2021 Fall Trip - Day 1 - 8/24/2021

Tuesday, August 24, 2021 - And away we go! I left Home at 8:45 AM, and checked into the Super 8 in Erie, PA at 8:15 PM, with a nice stop at The Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY (formerly "Rockwell Museum of Western Art") - 592 miles in 11 hours 30 minutes:

Hitting the road:

And seeing the sights along the way:

At a rest-stop in western Massachusetts:

US Post Office 40 miles west of Albany, NY:

It gets hot out here on The Road:

I reached The Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY at 4:40. I have been here twice before (Sept 2013 and May 2015). In 2013, it was MY FIRST STOP on my first cross-country road-trip (in the 21st century). In 2015, The Rockwell Museum was named a Smithsonian Affiliate, the first in New York State outside of New York City.

I love their collection, and the camera in my new iPhone 11 WORKS GREAT!!!

Albert Bierstadt - "Mount Whitney", circa 1877:

Thomas Moran - "Green River", 1877:

Thomas Hill - "Yosemite", circa 1908:

Bought Ellie a nice "art postcard" and mailed it at their "classic" Post Office:

An hour-and-a-half later I was going past the exit for Olean, NY. I went to a wedding here, back after graduation from Penn in May 1975. The groom and I were in the frat together, but I can't remember his name right now (Bob ?). Frank somebody (Penn, frat) was also there, and I remember the groom coming up to both of us at the reception and saying HOW THANKFUL he was that we were there/that we were his ties/anchors back out to the "real world" (he grew up there, went to Penn, and now had a wife and a good engineering job back here in Olean):

I'll have to remember his name.

It was good putting today to rest:

WOW - Thank you God for this wonderful adventure day! Good to get back out on The Road.

Music for today was albums from an mp3 cd I burned back in 2001:

Randy Newman - Lonely at the Top - The Best of Randy Newman, 1987


the Miles Davis Quintet - The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965, 1965 live album

December 22, 1965 — third set (69:19)

the Miles Davis Quintet - The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965, 1965 live album

December 23, 1965 — second set (65:55)

Poco - The Very Best Of Poco, 1975, their first "Greatest Hits" album

To quote wikipedia: "The first in a long line of compilation albums". The 18 tracks have some gems, some flats.

various - VH1 Storytellers


the 5th Dimension - Greatest Hits, 1970

A nice collection of very nice songs from a long time ago.

The Beach Boys - All Summer Long, 1964 sixth album

Hey, it's August 24 - that's still SUMMER to me!!

T. Rex - Electric Warrior, 1971

A real fun album to listen to while driving down the highway with the windows rolled down!

Love - Forever Changes, 1967

wow - only 1 good song on it: "Alone Again Or"; but that one is Excellent.

Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston, 1975


Sam Cooke - The Gospel Soul of Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers, recorded 1951-1956, released 1965


Hall and Oates - The Atlantic Collection, 1996 early-years-compliation

Of course I'm a big fan of their song "Fall in Philadelphia".

2021 Fall Trip - Overview

Since, needless to say, last year got cancelled, I'm kind-of itching to hit-the-road BIG TIME!

I'll be going out on "The Northern Route" (in the USA), seeing a few museums, some "Scenic Byways", a 4-day-3-night hiking trip in northern Glacier National Park (plus a couple of dayhikes there), then head north into the Canadian Rockies (Revelstoke, Jasper, Lake Louise). Then back to the USA, making my way down to Wyoming and a couple of BIG dayhikes in Grand Teton National Park, before Wendy flies out to join me. A couple of more days there, then winding our way through Wyoming and Colorado, seeing friends and family. Then making our way back home seeing Art Museums, and more family and friends.

I'm leaving Tuesday, Aug 24th, and Wendy and I get back Wednesday, Sept. 29th

Should be fun - come along for the ride!

Sotheby's NYC May 2021 Monet & Moran

Saturday, May 8, 2021 - I really enjoy my trips with Wendy to NYC to see Auction House and Gallery exhibitions. I have recently been doing a lot on Monet (MFA in Boston, The Met in NYC, The Clark in Williamstown), so I was pleased to see an upcoming auction at Sotheby's:


Public viewing is available May 1 through May 12, so we picked the 8th.

We left the house at 7:15 AM. Stopped for gas-and-coffee in Connecticut. SpotHero parking right at 12 noon:


and then a quick block-and-a-half:


I LOVE their great big banner:



From their June 29, 2021 London Auction: Wassily Kandinsky - Tensions calmées, 1937:

estimate $25,000,000 - $35,000,000

and, in a darken room

Claude Monet - Le Bassin aux nymphéas, 1917-19:

estimate $40,000,000 - $60,000,000

Childe Hassam - Flags on 57th Street, Winter 1918, 1918:

estimate $12,000,000 - $18,000,000

Claude Monet - La Seine à Lavacourt, débâcle, 1880:

estimate $6,000,000 - $8,000,000

Imagine my surprise at entering a room and seeing:

Thomas Moran - Grand Canyon, Arizona (A Miracle of Nature)(Zoroaster Peak, Grand Cañon), 1913:

This was not supposed to be On Display for another week, and I was going to miss it. Estimate $2,000,000 - $3,000,000

And just to round-out the big guns, price-wise:

Cy Twombly - Untitled (Rome), 1970:

estimate $35,000,000 - $45,000,000

In other parts of the building were:

Banksy - Love is in the Air, 2005 oil and spray paint on canvas:

estimate $3,000,000 - $5,000,000

3 pieces by Andy Warhol:

Marilyn Monroe (Feldman & Schellman II.22-31), 1967 screenprints:

estimate $2,000,000 - $3,000,000

Elvis 2 Times, 1963 silkscreen ink and silver paint on canvas:

estimate $20,000,000 - $30,000,000

Kay Fortson (An American Lady), 1976 acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas:

estimate $500,000 - $700,000

a fun piece by Sam Francis - Passage, 1985:

estimate $120,000 - $180,000

I do like their "big space" architectural design:

(see Elvis on the far wall)

Note from the Future - these pieces sold for:

Lot ... - Wassily Kandinsky - Tensions calmées - June 29, 2021 London auction
(estimate 25,000,000 - 35,000,000)

Lot 1010 - Claude Monet - Le Bassin aux nymphéas - $70,353,000
(estimate 40,000,000 - 60,000,000)

Lot 1026 - Childe Hassam - Flags on 57th Street, Winter 1918 - $12,328,500
(estimate 12,000,000 - 15,000,000)

Lot 1008 - Claude Monet - La Seine à Lavacourt, débâcle - unsold
(estimate 6,000,000 - 8,000,000)

Lot 20 - Thomas Moran - Grand Canyon, Arizona (A Miracle of Nature)(Zoroaster Peak, Grand Cañon) - May 19, 2021 New York auction
(estimate 2,000,000 - 3,000,000)

Lot 110 - Cy Twombly - Untitled (Rome) - $41,628,000
(estimate 35,000,000 - 45,000,000)

Lot 104 - Banksy - Love is in the Air - $12,903,000
(estimate 3,000,000 - 5,000,000)

Lot 126 - Andy Warhol - Marilyn Monroe (Feldman & Schellman II.22-31) - $3,045,000
(estimate 2,000,000 - 3,000,000)

Lot 4 - Andy Warhol - Elvis 2 Times - $37,032,000
(estimate 20,000,000 - 30,000,000)

Lot 421 - Andy Warhol - Kay Fortson (An American Lady) - $1,109,000
(estimate 450,000 - 650,000)

Lot 298 - Sam Francis - Passage - $378,000
(estimate 120,000 - 180,000)

Both Wendy and I were surprised at the unsold Monet - we liked it.

Picked up the car about 1:30, dinner at Five Guys! Excellent Adventure-Time with my Beautiful Bride! Thank You God for these Great Days!

Audio today - when Wendy wasn't reading to me (or us actually talking), there was quite listening to Keith Karrett, The Who, and Randy Newman. Later, more intentional listening was to:

Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, 1968 second album

In 1999, the single "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Natalie Merchant - Ophelia, 1998 second album


Chris Smither - Small Revelations, 1997


Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking in New England (the 4,000 footers; the 100 Highest; WATERFALLS)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

Deede's Graduation, and The Clark

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - Wendy and I Headed West to visit family, watch Deede's Graduation on-line, and see The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. The first stop was with Mimi and Charles (Wendy's niece, getting married this fall). After a delicious lunch, we gathered for Deede's Graduation (Charles had some work to do):







From there we headed 5 minutes up the road, on this rainy day:


The driving force for today's visit to The Clark is to see:

1 Winslow Homer I have not seen,
2 J.M.W. Turner oil paintings I have not seen,
and a bunch of Monets that I have not seen. So let's get started - Highlights include:

Winslow Homer - "Saco Bay", 1896:


J.M.W. Turner - "View of Margate, Evening", c. 1840:


They have 2 other Turners on display:

and it is always nice to see (and to be seen with) an old friend:


Great Art = my Beautiful Bride in a room full of Monets:


Claude Monet - "The Cliffs at Étretat", 1885:


Claude Monet - "Spring in Giverny", 1890:


Claude Monet - "Rouen Cathedral, the Façade in Sunlight", c. 1892–94:


Camille Pissarro - "Piette's House at Montfoucault", 1874:


Hubert Robert - "Roman Ruins with Laundresses", c. 1777:


A great drive back home, and dinner AT FIVE GUYS!!! Thank you God for these great adventures!!