Ladd Harris' Fraternity

Last Friday, on our way back from our trip to Maine to visit Cousin Paul at Jim & Mary's home, we stopped to visit, for the first time in my life, the campus of the University of New Hampshire at Durham, NH. It was an unplanned visit, so I had not brought with me one piece of information which I wished I had - the name of the fraternity which Shirley's brother, Ladd Harris, was a member of when he attended UNH back in the 1940's. My recollection is that Ladd entered UNH in 1940 or 1941 - he was was born in 1922 - and his education was interrupted when the US declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor, and Ladd enlisted in the Navy. He resumed his education after the war, and I think he graduated in 1948. I don't know when he joined the fraternity, but probably when he was a freshman. I remembered that the fraternity had two Greek letters in its name, and we found ourselves on fraternity row, and there was Kappa Delta, and I thought, "maybe that's it," and took a photo of it. Well, it wasn't it. When I got home, I looked it up, and it was Sigma Beta, which is evidently not a national fraternity, but has just one house - at UNH. It is a big house. I knew I had a photo of the house, taken by Ladd himself, I presume, back in the 1940's when Ladd was there. I found it, and I found Sigma Beta's website, and a more current photo. The house hasn't changed much. If I had had that old photo with me last Friday, I might have gone up to the door, introduced myself, and asked if I could come inside. I don't have any idea if they keep records of former members, or maybe even have group photos of each "class" hanging on the walls like some places do, but I could ask. I might do that the next time we go to Maine. The campus is very close to Route 4 which we take over to Portsmouth, NH., so it would not be much out of the way. Anyway, here are the photos, the 1940s one (the car in the foreground gives it away), the more recent one (in full color), and one of Ladd and Shirley, taken probably in the 1940s, but at Lake Winnepesaukie.

Ladd and Shirley*************************** This all has added significance because I have been gathering photos of Shirley into a file of almost 80 photos of her from various times of her life, and that file will become a slide show that we will use at an event on May 21st that will be held at the Guilford Church in memory of Shirley on the 25th Anniversary of her death (May 24, 1998). More on that later! And on top of that, I just received from Jim Harris, Ladd's younger son, a movie of Shirley that he created using old home movies he has kept from the 1950's and 1960's. Jim will not be able to be there on May 21st - he and his wife, Joy, will be on a trip to Europe - so he sent this movie that he made sort of in his stead. The scenes in the movie are almost all from Lake Winnepesaukie, and he also created a narrative for it, a poem written by Shirley in 1956, titled "Together," which he reads, and a music track from La Bohème, which Shirley loved. It is quite touching. Here are three frames from the movie:

The opening frame of the movie, Ladd hugging Shirley at the lake.

Betsey, Shirley and John, taken at our house in Vermont just after we had moved in.

Ladd Harris with his infant daughter, Patty Ann, at the lake.

The Ride of Her Life

Yesterday (Wednesday), I did something that felt almost naughty - I put aside everything I was supposed to do - e.g., work on May 21st, do exercises, etc. - and I read a book. A fun book that Ellen had just finished, and that she had read a few excerpts from, aloud, for my benefit. It was The Ride of Her Life, by Elizabeth Letts, just released a few weeks ago. It is based on a true story - based on diaries, with perhaps some fictional work by the author to fill in gaps, but also with careful research done by the author - who herself traveled over 10,000 miles tracking down local news stories and living persons who remembered Annie's trip, or the children of people who had met her and told stories of her It is the story of Annie Wilkins, a 64-year-old woman, living in Minot, Maine, who is told by her doctor that she is seriously ill and has not that long to live and that she should move into a nursing home. But that is not what Annie Wilkins wants to do. She wants to see the Pacific ocean before she dies, and so - being of a willful, independent character, she decides to ride her horse, Tarzan, from Minot, Maine, across the country to California! And she does. She has never been out of Maine, and so has very little idea of what it will be like to ride across the country, and she has really no notion of how big the country is, or how she will manage. She assumes she can do odd jobs, sleep by the roadside, manage to find something to eat. So she packs up what she feels she will need and sets out in early November, 1954, with a third party - her dog, Depeche Toi ("Hurry up"). Yes, November. She believes she can head south into warmer climes. And that is what the book is about - that trip. She actually does it. She gets one long ride in a truck, from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, I think it was, because winter weather has made riding a horse impossible in Pennsylvania. Kentucky turns out to not be that warm, either. But she finds people are kind and helpful all along the way. And something happens she was not expecting - she gets media attention, and pretty soon, she is being met when she enters a town, and food and accomodations have already been arranged for her. Not always, of course, but often. The thing that made the book fascinating for me was the fact that the author has a great deal to say about what was happening in the country during this trip - socially, culturally, economically - and that period of time was a very important one for me as well - Annie Wilkins sets out just two weeks before I met Shirley on Thanksgiving weekend, November, 1954, and when we are married nine months later, Annie is approaching Rock Springs, Wyoming. So I was making a journey of sorts myself during the time she was making hers. I have no memory of reading about her - her itinerary came nowhere near me in Chicago, or near Shirley in Pitttsburg, Kansas, but she was mentioned in the national news, so I could have seen a news article about her, but if I did, I have no memory of it. But reading about what was happening in the country during those months, and just reading about what it was like then, both brought back memories, and also told me some things about what the larger context of my life was during that very important time. So, it was a good read, and I read the whole book on Wednesday.

Annie, riding a second horse, Rex, Tarzan, and Depeche Toi going along the edge of a highway somewhere in the United States. See about Rex below.

A close-up of Annie Wilkins

The author, Elizabeth Letts

In Tennessee, Annie acquired a second horse, Rex, to serve as a pack-horse. (In this photo, Annie is riding Rex, which she did sometimes, but he was mostly used as a pack-horse, I think. Depeche Toi is riding on his friend, Tarzan's, back). Rex proved to be an excellant choice as a horse - he was unflappable, not bothered by traffic as Tarzan was, and was a calming influence on Tarzan. Tragically, he was poisoned by water he drank from a stream in California - a farmer up-stream had used a powerful poison to kill rodents and the water Rex drank was laced with that poison, which had run off into the stream, unbeknownst to Annie - or Rex. That was learned only later.

Shirley’s grave

Spring has come to Shirley's grave! The daffodils sre in full bloom. I need to find time to get pansies into a pot next to Betsey's grave.

*********

Right now I'm at Domino's pizza getting a pizza for Jerome. Ellen is rehearsing Hildegard of Bingen at the church. We have a River Singers rehearsal at 6:30.

Things just keep happening

On our way home, Friday, we did two new things, and since we returned home there has been another pretty amazing thing. These are: (1) a visit to Fort McClary State historical site in Kittery, ME; (2) a visit to the campus of the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH; and (3) meeting and singing with singer-songwriter, Spencer LaJoye, at the Guilford Church, both at church in the morning, and a concert in the afternoon. i'll put up 3 quick photos and flesh this out later.

Top; Thompson Hall at UNH; Middle: Spencer LaJoye in concert at GCC; Bottom: Fort McClary****************** We left Owl's Head a bit earlier than usual, so we had time to "explore." Ellen noticed the Fort McClary State Historic Site sign, and suggested we check it out. All these years we've been going to Maine, we've bever gone into the village of Kittery. We've always stayed out on Route 1 and eaten at Bob's Clam Hut. Going to the Fort took us into the village. The fort protected Portsmouth harbor. It was called "McClary" since c. 1808, but an earlier Fort Pepperrell goes back to 1689! There were cannons mounted in two rows, but the Fort was deactivated in 1848, which made it possible for the Confederates to sink a ship in the harbor! i had no idea that the Confederate Navy made it to Portsmouth! The fort was reactivated during the Civil War, but by 1870 it was obsolete and plans to reinforce it were abandoned. There are a lot of huge granite blocks sitting around unused. It has a commanding view of the harbor, and it was pleasant to sit there.

Saying goodbye to cousin Paul

This morning, Ellen and I, jim and Mary, and cousin Paul all got up fairly early, packed up and were all out of the house by 9a.m. or so. Ellen and I were heading back home to Vermont, Jim and Mary were headed to a baby shower in Mary's family in Massachusetts, and Paul was headed to visit his adopted daughter on Cape Cod. So we said our goodbyes this morning, with words, of course, but even more with a kind of ritual of picture-taking in various combinations.

Paul lives in Holt, MI, and we said that the next time we drove west to Wyoming, we might be able to visit him. We like taking new routes. We've gone through Michigan before, and have stayed overnight in Ann Arbor, Detroit and near Camp Miniwanca. But we've never been in Lansing, the capitol, which is the region Holt is in. So......we'll see!

We are in Maine

We are at Jim and Mary's in Maine, and visiting with Paul Henderson, who is Jim and Ellen's first cousin, the son of Ruth Smith, the sister of Elizabeth Smith, their mother. They saw a lot of each other when they were children, when Paul's family would visit Ellen and Jim's family in the summer time. But Ellen has not seen Paul for decades - certainly not since I met Ellen. Paul lives in Michigan, near Lansing. But he has lived in many places and done many things in his life. He is an Episcopal priest, but that was a relatively late developmet in his life. That is what he does now in Michigan. He also served in the Air Force for six years. That was a while ago. He was not a pilot, but he was responsible for load distribution to assure stable flight. He has lived on Cape Cod and in Tennessee, among other places. He is married, but his wife, Stephanie, had to work and could not come with him. I think she is working in making costumes at Wolf Trap this summer. He is quite delightful to talk with.

Cousin Paul. ********************************** We drove over to Maine yesterday, but not before going to the Retired Ministers' gathering in the morning. We actually got up early and drove to Bellows Falls to pick up Catherine Cadieux, who lives now at Sterling House, an assisted-living home. We took her to Dummerston to the clergy gathering there and we stayed there for an hour for the meeting - Jack, Lee, Jeff and Roger were there also. Then we excused ourselves and set out, stopped at Bob's Clam Hut for lunch and arrived at Owl's Head in time for supper. The big event, however, was Brendon's birthday dinner Tuesday evening. Ellen made his birthday cake and we drove down to Shutesbury in the late afternoon. I was very pleased with myself - I had an idea for a card for Brendon while I was sitting by the fireplace, but we were about to leave. I managed to find the materials for the card and got it made just as Ellen said it was time to leave. I found a very nice picture of Brendon as a little boy in my old computer photo file, and miraculously found a small mirror in my bathroom. I made a card that had the picture of Brendon on the front: WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS

CUTE LITTLE BOY? *************** Then when he opened the card, he saw a mirror and around it were the words, "He grew up into this handsome 18-year-old man! Happy Birthday, Brendon." And of course, when Brendon looked at the mirror, he saw himself. I thought it was pretty cute, and I think he did too. There was a check too. Ellen gave him a macremé craft kit and he got some antique books, and other old things, as gifts as well. He is really into antiques. And he got this beautiful carrot cake:

The beautiful birthday cake.

Katie and Fred. Fred was briefly married to Krystal, Brendon's mother, but is not Brendon's father. However, he is very fond of Brendon, and has stayed in touch.

Katie taking a picture of the cake and Brendon.

Vigil on the Commons

Yesterday afternoon, Hallowell sang at a vigil held on the Commons in Brattleboro. The vigil was held to show support for the staff and clients of an organization called Groundworks Collaborative, which about two weeks ago endured a highly traumatic experience. GC is THE organization for homeless people in Brattleboro. It maintains an amazing network of shelters, food and services for the homeless. It is staffed by a talented and compassionate group of relatively young people. One of them, a remarkable thirty-year-old named Leah, had moved to Brattleboro from Rhode Island because she was so impressed by GC, and wanted to be involved in its work. Tragically, she was killed at the shelter by a mentally disturbed resident a couple of weeks ago. This was incredibly traumatic for everyone, but especially for those who witnessed it. GC is shutting down for three weeks to make room for grieving and hundreds are stepping up to fill in so that clients will not be (feel) abandoned. This vigil was part of that community-building effort, and was organized by former GCC pastor, Dr. Lise Sparrow. Several town leaders and politicians spoke and Hallowell sang five songs. It was one of those amazing "only in Brattleboro" events.

Top: Looking out at a little part of the crowd from my spot in the Hallowell group. Middle: Leaders and politicians gathering for the event. Bottom: Dr. Lise Sparrow st the microphone; Our new Congresswoman, Becca Balint, seated on the left.

Black Composers Workshop

Yesterday (Saturday) we attended an event at the Guilford Community Church which we were told was the first of its kind not just in Vermont, but in the whole country. It was sponsored by the Black Lives Matter Commissioning Project in affiliation with the U.C.C. Racial Justice Task Force, and was led by Dr. Kathy Bullock, an old friend who was somewhat responsible for Ellen and me getting together back in 2003. (Ellen and I were at a Village Harmony Adult Camp in July, 2003, led by Dr. Bullock, when we met). Dr. Bullock also just happens to be an outstanding black gospel choral director, a fabulous pianist, and a prominent figure in the world of black choral music, a retired, long-standing faculty-member in music at Berea College, KY. She introduced us to eight songs composed by black musicians, and the frosting on the cake was a Zoom session with six of those eight composers who discussed pretty thoroughly and I think profoundly the issue of "appropriation" of black music by white people. These eight composers, all African-American, and all but one, women (and the name of the song they composed) are: Melanie DeMore (“Say, say yes”), Brenda Rattray, ("Why?"), Diane White ("Let time be your friend"), Arnae Batson ("Black Lives Matter"), Una-May Olomalaiye ("Better day"), Jennifer John ("It’s easy sometimes"), Lea Morris ("Lifting as we climb"), and the one male: Michael Henry ("Calling and Pictures"). The workshop went from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it was fabulous. We were given word sheets, and in only two instances, a musical score. During the musical part of the workshop, when we were actually learning how to sing these compositions, we first listened to a recording of a group singing the song, so as to get an orientation to the entire composition, and then, Dr. Bullock, sitting at a keyboard, taught us the piece, line by line. The complexity of the pieces varied widely. One that I think could be learned by my Dummerston Choir, Let Time Be Your Friend, was composed by Diane White, Kathy Bullock's sister, whom we got to meet and listen to at some length on the Zoom session. The song by Melanie DeMore, Say, say Yes, was also quite singable. DeMore also wrote the song I Am Sending You Light, which Hallowell sang just this afternoon at a vigil on the Brattleboro Commons: a very simple, beautiful song. Here is a bit about Melanie DeMore:

Melanie DeMore "Melanie DeMore was born in the Bronx, raised in Anchorage, folks moved all five kids to San Antonio, finished school, got out of Texas, kinda got off on being the only Black folk singer in Taos, N.M, then decided to get back into the mix, took all her stuff and moved to Oakland where she’s been for the last 21 years. (Actually, Mel and Tracy C. had a good laugh one day in San Francisco where they finally met and realized folks had them mixed up all the time. They still do!) Every town Melanie traveled became her teacher and an opportunity to hone her craft as a songwriter, troubadour, and an emissary of tolerance, kindness, and harmony through the sound of her golden voice. HERE’S THE DEAL: She’s traveled the world, was a founding member of the Grammy nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, and is constantly amazed by her life. But nothing is closer to her heart than bringing people together wherever she is to experience the healing power of music. Whether she’s performing solo, leading stick pounding workshops, doing residencies with choirs all over the country or teaching Sound Awareness to sixth graders, baby boomers, or senior citizens, one thing is certain: her mission is to make sure you unlock the key to experiencing yourself in all your Glory and return home with the very same excitement and passion for living that she herself has. When she comes your way, her energy will charge the very air you breathe like a meteor shower, so get ready to rise up!" If you want to hear Melanie DeMore sing "I Am Sending You Light," and hear her incredible voice, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIsZuoNFtXg . It is amazing. For a short video by Melanie DeMore about singing songs of the civil rights movement, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uOBjk7681Q . I hope to share information about all these composers here on this blog, over time. One issue discussed in the "appropriation" panel discussion was that of compensation. Black composers, especially women, have rarely been compensated in any way adequately. This workshop practiced what it preached - our word sheets and the two scores were collected at the end. If we want to use this music, we can go to a website and order it. What we pay will almost entirely go to the composer. In the Zoom discussion, the composers all emphasized that they want their music to be sung. They want it to be sung well, faithful to the intent of the music, they want the singer to be knowledgeable about its origins and style. They also want to be compensated. White singers can certainly do all that. Singing this music can be a vitally important way for white people actually to make connections to the black community. On the other hand, it is certainly possible for white people to use black music in a way that is exploitative, and that has happened in the past. It has been used without knowledge or understanding, without attribution, and without compensation. This workshop modeled a way for white people to sing black music which emphasises appreciation, not appropriation. Hopefully, workshops like this one will proliferate and turn the tide.

Dr. Kathy Bullock leading a song.

A glimpse of workshop participants. Fred Taylor and Calvin Farwell in foreground.

Reader’s Theater

We held our second Reader's Theater presentation this evening - Chapters 13-20 of the Gospel of John, or, as we are saying, The Gospel of Johanna, positing the possibility that the Evangelist was a woman. We had only three in the audience this time - it was a beautiful spring evening. Also, it was a free-standing event this time. The first one was right after church, and there were a lot of folks already there. But everyone felt it was worth doing regardless. It was a powerful experience. I fully intended to get a portrait of the group, but forgot to. Today was also John's birthday - 62 years old! How did that happen? When I turned 62, in 1995, my father had been dead for 38 years! I took a card to John at his house, and I got to see their new E-bike! They got it at West Hill Bike Shop on sale. It has an electric motor that kicks in and provides a boost when the pedaling becomes difficult. John rode it into Putney yesterday - a 14-mile r.t. - and was not exhausted! He really likes it. Cynthia will use it too. Here it is:

It looks like an ordinary bike, but tnere is an electric motor in the hub of the rear wheel, and a battery in the vertical bar going from the handlebars to the pedals. Pretty clever! It is not a very powerful bike, so you can't go fast and you have to keep pedaling some, but that assist makes all the difference in making it doable for John, I think. I'm really happy for them. If I could still ride a bike, I would probably want one too, but my balance issues make riding a bike very dangerous. The last thing I need is to fall off a bike! But I can still vicariously enjoy theirs! I am gradually getting things done. Reader's Theater is over. We got through Holy Week and Easter, with choirs on back-to-back Sundays. I have pencilled in my Federal and State tax forms. Now I just need to ink them in and that will be done. Maybe life can assume a more normal shape and rhythm, with regular exercise, and not feel so pressured, as it has felt these past several weeks. Next week, we will be involved in Brendon's birthday on Tuesday, and on Wednesdsy, we will go to Maine in the afternoon to see Jim and Mary, but also see Ellen and Jim's cousin, Paul, who has sort of come out of the woodwork and will be in Owl's Head for three days. Ellen saw him a lot as a child, but hasn't seen him for decades as an adult. He is the son of her mother's sister, Ruth. So that will be interesting! This coming Saturday, we have an all-day musical workshop with Kathy Bullock, which will take place at the Guilford Church. So things aren't really slowing down, but these are not events I need to prepare and lead. I do still have the May 21st event to plan and produce - the 25th anniversary of Shirley's death. That will involve a lot of coordination. After that we may go out west - we'll see whether Katie and Savanna need to have us around to help out during Savanna's new round of chemotherapy. All that remains to be seen.

Easter Sunday

Today we decided not to go to a sunrise service but were at the Dummerston Church at 8:30a.m. for choir. We had a good rehearsal and the service went very well: we sang Alleluia by Mozart, the Taizé chant O Lord,Hear My Prayer, William Billing's Easter Anthem, a South African Alleluia, and to end the service, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah. You can see/hear the entire service on Facebook at the Dummerston Church page. A pleasant surprise was that Betty Ann Loomis and her husband were there. Betty Ann was in my junior high school youth group back in 1958 or so. Her brother, Crosby, was president of the high school group. And Hallowell sang for her mother, Alice, and Ellen got to know her and really liked her. I hadn't seen Bety Ann for ages. They drove down from the Burlington area yesterday. It was a real treat to see her again.

Choir this morning from Facebook.

Betty Ann and her husband, Reg.

Good Friday

The Guilford Church hosted a United UCC Good Friday service Friday evening, and it was very powerful - mostly in silence guided by a question, such as "How is the sorrow mentioned in the scripture we just heard read manifest today?" A large, rough-hewn cross was on the chancel steps, and at one point we were invited to nail our own burden(s) to the cross. The choir sang two heart-breakingly beautiful anthems. It was simple and very effective.

Above: Sunset as we came out of the church. Below: The cross at the Good Friday service.

A new Maundy Thursday service

We had a new experience at Guilford Church last evening: a Maundy Thursday service that combined a meal with a service of worship and communion. It was held downstairs around a U-shaped table, with an altar at the open end, and mostly by candlelight. This was not a Passover Seder - although there was a reference within it to the Passover. Our Pastor, Elisa Lucozzi, has been convinced that "Christian Seders," i.e., Seder meals led by Christians, not Jews, are a form of "appropriation," i.e., the taking over of another religious tradition in a way that is not fully authentic snd faithful to the original intent. It also carries a whiff of what is called "supercessionism," i.e., the belief that Christians have replaced Jews as the people of God. Supercessionism lies at the foundation of centuries of violent anti-semitism on the part of Christians. The best thing to do is to take part in a Seder meal sponsored by a Jewish family or community. That is what Ellen will do tomorrow when she joins with the Feinland family for their Seder which will be held in a restaurant in Stanford, CT, where Doris Feinland, Jerry's mother, lives. I will stay "home," - I'll actually be with John and Cynthia at their place. I want to save energy for a full Easter Sunday when I lead the Dummrston Choir. ************************ For the paat several years (before the pandemic), the Guilford Church held a Seder, led by Margaret Dale Barrand, but using the traditional Haggadah for the Seder, and then after that we would go up into the sanctuary for an "Office of Tenebrae (Darkness)" service- i.e., a reading of the Passion Narrative accompanied by the extinguishing of lights. What we did last night was sort of a combination of those two ideas. We ate and worshipped around the table. Ellen and Robin were primarily responsible for the food - there were three platters of food, served family-style: A platter of vegetables, pita bread and dips, a platter of falafel, spinich pie cubes and sausages, and a platter of "sweets" - cake, sugared dates and grapes. It was all beautifully presented and delicious. As people entered, they were met by someone who offered to wash their hands, echoing the ritual of foot-washing that Jesus carried out with his disciples at the Last Supper in John, chapter 13. The person whose hands were washed would then offer to wash another's hands, etc. That set the tone for everything that followed. About 30 people participated, and there were songs and anthems interspersed through the service. There were several Taizé chants, and two favorite shape-note hymns, All in the Morning, and Morning, which is one of the most powerful and somber hymns ever written. It was not always clear when we should be eating, so people may have eaten less. But that can be clarified if this becomes a tradition.

People seated around the tables.

The falafel/spinich pie/sausage platter.

Robin Davis preparing to wash someone's hands.

The vegetable/pita bread platter. The dips were in separate bowls.

The multiple examples of the three types of platters waiting to be served to the tables.

Katie's new place in St. Louis

Katie and Christian are now living at their third address in St.Louis. I'm sure it hasn't been easy moving so many times. But they don't have that much to move - most of their stuff is in storage back in Colorado. Here is what their new place looks like, if Google Street View is to be trusted. It is on Pershing Avenue.

I don't know yet how they feel about this place - I'm talking with Katie tomorrow. I don't think it's exactly the kind of place they want. But they probably had to settle for what was available at the time they had to move. I think it may be closer to their work.

And more wonderful music!

Music plays a big role in our lives. Since my last post, which was last Sunday, after Andy Davis' concert, we have been involved in at least seven musical events (and I may be forgetting something). (1) Monday we were part of a group of about eight singers from the Guilford Church who went to the home of Tom and Nancy Ragle and sang hymns for them - for about a half an hour. Nancy is recuperating from surgery, and Tom is in his 90's, so they don't get out a lot, and they really enjoyed our coming there to sing. Tom was sporting a new beard, and looked very handsome (no photo, sadly). (2) Tuesday we had a River Singers rehearsal in the evening. (3) Wednesday we watched a video of an Irish musical extravaganza called Celtic Sojourns which is produced in the Boston area. We paid to see that, but it was worth it. Great show! You can probably find a clip of that on YouTube. (4) Saturday morning I led a rehearsal of Palm Sunday and Easter music by the Dummerston Choir. There were seven of us - not bad. I spent a lot of time on Thursday and Friday preparing the music for that. (5) Saturday evening, John and Cynthia gave me a birthday present of a trip to Barre, VT (up near Montpelier - about a two-hour drive from home) for dinner and a fantastic concert at the Barre Opera House of a Quebecois Band called Le Vent du Nord. Wow, it was one smoking concert - i.e., very high energy, people coming up to the orchesta pit and dancing spontaneously, etc. We literally had front row seats, so we were practically in the show ourselves! It was wonderful music, five men, quite the musicians and quite the showmen - considered one of the best, perhaps the best Band of its kind. Check them out on YouTube. We went to a Chinese restaurant in Barre for dinner before the show - it was good, not Panda, but good, and we also drove up in our car together so we had a good visit too. A wonderful evening! (6) This morning was Palm Sunday at Dummerston Church and I led the choir. They sang well! You can see and hear the service on Facebook - go into Facebook and then search Dummerston Congregational Church. I think anyone can view it. (7) This afternoon we had an extra River SIngers rehearsal from 4:30-6:00p.m. That is a lot of music and it was all fun. That keeps me young and alive, I'm sure. Here are some pictures:

A scene from the Celtic Sojourns concert on Zoom.

Interior of the Barre Opera House hall.

Le Vent du Nord.

At the Chinese Restaurant.

The full stage at Barre Opera House

Two Members of Le Vent du Nord, one playing the hurdy-gurdy.

Le Vent du Nord - singing a cappella. (Heads of dancers in foreground).

Dancers in the orchestra Pit.

Another view of Le Vent du Nord

Two scenes from church this morning in Dummerston - from Facebook. One shows me directing the choir, the other includes Shawn Bracebridge, our pastor, in the pulpit.