One of the things I love best about this area is that there are few limits to where you can ride your bike.
I have been on a bike for more than a decade, and I’ve ridden everywhere from the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, Conn., to all around Block Island, R.I., and along sections of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
I seized any excuse to take my bike out on the ride, whether I was picking up milk downtown (balancing the gallon precariously on my handlebars), checking out a book from the library or riding to my former cashier job at the Sharon Farm Market.
When I was growing up in Sharon, my brother and I would ride our bikes down to the Sharon Pharmacy every fall to check out the Halloween costumes on display.
As I got older, my mom started taking me out on the Rail Trail to explore the trails.
Come winter, spring, summer or fall, you could find us riding down the trail, over ice patches and fallen leaves and past bodies of water and local wildlife.
We would start at Coleman Station in North East, N.Y., at the Sharon border, and ride to the center of Millerton. We’d later challenge ourselves with a ride from Coleman Station to the Wassaic Metro-North Train Station, sometimes stopping on the way back for an ice cream at Fudgy’s.
When the town of Amenia, N.Y., completed its long-awaited Trail to the Train project last fall, we immediately set our sights on the trail extension leading to the hamlet of Wassaic.
The newest section of the trail extending from Millerton to Copake has become a new favorite, one that I tend to ride in the early morning at least once a week.
After learning the hard way to always be alert, I no longer listen to music while I ride. I’ve come to prefer the break from technology and the chance it gives me to enjoy the sounds I catch on my ride.
A magic carpet ride of sights, sounds
No matter how many rides I’ve been on, the first mile tends to be the hardest as my legs slowly adjust to pedaling myself forward, but once I’m off, it’s a sensation akin to flying.
It never fails to astound me how the local area — the same one I’ve lived and worked in for most of my life — bursts with life, sound, color and scents when summer arrives.
Sometimes I’ll catch a whiff of honeysuckle or the smell of the lilac trees. I often hear the train whistle as it rides out of Wassaic.
I’ve seen everything on the trail from swans, turtles, geese and goslings to seasoned cyclists, dog walkers, teen skaters and even a man walking his LaMancha goat.
I’ve watched the communities I’ve grown to love demonstrate town spirit in unlikely places, from turning one of the pine trees on the Amenia section into an impromptu Christmas tree, to decorating rocks and placing them along the trail markers for Boston Corners and the train station.
She got back in the saddle again
But, again, I’m someone who learned from experience, that there are clear rules to keep in mind when exploring the trails.
For example, when you approach a crosswalk, it’s crucial for cyclists to disembark and walk to the other side before getting back on the bike again. I should know: I was in a biking accident in July 2015, just three days after my 21st birthday. I was biking ahead of my mom on the Rail Trail heading to Amenia when I got to the crosswalk. The last thing I remember was getting ready to pedal to the other side when I was hit by a car coming down the road, the impact shattering my hip socket and fracturing my tibia.
Two surgeries and months of physical therapy later, I was back at home and then back at college for my last year. It would be months before I’d be back on the bike again.
Finding the balance (again)
As luck would have it, there was a poster sale on my college campus the semester I went back to finish my degree. Among them was a simple black-and-white poster featuring a picture of a bike similar to the one I ride today. Above the bike, written half in print and half in cursive, was a quote from Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle: to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
I initially bought the poster as a reminder of the moment when my life went off balance; I’ve kept it as a reminder of how I keep my balance.
Safety is essential
Take it from someone who learned the hard way: Don’t take these rules for granted. The trails are there for you to use, but they don’t give you free reign over the road.
Respect the trails and your fellow cyclists, and always be aware of what’s happening around you; all it takes is a moment to change your day.
And for those of you who didn’t grow up on “Mick Harte Was Here” — Barbara Park’s coming-of-age story about a young girl who loses her brother in a bike accident — don’t disregard the helmet.
Enjoy the thrill of the ride; but don’t get so caught up in it that you forget to be cautious.
Ruth Franklin and Ileene Smith in conversation at Congregation Beth David in Amenia.
Congregation Beth David in Amenia hosted a conversation on the enduring legacy of Anne Frank, one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures. Ruth Franklin, award-winning biographer and critic, shared insights from her highly acclaimed book “The Many Lives of Anne Frank” with thought-provoking questions from Ileene Smith, Editorial Director of the Jewish Lives series. This event, held on July 23 — the date Anne Frank would have turned 96 — invited the large audience to reconsider Anne Frank not just as the young writer of a world-famous diary, but as a cultural symbol shaped by decades of representation and misrepresentation.
Franklin and Smith dove right in; Franklin reading a passage from the book that exemplified her approach to Anne’s life. She described her work as both a biography of Anne Frank and a cultural history of the diary itself, a document that has resonated across the world.
“The diary,”Franklin explained, “has been appropriated in ways that sometimes obscure the reality of who she was and the historical context of her life.” By weaving together different perspectives, including testimonies from those who knew Anne or whose lives were shaped by her, Franklin sought to rehumanize a figure who has, for better and worse, been turned into a symbol.
Franklin’s book examines the many faces of Anne Frank that have appeared in the public consciousness: the girl whose diary became a universal symbol of the Holocaust, the teenage diarist whose words offer an optimistic glimpse of humanity, and the historical figure whose Jewish identity has at times been obscured in favor of a broader, universal message. Franklin highlighted how Anne’s legacy was shaped by her father, Otto Frank. Many of Otto’s decisions have been viewed as controversial such as removing passages that could have alienated potential readers. While often criticized, Franklin suggested that his editorial work was driven by the desire to reach the broadest possible audience.
“I think we have to be so generous in thinking about Otto Frank and the choices that he made,” said Franklin. “He made the decision that he wanted the diary to be read by the greatest number of people possible. He wanted Anne’s message to go out into the world and work, as he said, against prejudice, understood in the widest possible sense. The Anne Frank House today in Amsterdam is carrying on his mission in making Anne’s story relatable and accessible and comparing it to many other different kinds of prejudice around the world. Not everybody agrees with this approach, but that’s what he decided to do.”
The conversation turned to a quote from author Cynthia Ozick, who argued that Anne’s story has been “vulgarized, distorted, and infantilized” in adaptations of the diary, particularly those created for mass consumption. While acknowledging the validity of Ozick’s concerns, Franklin pushed back. The desire to make Anne’s story accessible to a global audience, Franklin suggested, began with Anne herself, who rewrote her diary with an eye toward future readers who might not understand her specific historical context.
The conversation also delved into the profound grief and ambivalence Otto Frank must have felt as he worked to preserve his daughter’s legacy. Franklin’s expressed deep empathy for him, burdened with making Anne’s diary into something more than a personal testament. “He was working with a tragic loss, with an immense responsibility,” Franklin noted.
The evening’s discussion expanded to include the contentious debate over the graphic version of Anne Frank’s diary, which has been banned in several U.S. states. Critics of the graphic adaptation have condemned it for including depictions of Anne’s developing sexuality, citing them as “pornographic.” Franklin pointed out that this outrage stems from “the intersection of homophobia and anti-Semitism” in today’s political climate, highlighting how Anne’s legacy continues to be embroiled in ongoing cultural and political struggles. “The books that are most frequently banned in the country right now are those that have to do with LGBTQ content.This is a serious issue of the Republican Party persecuting gay people and trans people more generally,” said Franklin.
Smith pointedly asked Franklin about what is widely considered the most famous quote from the diary: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” Franklin responded, “In many ways, Anne Frank was an optimistic person and that quote is an accurate reflection of who she was. At the same time, that quote is incomplete. It actually comes in the middle of a much longer passage in which she describes feeling hopeless about the future of the world.” Franklin continued, “That quote is often dismissed by Holocaust scholars or other people who have said with a lot of confidence that if Anne Frank had survived the camps to write about it, she would no longer have believed that people are truly good at heart. My own position, which is the perspective I adopt in this book, is that none of us can know what a surviving Anne Frank would have thought about anything at all, and it is irresponsible to speculate about it.We simply can’t go there. “
As the conversation concluded, the room was filled with a sense of reflection and appreciation. The crowd was invited to continue the conversation in the Community Room, where Franklin signed copies of her book, which were available through Oblong Books. Her visit left attendees with much to ponder about how we interpret history, memory, and the cultural artifacts that endure.
Yuja Wang performs with the TMCO and Andris Nelsons.
Sunday, July 20 was sunny and warm. Nic Mayorga, son of American concert pianist, the late Lincoln Mayorga, joined me at Tanglewood to hear Yuja Wang play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16. I first saw Wang on July 8, 2022, when she filled in for Jean-Yves Thibaudet on the opening night of Tanglewood’s summer season. She virtually blew the shed down with her powerful and dynamic playing of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
Nic was my guest last season on July 13, when Wang wowed us with her delicate interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. We made plans on the spot to return for her next date in Lenox.
As we found our seats there was a buzz in the Shed. A huge crowd had gathered. Nic went for tall cans of cold mineral water — essential. The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra was on stage. The door opened, and out stepped Wang in a brilliant shear and sparkling silvery light dress befitting the warm day. Conductor Andris Nelsons followed. They greeted concertmaster Nathan Cole, and settled in.
The first movement, an Andandtino -Allegretto - Andandtino, is one where a 22-year-old Prokofiev distinguishes himself as an entirely new breed of concerto composers. It is far from typical. There is no conventional drama between opposing forces of piano and orchestra — just a light, gentle phrase with intentionally muted strings (pizzicato) and clarinets, giving way to Chopin-like left-hand figures from the piano, and a lengthy, divine melody in the right. There is beauty in this.Wang is in charge.
She transitioned to a faster march section that evolved into an extended solo played with great precision and attention to detail. The soloist had the floor until a raucous return of the full orchestra, followed by a pianissimo recollection of the opening. The two great forces now united, everyone was on the edge of their seat.
The second movement is a Scherzo: Vivace. Here, Wang showed her mastery over one of the most challenging sections — a relentlessly demanding moto perpetuo where the soloist must play unbroken sixteenths, both hands, in octave unison. Nic agreed that one must see this type of playing live to fully appreciate the artist. The orchestra added wonderful, subtle color and counter moods to this virtuoso spotlight. Wang’s command of the minutest shifts in tempo was astounding. The piano, here, produces melodies but also becomes a percussion instrument of the highest order.
In the third movement, an Intermezzo: Allegro moderato, the soloist gets a breather from the speedy tempos — but not quite, as she must alternate between delicacy and great force in figures while the orchestra layers a backdrop of a heavy march. Wang displayed her versatility here, commanding the tone, volume and moods as dictated by Prokofiev’s adventuring. Tempos changed. Everything changed. Yet throughout, each mini stanza and bar stood out — authentic, independent, real. Likely exactly what Prokofiev had in mind, but likely to elude all but the finest musicians.
In the Finale: Allegro tempestoso, Prokofiev reverts to the more conventional opposition-of-forces theme — the piano trying to overwhelm the orchestra in a barrage of flittering bright passages offset by heavy-handed chords. Wang chose a more collegial approach here. She was firm but polite; it never felt like a struggle. This made the transition to the next idea — where clarinets and violas offer a contrasting tranquility — smooth as silk. The solo piano continued with elements of Russian folk music, joined by the orchestra, building intensity before another solo piano display, and then a traditional buildup to a sweeping conclusion.
I glanced over at Nic’s joy and bewilderment. A standing ovation was followed, with encore performances of selections from Sebelius’s 13 Pieces for Piano, Op. 76, No. 2: Etude; Schubert’s “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” D. 118, arranged by Liszt; and Horowitz’s Variations on a Theme from Carmen.
Prokofiev’s debut of this concerto in 1913 did not go over quite as well. Some in the audience expressed displeasure at his ideas, hissed and rushed out. But Prokofiev expressed his displeasure at their poor taste, played an encore nonetheless, and fanned the flames. Sometimes a genius from one generation is misunderstood in his time but vindicated generations later by audiences and musicians of a different era. Such is the case with Prokofiez, who had the last laugh. Yuja Wang has her place in this saga. That she performs with the young musicians of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra shows her generous nature and kind heart — she cares about the future of classical music.
If you are curious and like to travel, Wang will play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 again several times this season: Nov. 13 at The Philharmonie de Paris; Dec. 4 and 5 at The Konzerthaus, Vienna; and Dec. 12 at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. I highly recommend it.
