A Great Place to Gogh

A couple years ago I drove from North Carolina to Ohio to do school visits at the schools where the grandchildren of my BFF from high school attended. Several people advised me to listen to books on tape to entertain me since I was driving alone. Selecting the right one wasn't as easy as I thought. I had already decided on non-fiction, but the choices at the library overwhelmed me. Finally I settled on one that sounded intriguing to me, Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers. Indeed, I was entertained for hours and developed a new appreciation of Vincent beyond what I learned in my (required) art appreciation class in college.

So when advertisements of a Van Gogh experience began appearing on my facebook feed, I knew I had to go. Let me rephrase that, I knew I had to gogh.

So why not use this opportunity to offer some art appreciation lessons to my family, I reasoned. Tickets to this experience would make perfect birthday presents, I reasoned. 

And I was right!

In the weeks ahead I sent little "gogh" jokes to my teenaged granddaughters. 

Who was Vincent Van Gogh's magician uncle? Where diddy gogh.

What kind of bird did Vincent like best? Flamin-gogh.

What bank did Vincent use? Wells Far Gogh.

Finally the day arrived and we were so ready to gogh.  We appeared at the door, checked in and chose our posters that came with our ticket level: With ear or without ear? That was the question. We also picked up the pillows we rented and bought a glass of wine and bottle of water to boot. Like I say, we were so ready. 

We entered the room mid-cycle (think gigantic warehouse, single room). The ticket punchers had told us to find a circle and sit down. Simple as that.

Since the same digital images were on multiple walls, we didn't block anyone's view as we groped around in the dark to find a spot. From the very first we all were captivated. There was no narration as I expected there to be, only intense orchestral music that fit the scenes before us. When that performance was finished and the credits rolled, about half the audience left and the other half of us repositioned ourselves to watch from a different viewpoint.

.

I could have watched for several additional cycles, but the girls really wanted to gogh to the gift shop that you couldn't escape. So I'm a granny. This was birthday. What can I say?

I can say this was some bizarre, out-of-our-comfort-zone experience. When it was all said and done, for those hours in time, we were lifted from our daily routine and placed into a world beyond our imaginations. A world of art. And beauty. 

Life is good. Gogh for it!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

Sgt. York

 There's a new old book on my to-read list.  It matches a movie, both done decades ago. It was written as an autobiography by Sgt. Alvin York and first published in 1918. It was republished in 2018, a hundred years later. I saw the original.

It was on his desk. At his house. In the backwoods of Tennessee.

I toured his home with my husband and a few other tourists a few weeks ago. How we found this out of the way gem, I have no idea, but I'm glad we did. It was stuffed with everyday living from a century ago, from a family of a beloved World War I hero. The state of Tennessee maintains it as a state historical park.

I must admit I didn't know much about WWI before I entered this park, but I learned a lot about the war and about one humble soldier who fought so valiantly. When he was drafted into the army he completed forms to be a conscience objector, but despite his dramatic faith story, his plea was denied. He went to the front lines in Europe and when the time came to defend his friends and comrades, he did. He was lauded for his actions of killing enemy soldiers to save others. He returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, but only wanted to return to his home in the hills of Tennessee and leave the world behind. 

My personal experience in military is limited, so I can't pretend to imagine his feelings that fateful day when his company was under attack. However, for those of us wondering, the park built a model of the trenches soldiers fought from during this "Great War." 

My husband and I walked the trenches. Everything was pristine. No blood. No dead bodies. No moaning injured.

We had to imagine. My goal now is to read Sgt. York's book and watch the movie based on it. I want to hear it from his own words, not the well researched words of others, no matter how compelling  and excellent their books. An autobiography is from the soul. I want to dive into his soul beyond what I saw in his house. I want a first hand view of living in those trenches. 

Often through my teaching career I referred to us classroom teachers as workers in the trenches. After visiting this state park, I will be more careful when I use this comparison. Actually, I'd say nothing compares to the original use of Sgt. York and the doughboys being in those trenches.

Catch of the day,

Gretchen