2012.10.24. Fidelio

Seattle opera staged Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, for only 6 performances. A modern adaptation. Simple stage. I can see why it isn't so popular. The overture starts gloomy and it's long. The only tunes I liked are the quartet: Mir ist so wunderbar and the prisoners' chorus. No drama, no intrigue, very idealistic. 2 acts, 80 min and 35 min. Good actors. I especially like the voices of Marzelline and Rocco.

Leonore           Christiane Libor
Florestan         Clifton Forbis 
Rocco             Arthur Woodley
Don Pizarro       Greer Grimsley
Marzelline        Anya Matanovič
Jaquino           John Tessier 
Don Fernando      Kevin Short
Conductor         Asher Fisch
Stage Director    Chris Alexander
Set Designer      Robert Dahlstrom
Costume Designer  Catherine Meacham Hunt
Lighting Designer Duane Schuler

When I left the theatre, it was pouring. Seattle Center should erect more covered walkways.

2012.10.21. Ramayana at ACT

ACT is staging India's epic Ramayana for the whole month, with 2 performances each day on weekends. Adapted and Created by Yussef El Guindi and Stephanie Timm
Direction by Sheila Daniels and Kurt Beattie. Not a good idea nor an easy task to convert it to a play of reasonable length with limited actors. Very messy, too many plots, animals, super beings, hard to portrait on stage. Probably better shown in a movie. The current adaptation has practically no stage set. Costume is not heavy enough to disguise the actors. Since each of them play many roles, it's easy to get confused. As far as the story goes, the characters are either perfect, or evil. Nothing in between. There's no character development at all. Everyone is idealized. Anyway, not a play I enjoy.

2012.10.21. Closing day of Next50

The 50th anniversary of the 1962 World's Fair. This all summer long celebration ends today. Other than a closing ceremony (which I missed), many performances were held at Fisher Pavilion. Seattle Symphony played Gershwin (Cuban Overture), John Cage (Variation 3), Beethoven (Leonore Overture), Debussy (Fete from Nocturnes), and Berlioz (Roman Carnival Overture). Morlot conducted and talked. The room's acoustics is not too bad.

World Vision held an audio tour of a girl growing up at Kasenaero, a fishing village by Lake Victoria in Uganda, the epicentre of AIDS. Belief in God and help from World Vision and other organizations allowed the girl and her mother to survive. 500k people receive care in Uganda. You are welcome to sponsor a child or leave them prayers through World Vision. On my way out, chatted with an employee. She's never been to Africa, but sponsors a boy in Kenya. A clever way of asking for donation.

A more interesting performance is by Pat Graney's 50 dancers, all dressed in white, walked/lay on ground/stood on chairs, yes each with a white chair, around the fountain. Both old and young, half are kids, only 2 guys. Some in summer dress, some in winter coat. Even though it was simple and not very synchronized, it's still quite different and entertaining. A chilly day to perform outdoors (~9°C). It started drizzle towards the end. Some of the performers were a bit wet.

Center House (somehow is called Armory now) is also hosting Turkey Festival this weekend.

2012.10.13-14 Annual Wild Mushroom Show

Despite the unusual dry August and September, Puget Sound Micology Society still managed to mount the Mushroom Show this year. A lot more people, much less mushrooms. Instead of hosting it in its own venue: U.W. Center for Urban Horticulture, the show is at Mountaineers Club at 7700 Sandpoint Way NE. Other than vendors and artists, there were two lovely chefs dishing up various recipes nonstop to distribute to the queued-up visitors. I especially like the egg dish by Kathy Casey. I went to all 4 lectures (repeated at different times), 2 by Tom Volk from Wisconsin, and searching mushroom in Thailand, Nepal and China by Taylor Lockwood and Urban Foraging by Curt Haney from California. Some of Lockwood's mushrooms photos are unearthly beautiful as these two found on his website.

2012.10.11. William Baker

Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington invited William F. Baker to talk at their annual forum. This year, it was held at Recital Hall of Benaroya Hall at 6pm, preceded by a reception. He uses Burj Khalifa (more detailed) and his other projects to illustrate his design ideas. The take-away I get is simplicity, and learn from the old masters. It was quite interesting. Example: there's no crane tall enough for skyscrapers like Burj.

The chair Howard Burton also played a short film of the structure engineers contributed to 1962 World Fair, and thanked numerous people, and introduced this year's scholarship winners. The event is by registration. The venue was only about half full.

2012.10.7. Lake Ingalls

Sunday. Sunny, dry. Ingalls Way is quite popular. Started hiking ~noon. The half moon was still up, very clear against the blue sky. Thin dry forest. Not steep, but dusty. Some of the zigzags here are quite silly. Huckleberry leaves are red, but no berries. Saw some Scarlet Trumpet flowers. The view of the river valley and the steep granite across is nice. As you gain elevation, you can see Mt Adams, and later Mt Rainier. But the view isn't grand.

In less than 2 hours (~3 miles?), reached the top of the pass. There, you enter a larch filled basin with views to the north. Straight at your face is Ingalls Peak. Watch your steps: very rocky. Camping sites in lower basin. Most larches are already golden, shiny against the sun. Walk downhill passing more larches, some meadow with springs. Eventually the trail goes up again through rocks. Cannot go fast. ~45 minutes later, that's the lake.

One deer on Teanaway Rd on the way in, saw a group in one of those fields next Hwy 97 on the way back.

Direction: I-90 exit 85 for Hwy 97. 6.6 miles (just short of mile marker 7) turn left on Teanaway (River) Rd.~23 miles till the end of Forest Road 9737. The first 13 miles are paved. The gravel isn't too bad. Lots of camping spots along the road next to the river.

2012.10.6. Seattle Symphony

Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Efe Baltacıgil, cello
Seattle Symphony
Mussorgsky: A Night on Bald Mountain
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39

I really like the 2nd to last piece of Tchaikovsky's variation. Sibelius' employs a lot of heavy drums, a master of big sound. It makes me think of outdoor concerts with green grass and heavy wind.

2012.10.1. Church Mountain

Oct 1st 2012, Monday. Chance of rain 30%. Cloudy and more cloudy.

Church Mt.: 4.2 miles one way. 3500' gain. I didn't reach the summit, because it was in the clouds. Have to come back on a sunny day to see the view from the 6000' peak. Good thing about a weather like today is the comfort: minimal sweat, no sticky sunscreen.

Moderate grade, mostly smooth trail. I started hiking ~1pm. 10 minutes in, one hiker came out with his dog. 1:20 hour later, passed a creek, and then 2 hikers. 10 minutes later, reached the open slope, by now full of dead corn lilies. In front is a meadowy basin. 4800'? Red with blueberry bushes, but not many berries. Wide, protected, creek strewn, very nice. Possible to camp here, even though no established camp site, it's flat enough, as long as you avoid the swampy parts. To see Mt Baker, you have to walk to the north edge of the basin. I wondered about, and hiked further up through trees and endless corn lilies to another smaller creek strewn basin. Soon, I was getting into the clouds, couldn't see much. Turned back ~3:15pm. Back in car at 5pm.

Left home at 10am, 37 mile (~45 minutes) to Sumas border. Signed 20 minutes delay. Actual wait time 38 minutes. 15 minutes to the junction of 547 & 542. Another 15 to Glacier ranger station, my regular stop before and after a hike. Toilet paper was running out. Church Mt road 5 miles east of the ranger station. Quite rough, but passable. 2.6 miles. Crossing Fossil Creek now is easier than the road itself. 2 cars already parked at the trailhead. An outhouse, 2 garbage cans.