Saturday - On the GO!

On Saturday, Claire and I and Cubby went to Van Atta's Fall Festival. Under blue, cloudless skies and Cubby fresh from his nap, we were all set! They had a number of activities for the little ones, including an inflatable obstacle course. Still a little small to make it up the ladder, Cubby gave it a try. There was also a bouncy tent, a clown and some slimy-type animals from the Potter Park Zoo.

Cubby found a wagon used for hauling  plants and was off so fast I could barely snap the shot.

The wagon was bigger than he was! He loved looking at the flowers.  I bought a grass plant and he carried it around for me. Working in marketing, we're always discussing how to keep the next generation involved in gardening. This event is a great idea.

Mystic Shake, one of my favorite local groups played on an appropriately decorated stage and there was also a craft show too. What a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon!

Fire and Rain

Yesterday, I braved the rain to go to the Lansing Symphony Orchestra Chamber Concert at Plymouth Congregational Church. After 4-plus inches of rain, I probably wouldn't have gone if I hadn't already purchased a ticket. I wondered how many others would show up.  I wore my knee-high barn boots prepared to splash through the puddles. It turns out there was a good crowd to listen to the Beaumont Brass.

Beaumont Brass is the faculty brass quintet from MSU. They are all EXCELLENT musicians and each play in the GLSO or Grand Rapids Symphony.

They played two pieces with "Fire" in the title hoping to 'evaporate' the rain.  One of the other featured pieces was "Seasons", written by John Stevens in 1984 (the year my son was born). It was very modern (I guess I expect brass quintets to play more baroque music). The piece was very interesting and enjoyable and painted a vivid picture of the four seasons.

The Beaumont Brass closed the program with John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever". It was definitely  not a march.  I have never heard it played any faster. There was no piccolo so the trumpet had to take over that part.

A gloomy, rainy, sodden Sunday afternoon with exciting music filling a church with incredible acoustics. I'm glad that I didn't let the weather keep me hostage.

Happy Wheatland!

Last weekend, I attended the 35th Annual Wheatland Music Festival with my friend Irene. I had a WONDERFUL time! Everyone camps. Some have RV's and camp in large fields but we found the perfect spot in the pines for our little tent. Irene's son Ben came from Ann Arbor and her son Nate and his friend Veronica came all the way from upstate New York.  The guys also had a group of friends with them, one had even come from Seattle!  They created their own little "compound" of tents in a different area away from the moms but we ran into them several times during the weekend. Ben even danced with his mom until 2am on Saturday night - Sunday morning?

There are three stages, the Main stage shown here, the Centennial Stage and the dance stage.

Some of the acts that were on the Centennial Stage were lesser known but just as good as the main acts.  We even got to see our own Jen Sygit and Jeremy Kittel. The dance stage was always hopping from early morning yoga, afternoon dance classes (I took 3 dance classes), and evening dances that went well after midnight. In addition, there are activities for children and teens and two other workshop tents where you could learn how to play different instruments.

I took a beginning Bodhran class and since I didn't have a bodhran, we learned on a pizza  box with a dowel for a tipper.

One of my favorite parts of Wheatland besides the relaxed family atmosphere was the impromptu jammin that went on. Many people bring their instruments and just get together and start playing. Here's a group playing in the picnic area.  Both nights there was a Stringband playing in the clearing near our tent - great to fall asleep to. The Fabulous Heftones from Lansing kept popping up here and there. Even little kids would get out their fiddles (I even saw a little girl on a camp stool with a cello) and leave their cases open hoping you'd show your appreciation. I was only gone two-and-a-half days but I feel like I had a real vacation.

Griffith Observatory

Griffith J. Griffith was born in Wales in 1850, came to the U.S. as a teenager and eventually made his fortune in Mexican silver mines and subsequently, California real estate. He had visited public parks in Europe and decided that in order to become a great city, his hometown, Los Angeles would need a great public park. In 1896, he donated 3,015 acres to the City of Los Angeles.  

Griffith became interested in astronomy and in 1912, he offered the City of Los Angeles and additional $100,000 for an observatory to be built on top of Mount Hollywood.

Griffith realized that the observatory would not be completed in his lifetime and set up a trust to continue his vision. The depression era made the finest materials available at a reasonable cost.

The formal dedication of the Griffith Observatory took place on May 14, 1935.

from an article by Christopher Hansen, Melanie Wang and Anthony Cook.

Going, going...

Another summer is flying by. Every year I have such high hopes for my garden. I've been in this house now 18 years and a wonderful (or even above average) garden still hasn't happened. The first year I lived here there were two big patches of Hens n Chicks. Over the years they kind of faded away... I actually did a little weeding this year and look what I found!! This is the inspiration I need to say, "just wait until next year!".

This is a quilt photo that Cyndee took at the Ann Arbor show. At work they are trying to liven up the work space (and squeeze in 30 more people) with more rows of cubes and bright colors - lime green, Home Depot orange and a deep teal the painters call Lagoon. I think this quilt could be my inspiration for a wall hanging to go in my new (smaller) space and would work well in the new color scheme.

Sailing Away

On Saturday, Alanna and I drove to Bay City to take a sail on the Tall Ship Appledore IV. It was an incredible day for sailing! Although hazy when we left, by the time we arrived there was nothing but blue skies. There were whitecaps on Saginaw Bay which meant the wind was 12-15 knots. Perfect for sailing!

We motored up the river but when we reached the bay it was  time to hoist the sails. Alanna, being an experienced sailor and current Commander of the Power Squadron volunteered to 'heave to'.

Once the sails were raised, we dashed across the bay and back. There were squeals every now and then when the spray would come over the ship but nobody was seriously soaked.  All part of sailing.

We returned to the dock much too soon.  The Appledore IV has public sails on the weekends and is available for private parties and wedding receptions, etc.  It's non-profit and the dollars earned from public sails are used to fund educational sails for school kids the other five days a week from April to mid June.

Now I'm reading Diana Gabaldon's 3rd volume in the Outlander series called Voyager. In it, the main characters are traveling by ship from Edinburgh to Jamaica in 1768. Maybe on a ship much like the Appledore IV? 

If I Had A Boat

It's been almost a week already since Cindy and I travelled to Meijer Gardens to see Lyle Lovett. The concert was fantastic! Over 2 1/2 hours without an intermission. Beth saw him at Common Ground the next night and loved that concert also.  I don't know how performers do it night after night.  One of my favorite songs is "If I had a Boat". In the song, Lyle says that he would take his pony on his boat out on the ocean.

I just finished reading "A Salty Piece of Land" by Jimmy Buffett. He must have liked Lyle's song too because it is a story about a character who leaves Wyoming and takes "his pony on a boat out on the ocean" and all of the characters they meet and the crazy adventures they have. It's interesting how a line from a song can influence a whole novel. (Like when a photo or a texture can inspire an entire quilt. Cindy, I still haven't done my 'sing a quilt' project...) It's great summer reading.

Cindy enjoying the crowd before Lyle. Note, her chairback is just slightly higher than regulation (they officially measure them).

Debra and Tom having a picnic.