Late Summer in Maine
August 22, 2020
The weather started changing last week. The mornings and evenings are cooler now, and I am no longer excited about jumping in the ocean first thing in the morning or staying at the beach too late. I hike or take walks with my family instead.
Last week was supposed to be our last week in Maine, but we decided to stay longer, now in the village East Blue Hill, right on the water. There is a Zen Buddhist guru in nearby Surry. We haven’t met him yet, but keep hearing about him. He attracted a following back in the 60s and a whole community of artistic people moved to East Blue Hill from urban places like Brooklyn and Boston. There is an Art Barn with performances in Surry, and a Tiny Library near a gorgeous wild beach nearby. There are flowers in full bloom, vegetable gardens, animals, and postcard-perfect views.
Every day we meet interesting people. For example, today we met Lucy: a British lady who makes fancy granola, which she sells in all the local stores and markets. She raises chickens and ducks as well as goats and sheep. She shares them with her neighbors in exchange for wine, cheese, and bread. This morning I met her sheep.
On most days, I work in the Lipkin cabin on the Kneisel Hall campus. I organize online concerts, teach remote lessons, and practice. When I look out the cabin’s window, I sometimes see wild turkeys, woodpeckers, and many brown squirrels. They see me and rush away.
I feel as if time has stopped.
Still, even though this summer has been an absolute gift of beauty and serenity, I feel the tremendous sorrow of the world in the back of my head. I mourn the devastation that this pandemic has caused, the loss of life, the loss of work, livelihoods, and the horrible uncertainty about the future.
It seems that we are all living day by day now, trying to adjust and pretend that healthy life will return, but deep down, we know that things will worsen in the fall, before we can return to normalcy.
We are planning to return to semi-normal life: schools are reopening a few days a week in New York, or so they say … and some concert halls are starting to allow live-streaming concerts without an audience. I am learning more and more about technology, and we are planning more complex video recordings in lieu of the home-made streams that most musicians were making in the Spring.
I have been reading a lot, but my writing has stalled somewhat. I think that for me to understand my grandmother’s story, I need to go to Istanbul, the city of her birth, and walk the streets that she walked. I also have decided to take writing classes this fall, something I am excited about.
So, let’s carry on and appreciate beauty, dear friends. Life is short.
I guess I am ready to meet the Zan Buddhist guru now.
