Karla Noyes' Captain's Log Series

The Embrace With the arrival of the coronavirus I have a new ritual I perform with every interview - I bring the center piece. Out of my bag I pull a box of tissues and a bottle of hand sanitizer and announce that this is my Japanese Tea Ceremony, then ritually sanitize my hands and the pen we will both use to sign the documents. Last week one of my interviewees responded with a greeting in Japanese. "Oh, you speak Japanese?" "Just a few words." "Me, too. How is it that you know some Japanese?" "I spent a month in Japan studying Aikido." "Is that so? I studied Aikido for 5 years in the 70s, I got pretty good." "I went with a teacher of mine. We went to different dojos and practiced. Some of the dojos didn't have mats, only linoleum floors. I worked with these 10-year olds who had no trouble falling on the floor and rolling, but for me it was ouch, ouch, ouch." "I know what you mean, rolling on a hard su...

Fall 2001 _________ Vineyards would make an excellent brothel – a very expensive one. The location is spectacular in the lower, eastern hills of Napa Valley. On a hill itself, it has a view of other oak-covered, breast-like hills. The style is reminiscent of a Tuscan villa with tan, stucco walls, large terra cotta floor tiles, large earthen pots with fountains of dried flowers, wrought iron lighting fixtures and most wonderfully – large, original art on the walls. For me the most memorable piece, because I had to walk by it 50 times that night, was a large, multimedia representation of Mickey Mouse by Andy Warhol.   While not my favorite subject I came to appreciate each stroke of the artist’s hand, and to admire his subtle use of fun colors. It’s so rare to see original art in places other than museums and galleries, but then I don’t get out to many brothels. The other art was more tasteful to the quiet winery setting. The structure is oriented north-south, parallel ...

May 12, 2002 Wedding Season has begun again in Wine Country with the first event at ____ Winery last Saturday. I keep thinking each wedding I attend is more expensive than the last, and this one must have cost a mint! (But it didn’t come up to the one last year for the TV news announcer at _____ Vineyards Gardens, all those fur coats!) This was the first wedding reception held at ____, which opened last summer. It’s clear the building was not designed for this sort of thing, for example, there was no industrial kitchen, or one that we were allowed access to. I’m not quite sure of the building’s purpose: there are art galleries upstairs, a small café, and a small gourmet food store downstairs. It has the look of a museum with two, open, foyer-type spaces, which will be good for cocktails at art openings. This wedding reception utilized both of those spaces. Of course, you could have hosted a nice party in the ladies room, it was large and attractive enough. I don’t kno...