Month: June 2011

THE PLAY’S THE THING….

On June 23, 2011

I came back from my class reunion at Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, just in time to catch the Tony’s, my favorite award show. This year it was stupendous and I picked every winner. The only play I couldn’t get tickets for was Good People, which won a Tony for Frances McDormand, but that’s a pretty good track record.

Forgot to show you a photo of Scott Buck and me in front of the marquee of Million Dollar Quartet, which I mentioned in my May 14 blog. Dynamite show from last year’s picks.

M.P. and Scott Buck under the marquee

I was thrilled that my old neighbor, Norbert Leo Butz won for the best actor in the musical Catch Me If You Can, a must-see, which I saw with another old friend from Florida, Barry Hamilton. And nothing topped the revival of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer’s watershed drama about AIDS, which I saw with my son, Christopher, in 1985. The play starred Ellen Barkin and John Benjamin Hickey, who won Tony’s, as well as a very moving, powerful Joe Mantello.

A week later I visited the Wyman-Kelly family in West Hartford, CT, and was treated for my birthday (you didn’t know I had a birthday? You certainly must have pegged me as a Gemini by now!) to an excellent revival of August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean at the Hartford Stage. This was one of my favorite venues when I lived in Sherman, CT 18 years ago.

The season came to an end for me with the revival of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, a play about the relationship between past and present, order and disorder, and the certainly of knowledge. It’s also a mystery. I suggest you read it before you see it. I finally did, having been mystified when I first saw it in 1993. Stoppard is my favorite English playwright. His use of word play and dialogue are unsurpassed, except, maybe, by Shakespeare.

I’m on my way to the Mt. Laural Autoharp Gathering (MLAG) in Newport, PA, and then on to New Hampshire and my beloved Lake Winnipesaukee. A happy, “cool” summer to you all!

I JUST CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM SUNNY CALIFORNIA….

By Meg Noble Peterson

On June 20, 2011

In Uncategorized

There are, indeed, some fabulous travel destinations right here in these United States. And one of them is the Sierra Mountains of northern California. At the end of May I participated in my first California Autoharp Gathering (CAG), which also included accomplished guitarists, fiddlers, dulcimer players, singers, dancers, and experts in the field of country and bluegrass music. Located in Dunlap, CA, an hour from Fresno, and held at beautiful St. Nicholas Ranch near an old mission church turned Greek Orthodox, this was a multiethnic experience, which included children from the Migrant Education Programs of Fresno County run by Mike Mueller.

I spent four days in the company of the greats of Autoharp playing and luthiers who have encouraged new ways of stringing the instrument since my husband, Glen R. Peterson, and I first took over Oscar Schmidt International in 1961. One of the many celebrations honored the members of the Autoharp Hall of Fame, most of whom are in this picture.

I'm in the front row between Bryan Bowers and Lindsey Haisley. Perfect location!

We had a great time reminiscing and answering questions from an audience eager to find new ways of playing and chording. In 1961 there were only 15 chords on the old A Model instrument. Now there are 21 and a plethora of choices and combinations of chords, giving the Autoharp a versatility unknown in the early days.

From an outstanding faculty numbering more than twenty-six, here are a few photographs, just the tip of the iceberg. I guess the most fun was the jamming, which occurred before and after workshops and late into the night. Music was everywhere!

Left to right: Ann Norris, John Massey, Drew Smith, Dave Rainwater

These next few photos were taken by Marc B. Blake, photographer extraordinaire. I’m sure you can find many more online and on his website, including some exciting videos of the performances.

Bryan Bowers

Carey Dubbert

Yours truly and Mike Fenton, the English Autoharp maven

Bryan Bowers and Karen Mueller...what a combination!

A superb ensemble: Left to right: Ivan Stiles, Coleen & Neal Walters, Kathy Hollandsworth, Carey Dubbert

When I arrived home I knew spring had finally come. I was treated to my daughter Martha’s rhododendron….

…and my pyrocantha (or firethorn).

ONE CHILD, ONE HELPING HAND

By Meg Noble Peterson

On June 17, 2011

In India

Since my return from India, I’ve been reading a lot about the emerging middle class and its affluence, but that even with the proliferation of new apartment complexes, the garbage still piles up in the street and the sewage system lags far behind. Yes, India has horrendous problems with its infrastructure, but, sad to say, they are not alone. As you know from my previous blogs, I had very little exposure to these people, since I was traveling and exploring the countryside and small villages, wandering through markets and mixing with school children at the caves or in the airport. The children are always curious about Westerners and not afraid to engage in a conversation, usually starting with “What is your name? Mine is…… Where are you from? Do you like India?”

This experience changes when you hit the large cities. And it is here that the meandering tourist is accosted by swarms of children in tattered clothes and bare feet, begging. And this is what is most difficult for many Westerners to understand and to accept. I have written about it in my travels in Myanmar, but it is much more prevalent in India. My usual answer when asked for money is to say “thank you” in the native dialect (given to me by the locals, who sympathize with the problem), rather than “NO, GO AWAY!” If you say thank you the right way it telegraphs, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

In Myanmar there were few beggars, but if approached, I always took them to a sidewalk food stand and bought them something to eat. By my third month in India, however, I was losing patience. On my last day I was staying at a charming hotel, Wongdhen House, in Majnu Ka Tilla, the small Buddhist enclave/colony in Delhi. It was a dreary day and I was wandering the small lanes lined with shops and food stalls. There was a tug at my pants leg. I looked down at a most forlorn, pitiful little boy with matted hair and dirty hands and face, gesturing for food with his fingers pointing to his mouth. My emotions ran the gamut from pity to irritation to anger and back to sadness and pity. Where is your mother? How dare you prey on me? Why aren’t you in school? I knew the answers, but that didn’t stop the feelings. He was skinny. He was hungry. He was alone.

I walked over to a fruit stand and bought a banana, handing it to the boy. He shook his head. What, you’re looking a gift horse in the mouth? He pointed to a small bunch of green grapes and smiled hopefully. They were expensive compared to a banana, and as always happens when I travel, I immerse myself in the local economy and do not calculate exchange rates. Here was this little kid being fussy about my gift. He waggled his head from side to side. I looked at the vendor, then at the kid. His eyes were appealing. This must be a monumental treat. I hesitated. The vendor looked at the little boy and, almost imperceptively, motioned with his head for me to give the boy the grapes. The boy’s hands were trembling in anticipation and he immediately started gobbling. I looked at the vendor, who had tears in his eyes. I had never seen this on the part of an Indian in this situation. Usually they appear disdainful of such a child. But what did I know of this man’s life that led to his compassionate act? I said, “That was a lovely thing to do. You are a kind man.” He nodded, wordlessly.

“Here, let me buy some more bananas,” I said. I handed them to the boy. This time he took them, eagerly. A little girl had come by, which often happens when you give something to one child. He handed a banana to the girl and they walked off together.

Looking at the entrance to Majnu Ka Tilla from the overpass

Entering by bicycle rickshaw

Cary at main temple

Gullvi at entrance to Wongdhen House

Typical fruit stand

This is the blog for Meg Noble Peterson, whose latest book is Madam, Have You Ever Really Been Happy? An Intimate Journey Through Africa and Asia, the story of her first eight-month solo backpacking trip around the world. A synopsis and excerpts from the book can be found on this website.

I began this blog, detailing my recent adventures throughout the world, in the summer of 2005 with my trip to Sweden and Norway. Scroll down to the end to begin this journey. And be sure to browse the Archives and Categories for more in-depth information with photos and stories.

In the blog I include backpacking trips to northern and southern India, Nepal, Myanmar, Ladakh, Kashmir, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tanzania, as well as backpacking and hiking in the Pacific Northwest and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Here is a quick recap of trips taken before starting the blog:

In March, 2005, I traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic.

In May, 2004, I spent a month with my eldest daughter in Tibet. Together we circumambulated sacred Mt. Kailash over the Dolma La (pass) at 18,000 ft. and Lake Manasarovar at 14,000 ft. We camped in the countryside, mixed with nomads, and visited the sacred places and temples of this beleaguered country.

In May, 2003, I explored the many facets of Peru and climbed on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

In May, 1999 I did the Wainwright Walk across England from St. Bees Head on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea. And in November and early December of the same year I trekked, once again, in Nepal, doing the Annapurna circuit, and going over the Thorong La (pass) at 17,500 ft.

To see the places I traveled on my previous trips, visit the map on this website.

In 1998, my eldest son, Christopher, treated the entire family to a trip to the Galapagos Islands, three years before he died. This will remain one of the high points of all my travel adventures.

Author of Madam, Have You Ever Really Been Happy? An Intimate Journey through Africa and Asia

Month: June 2011

THE PLAY’S THE THING….

I JUST CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM SUNNY CALIFORNIA….

ONE CHILD, ONE HELPING HAND

Purchase the Book