"HAVE YOU EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED?"

Never been to Cleveland when the sun was shining, even when it shines it looks like rain... oh wait – that's the first post of this blog, the Melanie song.

The rain was not too bad today but I was glad that Ines did the driving through the Catskills. We took back roads for most of the way to Horseheads where we booked a room at a Motel 6. The temperature was lowering and the ground was soggy and quite frankly health wins over spending a few extra dollars to get a roof over one's head. We are gypsy artists not poor destitute vagabonds.

We arrived around to the motel at 3:30 and decided to put off visiting the Corning Glass Museum until the next morning. We plan on breaking it up with lunch at an Indian restaurant that my foodie friend Eric had told be about, but WAIT...I am getting ahead of myself. First let me write about MANDALAS and MAGIC.

I had coded a really groovy stop into the GPS. It isn't far from Woodstock in a small town named Mt. Tremper. It has rooms to rent, a coffee shop, boutique stores and THE WORLD'S LARGEST KALEIDOSCOPE. NO LIE. We arrived and were greeted with such a great sunny vibe. “Would you direct us to the KAATSKILL KALEIDOSCOPE please? (Giant things seem to be a theme on this road trip.) We were directed by some shops and then stopped and asked again. Two young women pointed across the hall and apologized. The big kaleidoscope was not functioning. They told us it needs a new bulb. It broke a few days ago. NOOOOOO! “But there's the kaleidostore. Go check it out. It is really cool.” Oh...OK.

We stopped into the store, me explaining that we are gypsy artists on a trip across the country. I am a mandala artist and I had been really looking forward to getting inside the world's largest kaleidoscope. How sad that it is broken. Or was it?

We were escorted into a theater room, told to lay down on the floor and just wait and...I decided to petition the angels of color and light. The roof slowly lit up. We may only get 30 seconds (actually it was 40) before the bulb went out again but a short experience was better than no experience at all. The sound system was incredible. The floor was vibrating beneath us. What a trip. Have you ever been experienced? Well, I have.

We spent almost an hour perusing the store with Linda, a former Brooklynite and clay artist who relocated to the area about 40 years ago fist living in a teepee. Each day I am meeting my contemporaries and tribe members even if the meetings are fleeting. Nice.

Ines and I checked out so many scopes with the aid of Linda. We learned how they were made, the mirror systems, oils, glass, so many different variations. We peered into them with window light, flashlight and an orb of light. We became light. This place you must see. It is located on Route 28 as part of the Emerson Resort property. If you want to buy me a Christmas gift I was quite light stricken by the Dichroic bt Chesnick. They'll ship but I suppose I would have to settle down in one place first.

From the museum we drove straight through to Elmira and the motel where I am writing up the day's notes right now. The internet doesn't work in the room. We are too far from the router so I am writing offline which I often do when on the road. I will upload later. Also our TV would not work so maintenance came to test and replace it. Meet Raj. He and his wife live on the premises. Actually a lot of people live full time at this Motel 6. Raj overheard our conversation regarding the Indian restaurant's address in Corning and chimed in chimed in. “I am Indian. You like Indian food? I can cook for you.” Seriously? “Yes.” It seems he and his wife cook indian food for the people living at the motel twice a week. They make it vegetarian for those that are not eating meat and chicken for the rest of us. It was too late to arrange for it tonight as we leave in the morning but he says he will stop and see us 9:45 am before we leave. Ines piped in, OK BUT NO FOOD. DO NOT BRING FOOD.” Hey, continental breakfast isn't included at this motel. I like Indian food. I would eat the curry for breakfast.

More to come...