Saratoga News
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Saratoga Sampler
Trip to Iceland offers an experience in nature
By Mary Ann Cook
ICELAND? BRR: Intrepid travelers Tessie and Phil Young took a trek to Iceland in July, a trip they were so impressed with they are eager to repeat it. Phil, a lawyer bitten by the photography bug, wanted to take photos, and Tessie, a travel agent, wanted to research that destination for her clients.
While the rest of us were caught in that record-breaking heat wave, the Youngs savored Iceland. The country is incredibly beautiful, reports Tessie. She couldn't think of words adequate to describe its breathtaking splendors of geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, wildflowers.
"It's as though you're looking at the beginnings of the Earth," Tessie enthuses. Rain comes tearing down at the diagonal, so strong it nearly knocks the visitor over. You have to watch your step continually--and beware if you're near a cliff. "I think it's the coming destination for those enthralled with nature," she adds.
Temperatures varied from T-shirt weather to a chill requiring several layers of clothing. The Youngs were urged to journey to a place called Tingvellir, not far from Reykjavik. A museum official the first day out insisted they had to see this. Tingvellir is said to be the site of the first parliament convened in the world, dating to about 1000.
Today it's a farmhouse, a church and a hotel, but "there's something magical about it," reports Tessie. And on another day, on another Icelandic jaunt, the Youngs rode in a land/sea vehicle through a lake full of icebergs. Although the travelers rented a car and drove and drove, they saw only a small portion of the country.
So a return trip is in order--with a longer stay the next time. The food--mainly fish--was surprisingly good. However, "I longed for an orange and a salad by the time we left," Tessie admits.
GARDEN WEDDING: Kay and Paul Fireman hosted an outdoor wedding in their Saratoga home for their daughter Kathryn and her groom, Hugo Vazquez, last month.
Actually, the two had been married in a civil ceremony two years ago, but Kathryn wanted to observe the Jewish rituals--to be married under a chuppah, for one. That canopy represents the home the two will form, open on all sides with love, generosity and respect.
Kathryn is bilingual and teaches first grade at Ascend Elementary School in Oakland. Hugo is an environmental engineer, but it took two years before he could gain legal entry into this country.
The two met when Kathryn was studying Spanish in Pueblo, Mexico. She is a '94 grad of Saratoga High and studied abroad three semesters during her college years at the University of Oregon. Two longtime SHS friends offered tributes at the wedding--Lilly Manzone and Sharoni Jacobs.
CHINESE OPERA: Dimension Performing Arts brings a young actors' A Peek at Peking Opera III to San Jose on Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. for one performance only at the California Theater. Excerpts from nine masterworks will be presented.
In addition, an exhibition of opera history and costumes will be held at the California Theater. Dimension Performing Arts, whose leaders and offices are mainly in Saratoga and Cupertino, brought the Peking Acrobats and the epic tragedy Kingdom of Desire to the Bay Area last year. Dimension's number is 408.257.6555.
WIDE-RANGING ARTIST: Saratoga artist Nacera Guerin is now represented by Agora Gallery in New York, by Gallery Del Mese, Kunst-Furum International in Switzerland, and by Immagini Spazio Arte Gallery in Cremona, Italy. To say she had an event-filled summer is putting it mildly.
There was the opening of the Seetal 2006 International event held by Kunst-Forum-International in June, where she exhibited. Then a show at Mostra d'Arte in Ortona, Italy, in July. In August and September her work was in another show in Switzerland and she was chosen a finalist for the Seetal 2006.
Meanwhile, in this country her paintings were showing at Gallery Agora in August/September, and her whole family attended the opening. In September her work was displayed at Gallery Communal Il Paradiniso in Mondena, Italy. In October there will be a show in Salzburg, Austria.
December will find her work in Meisterschwanden, Switzerland, and Garden Gallery at Osterley Park, West London. A show in Dublin, Ireland, is coming up. So the Algerian-born, Paris-raised Saratogan, a self-proclaimed feminist painter, is gaining increasingly wide-ranging exposure.
HOEDOWN: An afternoon barbecue fundraiser for the Saratoga Historical Foundation is set for Oct. 22, 2-5 p.m., at the Garrod ranch. The original date was smack in the midst of the July record-breaking heat wave, so the hoedown was put on hold.
Tri-tip and all the trimmings, music and auction items are all part of the action. Tickets are $35, and the contact is Nancy Anderson at 408.867.4383.
CHICKLIT: Kim Green, a San Francisco author of chicklit books, will speak at the Saratoga Library on Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m.
Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to mac@impruve.com.
