“These whores will have their trinkets” Dylan Moran, Black Books

Boston Friday. Friday 12thSeptember 8am.

Just when we thought there couldn’t be any better in terms of art, we spent over 4 hours in the Boston Fine Arts Museum yesterday. Just a magnificent experience. We walked again for just over an hour and through another huge park just past Fenway Park. The building is simply majestic and houses the best Egyptian and Greek art (the really old stuff) outside the Louvre. The Egyptian artifacts are 2500 years BC and the Greek statues and jewelry approx. 200years BC. The detail is breathtaking and added to that there is an amazing collection of American furniture from the 1700’s and 1800’s which couldn’t be replicated today because we don’t have the time or skill!

I can’t help but look at the detail in the work and think about how the hell they could have done it? It’s just so intricate and must have been utterly painstaking to produce. Were there aliens involved with huge Bunnings shaped space ships that landed at the time and handed out tools, connected power tools to the generator on the ship and even had a sausage sizzle out the front? Who know? All I know is that it spins me out every time I see the detail and effort required. Again I say to Vic Roads, “Get off your arses, get on that ring road and END IT!!”

From the old stuff to the modern American, and there was an exhibition from a famous artist Jamie Wyeth who was born into an art family, was considered a prodigy then broke away and spent time with Andy Warhol in New York. He then went back home to Maine, bought a house on a freezing island off the coast and has produced some amazing art. I was familiar with a few of his, but I was a big fan by the end of it.

Then there was an exhibition by artist and sculptor Shinique Smith and that was beautifully bold and in your face and we really like that. Again, I stress we have little to no understanding of contemporary art…just a like or dislike. Then it was the contemporary art that is housed at the museum. Definitely the best we have seen. No absolute nutbag interpretations like 2 sticks and a piece of string tied around an apple being called “Flaggulation in D Minor”. This was seriously thought provoking, exciting imagery.

It was getting late and we were in that mode of needing to go but wanting to stay, when suddenly we walked straight into a room full of Monet, Van Gough, Renoir etc! Case closed. Another hour later and we were on the walk back buzzing. Can’t recommend this museum highly enough.

The day started strangely having a coffee in the local Northside Italian strip, Hanover St. A middle aged man with slick backed hair and dressed to the 9’s comes charging in and said, “Somebody took a shot at me from a rooftop and missed.” He headed to an old guy at the back of the shop which we assumed was the Godfather, and then he started rotating between 2 guys at the counter and some blokes outside. This is some of the repartee we heard in the next 5 mins:

  • “Tell your friend Dave not to speak to my wife”
  • “Donny, Tommy, Mickey”
  • “That’s between you and Dave, I’m not gettin’ involved.”
  • “Your callin’ your friends? I’m callin’ my friends!”

We thought it was the set of the Sopranos. It started getting tense so it was a case of “check please”.

We then found a Jewish Memorial which was very moving. 6 x 40ft glass, rectangular prisms and on the glass were 6 million serial numbers that the Nazis tattooed on the Jews. When you stood inside each prism, there was steam coming from under the pavement, not subway steam, but boiling water which was quite eerie. Also on the glass was written some memories from survivors that were harrowing.

The other landmark I really like in Boston is the statue and tribute to basketballer Bill Russell who we knew nothing about. He played in 11 winning NBL titles in 13 years for the Celtics and won MVP 5 times! What he is most noted for is his generosity after basketball, where he became a mentor to young disenfranchised people and set up mentoring programs ongoing. There are some lovely quotes from him inscribed at the memorial.

“Anyone been to Australia? Dig this man, it’s as big as the USA geographically, but there are as few people living there, as are in this room right now! Lotta leg room down under! You probably all know this, but the Australians were the criminal class of the British, and the Brits in order to punish them, sent them to Australia…..their own PREHISTORIC, EDEN-LIKE, ISLAND CONTINENT…..Bummer! Boy you don’t wanna get on the wrong side of those Brits! What sort of punishment was this? Don’t you reckon the crime rate suddenly soared in Great Britain when they figured out where they were going to be sent to?

(English accent) “Let me get this straight…you keep the shitty food and shitty weather…and we get the Great Barrier Reef and lobsters the size of canoes! ……..I’m Jack the Ripper…no I’m Jack the Ripper…we’re all Jack the Ripper, where’s the boat?…” Bill Hicks

Well that’s it. We’re off tomorrow. Today will be another long walk following the Freedom Trail and then some tidy up and reflection time. Can’t wait to see the kids and they’re going to love their Dad even more when they see the goodies I’ve picked up for them! It will be good to see the team at work again however there is one small problem…I’ve forgotten what it is I actually do. Never mind, it hasn’t stopped me in the past.

I just want to mention how grateful I am to have such an amazing partner in Lynda. Travelling is the greatest test of a relationship, and we always seem to thrive because of her resilience, patience and humour. She is the original dork queen from Heidelberg and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I will never forget her dancing with a lovely old black man at Penn Station and her compassion with an old homeless black lady in the subway in Brooklyn, where she not just gave her some money but hugged her as she was overcome with emotion. I’m a lucky man indeed.

I hope some of you found this helpful, if not amusing at times. Back Monday morning Melbourne time. Lots of Love Willow and Lynda.