Fiddle Recital

This afternoon was my very first fiddle recital.  There were about 10 of us ranging in age from about 6  to at least my age.  I played WV Hills and Old Joe Clark with a guitar and banjo backup.  One woman payed classical violin for many years before learning to "fiddle" and her vibrato made her tunes sounds way better than the rest of us.  At the end we played some group tunes including Tennesse Waltz, Sail Away Ladies, and Irene's Waltz.  It was fun and I don't think I messed up.

Autumnal Equinox

I am looking forward to a tour to Morocco at the end of November with my friend, Cathy.  In the meantime I am rehearsing for several concerts (vocal and fiddle), playing tennis almost daily, enjoying my new 50" Samsung TV, and walking the dogs.  I am happy to discover that my kayak fits in my car so I don't have to dread putting it on the car (which required a step stool). 

This coming Saturday night is a full moon paddle which I am planning to go to as part of "Meetup"; an online events calendar.  I went to a ukulele playing meetup last night mostly because it was in my neighborhood.  I was surprised to discover that they all had their ukes tuned a whole step lower than mine.  Don't know what earth shattering moment occurred in the last 45 years to render my chord structure useless.  I did that instead of going to the Shag dance lesson because I am not learning much at those lessons. 

My neighbor brought me over a whole bag of green tomatoes which reminded me of when Patti sent me a box of the same on the Greyhound bus to College Park in 1975.  I ate on them all Fall.

Two Sundays ago there was a memorial service here for former Hospice patients.  It was not well attended.  I lit a candle for Moody.  Oh well- time for another rehearsal.

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

Well I didn't buy a fat pig on my trip but I certainly got around as you can see.

After my last post in early August, I stayed with Patti in New Hampshire for a week. I went back to  see Opera North's production of the Cunning Little Vixen since it featured one of my cast-mates from the Durham Savoyards.  Patti and I  took the dogs down daily for a swim in the lake.  Patti and I enjoyed a trip to the King Arthur Flour store where we bought some products-who could resist. I left New Hampshire on August 15 bound for Portland ME to visit Waite and Christine, then down to Holden MA to visit Ted and Deb Harris.  While in Maine, I had to drop into LL Bean for a new dress.

LL Bean Bootmobile

On August 17, I headed for Nantucket for our timeshare week at Mariner House.  During the four days I spend there I got to the beach once.  It rained some and we were busy, busy with a tree-planting ceremony at the Ellicott's house for Liddy, Lou and Willy; making and eating BLTs; and playing tennis with Catharine, Deborah, and Ben.  Molly stayed the weekend and ML and Robert came up all week and stayed after I left on Tuesday.  We had several really fun games of Salad Bowl with the Chamblees and Guihers.

Gluten-free pizza for Christine at the tree-planting party

Jim, Deborah, Catharine, and Ben

John, Jim, and Jim (Harvard Law School buddies)

Annie playing Salad Bowl

Robert playing Salad Bowl

Fiddlin' Mama in the new LL Bean dress

ML and me at New Main Restaurant

Robert & ML at the Beach

Robert, Molly, and me at the tree-planting

After tree planting

Me and Debby M.

At Surfside Beach

I headed down to John and Carol's in Middleton NJ where I learned about chia seeds, then the next day had lunch with Sue Davies in the beautiful Garnett Valley of PA and ended in Columbia with Bill and Melva. We had a lovely dinner at Bare Bones with Lisa and Drew.  The next day I checked out the new Wegmans with the Shaughnessys and then headed for College Park.  I had lunch with several NCHS colleagues and apple pie with Mary Lew and Anne.  A delightful dinner at the New Deal Cafe with the Niedners, Perkinsons, and Gervasis added to the fun of seeing my diddy girls who had been enjoying their month visit with Don and Kathy. On August 25 I returned home with da girls.

Bill and Melva

Mal and Dianne

Kathy and Don

Susan and Frank

At home, time was spent getting the hot water heater back on; the cable, telephone and Internet back on with TWC; and the mail read and dealt with.  None of this was easy and took several days.

I really, really enjoyed by sojourn north and plan to repeat a lot of it next summer.  I put the pillows that Patti and I made from Moody's old shirts on our bed in the guest room and am trying to settle in to what feels like an alternative universe-- one where Moody doesn't live.  It's a very strange place.

Pillows from Moody shirts

More travels...

I was in VT visiting Ned and Royal Aug 6-8.  We went down to Stockbridge MA and toured the Norman Rockwell Museum and the home and studio of Daniel Chester French (who sculpted the Lincoln Memorial statue).  Then we surprised Gibb for his birthday and went to Tanglewood for a lavish picnic supper (hosted by his girlfriend-Blane) and concert with the Boson Symphony and Boston Pops - fireworks and all. The next day we went to Saratoga Springs for an afternoon at the racetrack, and dinner and concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Thursday I returned to Sunapee and had a rug hooking lesson at the Dorr Mill Store in Newbury. Last night Molly arrived and we went to the yacht club for dinner with Ginu.  John and Carol arrived Saturday on their way to ME.  I made a nice Afghan dinner for us with a chickpea salad and fresh peach/blueberry pie for dessert.  Patti and I have been making pillows out of some of Moody's colorful shirts.  They are wonderful.

Chickpea salad with edible flowers

Saratoga Springs Racetrack

Royal and Ned at the French Studio

Gibb at Tanglewood

Travels

I think I'm about half-way through my Summer Progress.  I have been having a great time.  I saw lots of friends in College Park and Greenbelt.  I visited ML at Restoration Hardware and I bought an iphone that I am really enjoying.  I visited John and Carol in NJ then up to Ned's at Mt Snow.  Saw Uncle Jim and Jeff in Sunapee while staying with Patti.  I drove up to South Hero VT to visit my neighbors from Fearrington Village and had a great time touring to Canada and Shelbourne Museum.   They live on a beautiful farm just north of Burlington.  We had wonderful meals with fresh fruits and vegetables from their garden. On my way back to NH I visited Brucie in Northfield.  I have been walking and jogging in NH with a pedometer app on the new phone.  Friday night, Patti and I went to see the King and I at Opera North and I will be returning to Lebanon to see the Cunning Little Vixen starring a friend from the Durham Savoyards.  We ate at the Three Tomatoes which was very nice and right next to the theater.

View from the Pringle's Farm

Mary and Ed

Round Barn at Shelbourne Museum

Susan, Mary, Bill, Ed for a lobsta dinner

Party Food at Sunapee

Patti and the flower bed at Sunapee

On Saturday, August 4, Patti and I went to the Craft Fair and then ate dinner up at Aunt Avis' farmhouse with Marcia Wright and other Brown relatives.  One guest had an aunt that teaches at MICA - small world.  I have also been practicing my fiddle and taking care of Voices treasurer duties.

Patti & Jeff

Summer Progress

Journeys are always mind-boggling.  I completed my grief support group run by UNC Hospice and the leader thought my Summer Progress was a gratitude journey: starting with St. Andrew's and Moody's final resting place and ending in Nantucket where we spent 32 summer vacations together.  Along the way I am fortunate to visit so many family and friends that were/are important to Moody and me.  Da girls are looking forward to visiting the Perkinsons.  They have never been away from home or me for so long.

Our Voices concert last Friday was absolutely fabulous and enjoyed by a very large audience.  I had many friends who came including several new friends from tennis or the grief support group.  I am looking forward to the Fall rehearsals begining.

Beach Scene

Bald Head Island Lighthouse

I spent the last few days on the Carolina coast visiting a friend in Sunset Beach.  It was a lovely drive down there and we toured up and down the coast as far south as Myrtle Beach and as far north at Bald Head Island.  We had Calabash seafood, boiled peanuts, and Carolina Bog (don't ask).  I bought some dancing shoes and tonight took my first Carolina Shag dance lesson down in Pittsboro.  It was fun, but just learned the basic steps tonight.  The intermediate class after mine looked right complicated.   It was 104 degrees here yesterday when I returned home from the beach.  I think the Carolina beaches are places for November-April.  It's way too hot in the summertime.  I'm looking forward to New England and feel more confident about all that driving. I borrowed my neighbor's spare GPS system and loved it.  It kept me company besides making sure I didn't get lost.