Newfoundland

Wonder of wonders. Susan and I have finalized our plans to go to Newfoundland, by way of New Brunswick and Cape Breton.  I may get to see whales and birds like I have never seen before, including one of the largest Puffin colonies in this hemisphere.  And what is so wonderful is how extremely excited Susan is about this.  Some of the anticipated highlights are Gros Morne State Park, Fodo Island off of Tillingsgate, the most eastern point on the American Continent, Cape Speare, and St. Mary's cape, home to millions of Gannets, Shearwaters, Razorbills, etc. etc.  And everything is booked!  I may even get a chance to play my trombone at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Sidney Mines, where "A.D." preached (A. Douglas Wauchope the 1st. that is)_.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are on the brink of elimination by the Canucks, I don't watch the game because of my first experience with it, sometime in the late 60's, when Susan and I were given tickets to a game at the Garden, Bruins versus the Blackhawks.  It became a rather famous game, because Bobby Orr scored his first hat trick ("Why are they throwing all those hats on the ice?"), the final score was something like 11 to 8, one of the highest, maybe the highest scoring pro hockey game.  What I remember is Susan and I standing up and belting out "Oh, say, can you see?" at the top of our lungs, only to discover we were the only ones singing in the Garden.  At the end of the second period, I said, come on. lets beat the crowd out, and we rushed out of the Garden and we were the only ones, everybody else opted to stay for the third period.  I asked the garage attendant how many periods there were in hockey, and he laughed and laughed.  We got back in, only to witness the most brutal, bare-knuckled brawl between Keith Magnusan, and Teddy Green, blood all over the ice, very sickening, and we left, and I havn't watched a game since.  That's not completely correct, we did watch the USA-Soviet Olympic game where the Russians were upset.
I despise the visciousness of someone blindsiding a player, and as in the second game, putting someone in the hospital.  A cowardly blow.  Wern't we taught that?

On another note, Susan and I went to Join Ken and Erin and our two grandchildren, Jackson and Oliver, firts to watch Jackson play a baseball game, and then Scott and Cheryl and the third grandchild, Alex, joined us to celebrate father's day.  the enclosed picture is the three dads together. 

First Post on eBay!

Well, I finally did it.  I posted an item for sale on eBay, with photos and everything.  It was amazingly easy, and eBay makes it easy for you.  The Item is a 400 mm f5.6 telephoto lens (Canon).  I hope it at the level it should. 
Wish me Luck.

Johnny and Betsy

Susan and I were so looking forward to Johnny Bradburn and his soon to be wife Betsy, arriving next week, for a week of bird-watching, but Betsy is having surgery and they have had to cancle.  Johnny and I used to have epic games of scrabble back in the 70's, and I was looking forward to that.  My most memorable victory was when he challenged my spelling of "Amok" on a triple letter. 
I am still hoping to play at St. Magnus Cathedral in the Orkneys, but I may have to fly myself in late September if Johnny and I can pull it off.  Now Susan and I are clear to plan the Newfoundland trip of our dreams.  First comes my trip to Brevard, to honor and commemorate the plaque of our mother, Laurie, to be installed on the wall of the Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church over her memorial garden of her lilies.   It will be the first time since her funeral when all my siblings will be in Brevard together.

Canon Lens

I am very excited. I purchased one of the great birding lenses, a Canon 400mm f5.6L USM, which many people use, hand held, in the wild, to get some remarkable bird photos.  I can't wait to try in in Newfoundland, where there are so many petrels, shearwaters (Manx included), and puffins.  I've talked to a number of people who have been, and they are rapturous about it.  Imagine seeing icebergs the size of battleships floating by, and whales everywhere.  ahhh.

Newfoundland

Susan and I are making plans to go to Newfoundland.  Birds, Icebergs, whales, it is very exciting to contemplate.   If anybody reading this has any suggestions, don't hesitate. We will probably go towards the last two week of August or very early September, depencing on whether I get to go to Scotland and play in St. Magnus Cathedral in the Orkneys, a bucket list item.

Recent photos at Striar Conservancy

I would love to know the name of that green bug, about 4mm big.

Concert in the Cathedral

The concert was a dicey affare.. The conductor had a seriously bad habit of not conducting the beat, and he lost the thread a few times, and indeed had to restart a piece, because IF YOU STOP CONDUCTING, AND THE MUSICIANS CAN'T COUNT THEIR MEASURES REST, EXPECIALLY IF THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON, THEN WRONG ENTRANCES WILL BE MADE.  oR NOT MADE. There was some really good moments to contrast that, and the audience, philistines all, loved it all.  What an audience doesn't know never hurt them.  Then it was on to Constantino's for dinner, I had PEI mussels and a swordfish steak, and Susan had brook trout, and it was delish. 

Strier Conservancy

About one mile north on Rt. 105 above where I live is this magical place called the Strier Conservancy. It is a small parking lot for perhaps 3 cars, and it is rare to meet any one ever.  I feel that it is my own Walden Pond, and it is indeed magical to see it turn so green, and to have such magnificent ferns surround the path, to hear Oven Birds, Baltimore Oriols and Pine Warblers.   There must be some owls, but I havn't found any pellets yet.  What I always see is this strange, violently luminescent but, about 5 mm long, who seems to keep me company on the path for long distances.  I finally took a picture of hime, he held still long enough as he had found a mate to mate with, and I will post the picture.  I would love him (and her) identified.  Lots of green darning needles, almost as glowing a green.  I can alway find a red-bellied woodpecker somewhere, and of course the deep woods off is a necessity because of the mosquitoes.  Have you ever seen the "far side" cartoon showing this man in the woods, completely obscurred by a black ball of insects completely surrounding him.  In his hand he is holding a can of "On".

A Mink!

Susan and I went to Stony Pond Audobon Sanctuary, a place of mostly swamps and lakes with boardwalks, and as I was walking along one of the boardwalks, this black ferret-like creature came running along the boardwalk toward, me, saw me, stopped, edged closer as if trying to get past (he/she was about 6 feet away at this point, ) and then suddenly launced itself off the boardwalk into the water and dissappeared into the weeds. It was an amazing experience.  I thought it was a Fisher Cat, which have been seen, but when I got back to the headquarters, the naturalist on duty showed me a mounted fisher cat, and a Mink skin, and the size was, as they say, diagnostic (how often do I get to use that word!).  Of course my camera was turned off, and lens-capped.  But what a thrill.  It is the first Mink I have ever seen in the wild.

Playing in Providence

Just came back from a rehearsal in the Cathedral in Providence, RI.  Doing a performance of sacred music, mostly as a memorial to Alex Peloquin, the relatively famous composer of a lot of Catholic liturgy music, mainly perfomed for year at Boston College, where he was director of the chorus.  A gifted teacher of college choruses, a extremely self-indulgent conductor, but some of his music has real charm, and he uses the brass usually two trumpets, two horns, and two bones, very very well.  My favorite Peloquin story has to do with a performance of the Mozart "Requiem" in which I was playing second trombone, which means I had the very famous "Tuba Miram" solo which begins the second part.  the chorus sings the fairly violent "Dies Irae" and as the strings come to the end of that, blazing away, there is a pause, and the second trombone starts his famous solo, all alone, and I do mean all alone. Peloquin rehearsed the Requiem three times, very unusual for free-lancing (one rehearsal is quite the norm), and in every rehearsal, he indicated to me by a wave of the hand, to start the solo, on my own, no conducting. (which was quite generous, most conductors try to conduct the solo).  Then in the concert, after the "Dies Irae" he waved, I started the solo, and he started waving his arm in a panic.  (I found out later that his "wave of the hand" was his way of telling the chorus to sit down!)  At any rate, I refused to stop playing the solo.  After all, my reputaion was on the line.  And if you know the piece, tha bass enters in a kind of duet with the trombonist, singing his "Tuba, miram, spargim, sonam".  Well, the bass in this instance was Francis Hester, a vastly experienced bass, and he stood up and joined me, and finally, Peloquin started conducting.  After the concert was over, as I was putting my horn away, Peloquin came back to find me, in a real hissy fit, and I said, "Don't say one word to me, I did what you requested at every rehearsal, and you can thank Francis for saving that part of the performance"  Peloquin backed off, and then apologized.  Imagine, a conductor apologiaing to a trombonist.!
And, after that, he asked me back many times to play for him.
     Tonight'[s rehearsal was quite fun, the band was excellent (Bob Couture was playing first trombone), and playing in that spaee was thrilling.  The cathedral has a Cassavant organ which I believe is the largest tracker organ in N. America.
     I had an afternoon and evening which is so typical of my life:  I drive down very early, find a good parking place, and I usually try to find a really special restaurant to indulge in before the rehearsal.  This time it was Constantino's;  I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc by Mondavi (surprisingly good, I didn't expect it to be), a brook trout cooked in white wine with capers, veggies, and two scoops of Gelato, and an expresso.  What a gift,

Cancelled rehearsal

Very serious weather in MA today, with a tornado touching down twice in Springfield, and several others sighted.  Incredible footage of a funnel touching down in the river at Springfield and sucking up enormous amounts of water.  I cancelled the Satuite rehearsal, suspecting that many would chose to stay home because of the numerous Tornado Warnings.  Four people so far have been found dead.  I remember a Ars Antique Trombone trio concert in Boston at BU' chapel, and an ice storm arrived, and you could not walk or drive on the streets.  I slid right through most intersections.  We had four people in the audience.  But at least they outnumbered us!