Dragon Mother

Thursday, December 27, 2012

shapeimage_2-11I finally have some time to write about Dragon Mother. The whirlwind of the Fall semester has settled a bit over the holiday break and I can look back on the whole process of bringing this project to life. It started almost two years ago in the interval between semesters when I felt restless without enough to do. I decided to ask various composers to write pieces for me in the coming years. Continue reading

IMS August Retreat

Sunday, August 12, 2012

shapeimage_2-8It has been two years since I sat a regular retreat at IMS. During the ISPP year, I spent study retreats at the BCBS Farm House down the road, did two self retreats at home (see “Beagle Retreat” on the writing page) and discovered the deeper quiet of the Forest Refuge. Now I was back to sit with Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters and 100 other new and old students of theirs. Continue reading

Sesshine at Chapin Mill

Sunday, June 17, 2012

shapeimage_2-10After hearing about sesshin at the Rochester Zen Center for 30 years, I finally went to one with Michael. What a wild ride! Michael and I drove up in two days, staying overnight in Cortland NY where we enjoyed a lovely dinner at an outside cafe.
When we arrived at Chapin MIll the next day, Michael loved showing me all his favorite spots. The country property is beautiful and the retreat center is open and spacious, yet compact and comfortable. Continue reading

Forest Refuge

Sunday, February 12, 2012

shapeimage_2-6I drove up to Barre on Sunday, Feb. 5, and cried the whole way. The night before, Lenore and I did our French concert at Stonebridge and it was a disaster. Ok, it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought, and I’m sure they enjoyed it, but when I warmed up before the concert, on my own with the new exercises, I could tell that things did not feel quite right. Continue reading