Audrey

On a night with a wintery bite, the Bill Frisell Trio brought the perfect cozy warmth to Blues Alley. Cousin David kindly arrived first and landed a third row table; we had an hour to catch up. The house quickly filled with the sold out crowd, anticipating an artist who could easily fill an auditorium 5x this size. The trio began with the Monk tune “Misterioso,” which set the mood for the evening playful, reflective, intimate yet taking musical risks. The melody alternates high and low eighth notes an octave apart. Guitarist Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan deconstructed the tune so that each took alternating notes. This set the stage for the lyrical intertwining of bass and guitar through much of the show. When drummer Rudy Royston took a first solo, he let the club know he was here: the intensity jumped upwards, and while his solo was melodic, he was not afraid to let everyone know he was here to play the drums. ...

We celebrated Audrey’s 60th Birthday with a gathering of friends and family in Madison, Wisconsin. A weekend of fun! Friday We started the morning with Molly and Jeff, who were first to arrive. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Marigold Kitchen, across from the state capitol. After a walk to see Audrey’s office in WisDems HQ, we toured the capitol which has spectacular marble and is generally grand. Then we went apple picking. After a briefing and tasting of all the varieties in the orchard, we picked some jonamac and cortland apples. Yum! ...

A high point of Audrey’s birthday celebration weekend was a family trip to the Kamala Harris rally in Madison, Wisconsin. We were in the 4th row, behind the podium. It was loud, colorful and exciting. Getting in required a very long walk around the stadium perimeter to get to the security screening area. Secret service dogs were sniffing people as they entered. We had to show id to check in, and then passed through an airport screening machine. No bags were allowed. Jacob arrived late and they had closed the doors and wouldn’t let anyone else in. ...

A beautiful one-hour drive west of Madison leads to Taliesin, Frank LLoyd Wright’s home, studio, and architecture school. Audrey and I loved the extensive four-hour walking tour, which visits many buildings on the property. We saw the studio, dining hall, and auditorium; the eclectic windmill; his sister’s house; the “barn;” and Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and personal studio. Our guide was great. with lots of information and stories. His home and property were a constant experiment, and one of the subthemes of the tour was all the preservation work now necessary because much was not built to last. Or as the tour guide said, “it was build to Wright’s code, not modern code.” He was particularly uninterested in gutters, as they ruined the lines–but would protect the foundation. They experimented with lots of plywood, because it was inexpensive and readily available. ...

In July, the fields of Wisconsin are filled with flowers. We’re delighted to have Lucy visiting with us from LA. Last night we watched fireworks all around Lake Monona. Today we went to a dog park and had a great hike among these lovely flowers. Click any photo for larger images