Travels of THB: Day 4: Alfred (*from Corning) to Rochester

THB's flower, fit for Mom's Day (or A's fan)

A gift for mom

Day 4: Alfred (from Corning) and Rochester

Weather: The best day of the year, anywhere: clear, slight breezes, high 60s, lunch on the deck!

Pics: Around Alfred, mostly artists and their work

QOTD:

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

No FC, it’s a travel day, and agains cold French toast and bacon with strawberry yogurt for breakfast.

Check out of the Radisson (included) and on the bus for an hour to Anne Currier’s studio. Many of our group had their wine last night in cups made by Anne and were eager to see what she had on hand. She makes large abstract geometric ceramic pieces and, after the discussion of this work, the buying appetite of many of the tour was satisfied with cup purchases.

Next stop is at Wayne O’Connell’s (another ceramicist and Alfred faculty member) house and studio, also in rural area outside of Alfred. His work is based on the “multiples are better than singles” theory: his current work is based on making and arranging multiples of kitschy works that have been made in molds and then glazed similarly (though not identically). This is big work, nothing for sale (that THB could discern).

Lunch in Alfred at Terra Cotta, THB orders what he thinks is ham and cheese and it comes with chicken as well. THB can be stubborn: he removes the chicken and ends up with a nice (and smaller) panini and Snapple lemon ice tea.

Back on campus where Wayne Higby (faculty member, well known ceramicist with a retrospective moving from Smithsonian to other museums) gives us the background on his huge porcelain installation that bridges two adjoining buildings (one is the performing art center), Earth Cloud. It is huge, and even in the bright light today is very very impressive. At twilight or evening as the outside light changes it must be pretty special. We also see Anne Curriers wall of tiles (impressive, dwarfed by Wayne’s piece, which according to Wayne is the largest porcelain installation in the world).

Back on the bus for the 1.5 hours ride to Rochester. It’s really nice in Rochester, the hotel, the Strathallan, is in a great location, our room is a large suite, and we decide to go for a walk in the area near the hotel, which is upscale.

Dinner at CHAR, the steakhouse restaurant in the Strathallan. THB has baby iceberg wedge with gorgonzola, pancetta crisp, glazed onions, avocado and tomato (pretty good!), a 16 oz Delmonico rib eye (GREAT!! And THB doesn’t eat the sides, just the meat), and chocolate flourless cake with cheese cake ice cream (also pretty good, THB only eats half). Prosecco, a bit of the local dry reisling (not bad) and a bit of the local pinot noir (THB does not see this leaving NY, and not because they are hoarding all the good ones for themselves).

Book Review: Nostalgia, Dennis McFarland (novel): Set in 1864, a star of the new sport, base ball, volunteers for the Union side, sees 3 days of action in the Battle of the Wilderness, survives, and suffers PSTD. The battle and recovery narrative is very moving, and the restorative powers of paying attention to the devastation of war (here with Walt Whitman realized as a fictional caregiver) can also be very powerful. Recommended