Maria and I are slowly learning to find the things that ground, quiet, and bind us together. Tonight at 7, we’ll sit next to one another and stream music. I will look at the screen, and Mara will sketch.

This afternoon, we went to our favorite museum, the Williams College Museum in Williamstown, Mass. it is the most beautiful, peaceful, and always exciting place. The display of the art students at the college is always the most touching and exciting for me.

Before we went in, we stopped at the wine/food store which sells our friend  Emily Gold’s excellent bread – people line up in the shop for it every morning. We brought some home. And some of her remarkable granola.

 

 

I love seeing Maria in museums; she is at peace and home there. Museum photos are some of my favorite ones. I don’t know art as well as she does, but she has taught me a lot about looking at art and loving museums. It’s one of our favorite things to do together.

We walked into the museum and saw what was new, and when I got tired, I retreat to their beautiful library room and sat and read and meditated. There is a lot of good mojo in that room.

I can go for an hour or two, but then my feet hurt a bit, and I rest. She finds me when she is done and sits down next to me. No rush, no pressure; I love the peace of that room. It is a very safe place for me.

Afterward, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Tony Sombrero’s, also in Williamstown, just down the road from the museum. We met the new owner, Emma, who has re-designed the place and made beautiful food, the best Mexican food we have had in years.

I was drawn to the statue of Abraham Lincoln on the first floor, he is my favorite president and a lifelong here. I’ve seen a thousand figures of him, but this one caught my eye; it seemed to capture the moral and thoughtful character of the person I’ve been reading about all my life.

This is the first statue of Lincoln I’ve ever photographed. It sits right inside the entrance to the museum.

This sculpture of Lincoln’s face touched me in some way; it seemed to capture his character and thoughtfulness in a way I haven’t seen before. These days, Lincoln has a special meaning for me. He reminds me of what real leadership can be.

 

She was watching and thinking, painting to painting, picture to picture. She soaks it in, it is vital to her.

 

 

Maria loved this painting by a well-known Native American artist, it hangs in the museum library. I can feel the charge across the room when Maria looks at the art she loves. It’s a beautiful thing to see. Her heart is full of art and color, and light.

 

 

I walk with Maria for the first hour or so.  Then I find the library.

When I sit and read in the library,  Maria comes and finds me when she is finished looking at the art. Then we sit together and talk about what we have seen. It’s an extraordinary moment for both of us.

 

 

Afterward, we went out for lunch. I was very drawn to Emma’s face. She is the new owner of our favorite Mexican restaurant, Tony Sombrero’s, in Williamstown, Pa. She graciously agreed to pose for a portrait. Her face is so full of character. I liked her and we told her she would be a regular part of our life.