Gism Butter

Yesterday, V took me to the Chapel of Chimes’ in Oakland. Or, I guess that’s Piedmont. But then, Piedmont and Monte Claire are just posuer cities that want to escape the association with Oakland… I digress. The Chapel of Chimes was originally designed by Julia Morgan, Hearst’s favorite architect. She really did an amazing job on the Chapel of Chimes: it’s like a maze, and urns and bronze book-shaped urns are tucked into every possible corner of the place. The new additions to the facility are not at all up to her quality, though John Lee Hooker does reside inside those new spaces.

Any-hoo, to explain. The Chapel of Chimes is, essentially, a mausoleum nextdoor to the fabulous Mountain View cemetery. As a mausoleum, the place has amazing acoustics. Thus, for the past ten years, on the day of summer solstice (yesterday), the Chapel of Chimes fills its halls with musicians and charges $12 for people to wander through and listen.

The music, this year, was decidedly noise-like, which actually worked very well. Lots of people made for a clausterphobic environment, but the spooky noises around each corner made the place that much more serene.

A highly recommended destination, even if you can’t make it on the Summer Solstice. Definitely drop in and wander the halls. It’s open to the public every other day of the year. It’s even free to get in. And while you’re there, you should wander through the Mountain View Cemetery. Every nook andcranny is packed with urns, many in the shapes of books. I’m hoping to be packed into one of these someday.

Anyway, V took lots of pictures. She’s getting very good with our crappy Nikon. I didn’t notice just how many times the star shape appeared in the architecture, in the sculpture, and even in the plant life until I looked at her shots. Kudos to my lovely wife for her terrific eye.

I took some video, too.