Todd Reynolds
Headquarters for All Things ToddArchive for November, 2007
Étretat, and a reminder of my old SLR.
I used to take pictures… like, I really wanted to be a good photographer, like, when I was 18. My parents took me on my first tour to Europe in 1980, and somehow I had enough money saved up to buy a nice Nikon SLR, my first. Who knows from model numbers back then, but I loved it. On our first trip, I shot 21 rolls of 36 exposures which still exist as some nice slides back home.
Two years later, my camera was lifted, one way or another, and I’ve been limping along on point ‘n’ shoots ever since. Until now.
A Pentax K10D from B &H has been a great choice for me to recut my teeth, and I’m lovin’ it. France was an excellent opportunity to reawaken the eyes – I’m so used to focusing on audio that it’s really nice to focus on an image for a change… There are plenty of photos on my own flickr site, but even more importantly, we decided to start a photo pool to collect everyone’s photos, so if you like, you can see exponential amounts of photographic accounts of the tour. Link below.
One of the most beautiful sights in France, caused by a well-placed birthday celebration.
So when I told folks I was headed for France, it was readily understood that for me, as much as I love all the musical and familial richness I’ve come to expect from our Reich Ensemble tours, come on, it’s France… it was greatly gonna be about the food. Which is why it might come as no surprise that the photo above is labeled as it is…
On the way from Caen to LaHavre, we stopped at a pretty incredible scenic destination in the north of France, Étretat. Étretat is best known for its cliffs, including a famous natural arch. These cliffs and the associated resort beach attracted artists including Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. And of course, us.
Garry Kvistad’s birthday celebration was the reason for the stop, and the restaurant right on the water gave us the best little party you could imagine, arranged by Delphine and Gilles and instigated by Liz Lim-Dutton, violinist and party planner, overall cruise-director. (Seriously, folks, no birthday or opportunity for celebration goes unnoticed on these trips)
Oh, and Garry Kvistad… I can’t remember the date exactly, but wasn’t it at least 17 years ago around the time I joined the band when Garry was starting Woodstock Chimes? They’re still one of best Holiday gifts around. And my geek-meter hit the sky when my business guru and I pulled out our Blackberrys at the same time… heaven. (I’ll save you a whole blog post on my first time actually having reliable phone and data service overseas, but it’s safe to say, that was heaven too.)
[Garry has since emailed me to recall to mind CORRECTLY that he started the company in 1979. Whoa. Was I dead wrong. probably 'cuz' I didn't have it in my Blackberry]
So, there you have it, Moules Frites, in a cream sauce, directly on the water, with a view unparalleled. And only the third day in France.
Steve Reich and Garry Kvistad on the way to the cliffs of Étretat.
Steve Reich and The Cave are touring France.
Here begins the blogging of 10 days of Butter-filled, Pastry-laden music-making in France, but a week late… so read this like it was november 10th, okay? and I won’t bore you with 10 blog entries either, since I’m so late… but hey, we were BUSY..
“We arrived today via Air France on a completely uneventful flight, thank god, and we’re rehearsing already. This is Alan Pierson’s (Alarm Will Sound) first time conducting the band, and he’s already taking grief from the usual suspects (read: me), but every 2 and 4 and 3 and 9/8 is in place. Not a big surprise, but a huge welcome.
In food news, our first meal at Cafe Iranien across the street from the hotel was scrumptious, a moussaka both meat-filled and vegetarian, and some wonderful fresh mint tea. We’ll be headin’ back after the 3rd act which will probably bring us to 11 pm. Tomorrow morning is off, plenty of time for me to head out for a LONG walk with my camera… which I reckon I’ll be doin’ EVERY day. ” (and I did too)
