on my way to Moab, Utah

[marni]

I am currently Moab, Utah to enjoy a bike tour together. My time in Albuquerque with my sister was a rich cultural experience. One night we got to sit in on an open rehearsal of the Albuquerque Philharmonic as they rehearsed for an upcoming concert. The majority of the time was spent of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Since the conductor was wearing a microphone and it was fascinating to listen to how and why he molded and accented the music and the various instruments to bring out his vision of the music. I heard finer nuances than I have ever noticed in a recording, more individual parts and voices of the instruments as it were. It was a rich experience and we both came away with a deeper understanding and a more profound appreciation of the music and the energy and efforts it takes to create a really fine performance by achieving a oneness between the conductor, the musicians, the music and the audience.

Today we attended a two hour talk on the history and logic of the Fibbonachi series by David Metzler, a mathematician currently teaching and UNM and several middle schools around the area. He went through the algebraic and regular math involved in the evolution of the series, with side notes into where and when it was first applied and relating it to the golden mean , showing how it had evolved from early Prannic poetry patterns to it's current applications and occurances. and carrying it forward into a comparison between the golden rectangle and the Mendelbrod series in fractals with a glancing look at chaos theory.

Although I have often played with the numbers of the Fibonacchi series in some design attempts for graphics and weaving, I have never really understood how the series evolved mathematically. Now I do and have a even deeper appreciation of how and why it can be used.

Dr. Metzler was an excellent speaker, down to earth and logical, and very simply analytical in his presentation, wandering happily between regressive theories and finite and closed theories and even though my math skills have always been not exceptional, I managed to remember enough high school algebra to be able to understand what he was saying and the points he was conveying. I envy his middle school students and their introduction to higher math through him.

The drive up to Moab yesterday was lovely and peaceful. I was struck by the shades of color in the land, which I remember well from growing up here, but what I found most interesting was how the colors and indeed the shapes of the landscape changed depending on the time of day. The light definitely has the quality of fall light with its golden and slightly dusty character which in the light of morning sunlight tends to soften colors to pastel and round the shapes and soften the shadows so that the land takes on an impressionistic appearance. As the day passes, the colors become less pastel and more solid earth colors with the shadows beginning to define themselves in the nature of an realist interpretation.

The colors, shapes and shadows are exactly as they would be in a photograph or an oil painting from the realism school As the day progresses into sunset the landscape
becomes more and more surrealistic with colors harsh and sharp as if painted in bright acrylics in the style of the modernist school. The shapes become more and more geometric and angular and the shadows become stark and jarring black. It was a continual feast for the eyes and made the drive go very quickly in spite of the distance between Albuquerque and Moab.

We are staying at the Gonzo Inn here in Moab in a very nice two rooms, one the bedroom and bathroom complete with a balcony looking west towards yet more red and grayish brown bluffs and cottonwoods in every shade from dark jade green to brilliant cadmium and gamboge yellow along with some other deciduous trees in shades of green, rust and burgundy. The other room is a combined living room, kitchen, eating space with table, and also a balcony with the same view. There is also a pool and hot tub for after bike recovery.

It's going to be a great week!