on the second floor, the granite Pilgrim Monument standing some 252 feet tall, the historical Provincetown Museum and the Provincetown Art Museum.

Suzanne’s Garden 9.1.2017

Suzanne’s Garden – a small public garden on the quieter Historic East side of Provincetown on Commercial Street – was the perfect place to sit and eat my packed lunch.  Butterflies circled me and wild flowers were still blooming.

Beach Kayaks 9.1.2017

It was too cold to swim, so I viewed the latest exhibits at the Provincetown Art Museum and walked along the picturesque, narrow streets admiring the manicured Cape Cod homes and gardens.

Pagoda 9.23.2017

Then, I buried my feet in the warm sand and walked back along the beach to the dock.

Indeed, a lovely day trip and a smoother ferry ride back to Boston.

The only Origami design I thought of folding for this blog entry was a Pagoda.

I suppose the shape of the Pilgrim Monument influenced the modular model selection.

The diagram is found on a website and requires multiple folded squares.

Each square is folded then slid one on top of the other to form the Pagoda.

Summer Balance and Yin-Yang

Summer has gone.  Can’t believe it.  Attending the New York OrigamiUSA Conference was in the plans for my vacation but it was not to be.

I ended up with a staycation — you know…vacation at home ordering one’s life and resting along with a few day trips.

Yin-Yang  9.20.2017

Suppose it wasn’t that bad as it indeed restored some balance in my life.

This morning, on the commuter train, I folded the Yin-Yang symbol – clearly NOT one of my best attempts – from a sheet of black and white paper.

The instructions for this 18-step design were featured in OrigamiUSA’s “The Paper” (Summer 2017), pp.12-13. The design and diagrams are by Daniela Carboni.

 

Martha’s Vineyard Cycling Day Trip

Bikes on the Beach 8.12.2017

Martha’s Vineyard is a gorgeous island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the perfect place for a cycling day trip.

For some time, I had wanted to cycle the twelve-mile-round-trip on the ocean bike path from MV’s Oak Bluffs to Edgartown.

Beach Brush 8.12.2017

Cloudy skies and drizzle could not deter me from this day trip.

I rented a bike at Oak Bluffs close to where Falmouth’s Island Queen ferry docked.

The cheerful shop owners provided me with a bike, helmet, basket, lock and map for a modest sum.

The cool, salty air rushed through my lungs as I peddled through the light rain admiring the sea on one side of the bike path and salt marshes on the other side.

I listened to the ocean waves, sea gulls, wind through the beach brush and splashing of my tire wheels through puddles.

A few brave souls were sailing and additional boats dotted the horizon.

Chappy Ferry 8.12.2017

The fabulous ride took me to Edgartown’s Chappy ferry and wooden pier.

I relished my homemade sandwich under the pier while watching cars on the small, flat boat being ferried back and forth across the small harbor to Cappaquiddick Island.

The rain finally ceased and I headed back on my bike to Oak Bluffs,  stopping to take photos along the way.

There was just enough time to window shop before boarding the Island Queen to return to Falmouth.

I smiled on the ferry recalling that Jaws, the shark-horror-cult-film was made on MV.  Later, I folded an Origami shark.

Origami Shark 9.9.2017