New York City 2008 Jazz Club

After visiting the gallery we went to the Village Vanguard for the Bill Charlap Trio. The Vanguard is an authentic old school jazz club. Tony Bennett was in the audience so you know the show will be great. Since it was our last night, we also went back to Times Square so Ruth could buy some I love New York t-shirts. We still had to go to Rockefeller Center and Cinema and Niki still had to have pizza.

New York City 2008 Chelsea and Charis

When you get to be an old teacher, it is fun to meet up with former students when you travel. We stopped in a gallery in Chelsea and visited with former Bethany Art student Charis. She is in training to work at this gallery on 20th Street in the heart of Chelsea. As usual, my current students were exhausted and could only manage to sit and try to stay awake. Meeting like this makes the world seem smaller and Bethany educational experiences seem very broad.

We all left after a while and went to Greenwich Village and had supper.

New York City 2008 The Met

A great thing about the Metropolitan Museum of Art is that you can count on seeing some of the greatest paintings of all time. Here are a couple of gems that I love to see. This room, the Cubiculum (bedroom) from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor
Roman, Republican, ca. 50–40 B.C.
is really one of the best preserved rooms of Roman painting in the world. It has everything you may want to see in Roman frescos. The portrait-
Portrait of the Boy Eutyches, Panel painting, Eutyches, A.D. 100–150; Roman Period
is a genuine knock out.
It is as fresh as if it were painted yesterday, not 1900 years ago.

New York City 2008 The Met

Saturday we walked through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a beautiful day, cool enough to walk without getting hot. I had a 10:00 appointment to get my guide badge. I love having the power to talk about the art, and with my microphone, I don't really bother the average museum person. We spent 6 hours at the Met and some of the time, I went through some of the highlights of the collections. I usually start with the Egyptian temple and then to the Roman frescos. The Roman paintings are some of the best in the world that have survived.

In this shot, we posed on the rooftop gallery. They had a Jeff Koons sculpture show on display. The view was great.

New York City 2008 Staten Island Ferry

Saturday morning we bought a day pass on the subway and headed to South Ferry. it was a beautiful day and our timing was perfect. It is hard not to feel something when you pass by the Statue of Liberty in the New York harbor. It was pretty windy on the water and after a little while I was the only one left from our group standing in the wind as the boat worked its way back to New York.

I was happy to share this experience with 2 students from China that were a part of our group. We take liberty for granted and I think this is still one of the great symbols of freedom in the world.

I don't know how they felt, but they did take a lot of pictures. It is a long way from Bethany Lutheran College but the Statue of Liberty affects all of us.

New York City 2008 Chinatown Lunch

One of my highlights on this year's New York trip was a visit to Chinatown for lunch. Cinema and Niki ordered a feast for us. I would say that we couldn't have duplicated this lunch on our own and had a chance for a taste of China. Lunch included noodles, soup, shrimp, pork, beef, little squids, dumplings,rice, vegetables, sauces,some soft dough things, tea and chopsticks and more than we could eat. I don't know any of the names of the dishes. Ask Cinema or Niki.

New York City 2008 Art Army Recruits

The Art Army made the fall trip to New York City and just came back today. We had a great trip and managed to do all the things I had planned and hoped to do. Yesterday was a 15 hour touring day that began at the Staten Island Ferry and ended with the Village Vanguard and final walk to Rockefeller Center. For the new recruits in the "Art Army" it was a good induction. One picture is our first visit to Times Square and the other is on our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and stopping in Central Park. The weather was beautiful and the group was happy, especially Ruth.

Italy 2007 Day 7 Orvieto and Genesis

This is my view from an outdoor cafe. They serve a white wine from Orvieto that all the cafes feature.

The large wall on the left side is a marble version of Genesis. They tell the book in clear and concise detail.
This is the gathering place for everyone in town. So, when you gathered to gossip a little or meet with family, you had the Bible right there to remind you and to reinforce the teachings of the church.

Italy 2007- Day 7 Orvieto

After a morning exit from Assisi we drove to Orvieto. I originally went here because a bus driver on one of the first trips recommended it. He said, if you want to start early we can stop to see some paintings in Orvieto. I was beyond my wildest dreams because it was the famous Luca Signorelli frescos of the end of time! The chapel here is sensory overload to the max.
There is speculation that Michelangelo came here and was inspired to paint his Last Judgment for the Sistine Chapel. Sherri and I spent 4 or 5 days here one summer taking in the fresco at different times of day and have been back with Bethany groups every trip.