september

Last Saturday we attended the National Symphony Orchestra’s season opening concert at the Kennedy Center. There is something so grand about entering the hall of flags and mingling on the patio that overlooks the Potomac. The program included pieces by Johann Strauss, Jr., Richard Strauss, and Liszt and featured performances by Renee Fleming and Lang Lang. Fleming performed Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs.” The lines from “September” seem à propos for this season and a fitting tribute to my abandoned vegetable garden:

The garden is mourning,

the rain sinks coolly on the flowers,

summertime shudders

quietly to a close.

Leaf upon golden leaf is dropping

down from the tall acacia tree.

Summer smiles amazed and exhausted,

on the dying dream that was this garden.

Long by the roses,

it tarries, yearns for rest,

slowly closes its (great)

weary eyes.

(translated from German)

vacation's all i ever wanted

We didn’t have to get away, but we did. After four weekends out-of-town, it’s good to be home on a Saturday–cleaning, picking up veggies, enjoying an end-of-summer kind of day. With or without the academic calendar, September will always be the back-to-school month. The same sense of anticipation; the same urge to start over.

Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver, B.C. were all new places for us. The trip was a whirlwind of driving up mountains and down coasts, exploring city streets block by block … the kind of trip that leaves you mentally refreshed but physically exhausted. Conclusion: the Pacific Northwest is full of dramatic landscapes, walkable cities, and really good food.

Rialto Beach, WA: