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Vision Duo is an interesting combination of violinist Ariel Horowitz and marimba player Britton-Rene’ Collins. They formed their duo after becoming co-winners of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition’s Ambassador Prize. Both are classically trained musicians who can improvise jazz and contemporary styles in their mixed genre programs.
We were treated to a set that opened with a Blues number followed by nocturnes written for violin and marimba and a heart rending version of Coyote, written by Connor Chee, a Navajo composer. They also included a Bach sonata, a collection of tangoes and excerpts from the opera Carmen.
The venue was the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Largo. The price of admission was socks for the homeless. For upcoming concerts (we’re looking forward to the Bach-a-thon on March 19), checkout @ARTFORFAITHSAKE on Facebook. You can follow Vision Duo online at visionmusic.com
Vision Duo playing Coyote by Conner Chee
Ariel Horowitz is also the founder of the Heartbeat Music Project, a non-profit that offers music education to students on a Navajo Reservation.
Let’s start with pretty, as with our model in the photo, we are drawn to beauty. We instinctively choose brightly colored food because it indicates ripeness and freshness. We know we should eat fruits and vegetables, but I think it’s important to think about why. Conscious eating requires not only attention but also intention. If we notice how attractive our food is, how delicious it tastes and give thanks for each mouthful, we will enjoy it more. If we recognize the health benefits of each element on our plate, we can increase those benefits by appreciating and affirming them as we are eating.
For example, raspberries are pretty in a salad and add a tart sweet taste. They also have a significant amount of Vitamin C, which is necessary for collagen production. Collagen is the protein that makes up 75% of our skin and helps to repair and prevent damage. Raspberries also contain potassium which helps maintain blood pressure and manganese which helps to regulate blood sugar. What if we consciously affirm these benefits while we are eating and give thanks for our improved skin and optimal blood pressure?
Another factor in getting the most value from your food is the acid/alkaline balance. If you consistently eat a diet of 75% fruits and vegetables, you protect your body from a number of chronic diseases caused by acidity and inflammation. Inflammation underlies a number of serious issues and is a trigger for premature aging.
We will explore these topics in more depth in this series, but here are the 3 points I’d like you to consider:
Eat as many fresh and raw fruits and vegetables as you can, ideally 75% of your daily intake. If you can’t get what you want local and in season, it’s better to buy it frozen rather that imported from a long distance.
Pay attention to what you are eating and express gratitude for your abundance
Affirm the specific health benefits of at least 3 items on your plate
For this meal we can also affirm the health benefits of spinach and lentils.
Spinach: Spinach is a great source of zeaxanthin and carotenoids that flush free radicals from your body, reduce inflammation and support eye health.
Lentils: Good source of dietary fiber that reduces cholesterol and protects against diabetes and colon cancer. Also have a significant amount of potassium which counters the bad affects of salt and lowers blood pressure. And of course, they provide a good quality plant protein. For a good lentil soup, jump to Recipes:
The more you are aware of how each food affects your body, the more you will balance your diet to achieve your particular health goals. It’s not enough to hear that fruits and vegetables are good for you, you must internalize their benefits by affirming them with gratitude. Conscious or mindful eating also helps with digestion so that you get more actual nutrition from your food.
Kindred Spirits welcomes contributions on any topic that is related to quality of life. My name is Deidre Lines and I am the administrator of the blog. If you respond with a comment, please provide a short bio or link to your site and I’ll be glad to add you as a contributor.
When the Vessel begins to be overcome by terrible winds and current, a course correction is needed. The captain gives aid, tacks, adds power, doesn’t abandon or shut Her down. They persist together with aim and purpose toward their destination, they do not permit themselves to be misguided or swept away into peril to be dashed upon the rocks.
Imagination leads to intuition. It can also lead you to a challenge for which you hadn’t planned to volunteer.
As I was sitting in the sanctuary last Wednesday, I started musing about a meditation based on harmony with nature. So here I am leading a meditation with some wonderful music I found on Spotify. If you search for Harmony with Nature, you’ll probably find some of the same selections, but I’d like to acknowledge them.
I recommend Going to the Sun by Grant Geissman and Tim Heintz and Tennessee, also by Geissman and Heintz with Charlie Bisharat. We then listened to Sacred Forest by the Robbins Island Music Group. We then enjoyed Endless Canyons by Geissman and Heintz with the addition of Jim Walker. This was followed by Braes of County Kerry from the album Celtic Mist. We closed our meditation with two selections from To Honor a Queen by Hawaiian artist Ozzie Kotani.
Please join us for Wellness Wednesday at 6.30pm each week at Unity Temple of Truth at 511 Prescott St. in St. Petersburg FL 33712
Handed down
Down from the bench
Down to the chattel
Down to the Property of the State
Overturned
Your intimate struggle
Your choice
Between conscience and necessity
Your personal trial
deemed public crime
if you do not deliver
Property to the state
Hypocritic
Theo-garchy
Hyster-optomy
Dominion-opoly
Autonomy yet barred
Are you the court’s jurisdiction
And not your own
In the home of the free and the brave?
down your throat
one more obligatory surrender
swallow just as you were taught
servant to the patriarch still
so ignorant
of the soul’s life and death
killing in one name
pretending to preserve in another
they make you fodder for all such pipelines
flowing with enterprises beyond your reach
from birth to grave controlled
tricked to powerlessness
thus sovereignty perverted
eluded again
exerted by the great perpetrator
upon the greater will, exacting price
how long to be forgotten and shamed
for being both creator and destroyer
beyond profit and judgement
seeded with ill-gotten rot?
The town of Dingle was added to our itinerary after seeing a travel video where they walked down Gray’s Lane and into a bakery and a cheese shop. We were given a route by our host at The Lodge in Kenmare through the Ring of Kerry so we could see the view from Molls Gap and Ladies View on the way. It was meant to be an easy day trip and I really didn’t understand the scope of the journey.
En route to Dingle via the Ring of Kerry
After a somewhat harrowing drive around narrow mountain roads, we arrived in Dingle hungry. We were able to find a spot on Green St. and made our way toward Gray’s Lane for the advertised pastries and cheese. Unfortunately, the smell of cheese in the little cheese shop was so strong I almost walked back out. We settled on a Gubbeen from County Cork to eat later. Now we’re really hungry so I gobbled down a Guinness chocolate cupcake from the bakery next door. We were about to leave to try and find some seafood down by the harbor. We crossed Green St. to head back to the car and I popped into a little art gallery to pay for a postcard I had picked up on a rack outside. The woman at the desk asked if I wanted to look around first and explained that the art work was all by her mother who was still painting well into her 80’s. I called Nancy in and we were both charmed by the local scenery come to life. We both bought a print.
June’s daughter Louise was also kind enough to direct us to the best place on the harbor to eat, John Benny’s Pub on Strand St, which faces the harbor. Louise also recommended that we stop to see the stained glass from a local artist, Harry Clarke at a venerable stone chapel named An Diseart up the street. In addition to the remarkable stained glass work, Mr. Clarke had painted a mural of the Last Supper in one of the classrooms. If you look closely, you can see scenery from the Dingle Peninsula peeking through the windows behind the people, who resemble many of the local residents.
On our way there, we popped into a tiny music store to see if they had the traditional music from the Fiddle Case. The gentlemen explained that they were from County Clare and this shop specialized in music from local artists in County Kerry. He recommended that we check out Eilis Kennedy, who was married to the owner of John Benny’s Pub. So after a brief stop at the chapel, we’re off to John Benny’s with Eilis’ CD in hand.
The smallest music shop in ireland
Eilis Kennedy live at John Benny’s Pub in Dingle
Finally, we sit down to a fabulous meal of local mussels in a creamy wine sauce with mushroom risotto and an interesting salad with sweet potatoes. We share our second half pint of Guinness of the three we’re able to manage on our entire tour of Ireland. We met John Benny, but his wife was not around to sign our CD.
John Benny Moriarity himself behind the barMussels at John Benny’s Pub in Dingle
We had been encouraged by Louise at the Dingle Artworks not to miss a ride around the Slea Head Drive, but we had plans to go to Crowley’s in Kenmare that evening, so we will have to save that pleasure for the next time. I do have a gorgeous print of a sheep meadow to remember the day.
I hope I’ll remember the next time I’m in a strange place to make friends with those I meet, ask questions and follow their advice if I can.
No written documents, only stone monuments remain as symbols of past human activity..
Carrowmore Stone Circle site: located on the Cúil Iorra Peninsula to the west of Sligo, Ireland in County Clare
April 23, 2022: Day 5: Carrowmore has one of the largest clusters of megalithic tombs in Ireland. There are thirty surviving passage tombs out of perhaps an original one hundred.
Carrowmore Stone Circle
Their purpose? They seem to have been used over time for burial (mainly housing cremation remains). They seem to also have been associated with some type of ritual (centers of ceremony and/or celebration).
Listoghil, which was erected c. 3500 BC, is 34 metres in diameter and has a distinctive box-like chamber. Listoghil,: Supporting stone for the massive cap stone
Their date and who made them: Controversy. I saw some information saying some circles were 6,000 years old; other information with circles from 4,000 to 1,500 years old and passage tombs dating from 3,600 BC. So, the circles date to the Bronze Age. AND they are about 2,000 years older than the Egyptian Pyramids.
Who made them? A mystery: Some information says hunters-gatherers who came by sea from Brittany (north-western France). But recent information suggests that the circles were built by farming communities who came to the area around 8,500 BC from Anatolia (Asia Minor/Turkey). So how did the Celtic Irish language supplant the extinct Indo-European language of Anatolia? Some future historian- anthropologist’s mystery to uncover.
When looking at the history of Carrowmore, the part that interested me the most was the 1980’s legal case that established a “precedent.” In 1983 Sligo County Council sought to place a municipal landfill dump on a quarry site about 100 yards from part of the complex. In late 1983, the Dublin High Court ruled that the County Council could proceed with its plans, on certain conditions. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court which ruled against the Council in 1989; becoming one of Ireland’s first cases where the historical significant of a site was considered.
Kenmare Stone Circle (The Druid Circle)
April 26, 2022: Day 8: Kenmare Stone Circle (The Druid Circle) dates to the early bronze age – about 3,000 years ago. The rock used to make the stone circle is Greenstone and Brownstone, neither of which are found locally, but rather several miles away. So a chore to move them to the site. Again, it is unclear as to the meaning of the monument: Perhaps for rituals by druid priests, perhaps as a primitive calendar, perhaps for ritual or ceremonial purposes or as a burial site (beneath the center stone). Unlike Carrowmore, Kenmore’s stone circle has been untouched by humans due to local myth.
Kenmare Stone Circle with Fairy Tree in top right corner
The site houses two Hawthorn “Fairy Trees.” “The Hawthorn is a tree of magical enchantment and is strongly associated with the Irish festival of La Bealtaine, which officially heralds the beginning of summer on May 1. In Celtic mythology it is one of the most sacred trees and symbolizes love and protection.” – See below picture for more information on the symbolic significance of the Hawthorn tree.
Did we write our wish on a white piece of paper and attach to the Fairy Tree of County Kerry? Yes, of course, just as we had tossed a coin into the Fairy Wishing well in the Fairy Gardens in the Burren of Clare County. One can always seek more good fortune and blessings.
Importance of Hawthorn tree in Irish Celtic mythology/Folklore Fairy Tree of Kenmare Stone Circle
April 26, 2022: Day 8: Cromwell’s Bridge: A more recent stone structure built by man, who’s history is also uncertain. Local lure believes the Augustinian monks built it sometime during the 11th century to cross over the tidal Finnihy River.
Cromwell’s Bridge, Kenmare, Ireland
How did it get its name? Possible theory is that it was it was named ‘cromael,’ the Gaelic word for ‘mustache,’ but English-speakers assumed they were saying Cromwell (after Oliver Cromwell).
Cromwell’s Bridge, Kenmare, Ireland
Cromwell’s Bridge is located on the edge of the village of Kenmare near Kenmare’s Stone Circle. It provides an easy leisurely walk. I was completely blown away by the beauty of the native diverse flowering plant life that surrounds the bridge and river.
However it got its name, Cromwell’s Bridge is one of several beautiful and ancient sites along the scenic Ring of Kerry.
After dropping off a friend at Tampa International, we decided to avoid the traffic at 5pm on the Howard Franklin Bridge and took another way home, stopping in Safety Harbor for a delightful evening. Our destination was Southern Kitchen on 3rd Avenue N, which features, you guessed it, fried chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes and cole slaw. We ordered 5 fried chicken wings and held the Buffalo sauce plus the Breast and Wing combo.
Southern Kitchen
Our sides were mashed potatoes, green beans, and coleslaw. The green beans were delicious, cooked with onions and bacon. Next time we’ll skip the cole slaw. We ended up taking half the fried chicken home.
Cool gazebo, check out the ventilated roof
We explored the surrounding neighborhood on foot, stopped to take photos at a charming gazebo , large enough to house an orchestra with a clever ventilated roof. We turned down 4th Avenue from Main St. to check out the other local restaurants for dessert and coffee.
Parts of Paris
We looked at the menu for Parts of Paris, and although they had an enticing array of desserts including crème brûlée and chocolate mousse, we kept strolling. We peeked into another pretty house from the 1920’s and the decor beckoned us in. We sat in the front parlor and had coffee and a delicious fruit crumble. The atmosphere reminded us that this was once a gracious home. When we go back for dinner, we’ll opt to sit in the sunroom in the back of the house of The Kitchen at 156 4th Avenue N in Safety Harbor.
The Kitchen
Safety Harbor is an historic town, established in 1917, in the Northeast corner of Pinellas County. It was originally discovered by Hernando de Soto in 1539. He believed he had found the legendary Fountain of Youth and named the mineral springs Espiritu Santo Springs. Today there is a resort and spa on the site that continues to offer access to the healing waters.
The charm of Safety Harbor is it’s easy going pace. With a population of 18.000, it is a pleasant change from the hustle bustle of the rest of Pinellas county, which is bursting at the seams with newcomers and tourists.
Turlough at Kinvarra-Cloonnasee: Burren Nature Sanctuary
April 22, 2022: Day 4. Kinvarra-Cloonnasee: Burren Nature Sanctuary
An early spring has arrived in Ireland. Wildflowers carpet the meadows and paths, apple blossoms emerge, animals make tunnels through winter’s dry grasses and turloughs have appeared over the winter months.
Wild violets peak out among shaded areasApple Blossoms emergeAnimals leave burrowing trails in the dry grass
A turlough (turloch or turlach in Irish), is an intermittent temporary seasonal water body, almost virtually unique to Ireland. They are found mostly in limestone karst areas, west of the river Shannon. A turlough lake or water body is typically wet in the winter and dry in the summer. The fluctuation varies with the area’s groundwater table. When the underground water table level drops, the water drains away through cracks in the karstic limestone. Annually, rainfall and springs and fissures fill the underlying limestone, flooding the above ground turlough area in the winter.
Turlough at Kinvarra-Cloonnasee: Burren Nature Sanctuary
Turlough at Kinvarra-Cloonnasee: Burren Nature Sanctuary“Turloughs are mostly found on the central lowlands west of the Shannon, in counties Galway, Clare, Mayo, and Roscommon, although a few are also found elsewhere, e.g. in Limerick, Sligo, Longford, and Cork…….. Turloughs will usually have specific place on the floor where water flows in and out, called a swallow-hole (slugaire in Irish[2]). Sometimes an actual hole can be seen, but more often it is a hollow filled with stones.”
The title is misleading because I’ve only been to a few pubs in Ireland, first to Knox’s Pub in Ennis, County Clare for Trad night. They advertise that they have traditional Irish music on Wednesday’s, so we went in, ordered a bowl of soup and a half pint of Guinness and stayed for a few tunes.
We realized that after a few days in Ireland that we were more at home in tea rooms than pubs, although John Benny’s pub in Dingle has good food and a nice atmosphere. We enjoyed their mussels in wine sauce and mushroom risotto and again shared a half pint of Guinness. I’ll write more about how we ended up there in our review of Dingle.
Our best experience in Ireland was an evening at Crowley’s Pub in Kenmare, County Kerry. It was nearing the end of our first visit to Ireland and although we had been to a great concert in Ennis that featured The Fiddle Case and Luka Bloom, we felt we hadn’t gotten our fill of traditional Irish music. I checked out what was happening in Kenmare for our last few days and found that we had missed a music fest at Crowley’s Pub that featured Mary Donegan. I was able to contact Mary and she was kind enough to let us know that she would be at Crowley’s on Wednesday.
We had quite an adventure that day driving from Kenmare around the Ring of Kerry and on to Dingle, so by 8pm we were tired, but didn’t want to miss Trad Night with Mary at Crowley’s Pub. We arrived just as they were tuning up and we managed to find two stools to perch. I went to the bar and ordered an Irish coffee and the bar tender kindly informed me that they didn’t serve that kind of drink. I fell back on my usual half pint of Guinness and watched as the bartender carefully pulled drafts, let them settle and then filled to the top.
We were the only ones wearing masks at that time and felt awkward, but we had already pushed our luck quite a bit and it was a tight space. We chatted with a couple visiting from Denver CO. They had already covered a lot of territory, starting in Dublin and were going to the Ring of Kerry in the morning, so we were able to nab their seats on the bench close to the musicians.
At that point, Mary looked up and said “Oh, you must be Deidre and was so warm and welcoming, we started to feel at home. After we moved in, we encouraged the two ladies standing to take our stools. They were from Brittainy and didn’t speak much English. I mentioned to the gentlemen playing the guitar that there were visitors from Brittainy and he said that they were Celts as well. We were asked if we’d like to sing, but those of you that know us would say we did well to decline. We did a lot of foot tapping and almost joined in for Sweet Baby James sung beautifully by Maureen Sullivan.
Maureen Sullivan singing Sweet Baby James by James Taylor
We were completely captivated by Mary’s playing of the tin whistle. There were many that filled my heart with gladness. Here is one by John Dwyer, called the Sunny Hills of Beara. I think she also tacked on Fox in the Patch.
(Update from my new friend Mary, 2nd tune is Fox in the Thatch by late John Dwyer, who by the way is Mary’s cousin. )
Mary Donegan playing the tin whistle on John Dwyer’s Sunny Hills of Beara
Another memorable tune was The Foggy Dew, you may remember a version by the Chieftains.
The Foggy Dew played by Mary Donegan, Maureen Sullivan and Peter Crowley
What made the evening so enjoyable was the camaraderie of the trio and their lighthearted banter. We were also impressed with their humility. We asked the gentleman his name and he would only say, “Don’t mind me”. We did a little research and found that he was indeed the owner of the pub, Peter Crowley.
We can’t wait to visit Kenmare again. Mary, Maureen and Peter, please let us know if you are ever on the West coast of Florida. Till we meet again.
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