A truly amazing concert!

Friday evening, at the end of the U Mass Multiband Concert, I turned to Katie and Savanna and said, "In my almost 90 years on this planet, I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like that!" It was true. i was referring specifically to the marching band segment, which ended the program. Why was it unique? Because the band is HUGE, it is LOUD, and at the end it was UP CLOSE in a unique way: i.e., it was virtually in our laps! It started on stage - how many? Not sure. Let's say hundreds! I took this photo discreetly because we were told, "No Photography!"

This doesn't show the whole stage, but it gives an idea how they were packed in. After playing several numbers, so loudly that Ellen and Katie plugged their esrs with their fingers, everyone in the band except the large percussion section left the stage. We thought they were just going offstage so that percussion could be a solo ensemble, which is what happened at first. But suddenly, those band members showed up all over the auditorium and moved right into all the rows and stood in front of people! We had three-four trumpeters right in front of us. And there they played "I Did It My Way." Loudly! Our bodies vibrated! It was pretty amazing.

Trumpeters in front of us in our row.****************** Here are more photos of the hall:

This concert is an annual event and features several ensembles ranging from a vocal jazz octet with a small combo accompanying them, up through larger ensembles (like an all-trombone one), up to a full symphonic orchestra. Here is the program:

The program makes clear how many groups performed. It moved along snappily because they divided stage and orchestra pit into four distinct areas and while one group was performing, another would be setting up out of sight, and be ready to play as soon as the other group finished. It had a lot of variety; all done well. The Marching Band set up during an intermission. Quite a show!

Late fall color

Here it is, October 27th, and we still have a lot of fall color. Coming into Brattleboro today for some lab work I got these pictures of the foliage. *********Yesterday afternoon I had the first session of the new Bible study group that I am doing at the Guilford church. We had 23 people in attendance, two in the room with me and 21 on Zoom. By all accounts, it went really well - there certainly were no disasters and everyone seemed to feel positively about it. The only glitch was that I forgot to turn on the recording at the beginning of the session. I didn't think of it until about 10-15 minutes into the session and turned it on then. Not a big deal.

Bible Study

Well, I've taken on a big challenge: leading a Bible Study group at the Guilford Church. It is going to be via Zoom, and that is proving to be more challenging than the Bible itself. I have never hosted a Zoom session before. I wish somebody else could be the host so I could focus on the Bible, but that doesn't seem to be falling into place. We start this coming Wednesday, and will meet each week for three weeks. Then we will re-evalute and decide how to continue. It will be between 4pm and 5:30, but a half-hour of that will be silent prayer. I hope it goes well! Meanwhile, things have been happening on other fronts. On Thursday, I was part of a group that sang for Mary Lila Gregg on her 92nd birthday at her home. She lives by herself in a large and lovely house way out in the wilds of Guilford. I had never been in her home before, which I found hard to believe because I've known Mary Lila for well over 25 years! It was very nice to be there! Thursday eve we went to a Hallowell rehearsal in the Westminster-West church. Both Peter Amidon and Mary Cay were there to lead - very satisfying! Saturday I went with John to a memorial service for Beverly Major in the WW Church. I also spent time with with him at his house while he tutored me about Zoom. Ellen was in Northhampton with the Feinlands. Yesterday was church and in the evening we went to a book study group on Brian Maclaren's book Do I Stay Christian? I've also spent a lot of time fussing over the technical side of Wednesday's upcoming Bible Study, unresolved as of this moment. Life feels very full all of a sudden!

Singing at Mary Lila's with Carole Crompton.

Our group with the "birthday girl" (Lucy Spahr-Blasej was taking the picture).

Mary Lila's home in Guilford

Waiting for the Hallowell rehearsal to begin. We are still wearing masks - a lot of people we know have COVID.

At Beverly Major's service - just before it began.

Sunday-Tuesday

We went to church in Guilford. A highlight was the children's story: Sue Owings read the story, but she let Desmond Amidon read much of it, and he read really well - he's only five or six years old! The story was "What do you do with an idea?" by Kobi Yamada.

Sue Owings with Vera and Desmond Amidon.*********************** Sunday afternoon we had a quiet time at home. I read the Christian Century magazine. In the evening, Ellen made two pies for the Dummerston church meal for the homeless shelter.

Beautiful pies!**************+++++++ Monday we went to OLLI in the morning - to hear Jim Levinson give his final lecture on working in international aid programs. That has been very interesting! In the afternoon I picked up my new computer - a Macbook Air laptop! Wow!

MacBook Air. *************+++++

In the evening we watched a string of mysterys on Masterpiece. Today, I made a bunch of calls to make medical appointments. Long overdue! I watched a Truman Capote film called The Glass House. I think it came out in 1973. It all took place in a prison and had a young Alan Alda in it. It was pretty grim, but well done. Tonight was River Singers, led by Mary Cay Brass. A larger group and some fun songs.

Jim Levinson. In addition to having vast experience in international aid in Africa, the Middle East and South America, Jim is a rabbi - and a wonderful person.

Mary Cay Brass, with two dear friends - Kathy Leo and Peter Amidon. Speaking of which, we have a Hallowell Rehearsal coming up this Thursday.

Lots of pictures from Maine

We are home - we got back yesterday evening just in time to get to a Hallowell sing at a Hospice Volunteer Appreciation party held at Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro. We would have been there at 5p.m., when we were asked to arrive so that we could eat and socialize before singing, but when we came off Exit 2 from I-91, the traffic was backed up the entire ramp, and it took us close to half an hour to finally get on to Western Avenue! Good grief! However, when we got to the event, we learned that several others had been delayed for the same reason. So everything got pushed back a bit and I actually did get something to eat. And it was good! Back in Maine, we took a number of photos I haven't posted yet, so here goes:

I took a walk down to the cottage on the shore where Katie and Savannah have stayed in past years (and Ellen and I too, once). It is now under new ownership, and it is unlikely that it will ever be available to rent again at a reasonable price. The new owners have put in some new windows. It's a nice spot to visit.

A beautiful rock and vine next to the cottage.

Mary was putting soil acidifier on the blueberry patch.

Mary's fantastic garden. What a tremendous amount of work she has put into it. But she loves doing it.

A bountiful crop of apples.

A lovely yellow delicious apple . . . .

. . . . .from an espalier apple tree.

And really big pears!

Flowers in the garden.

More flowers.

A food adventure.

This evening Jim & Mary took us to a new restaurant in Rockland, Me Lon Togo which features the cuisine of West Africa, specifically Togo. It is located in a old house, and it was great - not crowded, relatively quiet, nicely paced service - and best of all, delicious food. It was a four-course meal. You could choose between two appetizers, and among many entrees. Salad and dessert were fixed. It took us three hours to eat the entire meal. The portions, however, were very reasonable, so I do not feel stuffed. Ellen and I shared these two appetizers: Dje & Amada: Sweet potato and plantain cooked in a sauce made with tomato, onion, apple cider vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Garu Fotu: Manioc grits, smoked ground shrimp, and fried egg cooked in a sauce made of reduced tomato purée and a west african blend of herbs and spices We all had this salad: Mé Lon Togo Salad: Chickpeas, hard-boiled egg, tomato, peas, red onion, salt, pepper, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. For entree, Ellen had Azi Dessi: Tender chicken served with sauce made from fresh hand-ground peanuts, tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, anise seed, and cayenne pepper, served over white rice. Jim had Deku Dessi: Beef, Chicken, or West African aubergene, cooked in a West African blend of herbs and spices, and red palm nut, which has a flavor similar to curry spice. Mary had West African Jollof Rice: Chicken, beef, shrimp, and rice cooked in a rich, tomato based sauce with a flavorful blend of savory herbs and spices. I had Moroccan Tagine chicken: Tender, bone-in chicken stewed in a blend of garlic, onion, green olives, cilantro, parsley, paprika, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, and raisins, served over saffron couscous. For dessert we had Tapioca Pudding: West African tapioca pudding cooked in a lemongrass broth with your choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Mary and I had vanilla, Jim and Ellen had chocolate. It was all really good. My dish was very flavorful, the chicken was incredibly tender, and there was a little surprise not in the menu: roasted whole almonds. Here are some photos from dessert time:

Finished!

A bit ago, I finshed reading Capote, a biography by Gerald Clarke. It is a 560-page book, so this is no mean accomplishment. I really have ripped through it - it falls into the "I couldn't put it down" category. This despite the fact that the last hundred pages or so - Truman Capote's final years - were very painful reading. I mentioned in an earlier blog post that after the publication of his finest work, In Cold Blood, his life went downhill. Well, I had no idea. In Cold Blood came out in 1966. He lived another 18 years. He accomplished some things during the next nine years or so, and there were days, maybe even weeks, when one could say that he enjoyed his life. But October, 1975, was a real turning-point. That was when a chapter of what he regarded as his true magnum opus, a book that he had titled Answered Prayers, a work he fervently believed would place him alongside Proust in the Olympiad of writers, was published in Esquire magazine. It was called La Cote Basque, 1965. In it, a society grand dame given the name "Lady Coolbirth," regales those at her table in a chic Manhattan restaurant named in the title, with an endless stream of very steamy gossip. It is spellbinding in the story, and it was spellbinding to the readers of Esquire. But not all readers. Some of them recognized themselves in the gossip. Truman Capote had packed into this story very intimate secrets of the lives of the rich and famous that had been shared with him in confidence, but were now revealed to the public. Even if the characters had been fictionalized, it was not difficult to identify the real culprits. Capote's high society friends, people like Bill and Babe Paley, Lee Radziwell and her sister, Jackie Kennedy, Gloria Vanderbilt, etc. - the list is long - were outraged and unforgiving. They had been betrayed. After that, Capote was ostracized, shunned, persecuted, even in some cases physically abused. Meanwhile, he was drinking way too much, popping scores of various drugs, dealing with one health crisis after another, constantly moving, making highly inappropriate sexual liaisons, eventually going in and out of treatments centers and hospitals with increasing frequency - it is unbelievable. He is unable to write; he never finishes Answered Prayers. He is increasingly alone and miserable. It does NOT leave one with a desire to be a great writer!

Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy outside La Cote Basque.

We're in Maine!

We just drove over to Maine today! We're visiting Jim and Mary and will be here until Friday. The drive was beautiful - the color is fantastic. We stopped at Bob's Clam Hut, were disappointed that they were out of fish chowder, but got a basket of haddock, a small onion rings and two servings of cole slaw, which proved to be more food than we could eat!

Bob's Clam Hut. ********************************** We made a quick stop at When Pigs Fly bread outlet, and then made good time up to Owl's Head, getting here a little after 5p.m. Last evening, we went to a little concert Andy Davis did with a friend, Martha Burns. It was held at a place called Rebop Farm, which is located on Sunset Lake Road, about 2 1/2 miles from the Chelsea Diner. The odd thing was that there were only about 7 people there, besides the musicians. In fact, when we arrived, we were the only ones there. But it was a very nice concert - Andy sang all songs that he had written, many of which we had never heard before. And Martha Burns had a perfect voice for her repertoire, and played a nice guitar. The building we were in also housed the farm store, which had a very interesting selection of food, both fresh and frozen. Things like spelt flour, which you can't find just anywhere.

The building where the concert was held.

Martha Burns and Andy Davis.

The small audience at the concert.

A perfect day?

Today would be hard to surpass! It was a kind of perfection. We got up at a good hour - for me, about 7:15a.m. - and I fixed a good breakfast for myself and we went off to church, to sing in the choir. We got there just a bit early - already a good sign - and Ellen had a chance, before choir rehearsal, to check out the books left from the book sale yesterday to see if she wanted anything. The sale was unexpectedly successful -it brought in over $1200, quite a bit more than last year. But there were still a lot of books left. She decided to pack up a few boxes to store for next year's sale. We sang two good anthems - Welcome Holy Spirit, and I Want to Thank You, Lord, and had another powerful service in which a lay member of the congregation "shared a sacred story." This is a part of a series that is going on this fall called "Faces of our Faith: Bold and Untold Stories." People are volunteering to tell a story coming from their personal "faith journey." Last week it was Fred Breunig, this week Rob Harnish. Both told stories coming from a moment of crisis in their lives in which they experienced a powerful sense of the presence of God. In Fred's case, the moment when he learned that his wife was diagnosed with cancer, and in Rob's case, the moment he learned his young daughter had a rare and serious illness. Both spoke very simply and humbly, but winsomely, about their experience.

Fred Breunig

Rob Harnish*************************************** We also had the first "in-person" coffee hour after church since the beginning of the pandemic -2 1/2 years or more - and that was very satisfying - being able to see and talk with people again. After church we had time to go to the Chelsea Royale Diner for breakfast - that is fairly new too - they have not been open for breakfast after noon on a Sunday for some time. I had a wonderful "Vermont Omelette" (cheddar cheese, bacon and scallions) with hash-browns and cinnamon-raisin toast). That was a real treat! Then we drove up to Marlboro for a concert of the Blanche Moyse Chorale singing Brahms' "German Requiem." What could be more wonderful than that? It is true that in earlier years, I would have been singing in the Chorale myself, and it is a little sad not to be singing in it now, but that has been true for several years now, and I have pretty much come to terms with it. So it was wonderful just to be there. The drive up to Marlboro was very beautiful because the color is close to being at its peak this week. And I had a chance to speak to some old friends after the concert whom I have not seen for quite a while. Then afterward, we went right by Ann Janeway's driveway, so we spontaneously decided to stop and see her. She was thrilled and we also found Diane and Elliot Freeman there, who had made the same decision - they had also been at the concert. So we brought some cheer there, and had another lovely visit. While there, Ann showed me a montage of photos of the "women's group" (made in 1992 - 30 years ago) that she, Diane, and Shirley had been a part of, along with three others, before Shirley died, and I was able to make a copy of it with my phone. That was special. Then we drove down Ames Hill Road - another beautiful foliage drive - to the Guilford Church again, this time to pick up the flowers Ellen had supplied the church with this morning. We got home in time to hear our favorite radio programs - "Says You" -a very entertaining word game program, and "All the Traditions," a folk-music program we love. For supper, Ellen fixed me a fantastic bacon/lettuce and tomato sandwich, made with a fresh garden tomato Mark Kennedy had left when they visited last week, and after supper, I worked on "Spelling Bee" while we listened to the radio. Now what could be more perfect than all that?

The Blanche Moyse Chorale performing the Brahms Requiem.. It was accompanied by piano today, not orchestra. They also performed Brahms' Nänie today.

The "women's group" - Clockwise from upper left: Ann Janeway, Lise Sparrow, Diane Larsen-Freeman, Connie Woodbury, Elizabeth Christie, Shirley in the center. This group still meets every year at Shirley's grave. They did so just a couple of weeks ago.

Some foliage scenes today.