Constructing and Reconstructing

Species TBD. A field of these grows in a wild patch behind the local animal clinic. More detail, including insects meandering at the center, is in the large view.

On Thursday I photographed new memories being built. On Friday I performed old ones....

The other day, I watched a wall go up in about 2-1/2 hours.

"Before" shot, taken around 1:30 PM when I arrived at the Art Center:



"After" shot, taken around 4 PM:



And a video for in-between:

Art Center Renovation II (2:32)



Some detail work:



More shots are in my photoset and on the Art Center's Renovation page.

Last night I performed at the Woodview Coffeehouse open mic. My past two times there I'd included excerpts from Covenant, but since we were in the middle of Passover in addition to Good Friday, I read from my 20-years-ago journal entry, "The Old Men of Revere Beach." After beginning with extemporaneous a cappella singing, I put my Yiddish brogue to good use here.

I was also fascinated by an instrument that one of the featured performers (in the duo Pete Price and Mike Roberts) used. He called it a "paddlewheel harmonica," which I think is the perfect name for it, although my Google search for that term turned up empty. For the first part of the set I couldn't help but notice this weird thing on the floor. From where I sat, it didn't even look like a musical instrument. Then it literally came into play for a song with a "modulation" (change in key) and captivated me. You can see one here.

When I told Mary about the harmonica, she expressed her interest in a slide kazoo. Simple enough, I thought. Not. I've found references to alto slide kazoos, tenor slide kazoos, contrabass slide kazoos, electric slide kazoos, and discussion on what kind of a mouthpiece to use on a slide kazoo. Though I believe the "left-handed E-flat slide kazoo" mentioned in one post plays in the same orchestra as PDQ Bach's Left-Handed Sewer Flute, lovingly detailed on the cover of his debut album, which I grew up with along with other mishegas:



I have yet to find a place that actually sells slide kazoos (even eBay showed zero candidates), but I'm hoping someone at a Boston Red Sox lexicon might be able to help me. Don't ask.

But stay tuned.

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