A few weeks ago The Cast and I made a wee pilgrimage to the Topaz Japanese-American internment camp site. Going there is always such an interesting, sobering and enlightening experience. (besides, whenever I go to the tiny section of Delta Utah's historical society where the Topaz Museum tries to be, the museophile in me gets all fired up about getting those wonderful people and this important story some ever-lovin space). Walking on that hallowed ground is alot like I imagine stepping back in time would be like. We were always searching for things people left behind and the smallest thing felt like a direct link to those resilient and beautiful people. Here's some of the treasures we found Of course with my fascination with notions (sewing notions, that is, yes I go crazy for buttons, ribbon, rick rack, zippers . . .I could go all day) I fell in love with this little shell button.
It's the heel of a shoe. I almost cried when I saw that.
I wonder if the kid whose eraser this was liked to draw, do you think he was aware of all the art being made in the camp?We weren't sure what this was, but it's some kind of glass or something that someone had thrown into the cast-iron wood-burning stove in their barrack.
I love going there and listening to the wind (there's always wind at Topaz) and imagining what they must have felt looking over the desert to the mountains. Everyone ought to go, it is the type of experience that you can only get in a place where people really suffered and somehow triumphed. We went on a really beautiful day and The Cast is really great at capturing wherever we go. Look at these and tell me you can't see the shadow of a barrack and hear the wind whispering stories of strength and compassion.Jes took this lovely picture of Anna and I, aren't those colors of the landscape breathtaking in such a quiet way? Nearly the whole Cast plus Brilliant Director searching, I love this because I feel like it's so indicative of each person's self, I feel like these are the ways we each discovered A Thousand Cranes as well. What dear people.

I'm a cellist. A classically trained, plays concerti and symphonies, cellist who names her instruments after literary characters. Darcey is my one and only right now. I don't always tell people right away that I play the cello because then they start wanting you to put private concerts on and that's just pretentious (and there's one thing I try to avoid being if I can help it). I am most especially prone to keeping my musicality less than visible when I'm around people who write their own music, probably because . . .well heck, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't generally tell guitar players that I play the cello. It's not that I'm ashamed, I most certainly am not the cello is the sweet sweet instrument of love, sorrow, passion and peace. But somehow I let it slip to my very talented and quite known musical friends that I play the cello. And suddenly this girl who doesn't play when words are involved and never ever performs without music or memorized notes is playing gig (yes, it was just one, but when you're used to string quartets, a gig with a piano and a singer where other people play guitar and sing is a big fat deal) and recording music with her incredibly talented friends. Friday, after but a few minutes of rehearsal I laid down (I believe that's the technical recording term) a track with my darling friend Molly D. And it was fun. I recorded in a bathroom, it was one of the more hardcore things Darcey and I've done together.

Here she is at Guru's playing a song she wrote, that I lalalove:

She's fantastic, isn't she? You might be able to tell that there was in fact no cello . . .you'll just have to buy her album to hear it . . .and don't expect it to be with that song, because it won't be there. I felt like one of the cool kids and Darcey felt all liberated and legit because there are stickers and scratches on his case plus he made some really lovely sounds in that bathroom!