Field Trip!

WSG 25 Gardner Museum

Happy New Year!! Hopefully!

House keeping items. First, I plan to start a monthly in-person lunch in Boston (for now) and just get together. Maybe one of the Mavens can come? I’ll let you know the details soon. What do you think? Second, please put this link on your social media, let’s grow this year!

You're going to fall down, poke your eye out, break your leg and get pregnant. That’s what my mom’s mom used to say to her, I think in gest. Just like when she would say she was going to wear her ‘backless, strapless, frontless” to the party. I never got to know her, sadly, but she must have been funny. That part of my family is from Buffalo, NY and you need a sense of humor and a hollow leg to weather the winters. Lucky for me my father’s mother was pretty witty, too. Her, I knew. She had the ability to tell a joke, like people did then. She never missed the set up and always nailed the punch line. I’m terrible at telling jokes. For starters I don’t remember any. Maybe that would be a thing to bring back? Or, maybe it is back? You’ll let me know. 

I could use some humor as I’ve been feeling pretty melancholy lately. No, it’s not looking in the mirror at that saggy stranger staring back at me. No it’s not the nearly empty nest. It’s not the scary things that kids do as college students you wish they wouldn’t. It’s not that the news keeps telling me Democracy is near dead. Not that I realized my dog is 11. That as much as I clean, my house is still Marie Kondo’s nightmare. That I spend too much on nothing, every month. That the boiler seems to be on the blink, again$. That Covid won’t just fuck off. Actually, maybe I am melancholy due to all those things. Huh. Ok. Now I feel a bit better. Deep breath in. Exhale through the mouth.  

I may add to that list. Lately, anxiety is like Whack-a-Mole. Breathe through one anxious moment and walk straight into the next. Wham! 

Back to humor. One way to enjoy humor is to watch a show. Personally, I am not a big fan of watching stuff on my computer while it’s sitting on my lap. I think it has something to do with the way I used to watch TV, in a big room with other people in it also watching what you’re watching. Those people were not staring at their hand with a phone in it because we didn’t have phones like that. So, everyone had to agree that they were going to watch Miami Vice at 9PM on NBC Thursday night. There really wasn't a ton to watch unless you were fancy and had cable. Once we finally had cable it was still only on one TV, the size of a VW Bug, in a room with other people.

My point: that I don’t want to really watch stuff alone looking at my lap and a tiny screen. I know, there are SO many great things on the Internet Machine these days, and guess what? I haven’t seen any of them. Nope. not House of Thrones, or Games of Cards, or The Canadians, or Regression, or Ted Lasso. I think I’d really enjoy all of these shows.

So, for humor. Well. I do watch SNL in the kitchen on the big computer with family. That was a mainstay most nights at dinner when all kids were in school. Super quality time (sarcasm? Perhaps. But maybe not). Very 1970s and TV dinner and trays. Do we always need to have a meaningful moment every day with a meal? Can’t we just watch something and laugh at it, AND eat? Laughing at SNL skits would let us lighten up and then one of the kids might actually share about their day. Or, the kids start talking to each other and my husband and I could pretend we weren’t there and learn things about our kids. Plus, it was a good thing for them to see us laugh and that we weren’t the humorless shrews they thought we were. 

phew. That whole thing you just read. Not sure it makes a bit of sense. Onward.

Field Trip!! Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Inner garden at the Gardner

I know many of you are not in Boston (so sad), and you won’t be field-tripping to this museum. BUT, think of this as a concept to go to a smaller museum and take a kid or for a kid (an old one) to take a parent. Important ingredients for the boutique museum field trip: needs to be easy to get to, smallish, unique, accessible and importantly: has food. I find museum restaurants to be among my favorite. They are nestled in interesting spaces and for whatever reason have really good food. The Gardner Museum has a lovely restaurant! LINK The gift shop is pretty amazing too with all of the Venetian goodies.

Here are a few museums like The Isabella Stewart Gardner that come to mind in other cities: Paris:Musée Marmottan, New York: The Frick, London: Sir John Soane's, Venice, Italy: Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The Frick does not have a lunch spot to go to. But, it’s an incredible former house on Fifth Ave with an amazing collection (under construction now, collection is at the old Whitney…without the food though). Neither do the Sir John Soane's, or Marmotttan have food. I will come up with a new list of museums with great food, but not tonight.

Remember when I talked about red and green and how they work together? Here are two paintings I adore at The Gardner that happen to show what I’m referring to:

green bodice, red sleeve

Isabella looking tipsy on a green carpet with red flowers

Cool, huh? People think green and red are for the holidays, but, surprise! They are around us together all year long.

I brought two of my kids and a friend to the Gardner and it was the first time for the friend. If you haven’t, please check out the museum. It is a gem. Part of the first floor is closed for now (covid) three salon rooms stuffed with paintings, but, there is plenty to keep you busy. Mrs. Gardner was a varsity shopper, and we can all say ‘thank you!’ that for once someone with a ton of money knew how to spend it. She bought whole rooms in Europe and had them shipped back. The museum is constructed from the chunks of Venice that she bought. Every inch of the place has her finger prints on it. It looks like she was also a good time judging by her correspondence (which is on display) with artists and writers and royals all over the world. She is the woman in the portrait above on the green carpet.

the kids in front of El Jaleo

The enormous painting behind the kids is possibly my favorite painting of its era, El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent in 1882. It’s over 11 feet long. Her movement and the dress! Never get tired of it or this museum. Thank you, Mrs. Gardner!

That’s all for now. Lots of fun interviews coming your way! Happy New Year. Get going. Make a list. Help bring more people together and comment below…:)

xo

k