Vladimir Kagan's Blog

A Walk in the Country - part two

A Walk In The Country

PART 2

Discovering Grace Farms

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, December 10, 2015 

 

…. By mid-afternoon the weather had turned to glorious sunshine - just in time for our visit to the newly opened Grace Farms. Most people have never heard of Grace Farms as it had only opened to the public a few weeks earlier.

 photos Dean Kaufman

 

Like all architectural masterpieces, Grace Farms would not have seen the light of day without its patrons.

Versailles, had King Louis XIV, the Louvre with gratitude to Napoleon. The Parthenon in Greece, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Coliseum in Rome, all had their benefactors. The ‘Glass House’ owes its existence to the wisdom of Philip Johnson’s father, who bestowed some ‘worthless’ Alcoa stock onto his son.

Below is the history of Grace Farms.

Grace Farms had the gracious support of Grace Farms Foundation, a private operating foundation established to support initiatives in the areas of faith, the arts, justice and community. This vast project was quietly underwritten by a discreet group of like-minded individuals, who thought saving a sprawling landscape, once used as a private equestrian training facility, from a developer’s 10-lot subdivision, and opening it to the public as a shared space was a worthwhile endeavor. 

In 2009, the leadership of the Foundation initiated an international search for an architect to develop the idea of Grace Farms. The Foundation selected Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of Tokyo to design this sensitive project. Shortly thereafter, their firm, SANAA was awarded the most coveted prize in architecture, the Pritzker!

Quoting from Grace Farm’s brochure, it is “A welcoming new place, where a building designed by SANAA is seamlessly integrated into 80 acres of open space for people to experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community and explore faith”.  Faith was an underlying factor: Back in 2007 a group of individuals affiliated with Grace Community Church, purchased 48 acres of property with the intention of gifting it as open space for the town. In 2009, these individuals formed Grace Farms Foundation, which purchased 27 additional acres and gratefully accepted the donation of the original 48 acres. The concept of Grace Farms became a reality.

 

 photo Iwan Baan

 The delicate River Walk snakes down the hill - all five buildings of the 'Farm" are integrated under the one slender roof

 

The River consists of five glass-enclosed volumes that are virtually transparent - nestled under a sensuous continuous roof that flows down the slope like a lazy river and becomes a part of the landscape. The River begins on a knoll, and then flows down the long, gentle slope in a series of bends, forming pond-like spaces (volumes) on its journey. The River uses only a fraction of the property’s acreage so that it totally blends into the countryside. The rolling hills and changing seasons becomes the artistic palette for visitors to enjoy. The pebbled path gently winds down the hill like the river’s dry-bed cutting its path lazily into the valley. The buildings are enclosed by 203 slabs of curved thermal glass panels each custom fabricated in Germany and Spain – none are duplicates of the other, neither in size nor shape!

 

                                                                                                                       photo Dean Kaufman

          

 

I was fortunate to have my electric tricycle in the trunk of the car, as the hill to the top of the property would have been too much for anyone to push me in a wheel chair. Along the way I snatched the one man in the complex who turned out to be ‘The Guru’ of all that I needed to be explained about Grace. Bill Stonebridge had been the construction manager during the two and half years of its building and now was in charge of maintenance of the entire facility! I bombarded him with tons of question.

What’s the walkway material that looks like pebbles but feels like a carpet?  “Resin Bonded gravel.”

Where’s the lighting? “Primary lighting is recessed into the floor surfaces and small surface-mounted spot lights reflect off the wooden ceiling"

How does the roof drain? “The project uses a New England gutter which directs water to several open scuppers where water gracefully cascades into gravel drains.”

How do the glass windows keep from compression fractures? “The windows are not load bearing. Each panel is constructed of the double glazed thermal glass.”

How’s the place heated – is it energy neutral? “Fifty-five Geothermal wells were bored 500 feet into the ground, to provide heating and cooling for all but one building - making the entire complex energy neutral. Grace Farms has applied for LEED Certified for High-efficiency mechanical, electrical, plumbing and lighting systems.”

Bill had more precise answers and additional information as we meandered up the ‘River’.

What happened to the forest? “In clearing the site, a number of magnificent red oak trees, birch, hickory and ash had to be cut down, but they were not wasted. Seven eighteen foot long dining tables were custom fabricated out of the felled oaks and other furniture is custom built out of the other woods.”

How is snow removal done? “The long winding covered pathways are carefully cleaned by hand as it is too risky to use conventional snow blowers where a small pebble could crack one of the curved glass panels.”

“And the Chapel? Called the Sanctuary, the multi-purpose amphitheater stands on the top of the hill and seats 700 people in comfortable Thos. Moser armchairs. Thoughtfully, the Sanctuary has a glass enclosed “quiet room” where parents can take a screaming child until it calms down. This Sanctuary volume has the longest unsupported (Glu-Lam laminated) timber beam roof of the five River volumes, which was custom fabricated in British Columbia and transported by specially modified trucks across Canada to New Canaan.”

 

While I was wanting more, poor Amy was agitating to go home as it was getting close to cocktail time and her evening date.

This will not have been my last visit to ‘Grace Farm’. I hope you’ll be inspired to see it yourselves.

SUMMARY:

The Glass House and Grace Farms offer a perfect study in contrasts from the mid-twentieth century to the twenty-first.  Compare the ethereal serenity of the Grace Farms ‘River Walk’ with the celebratory styles of the ‘Glass House’ and you feel the dichotomy of our times.

This statement does not hold true for most 21^st century architecture – by contrast, look at the monumental projects that Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid have created.

While the ‘Glass House’ has an impressive baronial drawbridge barrier that is majestically lifted to admit invited guests, the entry to Grace Farm is accessible through a modest white gate and a drive down to the old stables. These buildings have been converted into modest offices and programming space. There is no ticket-office as the admission is free.  The property is open and available to all who come.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                      photo Dean Kaufman

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the firm SANAA - The Tokyo architects that designed Grace Farms and won the coveted Pritzker Prize

The Caleb & Vladi's Cooking Show

Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker’s Man

Bake me a cake as quick as you can!

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, September 27, 2015

 

"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man", "Pat-a-cake", "patty-cake" or "pattyc", "Pat-a-cake", "patty-cake" or "pattycake" is one of the oldest and most widely known surviving English nursery rhymes."

   

What are the two of the most important gifts that the Jewish people have bestowed upon their Christian neighbors (other than the Bible and the Ten Commandments???)

 

Answer: Bagels and Chopped liver

  

This is an ecumenical Blog with my friend Caleb Cressman (not Jewish) teaching Vladimir Kagan (Jewish) how to make New York Style Bagels and in the same  show, Vladimir reciprocates with a lesson in making chopped liver into a sexy cognac laced paté.

 

 

Some of you will recognize Caleb as the accordion player in the Coq Au Vin Band.

 

 

Caleb’s Bagel recipe

Ingredients:

1 kg flour. I use King Arthur all purpose.

50 grams of sugar

25 grams of salt

11 grams of yeast

Mix these together

Add a little less than three cups of water.

 

Preparation:

Mix

knead for five or ten minutes

Let rise for an hour

Separate into 110 gram balls.

Now shape the dough balls into bagels by getting a hole in them and flattening slightly. Be creative.

Let sit for ten minutes.

Now throw a few at a time into the big pot of boiling water you put on at the beginning of this process. But first add a few table spoons of sugar to the water. This give the bagels a nice sparkly sheen. Flip the bagels after about 45 seconds to boil the other side. Scoop out of the water and let dry a bit on a counter. Paint side with an egg wash made from one egg white mixed with a teaspoon of water. Sprinkle on your toppings of choice and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

 

    

 Kneading the dough and shaping the bagel's hole. This looks easy, but it "aint" (See my results below)

My friend Betsey's and my attempt at making bagels on our own. We labelled them "Really Ugly Bagels by Vladi) and hope to market them. P.S. they really tasted delicious!

Vladi’s chopped liver recipe Chicken Liver Paté (borrowed from Jacques Pepin's cookbook. "Everyday cooking with Jacques Pepin)   Ingredients: 1 Pound of chicken livers 2/3 Cup thinly sliced onions 1 Clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 2 bay leaves crushed 1/4 Teaspoon thyme leaves 1 Cup chicken broth 2 Teaspoons of salt 1-1/2 Cups (3 sticks) butter, softened Freshly ground pepper 2 Teaspoons Cognac or more! 1 envelope unflavored gelatin for aspic   Preparation: Place the livers, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, broth and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and cook at a bare simmer for 7 or 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. Take out the solids with a slotted spoon and place them in the bowl of a food processor with metal blade. Be certain to fish out the bay leaves as they do not chop up smoothly  (Reserve and strain the liquid to make the aspic) Start processing the liver, adding the butter piece by piece. Finally, add the second teaspoon salt, the pepper, and a generous splash of Cognac process for 2 minutes so that the mixture is very creamy and completely smooth. Pour into a mold and refrigerate to set and serve.  To preserve freshness and give a professional look to my paté,  I make an aspic. (this is the fun part of the process as it makes me look so professional.) Aspic: Boil up the remaining broth and residue from the liver. Add the bag of unflavored gelatin and stir frequently to dissolve the gelatin. Next, beat a raw egg into a froth and stir it into the boiling liquid to clarify it. Once the broth is clear, strain it through a sieve lined with a layer of paper towels. Allow to cool but not harden, then pour it slowly over the cooled paté. Make certain not to melt the underlying paté with the liquid aspic.   There's nothing like a little handwork mushing the ingredients into the pot   Stirring the ingredients over a simmering stove Testing livers to be certain that they are still pink inside adding just a dash of salt into the Cuisinart pouring the smooth pate into ceramic bowls   If the Pope  had visited NANTUCKET, he would surely have enjoyed our joint effort!   ****   This memorable event was recorded for posterity on video by my friend, Joanna Hay, who some of you will recognize as the nibbled-fingered violinist in the Coq Au Vin Band. These photos are out-take from her documentary film. I know it will make Caleb and me stars on the cooking network!    Joanna Hay is a documentary filmmaker and a superb violinist             Epilog: Kneading Bagel Dough is infinitely more work than chopping liver in the Cuisinart!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day dreams vs reality

Perceptions

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, August 5, 2015

 

The Rorschach test (/ˈrɔrʃɑːk/ or /ˈrɔərʃɑːk/,‪[3]‬ German pronunciation: [ˈʀoːɐ̯ʃax]; also known as the Rorschach inkblot test, the Rorschach technique, or simply the inkblot test) is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation. The test is named after its creator, Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. In the 1960s, the Rorschach was the most widely used projective test.‪[5]‬ and was ranked eighth among psychological tests used in outpatient mental health facilities.‪[6]‬ Currently it is the second most widely used test by members of the Society for Personality Assessment.

 

 

Life is nothing but a Rorschach Test. It is all about perception and miss-percetions. It is how we interprete things.

Perhaps the earliest miss-Perception was seeing “The Man in the Moon”

Of course, religion is a longtime player in the field; mono-theism vs. polytheism. How do the concepts really differ? Both teach respect and fear – both bring rewards (sometimes) and totally ignore you at others times.

Staring at clouds on a lazy day at the beach triggers many interpretations. The fun part of this activity are the ever changing images, a custom-built Rorschach every minute.

Driving along on any of our Nantucket roads, I see beautiful women from the back, sometimes pony tails swaying like a pendulum as they jog along. I see slender trim girls and ladies riding their bikes. The imagination carries you to the front to complete the vision, but often driving won’t permit that second glance. Not infrequently, what I envisioned as a prety girl turns out to be a man. Imagination is deceptive.

The other night I went to a beautful ballet performance. One of the highlights was Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake almost entirely danced on toes, to the delight of the audience. Realistically, dancing on toes is a grotesque and unnatural movement only facilited by specially designed “toe shoes”. (choreographers of modern dance have virtually eliminated this practice.) Dancing on toes is akin to Chinese bound feet. The elegantly embroidered tiny silk slippers were considered beautiful and walking on them an act of daintiness and upper-class idolitry. Both skills are precieved pinacles of grace. I adore toe dancing but shudder at the sight of the ocasional older Chinese lady mincing along the street, the result of her years of bound feet. Is one more beautiful than the other? Preception!

“To tell the truth” as a preamble to a sentence implies what’s to follow is a lie. Of course, that is not the case, but there is one more Rorschach.

“Whatever” as a closing phrase. Is it a discussion ender, or is it a lazy incomplete thought? A Rorschach of two minds.

I often preface every question with “so” - “So what are we going to do?” - ”So where are we going?” - “So what does that mean?” Another Freudian question for a Rorschach analysis.

Abstract art is another great deceptor - your interpretation is as good as the next person’s, but neither of you probably sees what the artist had in his mind.

When Chinese super hero artist Ai Weiwei takes a priceless Ming vase and shatters it into a thousand pieces in front of a camera it is called “Art”. When a disgruntled Florida artist takes one of Ai Weiwei’s crudely decorated “priceless” Ming vases and shattered it at last year’s Weiwei’s exhibit at the Perez Art Museum in Miami, the poor slob is arrested. Figure that out, Dr. Rorschach!

I sometimes gape off into space, not focused on anything. The perception of what I am visualizing is not what is actually out there. It isn’t what it ought to be! Just ruminating!

So why am I writing this Blog? Because these thoughts come into my head at night when I can’t sleep. Some people read a book; I entertain myself with random thoughts. What you see is not always what is out there. What you think may not match-up with reality. There is no absolute truth. Truth and lies fall into a grey area. It is one person’s perception over another’s.

Food for thought!

Architecture RevisIted

In Search of Meaningful Architecture in New York

My Christmas present to all of my fans - wishing you a happy New Year!

Copyright Vladimir Kagan December 20, 2014

 

Four years ago I scoured New York in search of architectural satisfaction and could only find relics of a glorious past. Nothing in modern spoke to me nothing was visually gratifying. * This year I gave it another whirl, really determined to find redemption in modern. The exercise turned out to be feeble but all is not lost.

 

 

 

*See my Blog   A Tour through New York Streets July 8,2010

 

*For a more jaundiced review on the subject, read the New York Times’ recent editorial

How to Rebuild Architecture

By STEVEN BINGLER and MARTIN C. PEDERSEN DEC. 15, 2014

 

 

This is my review of some of the city’s newest and sometimes not so new buildings, some that appeal to me - others that don’t. (In Nantucket it was a walk through the Moors). In New York it’s whatever I could see from the passenger seat of my car - a worm’s eye view of the city.

This, in opinion,  is still one of New York's greatest - The Empire State Building construction started in 1929

 

Big spaces do not necessarily produce great works. The Freedom Tower (It has been renamed 1 World Trade) is tall and impressive. After much political back and forth- and the ineptitude of getting the project going, the design was finally watered down and Daniel Liebeskind’s original concept was redesigned by David Childs of the architecture juggernaut SOM. Conde Naste became the first tenant to move into the building in November 

(Tall towers scare me… they are too nice a target for mischief). The building is located at the far end of the Freedom Park. Its architectural statement has set the tone for the latest craze in modern architecture: Create a tall rectangular box,  then take a substantial diagonal karate-chop off it, - more than one is even better. And there you have the latest genre in 21^st Century Architecture. This has already set the trend for a number of new wannabes in the city.

 

The transportation hub was to be a monument of gracious architecture. Santiago Calvatava, the most imaginative architect that Spain has produced in recent years, took an open site and gave us a beautiful vision of a white dove in flight. The Port Authority bought the idea and made it the most expensive train station ever built; over $4 billion dollars! However, this glorious structure is buried amongst tall, inconsequential buildings virtually hidden from view.

 

Downtown Manhattan:  Enterprising real estate developers did not wait for the Freedom Tower to rise. They turned it into a residential neighborhood Downtown is now called "fidi" by the kids. The banks have all but moved elsewhere and Wall Street is more of a tourist stop then a place of serious business. Hundreds of buildings both residential and office have gone up since 9/11. The blighted neighborhood rapidly rebounded. Bravo for the entrepreneurs who had envisioned the future. But as my friend Ele said, “It’s like a bowl of M&Ms you don’t know which one to eat first.” – inconsequential architecture defines the neighborhood.

 
The new Karate chop wannabees

Cruisn' down the FDR Eastriver drive to the portal of Brooklyn:

and now we cross into Brooklyn on the venerable Brooklyn Bridge

 

Brooklyn's new skyline - driving up Flatbush Avenue

The new Barclay Center, a marvel of technology but short on aesthetics

Driving over the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge you come upon the new Barclay’s Sports Center; Barclays was designed by SHoP architects- 5 young kids with big ideas. They make their work about understanding the capabilities if technology - how 3d software in the computer can streamline physically making a building. Barclays could not have been made without a computer. Fascinating as it may be, it reminds me of a huge rust bucket, that’s what Cor-Ten steel does: it rusts. Non-the-less it makes an impressive statement as we drove up Flatbush Avenue and marveled at the rapid change in that Borough.

 

Much of my architectural journey followed the East River Drive, a beautiful way to ogle at the city. The NYU Hospital complex on the East River is a potpourri of elegant glass towers presumably well suited to their given purpose. One is hardly distinguishable from the other; glass towers with donor’s names in two-foot letter over the entrance doors, but because of crowded space, the buildings are barely distinguishable one from the other.

Every architect's favorite gimmick: use lots of mirror to reflect the other buildings often camouflaging their own creations


This is my hidden architectural treasure temporarily exposed by the big dig where once stood the Con-Ed Powerplant.

Ooop, a bird's eye view of Tudor City - we drove by too quickly to photo it from the car

There is a huge hole between First Avenue and the River where once stood the mammoth Con-Ed Power plant (long a blight on the neighborhood). The lot has been empty for years and is sprouting an urban forest with trees and grasses. For the time being you can see the heroic Tudor City, built in the 1920s by Fred French as the first high-rise residential complex including a hotel and other amenities. Prior to that the neighborhood was a derelict no-man’s land of hoodlums and squatters. First Avenue was home to dozens of slaughterhouses and the vast Con Ed Power generating plant. My first factory was located opposite this squalor on East 44^th Street. But the neighborhood was soon to change forever with the building of the United Nations. If you slow down long enough, there is one building on Second Avenue that has always fascinated me; a corn-cob rising some thirty or forty floors with a splendid view of the East River all the way up Long Island. This is not a new building… it has been there for at least thirty years. Normally you couldn’t see it obscured by the power plant, but now, for a little while it has its place in the sun.

 

The view from my apartment: lhe latest skyline interruption: 432 Park Avenue - 1,396 feet tall

And here come the wannabees!

New York is the city that never sleeps. But someone was asleep on the switch when they permitted the construction of a monolithic tower standing 1,396 feet tall: taller than the Freedom tower, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, 432 Park Avenue. Rafael Viñoly designed  a 10 x 10 structural grid of concrete. This makes a strong shell and strong core so there are no interior columns – I can’t wait to get my first comission to design one of the interiors!  The building is touted to be the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. Imagine the joy of living in a hermetically sealed building with a power failure! Don’t be fooled by the address, it is plunked into the middle of the block on 54 Street between Park and Madison Avenue where once stood the gracious but jaded Drake Hotel. Seen from my apartment window or a drive down Park Avenue, or approaching the city from New Jersey or Long Island you are greeted by this singular erection on Viagra. For me It flaunts the last vestiges of New York’s civility. There was a time were when a building in the middle of a block had to conform in height with its neighboring structures. This gave a harmonious silhouette to the street scene. However with clever manipulation of building codes, anything goes. Now that the civility mold has been broken, expect more of these behemoths. The other day, I drove on East 60^th Street between Park and Madison to find a hole in the ground announcing the next super monstrosity. 60th Street is one of New York’s busiest cross streets– the last street feeding into Central Park and 59^th Street – no right turn is permitted on Madison Avenue, it is always chucker-block full with traffic spilling into grid-lock on Park Avenue. Now envision a hundred story residential building with tenants driving in and out of their luxury garage. (Where was the city’s planning board???)

 

A fifties "Wedding Cake" Architecture along Park Avenue

 

As students, we scoffed at the proliferation of the post-war wedding cake architecture, mostly built in white glazed brick. The Genre was virtually owned by Emory Roth and Sons – Architect. These building sprouted up all over New York – East Side and West side. - In retrospect they weren’t all bad. Designed to meet strict building codes for air and sunlight; the many setbacks provided terraces and penthouses for dozens of tenants. And yes, sunlight did filter down to the street. The windows were bad and often leaking, the ceilings were low, the little square parquet floors were rather heinous. Air conditioning often came as an afterthought and these buildings now sprout hundreds of dripping units. Still, they respected the building code for height. Cunning builders sometimes squeeze another floor out by dipping the lobby entrance below street level. However, none of these buildings towered above the others.      

 

Redemption: Today, some the most pleasing architecture are those buildings that have been shoehorned into tiny spaces. Where once stood a modest brownstone between two apartment buildings, new low-rise building have been neatly inserted into their place - decent modern without despoiling the neighborhood.

           

                                                  

Not all great buildings are residential - here are a few others that I really like


A storage facility in the Bronx - a renovated warehouse downtown NY

I can't reist the "old" - I guess that I am a nostalgic octeneratian after all

A wacky relic of the good old days

The last vestige of civility at the Battery - the old sailors home and church

How did this one get left behind in 2nd Avenue?

Is this cheating? I do love the marriage of these two Metropolitan Museum building under one glass roof

 

 

New York may be the city that never sleeps… it’s certainly true of its architecture - More and Upward!

 

 EPILOG

New York is not an easy place to be an architectural trendsetter. Her are five Architects and their buildings that have filled the bill:

 

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Seagram building 1957 was a trendsetter; build in Bronze, clean, monolithic and monumental. Asked why Bronze, Mr. van der Rohe replied “Because I like it!”

 

In 1952 The Lever House by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owing & Merrill started the glass trend. It sits airily on a square block on Park Avenue. Mercifully it is Land Marked and protected from greedy development.

 

Frank Lloyd Wright defied the skyscraper and gave us the poet Guggenheim Museum in 1959. I was proud to have met Wright during that period. He was much defiled by his contemporaries for degrading 5^th Avenue.

 

The TWA terminal by Eero Saarinen, 1962 is one of my favorite building in NYC. I would fly TWA whenever I could just to pay homage to this lyrical, totally impractical masterpiece. (Saved by Landmark designation)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, I am hard pressed to find any new candidates for this short list! (No wonder Mid-Century design holds us in such awe today!)

 

The Quiet Season

Nantucket in the Quiet Season

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, November 27, 2014

 

 

 

This is Thanksgiving weekend. In years past, I shared our hilarious Thanksgiving festivities. This time I want to share the quiet season; the pleasure of seeing leaves floating in puddles, the thrill of seeing trees devoid of their foliage, showing off a filigree of branches and twigs.

“A Walk in The Woods” was one of my favorite books about the author’s trek of the entire Appalachian Trail - all 2,000 miles of it! For me a half- mile walk through Nantucket’s moors and grasslands is an unbelievable treasure. It is a quiet, serene experience. There is no longer fall’s vivid display of colors. Instead you see the majesty of barren trees, berry-laden bushes and golden grasses swaying like waves in the sea. Leaves die quietly on country roads turning from burnished reds and gold to mellow shades of taupe. Once flaunting brilliant colors, they are now shrived in size and reveal their delicate veins. You must look down at the ground to see the last leaves plastered onto the wet pavement or blowing past your feet by a burst of wind.

     

 

The landscape is transformed into a panorama of muted colors against a gray sky. Threatening clouds whisk across the somber heaven. I am in love with this time of year; it has its own special beauty. A tree that once bore leaves and berries has long since died; its barren stems become a sculptors dream. Dressed in shades of grey with white trimmed windows, the distant town lies quietly on the horizon, only the white church steeples reach above the roofs.

 

Fall in my garden has its own time schedule. First to drop are the leaves of the wild cherry and crabapple trees. The rose bushes have long ago shed theirs. Last is my Japanese maple, it holds on to its foliage through wind and cold, but overnight, like the strike of a conductor’s baton, all leaves drop to the ground and turn the muddied earth into a red carpet. These too soon drift away.

 

In other years a little snow had fallen to put a finishing touch on this idyllic scene. This year our temperate weather has eluded it. It will come sooner or later after I have left the Island. We have rain instead, lots of it - with blustery winds gusting to fifty, canceling all plane and ferries. We are once again an Island thirty miles out at sea, separated from the mainland by an angry ocean. Darkness descends early from the rain-filled sky casting a somber visage to my fall’s idylls. But even that has its allure. After all, what can be better than roasting chestnuts over glowing embers in the fireplace?

 

Me on a walk in the woods

My son Illya painted this picture of the same scenes in the fall

 

And finally, my friend Betsey, who encouraged me to walk every day and patiently carried my sit-stick for me to rest on when I got exhausted.

 

++++++++++++++

 

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving

Final installment Flight of the Snowbird

Onward and Upward

 Gstaad here we come

Copyright Vladimir `Kagan June 2, 2014

 

Having celebrated my sister’s birthday in Forte dei Marmi, fulfilled my family obligations in Geneva, attended the wedding in Torino, there was nothing left to do but head for the hills: The Bernese Oberland, in the Swiss Alps.

I wanted to visit my beloved cows, the fields of wildflowers, the snow capped mountains and the vistas that bring thoughts of ethereal wanderings – the joy and brevity of life, the urgency of creativity.

The week was forecast for rain, more rain and thunderstorms; that did not deter us; rain or shine I was heading for the mountains. As it turned out, the weather was lovely: sunshine mixed with clouds and an occasional drizzle thrown in for variety. (If you’re looking for a cushy job, try Meteorology it’s the only profession where you get paid for being wrong and won't get fired.)

 

 

Our chalet is tucked into the midst of a farmer's field surrounded by odiferous pastureland

 

Arriving in the late afternoon, we were greeted by a low-lying mist, moist on our face and the pungent perfume of spread manure. (If only I could bottle the mountain air mixed with the scent of new cut grass, the cow manure and the aging cheese... You probably wouldn’t like it, so I won’t try.)

 

 We stayed in my niece's chalet located in the little hamlet of Les Moulins. If your not careful, you've passed right though it and are in Château D’Oex. Château D’Oex is famous for its winter ballooning, where eighteen years ago Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones took off in the Breiting Orbiter for the first none-stop balloon flight around the world.

The tiny capsule where the two balloonists lived for a month circling the earth

  

Our little restaurant in Les Moulins is the unlikely luncheon stop for weekend warriors on their bikes

 

Our neighborhood has narrow, steep one-lane roads cut between waist-high fields of wild flowers. Scattered cows are grazing on steep hills leaving rutted paths with their hoofs. Weathered ancient chalets, with deep overhanging roofs shielding the tiny windows are hung with neat white lace curtains and framed by green shutters. Our chalet is a peaceful haven, conducive to creativity.

Chris, my “wing Man” and I actually manage to get work done between playing.

 

Every spring there is a happening at this time of the year; the cows are driven through the elegant streets of Gstaad on their way up to their mountain pasturelands, there to graze and make milk all summer long. Chris and I were there at the propitious moment to photograph this scene. 

 

The churches are beautful enough to make me want to brcome a parish priest!

  

Lauenen See - and the beautiful waterfall, high up in the mountains, is an idyllic setting that is our family's annual pilgrimage

the symbol of Swiss orderliness - neatly stacked woodpiles along every mountain road. Above: a  pyramided haystack

There are only a few friends left in the mountains at this time of year. It’s the mud season – the shoulder season before the summer crowds take over. We visited with old friends who live in a 1500 chalet – we drop in on the neighboring farmer and disturb him while milking his cows. We have a traditional breakfast of a croissant and hot chocolate in the neighborhood bakery – a traditional Fondue in a mountain cafe is a must, so are Rösti and Geschnetzeltes (slivers of veal in a cream sauce)

A visit with an old family friend, Huldi Bach, turning 89 and  going strong

 

 

How can we leave this idyllic place?  Not all good things should come to an end.

One final fling: we do a touristy visit to Gruyere on our way back to Geneva

 

 

Farewell Afghanistan Welcome the Taliban

 

 

Bing West and the Afghanistan Conundrum

Copyright Vladimir Kagan March 11, 2014

“Bing” West

 

Francis J. “Bing” West is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Middle East Institute, the Military Order of the Carabao, and the Infantry Order of St. Crispin, he appears frequently on C-SPAN and The News Hour on PBS.

  

At a private luncheon held at the Sail Fish Club in Palm Beach, 55 members of the Coudert Institute were treated to an earful of Bing West. He started his talk with four questions about Afghanistan:

 

What happened?

Why Failure?

What are the Consequences?

What’s the future in a larger context?

 

Bing is one tough honcho… It is good to understand that there is no such thing as an ex-Marine only a retired one! Bing is one thousand percent Marine… he earned his “wings” fighting in Vietnam and later as former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration. He’s been embedded with the front-line troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a journalist and made 16 extended trips to Iraq and six to Afghanistan. West has written numerous books about military strategy, the fighting on the ground, his life with the troops on combat patrols and the counterinsurgency. He has stared down the barrel of insurgent fighter’s guns; he is no stranger to bullets whirling around his ears or death by improvised roadside mines IEDs.

 
Bing illustrating his talk with a slide of the ground soldiers carefully walking a narrow path with  hundreds of IEDs frequently buried on either side of the road

West minces no words. He speaks from first-hand experience and is highly critical of our war efforts. “Misguided". West argued that the current doctrine of nation-building and winning hearts and minds by economic development is no way to win insurgent wars. This philosophy was inspired by our country’s success with our own democracy, that took us decades to produce. Conversely, we gave freedom and democracy to people who are still physically and mentally back in the 9th century.

 

West has grave reservations about the effects of our counterinsurgency strategy. He thinks that insurgencies proceed from the bottom up, and must be dealt with at the local level. He believes that warriors defeat warriors, not the well-meaning words of Diplomats. America's mistake in both Iraq and Afghanistan was to concede all control to appointed local authority. We invade as liberating saviors, wanting to democratize the natives and bring them out of their medieval slumber… We are the eternal do-gooders, “Let’s rid the country of its brutal dictators, give them democratically elected leaders.” Except that is not what they want… these countries are made up of hostile tribes, deeply-rooted religious hatred for each other, and religious beliefs foreign to our democratic philosophy. The few that are enlightened leave; most do not want our interference in their way of life.

 

it is mandatory for platoon leaders to meet with village leaders on a regular basis - looking at their faces, Bing points out that they do not appear to be our best friends... 

West compared the conflict in Afghanistan with Napoleon’s defeat in Russia – (as depicted in Tolstoy's War & Peace). The Russian prince and his entourage were baffled by Napoleon’s attack; at Bordino; the prince decided that the spirit of nationalism - a shared belief in Mother Russia would defeat the invaders, So the Russian troops were allowed to sleep through the night. Napoleon on the other hand prep-talked his troops all through the night: First came the Generals, then the Colonels, next the captains and finally an awe-inspiring harangue to his soldiers… in Napoleon’s camp, there was no sleep that night… by morning they were exhausted and unfit for battle. The liaise fair Russians, refreshed by a good night’s sleep, routed Napoleon - it was the start of his defeat.  

 

What is the point? President Bush believed in "top-down" leadership. He was gravely in error. The peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan did not share his vision. 

 

Our expressed mission in Iraq was to rid the country of WMD and depose a tyrannical dictator … what we discovered was that there were no Weapons of Mass Destructions. We succeeded killing the hated Hassan Husain. In his place we empowered new leaders as corrupt and brutal as their predecessor. The country today is in a bitter conflict between the Shi’ite majority and the Sunni minority… Fallujah has once again become a bloody battleground of tribal warfare.

 

We invaded Afghanistan in retaliation for 9/11 determined to ferret out Al Qaeda and destroy Bin Laden… Afghanistan is a nation the size of Texas, consisting of 31 disparate tribes, each separated by 10,000 feet high mountains. This impenetrable countryside might be a mountain climber’s paradise, but not for an army in pursuit of an illusive enemy capable of disappearing into its jungle and impenetrable mountains…. Afghanistan has a 1500-mile porous border with Pakistan… That’s about the distance between New York and Florida… a perfect place to hide forever. We chased the “bastards” right up to the Pakistan border and stopped. (You don’t invade the borders of a neutral country)… Al Qaeda escaped un-opposed into the friendly territory of Pakistan. Unbeknownst to us, Al Qaeda had dug into tunnels and underground bunkers and Bin Laden was securely hidden. These tunnels proved indestructible by aerial bombardments… only penetrable on the ground with hand-to-hand combat, or annihilating the enemy one by one with our drones.

 

Al Qaeda gone, the new enemy was the Taliban: the brutal rulers that controlled Afghanistan. Afghanistan is not one homogenous country, it consist of 31 tribal fiefdoms not friendly to each other but co-exist in their 9th century world.

 

America’s armed forces boasts an unsurpassable Air Force, an efficient Navy and an Army trained to fight on the ground with tanks and other 21st Century ordinance… they were not prepared for the Afghans, where the battle must be fought on dirt roads, mountains and in villages of hostile natives… we were back to fighting with infantry troops in man to man combat; fighting an invisible enemy, not troops in uniforms but local farmers, poppy growers and store keepers. We were fighting people that hate us and do not see us as liberators but we are the occupiers of their land. Again we supported a leadership that is corrupt – corruption is endemic in these lands – you pay for every favor – every assist. Our military was not prepared to flight this kind of war…

 

Our arcane Generals indoctrinated our troops with the rules-of-engagement: A soldier on the ground is forbidden to shoot unless first shot at… every civilian kill is investigated by military lawyers and the soldier is under interrogation and considered guilty until proven innocent. Every platoon has a lawyer attached to it to assure adherence to these rules…West considers our Generals to be noble Napoleonic warriors fighting a partisan war where the enemy is everywhere; the enemy hidden amongst the native who universally hate us.

 

The Taliban knows that time and terrain will defeat the Americans… and so it has… President Obama’s scheduled withdrawal provided the Taliban with a time-table… time is on their side… wait for the American’s to leave and take over. . West believes that we over-reached. Eventually, the Afghan government and the Taliban will work out understandings that we cannot possibly comprehend. But we can detect and bomb any new Al Qaeda sanctuary, as we do in Pakistan and Yemen. In short, we fought for too long for too small a gain. In a few years, we will forget about Afghanistan.

 

+++++++++

 

In the military, the system rewards conformity: Generals work in a hierarchical chain-of-command. They advance to their exalted position by starting as low ranking officers; then climbing the ladder rank by rank with diligent adherence to the rules. Slowly, they arrive at their lofty status. (The process can take thirty-five years or more). This hierarchy is built on the buddy system… no one will criticize a higher-ranking officer; no general will contradict a colleague in arms… they have all been together too long; dependent for their promotions on the support of their fellow officers.

 

 +++++++++++

 

Below is a footnote written by Bing West for this article: (Some of the views expressed by Mr. West do not necessarily reflect those of the writer)

 

 “Our next battleground will be decidedly different… Conflict is inevitable but we won’t know when or where. Our military must remain prepared but tailored to a new reality. We are slashing Defense as if there will not be another war. West believes Defense is the nation's insurance policy. It has taken about 6% of our wealth. Now we are about to cut it in a few years to 3%. Would we do that with our houses and our life insurance for our loved ones? Defense is not the cause or the solution of our huge debt; our selfishness and preposterous promises to the elderly - West notes that he is 74 - are the fault of our debt. Afghanistan was a dumb over reach by both Mr. Bush and Obama. But it is foolish to react by burying our heads in the sand and ignoring events like the 150,000 dead in Syria and Putin's sneers. If we choose to become weak - and we have chosen to do so - we will be pushed around. It will do us no good to complain that our two presidents tried to do too much in Afghanistan. Spare us in the future, because we made a mistake in the past. Want to bet the nation on that plea?”

 

 P.S.

 An article in yesterday's New York Times illustates the vast difference between our culture and that of the Afghan's 

'2 Star-Crossed Afghans Cling to Love, Even at Risk of Death'

 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/world/asia/2-star-crossed-afghans-cling-to-love-even-at-risk-of-death.html?emc=edit_th_20140310&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=61363280

 

BOOKS BY BING WEST

• Small Unit Action in Vietnam, Summer 1966. ISBN 0-405-00018-9.

• The Village. ISBN 0-7434-5757-9.

• The Pepperdogs: a Novel. ISBN 0-7434-5643-2.

• The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the US Marines. ISBN 0-553-38269-1.

• No True Glory: a Front-line Account of the Battle of Fallujah. ISBN 0-553-80402-2.

• The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq (Random     House, 2008) ISBN 1-4000-6701-4

• The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan ISBN 1-4000-6873-8.

• Into the Fire: 2012

 

 

 

 

The Crisis in the Middle East

 

An “Earth is Flat” look at the Middle East and Islam

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, February 2, 2014

America and the Western World's perception of the Mid-East Crisis: Israel and Palestine

(small area shown in green and orange)
 

Dr. Kedar's large view of the Mid-East Crisis

North Africa, the Middle-east and Arab Peninsular 

The Middle East has been a diplomatic bête noir for centuries, ever since the Crusaders marched in to eliminate the scourge of Islam fourteen Centuries ago… It was not successful then and it is not now.

 

We were treated to a fascinating and intellectually challenging luncheon lecture by Dr. Mordechai Kedar at the Coudert Institutes’ Lunch & Learn series. Dr. Kedar is the founder and director of the Center for the study of Middle East and Islam at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel. Dr. Kedar speaks nine Arabic languages and has spent his life studying Islam and terrorism and has first-hand experience surviving in a country surrounded by hostile Arabs, Palestinians and Terrorists.

 

Dr. Mordechai Kedar presenting his views on the Mid-East Crisis at a recent Coudert Instititue

"Lunch & Learn" seminar in Palm Beach

 

The lecture was revealing in how differently the west views Islam and the Muslim world. We see the Middle East crisis in terms of the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. However, the reality is that the real conflicts are between Arabs vs. Arabs in all of the countries of the Middle East… from Iran to Sudan, Egypt Iraq, Iran Sudan, Mali, Libya, Somalia.

It is our naïve thinking that all will be resolved when the Israeli’s make peace with the Palestinians and we will all live happily ever after in peace and harmony with the Arab world….

The first Earth is flat theory!

Dr. Kedar opened our eyes to a different reality. We confuse the Islamic world with the word Middle East… Islam has a far greater reach. North Africa for one, into the old Soviet Union for another… further East into Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and into China…the Islamic world breaks down into tribal units… this tribal rivalry has killed millions of people over the centuries. It is this rivalry that is the basis of the conflict in the Middle East today. For example:

 Mali: the French had to send in their troops to quell an uprising by an Al-Qaeda affiliated group called El Cede

Libya: Quadaffi was killed by his own people, but the unrest continues and over 100,000 people have been killed in tribal conflict between the Sahara Desert tribes and those in the North.

Egypt: the start of the much heralded Arab Spring – Democracy at last (we American’s pray at the altar of Democracy as the solution for the world’s ills.) In the much-heralded “Spring” thousands were killed in the first round and now, three years later, the military has taken over, squashed democracy and in the course killed another 2,000 people.

Somalia: an ungovernable state that has been in bloody conflict between the North and the South. Even now, the new Southern State if tearing itself apart in mortal conflict.

Sudan: over two million people killed in their tribal rivalry.

Iraq: We fought two horrible wars there in an effort to rid the country of a tyrannical dictator and to unite the country. We left (leaving thousands of American boys and girls killed in this fruitless war) and they’re at it again… Sunnis vs. Shiites. Car bombs, Mosques, Police Stations – brutal killings that make us shudder, but to the tribal leaders and their followers, it is a natural bi-product of their internecine conflict.

Syria: two hundreds thousand killed in a revolution in its third year that will not leave the country in better shape – no matter what the outcome.

Turkey: in disarray between an Islamist prime minister and a freethinking non-sectarian majority… look for more conflict there.

Afghanistan: The most prolonged war Americans have fought, with thousand of casualties and billions of wasted dollars. When we depart at the end of 2014 the country will fall apart and revert back to its tribal borders… it’s already happening.

All these millions killed and dislodged… and not an Israeli involved!!!… So what makes us American’s think that peace with the Palestinians will resolve the mid-east crisis? – A good question.

Another Earth is Flat Theory!

 

Mr. Kedar espouses one solution: Get rid of the existing borders, which were artificially created by European diplomats after the First World War… Let them establish their own countries based on the tribal customs. “High walls make good neighbors” If you are strong and defend your rights, your enemy will respect you and you will live forever after in peace with you hostile neighbors. Dr. Kedar cites the Arab Emirates as an example of a successful collection of tribal Fiefdoms. Even if one has oil, like Qatar and another like Dubai has none. Dubai has sand… lot of sand, which is valuable real estate.

Map of the Islamic World

In my opinion the danger of Dr. Kedar’s theory is that powerful War Lords will dominate these tribal fiefdoms and the Islamic world will revert back into the 16th Century.

This may well be another Earth is Flat theory!

  

Missing from Dr. Kedar’s equation:

One: Greed - greed between the haves and have-nots. One country has the oil the other has not. Take the Kurds… they want their oil for themselves, but their neighbors – Turkey – Iraq – Iran wants in on the spoils… African mineral rights including diamonds are a deadly factor and at least as divisive as the tribal issues.

Two: Radical Islam does not represent the billions of Muslims scattered around the word. And radical Islam does not care about tribal borders; they’re all about Jihad against the Infidels - meaning us!... Most Muslims are peaceful, but the radicals impose their violent agenda on the others.

Three: And finally, a little peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians may be a small victory in the over-all annals of things… but may be a nice attainable start!

 

The Church That Apple Built

The Church That Apple Built

Copyright Vladimir Kagan July – 2011

 

An Open letter to Steve Jobs

 

Steve Jobs

CEO Apple

In the Sky

 

Dear Mr. Jobs,

 

I hate to bother you, knowing that you have not been feeling well and have taken a leave of absence from your wonderful company “to spend more time with your family”. But you, like God live somewhere up in the clouds and I have no other person on earth to turn to with my problem.

 

Your vast extended family here on earth (they are more like acolytes) are all too busy selling your beautiful Apple products to the millions and millions of Earthlings that have not as yet been converted.

 

When I walk into one of your inspirational stores, (the experience is more like an evangelical church) full of starry-eyed devotees, seeing the revelations in your iPads, i.Phones, and MacBook Air computers… In place of rosaries, or worry beads, you have created irresistible wireless mice, keyboards and other toys to heighten the Apple experience. Your devotees come in all colors, sexes, sizes and ages; it is truly an ecumenical experience. Your acolytes are easily recognizable by their cheerful blue T-shirts. Approach one for a new product and their eye’s light up and they will lead you to the Grail…. Ask them for help and their eyes glaze over, (this is not the gospel mission Jobs has given them). At the far end of the “Apple Church” in the Alter position, is the “Genius Bar” where the high priests hold court. You must not judge a book by its cover! They do NOT look like geniuses – (Christ’s disciples, as seen in paintings, looked their part – these are definitely mortals), Their demeanor, however, is lofty. You cannot approach them at will, St. Peter, with an iPad in hand, must first make an appointment…. This can take anywhere form an hour to several days). In such glorious company, one accepts the “word” and humbly withdraws.

 

At the appointed time, you finally meet face to face with a talking head. (For this interview, you are offered a chair - really only a stool). As a novice I try to explain my problem in lay terms, not the high faluting vocabulary of the initiated. This becomes a difficult conversation, as the high priests only understand technical terminology. But hope lasts eternal… and your Genius passes you onto to the next Genius, who finally explains that yours is a software problem and they only deal with hardware!

 

But all is not lost! When I purchased my new Apple Mac Book Pro, (this is my 10^th Apple computer) your wise acolyte introduced me to “The Book of Jobs”. Without this bible, you cannot proceed and thus I duly purchased:

• An extended warranty,
• One to One new membership,
• APP for MacBookAir/MacBook e/k-USA,
• MobilMe Individual,
• iPod Touch 8GB
• Apple Mini-DP to DVI adaptor
• Apple Mini-DP to VGA adaptor
• Western Digital Passport Studio 320G
• Incase Neoprene Sleeve

Fear not…armed with all these protections, you are ready to roll… Steve Jobs is looking after you.

 

Truly, only a small issue remained: Nantucket does not have an Apple Church; there are no meeting halls where like-minded devotees can meet and discuss their problems. (That was a Quaker tradition on the Island and they have all departed.)

 

The last resort: Go on the Internet… get into a virtual chat with an Apple Guru. That is as close as you can get with your "One on One" membership! There is no direct voice communication.

 

…. And so I chatted with my new friend. We were instantly on a first name basis and he politely asked how I was feeling today… (How can you get angry with such a nice person?) We chatted for an hour and a half; I was represented by a handsome image of myself in black silhouette and he with a cute Pixel cartoon of an apple talking. My problem was really simple: I have enjoyed an APP called iCal… a calendar that has faithfully kept all of my appointments, future and past in neat color-coded monthly pages. This simple little icon has been stored in my Dock for the last year and has been accessible with a mouse click…. NOT ANYMORE…. Recently, I could not remember my personal I.D. and at the request of Apple, I changed it to a more sophisticated code. Now my calendar no longer recognized me… Instead of my appointments, I get a rude Question Box announcing:

 

 “THE SERVER RESPONDED WITH AN ERROR – the server did not recognize your user name or password for account vladkagan----@me.com. Make sure you enter them correctly”…and then it insists that I press OK before I can proceed with any other business on my computer.

 

Being a law-abiding citizen, I have complied with these instructions hundreds of times in the last week. It hiccups and repeats this dumb question over and over and still refused to recognize me… (its old devoted friend!)

 

This simple dilemma was explained in detail to my Chat friend, who in the end, confessed that he could not help me! I implored him to, “let’s save time and money… just call me”… but in the book of Jobs, this was not permitted!

 

Dear Mr. Jobs, you can see my frustration. PLEASE HELP that in the future, I may be allowed to talk one-on-one to a disciple!

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Vladimir Kagan

 

P.S. To spare you this trivial problem, my dilemma was resolved by a PC man in five minutes!

 

 

Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival

 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan January 15, 2011

 

The most joyous of Christmas celebration does not necessarily take place on Christmas eve, nor even Christmas Day… it happens the twelfth night thereafter!.... (Or as close to it on the first Sunday in January). It’s The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival at Palm Beach’s Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church to celebrate the Epiphany. It dates back to Roman times as a pagan fête that acquired its modern interpretation as a Christian festival to celebrate the twelfth night after Christmas. Records indicate that the festival took place shortly after the founding of Queens College, Oxford in 1340. The Boar’s Head procession celebrated the deliverance of a young student, lost in a forest, being attacked by a raging Boar, who, with his quick wit, thrust his volume of Aristotle into the Boars throat and saved his life…it symbolized the victory of reason over brute force…to Christian’s it was the victory of Christ’s teaching over ignorance…. and thus the modern saga began.

 

(In Norman England the Boar was the sovereign of the great forests, a menace to man and a symbol of evil.)

 

Today’s festivity marked their 31^st presentation of this magical pageant. It is full of joy and symbolism. It is the purest form of devotion - of innocence - of love. It celebrates what Christianity expounds.

 

The beautifully decorated Alter of Bethesda by The Sea

Stained glass windows filtering the afternoon light

A Lone Beefeater awaiting his cue in the Church's courtyard

                                                                                       Palm Beach Daily News / Meghan McCarthy

Assembled Beefeaters ready to parade into the church

The proceedings started in hushed silence in the darkened church… only sunlight filtering through the beautiful stained glass windows. It burst into life with an endearing sprite, skipping down the darkened aisle, bearing a candle to the Rector of the Church, who in turn lit the candles on the altar and with it, the festive lights on the Christmas trees…. It symbolized the light that Christ shed on the earth. 

 

                                                                                    Palm Beach Daily News / Meghan McCarthy

My favorite person in the procession - the adorable little sprite in the middle of this photo

A brass ensemble of a French Horn, two trumpets and trombones proclaimed the start of the procession with a fanfare of uplifting Christmas music, followed by crimson costumed Beefeaters marching majestically down the isles…. the silence was broken by a piercing tap of the major domo’s spear and the proceedings exploded into life with an earsplitting eruption of snare-drums and pipes from Palm Beach’s Pipes and Drum Band, parading solemnly down the isles, playing Scottish melodies and the haunting hymn, Amazing Grace. (It was enough to raise goose bumps on your neck)… This was followed by the entrance of over 200 participants in glorious costumes including the choir, dancers, flag bearers, adorable children of all ages, followed by Heralds, a magnificently robed King Wenceslas and his page, the woodsmen with the Yule log, the shepherds in search of Christ; and finally the three kings, bearing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. To crown it off, standing high above the altar, a handsome young Joseph with an adoring Mary holding a live infant of 6 months, protected by a white angel.

The start of the procession - the Beefeaters majestically marching down the aisle

Beautifully embroidered crimson coats with the Scottish Rose and Crown

The boom boom boom of the drum accompanying the pipers

                                                                                      Palm Beach Daily News / Meghan McCarthy

                                                                                                                    Palm Beach Daily News / Meghan McCarthy

                                                                                                                      Palm Beach Daily News / Meghan McCarthy

A few of the cast of 200 parishioners that made this afternoon so unforgettable

The visual delight was heightened by the exquisite hymns that accompanied the Festival: The haunting “In the Bleak Midwinter” followed by familiar cheerful hymns such as “Deck The Halls” “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, the very beautiful “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” by Gustav Holst and concluded with “O Come, All Ye Faithful”.

 

Last week I wrote of Operas with complex music and un-sing--able songs… This was music of joyous melodies with librettos of uplifting hope.

 

The afternoon was awash with cheerfulness and goodwill and closed with the dousing of the lights and the little sprite returning to skip down the aisle with the dignified Rector holding hands.

 

 

Post Script: I wish that the simplicity and purity of this celebration could have prevailed for all the ages… Sadly, its spirit has too often been distorted by ideologies that have inflicted much havoc in this world… This is poignant, as the Christ story is heart- warming – naïve – and full of love and devotion … whether you are a true believer or a skeptic, its charm is overwhelming…. This festival helps to keep his spirit alive!

 

All photos not credited to Meghan McCarthy are by Vladimir Kagan