Three Beautiful Things 04-26-2026: Hearing Verdi's *Requiem*, More of Verdi's *Requiem*?, The Snake Pit

1. To prepare for the combined efforts of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony Chorale, and four visiting soloists (Caroline Corrales, soprano; Linda Baird, mezzo-soprano; Adam Diegel, tenor; and Mark Walters, baritone) to perform Giuseppe Verdi's monumental Messa da requiem, Debbie and I attended an hour long lecture on Thursday, presented by the symphony's conductor, James Lowe and then today we listened to the pre-concert lecture given by Lowe and the chorale director, Dr. Meg Stohlman. I also did some preparatory reading and note taking. 

This slim amount of preparation helped me to a degree take in the Requiem at today's matinee performance, but I almost immediately recognized that nothing I might have done would have prepared me for the sublime power of Verdi's composition nor for the overwhelming energy of a ninety-seven member choir, an expanded orchestra, and the four soloists exploring the terror, pleading, glory, awe, hopefulness, quaking, and overall awe of death and of facing the trepidation of the fires of eternity and the beauty of eternal light.

Verdi patterned this requiem after the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass and wrote it after the death of the great Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni. While on the face of it, Verdi's masterpiece can be seen as exploring Manzoni's own fears that the misadventures of his youth would never be forgiven, in actuality, Verdi makes music out of universal fears and hopes and uncertainty about our morality and what might follow death.

2. When the concert ended and after the audience showered vigorous applause upon all the performers and the two conductors and the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox began to empty out, Debbie and I sat silent until the theater was nearly empty. 

As we left the Fox and walked to the car, Debbie said, "You know how when we drove to Kellogg from New York (in 2021) and planned our trip around dog friendly breweries? How about if we start looking for performances of Verdi's Requiem and how about if we travel to listen to it whenever and wherever we can?" 

I loved that idea.  

3. Being the mortals we are, while we had been spiritually challenged, blown away, and nourished by this afternoon's concert, we also needed to satisfy our physical hunger. Neither of us could remember the last time we ate at the Snake Pit in Kingston/Enaville and we decided to give it a try. 

It was a solid choice. I don't remember which burger Debbie ordered, but she happily ate half of it and half of her tots at the Snake Pit and took the rest home. I very much enjoyed my steak sandwich on a fresh hoagie roll and the accompanying fries. Our server was efficient, friendly, and witty, a delightful combination! 

By the time we walked in the Snake Pit and sat down, we were coming back to Earth again and while Verdi will live with us for a long time, his Requiem no longer dominated our thoughts and feelings, no longer had struck us nearly dumb. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-25-2026: Cardboard, Pizza Party, Preparing for Verdi's *Requiem*

1. I mean it's just cardboard. Why does it make me so happy to get cardboard boxes out of the garage and the house? I don't know, but I made a quick trip to the transfer station today and got rid of about fifteen boxes. I returned home inexplicably giddy!

2. Carol and Christy are at Priest Lake for a women's weekend with friends and we invited Paul over for pizza. We enjoyed a spinach/feta and a Hawaiian pizza along with some wings and had fun yakkin' together about topics ranging from learning French to watching videos of people reacting to hearing songs like "25 or 6 to 4" for the first time. 

3. I spent time today reading more about Verdi's Requiem in preparation for Sunday afternoon's performance of Verdi's take on this Catholic mass. It will be given by the Spokane Symphony and Chorale.  

Three Beautiful Things 04-24-2026: Where's That Book?, Tacos at the Elks, Yakkin' at The Lounge

 1. Before I go to sleep, it's best if I do not read material on either my laptop or phone. I'd like to read Lonesome Dove, but it's a big book, one I handle better sitting up. 

I've been wanting to read Jess Walter's latest novel, So Far Gone before sleeping, but I couldn't find it. Debbie and I are at the beginning of a slow project reimagining the old Vizio room and that's meant having books in boxes and unorganized in other ways. 

I went through all the boxes looking for So Far Gone and then I discovered I'd put it at the bottom of a pile on a bottom shelf hidden by a stack of boxes. 

I don't know what I was thinking of when I put that book there, but I've let go of that mystery. 

Tonight I read the first few pages of the book and I'm pumped to move forward and very happy that I'll relax at bedtime with a good book and not screens. 

2. I joined Ed and Nancy at a table at today's Taco Night at the Elks and before long Pam and Frank joined us. We enjoyed building our tacos and talked about a bunch of stuff: nurses, surgeons, current KHS band performances, camping, and a hot of other topics. 

3. We ended our evening at The Lounge. Debbie had been there for a while and was having a great time talking with different people at the bar and at a smattering of tables. When Ed and Nancy left, I went to the bar and had a fun conversation with Simon, during which Ryan walked in and told us about his new job. Juli Z. and I then had a serious talk about her late brother, John, a close friend of mine at NIC, and her son, Jared. Julie wants Jared and me to meet. Fitz and I talked about retirement and fantasy baseball and Cas and I reviewed fantasy baseball action as well. 

Debbie loved all the conversations she had, including at the table where Ed, Nancy, and I sat and I enjoyed yakking with the people I got to see, too. 

It was another fine time in uptown Kellogg. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-23-2026: James Lowe Lecture on Verdi's *Requiem*, Exhibits at the MAC, Back to Ocean's Depth

 1. Debbie and I went to Spokane today. It turned out we overloaded our minds with stimulation, in a very good way. We arrived home very tired but invigorated and with a lot on our minds. 

Our day began at Spokane's Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) at noon. Spokane Symphony conductor and music director James Lowe gave a nearly one hour lecture on the single piece the symphony will perform Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon (when we'll go): Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem, first performed in 1874. 

The way Lowe developed context for the Requiem through looking at the history of Italy and the story of Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni, whose death inspired Verdi to compose this requiem. He then played and commented upon excerpts from the Requiem, helping us better understand the range of emotions Verdi explores about death, the way the orchestra and chorale and vocal soloists work together as Verdi's masterpiece develops, and his view that Verdi wrote the Requiem for us, for us living mortals, as a way to move us to examine our own feelings, ideas, and beliefs about being mortal, presenting the fact of mortality as a reality that continually rises up in our minds and one that we deal with continually as people we know die.

I think this was the third time I've gone to one of these lectures. 

Each time, listening to James Lowe and the ways he integrates history, linguistics, spiritual experience, literature, art, movies, cuisine, and other subjects outside of music into his lectures, it takes me back to my days at Whitworth College where I was joyfully introduced to the wonders of interdisciplinary studying and thinking and began to learn about the ways the different kinds of liberal arts connect with each other. 

So in a way I find moving, a way that goes way beyond nostalgic sentimentality, listening to James Lowe makes me feel like the eager to learn 20 year I was when I enrolled at Whitworth and my life expanded into a love for the liberal arts in the broadest sense of that word and entered into a lifelong source of joy and stimulation. 

2. Lowe ended his lecture and I couldn't move right away. Luckily, Debbie and I were seated in the middle of our row and no one needed us to move, so I could just sit and let what I'd just experienced sink in. 

After a few minutes, we left the MAC's auditorium and walked over the MAC's galleries where we wanted to look at two exhibits: Brick by Brick: We Built this City, a display of seven iconic Spokane buildings constructed to scale with LEGO bricks and James Lavadour: Land of Origin, a retrospective of five decades of Lavadour's paintings and prints exploring the power and beauty of Eastern Oregon landscapes. 

The LEGO exhibit was astonishing for its craft and ingenuity. I never built anything with LEGOs. Our grandson, David, was obsessed with them as a boy. Through David I witnessed how far the LEGO world had come -- LEGO sets were available for everything from Monet paintings to Marvel characters to castles and floral bouquets. 

Honestly, though, what the builders who created these replicas of places like St. John's Cathedral, the Davenport Hotel, the Spokesman-Review building and others pushed my mind way beyond anything I had imagined possible to do with LEGOs. 

James Lavadour's painting exploded off the walls of the MAC. They are not representational works (they don't look like photographs), but are expressive pieces that endow the landscapes with power, spirit, fire, mythology, and other ways that Lavadour experiences them. 

In a very positive way, Debbie and I found this exhibit overwhelming. The paintings are large, presented in sets, like of nine paintings, and numerous works are on display. 

I hope we'll return. I want to feel the power of these paintings again, but, as today, in short amounts of time. 

I bought the coffee table book that was published to accompany this exhibit and look forward to learning more about Lavadour and his work from it. 

3. We lunched at The Elk and then tested the limits of how much beauty we could absorb in an afternoon by going to the same exhibit I visited on Wednesday at the Chase Gallery. 

So, Debbie and I both entered the world of life deep in the ocean through paintings, videos, and sculptures. 

We both enjoyed these works, but we didn't last long.

Our energy ran out. 

We'd taken in a lot and reached our limit, but what an awesome way to get worn out. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-22-2026: My Skin is Healthy, A Bagel and a Transplant Open House, Under the Ocean Art at City Hall

 1. I have twice a year dermatology appointments at North Idaho Dermatology in CdA because, being a transplant recipient, a take medications that make my skin more susceptible to cancer. Nicole Rock examined me head to toe and found no problems and said something, in her most professional dermatological voice, that I don't ever remember being told before: "You have fantastic skin." 

That no problems have developed is a huge relief to me, but, simultaneously, it makes perfect sense. 

I hate being out in the sun and, when I am, I cover my skin, wear a broad-rimmed hat, and, when at my best (ahem), put on sunscreen. 

I used to enjoy the sun a lot, but that enjoyment eroded and now has disappeared over the last several years. 

A good development, as it turns out, and I'll do my best to remain vigilant. 

2. I've been to The Scoop at 25th and Monroe in Spokane twice in the last six weeks or so for ice cream. 

But, Hidden Bagel was closed. 

Hidden Bagel shares business space with The Scoop and closes at 1 p.m.

Today, I buzzed straight to Hidden Bagel as soon as I arrived in Spokane and enjoyed a sesame seed bagel with cream cheese. It sustained me for my visit to Providence Sacred Heart. 

I made a quick trip, first, to the pharmacy and took care of a couple of very simple things I needed help with regarding a prescription and my change in payment method.

Then I attended an open house at the transplant clinic, an event in recognition of this being Donate Life Month.  

My experience over the last eight years with this transplant program has been, without fail, positive. 

I enjoyed being able to tell some of the staff how much I have appreciated all they've done to help me navigate this transplant and I enjoyed being in the same room with other transplant recipients who also seemed happy and who also looked like they were getting along well (as I am). 

3. If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that Debbie and I go often to Spokane and recently we decided to participate in Auntie's Bookstore's Science/Nature Book Club. One member of the book club, Meghan Jones, creates paintings and is part of an art collective, Unseen Ocean Collective, with three other women. 

Currently, the collective has an exhibit at the Chase Gallery, located in the basement of Spokane's City Hall, entitled, America's Hidden Coral Gardens: The Fine Art of the Deep Sea. 

I wanted to see Meghan Jones' paintings and the other work on display and so I visited the gallery.  I found the exhibit invigorating. I loved these paintings, videos, and sculptures of life deep in the ocean. I especially enjoyed the different styles of Kierstin Keller's paintings vis a vis Meghan Jones' works and what Nilanjana Dass explored of the deep sea's beauty in her sculptures. 

I drove home feeling very happy. My skin is in good shape. I found a good bagel. I'm in good shape with the pharmacy. I'm under the care of a solid clinic. And Spokane has a handsome art gallery right outside the City Council Chambers in the basement of City Hall and is exhibiting wonderful art making worlds profoundly remote from us visible.

 

Three Beautiful Things 04-21-2026: Editing, Reading, Comforting

 1. I did a little editing on a first draft of an obituary for Bruce Larsen. I don't know when it will be sent out or published, but the process is underway. Stu got it going. 

2. I am determined (but I've been determined before about this!) to give all the energy I have for reading over the Lonesome Dove and not get sidetracked like I have about eighty times before. I made progress today and being back into this book rekindles my admiration for Larry McMurtry's brilliant writing and storytelling. 

3. A little editing. A good session reading. Topped it all off with comfort: Debbie whipped up a simple dinner of tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and an endive salad. 

Then a surprise. Umpqua Triple Chocolate ice cream suddenly showed up and I couldn't and didn't resist. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-20-2026: Transplant Checklist, Big Questions, Granola Bars

1. Recently, the transplant clinic sent me a letter with a list of things that need to be done as my transplant anniversary (May 11th) approaches.  I'm in good shape with most of the items on the list. I'm up to date on my flu shot, pneumonia vax, colonoscopy, dermatology evaluation, bone scan, and dental check ups. 

I am going to Sacred Heart on May 4th for labs and I wrote to Nurse Jenn today hoping I can also have a chest x-ray and kidney ultrasound performed that day, too. 

If it works out, then I will be all ready for my May 11th appointment at the clinic with everything on that list taken care of. 

2. Paul came over and did some around the house jobs for Debbie and, as he was leaving, he said, "Oh! Before I go, I have a theological question." So, for the next half an hour or so Debbie, Paul, and I discussed Genesis 1, a calm, insightful, and searching conversation. When it comes to discussing theology, the three of us are much more interrogative than declarative. 

3. While in New York, Debbie made granola bars for the household, a handy item to tuck in a carry out lunch or eat as a snack at home. Debbie made a batch here in Kellogg and these delicious bars elevated our already terrific store of homemade food items we've been enjoying. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-19-2026: Breakfast at Sam's with T. Turner and Alex, Pork Loin Family Dinner, Carol and Paul Create and Unforgettable Day

 1. Terry Turner and his friend Alex had been in Missoula and on some nearby waterways for Trout Unlimited meetings and some fishing. They left Missoula this morning and the three of us met at Sam's here in Kellogg for breakfast. It was fun talking about stuff like fish habitat protection, college basketball and football, and other major topics. 

2. Christy hosted tonight's family dinner and built our menu around a marinated pork loin she roasted accompanied by homemade applesauce. Christy also fixed garlic roasted potatoes and Carol contributed fried corn and Debbie made a delicious endive salad. We started our dinner with a delicious bread with olives baked in it and flourless crackers, both enhanced by pesto or a garlic spread. For dessert, Christy baked a no sugar applesauce cake with bourbon raisins. 

3. When Debbie and I arrived at Christy's, I started right in asking Carol and Paul questions about their trip to Spokane on Saturday with three of the students they work with. 

I listened to what Carol and Paul had to say and thought again and again how fortunate these three students were on Saturday. 

I have to believe they'll never forget this day and as they grow older will realize what generous and imaginative teachers Carol and Paul are. 

Carol and Paul took them to the Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane primarily to see an exhibition entitled, "Brick by Brick: We Built This City". Here's the deal: local My Own Creation builders brought seven Spokane landmarks to life by creating detailed scale replicas of them using LEGO bricks. On display are replicas of the Spokesman-Review tower, Davenport Hotel, the Great Northern Clock and Radio Flyer Wagon from Riverfront Park, Spokane Falls along with the Monroe Street Bridge and the Washington Water Works Building, the Spokane County Courthouse, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and the Campbell House. 

Each student "adopted" one of the LEGO creations as their own to learn more about and Carol and Paul took the students to the actual places they "adopted": they visited the Spokane Falls, the Davenport Hotel, and St. John's Cathedral. 

At the museum, the students also got to view an exhibition entitled, "James Lavadour: Land of Origin", a five-decade retrospective of this artists' paintings exploring his deep connection with Eastern Oregon landscapes. 

I think they also peeked in on "The Davenport Legacy", an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Davenport Hotel. 

And where did Paul and Carol take their students for lunch? The Old Spaghetti Factory, yet another unforgettable way to acquaint these youngsters with more Spokane history! This longtime popular restaurant was founded in 1969. 

On a personal note, I'll always remember The Old Spaghetti Factory as the restaurant four of us went to after watching All the President's Men in 1976, my senior year at Whitworth, and discussed the movie over plates of pasta and glasses of affordable wine. A great memory! 

Ah, what the heck -- one more personal note. 

It can't hurt! 

Carol, Paul, and their students left Spokane close to the time Debbie and I arrived there.

I enjoy the idea that all seven of us had a most memorable time in Spokane on April 18th. 

If you read the blog post I put up yesterday, you know that Debbie and I loved the Get Lit/Northwest Passages event we attended at The Bing and I think, at some level, it will live with us for a long time. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-18-2026: Spokane and the Decades, Spokanealooza Part 1, Spokanealooza Part 2 at The Bing

1. From the time I was a little boy and our family visited my grandmother there, until now, I've, well, I've loved Spokane. To keep it brief, I loved our visits there, I loved going to ballgames and concerts in Spokane, I really loved going to school at Whitworth and I loved working at Whitworth in the Chaplain's Office and as an English instructor. 

Debbie lived in Spokane at different times in her life and for the nearly thirty years we've been friends, roommates, and spouses, she's told me great stories and we've made some fun tours, looking at landmarks from her life in Spokane and when she lived in Cheney. 

Needless to say, but I will anyway, I've enjoyed my regular (now less frequent) medical related trips to Spokane, most of them by myself, the fact that our monthly sibling outings are all happening in Spokane in 2026, and am really enjoying the trips Debbie and I have made (and have planned) together since Debbie returned home. 

2. Take, for example, our trip on Saturday, April 18th. 

We started our afternoon/evening Spokanealooza at Paradise Fibers, and Debbie found some yarn she was happy to purchase. 

We had plenty of time before tonight's main event and we scampered up to Trader Joe's on 29th and, among other things, purchased items so we could fulfill Christy's assignments to us for Sunday's family dinner. 

We wanted a light bite to eat and buzzed across South Spokane to Huckleberry's Natural Market at 926 S Monroe. We visited the 9th St. Bistro where Debbie made herself dinner at the salad bar and I had a turkey sandwich custom built. 

3. This weekend is the annual writers and literature festival in Spokane, Get Lit. 

Get Lit and Spokesman Review's community book club, Northwest Passages, collaborated to create the event we attended tonight. 

Tonight's event at The Bing featured Spokane author Jess Walter interviewing Portland writer and alt-country musician Willie Vlautin about his latest novel, The Left and the Lucky. 

It was a terrific hour. Vlautin talked about growing up in Reno, raised by his hard-working single mother and how, at a very young age, he began writing songs and later stories reflecting what he saw in the working class and underclass environment he grew up in and the feelings he experienced, and still does. 

He wasn't like most (or any) of the young guys at Reno High School. He loved to read. He hung a picture of John Steinbeck next to posters of The Clash and The Pogues in his bedroom.  He loved writing songs and listening to and making music. He loved writing and, together, music and writing became his life. 

He's been a longtime member of and songwriter for two bands: Richmond Fontaine (no longer together) and The Delines. 

The interview featured excerpts from two songs by The Delines: "Lil Earl" and "Christmas in Atlantis".

Neither one of us had heard of Willie Vlautin, even though he is not obscure. (This weekend he was interviewed by Scott Simon on National Public Radio.) 

We've decided, though, that if we don't have conflicts, we are going to every Northwest Passage night we can, whether we are ignorant or knowledgeable about the featured author. 

We loved being in a theater full of enthusiastic people cheering on the efforts of Get Lit and Northwest Passage.

As a bonus, we saw Teri, the leader of the Science/Nature Book Club we have joined at Auntie's Bookstore. We were all excited to see each other and it was fun, in a venue full of strangers to us, that we saw, talked to, and shared excitement with someone familiar to us. 

 

Three Beautiful Things 04-17-2026: Living Lighter, Ed's a Beer Pong Champ, Music in My Head

1. At Sunnyside Elementary School, instead of shooting a basketball into a hoop, I remember shooting through the triangle opening of a brace helping to secure the stability of a fire escape on the south side of the building. Remembering that, and period in our lives that Stu called a golden time, I responded that I have fun and enjoyable flashbacks to those years and have ditched the negative ones. As the day progressed, I realized I've ditched a lot of negative flashbacks along with the accompanying  painful feelings that used to rise up inside me. Those old feelings have, for the most part, dissolved. Being free of these feelings and focusing less and less on past grievances helps me live a lighter life. 

Almost all of my grievances these days are ones I direct at myself. 

Ditch those and I could join Scrooge and say, "I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man."

2. This afternoon at The Lounge, Ed told a great story about how he and his son Darren teamed up to conquer all comers at the Clearwater Casino in Lewiston and win last Saturday night's beer pong tournament. I could have told those challenging teams that when it comes to darts, pool, horseshoes, cribbage, poker, and now beer pong, Ed simply does not lose. 

3. When I began sometime in 2025 listening in earnest, like daily, to classical music, I hoped that I'd eventually start hearing different passages from different compositions in my head and be able to enjoy them even if the music wasn't playing. 

That's happening. 

Now I hope to go the next step and be able to identify the composer and the composition. 

Today I had what I think was a passage from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major play in my head, but I'm not sure. 

One day I hope to be sure. 

And, one day, I hope to have instant recall of passages in different pieces when I hear or read them mentioned or be able to instantly identify them when they come on the radio. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-16-2026: Spreading the Word, Teamwork at Dinner, Trip to Pendleton -- It Won't Be Long

 1. Today I resumed efforts to make the Celebration of Life for Bruce Larsen a bit more widely known. I posted the date, time, and place on the Class of '72 Facebook page and the Class of '73 page as well. In the next little while, I am confident an obituary will get composed and published. I also sent out some personal messages to people who might not get the information on Facebook or via the group email I sent out. 

I'll post the details on this blog every seven to ten days even though I know that many people who read this blog are not from Kellogg and don't know Bruce.

But what can it hurt? 

Celebration of Life for Bruce Larsen

Date: June 13, 2026

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Place: Kellogg Elks Lodge, 202 McKinley Ave

2. Debbie subbed for a first grade teacher today and arrived home tired. She had a good day. Working with children, even when it goes well, is tiring. I don't think she has another sub date scheduled. This is in keeping with her plan to sub once in a while. She does it because she enjoys the children and enjoys being back at Pinehurst Elementary with the people she worked with. 

We teamed up on dinner. I made a pot of angel hair and Debbie made mixed olive oil, salt and pepper, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and cherry tomatoes in a small bowl. She also grated some hard cheese and these ingredients worked beautifully on top of our pasta. 

3. Six of us will descend upon the Wildhorse Resort and Casino in about twelve days and the excitement of another trip to Pendleton began to rumble inside me today when Mike Stafford texted us to let us know he'd made reservations at Wildhorse's steak house, The Plateau. I'm nearly certain that Colette and I will meet for dinner in downtown Pendleton that week -- a tradition that we've enjoyed ever since Colette moved to Walla Walla.  

I'm getting stoked.