Fall is in the air. I wore black tights for the first time yesterday. Away we go!
“[T]hat old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air … Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”
–Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
So did everyone watch Dancing With the Stars on Monday night? As you know, I am not a fan of reality television, but I do sometimes get caught up in watch DWTS.
Since I was already depressed by daughter #1’s exit to the big city, I figured I would be a couch potato and check out DWTS. And I admit–I enjoyed it! Yes, it is pretty low-brow, but one can’t read the Psalms by candlelight every night. Also, I had the 4-way texting thing going with my children, which definitely raises the enjoyment level ten-fold. Even daughter #1, who was at work, had it on, because it is, after all, an ABC show! (The boy was watching some game, but he threw in a comment or two about Lolo Jones.)
Okay, so my faves are:
of course, Sadie Robertson, Duck Dynasty heiress. She is another untrained natural, like Kellie Pickler, who is great to watch. (And I love her parents in the audience.)
Sadie and her dad
Jonathan Bennett, the cutie from Mean Girls whom my daughters derided, but it is probably a case of methinks-the-lady-doth-protest-too-much;
and Alfonso Ribeiro was quite the dancer–and props for not doing the Carleton!
But I am very disappointed that Lolo Jones didn’t make it to the second week. She is so beautiful and talented! And that is what is so stupid about this show–she is off and Betsy Johnson, Tommy Chong and Michael Waltrip are still on!
For now, I am on Team Sadie. How about you?
*Anne Lamott
I am very grateful that daughter #1 came home for a whole nine days. She is one busy lady, as you know, and so for her to come home is a big deal.
But I guess in this “goddam phenomenal world” it is still a treat to sit on the couch and watch a lot of Buffy with your mother.
It is certainly a treat for me.
Besides celebrating her birthday,
we had beers at the Boathouse with the boy.
![photo[2] WRC:MWC](https://dual-personalities.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo2-wrcmwc.jpg)
We watched our hometown parade.
KHS marching band–huzzah!
As usual, the Methodists were the coolest
We hung out with the church ladies
and we watched the hometown band perform at the hometown festival.
Andrew and Mark, we remember you when!
We went to church and afterwards we visited some old pals at Grant’s Farm.
![photo[7]](https://dual-personalities.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo7.jpg)
We watched Rio Bravo (1959)
AND El Dorado (1966).
Yes, the apple does not fall far from this nerd tree. Thank goodness.
*Franny and Zooey
I just dropped daughter #1 off at the airport. It was still dark. She’ll fly back to NYC and then take a cab straight to ABC where she’ll get ready for a shoot and after that, her regular work day/night.
Sigh.
I’ll head into work too.
Not to be all feeling-sorry-for-myself and all, but sometimes life just seems like a series of goodbyes, you know?
Well, onward and upward. Tomorrow I’ll have a re-cap post of our fun week.
*”So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music
As full of birthdays as it is, September is a busy month for the dual personalities. Yesterday was the birthday of son #2, just a day after that of his lovely cousin. We (the parents, the birthday boy and his wonderful girlfriend) celebrated the advent of his 22nd year with a yummy roast beef dinner and a good bottle of red wine (see their faces glow). As usual I forgot to take pictures until after the festivities. Here is the happy couple, smiling joyfully at the birthday card from Chris’s grandmother that contained a very generous gift!
Then I made him try to hold all his presents — no small feat as they were all more or less the same size.
Note the predominance of movies and books. To keep him from becoming a complete couch potato, we added badminton racquets (hey, hes asked for them and I love badminton). After dinner, we parted company; they to hang out with friends and go bowling and we to our usual old-people activities. It was a very fun evening. Stay tuned for the last September birthday in just two weeks…
For some reason, though, September has always been big in our family. Over the years we’ve developed a nice sequence of September birthdays 11, 12, and 13. Can you guess/remember who was born on September 13th? Check out last week’s post to find out. I’m not referring to either cousin, but to, you guessed it —
What do you think of the collar arrangement? Kind of odd…
Asa Leander Chamberlin, the family patriarch, who was born on September 13, 1809. So tonight, when you have a slice of leftover birthday cake or a glass of wine, think of A.L.C. , who lived and worked in beautiful Moretown, Vermont many, many years ago.
Other September events of note: Our mother’s parents got married on September 2, 1921.
I believe our grandmother’s birthday was also in September, but alas, I cannot recall which day. Is it wishful thinking that I seem to remember September 10th? After all, that would give us a nice four-day sequence of family birthdays. The moral of the story? If you look hard enough, there’s always a reason to celebrate!
Have a great weekend!
Since it is her birthday week, daughter #1 made the movie pick for this Friday.
Directed by Howard Hawks, Rio Bravo (1959) is John Wayne’s answer to High Noon which he thought was “Un-American”. You remember, in High Noon, Gary Cooper is the sheriff who asks for support from his town and gets none. Supposedly it is an allegory of the McCarthy era in Hollywood. Please.
Well, in Rio Bravo, John T. Chance, the sheriff, is surrounded by allies—a drunken deputy (Dude) trying to pull himself together, a young untried gunfighter (Colorado), a “crippled” old man (Stumpy), a Mexican innkeeper (Carlos) and his wife (Consuela), and an attractive young gambler (Feathers) whom Chance tries to kick out of town. He repeatedly turns down aid from most of these people because he thinks they will get hurt helping him, as his friend Ward Bond does at the beginning of the film. They all come through and help him anyway. That is the American Way. A motley crew bands together and vanquishes the Bad Guy, who is rich and powerful and has a lot of hired guns.
It is a great movie. It even has several musical interludes thanks to Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.
It is a classic John Wayne role and he is ably supported by Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ricky Nelson.
Daughter #1 and I highly recommend it.
* John T. Chance in Rio Bravo
As you know, daughter #1, the over-worked television producer, has been taking it easy at home this week, relaxing as one only truly can at home.
“The Song” by William Merritt Chase
We are having fun watching reality TV and visiting our incredible flyover grocery stores. Tonight we will celebrate her Big Birthday with a backyard bar-b-que, the OM grilling, and with the boy and his bride attending. Beforehand, daughter #1 and I plan to pre-game at Grant’s Farm
“The Lantern Bearers” by Maxfield Parrish
Good times. Happy Birthday to our cupcake of love!
*”More I Cannot Wish You” from Guys and Dolls
On Sunday Daughter #1 and I drove down to Bentonville, Arkansas
Love those Missouri rest stops.
and visited the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The museum, founded by Alice Walton and designed by Moshe Safdie, officially opened on November 11, 2011. I had heard rave reviews of it from several people so I have been anxious to go. And I like road trips–even when I am the driver.
Bentonville is, indeed, a lovely town, built around a square in the southern tradition, with a monument to Confederate Soldiers in the center.
The town appears to be thriving–supported by copious amounts of Wal-Mart money–but it is a real town, not a Disney immitation. It is lushly landscaped and full of friendly locals who say hello and smile.
The Museum itself is impressive.
An “official” photo of the museum at night when it looks best.
Another professional photo–but here the murky water cannot be hidden.
My photo.
The design is “cool” but the concrete is not aging well–it never does. I am not a fan of the “brutalist” look. I mean, three years old and it looks terrible! Oh well. The inside is beautiful and full of an impressive art collection. We saw many wonderful American paintings–many famous ones that it was a thrill to see up close.
“Kindred Spirits” by Asher B. Durand
Daughter #1 and I had a marvelous time driving, talking, eating, drinking, looking at art, buying postcards, walking on the lovely nature trails. And that’s what the trip was really all about.
*”The Arkansas Traveler”
So I am back from adventuring in Arkansas with daughter #1. But you will have to wait til tomorrow to hear about it I’m afraid. Suffice it to say, we had a super fun time. And I drove the whole way–363 miles, 5 hours each way!
Yay me.
The week flew by, but at least one part of it was truly delightful. On Tuesday my niece and nephew dropped in for a quick visit on their (roundabout) way to Pennsylvania. We’re so glad they took the huge detour to see us! Here are the cousins (note facial hair on son #2!)
We had a leisurely dinner of bbq’d beef tenderloin, corn on the cob, fries, and beer from our local brewery, the St. Lawrence Brewing Co. and then we stayed up late gabbing. I had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures until early next morning just before our guests hit the road.
Clearly I never learned what “act natural” means.
Unfortunately, they timed their visit to coincide with the hottest, muggiest days of the year. They arrived during a deluge and it remained rainy and in the 80s while they were here. But as experienced travelers and intrepid outdoors people, un-airconditioned rooms didn’t phase them at all. After they left us, they headed over to Vermont for some camping in the Green Mountains, a quick visit to see their cousin at college there, and a couple of side-trips to cemeteries to pay their respects to ancestors.
I hope they found these Chamberlin graves (note the misspelling on the headstones) in Moretown. I’m looking forward to hearing all about their travels and hope they visit us again soon!
The rest of the week was pretty standard, but while I was tidying the house before our visitors arrived, I did rediscover a favorite ‘sad song’. Since it’s a rainy Saturday, it seems appropriate to share it with you. Here’s Mark Knopfler singing “Before Gas and TV.” Even if you know it well, you should listen to it!
And, of course, have a great weekend!
dual personalities 