The crazy road trip: Boston-VT-NYC with poets, actors, percussionists, trombones and 1 string quartet

Just back. 10 days on the road. My first ever "tour" experience -- and it wasn't my tour, but my husband's. I was going along for the ride -- literally. 

It was crazy, and fun, and the performances (what my husband was a part of) had lots of sensory experiences colliding all at once.There were poets reading T.S. Elliot. There were actors who were using their voices in ways I've heard only in France at the Roy Hart Center which does "extended" voice work. It's amazing to hear, though sometimes quite jarring (in the best possible way). And then there were the musical quartets -- a string quartet, a trombone quartet and a percussion quartet. I'd never heard a trombone quartet (very mellow and as visually soothing as a lava lamp to see the slides shortening and lengthening) or a percussion quartet (they did a piece all on high-hat which made me want to jump up and do calisthentics). 

(By the way, the links above will take you to the musicians' home pages -- in case you want to hear more.)

Burlington Vermont is my kind of town -- truly. Love this place!And we got to go to Cambridge (love the Harvard Bookstore), Burlington Vermont (which is clearly my town -- where I'm meant to live the rest of my life with its bicycle bread delivery, the co-op and a library that checks out gardening tools as well as books) and NYC (where I found my dream bike and bought a pink Nutcase helmet). 

By the way, that was a long sentence that probably shouldn't have ever been written. I'm not sure it hangs together and if you survived it, dear reader, I salute you!

We travelled by sleeper car on Amtrak both ways (from Chicago to Boston, and from NYC back to Chicago). See photo above -- gives you a sense of the space. 

Now I'm really happy to be home, but I got to say that was a fun trip -- an adventure. 

Here's a Flickr slideshow. I didn't document everything like I usually do, but I got a few good ones from each location . . . (If you're on an ipad and you can't do flash, here's the link: http://www.flickr.com//photos/amy13/sets/72157628310886225/show/ )

Enjoy!

stamina

Gorgeous ripe tulips spotted in Floriole BakeryHi everyone --

How are you? I'm thinking about stamina. A friend of mine is making an album, spending a lot of time in the recording studio, and he said, "It's always more work than I imagine." He was talking about recording songs well. I'm sure he's still got to compile them, and then, of course, put them into a compelling package on itunes (or however musicians do it these days). AND this is after he's written these songs. And he's performed them, testing and tweaking them before an audience. Whew. 

It made me think about how many steps there are to making a book, an album -- maybe to making anything -- and how you need stamina over the long haul. 

Right now, I'm going at my book for a third time. I'm going back to my original opening (the one I thought I needed to lose turned out better than the one I wrote to replace it). I'm re-writing my ending because it no longer works for the new title, and my good readers (editor, agent, and even my husband) all said it was too long. I've got various threads to re-work through the book -- you tweak one thing in a novel and you've got changes rippling all the way through the book. It's a lot of detail work, and some days I think my years as a secretary were the most helpful in preparing me being a novelist. As a secretary I had to keep track of everybody's details -- just like this novel.   

This third time through the work re-writing is not as hard, but I am feeling it. I still like this book, which is a great blessing. But I am understanding that stamina is more than finishing. Stamina is continually going back to make it right again and again. It's going back after hearing you've made mistakes from good readers, swallowing pride, and going in there again. It's going back even though you wonder if you've got the skill to do what you wanted. Stamina is making changes that are necessary regardless of the ease. (Maybe it was a 'helpful' suggestion that someone thought would be easy, but you know it's going to be a JOB to do. Still, if you know they're right, you do it.) Stamina is working when the story feels 'done' and you're aching to go forward and work on something new. And do not doubt it: This is the time when you need craft. Because if you're relying on passion to get this puppy done, it ain't going to happen.   

Finishing that first draft is like finding the diamond; stamina is being the jeweler that facets it and sets it in its place.  

I hope I'm a jeweler. 

Other news: Phil awarded a prize for excellent teaching from his university! Isn't that great? And the farmer's market is really gaining ground around here. Got STRAWBERRIES on Saturday from Green City Market. We were there very early and I'm sure we were one of the few that snagged them. So the counter-tops in the kitchen are now filled with fresh produce. LOVE this time of year. (See photo below.) By the way, this is a very handy guide for storing vegetables from the Berkeley Farmer's Market. Who knew that asparagus likes to be put in glasses like funny green flowers? 

What are you guys thinking about? 

Amy

bela fleck & 12 days

Because I just can't seem to stop myself from posting Christmas stuff... Here is 12 days of Christmas with each day in another time signature, another key. Holy smokes . . .