Morning frolics, including the finishing of Op. 156 Vocal Sonatina No. 1 ("Spitzer"): III. "Only the Lobbyists," with text inspired by New York Lieutenant (and soon-to-be) Governor David Paterson --
Only the lobbyists
come here to see me.
I kind of feel like a student
who's getting ready for the final exam
but they didn't attend any classes.
-- troped on the third movement of Muzio Clementi's Sonatina No. 1, with distended 12-tone tonality in a 9/8 context featuring Stravinskian-Glassian modularity.
Late afternoon outing again to Napa, along Buhman Road between Congress Valley and the unfortunate developments to the north,
south to the top of the grade,
with its parallel oak limbs,
down to a spidery variant at the crossroads,
where the sun breaks through the clouds just in time to set,
splaying light back at the intersection,
across vinyards
and lone trees.
A view by a stump back to San Francisco Bay;
a dark vineyard, gallery forest,
nestled mechanics, and sunlit crest;
a cow horizon, framed by branches and machinery;
white
and red barns face the dimness, in consort with undulating ridges and an impressive number of vehicles;
oaks framed by a wagon beckon onward
to late evening light over the Vaca Mountains,
clouds flaming on the return via Highway 29,
seemingly taking over the sky,
with fingers of dark forests ahead.
