Ann Carol Goldberg

We headed into Memphis,   eastern bound 

To celebrate my birthday, with dinner on the town

After parking the JEEP we walked up the ramp

to the restaurant we had chosen, with a curious name, hard to figure,

the Complicated Pilgrim. The chairs are cushioned, more comfortable to sit

Soft fabrics covered everything to absorb the chatter to a tolerable pitch

Tables were spaced to give privacy galore.

Service was slow, but we had all night,

And would gain an hour to return to mother nature’s time frame making it right

A lovely meal we enjoyed, served by Shea, a hard working waitress with a smile very bright.

We departed the restaurant a lovely birthday gift to me, Paul plugged in our destination GPS it was to be. We joked about the closed bridge on the route 55 but with detours at every turn we were stuck,

Feeling like Charlie on Boston’s MTA. going round in circles scratching our heads, we said we have seen every crook and cranny of Memphis, enough is enough. We must look for route 40, that was the answer to our puzzle, after 35 minutes, back to west of the Mississippi shore we did indeed return. Home and parked behind the motor home to unwind and watch the barges navigate

in the river of so many dreams, hopes and good times and hard times.

A memorable birthday. I just wanted to share. I hope the rather free verse made you smile a bit more: Something we all need in the weeks to come. May the year bring peace, unity, healing, a strong democracy and steady government in the land that we cherish and love.

Note; Most of you know I enjoy feedback to my blogs and enjoy your stories, so please share.

If you cannot open the blog, go to my website and read it there and view my photo gallery at

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The joys of crossing the country in our RV have always been the freedom to change our route on a whim. My loving husband Paul is an expert on mapping our route and finding camping stops. Our aim is to visit friends when possible or discover new adventures. This is our 6^th day on the road since leaving Rochester and we have visited dear friends in Cleveland, June and Bert and their daughter Beth who is recovering from a difficult but thank goodness, successful kidney transplant. We met June at Tommy’s, a popular restaurant with line-up of hungry folks lined up outside. We had reservations, no waiting, and enjoyed a delicious lunch with more talk than chewing. I had wanted to take a gift to Beth but did not know what would work, Food? Other? June suggested Beth’s favorite sandwich and smoothie from Tommy’s; a perfect takeout. We drove to Beth and her devoted husband Jim’s house, they moved in two months before an appropriate kidney was found, a lovely, contemporary

home awaited her return. We played with their dog and 2 cats and admired the embellishments they made to the house reflecting their eye for design and color. Beth is doing amazingly well, hooked to Oxygen but walking and enjoying life on this side of surgery. What a wonderful visit reflecting, healing, love and happiness.

We departed the next day for Columbus, OH to visit Lee Cherney, whom Paul and I have known since Kindergarten. The two of them graduated from Brown University as well. Lee is a wonderful musician. He plays guitar, Banjo,

 Mandolin and any other string instrument he gets into his hands. The basement of his house is a “museum” of vintage, unusual and contemporary string instruments such as this Mongolian “3 hole” instrument hanging on the wall and the Vintage Mandolin in his arms, banjos and an army of guitars It was a joy to see Lee again. But we must move onward. The next stop, Louisville, KY, our first time in that lovely city.

We did the one day, a Monday, tourist stint; The Louisville Slugger Museum and factory. 

The exhibits feature the long history of baseball in America and introduce all of the great players and their custom made bats. We opted for the walking tour where the guide explained the complex manufacturing process. We were directed to touch nothing and stay within the yellow floor markings for safety. Videos explained the process in good

detail. At the end of the tour, we were each given a small size bat as a fun souvenir. Our hope was to visit the Art Museums in the area but they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We drove to Churchill Downs to view the vast and famous stadium but skipped the large museum, as it was late in the day and headed back to the campground. As is our habit, we try to meet and talk to folks wherever we go and had several friendly conversations about our travels and rigs. There is a train track 100 yards from our windows, thus the photo of the train trundling by. How I love the sound of the train, powerful and full of freight or better yet, people and all of their stories.

It was time to get on board. A tour bus pulled

 up next to our rig to return tourists to the campground. Tomorrow, we depart for Nashville and tune up our ears for more adventures, with tickets for The Grand Ole Opry. 

A reminder that I welcome feedback and your stories. I share my birthday with my wonderful grandson Azriel on November 2nd. Her is hoping for a good birthday present on the 5th. Don’t forget to exercise your vote.

Yes, I have aged, grateful for that but, along with other symptom of aging so go my vocal cords. They have atrophied, right in line with the aging process. No part of the body is exempt from loosing flexibility, strength, and tonality. The old cords do not vibrate as strongly or as rapidly as in my “youth.”  My breathing is compromised as well, but I get along. I am not alone in this change in my life. I still want to sing. I have sung most of my life, starting as a toddler. I was known on our street-(#31) Edgerton Street in Rochester, NY, as the cute little girl who likes to perform and was invited every warm summer night to sing for the neighbors on their porches, most especially, the Starrs, Shubeners and Luries. Neighborhood pet kitty cats and dogs being walked, their mistresses or masters would stop by to listen along with my beloved mom and dad in tow. I sang lullabies, requests, a song called “Country Gardens” and other tunes and on request I whistled some tunes as well. I loved the applause and bowed deeply, raising hurrahs from the audience and pinches on my pudgy cheeks.

I continued singing for the rest of my life to date, studied voice and joined choirs, Brighton High School, and The Brightonaires (a 12 person chorale selected from many at the audition), University of Buffalo, the Rochester Oratorio Society, Temple B’rith Kodesh choir and the Rochester Jewish Chorale, performing solos or duos, quartets for events. I continued for years including joining our annual July Sing-along in the beautiful and acoustically rich Kilbourn hall, located in the Rochester Kodak hall-Eastman Theatre building. Every Tuesday night in July, we meet in Kilbourn Hall, a beautiful 750 seat theatre with wonderful acoustics. Upon arrival, we would pay our $5.00 fee to rent the libretto, (Cantatas, Requiems, short operas) and then find a seat in the appropriate section (alto for me) and greet our seatmates. What company we are in; surrounded by great singers, some professional performers, teachers, lovers of music and song, of all ages. But on these evenings we are all equal. The conductors are guests or. faculty members of the Eastman School of Music. They are so talented, guiding us through the read-through rehearsal, after a wonderful warm up, stretching our bodies and vocalizing to wake up our voices, then a break followed by a full performance. My seat mates would share their stories as professionals and vocal cord trouble or demise. We would commiserate with each other, give it our all or mouth the words when encountering difficulty.

Many famous singers have have suffered from deficiencies in their vocal abilities. I recalled news reports and (auto)biographies of well known singers with aging voices or long lasting bouts of laryngitis and other dreaded ailments. They include; Adele. She has experienced a few vocal disorders including a “vocal fold hemorrhage and a benign polyp on her vocal cords.” Celine Dion has “stiff-person syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder that affects the vocal cords and makes it difficult to sing.” Julie Andrews, “underwent surgery in 1997 to remove noncancerous nodules on her vocal cords and ended up losing her singing voice.” Whitney Houston‘s voice “was damaged by years of drug use, smoking, and her demanding performance schedule, only recovering 75 % of her vocal ability after long years of coaching.” Luciano Pavarotti “had nodules that caused him to cease singing for a long while.” Keith Urban (Polyps; “had surgery to remove vocal polyps. Elton John “underwent surgery that permanently lowered his vocal range.” So, I dare not complain. In the words of Whitney Houston, “God gave me a voice to sing with and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?” When in trouble, I just try to vocalize and raise above the difficulty, singing from the diaphragm as I have for years. On bad days, I do not sing for fear of more difficulty with my voice. Life is too short to dwell on our shortcomings. There are too many other parts of living that give us peace of mind and heart. Family and friends are on top of the list.

Note; enjoy your feedback. My blogging has been dormant for a long time busy just living. Our lives are about to change. In a few days, we will drive west toward our RV community in Jojoba Hills, California, and in the spring, sell our motor home and drive back to Rochester to stay. We are excited, When the right time comes, change is good.

1922, My father, Herman Rudin was 16 years old, a fine violinist already and living in Rochester, NY. His Violin teacher, Mr Herman Surasky, encouraged my dad (his nickname was Hy) to audition for the newly formed Civic Music Association Orchestra, the forerunner to the now great Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He was readily accepted and hired, playing on the stage of the Eastman Theatre, built on the behest of George Eastman of Kodak fame. Eventually, Hy was asked to play in the Viola section as there were too many violins, (not an uncommon problem). He did so and in 1928 married my mother, Sophie Caplan from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. My husband Paul has found the Ancestry document recording their move to Rochester. They had been courting after meeting at a party in Rochester. My brother, Arthur (may he rest in peace) was born in 1929 and played the cello then the bass violin-jazz. I was born in 1942 and as a youngster, would hang on the balcony above the first floor piano space and eagerly listen to their practice sessions. My dad played with the RPO until 1977 when he passed away at age 71. His compositions were played by the RPO on many occasions. There are so many stories to tell as an “orchestra brat” and later, Paul and I as advocates for better pay and extended seasons. I remain very proud of my father (he became head librarian and Personnel manager as well at later dates. My beautiful mother tolerated the difficult schedule of an orchestra member and remained very proud of him while making a career for herself as a Pediatric nurse. I will stop here and attach the file for Herman Rudin held at the Sibley Music Library in Rochester, Peter Coppen Chairman. Anyone wishing to take on the research and documentation, students, scholars can gain access through Mr. Coppen and I hope you enjoy his journey below.

Herman-Rudin-Collection

National Poetry Month has a long history. My first year receiving daily POEMS began in April, 2010, savoring a month-long dose of daily poems and sources from Knopf Publishers; see below to sign up.

I have eagerly awaited the Month of April since that year for the wonderful poems that I would receive and could not have found on my own. I have developed a string of favorite poets and poetry and various styles of poetry. I couldn’t begin to share them all, that would necessitate a course over months/years time and I am not qualified enough to do that. Therefore, if you do love Poetry and want to be part of this venture, read on. My research results;

Who started it? “It was inspired by Black History Month and Women’s History Month. In April, 1996 by the Academy of American Poets marking April as National Poetry Month to turn the attention of the world towards the art of poetry.”

Furthermore, “National Poetry Month is a registered trademark of the Academy of American Poets. Why was April chosen for National Poetry Month?  In coordination with poets, booksellers, librarians, and teachers, the Academy of American Poets chose a month when poetry could be celebrated with the highest level of participation.”

I refer you to search for my oldest entry in 2010, and 2 recent sources; (W. S. Piero and Ruth Padel-“the Great, Great, Great Granddaughter of Charles Darwin.” and  Patrick Phillips Juilate Civitas.) for which pizza will never be the same. Sign up, read. savor and enjoy the rhymes and reason. 

To sign up go to https://knopfdoubleday.com/knopf-poetry-signup/

The book is entitled;  The Secret Life Of Sunflowers: A gripping, inspiring novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent Van Gogh’s sister in law. 

I read the Kindle ebook  version as I love to poke words and search items in the text for further insight into so many topics. Here is a brief synopsis quoted from the Amazon Book search;

“When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother’s diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn’t her grandmother’s. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law.  Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh’s paintings. They were all she had, and they weren’t worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow with a baby in the 1800s, without any means of supporting herself, living in Paris where she barely spoke the language. Yet she managed to introduce Vincent’s legacy to the world.  The inspiration couldn’t come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past?”

You will meet many characters in the Van Gogh family and other picturesque characters. It was hard to put the book down. 

I experienced the 2022 traveling Van Gogh wall high experience shown in over 40 U.S. Cities, housed in large video adapted warehouses, in immersive, surround video/sound extravaganzas?  This project enlightened many generations beyond his years and surrounded you with this famous artist’s work, innovative brush stroke style and brings glory to Johanna and her quest to show the work to the world. 

The story of Vincent Van Gogh as we all learned in art history courses present VG as highly reclusive, lacking in self confidence, tending toward frequent bouts of insanity and of course, learning that in a rage, he cut off of his ear and of his eventual suicide. It is all quite a dramatic story visualized through the now famous painting of his bedroom and other famous and innovative works of art. His road to fame was not easy and not anything this shy and timid artist would have pursued. In this novelized tale, we meet many family members and other characters that add to this visually rich book.  Author Marta Molar is a dedicated biographer, obsessed (20 years or more) in researching and telling the story of his sister-in-law Johanna. in the early 1890’s and her struggle to alert the art world of this great body of work. The chapters in the book are intertwined with Emsley, woman in the 1990’s finding a “green Diary” of her recording Jo’s pursuit to the end. 

I am so glad to be back to posting blogs after a long hiatus and a long history of postings. I started messages in a Minute posting on Mondays (mostly) because I was born on a Monday, a Monday child is obsessive. Please to to cgstudio.net to read the blog and I enjoy having feedback about books or any other topic that I may share. 

Today is my 80th birthday and I am so glad to be entering the new decade. I feel great and grateful to all who sent me good wishes. I intend to celebrate every day. We are on our way west and camped for 3 nights in the Tom Sawyer RV park in Arkansas, on the western bank of the beautiful Mississippi River. We have been here many times when the river is full and bold and flowing. carrying the barges and riverboats along the banks of this romantic, thrilling, literary Jewel.

There are tough stories here as well going back for millennium of struggle, love, hatred and lore. Mark Twain of course, brought it alive in all of his adventures. The river is hailed in song-Ole’ Man River and in film, books as mentioned, biographies, Autobiographies. documentaries and our dreams. This visit is TOUGH, hard. The river that used to swell its banks and flood this campground is now 1/2  of it usual size.

The water is scarce, the other side of the river is barren, and filled with dry and hard river bottom now exposed to the sun. The news is filled with stories of small barges carrying limited cargo and restricting jobs and income in these very hard times. I have included photos with the contrast blatantly visible. 

For my birthday we will drive into Memphis for some fun and lovely dinner for Paul and my birthday celebrations. How lucky we are, feeling well and filled with energy. We have even booked a December cruise on a big ship to Mexico. For those that know me, I fear getting seasick but it is time to try a modern ship (as opposed to the Queen Mary (original crossing from France to NYC and our 1964 honeymoon.)

What’s on my Mind?;

Globally, the world is in disaster mode, personally, life is good if one adopts a positive attitude. We are lucky, we are relatively healthy and now on the road westward in our motor home. We Departed Rochester, N Y in mid October with a stop at our son and daughter in law’s Virginia farm, including visits with our grandson Alex a student at UVA. Our kids are empty nesters and happy that at least Alex is still nearby for another year. After many delicious meals and a visit with their two beautiful horses, we departed for Asheville, NC- long a favorite destination for the art and beautiful landscapes. We visited long time friends (a young couple) and their new apartment. The view from their deck is glorious and it is peak leaf season.

After wonderful art gallery adventures and Leigh’s delicious and appealing Spanish based dinner on a pasta called Feola, (spelled many ways) we drove westward to Red Bay, AL. Red Bay is a tree not a body of water, for minor work on our Tiffin Coach. About 30 seconds after our arrival at the office  to register, another coach followed us to wait in line carrying a delightful couple that we met last year, same time, same place and made a fast friendship. What a small world.

My 80^th birthday is coming up on Nov 2^nd and I have anticipating entering the next decade with hope and glee in my heart and mind. Celebration for my birthday may be in the middle of nowhere, but we had hoped to take a hike into nearby Dismal Canyon, a dip down into a rocky walled, moss covered “underworld” where we expect Hobbit characters to jump out and say Happy Halloween. However, it has been raining hard in Red Bay, which we “caused” by daring to have the car washed, silly us. On Tuesday, we continue our journey westward ending up in Jojoba Hills RV Park, our SoCal winter home, anticipating reunions with friends, fulfilling our committee responsibilities and finding new horizons. So today will be devoted to the great catchup on all those to do items and to read or zoom. Paul and I danced on the rig last night to the The Late Show band with Steven Colbert, featuring Joe Walsh and company.  It was fast and furious hard rock, so we rocked loose our souls. 

Indeed how lucky we are. If you haven’t already, VOTE with your heart.

My desire to blog has suffered greatly during this pandemic, I have tried to write so many times and it all sounded trite, the same as the editorial writers and interviewees on zoom were saying; they could not get their thoughts together either. Perhaps more of that in another blog. We are headed east to Rochester, our home town and our wonderful downtown apartment after spending close to 6 months on our California, Jojoba Hills SKP RV resort in Aguanga, CA. It is a tiny town nestled in the high desert Palomar mountain range. What a wonderful few months it was, delving into the life in a volunteer, caring and loving community. We stopped for 5 days to visit our son, daughter in law and two wonderful grandsons on their beautiful farm called Cheval Noir,- (yes, they have 2 beautiful black horses) from a hardy old breed dating back to the 1500’s. But, heading to Rochester for us is another joy. We will see our grandson, a student at the U of R,  friends from decades ago and some more recent acquaintances, catch up with the rich cultural scene and perhaps do some traveling after our trip to Boston this coming weekend for a long awaited  Bat Mitzvah. Paul has shared his blog with details of our trip from the RV POV, cost of fuel, and other logistics. We have had no problem finding overnight campsites and have has some good adventures in that realm. We still enjoy our nomadic life and seeing the beauty of this country and the people we meet. Be well all. Some photos to share; Dan’s tractor, Malena’s horse Tivoli, and the spring garden.