It seems that I'm always using these entries to say how busy we are; and although I might be going to the well once too often, March was REALLY busy! Since Duke's semester started right after the 1st of the year, our Spring Break came during the first full week of March. We had planned to go to Beaufort and look for rental housing for July. Nan will be teaching a course at the Duke Marine Labs in Beaufort this summer. We thought Spring Break would be a perfect time to get ready for the experience. However, we received news that Nan's mom has a terminal illness, so we made arrangements to visit her in Fairfield, Iowa.
The old joke, 'ya can't there from here', applies in this case. There are no direct flights, so we flew to St. Louis and then drove to Fairfield, on the way stopping off in Hannibal, Missouri to see the town where Samuel Clemens got his start. Other than Hannibal there wasn't much else to see.
Fairfield, in south central Iowa, is the home of Maharishi University of Management, founded in 1973. Nan spent a year in Fairfield at the University and later came back as the Artistic Director of a theater company founded in the city. Her mom, brother, and one of her sisters live there. It is an interesting community. We stayed in a development called "Eco Village" where all the houses use some sort of ecologically sound construction. There is a reliance on wind power to generate electricity and the homes of Nan's mom and brother are constructed with thick straw and mud walls. A number of Nan's nephews and their families reside in Fairfield, so a large portion of our time was spent visiting and getting to know them.
We were back in Durham for less than a week, when I left for a week of golfing at Myrtle Beach, SC. Arranged by my friend Tom C. and his high school chum Mike, we played 162 holes of golf in 4 1/2 days.(Actually I only played 157. On our second day, he picked -up a single golfer from Cincinnati. During our round a cold front went through. It poured and a cold wind ripped through. He kept saying we were crazy to keep playing, and finally I took him back to the clubhouse. Frankly, I agreed with him. It wasn't fun.) Anyway, the 5 courses we played were all different and challenging.
The day after I returned from Myrtle Beach, Nan and I hopped into the car and drove to Charlotte, NC, so I could sing at the Southeast District of the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship Choir Festival. This two day event features a Saturday night concert in which each choir participating in the festival sings a few songs and then there is a cabaret. Much to my surprise, I was asked to help out the Chapel Hill group, which was short of tenors. I'm a pretty good sight reader, but the pieces were in three different languages(when in doubt sing only vowels) On Sunday morning, the choirs all join together to present the numbers we had rehearsed the day before. It was a wonderful experience. My favorite was Sanctus and Benedictus which used the songs of humpback whales to create an imaginative choral work.
While in Charlotte, we stayed with Nan's sister and brother-in-law. They have a lovely home and were very gracious and welcoming. We went for a nice walk with them in a downtown park, where the flowers were just starting to bloom and Spring seemed finally taking hold.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
February:Fun, Folic, and Fellowship
February flew by this year, which of course it usually does being the shortest month. From my perspective it flew by because we had a very busy month. Nothing like having a lot of activities to make time fly. I still haven't solved the problem regarding uploading pictures. Thus, this entry will be another without images which make my banal blog entries slightly more interesting(all right a lot more interesting). I should note that this is the first February we've been in Durham that spring didn't arrive close to Valentine's Day. We've had multiple ice and snow storms which, since plowing, sanding, and salting are foreign to this clime, have left us house-bound on several occasions. Fortunately, it has warmed up enough between each storm to melt the "crap" away.
In between storms I had a chance to get to several Duke sport contests. I went to two women's basketball game: one of which we were defeated by Notre Dame and the other in which we beat Wake Forest. Notre Dame is a very strong team(currently ranked #2 in the nation). They showed why against us. They are very quick and shot the ball extremely well. We won the Wake game, but it wasn't as easy as it might have been. Unfortunately, we are now without a point guard. Three injuries(broken patella, torn ACL, and shin splints) to our guards have created problems for us. Wake pressured the ball right from the start and caused a number of turnovers and greatly slowed our pace of play. It's too bad because this group of seniors have been outstanding. Tricia Liston is one of the finalists for the Wooden Award.
I also got to a men's game at Cameron, which is always a fun experience. The game was against Virginia Tech. They are having a difficult year due to injuries and are weak at point guard. We pressured then full court most of the game and they had to force a lot of shots. Our outside shooting has suddenly gone cold, but we had enough scoring to win by 20.
Last year Duke lacrosse won the national championship and they're off to a good start this year. I got to see them defeat Stony Brook 14 - 6. On the same day as the lacrosse match Duke women's tennis was playing Syracuse. Ranked #1 at the moment, Duke features some of the top ranked collegiate tennis players. I had seen them play Furman earlier in the month, a team they shutout. Against SU they loss only one singles match.
On the Arts side of the calendar, we saw some great stuff and some not so great. Let me start with the great. The King Singers were formed in 1968 and named after King's College in Cambridge, England. Although none of the original members are still with the group, they still have 6 members, 2 of which sing countertenor. If you're not familiar with a countertenor, think of a man singing soprano and alto parts in a falsetto voice. The current member of the group with the longest tenure is David Hurley, who has been with it since 1990. Their tone, blend, technique, and pitch were incredible. The first half of the show consisted of madrigals and modern pieces using similar source material to the madrigals. Of these works I particularly loved "U soir de neige" a modern piece written by Francois Poulenc where close harmonies created a powerful mood. The second half of the concert consisted of pop standards from "The Great American Songbook" and features tunes by Arlen, Porter, Gershwin, and others. I saw The King Singers at Proctors in Schenectady back in the early 1970s and I was even more impressed with them this time.
Another excellent concert I attended was a recital by Duke faculty member Randall Love. Mr. Love teaches piano and fortepiano at the University and has performed at other venues throughout the US. Interestingly enough he was worked with Capitol Chamber Artists of Albany on a recording of Haydn's London Symphonies. He played Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff. It was great.
Not so great a show was a production of The Republic by Hoi Polli, a theater company out of NYC. Taking portions of Plato's master work, this 70 minute theatrical experience kept me looking at my watch. Done "in the round" or actually "in a square", the "set" consisted of interesting lighted, boxy, rectangular pillars which were moved around and which the cast of three moved through. This created both sight-line issues and hearing issues. The acting was fine, I just didn't get the purpose of the whole thing. But then again, I'm not sure I got The Republic when I read it all those many years ago.
The last theater piece we saw was a production of Caroline, or Change at Raleigh Little Theatre. RLT is celebrating its 75th year making it one of the oldest community theaters in the US. Their productions have good performance values and this one was no exception. Nominated for a Tony, this musical by Tony Kushner and Jeanie Tesori is in form more operatic than a "standard" musical. The cast all had great voices and handled the material well. I did have a difficult time hearing some of the lyrics and with aspects of the story and some of the characters as they were presented by the script.
I have been singing in the choir of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for almost 2 years now and enjoying it. Having spent 23 years conducting a choir and being responsible for the music at the Berlin UMC, I was looking for a group that didn't sing every Sunday and does interesting music. I found it at ERUUF. It also led me to meet an interesting group of people with whom I share a number of social justice beliefs. As a result I joined a group of ERUUF member who went to Raleigh to participate in a Moral March on Raleigh.
In case you weren't aware, the North Carolina legislature has passed a number of socially repressive laws that impact on a variety of civil right issues. Starting last year, in protest, members of the NAACP and other groups began to protest on Mondays in Raleigh. A number were arrested, including the ERUUF pastor. As the new legislative "season" approaches various group decided to have a mass march on the state capitol as a sign of solidarity among disparate groups against further repressive legislation. The march is part of a tradition of protest started in 2006 by the NAACP and is held yearly. It took on greater significance this year because of the actions of the legislature and governor.
The march itself was impressive. Estimates of the size varied, with USA Today putting the group at 100,000. I'm not sure it was that big, but it was large. There was a feeling of empowerment and a greater understanding of the various issues that brought all these people together. I'm glad I went. I met a lot of neat people too. Of course one day does not a movement make. Time to get involved.
In between storms I had a chance to get to several Duke sport contests. I went to two women's basketball game: one of which we were defeated by Notre Dame and the other in which we beat Wake Forest. Notre Dame is a very strong team(currently ranked #2 in the nation). They showed why against us. They are very quick and shot the ball extremely well. We won the Wake game, but it wasn't as easy as it might have been. Unfortunately, we are now without a point guard. Three injuries(broken patella, torn ACL, and shin splints) to our guards have created problems for us. Wake pressured the ball right from the start and caused a number of turnovers and greatly slowed our pace of play. It's too bad because this group of seniors have been outstanding. Tricia Liston is one of the finalists for the Wooden Award.
I also got to a men's game at Cameron, which is always a fun experience. The game was against Virginia Tech. They are having a difficult year due to injuries and are weak at point guard. We pressured then full court most of the game and they had to force a lot of shots. Our outside shooting has suddenly gone cold, but we had enough scoring to win by 20.
Last year Duke lacrosse won the national championship and they're off to a good start this year. I got to see them defeat Stony Brook 14 - 6. On the same day as the lacrosse match Duke women's tennis was playing Syracuse. Ranked #1 at the moment, Duke features some of the top ranked collegiate tennis players. I had seen them play Furman earlier in the month, a team they shutout. Against SU they loss only one singles match.
On the Arts side of the calendar, we saw some great stuff and some not so great. Let me start with the great. The King Singers were formed in 1968 and named after King's College in Cambridge, England. Although none of the original members are still with the group, they still have 6 members, 2 of which sing countertenor. If you're not familiar with a countertenor, think of a man singing soprano and alto parts in a falsetto voice. The current member of the group with the longest tenure is David Hurley, who has been with it since 1990. Their tone, blend, technique, and pitch were incredible. The first half of the show consisted of madrigals and modern pieces using similar source material to the madrigals. Of these works I particularly loved "U soir de neige" a modern piece written by Francois Poulenc where close harmonies created a powerful mood. The second half of the concert consisted of pop standards from "The Great American Songbook" and features tunes by Arlen, Porter, Gershwin, and others. I saw The King Singers at Proctors in Schenectady back in the early 1970s and I was even more impressed with them this time.
Another excellent concert I attended was a recital by Duke faculty member Randall Love. Mr. Love teaches piano and fortepiano at the University and has performed at other venues throughout the US. Interestingly enough he was worked with Capitol Chamber Artists of Albany on a recording of Haydn's London Symphonies. He played Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff. It was great.
Not so great a show was a production of The Republic by Hoi Polli, a theater company out of NYC. Taking portions of Plato's master work, this 70 minute theatrical experience kept me looking at my watch. Done "in the round" or actually "in a square", the "set" consisted of interesting lighted, boxy, rectangular pillars which were moved around and which the cast of three moved through. This created both sight-line issues and hearing issues. The acting was fine, I just didn't get the purpose of the whole thing. But then again, I'm not sure I got The Republic when I read it all those many years ago.
The last theater piece we saw was a production of Caroline, or Change at Raleigh Little Theatre. RLT is celebrating its 75th year making it one of the oldest community theaters in the US. Their productions have good performance values and this one was no exception. Nominated for a Tony, this musical by Tony Kushner and Jeanie Tesori is in form more operatic than a "standard" musical. The cast all had great voices and handled the material well. I did have a difficult time hearing some of the lyrics and with aspects of the story and some of the characters as they were presented by the script.
I have been singing in the choir of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for almost 2 years now and enjoying it. Having spent 23 years conducting a choir and being responsible for the music at the Berlin UMC, I was looking for a group that didn't sing every Sunday and does interesting music. I found it at ERUUF. It also led me to meet an interesting group of people with whom I share a number of social justice beliefs. As a result I joined a group of ERUUF member who went to Raleigh to participate in a Moral March on Raleigh.
In case you weren't aware, the North Carolina legislature has passed a number of socially repressive laws that impact on a variety of civil right issues. Starting last year, in protest, members of the NAACP and other groups began to protest on Mondays in Raleigh. A number were arrested, including the ERUUF pastor. As the new legislative "season" approaches various group decided to have a mass march on the state capitol as a sign of solidarity among disparate groups against further repressive legislation. The march is part of a tradition of protest started in 2006 by the NAACP and is held yearly. It took on greater significance this year because of the actions of the legislature and governor.
The march itself was impressive. Estimates of the size varied, with USA Today putting the group at 100,000. I'm not sure it was that big, but it was large. There was a feeling of empowerment and a greater understanding of the various issues that brought all these people together. I'm glad I went. I met a lot of neat people too. Of course one day does not a movement make. Time to get involved.
Friday, February 14, 2014
One Down - Four To Go
The first month of the new semester has been quite busy here in Durham. Nan has three sections this semester which means that she been spending more time working than playing. We have had a couple of opportunities to step-out and enjoy some of the attractions Durham and Duke have to offer.
The first came when we went to see a production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" presented by Hoof 'n' Horn at Duke. Hoof 'n' Horn is a student drama group that performs musicals. When I say 'student drama group' I mean it. Everything is done by the students and generally they're pretty good. This production was very entertaining. Considering almost half the cast were freshman, they did a great job.. 'The Spelling Bee' got its start at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, and is just a fun ride. The cast included some audience members who were drafted to be participants in the Bee. The cast also inserted a few Duke oriented jokes which I'm sure were not in the original script. It was a fun night. We're looking forward to their April show 'Parade', a much different type of musical.
One of the neat things about Durham is the music scene. Many places feature both local and nationally known artists. You can have a good meal and listen to great music at the same time. One of these spots is the Beyu Café in downtown Durham. We went on a Monday night had a great meal(many vegan options for Nan) and heard some equally enjoyable piano jazz delivered by Gary Brunette.
Often times the Duke Music Department will present concerts which feature faculty members. Such was the case on January 26th, when we went to see the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet. This group, celebrating their 10th anniversary, is made up of Susan Fancher(Duke) on soprano sax, Robert Faub(High Point University) on alto sax, Steven Stusek(UNC-Greensboro) on tenor sax, and Mark Engebretson(UNC-Greensboro) on baritone sax. They played a variety of different selections. We particularly liked the second movement of Every Thing Must Go by Martin Bresnick. The Quartet showed their versatility in Drastic Measures by Russell Peck. In the second movement they used a technique known as slap tongue accents that is the saxophone equivalent of violinists plucking their strings. Their final presentation was a work written by Mr. Engebretson which used electronic tracks looped and played with the quartet. It had a rock feel to it and was a great way to end a very satisfying concert.
We closed this month's cultural activities by seeing Emanuel Ax in concert. Originally this concert was supposed to feature both Mr. Ax and his wife, pianist Yoko Nozaki. However, due to Ms. Nozaki's illness we had to 'suffer' through Mr. Ax's solo presentations. Mr. Ax holds a special spot in our hearts as Nan and I saw him play Brahms 2nd piano concerto on the lawn at SPAC back when we were first starting to date. It was a very romantic night. In this concert he played 4 pieces by Beethoven and Brahms(2 each) including Beethoven's very recognizable Pathetique. It was wonderful. It turns out that Ms. Nozaki's father taught at Duke and Mr. Ax and she were married in Durham. When we go to a concert featuring the piano we always try to sit in seats where we can see the performer's hands. We were lucky enough to be in a perfect position to see Mr. Ax. It was great to watch, and he did it all "without a lick of music in front of him", as my father used to say. It was an equally romantic evening.
The first came when we went to see a production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" presented by Hoof 'n' Horn at Duke. Hoof 'n' Horn is a student drama group that performs musicals. When I say 'student drama group' I mean it. Everything is done by the students and generally they're pretty good. This production was very entertaining. Considering almost half the cast were freshman, they did a great job.. 'The Spelling Bee' got its start at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, and is just a fun ride. The cast included some audience members who were drafted to be participants in the Bee. The cast also inserted a few Duke oriented jokes which I'm sure were not in the original script. It was a fun night. We're looking forward to their April show 'Parade', a much different type of musical.
One of the neat things about Durham is the music scene. Many places feature both local and nationally known artists. You can have a good meal and listen to great music at the same time. One of these spots is the Beyu Café in downtown Durham. We went on a Monday night had a great meal(many vegan options for Nan) and heard some equally enjoyable piano jazz delivered by Gary Brunette.
Often times the Duke Music Department will present concerts which feature faculty members. Such was the case on January 26th, when we went to see the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet. This group, celebrating their 10th anniversary, is made up of Susan Fancher(Duke) on soprano sax, Robert Faub(High Point University) on alto sax, Steven Stusek(UNC-Greensboro) on tenor sax, and Mark Engebretson(UNC-Greensboro) on baritone sax. They played a variety of different selections. We particularly liked the second movement of Every Thing Must Go by Martin Bresnick. The Quartet showed their versatility in Drastic Measures by Russell Peck. In the second movement they used a technique known as slap tongue accents that is the saxophone equivalent of violinists plucking their strings. Their final presentation was a work written by Mr. Engebretson which used electronic tracks looped and played with the quartet. It had a rock feel to it and was a great way to end a very satisfying concert.
We closed this month's cultural activities by seeing Emanuel Ax in concert. Originally this concert was supposed to feature both Mr. Ax and his wife, pianist Yoko Nozaki. However, due to Ms. Nozaki's illness we had to 'suffer' through Mr. Ax's solo presentations. Mr. Ax holds a special spot in our hearts as Nan and I saw him play Brahms 2nd piano concerto on the lawn at SPAC back when we were first starting to date. It was a very romantic night. In this concert he played 4 pieces by Beethoven and Brahms(2 each) including Beethoven's very recognizable Pathetique. It was wonderful. It turns out that Ms. Nozaki's father taught at Duke and Mr. Ax and she were married in Durham. When we go to a concert featuring the piano we always try to sit in seats where we can see the performer's hands. We were lucky enough to be in a perfect position to see Mr. Ax. It was great to watch, and he did it all "without a lick of music in front of him", as my father used to say. It was an equally romantic evening.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Busy Holiday Season
As soon as the semester was over and marks posted we headed North for the holidays. We took two cars so that I could stay up a little longer to ski. We didn't have to wait long for the snow to arrive. Two days after we landed home we were the recipients of about 10 inches of the white stuff. This gave son David and I had chance to ski together at Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Mass. We went half a day, skiing in light snow and great conditions. My legs were up to about 12 runs while David added a couple more. It was the first time he skied in years as he became a convert to snowboarding over a decade ago. I think he has seen the light and will be skiing from now on. We also got a chance to take in a RPI hockey game RPI beat the US Under 18 team 2 to 1. (At this point I would normally insert a picture of David and I at the game. However, for some reason I'm not currently able to transfer pictures to this blog. Sorry.)
Unfortunately mid-winter turned into a December thaw and most of the snow disappeared. We were scheduled for a Christmas hayride with extended family, but sleighs don't run well in mud. Anyway, nice brunch at Maxon Road on the 22rd. We celebrated Christmas on the eve of the 23rd and had a nice evening. (Imagine a picture of our Christmas tree at this point.) On the 24th we went to friends Tom and Jackie's open house in the afternoon and then I sang at church in the evening. Christmas Day we got in a nice hike in bitter cold conditions.
A second large snowstorm struck mid-week and I was able to get up to Pineridge Cross Country Ski Area and see my friend Walt Kirsh. Conditions were great and I skied about 12 K. (Imagine a picture here of me standing amidst snow laden pines) The snow was washed away again a few days later by warm temps.
Nan's Spring Semester started early so she went back on January 3rd. I stayed with the hopes of getting in some more downhill. Snow had all but disappeared in the Capital District, but I took the opportunity to spend an hour or two skating at the ice rink at HVCC. (Imagine another picture of me on skates.)
My time North culminated with a trip to Stratton Mountain up in Vermont. Many thanks to Tyler Hake, one of my son's friends, who came with me. Also thanks to his brother, Bruce, who is on the Ski Patrol and listed me on his friends and family list. Tyler was great. He's an excellent skier, but was very patient with me and didn't laugh too hard when I fell ass-over-teakettle on the Cub Carpet, which is a conveyor belt lift for kids. Nobody told me to lean forward. Anyway great day on well maintained trails.
(Imagine a beautiful picture of the Green Mountains from the top of Stratton.)
Unfortunately mid-winter turned into a December thaw and most of the snow disappeared. We were scheduled for a Christmas hayride with extended family, but sleighs don't run well in mud. Anyway, nice brunch at Maxon Road on the 22rd. We celebrated Christmas on the eve of the 23rd and had a nice evening. (Imagine a picture of our Christmas tree at this point.) On the 24th we went to friends Tom and Jackie's open house in the afternoon and then I sang at church in the evening. Christmas Day we got in a nice hike in bitter cold conditions.
A second large snowstorm struck mid-week and I was able to get up to Pineridge Cross Country Ski Area and see my friend Walt Kirsh. Conditions were great and I skied about 12 K. (Imagine a picture here of me standing amidst snow laden pines) The snow was washed away again a few days later by warm temps.
Nan's Spring Semester started early so she went back on January 3rd. I stayed with the hopes of getting in some more downhill. Snow had all but disappeared in the Capital District, but I took the opportunity to spend an hour or two skating at the ice rink at HVCC. (Imagine another picture of me on skates.)
My time North culminated with a trip to Stratton Mountain up in Vermont. Many thanks to Tyler Hake, one of my son's friends, who came with me. Also thanks to his brother, Bruce, who is on the Ski Patrol and listed me on his friends and family list. Tyler was great. He's an excellent skier, but was very patient with me and didn't laugh too hard when I fell ass-over-teakettle on the Cub Carpet, which is a conveyor belt lift for kids. Nobody told me to lean forward. Anyway great day on well maintained trails.
(Imagine a beautiful picture of the Green Mountains from the top of Stratton.)
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Semester Digest II - The Arts
We had a busy time experiencing the cultural opportunities available both on campus and in the Durham area during the last months of the semester.
Duke's music program has provided many excellent concerts during our stay in Durham. This Fall was no exception. Duke spent quite a bit of money renovating Baldwin Auditorium. When we got there 5 years ago it was looked a little like a 1930s high school auditorium. The renovations are artistically pleasing and have created a great venue to hear concerts. We attended both of the Fall Duke Jazz Ensemble concerts. The first, at the end of October, featured trumpeter Willie Murillo and vocalist Becky Martin. Both are from the west coast with Mr. Murillo having attended Cal State Fullerton, where daughter Erin works. One of the nice things that conductor John Brown has done this year is to include some vocalists to sing some of the standards. The second concert featured Gerald Clayton on piano. Mr. Clayton was outstanding. He finished second in the Thelonius Monk Piano Competition and was nominated for a Grammy for best jazz solo for his recording to Cole Porter's "All of Me."
One of the more interesting concerts we attended was the one presented by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. It was great fun as this 8 member group did a variety of numbers with some very funny repartee interspersed. Nothing like seeing "Shaft" done on ukuleles by 8 white folk or "Pinball Wizard" as a sea shanty. It was great. Had a smile on my face for the whole time.
I had no smile on my face for a concert entitled "Specific Ocean" presented by a group named People Get Ready. This indy rock group combines their music with dance (actually movement is a better word for what they do). I just don't find it entertaining watching a young woman running around the stage and through the audience with an electric guitar strapped to her back clanging and banging and emitting loud, cacophonous sounds.
For our anniversary my kids had given us a gift certificate to the Durham Performing Arts Center. This downtown 3,000 seat venue is the home to most touring Broadway shows and big name groups on the road. We used our certificate to see Michael McDonald's Holiday Show. Very entertaining. Even got up and danced a little.
As far as plays were concerned, we saw a very intriguing new work by British playwright Alice Birch. Her play, Many Moons, consists of 4 character monologues which are intricately woven together. Structurally it was one of the most interesting play we've seen in a long time. It was well acted and staged. It is however about pedophilia and is tough in that regards.
Duke's music program has provided many excellent concerts during our stay in Durham. This Fall was no exception. Duke spent quite a bit of money renovating Baldwin Auditorium. When we got there 5 years ago it was looked a little like a 1930s high school auditorium. The renovations are artistically pleasing and have created a great venue to hear concerts. We attended both of the Fall Duke Jazz Ensemble concerts. The first, at the end of October, featured trumpeter Willie Murillo and vocalist Becky Martin. Both are from the west coast with Mr. Murillo having attended Cal State Fullerton, where daughter Erin works. One of the nice things that conductor John Brown has done this year is to include some vocalists to sing some of the standards. The second concert featured Gerald Clayton on piano. Mr. Clayton was outstanding. He finished second in the Thelonius Monk Piano Competition and was nominated for a Grammy for best jazz solo for his recording to Cole Porter's "All of Me."
One of the more interesting concerts we attended was the one presented by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. It was great fun as this 8 member group did a variety of numbers with some very funny repartee interspersed. Nothing like seeing "Shaft" done on ukuleles by 8 white folk or "Pinball Wizard" as a sea shanty. It was great. Had a smile on my face for the whole time.
I had no smile on my face for a concert entitled "Specific Ocean" presented by a group named People Get Ready. This indy rock group combines their music with dance (actually movement is a better word for what they do). I just don't find it entertaining watching a young woman running around the stage and through the audience with an electric guitar strapped to her back clanging and banging and emitting loud, cacophonous sounds.
For our anniversary my kids had given us a gift certificate to the Durham Performing Arts Center. This downtown 3,000 seat venue is the home to most touring Broadway shows and big name groups on the road. We used our certificate to see Michael McDonald's Holiday Show. Very entertaining. Even got up and danced a little.
As far as plays were concerned, we saw a very intriguing new work by British playwright Alice Birch. Her play, Many Moons, consists of 4 character monologues which are intricately woven together. Structurally it was one of the most interesting play we've seen in a long time. It was well acted and staged. It is however about pedophilia and is tough in that regards.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Semester Digest
I imagine we've all heard of Readers Digest(you remember that little book your parents had in the bathroom to kill time while you . . . well, you know). Anyway, I spent so much time documenting our trip to California that the rest of the semester just sorta slipped by. So to get us somewhat up-to-date, here's a digest of the rest of the semester.
SPORTS - I didn't attend as many Duke sporting events as I usually do. Having gone north for the 24-hour Theater Festival and the trip to Ca. cut into my sport's time. Here's a quick overview of what I did attend.
Field Hockey - I don't know much about the sport other than you try and put a ball into a net instead of a puck into a net and it's played on a field rather than on ice and the sticks are shorter and curved forcing the women(it seems only women are allowed to play at the college level) to run stooped over, other than that it's like real hockey. Anyway, Duke's field hockey team was good. I saw them lose terribly to the #1 team in the country, Maryland, in their last game of the season. But they got into the NCAAs where I saw them beat UNH and UMass. They then beat Maryland in the semis but lost to UConn in the finals.
Women's Soccer - Since most of their home schedule was while I was out-of-town, I only got to see the women play in the second round of the NCAA tournament that was held in Durham. They defeated both Florida and Arkansas, but lost to Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals. The lasting impression of the weekend was Arkansas Razorback fans cheering on their women's team with pig calls.
Men's Soccer - Only saw three games this season, with the men beating Old Dominion and Wright State and tying Wake. They didn't make the NCAAs but their coach won a life achievement award for his contributions to soccer.
Men's Basketball - I've been lucky enough to attend two games so far this year, both wins - one over Davidson the other over Michigan. In both, the star of the show was Jabari Parker who is the real deal - great court presence with tremendous skill. Glad I got to see him in person.
Volleyball - Not much was expected from this years team by the "experts", but they won the ACC title by beating that other school down the road with one of the best comebacks I've ever seen. Trailing 2 sets to 1 and behind by 9 in the 4th, they came back won the 4th and again trailing in the 5th came back to win the championship. Had the pleasure of seeing All-American Ali McCurdy, who set the all-time ACC "digs" record at 2538 for her career. That's a lot of diving and sliding across the floor.
SPORTS - I didn't attend as many Duke sporting events as I usually do. Having gone north for the 24-hour Theater Festival and the trip to Ca. cut into my sport's time. Here's a quick overview of what I did attend.
Field Hockey - I don't know much about the sport other than you try and put a ball into a net instead of a puck into a net and it's played on a field rather than on ice and the sticks are shorter and curved forcing the women(it seems only women are allowed to play at the college level) to run stooped over, other than that it's like real hockey. Anyway, Duke's field hockey team was good. I saw them lose terribly to the #1 team in the country, Maryland, in their last game of the season. But they got into the NCAAs where I saw them beat UNH and UMass. They then beat Maryland in the semis but lost to UConn in the finals.
Women's Soccer - Since most of their home schedule was while I was out-of-town, I only got to see the women play in the second round of the NCAA tournament that was held in Durham. They defeated both Florida and Arkansas, but lost to Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals. The lasting impression of the weekend was Arkansas Razorback fans cheering on their women's team with pig calls.
Men's Soccer - Only saw three games this season, with the men beating Old Dominion and Wright State and tying Wake. They didn't make the NCAAs but their coach won a life achievement award for his contributions to soccer.
Men's Basketball - I've been lucky enough to attend two games so far this year, both wins - one over Davidson the other over Michigan. In both, the star of the show was Jabari Parker who is the real deal - great court presence with tremendous skill. Glad I got to see him in person.
Volleyball - Not much was expected from this years team by the "experts", but they won the ACC title by beating that other school down the road with one of the best comebacks I've ever seen. Trailing 2 sets to 1 and behind by 9 in the 4th, they came back won the 4th and again trailing in the 5th came back to win the championship. Had the pleasure of seeing All-American Ali McCurdy, who set the all-time ACC "digs" record at 2538 for her career. That's a lot of diving and sliding across the floor.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Finally Home
I thought it might be a good time to post the final chapter of our western trip, particularly since it ended over two months ago. Our last morning in San Fran consisted of heading over the Golden Gate Bridge for a few views of the bay and the city. An amazing bank of fog produced an extremely interesting set of images. Shooting into the sun was also problematic, but I think some of the shots turned out pretty well.
According to the information contained in one of our guide books, the bridge was opened in 1937 and was the longest suspension bridge in the world a t 4,200 feet until 1964.
On our way to the airport, we had time to drive into the downtown area and search for a fountain that was donated to the city by 19th century actress Lotta Crabtree. Lotta is one of the actresses that Nan is researching. She started her career in the gold fields of California and had a career that lasted almost half a century. She was an early advocate of protecting animals and had the fountain pictured below built for horses to drink from.
Of course, there aren't many horses still pulling carriages around the streets of San Francisco, but the fountain remains as a remembrance of an actress so popular that she was known by her first name.
According to the information contained in one of our guide books, the bridge was opened in 1937 and was the longest suspension bridge in the world a t 4,200 feet until 1964.
On our way to the airport, we had time to drive into the downtown area and search for a fountain that was donated to the city by 19th century actress Lotta Crabtree. Lotta is one of the actresses that Nan is researching. She started her career in the gold fields of California and had a career that lasted almost half a century. She was an early advocate of protecting animals and had the fountain pictured below built for horses to drink from.
Of course, there aren't many horses still pulling carriages around the streets of San Francisco, but the fountain remains as a remembrance of an actress so popular that she was known by her first name.
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