bronn's blog

The Zenith

2009-05-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

We have reached the pinnacle and glory of the reason people have rhododendrons in their yard. For the next 2 weeks, the flowers are in their showy best. Much of the year the rhododendron is kind of non-descript blaisé shrub. They have their function for being in the background but now they grab our attention and demand that we notice them for awhile. Last year a pilot stopped by the house because he saw the flowers as he was flying over our house. He came for a better look.
Tomorrow I'll post some video.

Day 9 and 10 Slowing down the blooming train

2009-05-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Day 10 Day 9

The blooming train has slowed down a bit with the cool, rainy weather. It's difficult to decipher the difference between day 9 and day 10. Fortunately, the blooms are not in their full bloom glory because rain can ruin a good display. The weight of the water on the petals makes the petals fall apart. Rain would be devastating next week, especially the amount that we had overnight. There were some loud thunderclaps yesterday.
I am most amazed at how late the Rhodys are this year. Some years they are past their prime on Mother's Day. We have a week to go before they are fully on display.

Rhody Day 9 It's almost there

2009-05-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

What a difference a couple of nice days make. The bee's are buzzing now. We weeded under all the Rhodys to get out of the way of the bees. This is almost my favorite time to see the Rhodys because of the anticipation of what they will look like. I am glad I got my camera back from the Black Tie event ( see blog two days ago.)

Rhody Day 8 Now I know why I have a new camera

2009-05-17T08:23:00.001-07:00

Since I haven't retrieved my camera yet, I had to take a picture with our old digital camera that has 2 pixels. If digital cameras had rods and cones I'd say that the rods and cones are shot. I now know why we purchased a new camera. This picture doesn't show the fact that I mowed the lawn.
What an awful time to be cameraless!!! With the gorgeous day yesterday and the way the day is starting today, the Rhody is making great strides in the blooming process. Does anyone have a name for my Rhody? Is anyone even reading this?

Rhody Day 7

2009-05-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Oh no. I left my camera at the event I presented a program. I was able to entertain at a fundraiser for our local hospital foundation, Monroe Valley Hospital Foundation. Enough money was raised to complete an emergency call system in patient emergency rooms. It was a very nice black tie event.

My audience has never looked so good!
With this being said, my Rhody picture for day 7 is on the camera. I'll post the picture tomorrow.

Day 6 Blooming on the way

2009-05-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

It's a sunny day. There will be a lot of progress today. The bees are starting to check out the blossoms but don't spend much time yet. The blossoms are now beginning to shed their "husk," similar to a caterpillar's cocoon. There are quite a few "husks" on the ground. Again, I have to go play my harp (work). I really enjoy playing the harp. It's the carrying of it and all the other paraphernalia that is a drag for me. I am often asked masked as a funny line, "have you ever thought of playing the flute?" I think I am going to show up with a flute sometime to see how they like it.

Rhody Day 6 (be sure to double click on the picture)

Day 5 Progress

2009-05-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

Progress is being made. Remarkably so for the cold day. I take the Rhody picture everyday at 7:30 in the morning. I adjusted my camera this time for better exposure. I think it looks better now. Believe it or not, I had to work today so that is why my posting is later than normal. What do you think I have to do all day.....watch the Rhododendrons bloom?

Day 4 Slow Blooming

2009-05-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's Day 4. I'm waiting for some of the promised global warming. It snowed yesterday only 1000 feet above my head! By the time the moisture hit it was a cold rain. Not conducive for blooming Rhodies. The good news is that I can enjoy the plants longer while they are blooming. I like Rhodies a lot but there's not a lot to them when they aren't blooming. They just kind of "sit there" (that is what I have in common with them). It is supposed to rain this afternoon and overnight but the weekend should be nice. I predict that the Rhodies will be a blazing, brilliant pink by Sunday.

(be sure to double click the picture to make it larger)

Rhody Day 3

2009-05-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

The pink just keeps coming. Even though it was cool yesterday and overnight, the pink becomes more and more present.

Rhody Day 2

2009-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Not much changed, but there probably won't be a lot of change day by day unless we get a warm day. It's cool and drizzly today.

Day 2

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! I have had the privilege to have been raised by a wonderful mother. And now I have the privilege to be married to a wonderful mother of our sons. I wish you happy Mother's Day to all the mothers that are reading this.

We have awesome Rhododendron's in our yard. I can brag about them because the spectacular blooms that the bushes produce are not a result of me. They just occur on their own without water or fertilizer. God does it all. To brag about the Rhodies is to brag upon God's handiwork. I am privileged to have them blooming in my yard.We have 14 bushes of the same variety in our gardens. When they are in full bloom the yard is brilliant.

The backyard

The front yard

Mother's Day is when they are in their zenith. But this year they are behind because of the cool weather we have had. My idea is to post a picture each day until they reach their climax. I am going to take a picture of the same Rhodie each day. It will be a sort of time lapse photography session of our Rhodies.

DAY 1
Check back daily to see this Rhody become more and more brilliant

2009-05-11T13:29:00.001-07:00

To have the opportunity to present concerts, promo material is always being requested. In the "old days" jobs were obtained by who you knew. Now, jobs are obtained by how good your DVD is! We are already having to send in promo material to concerts associations for our 2010-2011 season. It's only 2009! Talk about making time rush by. I am living in 2011 when I haven't had half of 2009 yet.
We had a great producer of our video and crew headed by Ryan, who is seated at the harp.

Though the end result is a great recording only 19 minutes in length, there is a great amount of prep work. For 19 minutes, it took 8 hours to record.

Progress in the yard

2009-05-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

We are often asked what it is that we do when we are not doing music. We find enjoyment spending time in the yard and the garden. It inspires us to dig in the dirt.

The season has been cool here in the Northwest. We have a view across the valley. New snow fell on the top of the mountain while spring blooms were emerging on the flowering plums that line the driveway. The winter and spring season were in a battle.

My chopping of the wood has almost been completed, the woodshed is almost full.

We are home

2009-04-03T15:33:00.001-07:00

We had a blast! We enjoy life. We love being on the road meeting people but enjoy being home equally as well. The experiences that came along our way are special and will not be forgotten. I have found that there are good people all over this country. No one spot has a monopoly on high quality kind-hearted people. We look forward to touring the country once again in the fall of 2010.
We had a visitor to our yard while we were gone. A bear wandered to check out the place to see where we were. Some people have Watchdogs. We have Watchbears!
There is a lot of work to do now that we are home. When we don't perform, we enjoy to work in the yard. After not tending to the house for over 6 weeks and the fact that the winter has not been kind here in the Northwest (where is the global warmng anyway?). We had a dusting of snow here, this being April 3rd. Even though when we are away it is our livelihood to be performers, it is much like a vacation. There is no housework, cleaning or cooking.
Spring is around the corner. When you think if us, I will be chopping wood or Katherine will be getting the yard in shape. The pictures are the "before" picture. Check back in awhile to see the "after" picture.

Fort Benton and Highwood, MT

2009-04-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

For personal reasons, Fort Benton was our highlight. We performed in Fort Denton specifically to see our friends from Sultan, Peter and Molly Wilson and there 4 month old son Tobias. Peter and Molly have performed with us at our Christmas concerts. Peter is part of our church family in Sultan. His parents are good friends of ours. For you country fans, Peter's mom is Gretchen Wilson. I must admit that she is not THEE Gretchen Wilson. But I am not THEE Journey (for you long haired rock fans).
Peter and Molly played with us at the concert in Fort Benton. They are both amazingly talented. This is Peter's first year of teaching music in Highwood, MT. We were delighted to bring the harps to Peter's school where his music students delighted us with our own personal concert. The school was presenting a concert for the parents in the evening we were in Highwood.
Here is a photo from our Christmas concert that Peter and Molly played with the other musicians as well.

A Blizzard en route to Montana

2009-04-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

We didn't believe the weather man. There was a blizzard going on in Kansas, the direction we needed to go. So we headed north from Belleville/St Louis through Mark Twain's hometown of Hannibal, MO and into Iowa. We didn't have an opportunity to sightsee. It wasn't heaven (see blog post of two days ago). It was raining heavily all day. The skies cleared by the time we made it to Western Iowa. We spent the night in Sioux City, IO, a city that is in three states; South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.
It was a warm day when we started in the morning as we made our way through South Dakota on Interstate 90. We of course had to stop at the famous Wall Drugstore as we counted the miles down. There were weather reports of snow ahead of us. When we stopped for coffee in Gillette, WY we were told the local report was for snow to start falling at 6:00PM. It was 5:30 at the time and didn't believe the weather report as we walked back to the van, comfortably without wearing a coat, and with our latte in hand. When we left Gillette we hit the cold front and the snow. We stopped earlier than we wanted in Sheridan to spend the night. It was a fortunate thing for us we were able to follow a semi truck through the blinding and thickening snow.
It had snowed all night long. The snow was on the wetter side, as expected for March 30th. The good side of that is that the snow did not blow as much as it would have had it been colder. The down side is that the roads were icier than normal. The roads were closed heading east on Interstate 90 from Sheridan to Wall, SD. We were glad we made it to Sheridan. The roads became increasingly better the further west we drove to Billings. In Lewstown, MT the nice white van was a disaster!

Belleville, IL March 27th

2009-04-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

The United Church of Christ in Belleville, IL has a fantastic music series organized by a group of music loving volunteers. A lot can be done with enthused volunteers. The church presents over 8 concerts durng the season of high quality.
Ron Steen is the group's leader. I am always curious as to how people stumble upon my name and music. Ron "met" me through a local tea shop that plays my music. He was having lunch with his wife Dawn at Rachel's Garden. Rachel's Garden carries my CD because of a former CD distributor of mine who is no longer in business.
The world is connected in so many ways. We do not live in a world of isolation. It's quite impossible to be isolated. Music connects us all in so many ways.
We were quite amused when we stumbed upon a buffet with my name on it. What kind of buffet would it be if it was an actual "journey" to get through it. Unfortunately we could not patronize the restaurant because there was a labor dispute occuring which closed the facility. There was a large banner on display saying unfair Journey is. It was odd seeing someone accusing me of being unfair.
We enjoyed our time in Belleville. The hotel room at the Drury Inn that the music committee furnished for us was one of the best. The weather was warm in the St Louis suburb, but snow was predicted the next evening. We didn't believe it.

On to Belleville, IL

2009-04-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

We enjoy traveling when we can stop and see a sight or two along the way. I have had an interesting conversation with my mother-in-law. My idea of Heaven will be that no one will be wearing watches. We won't have to keep track of time. Katherine tends to lean the same direction. My mother-in-law's view is that is what going to "the other place" will be like. "Everyone will be late" is what she believes. That would not be her idea of Heaven. For me, traveling when there is no schedule is my idea of Heaven. We had a heavenly day driving. I think Katherine enjoyed the time as well, even though I wasn't paying too much attention to time. There is no more "heavenly" spot on earth than Hershey, PA where the famous chocolate is made. I don't think it would be too bad to wait around for someone at a chocolate factory.
The Hershey's were tremendously benevolent people. The Hershey's founded a boarding school for kids who came from disadvantaged circumstances. The Hersheys's were more focused towards the school than the chocolate. The Hershey's used their fortunes from their chocolate empire to fund the school. There is a tremendous lesson for me to learn from the Hershey's. They are an inspiration. It is a good place to visit.
We made a stop in Maryland in the Appalachian city of Cumberland. I was most impressed with the churches in the city as I was in many of the eastern towns. Cumberland is located at the western end of the canal that originated in Washington, DC in the Potomac River. The Cumberland Canal is the only canal remaining that one can walk along it's bank the entire way.
We drove through West Virginia spending the night on the Kentucky line.
Have I mentioned that Daniel Boone is a relative of mine? While driving through Kentucky we stopped at Daniel Boone's gravesite. I am royalty in Kentucky!
While driving through Indiana, we visited Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home. He too is an inspiration. I wonder if our elected leaders have visited these sights?
We arrived in Belleville, ready to present a concert the next day.

Lebanon, PA 3/24

2009-03-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

If Chambersburg was short, Lebanon was even shorter. We only stayed one night in Lebanon. We awoke in Chambersburg and drove to Lebanon Cedarcrest High School to present a program for their music appreciation class and a few band and choir members. The students were engaging and asked good questions.

Our program went very well. It was a melancholy one for me as it marked the end of our community concert season. We had good experiences but best of all were friendships we made along the way.
George is no exception. He is the president of the community concert association in Lebanon. He has overseen the growth of the membership from 300 to over 600. He is a retired teacher who taught in a school in Hershey, PA that gives opportunities to students who come from one disadvantage or another in life. (More about Hershey in my next blog).

Sue Drazba and her husband were in attendance. They found me on iTunes and added my music to their website. It was an honor to meet them.
After the concert we were able to join George and his wife Carol for a Chocolate Sundae and for some brief but nice conversation. George grew up in the entertainment field and continued with his own children. At times the family presented themselves as clowns and at other times they were musicians. Whatever appealed to the audience.

Chambersburg, PA 3/23

2009-03-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

We enjoy performing in historic theaters. The Chambersburg theater is historic! Unfortunately we did not have an opportunity to explore the area, rich with Civil War history. Chambersburg is the only Union town burned by the Confederate Army. There is a memorial fountain in the town circle dedicated to the Union soldiers for their sacrifice.
Shirley Jones, our board member host, gave us a tour of the theater after we were at Corpus Christi School to present a program for the students. To be honest, I was apprehensive when a request was made to go into the schools as much as we have done. To be honest once again, it is the highlight whenever we are in a community to go to the schools. It is rewarding to say the least when a student has been touched by the music.
The president of the Chambersburg association had one of the best ties I have ever been in the presence of. I have never been "in the presence of" a tie before!

We had the privilege of Rick running the sound for us. His daughter, Cory, was an inspired lighting tech helping out her dad. The lighting during the show was done to perfection. When Katherine was featured in a song, the lights highlighted her. And when I was featured, the light highlighted me. Cory is 15 and just had her Wisdom teeth removed! Ouch!!!

Punxsatawney, PA

2009-03-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

One has to mention the weather in Punxsatawney. When we arrived winter was in the air and when we left it was spring!
Punxsatawney is in the middle of coal country and Amish country and natural gas country. The community has a lot going for it in addition to Phil, the most famous groundhog in the world.
On our way to Punxsatawney (Punxsy is what the "locals" call it) we ascended over the Allegheny Mountains. At one time, there was a train that portaged canal boats over the top. Before the railroads, goods were tranported throughout the region via canals. I found it all very interesting. There were many tragic and fatal accidents that occurred when ropes snapped pulling the heavy-laden rail cars up the steep slopes of the mountains.

We stayed at the Hotel Pantall in the center of town in Punxsatawney. We were generously given the Michael Suite which is the size of two rooms. It is a bonus when two harps fill the hotel room. We were pleasantly suprised at the low cost in Punxsatawney for meals. The hotel serves chicken and bisquits all day for $2.95!
We were happy to present a program for the middle school music students on Friday morning. Katherine and I had the rest of the day to explore the region. We visited an Amish bakery.
A highlight for me was a visit to a private persons coal mine. Being made of Welsh blood, I was intrigued by the Pennsylvania coal. Many Welsh immigrants who worked in the coal mines in Wales settled in Pennsylvania. Residents of Pennsylvania have heated their homes and lit their lights by the power of coal energy. I brought a box of coal home. I'll either burn it in the fireplace or give it out as presents at Christmas!

We gave our concert on Saturday night after having dinner with Tom Curry, the community concert board president and Ruth Gordon who is the representative in the region for community concerts. We had a marvelous reception after the concert program in Shirley's home. My 401 song seems to be a hit everywhere we go. Here is a link to the song on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gB5p3keq8
We appreciate being able to meet the local volunteers who make community concerts possible.

On Sunday we had an opportnity to go to church at the First Presbyterian church next to the hotel. It was a very good sermon. And was a privilege to worship there. That is by far the biggest negative for us in our travels is not beig able to attend Sunday church services on a regular basis.
We loaded our harp after church with the help of Matt. Tom and Matt were a big help all weekend.

Culpeper, VA St Patrick's Day and Montpelier

2009-03-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

St Patrick's Day is a bigger deal in the East than the West. There are more parades and more of a conscience awareness about it. At home, Katherine makes Green Eggs Benedict. It takes great but has a very interesting look about it.
The audience was very energetic in Culpeper. Very responsive to what we did. Culpeper was a short 2 hour drive from where we were in Linthicum. We set up our instruments at the high school with the help of the school's music teacher, Adam.

Culpeper has a very active board with many volunteers. Volunteers are the reason that community concert tickets are so reasonable. I don't know why many musical concerts have to have such high priced tickets. If one does the math for the big extravagant entertaining shows, one night can gross a million dollars. We complain about our athletes being high paid what about the rock 'n' roll stars. After thinking about it, I'm going to take some guitar lessons. I don't know if I'll be able to make it with the harp!
The concert went very well. The audience was very generous with the amount of CDs that they purchased. my 401(K) song was a big hit with the audience. Someone phoned the following morning and wanted me to record it on a CD.

Two couples came from far away to attend our concert. We are humbled when people come from so far away just to hear us sing and play. The Fortners traveled from North Carolina. They did the same the last time we were back in the East when we were in Georgia. The Antolowitz's drove all the way from New York. It was our first time meeting them. We will see them again as their daughter has recently moved to Seattle.

We had a day off to explore the Culpeper area. Many of the battles of the Civil War were fought in Virginia. It was the battleground. The Viriginia highway department has done a remarkable job in marking historical spots. One could take years to travel the Virginia roads if all the signs were read.
We visited James Monroe's (the fourth President of the United States) plantation home, Montpelier, located 30 miles south of Culpeper. In 1903, the duPont family purchased the plantation. President Monroe' birthday was 2 days prior to when we were there. That is the reason for all of the gorgeous wreaths in the family cemetery.

(the following has been copied from www.montpelier.org)
"Montpelier had grown into an almost incomprehensible behemoth. The Madisons twice expanded it. There were mid- and late nineteenth-century alterations. And when the wealthy William duPont Sr. bought the home in 1901, he enlarged it from thirty-six rooms above the cellar to 104. He also raised more than 100 structures on the grounds, including a general store. Two of the house's first-floor spaces remained in their Madison-era form.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which in 1984 became Montpelier's ninth owner, asked Colonial Williamsburg's architectural research department in 1997 for help understanding how the house had evolved, and how, renovation to renovation, it had looked.
Despite his accomplishments, Madison is perhaps the least known of the nation's Founding Fathers — although his contemporaries had a deep appreciation of his abilities and his contributions. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, one fellow delegate praised Madison as possessing both the intellectual depth of the scholar and the practical wisdom of the politician, and observed that he was involved in the "management" of every major issue. He was hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" by his peers, and scholars agree that no one had a greater role in shaping American Constitutional theory and in framing the particulars of representative government than James Madison. And, it was at his beloved Montpelier that James Madison's great investigation into the principles and ideas of government occurred. It was at Montpelier where he read, thought, and conceived of the foundation of democracy upon which our country still stands."
The Virginia countryside is beautiful, especially this time of the year when is grass is starting to giveway to hints of green. The rolling hills fall on top of each other looking west to the top of Shenendoah National Park on the crest of the Appalachians. We found rest in Culpeper, VA.

Linthicum and Severna Park, MD

2009-03-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, there will be a time when we will have 3 concerts on 3 consecutive days. With traveling, 3 concerts in a row is stressful. It's certainly not the performing but the setting up, tearing down, packing the van and driving to locations that I am not familiar. I have always said that I word as a van driver for a living and every once in awhile I take my harp out to play.
The usual reasons for not wanting to perform 3 days in a row were alleviated due to their proximity with each other. We could stay in the same hotel in Linthicum and Severna Park.
The concert in Linthicum was held at the Chesapeake Arts Center on Sunday afternoon. Their were many people in attendance, especially for a Sunday afternoon. What was most coincidental for me is that the arts center director is a harp performance graduate from Peabody Institute. It was a pleasure to meet David. He was sympathetic to our needs, knowing the "touchiness" and "moodiness" of a harp. We have met a lot of harpists on our trip this time. I say "a lot." One or two at a concert every so often is a lot. How many harpists do you know?

The following night we were in Severna Park at the high school. The most interesting thing about the stage is that the school was in the middle of a rock 'n' roll show. I loved it because we had the opportunity to perform using an expensive sound system. We had a lighting operator in Pat and a sound person in Matt and great all around help with CDs and loading and unloading in Colleen who's father is the teacher/overseer of the technicians. He is actually someone who has a job as an engineer and does this "techie" stuff as a hobby. Each year the high school students present a rock 'n' roll show that gets bigger and better with each production. I felt like a rock 'n' roll star! The sound system was a $300,000 system if the lighting were included.
The load and unload help was fantastic at both shows.

A day off in Maryland

2009-03-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

It's unusual that community concert locations are near a metropolitan area. But that's what happened when we were "booked" in Linthicum, MD and Severna Park. Linthicum is near the Baltimore, MD airport and Severna Park is only 15 minutes away. We had the luxury of not having to move between concerts which afforded us a day off. We drove 45 minutes to Washington DC and Mt Vernon, home of George and Martha Washington.
What I wouldn't give for more leaders like George Washington. I am not speaking of leaders serving as President but of leaders in every capacity. Leaders in politics and leaders in business. Leaders in the community and leaders at home. When President Washington was elected as President, he was truly serving his country. He was humble. He had such reverence from other leaders in our new country that they wanted him to serve in the capacity of king. He could have been a king and started a new monarchy. But he chose a route of humility and wanted the citizens of our new country to govern. Upon being offered the position of king, he replied, " I have just finished defeating a king (King George), why would I want to be one?" I admire his humility and self restraint and control.
I didn't realize it until our visit to Mt Vernon but a vast amount of his time was dedicated to creating the job description of President. He was made President so now what is he supposed to do? Simple questions such as how is he supposed to be addressed to organizinf the chain of command. Amazing!
The portrait that we see on the dollar bill was completed shortly after dentures were made for him. His cheeks are puffy in the portrait on the dollar bill. He suffered with chronic teeth problems all of his life.

After Mt Vernon we visited the amazing National Cathedral. Unfortunately we could not enter the main portion of the cathedral as it was closed. We arrived too late because of my inability to navigate Washington DC streets. I am used to a grid system. I haven't caught on to the Washiington DC system. The roads are about as efficient as the government that originates from there. The Nationl Cathedral is something that we are not going to miss if we are in Washington DC again. Absolutely stunning!
We also visited the newly constructed World War II Memorial. The veterans of World War II and of all of our wars possess the same charachter as George Washington, a sacrificial heart.
One of the portions of our concerts is my 401(K) song. It gets the biggest response of anything that I do. It's the timing of it all and what is going on currently in our capital city. And speaking of timing, we passed Fannie Mae by coincidence.

"Citigroup and AIG,
There's Bear Stearns and Detroits Big Three
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,
You're givin' me a heart attack.
You don't know where your money went
so ask for help from the government.
Guys like me we'd be in jail.
Unlike banks that are too big to fail."

Seaford, DE March 12

2009-03-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

Phil Livingston is an incredibly interesting fellow. Not only does he volunteer as the president of community concerts in Seaford, DE, he also is a substitute teacher in the high school. Before retiring (yes...he says he is retired) he served in the military and then worked as an investigator for the FBI. No wonder the students behave in his classroom. And no...he wasn't wearing dark glasses. Between his time as an FBI investigator and teaching, he invented the EXPO pen for writing on whiteboards. It's basically "liquid chalk." There is a lot one person can do if time allows. I admire people like Phil.
Phil took us on a brief tour of the area where we stopped by to see the ferry that his son serves as captain of in Woodland, near Seaford. crossing the Nanticoke River. Typically, at a ferry crossing you had to wait for a while until the boat arrived. There was usually a tavern where you could buy food and drink, read newspapers and notices, and exchange information and gossip with other travelers and the local people. in a land that was still thinly populated, a ferry crossing provided an opportunity to socialize. Communities often developed
around ferry landings, as one did at Woodland.

Katherine and I enjoy presenting programs in schools. We were particularly touched by the students in Seaford. We encourage students to try new things like playing a harp. If it weren't due to the fact that I started to play the harp in 6th grade, I might not have been to Seaford, DE. I encourage kids to take a risk in the right direction. Expand horizons while time is on their side and while the pressure of living does not sit squarely on their shoulders as far as earning a living is concerned.

We enjoyed the concert. We appreciate when people support the concert as they have been doing all along our trip. It's easy to say "I don't want to go out tonight." Audiences have been awesome!

A day off in Virginia and on to Seaford, DE

2009-03-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

Our concert in Severna Park, MD on March 10th was rescheduled to March 16th which afforded us an extra day off (but it will be 3 days in a row of concerts later). We took advantage of the "window of opportunity" by driving to our next concert in Delaware on a route that is not the most direct. It is what I enjoy most.
We left Lancaster, OH and drove through West Virginia. The rolling hills of Eastern Ohio were just showing tints of green. The hills became larger as we crossed the Ohio River and entered West Virgina. West Virginia was beautiful. The roads seem to follow a line of Northeast to Southwest due to the direction of the "folding" of the Appalachian Mountains. We noticed the deep, darkness of the dirt at the surface while riding in the van due to the great amount of coal in the soil.
We stayed 2 nights in Richmond, VA. I enjoy history. Before checking out the local history, we had to visit the Virginia Harp Center because I was out of 2 strings for my harp. In Lancaster after the last concert a string broke. I discovered I only had one more extra string which I used. I always carry a complete set of strings. Since replacing my string, I didn't have an extra 3rd octave E. Great fortune for me to be in Richmond where there is a harp store. There aren't too many places were I can get a harp string!

There is an amazing amount of history in Richmond, both from the Civil War era and the Revolutionary period. We spent a day at the Confederate Museum and Hollywood Cemetery. Two Presidents of the United States are interred in Hollywood Cemetery who are James Monroe (5th President) and John Tyler (10th President) as well as Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. It is also the resting place of 25 Confederate generals, the most of any cemetery in the country as well as many confederate soldiers.

My personal thought is that it is good to visit cemeteries once in awhile. It gives me a reason to think about my priorities and what is important. Especially military cemeteries. I appreciate those soldiers that gave their life for their country and fellow citizen and wonder if I have the strength to do the same. One never knows until the time of decision is at hand. I like to think that I would give my life to save someone else for the cause of liberty and freedom. I commend all of our past veterans who have served on my behalf and for all of those soldiers currently doing likewise.

We visited St Johns Church where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death" oration on the church porch the close of the Virginia Convention. It was given March 23rd, 1775 and is credited with persuading the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution to send troops to the Revolutionary War. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were supposedly in attendance. At the end of Patrick Henry's speach, the crowd roared "To arms! To arms!"

The next morning we departed Richmond for Deleware via the Tyler Memorial Parkway where John Tyler's home and plantation was (and is). It continues to be owned and occupied by direct decendents of John Tyler. The farmland is also being farmed. One of the house's claims to fame is the length of the house; over 300 feet. It is supposedly the longest single beam house ever made.

The parkway continues on to Jamestown, the first settlement in this country. What hardship they endured. Another personal thought is that we are spoiled wimps in this country. Two-thirds of the people died in the settlement. The building that continues to stand is the church. Our country was built on faith and by faith. All history points to that fact. I found it curious that Jamestown ended because of rising sea levels. Did global warming start with Jamestown?
We drove to Delaware via the 15 mile bridge and tunnel on the south end of Chesepeake Bay. It was a bit creepy descending under the water. As I pushed on the gas peddle, Katherine asked what the speed limit was to which I responded, "Not fast enough!"

On to Concerts in Ohio

2009-03-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Mt Vernon and Lancaster are charming places. I particularly enjoy when towns retain their central square. Ohio is a beautiful place, just like the song is named "The Beautiful Ohio."
The people are all so friendly. In fact, everywhere we have been we enjoy talking with the citizens best of all.
In Mt Vernon, we performed at a gorgeous theater built in the early 1930's called the Knox Memorial Theater. It was dedicated to those who gave their life in service to the military.
While in Mt Vernon, we had a tour of the previous opera house that currently is going through with ambitious plans of renovation. Most amazing to me was a trough to be filled with kerosene lining the front of the stage in the old opera house to give light. The kerosene was lit the entire length of the front of the stage! No wonder so may opera houses burned to the ground.
We had a fabulous dinner of Indian cuisine in Mt Vernon. I love Indian food and this was particularly delicious. For a meal on the concert night we had an amazing feast. We were given a hot plate of homemade turkey dinner, complete with the dressing and mashed potatoes. We felt like we were back home. Only better because there were no dishes to do! Bill Harper is the president of the community concert organization who is highly organized. Very friendly as well.
We had a Sunday afternoon concert in Lancaster held at a branch campus of the University of Ohio. A special treat for us was the effort that was put forth to give us high quality lighting. Mike was the sound person and Dale was the lighting specialist. Bruce was the "roadie."

In attendance in Lancaster was someone who has purchased all of my CDs, Betty Greve. I think I will make her honorary president of my fan club, if I had one. It's always a joy when I meet people such as Betty.

Bob and Doug were the ones in charge of the concert association.
Of particular importance, Doug's daughter was expecting a baby at any moment. talk about Doug and Bob being committed to community concerts! Doug was to become a grandpa and Bob (Doug's father) was to become a GREAT-grandfather.

The morning we left Lancaster, we presented an assembly at St Marys. We enjoy "picking" on the music teachers at the school by making them a guinea pig to play the harp for the audience. We do this to demonstrate that the harp is similar to the piano. If one can pick out Chopsticks on the piano, it can be plucked out on the harp.

For the concerts in Ohio the newspaper gave us a bit of material by publishing the cities in the country considered to be most "manly." Ohio had 3 in the top 15. The harp is not considered "manly" but playing the Ohio State Fightsong for the manly people in the audience was a relief to their masculinity! I have made a lot of friends in Ohio and all along the way.

March 4th to Kalamazoo

2009-03-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

We enjoy having a few days off so that we can do a bit of sightseeing. On our way to the next dates in Ohio we were able to visit very dear friends in Grand Rapids, MI. We gave a program in a church in Kalamazoo. We enjoy the church concerts in that we can open up and share our faith a bit.

We stopped at an amazing place in Frankenmuth called "Bronners." The name of course is what drew me there. It is the largest Christmas shop in the world.

We also visited Holland, MI on a day off. Katherine's parents immigrated to Canada shortly after World War II from the Netherlands. Katherine is Dutch. We went to "Bronner's" for me and my namesake; we went to Holland for Katherine's quenching of her "roots."

March 1 to Alpena, MI on March 3rd

2009-03-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

From Anoka it's a long drive to Alpena, MI. We decided to travel around the north of Lake Michigan and along the upper peninsula of Michigan. Looking at the impressive coldness of the frozen ice that covered Lake Superior we thought it very ironic that it was snowing in Atlanta, GA.
The people of Michigan living on the upper peninsula are called "Yoopers" and the residents of the state who live on the lower peninsula are called "Trolls" because they live below the expansive bridge that crosses the Macinac Channel and the famous island with like name where the movie with it's gorgeous theme "Somewhere In Time" was filmed. No cars are on the island. This time of year, to get to the island one will have to go by snowmobile or walk there as it is surrounded by ice.

We loved Alpena and it's citizens. We were hosted by David Usher who is very musically involved in Alpena. For a city its size, there is a very active music community. In addition to being president of the community concert group, David is also busy singing in a choir and doing some acting.

In Alpena, there is a seasonal, what I considered, "ice clock." A fountain of water running over a frame made of rebar starts freezes at the start of winter. The water is turned off which creates a wonderful frozen sculpture. Spring arrives in Alpena when the ice sculpture has thawed.

We had great student help in Josh and Brian. We appreciate having help with the sound. It is one less thing that I have to worry about.
The concert day started out with a school assembly (I have been very impressed with the students at all of the schools we have visited). In the faternoon, I was able to go in the hot tub at the hotel before the concert. Who should walk into the pool room but our friend from our cruise, Tony Bowen. They surprised us and came to our concert. We were able to enjoy dinner together at the fabulous chinese restaurant across the parking lot from the hotel.
After the concert, the concert board invited us to a small dessert gathering. After all, March 3rd is my birthday!

2/27-2/28 to the cold north in Anoka, MN

2009-03-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Growing up in the Northwest, I have always known the summers to be not too hot and the winters being not too cold. If Seattle diverges beyond the norm, the city shuts down. If it is too hot, work is not done. If it is too cold and snowy, no one makes it to work to work. Was I ever amazed while we were in Anoka, MN. Life goes on like normal the mercury doesn't rise much above 15 degrees. At concert time on February 28th, the temperature was zero. I thought maybe 25 people would show up. That would be the case if we were in Seattle.
But in Anoka, life goes on as usual. There were almost 1000 people there! We were thrilled.
On the way to Anoka, we were able to have dinner with good friends, the Gaudians, Bryce Cindy and their two children Laura and Caleb at their lovely farm home in Hayward, MN which is very near Albert Lea. Southern Minnesota is famous for being the originator of SPAM. In fact there is a museum in Southern Minnesota where on display in nothing but SPAM products.
We didn't have dinner at the Gaudians but Terriyaki Chicken. We appreciate home cooking being on the road in eating out so often. Bryce is a good friend from way back a long time ago. We met through a mutual friend while Bryce was stationed in Seattle with the Coast Guard.
The harp is like a big baby in the cold. While we ate, I had to keep the engine running so that the car wouldn't get too cold. The harp is a "bear" to tune after it has been in the cold.
After our concert on the 28th, we were invited to a fabulous reception for the community concert board. We enjoy the receptions just as much as they do. Privately I was told that they like to "rub elbows with the artists." If their is dessert involved, I am very happy to oblige! Receptions can't always be done for all the artists because most artists consist of more than two people. It would be difficult to host the St Petersburg Ballet with orchestra in one's home!

Cullman to Monmouth, IL 2/25 to 2/26

2009-03-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

We certainly enjoyed the warmth of the south as we headed north. We new the temperature would fall the more miles we drove north. Driving through Kentucky we were amazed at the damage done by the recent ice storms that devastated the area. For miles and miles, the trees lining the freeways were destroyed.
When we entered Illinois, we began to see old snow that had been pushed in piles. The further we drove north, the more "fresh" the snow became. 4 week-old snow became 3 weeks old until we reached Monmouth. The temperature was not too bad when we arrived. The ironic thing was that the cold that was in the north went south. Instead of "Stars Falling on Alabama" (it's a song) snow fell in the south including Atlanta. We were in the icy north when the south and east were being hit by a major snowstorm. We have been fortunate in every way on our trip, especially the driving weather. We are always aware and mindful that when we are driving in the nice weather, their are others having to deal with driving in the poor weather in other parts of the country. We admire the long haul truck drivers greatly.

The Monmouth venue was a special place, held at the Dahl Chapel on the grounds of Monmouth College. The college is gracious to the concert association as they donate the use of their facilities for the concerts. We had the privilege of playing for students in the Monmouth area.

Sandersville, GA and Cullman, AL Feb 22-24

2009-03-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

A big part of this year's tour is the opportunity to present programs in many school's where we perform. It makes the day a bit longer for us but it is well worth it to meet students in the area we travel. We find the students very eager to hear the harp and enjoy listening to Katherine's voice, especially when Katherine sings out her highest, loudest notes in Phantom of the Opera. The kids eyes become like saucers!
I real treat for us in Sandersville was when our good friends Bill and Penny Rothrock from Jonesboro, Georgia showed up at the concert. They hope to be full-time "RVer's" and brought their trailer to Sandersville for us to see. I mentioned that I never had a problem with envy except for harps. Now I have a problem with RV's! We visited them at their campsite after the concert for cookies and hot c

hocolate.
The following morning on our way out of town, we presented a program for the middle school.
We headed off to Alabama and to Cullman. We have never been to Alabama before and loved it all.

We had an opportunity to be on a local cable station in Cullman in the morning of our concert. I mentioned that I never had a problem with envy except for harps. Now I have a problem with TV stations! I would love to have my own TV station. I could gladly fill the roll of Wayne's World in real life.

We had the joy of sharing our music for the elementary students of St Peters School in the morning and then we were given a tour of "Our Lady of the Angel Monastery in Hanceville, AL a short distance from Cullman by our hosts George and Danny after having a tasty lunch in town. The monestary is nothing short of phenomenal. GO THERE!!!
The concert was held at Wallace State Community College to a very nice crowd.

Brunswick, GA February 20th and 21st

2009-03-06T18:24:00.001-08:00

What a place Brunswick, GA is and it's surroundings. We had an awesome experience there. I was not aware of the history that Brunswick is built coming from the "very young" Northwest of the country. It was once a haven for the rich and famous on Jekyll Island where we stayed. The first telephone call in the country was connected at Jekyll Island. The following is a bit of history taken from the Jekyll Island blog:

AT&T President Theodore Newton Vail also put Jekyll Island, Georgia onto the map when, thanks to his participation, it became a part of telephone history.

On January 25, 1915, the words “Hello, Jekyll Island,” reverberated across the phone lines, as Vail joined a party phone call with President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, DC, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, and Thomas Watson in San Francisco. This thrilling moment marked the ceremonial grand opening of the first transcontinental telephone service."

We appreciated our concert in Brunswick held at the Glynn Academy. The Dorsey's were wonderful hosts. The concert was well attended.

The most fascinating thing of all for me was the Roslyn Rench was in attendance. She is the most respected harp historian for all harpists. She has written an extremely well written book called "Harps and Harpists" that I was carrying in the car underneath my seat. Anything one would like to know about the harp is in her book. Rosyln and her friend Jim treated us to a very nice lunch the following day and invited us into Roslyn's home to see her incredible harps.

" I don't have a problem with envy except in the realm of harps. She has the most exquisite harp ever made in the modern day called a Louis the 14th harp made by Lyon and Healy. We had a great time in Brunswick and it's surroundings.

It' Been a Long Time. Ocala, Fl

2009-03-06T18:15:00.002-08:00

Greetings!
Just like Willie, we are on the road again and loving every minute of it. Of course I have been busy but I don't seem to find a compelling reason to add to my blog when I am at home. We hightailed it directly for Florida from Washington, leaving on the 12th of February and arriving in Ocala on
February 16th. 3100 miles in 5 days. Over 600 miles a day. We were blessed to have favorable driving conditions. We had a brief amount of snow in Eastern Wyoming and fog in Nebraska. That is about it.
We celebrated Valentines Day in Kansas City, MO by going to Applebee's. Thankfully we have a good marriage, very stable and very secure!
We enjoyed our concert in Ocala immensely as it was a return engagement. We felt like we were seeing friends again. Deb Bond is a real "firecracker" with the amount of energy and enthusiasm she has. Katherine and I were invited to the Bond's home for an after concert time with a few on the concert association board. We especially enjoy going to people's homes as we find ourselves in hotel rooms.

It' Been a Long

2009-03-06T18:15:00.001-08:00

Oklahoma to Our Home

2007-06-06T20:18:00.001-07:00

We left Oklahoma City in the morning and headed south to Carlsbad Caverns. It was a long day of driving, continually impressed by how large this country is, especially having to drive across it. I am also amazed at how flat it is. In Washington, we have a lot of hills and mountains. Much of the country is flat, especially the area we traveled on the 9th of April.
We didn’t stop but twice during the day. One stop was in Groom, TX the home of the world’s largest cross. It can be seen from 20 miles away. Please stop in. There are some beautiful sculptures on the grounds at the foot of the cross.
We also stopped in Roswell, NM in search of some aliens but only found replicas. I am sure that some spotted us. We spent the night just outside Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Talk about jaw dropping awe-inspiring! We visited the national park in the morning of the 10th. We wish we had a longer time to visit. As you pass through the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas—filled with prickly pear, chollas, sotols and agaves—you might never guess there are more than 300 known caves beneath the surface. The park contains 113 of these caves, formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone, creating some of the largest caves in North America. Carlsbad is famous for swarms of bats flying out of the cave at sunset. We were not at the park at the time for the bats since they are a type of bat that migrates. The bats were still down south in Mexico which suited me fine.
We continued our westward trip saying good-bye to the lower gas prices. The further west we went the more expensive the gas became. We ended in Tucson for the night (Priceline).
The next day we drove only to Mesa, as we had to give a private program on Friday afternoon the 13th. We enjoyed being snowbirds for a couple of days in the warmth of the desert spring sunshine. When one is in the desert, the weather page is intriguing to find out what the weather is doing back home.
We had to give another private concert in San Francisco on the 14th at night so we left Mesa in the early afternoon on the 13th to drive as far as we could. We ended our day in Tehachapi, CA and said hello to the most expensive gas I had ever seen in my entire life near Barstow.
We made it to our friend’s home in Foster City, CA where we were invited to stay until Tuesday. Most of my time was taken up by writing a song for American Idol. I found out that American Idol had a contest to see who could write the best song for the contestants for next year. My song was not chosen. The show must be “rigged.”
Our concert in Lodi was fun. It was good to play a concert again after being “off” for over a week. The concert was well attended. We headed north, getting ever closer to home where we had not been for quite awhile. We drove north to Eugene (Priceline) to stay the night and made it early on the 19th to give our concert in Canby. It was almost full. Weather had a great deal to do with attendance. It was a perfect day.
We weren’t able to check in to a hotel, as we had to be all the way east in Pendleton, OR the next afternoon on the 20th to give a school assembly. We drove after the Canby concert to The Dalles, OR to stay.
The students were very well behaved for a harp and voice assembly. It was a pleasure to be with them. Seniors from the community were in attendance as well so there was a large chasm in the age groups.
The night program went well in the cowboy rodeo town of Pendleton, OR. We were delighted to spend time with the Mayer’s who organized the concert.
We started on our way to Wallace, ID the next morning traveling through the verdant rolling hills in the southeast corner of our home state of Washington. The spring wheat was beginning to grow. We drove to the top of Steptoe Butte. Steptoe Butte State Park is a 150-acre, 3,612-foot-tall natural monument. Thimble-shaped, the quartzite butte looms in bald grandeur over the prevailing flat lands. Native Americans called the butte "the power mountain." It was believed that a journey to the butte bestowed a gift of power from the mountain's guardian spirit. The butte's present name honors Colonel Edward Steptoe, who gave years of service maintaining peace in the region. His men were killed in a conflict, which he tried to prevent, with Native Americans.
Wallace, ID was built because of the minerals in the area. Today, silver is still being mined from the hills deep below the surface. It is a small town but very friendly. The concert on Sunday went well, although Katherine had a cold. Until the Wallace concert, she has been blessed on the entire trip by not having a cold. She had to sing with a cold. I have no idea how she can do it but she is able to sing with a cold. It comes from not singing through her nose as most people do. A singer with a cold is like a harpist with a hang-nail!
We left on the morning of the 23rd and had breakfast at a real treat of a place in Kingston, ID. It was called the Snakepit. It was cheap, it was good and full of atmosphere.
One of the prettiest drives in the country is in Idaho on Highway 95. We had the pleasure of traveling the highway all the way to Boise on April 23rd. The road took us along the Salmon and Payette rivers, up and down mountain passes and across verdant wheat fields. If you have the chance to take the drive, I urge you to do so.
We ate dinner in the Basque district of Boise. The food is surprisingly different than that of Mexico. Many immigrants came to Southwest Idaho, Southeast Oregon and Northwest Nevada from the Basque portion of Spain many years ago to raise sheep. We visited the old Boise Penitentiary on the morning of our concert.
We gave the Boise concert in the city high school. What an impressive architectural structure for a high school. It resembles a college. I wouldn’t have minded going to high school if I could have attended a school like the one in Boise. The audience was appreciative and the concert was well attended. It was a glorious night. There were some long time friends in the audience. My aunt and uncle lived in Boise for many years. Some in the audience were familiar to my last name because of my aunt and uncle.
On the 25th we headed for Elko, NV via highways 45, 78 and 51. It was the most isolated we felt during our entire trip. I had a lonely feeling of beauty traveling on a sparsely taken road in southwest Idaho.
I didn’t know quite what to expect in Elko, NV with the competition we might have from casinos. Not too many citizens of Elko gamble so we had nothing to fear I later found out. We don’t gamble either. After the concert on the 26th we went out for a dish of ice cream. The only establishment open was a casino. There they had a nickel machine. I put one nickel in and two nickels came out. We left the casino after doubling my money on one try!
Elko is known for their cowboy poetry contest held each winter. I gave me poetry a try. Here it is:
Early dawn we travel down a long and lonely road
Our F-150 horse hauls a heavy load
Carrying our tools, mics harps and a piano
We head out from Boise on the road to Elko

We have the chairmans of Exxon and Chevron to thank
It costs an arm, leg and two toes to fill the tank
Why do I play the harp it doesn’t fit in a car
Why not the fiddle or flute? I should have played the guitar

The harp is angelic sent down from heaven
But to carry it here I need a 747
As we travel down 225 I tremble with fear
The E on the gauge grows uncomfortable near

I’m going to stop lugging this harp; I’m quitting this gig
I’ll be broke filling the tank on my big ol’ rig
My bank account won’t handle it much anymore
Since it costs community concert patrons just 7 bucks at the door

Alas a grand idea, I have nothing to fear
I’m going to play the mouth harp by this time next year

We headed back north to Boise to spend the next night. On our trip back to Boise, we visited Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park. What I found very interesting is that there are only 2 sand dunes. Unlike most dunes, these do not drift far. The prevailing winds blow from the southeast 28 percent of the time and from the northwest 32 percent of the time, keeping the dunes fairly stable. Although there are many small dunes in the area, two prominent dunes cover approximately 600 acres. These two imposing dunes are striking, particularly because they dwarf most of the nearby land features. The westernmost dune is reported to be the largest single-structured sand dune in North America with a peak 470 feet above the level of the lakes. The winds trap the sand in a bowl formed by the walls of the Snake River Canyon. We stayed for our last time courtesy of Priceline at the Doubletree in Boise. We went for a nice walk on a warm, pleasant evening to the Idaho Fish and Game facility, funded by a donation from the Morrison Knudsen Company. The park lead us on an impressive self-guided tour of a manmade trout pond made to look like a beaver dam. The walk had signage describing the lifecylce of native Idaho trout. We strolled bakc to the hotel and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then drove through downtown Boise to the spot where all the nightlife is. My thought while walking downtown is how young the crowd was. People seem to be getting younger and ounger these days. I am ceratin it is not because I am getting older!
The next day we once again had the opportunity to travel on highway 95, this time going the opposite direction. We could see what we missed the first time. We spent the night in Spokane, WA eating at a very nice restaurant. It was at this time that I decided I was looking forward to home. After awhile (3 months) of eating out for every meal, soon a $50.00 meal tastes like a $5.00 meal. I was beginning to not be able to tell the difference between the two. It was time to get home.
On the 29th of April we gave our final concert for the season in Colville, WA. We noticed the gas price getting higher the further west we came. We filled up with gas at a station that was 10 cents a gallon cheaper than the rest. I asked “why the discrepancy” and it was due to the fact that the owner was away when the recent tanker filled the gas tanks. None of the employees knew how to change the price on the pumps. I wish more gas stations would hire employees like that!
The afternoon concert was held at the high school. We found that many towns have wonderful high school auditoriums and Colville was no exception. The audience was very receptive.
The concert chairman, Ron, and his wife treated us to a dinner after the concert. Since we were with company and socializing, the meal was very good. Good conversations are what make meals good. I had prime rib in a restaurant in Kettle Falls.
Katherine and I left for home after dinner. We traveled home along the Columbia River for many miles small highway 25 in Washington. We were getting close to home when we joined highway 2 in Creston, WA as our hometown of Sultan lies on the Stevens Pass Highway, which is also known as highway 2. We drove home with mixed emotions after having enjoyed time together on the road; just like real musicians. We traveled over 20,000 miles in one week less than 3 months! We looked forward to familiar things like our own bed and pillow. We looked backwards at the many nice experiences we had. Highlights often revolved around other people. Relationships make life worthwhile. Fellowship with others is a joy. We are looking forward to 2008-2009 season when we have an opportunity to make new friends again.
It was nice to arrive home, even though it was late. Katherine's parents were here much of the time we were gone taking care of the house and plants. It was a relief to us to have them here. It was nice to be home in the garden. I don't even mind the weeding after being gone for so long. But we do kind of miss the free housekeepping services in the hotel

Ponca City-Valparaiso, IN

2007-05-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ponca City, OK was one of the more pleasant cities we visited. We enjoyed the city because of the investment that business leaders made in the city many years ago. Ponca City is an oil town. The foundation was built on oil. Because of the generosity of business leaders, the town is architecturally a pleasant site with all of its’ art deco mansions. Conoco Phillips was born in Ponca City. E. W. Marland was a wealthy tycoon who paid his employees well. Katherine and I toured Marland Estate Mansion, one of America's castles. It is a showplace containing approximately 48,000 square feet spread over four floors -- complete with leather-lined elevator, twelve bathrooms, three kitchens, an elegant ballroom with 24-karat gold leaf-covered ceiling worth over $1.4 million, and seven fireplaces. The workmanship and beauty provide an aura of simplicity in grandeur, impossible to reproduce today. The Mansion is a National Historical Landmark.
The concert was well attended even though there was a threat of thundershowers. The threat came to fruition and it poured!
We left Ponca City the next day to head north a short drive to our next destination for a concert; El Dorado, KS, near Wichita. There was an oil museum in town that we visited. The museum emphasized what it was like to live in an oil boomtown. The large outdoor exhibit contained a reconstructed Midwest town with stores and barbershops on display.
Since the travel distance was short from Ponca City, we had a chance on the 23rd after we set up our instruments to go into Wichita to tour the cattle town, have dinner and see a movie. Please be sure to see Amazing Grace.
The concert went well although it was one of our smallest crowds. Kansas’s folks are intense over basketball. Our concert was held on the same night as the Kansas-UCLA final 64-tournament game. Basketball is more of a hindrance to harp concerts than thunderstorms!
After the concert on the 24th, we treated ourselves to the Sonic drive-in, an institution in the Midwest. It was a delicious high caloric treat!
We headed to Missouri on the morning of the 25th to Bolivar via Fort Scott. Being a Sunday we thought for sure we could listen to a radio sermon but were surprised to not come across one in the outer ring of the Bible belt.
Fort Scott was built on the outer frontier and served many different functions in its history. From 1869-73, soldiers were stationed near Fort Scott to protect a railroad being built through this area. Soldiers fought squatters who had formed an armed resistance to the railroad. This was one of few times in U.S. history that the army took up arms against civilians. The military hospital was fascinating displaying its’ archaic medical implements of war. More people died because of infection than by the initial bullet.
We arrived in Bolivar, MO in the late afternoon, checked in to the hotel and drove 30 miles south to Springfield to attend a church service with close friends of Katherine’s (long story). We were invited to the pastor’s home (they are the close friends) after church for delicious soup and bread where we enjoyed a family evening together.
We set-up for our concert the next morning. The concert was held in the auditorium of Southwest Baptist University. The crowd was pleasant filled with college students, which I enjoyed.
We left for Georgia on the 27th traveling as far as Nashville, TN. We traveled on pretty roads decorated with trees of spring that meandered through the Ozarks of southern Missouri. We stayed at another Priceline hotel near the Opryland Hotel for $50.00 arriving quite late. We left Nashville in the morning with a goal of seeing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and our anti climatic highlight of Pigeon Forge.
The Great Smokies was well worth the visit. I’d drive a long distance again just to visit the national park. We visited Cades Cove, inhabited many years ago by pioneers living in a harsh wilderness. There was a memorable cemetery that we wandered through. We were struck by how many children perished.
Friends don’t let friends go to Pigeon Forge, at least my friends should have warned me not to go. Talk about a tourist trap! Wax museums and all the other entrapments in the beautiful Smoky Mountains! With my diatribe, I don’t think I will be expecting an invitation to play my harp in Pigeon Forge, TN.
We arrived late in Tekoa, GA on the 28th, greeted by our good friends, Bill and Penny Rothrock. They traveled 2 hours north to be a tour guides to in north Georgia and to attend our concert. I met the Rothrocks in Seattle over 15 years ago when I played my harp at the Marriott Hotel. Bill and Penny drove us around to the sights of Georgia on the 29th. We visited Tallulah Gorge and state park. A couple of well-known high wire walkers tight roped across the gorge. Although barely 3 miles long and a quarter-mile wide the cliffs at one point drop 1200 feet to the bottom of the gorge. Twice men have ventured across the tear in the fabric of Mother Earth, both times successfully. Professor Leon made it across on July 24, 1886 and Karl Wallenda repeated the feat 84 years less one week later (July 18, 1970).
By coincidence, Bill and Penny met some friends of their’s at the state park who attended the concert. An acquaintance of mine Emile Pandolfi (yes the famous piano player) and his wife Judy also attended the concert. I consider them my friends now. It was an honor to have them at our concert in Tekoa. The concert was well attended. We had friends from Mebane, NC, Charles and Carol Fortner attend the concert as well. By coincidence, they stayed at the same hotel. We followed in the footsteps of Mickey Rooney as he was the entertainer the prior month for the Tekoa arts series.
The following day, Bill, Penny, Katherine and I drove north to have lunch and to visit Emile at his studio in Greensboro, SC to be amazed at his piano virtuosity (and his amazing card tricks)! We then left south for Bill and Penny’s home to stay a couple of days in Jonesboro, GA. It was a blessing to have them as hosts for us. It felt good to feel like we were at home. The Rothrocks took us to a gorgeous place called Callaway Gardens south of their home. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place quite like Callaway Gardens. Go there!
We had the opportunity to attend church service on Palm Sunday with Bill and Penny and started heading north to Nashville. We had our first little scare with automobile trouble when the brake light came on. We discovered that we had a leak in our brake fluid line. Its uncomfortable when the brake peddle touches the floor. It seems that the lights turn red more often when brakes are bad. We purchased brake fluid at a gas station to solve the problem temporarily.
We found another Priceline in Nashville where we stayed a day. We visited “corporate headquarters” that has organized our wonderful concert tour. Lou and Stacy treated us to lunch and were given the good news that we have been asked to return for another concert trip in the 2008-2009 season.
On the morning of April 3rd we left Nashville to head to Valparaiso, IN. We stopped for a visit at Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the cave system and a part of the Green River valley and hilly country of south central Kentucky. This is the world's longest cave system, with more than 365 miles explored. Early guide Stephen Bishop called the cave a "grand, gloomy and peculiar place," but its vast chambers and complex labyrinths have earned its name: Mammoth.
Thundershowers and tornado warnings were posted in Indiana. Wow…! We went through the front of black clouds. The van felt like it was lifted off the ground for a moment. I was flying a 747! We met an inovative man with his unique bicyle carrying his little dog at a gas station.
We were in Valparaiso by evening and were greeted by snow. Snow in April in the Chicago area is not unheard of but certainly it shouldn’t be happening in this day of greenhouse warming.
The morning of the concert, I had the brakes fixed and set up the instruments. The concert was not as well attended as usual because of the snow and it being Wednesday of Holy Week. The concert went well.
On Thursday the 5th we drove to Grand Rapids, MI to go to an evening Maundy Thursday service at a church where Katherine’s former music professor (and good friend) is the music conductor. He asked Katherine to sing in the choir while Mrs. Groetenhuis and sat in the congregation. It snowed most of the day.
On Good Friday we stayed around Valparaiso to go to the University Cathedral and listen to the Seven Last Words performed by the students at noon and then return to hear a sermon at 3:00. We hadn’t been able to attend church too much so we certainly made up for it during our time in Valparaiso.
We left on Saturday to be in Mesa, AZ by Friday April 13th to give a program. We were able to drive as far as Springfield, MO. We attended the same church for Easter that we attended two weeks prior on a Sunday night, our friends Phil and Joy Groetenhuis. Phil asked me to bring my harp in from the car and join in on a few songs. We stayed for the potluck and headed on our way again, arriving in Oklahoma City in the early evening.

2006 Christmas concerts

2006-12-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas concerts are over. I am always a little bit “glum” when they are over as I enjoy them so much. The people who come are always genuinely nice people. Many friends come. It is always good to see friends. I almost hate charging for our concerts as they are so much fun for me. But if we didn’t charge a ticket price, I’d have to get a REAL job!!!
A highlight of our concerts is when we play Jingle Bells. It has become somewhat of a tradition to play that song. One year I didn’t play Jingle Bells and I got an ear-full of “How come you didn’t play Jingle Bells?” When we perform Jingle Bells, we ask members of the audience who bring bells to come up on the stage and join us and shake their bells. It is tough to get the first 2 or 3 to come forward but once the first few come up on the stage we are joined by a lot of people. I ask the ones who brought bells if there is anyone with a special story about their bells. In the Everett concert on 12/15 Ron Love brought silver bells dating to the 1880’s from his grandfather’s sleigh. Ron’s grandfather was the first principal of Snohomish High School.
We had sold-out concerts in Kirkland on 12/11, Everett on 12/15 and Issaquah on 12/18. Issaquah was almost canceled as there was no power until 12:45 in the afternoon on 12/18. I received the phone call while eating lunch. I was kind of depressed about the power and what a change of disposition I had with a short sentence from the house manager saying, “The power is on!”
Auburn on 12/16 was almost full. It is a larger hall than the rest seating over 1000 people. I had special guests with me called the “South Sounds Strings,” a 25-member harp ensemble organized by Pat Wooster. Also with us is a renaissance-folk group called Erwillian, consisting of interesting instruments that blend well with the harp. They have guitars, whistles, recorders and dulcimers. They have become good friends over the last couple of years. In the group are Jordan, Scott, Robert Bethel and Jeff. With Erwillian, my harp and the 25 other harps, there were over 1200 individual strings on the stage at one time!
12/17 in Mt Vernon went very well. I was a bit concerned about the attendance since the date was changed due to the bad roads on 11/29 when it was first scheduled. Along with us in Mt Vernon was a choir from Wenatchee called the Wenatchee Men's Apollo Chorus. They are a bunch of normal guys who like to sing normal songs. Some are apple farmers, some are truck drivers and some are retired. I think of myself as a normal guy who happens to play the harp that likes to play normal songs.
The other performers with Katherine and myself for our concerts was Robert Puff who plays woodwinds, Ben Rud on percussions and Peter Wilson on the keyboard. Jon Pardue shared the keyboard with Peter on the dates Peter could not be there. Peter is getting married on 12/30 and had to be in Idaho while we had a few concerts to help make wedding plans. In Everett Peter’s fiancé Molly was able to join us in one concert with her fiddle/violin playing.
On 12/11 in Kirkland and 12/18 in Issaquah a friend of ours, Ken Gayle joined us with his gorgeous tenor voice. He sings with the Houston opera now. He comes home to Seattle to visit his family and we like to have him sing with us when he is available. He has hit the “big time” now. It is an honor to have him with us.
For all of our concerts, we serve Bronn-ies and coffee during intermission. It is used as a fundraiser for the Sultan High School band parents group with the donations that are received. Kris Pardue, the wife of Jon Pardue who played the piano with us made 2000
Bronn-ies this year! They were excellent, the best ever!
A song highlight was the song from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I always like to play a song the one wouldn’t usually here on the harp to give a bit of a surprise to those that don’t know what a harp can sound like. It went over very well. When the piano starts in with the familiar bass pattern, there are giggles of surprise from the crowd.
We hope that you can attend a concert sometime, whether when we are near to you or if ever you are in Seattle at Christmas time. We had a great 25th year of performing our Christmas concerts. We look forward to many more years. We can’t thank you enough for your support.

My song in honor of the Northwest Power Outages

2006-12-22T09:25:00.000-08:00

We have a had a challenging November and December weatherwise. I wrote a song in honor of the recent power outages in the Northwest due to the fierce windstorm that blew with hurricane force winds the night of December 14th. Over 1,000,000 customers on the power gride were out of power.

Sung to the tune of "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."

All I want for Christmas is the power back on

Man it’s cold!

And my feeling’s gone.

Gee if I could have the heat turned on

My skin wouldn’t be blue for Christmas.

It seems so long since I could see

My favorite show on my cable TV

Gosh oh gee how happy I’d be

To see a truck from the utility

All I want for Christmas is for PSE

To rescue me

From my misery

Can someone please remove the tree

That keeps me from my electricity.

The window’s developed a frame of mold

My freezers warm and my shower’s cold

Gee O Gee how bad I smell

I am smelling as bad as…….

All I want for Christmas is the power back on

Man it’s cold!

And my cable’s gone.

Gee if I could have the heat turned on

My skin wouldn’t be blue for Christmas.

Portland and Hillsboro-December 8 and 9

2006-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

We love giving concerts for our neighbors in the south in Portland and Hillsboro. I like Oregon because they have gas station attendants who pump gas for you. And there is no sales tax. What more could you ask from a state?
The concert in Portland was on Friday December 9 at the Old Church in downtown Portland. A prominent architect in the Portland area who had built many buildings in the Boston area built the Old Church in the 1880’s. The church has a very large gothic styled steeple. The Presbyterian congregation that built the church outgrew the building. Many different congregations occupied the building during its history and now it is a venue for concerts and weddings. The acoustics are wonderful.
We all (Katherine’s parents, my brother and my mom) went to Portland for the weekend. Our friend Jon Pardue also joined us as a musician onstage. He is a great jazz piano player who filled the holes nicely and created some additional great sound. A favorite of the audience is when I play something for people who don’t want to be at a harp concert. This year I am playing the theme from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, which seems to be a hit for those that don’t want to be at the concert. I always ask to see the hands of those that don’t want to be there. Laughter erupted from the front row from a wife who must have had the exact conversation that I can picture when I think of people coming to a harp concert. Her husband did not want to be there. The coincidental aspect is that this nice man’s name was Charlie. It couldn’t have been scripted any better!
I enjoy living a musician life. Part of that life is going out to eat after the concerts. I felt bad for my mother-in-law Nell and my mom Betty as we sat in the booth waiting for our food. Betty and Nell needed each other to prop themselves up as they are used to much more reasonable bedtimes. We found a tremendous place to go for dinner, serving breakfast all night and open until 3:00AM. It was very reasonably priced called “The Stepping Stone” on 23rd Ave in West Portland. We will find ourselves there again when we visit Portland.
In the morning Jon, my brother Park and I packed up at the Old Church. We had time to return to the hotel to go for a walk and sit in the hot tub before we gave our concert. We headed to Orenco Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro. An extremely friendly group greeted us at Orenco. The concert went well. There were many friends in the audience and quite a few “newbie’s.” I like having the new audience members. I like to think that our concerts aren’t the typical harp and voice concerts. We play for those that don’t want to be there!
We ate another late night supper at a McMeneman’s Brewery, a local popular establishment in Portland open late. We don’t have a lot of choice where to go when we want dinner at 11:00.
We woke on Sunday and attended First Presbyterian Church in downtown Portland and headed back north on I-5 and Sultan.

Leavenworth, WA concerts

2006-12-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of our annual musical highlights are the concerts we give in Leavenworth, WA. Leavenworth was voted as the top Christmas town in the USA by a major travel magazine. Leavenworth reinvented itself as a Bavarian themes town with quaint gift shops and plenty of saurkraut!
Our concerts in Leavenworth are small and intimate. Santa Claus or more properly “Father Christmas” makes an appearance each night. It is really awesome to be introduced by St. Nick! The concerts are a bit shorter in length as they are geared towards tour groups. But all are welcomed. The concert attendance ranges from 70-100 each night. We were in Leavenworth this year for 10 concerts. Tonight will be our last.
Leavenworth is 75 miles east over Stevens Pass from our home in Sultan. I think I will be putting chains on the van tonight.

Olympia and Mt Vernon (rescheduled)

2006-12-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

It’s easy for me to get into the “Christmas Spirit” when the snow begins to fall. Seattle had a breath of the Arctic on Monday after Thanksgiving. What a great amount of “drama” happens when Seattle gets a touch of snow. It caught Seattle and it’s residents off guard as snow always seems to do. No one expects snow in Seattle and no one expects the mercury to go as low as it did. In Sultan on Tuesday night on 12/28 we went down to 15 degrees. Plenty chilly for us.
As far as concerts go, the cold weather is not conducive for harp concert patrons. We had no options for our concert in Olympia on 12/28 so we had to perform with the “show must go on” attitude. Attendance was greatly reduced because of the icy roads. What the audience lacked in numbers was made up for by their enthusiasm. It was a great show made very intimate by the smaller crowd. The theater manager said that our show had more presale show tickets than any other show in the theaters short history of being open only a year. The Kenneth Minnaert Center for the Arts is a gorgeous place to give a concert. We will be back next year.
On 12/29 we were scheduled to give a concert in Mt Vernon. The box office manager from McIntyre Hall strongly urged us to reschedule our concert. Fortunately, the theater and Katherine and my schedule had one date that was open for both of us. It would be odd to reschedule a Christmas concert after Christmas! We will be in Mt Vernon on December 17th. In all of my 25 years of giving concerts, I have never rescheduled or cancelled a concert. The box office was willing to phone all of the patrons who purchased tickets so that none would venture on to the icy streets. We are looking forward to Mt Vernon and all of the friends we have coming to hear us.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving.

We are home. It’s a great place to be after being gone for two months. So what do we do for Thanksgiving? We leave!!!
My side of the family goes to Lake Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Lake Quilault is in the heart of the rain forest where it receives more than 13 feet of rain per year! This year Lake Quinault received 4 feet of rain on November alone.
Katherine’s family lives in Canada where Thanksgiving is celebrated the first weekend of October.
We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Bronn and Katherine and family.

Crescent City, CA Roseburg, OR and Moses Lake, WA

2006-11-29T16:54:00.000-08:00

Paso Robles to Crescent City is a long way. California is a good state to divide in half to make one of the states the 51st! We decided not to drive the entire distance to Crescent City in one day as we had a day between concerts. We drove for most of the day up highway 101 and then to hwy 1 through San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and stopping at dinner time in Ukiah.
What a surprise to see our hometown of Sultan, WA in the headlines on the national news. When we saw our town o FOX news we knew it must be flood season. The only time Sultan is on the news is when it floods. There was a 20 pound salmon swimming up Main Street in front of the Chinese restaurant. The Chinese restaurant has excellent fresh seafood. The fish swim right to their door!
We left the gorgeous fall weather in Ukiah as we headed for the coast. By the time we hit Eureka on the coast, it started to rain. It was the first day of rain we have had for almost 2 months. We can’t complain. By the time we reached Crescent City, it was a deluge. We made up for the lack of rain for two months in one day. It was the first time we had to unload the van in the rain. We appreciated our wonderful weather.
We stayed in Crescent City at the Curly Redwood Inn. STAY THERE!! The motel is made from ONE tree. It is a charming cozy motel. The best for us in the rain was undercover parking to unpack without getting wet.
There hasn’t been a concert that we haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. All of the concerts have been grand. The Crescent City crowd was full of enthusiasm. A highlight was having Menno and Jinny May in the audience. They are the “big shots” who got us on board with community concerts. Very nice people.
We left in the morning for Roseburg, traveling through the impressive Coastal Redwoods via Grants Pass and up I-5. We stopped for Chinese food in Grants Pass. It must have been the fish in Sultan swimming in front of the Chinese restaurant that madde me crave Chinese food.
We set up at auditorium at Umpqua College in Roseburg and then had dinner at the home of John and Jennie Burpee. They have an Oak tree that is more than 200 years old in their front yard. Most everyone in the Roseburg community knows Dr. Burpee as he is Roseburg’s opthamologist. Jennie fed us a nice lunch and then also volunteered to sell CDs during intermission for us. Jennie Burpee was voted as “Roseburg’s Citizen of the Year.” She gets to ride in the lead car in the Roseburg parade this year!
Katherine and I like to stay overnight in the town that we perform as we can pack up our equipment the next day instead of bringing the harp and all of it’s entanglements into the motel room each night. But we had a long way to go for the next night’s concert in Moses Lake so we decided to drive a couple of hours north to Albany to spend the night.
We left Albany for Moses Lake via the Columbia Gorge. With all of the rain, Multnomah Falls was impressive. I always thought that Multnomah Falls was Oregon’s most visited sight. The most visited sight is actually the Tillamook Cheese Factory!
We crossed the Columbia River in Bonneville and aimed towards hwy 97 and Satus Pass. On the way up Satus Pass there is a very interesting coffee shop, owned by a Greek Monastery to earn money for the nuns. We had some Greek treats along with Greek coffee. I am sure the coffee was good but was not entirely to my “taste.” I always like trying something new once. I don’t think that I will be making an effort to acquire a taste for Greek coffee. There is something odd about chewing coffee!
We checked into the Holiday Inn Express in Moses Lake before the concert and then set up at the Wallenstein Theatre at Big bend Community College. Bruce was a huge help. Not only a huge help but a very nice person. I knew him from the Methodist Church in Moses Lake when Katherine and I gave a Christmas concert a few years ago. I was blessed to have some young harpist in the audience who came quite a distance to hear me. I got a "big head" from it as they were in "awe" of me. Katherine helped me get over my big head in a hurry!
We left for home on the 10th excited to arrive home and filled with anticipation when we can get on the road again. This is a fun time in our life. We are making terrific memories and meeting many quality people. We are very appreciative of all those that are supporting us and our music that we make. Music is a wonderful gift that we (as in all of the world) have been given. I am appreciative that we can make live music and am thankful that there are people wanting to hear our music that we make. There is nothing like LIVE music. I am thankful for the patrons of community concerts who support LIVE music. LIVE music is a once in a lifetime experience that can never be repeated. Each concert is unique. There weren’t two concerts that were exactly the same. Please come out and see us sometime!

10/31-11/5 Lompoc, Orcutt and Paso Robles, CA

2006-11-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

10/31- 11/5 Lompoc, Orcutt, and Paso Robles
Everywhere we stopped we were given candy as it was Halloween. At a bank in Turlock, one teller was dressed in a costume that made him look like he was going to rob the place. Quite a sense of humor for a bank teller! I don’t think I will try that costume on as a customer. Maybe next year for Halloween I will dress up like a bank teller.
It was very difficult to find an espresso for the car in Turlock. Eventually we found one and were on our way heading south on 99 to Fresno.
In Sioux Falls, we purchased a Golden Eagle Pass to our countries National Parks which is good for one year. We have decided to visit National Parks that are close (within reason) to where we are traveling. The next concert was on November 3rd so we had a couple of days to sightsee. We decided to spend the night at Wuksachi Lodge, a “neo-rustic” lodge in Sequoia National Park.
We left highway 99 in Fresno for highway 180 traveling through orange groves on the outskirts of town. We entered the chaparral (California’s sagebrush) filled with oak and buckeye, climbing ever higher to the crown of the Sierra Nevada in Kings Canyon National Park. An interesting note is that missionaries named the canyon after the three kings visiting the nativity. That is why there is not an apostrophe in the word “Kings.” “Kings” is plural.
Kings Canyon is billed as the deepest gorge in North America. It’s deeper than Grand Canyon in Arizona. I almost got in a “fist-i-cuff” with a ranger. Earlier we visited Hell’s Canyon, also billed as the nations deepest gorge, deeper than Grand Canyon. I told the ranger “what’s for.” It was Halloween and I pretended to be an obnoxious tourist!
The ranger told me that there are three different types of canyons. The Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is the classic canyon carved from a plateau on both sides. The Snake River of the Hell’s Canyon travels through high mountains. Measuring from mountain peak to mountain peak, the canyon is the deepest in the world. The south fork of the Kings River traveling through Kings Canyon has higher mountains than Hell’s Canyon but only on one side. Measuring from the highest peak in Kings Canyon to the river level makes Kings Canyon the deepest canyon. All three canyons have their own unique marvelous sights standing on their own merit. Grand Canyon is still the “grandest” canyon of them all as it is used as the measuring stick for all canyons. There are many things in Kings Canyon and Hell’s Canyon that aren’t in the Grand Canyon.
We loved the fact that the road descends to the bottom of Kings Canyon. We felt very small and insignificant winding on the road the clings to the sides of the massive cliffs. We were a bit disappointed that there was controlled burning occurring to prevent forest fires, leading to smoke in the valley. It is a necessary evil.
Up from the canyon we drove and made it to the lodge shortly after dark. We unloaded the car and had dinner in the dining room being served by someone in a clown outfit. They had gorilla waiters on Halloween. It turned out that there was a Halloween staff party in the banquet room.
On Wednesday, we visited Sequoia National Park. The trees are magnificent. Through the efforts of John Muir, our countries second national park was established, mainly to preserve the giant trees. Sequoia trees are voluminous because of their age. They do not die. Not only are the Giant Sequoias the largest living things, they are also the oldest. The particular ecosystem that the giant trees thrive is quite small. One-third of the area had been logged. 150 years ago it would take two men two weeks to fell a tree. Walking through the forest of the giant trees was almost like being in church.
We did a bit of walking such as out to the top of Moro rock. From one side, it looks like an impressive climb. The back side there is a road that goes most of the way to the top to where stairs were carved in the rock to help hikers have sure footing. Beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada range! We left the national parks inspired on highway 198 and headed off to the coast on highway 41 to Paso Robles to stay with new friends, the O’Farrells. We met Steve and Paula in San Francisco at a show. Through their great generosity and trustworthiness in their fellow man we were asked to stay with them in their cute apartment above their wine making shop. Steve is an avid hobbyist winemaker. He told me, “If you want to make a small fortune in wine, you need to start with a large fortune.” They have a very nice home. Paula plays the harp so we were had a connection through the harp. On top of that, Steve likes football so we were able to see the Monday Night Football game when we arrived. Paula fixed a light dinner for us and Steve showed us our lodging for five nights! It was very pleasant to stay in one place for so long. We had our privacy and were actually able to unpack our suitcase.
On Wednesday, I played my harp in a store in Cambria, CA that sells our music, called “Ellen’s Cottage.” I am honored that they play my music in their store. I greeted customers and tried to play their requests. In fun to play off of the stage once in awhile to meet people face to face.
We took a drive to Hearst castle on the coast at San Simeon and walked out to the end of the pier Mr. Hearst constructed for the ships that delivered building materials to his estate. What a life. I know exactly how much money Mr. Hearst left when he died. He left all of it. Walking to the end of the pier, it’s as if Mr. Hearst built the pier for me. He left it and now everyone else can enjoy it. That was very nice of him!
We were back at the “farm” to go with the O’Farrells for dinner in a very nice French restaurant in Paso Robles. It was fabulous. An 8 course dinner counting the glasses of wine. We loved every course except one particular style of cheese. I am sure it was supposed to smell “that” way. I am sure it was supposed to taste good. But if the cheese were bad or rancid, I don’t think one could tell. I have never had cheese as strong as that. The cheese was from France. It must have been delivered by way of foot travel many years ago. The actual translation of the cheese’ name is “monk’s head.”
On Friday we gave a concert in Lompoc, 90 miles south of Paso Robles. We were treated by the Wilson’s to a tour of the many murals adorning the buildings of Lompoc. The town is running out of blank walls suitable for the murals, many which tell a historic story of Lompoc. The Wilson’s treated us to a nice early supper at an Italian restaurant before the concert.
The concert was held in a church. I love the acoustics and ambience in a church. Lynn was the tech person helping us out. He is a techie for the techies. He had a metre machine that would tell where the best spot was to place speakers. He was knowledgeable and showed me a better way to connect the electric keyboard for a better sound. We were also given many cookies. I love it when that happens.
On Saturday, we gave a concert in Orcutt at the Orcutt Presbyterian Church organized by our good friends, Diane and Ken Parker. We have given concerts in their church for quite a few years every other year. Ken is a huge fan of USC, being a graduate with an education doctorate. I keep telling him to watch out for my UW Huskies. They almost beat USC this year. Ken and Diane treated us to a grand lunch at the Santa Maria Inn. Many stars from Hollywood stayed there. I had a huge salad big enough to feed a farm of rabbits. I sat next to Pastor Bob and had a pleasant conversation.
The concert went well. Diane helped to sell CDs after. She asked me to play at church the following day with the choir which I enjoyed doing a lot. Sometimes, if I am not asked to play at church when we are out of town, then it is easy to simply not attend. We’ll be back there in a couple of years.
We had an afternoon concert in Paso Robles held at Trinity Lutheran Church. The earthquake a few years ago in Paso Robles damaged the performing arts center so severely that the building was condemned. We enjoyed playing at the church. It was quite a shock and surprise to see a former high school friend in the front row at our concert. To think we were all the way from Washington State in Southern California and to run into an alumni from Nathan Hale, class of ’79 is amazing to me. Not only that, Sue is the one I took to the prom! There was a good friend of my mom’s at the concert as well from Moro Bay, Mrs. Jones. It’s good to see friends.
We were back at the O”Farrells’ for a dinner and to enjoy their new addition to their family, Sadie, a chocolate lab. We had nice a conversation for a few hours and played Paula’s harp to see how it sounded. It is a very nice lever harp from Triplett Harps in San Luis Obispo. It was a joy to become acquainted with new friends and to touch bases with old ones.

Oatmeal and 10/25 -10/30 Folsom,CA, Los Gatos, CA and Turlock, CA

2006-11-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal
10/25 -10/30 Folsom,CA, Los Gatos, CA and Turlock, CA

Some people say San Francisco is in Northern California. If that is so, where would those same people say Yreka, CA is? Katherine and I met our good friend Dan Daniels in Yreka for a late breakfast at Grandma’s Diner after we left Grants Pass. Dan is a pastor friend of ours who has a passion for what he does. I don’t care what someone does, it’s refreshing to see passionate people doing their best at what they do. We had oatmeal. I would much prefer having 3 egg omelets and hash browns every morning but I only brought so many jeans that fit. Katherine thinks I get crabby when I eat too much oatmeal. I guess I do. I have a bad attitude about oatmeal. You could say that I am not passionate about my oatmeal.
We drove the back road to Folsom, leaving I-5 at Mt Shasta on Hwy 89 past the quaint town of McCloud on the southern flank of Mt Shasta. It was a logging town that went “out of business” with the spotted owl. We had a latte for the car at the McCloud Mercantile where I left my notebook full of phone messages. I discovered my mistake 100 miles south and kindly the owner FAXED all of our messages to us down in Chico at a Office Depot store. With the cost of FAXING per page, it may have been cheaper to drive back 100 miles to pick up the book!
We drove around Lassen Peak National Park. If we had time we would have scrambled up the peak. The mountain is 10,457 feet high but the road climbs to over 8,500 feet. Next time we will bring our hiking shoes. It was a fabulously beautiful day. The blues were strong in the sky with a crisp northerly wind. It was an interesting park and a beautiful one as well. THIS is Northern California.
We made it to Folsom after dark and a bit too late for a decent dinner other than an all night kind of place. Good thing I had my oatmeal for breakfast! We found a place to stay downtown Folsom that is on the lake. We were able to drop off our equipment at the concert venue which was the Folsom Community Center on our way to have a salad.
On the 26th we woke and went for a drive through the Gold Country of California along Hwy 49 to see Sutter’s Mill. It’s amazing what change comes with the discovery of gold. Money is a catalyst for change; it certainly continues to be so today.
The concert at night was a joy. It was a crowd very enthusiastic and enjoyed being at the concert. It was a bit smaller crowd than what we have had but easily made up for it by their appreciative nature. As always, the tech help was great.
On the morning of the 27th, we had breakfast in the charming historic section of Folsom; walking distance from the hotel. I DIDN’T have oatmeal! It was a great breakfast of a 3 egg omelet with spinach and mushrooms and ham. I was good and had no cheese. Katherine said I was only mildly crabby. The coffee was good.
We took a drive through the Napa Valley, leaving I-80 at Davis, traveling over Hwy 128 to St. Helena. We stopped at a great drive in called Taylor’s. The seating was outdoors on the nice lawn. We split a chicken salad. We drove to a famous historic winery called Beringer Winery. Gone are the days of free wine tasting. We couldn’t afford a bottle of wine and hardly were able to let ourselves spend the money for the wine tasting. We ended sharing the wine tasting. The gardens were gorgeous. The Beringer Winery has an Oak tree on it's grounds that has been alive since the signing of the American Constitution. They pay the groundskeepers from the wine tasting, I am sure. They must be very wealthy!
Continuing on, we wound our way through Santa Rosa and on to the Coast Highway, Highway 1. We were able to drive to the end of the road at Point Reyes Nat’l Seashore. Two items of interest to me are the lighthouse and the epicenter of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. I found the lighthouse interesting because of it's short stature. It is short because the light needs to shine below the level of the constant fog ceiling. It certainly wasn’t foggy when we were there. I found the epicenter of the earthquake intriguing. In one minute, the earth’s crust shifted over 12 feet. For an illustration, the National Park service built a replica of a fence that crossed the fault line. One fence post was in front of me and the other fence post was behind me when they were originally built to be in the same line. After the earthquake, it looked like a fence I built!
We ate in Inverness at a quaint, full of ambience, Czech restaurant. The owner was a gentleman who escaped from the Eastern Europe country after it’s occupation by the Soviet Union shortly after World War II’s ending by cross-country skiing into Western Germany. His life path lead him to California where he opened up a restaurant. I had goose and Katherine had the traditional Czech cabbage roll.
We continued on through San Francisco. It’s an unusual place, especially the night before Halloween! We stayed with good friends in Foster City, south of San Francisco.
On Saturday the 28th we did nothing except stay around our friends house. No driving; just sitting. I was able to watch a football game and Katherine was able to do a bit of bookkeeping. We took our friends, Ken and Eunice to dinner after a rousing game of Bocé Ball.
On Sunday, we attended church in the morning before setting up in Los Gatos for our matinee concert. What a beautiful high school Los Gatos has. I wouldn’t have minded high school so much if I went to a school such as that. The theater was newly remodeled. The concert was again very well received. Kevin is enthusiastic about community concerts and Diana, a teacher at school was superb with her technical help.
We have a closing prop that is always fun to use. It is a chandelier that we use for “Phantom of the Opera.” We are always happy when a facility has the means to use our prop.
We left for Turlock in the morning on the 30th to give a concert at 7:30. I looked at the map to take the shortest way from Foster City to Turlock. The map lead me onto route 130 over Mt Hamilton and the Lick Observatory. The road had so many sharp switchbacks that we almost rear ended ourselves on some of the turns! I challenge anyone to tell me where a windier road in the country is. We will make a point to drive it to check it out.
The view from the observatory would be incredible if it weren’t so smokey in the bay area. We would like to return to see the observatory.

The concert went very well. Turlock has a high school campus that looks like a college. Another school that I would be excited to attend! It was huge! I am honored to be on the same stage as so many great professional entertainers. Bob Newhart had just been on the very same stage. We were offered a nice meal before the concert by the community concert group. We had a bouquet of flowers on a table at the back of the stage with our sandwich! What class!!

Salem, Coos Bay and Grants Pass 10/21-10/25

2006-11-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Salem and the Elsinore Theatre was a special treat. We arrived in Salem a day before the concert as the drive from Longview was quite short. It’s relaxing to us to stay more than one night in a hotel room if we can. Since the drive down I-5 was so short, we took the scenic route from Portland on old 99 and onto state route 213, starting in Oregon City, passing through the charming town of Silverton, finishing up in Salem.
Katherine and I stayed at Creekside Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in Salem, conveniently located near the downtown district. We were able to walk to a restaurant called McGrath’s, a restaurant specializing in seafood. The weather was unbelievable. A very warm evening. We were pleasantly surprised at how active downtown Salem was on a Friday night. We walked past the theater where we were to give a concert the next night.
We set up at the Elsinore Theatre in the early afternoon and then were treated to a fine early Chinese supper by a sponsor of the community concert in Salem. We performed well for the concert. We get a lot of nice compliments about our program which we are very grateful.
We left our nice bed and breakfast for Coos Bay on Sunday morning to make an afternoon matinee. We drove along highway 126 with a Latte in hand to the coast. We were so blessed by the colors of fall and sunny weather. We have been following the changing of the colors since the middle of September.
Coos Bay was a delight. We never know what to expect in the towns we play. Coos Bay has a very active group. George Tinker, a teacher was of valuable assistance to us when we arrived. The tickets were about sold-out. Michael Gordon, the president is full of enthusiasm for community concerts, as he is a musician himself serving as the drummer in his Praise band at church. We were pleased to be invited to the Gordon’s home for an after concert supper of the fanciest salad I have had in recent memory.It was a salad heavy with the condiments and accessories; a real MAN’S salad. We are always happy to be invited to a homemade meal.
The next night 10/23, we played in Grants Pass, OR. We followed highway 42 to I-5 and headed south. We stayed at the Redwood Inn, a wonderful independent motel for 3 nights as we didn’t have to play again until Folsom, CA on 10/26.
Talk about an active group! Grants Pass has sold more tickets than they have seats. There was a crowd waiting for the doors to open. We have had a good time playing in the theaters as we are able to use our terrific “prop” for the “Phantom of the Opera” finale. The technical help in Steve Daggett was tremendous. After the concert, Diane Hess, the president treated us to a pizza at the Rogue River Pizza and Brewing Company. The dinner was topped off with bread pudding with authentic whiskey sauce which we enjoyed in our motel room.
We stayed an extra day in Grants Pass to see what makes the southern Oregon town tick. We toured Wildlife Images, a non-profit animal awareness shelter that takes in orphaned and wounded animals from around the Pacific Northwest. The bears were a highlight. We took a short drive to the Oregon wine growing region of the Applegate Valley. We had a nice tour at the Troon Vineyard where we purchased their catchy labeled wine, “Druids Fluid.” If you have a chance to spend some time in Grants Pass, don’t pass the opportunity.

Bremerton and Longview 10/17-10/19

2006-11-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

On October 17th we performed a concert in Bremerton. We are thankful that Kitsap Community Concerts invited us to be on their schedule as Bremerton is in our “backyard.” They are the closest venue to home for us on our schedule. It allowed us to be home for a few days to take inventory of what we could do better, Katherine could do some laundry and I could restock the CDs.
We were able to leave the suitcases at home because we could return to the house after the concert. We were able to fit a chair in the van so that I could pick up my mom and take her along. Going to Bremerton from our house we had to ride one of our famous Washington ferry boats.
We set up our equipment at Bremerton High School’s state of the art facility. We then had a bit of time to spend so we did what every other good American does and went to the mall for a couple of hours. I had to purchase jeans. Katherine went with my mom to find a winter coat.
The concert was well received. We meet the nicest people at community concerts. People who like harp music are always very nice! If you have been told that you are a nice person, statistics will tell you that you like harp music.

On the 19th we gave a concert in Longview, WA at the historic Columbia Theater. We love the theaters in the community that have been taken care of and restored. We are fortunate to be able to perform in such special places. The theater in Longview is no exception for being a fine community venue. We are always greeted with a professional staff and professional technical help.

The concert went well. I am not a very good critic of myself. If you would like to know how the concerts go, please come to a concert and check it out for yourself. I am either too hard on myself or too easy. It is difficult to give a good self evaluation.
We aren’t too impressed with the way our points at Choice Hotels are so difficult to redeem. We should have had a couple of “free” nights by Longview but not according to THEIR records. If that is the least of our problems, we are doing pretty good!

On Tour 10/7-10/15

2006-11-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

Back on the road again October 7th, we headed towards Harrington, WA to do a benefit concert. The funds raised were to go towards refurbishing the Harrington Opera House. Built 100 years ago the community used the facility many decades. The opera house was closed because it was built before the days of fire codes. It is determined that a fire escape be built before it can reopen as a performance facility. The opera house held an open house before the concert (the concert was held at Harrington Community Church). Katherine and I could not have an official tour but we were able to peek into the old building. The original hand painted curtain was on display! Linda Wagner was the organizer of the event. I would describe her as a human ball of energy!
We left Harrington on Sunday the 7th heading for Idaho Falls, ID via I-90 to Missoula, MT and south from there through Dillon, MT, crossing the state border through Salmon, ID. We like to make it to church when we can. When we can’t we listen to a sermon on the radio. I find it very interesting that in rural areas it is very easy to find a Sunday morning sermon on many different channels. But in the big cities, I am hard pressed to find a sermon.
The scenery was grand. We have been blessed to be able to travel with the changing of the colors of fall. We have been experiencing the blazing colors of the Vine Maple, the gold of the larch and the contrast of the white trunk of the aspen against it’s yellow leaves.
We followed the winding Salmon River from the top Lost Pass, the return route of Lewis from the Pacific Ocean. We left the Salmon River in Salmon, ID to head towards Idaho Falls, arriving at 7:30, just in time to have dinner at the Bryngelson’s home, president of community concerts in Idaho Falls. It is always a joy to be invited to someone’s home for dinner. Generally we don’t have to leave a tip as we do in restaurants! It was interesting to meet friends of the Bryngelson’s and board members in the Shively’s as Jerry Shively is running for state congress in Idaho in his district. I’ve never met a politician before. They aren’t all bad. I encourage you to meet your politicians face to face and not depend so much on TV commercials. They were signs all over Idaho Falls for Jerry Shively.
The Colonial Theater in Idaho Falls is a special place. Many famous people have been to Idaho Falls. I was honored to be on the same stage. Brad, the stage manager, was very helpful and very relaxed.
We left for Burley, ID the next day to give a concert there on October 10th. We met my cousin in Pocatello, ID for lunch at Applebees. It is a joy to meet people who take us out to lunch. Max paid. If I know ahead of time he was going to pay I would have ordered much more than a salad! It was nice to see my cousin again.
Southern Idaho is where my father was born and where my grandparents lived. It was somewhat nostalgic to drive through the area that I visited as a kid. We drove through American Falls where my father grew up and where I visited occasionally as a child when my dad took our family to his high school reunions.
We never know what to expect when we arrive at a facility. In Burley, we were the headline in the local paper! King Fine Arts facility is a beautiful place. The community was very proud of their performance hall. It was built by hard work and fundraising from the community. We had almost 1000 people at the concert. We were also on the headlines the day after the concert in the local paper.
We had a couple of days off before we had to be in Ontario, OR to give a concert on October 13th. We left Burley on the morning of the 11th and did a lot of site seeing. We saw the oldest building on Idaho, the Rock Creek stage coach building located on the Oregon Trail. We ate lunch in Twin Falls, drove to Shoshone Falls, saw Thousand Springs where water cascades out of the side of the basalt canyon above the Snake River. An amazing amount of water! It is not just a trickle coming out of the wall, it is a river the pours out of the cliff.
We drove to Gooding, ID where my father was born. We went past my grandmother’s house where we had many Thanksgivings. The house has changed quite a bit from what I remember it being. We went into the hardware store, which is now a thrift shop, where my grandfather worked. We bought a latte (yes, even Gooding is influenced by espresso) for the car and headed to Sun Valley, ID to see what all the Hollywood stars go there for. The scenery is beautiful except for what the Hollywood stars have done to the place. Million dollar condo’s in the middle of beautiful scenery. We need to sell a few more CDs for us to be able to get a 2nd home there.
Our dinner was fantastic at the Pioneer Saloon. I had prime rib so large that it took up two plates. I had a famous Idaho potato as well. Fortunately we walked to the restaurant to get a bit of exercise. We headed back with doggie bags.
We left in the morning for Ontario, OR via Stanley Basin. Stanley Basin compares to Jackson Hole and the Teton’s in beauty without all of the Hollywood millionaires! We stopped for lunch eating our prime rib leftovers at a rest stop by a roadside hot spring. We arrived in Ontario, OR in the late afternoon to drop off the harp at the concert venue. Even though we basically sit al day driving, not exerting any physical activity, we get tired at the end of the day.
The concert in Ontario on 10/13 was held at the Four Rivers Cultural Center auditorium. Ontario can be proud of their museum. It was a fascinating look at Japanese culture, the American Indian, the Basque and the pioneer culture in Ontario. All are a foundation of Ontario, OR.

We drove to Sunnyside, WA via Hell’s Canyon. I have a good ability of making a 3 hour drive last 10 hours. Hell’s Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon, although a much different geographic style. It is a very isolated area. We drove through a town called Joseph, OR after driving through a cattle drive. That doesn’t happen in Seattle! We arrived in Sunnyside in the evening to drop off the harp and ate dinner in Prosser at a place called “The Blue Goose,” which was having a Bavarian theme.
We stayed at a B&B called the Sunset House. It overlooks the Yakima Valley and all of the grape vineyards. We enjoy casual conversations with people. B&B’s give a good opportunity for conversations at breakfast time. The host, Kerry Warden, made us feel at home. She made us Saturday Wonderful Surprise even though it was Sunday! We appreciated her support as she attended the concert in Sunnyside. Dan was the sound person who was helpful. Along with Dan, he brought his son Nick to haul equipment. My mom, brother and son Evan drove from Seattle to the concert. Since the concert was a matinee, we were able to drive to our house in Sultan after the concert. All five of us stopped in Cle Elum for dinner. It was nice to be home to sleep in our own bed.

Community Concerts through Montana and Sioux Falls

2006-10-30T08:18:00.000-08:00

The beauty of the country overwhelms us as we round each bend in the highway. Katherine and I are fortunate to be able to take the backroads. We love the backroads.
In Montana we gave concerts in Great Falls, Lewistown and Havre with a "spur" concert in Sioux Falls, SD. All concerts were a real joy. It is always a highlight each night to meet the technical help at each venue. We haven't met a "techie" we didn't like. A benefit is that each "techie" serves as a "roadie" in hauling our equipment in and out of the car.
In Great Falls we played at the Great Falls Civic Center. The city combined the gorgeous performing arts center in the same building that houses the city administrative offices. It's a convenient place to come for a concert as you can hear the symphony and pay your parking ticket at the same time! A tremendous venue. John showed us a great place for lunch called Bob's Bagels, just a couple of blocks from the auditoreum.
From Great Falls we wandered to Sioux Falls via the long way through Yellowstone, with a stop for lunch in the capital city of Helena. If you have an opportunity to take a tour through the capitol building, do so! Just for the Charles M. Russell mural in the House of Representatives chamber. His paintings a more than a work of art. He is very well known in Montana being what I would say a hero in the state. Many places are named after him in his honor. Almost as many places named for him as there are buildings named after Ronald Reagan in Washngton DC. I enjoyed Russell's art because I knew what I was looking at! He painted what he saw, not what was made up in his head. I would say he was a practical artist ( if you stumble across a new way to interpret art and the term "practical artist" is used, tell people that it was used here first).
We spent the night in one of the quaint cabins at Yellowstone Lake Lodge. After traveling through the park we could easily see why Yellowstone was created as the world's first national park. The park astounded us with it's unique geothermal features. There is a geyser that is more acidic than battery acid.
Wildlife abounds. Growing up in a city environment, I am not used to seeing such a variety of wildlife actually in the WILD!! Turning a corner as we meandered along , I was shocked when I saw walking toward us in the opposite lane a heavy-set woman with an amazingly HUGE hairdo, wearing a fur coat. When we got closer it turned out to be a buffalo. What a city slicker I am!
Snow flurries were occurring during the day. We discovered that "Old Faithful" is not quite as faithful as promised. With the sun setting, the breeze blowing and the snow falling, we could not stand in the cold any longer as we didn't have our winter coats. We were at Old Faithful 10 minutes before the predicted time of blasting and stayed 15 minutes after the predicted time of eruption. We have a reason to return to Yellowstone.
We ate dinner in the lodge at Yellowstone Lake and were charmed by the waite staff who are employed from all corners of the globe. Two gentlemen from Poland were polite and courteous, although were looking forward to going home after the tourist season.
We traveled to Sioux Falls past the coal towns of Eastern Wyoming and arrived at Mt Rushmore at sunset to be inpired by another artist Gutzon Borglum who spent the better part of his life memorialing Presidents Roosevelt, Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington. It is a patriotic site to behold. A national park ranger sang the National Anthem to open the evening light ceremony. her voice was much better than any typical park ranger I've encountered singing around the campfire!
On we went to Wall, SD to spend the night. We were in Sioux Falls the following night at the beautiful Washington Pavilion. The concert went well. We were a bit anxious each night wondering how our program was going to be received. People seem to enjoy what we are doing from Sioux Falls to California. Community Concert patrons are the greatest!
We were able to "rub shoulders" with the mayor of Sioux Falls as he presented a community award for the Sioux Falls Concert Association for their contribution to the community. There were close to a thousand in attendance. The mayor showed up and it wasn't even campaign season! A quality politician.
After the concert we went to dinner with Ted Fazer and others on the board. A small world as Mr. Fazer was one of our pastor's professors in seminary. As I turned the corner to get into the restaurant parking lot, a light flashed to capture my license plate to give a ticket as there is no free right turn on a red light. Fortunately I was in the center lane when I turned right and the camera didn't get my license. At least the ticket has shown up yet. Two wrongs DO make a right in this case. My excuse is that I was lost and didn't really know where the restaurant was. I saw it from the middle lane. If I do get the ticket, I know the mayor!!!
The next day we drove towards Lewistown backtracking through South Dakota. We drove through the Badlands after driving through Mitchell, SD which has the most amazing decorated building we have ever seen. A building adorned with corn!!

The Badlands were bad in a good way. The earth's crust looks like it is puckered in all different ways. We were able to make it to Gillette, WY to spend the night and saw Devils Tower along the way.
We visted The Battle of Little Bighorn where General Custer made his last stand. The wind was blowing quite hard on the hill. History comes to life when one visits sites as this. I encourage you to stop at all of the roadside attractions that the states have posted for the traveller to read. The states are proud of thier history and well they should be. The battle of the Little Big Horn ( Custer’s last stand as it is popularly refered) was a good history lesson for me. I didn’t listen to the teacher in school when I was young! I encourage you to stop at all of the historical points of interest that you can. History comes alive: it seems more “real.” You can touch history and feel it, unlike reading history from a book.
We continued up to Lewistown, MT. The citizens are proud of their geographical location as being the direct center of Montana. I would say that they considered themselves the heart of Montana as well. The generalization of Montana is that it is a cattle state. Many of the citizens of Lewistown work on a cattle farm, own a ranch or have a financial connection to cattle. One nice lady I spoke with was going to have a busy day vaccinating her cattle. It was actually going to be a week before the task was complete.
We stayed at the Duvall B&B and had a lively conversation with Earlene. She is also on the board for community concerts in Lewistown. Most of the time our schedule is such that we don’t have a chance to spend extra time with members of the board of community concerts in each town and city. I feel like a guest who “eats and runs.” But there is not much of a choice. We were able to have nice conversations staying with Earlene Duvall’s B&B. It was up a 7 mile isolated road in a canyon which was beautiful with the changing of the leaves on the aspens lining the creek.
We headed for Havre in North Central Montana on September 27th. The short drive of 200 miles ( short compared to most days as we have been driving over 500 miles in a day) consisted of another history lesson. We followed the Chief Joseph/Nez Perce trail all the way to Chinook, MT and the Battle of Bear Paw . We walked the battle field and past depressions dug in the hard soil with hands and knives where Indian soldiers lay protecting their families. History came alive once again for me in the windswept plains of Northern Montana. Little has changed in this area from the time of Joseph’s last battle. It was at this place when Joseph surrendered that he pronounced, “Today I will fight this way no more forever…”
Havre is defined by it’s roots as a railroad town. There is a very large underground Havre where commerce was alive underground at the turn of the 20th century. Havre burned down to the ground in the late 1800’s. The reputable store owners moved underground next door to the illegal liquor dealers set-up during prohibition. Underground Havre was begun because of illegal activities. Illicit stores were sent underground when the railroad came to town so that visitors could not see alcohol, brothels and opium dens. When the town burned reputable businesses had to set up shop next to the illegal ones as there were no longer any buildings above ground to set up shop. You must see underground Havre when traveling in highway 2.
A highlight for Katherine and me was giving an assembly for al of the elementary students in the Havre school district and beyond. We felt like movie stars! Busses came from all around dropping off students to hear us give a 30 minute program. They were an awe of the music! It wasn’t so much Katherine and me but it was the harp and her voice. The 1000 seat auditorium was filled with students. The fascinating part for us was the sound that the students made. The seats were theatre style seats that many of the student’s feet could not reach the ground. The seats made a fascinating noise. More like a “hum” as the spring loaded seats were moving up and down because of many students lack of size being able to hold the seats in place. When Katherine sang her final passage, the high notes in “Think of Me “ from “Phantom of the Opera” there were many gasps of amazement from the audience. We had a real joy that day. The evening concert for the community was also a real joy for us. I must admit that the evening concerts audience was not as entertaining for us as the school audience. Jay was of great assistance to us at the auditorium. He is a busy teacher as he also helps construct sets for the school play.
On we went to Calgary, Alberta Canada on the 28th of September. Katherine grew up in Calgary. We drove to Calgary to celebrate my father-in-laws 80th birthday. It was a special family event with Katherine’s brother and his wife coming from Toronto to be there.

The Dalles, OR

2006-09-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start the tour in The Dalles, OR. If every concert experience is even half as good as it was in The Dalles on Thursday night September 7th, we will have a joyous year touring.
We were greeted by a very friendly group and felt at home with the community concert board members. The audience was enthused and enjoyed the evening. I played my harp pretty well considering the heat. I can think of a few string pulls on my harp I would like to take back. I don't think anyone noticed except me.
Now for the eating experience. We have vowed to have at least one enjoyable meal a day where we eat inside instead of while driving. We have vowed to eat a meal in a non-chain type of restaurant. Some place that is unique; a one-of-a-kind establishment.
We spent the night in Goldendale,WA. It is difficult to sleep imediately after giving a concert ( the concert attendees didn't even sleep during the concert!) so we drive for about an hour. On Friday morning we had breakfast in Yakima, WA. If you want breakfast in Yakima, go to the place where we ate on Main Street. You won't miss the spinning neon sign featuring a man in a plaid shirt shooting a rifle.
The next concert is in Great Falls, MT on September 21st. Check back after that for some more insights to our travels. See you. Bronn

Our upcoming "Journey"

2006-08-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

We are excited about our cross-country concerts. This blog will serve as a diary to keep you informed about our experiences and discoveries on the road starting on September 7th in The Dalles,OR. I'll let you in on some best kept secrets for lodging and eating establishments that we may stumble upon. We will make a good attempt at eating at non-chain establishments. A trip becomes enjoyable based on dining experiences.
We are looking forward to our concerts. Check back after September 7th! See you. Bronn