Lone Mtn Homestead

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=45 BGCOLOR="#FFCC33" TEXT="#080000" background="a6c46463.jpg"> <div> <B>LONE MOUNTAIN HOMESTEAD</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>                                                                        </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=300 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="a68c87d3.jpg"> <div> <B><U>Thursday, May 17th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Another ridiculously short week has zoomed past.  Teaching's done, piano was practiced all three days, some iaido work got in there, as did flute!  We are packed and ready for our next adventure, into the wilds of Missouri.  Tomorrow will be largely spent at the St. Louis Museum of Art, then off to Columbia, MO for three nights.  Lots of hiking and funky urban adventures planned.  Up very early tomorrow, so going to bed extra early tonight.  Watch for updates either Monday or Tuesday night.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, May 14th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>A successful and fun visit to Sudbury!  We left Friday morning and returned late Monday afternoon.  This was my first Mothers' Day visit at  home since 1976!  It was also Mom's 83rd birthday weekend!  Lots of visitors and an almost constant party.  In addition to the family visit, we also participated in "Sudbury Rocks," a marathon race.  Deb race-walked a half-marathon, the 5th of her career.  Despite a rather hilly course, she equalled her best time!  Lynne and I casually walked the 5k race.  Thank you to Jim and Pauline, and my parents, for their generous donations to Canadian Diabetes Society.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19ec08f10.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="241" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Emma-Lee kept blowing out the birthday candles before the song was over.  It was Mom's birthday on the 11th, and Uncle Jim's was coming up on the 17th.  Aunt Pauline created a fabulous Apple Cake for the event, worth the drive to Sudbury just for it.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19ee0a230.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="291" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Emma-Lee is nearly 3, going on 8!  She is comfortably bi-lingual, and virtually runs her daycare center.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19ef0d740.jpg" border=0 width="269" height="372" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Lynne (my sister-in-law), moi, and Deb after the marathon event.</B></div> <div> <B>We got to watch "Wrath of Khan" on Steve's surround sound big screen, as well as the new version of "The Andromeda Strain."  Really good flics, and highly recommend!  We managed some climbing in the hills, and I had a terrific sauna with Lynne and Steve.  The drive north is, of course, endless.  However, on the way up we got to watch Spring recede from full (in Windsor) to just getting underway (in Sudbury).  Much of the forest at roadside was carpeted in trilliums in southern Ontario, millions of them!  The scenery between Parry Sound and Sudbury does not get much better anywhere in Ontario.  All in all, a very fun trip!! </B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, May 8th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Tuesdays are now my busiest teaching day, though it's fun ending with Jayne and then Sarah.  This was also my first Iaido missed lesson, which will continue until late June, when I shall try and resume work on reaching the level of 1st Kyu.  Much remains to be done, though mostly my cuts must improve.  I have began to seriously address this issue with my outdoor practices, of which I managed four this week.   Things will get too busy for the next two weekends to accomplish much with Iaido and piano.  Must make the best of the next two days.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, May 7th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Deb played another wedding, this time on a Sunday and at Essex Golf & Country Club.  She has had a busy start to the season, though she is off now until early June.  I have picked up another piano student, meaning I now have about seven or eight more than I would like to have.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays are very busy, Thursdays a little less so.  Thanks to our accountant, we made out like bandits this year on our taxes, even getting a slight refund.  I had stashed about a thousand away in case we owed (last year I had to pay around $800).  We have some travelling coming up, so that will come in handy.  In addition, we received a small but welcome inheritance from Peter Wilkinson's estate.  We are going to purchase a shinken, a sharpened Samurai sword used for actual cutting.  Peter loved fine craftsmanship, and no doubt would have approved.</B></div> <div> <B>My sinuses are off to the races.  Meds are a blessing, but one still feels wasted and wounded.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, May 5th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>It has now been 8 weeks since the second failed attempt to perform my last piano program in Toronto.  Learning an entirely new program has been taxing, to say the least.  Two months in, let's check on progress with those newer works.  The tarot card for this cycle (see image, below) seems to fit the bill nicely--the sword represents my progress with the pieces, and the mountains where I need to be in order to perform them.  That is the third perfect fit for this card so far!</B></div> <div> <B>The Bach Prelude and Fugue in F# Major is coming along nicely.  I have not yet switched over to harpsichord for this work, but hope to do so soon.  The complexities of the fugue are still causing me some grief, but much of it sounds as it should.  I have not yet decided whether to memorize this work--probably not, due to its 3-part structure and 6# key signature.  Bach fugues do not lend themselves well to memorization in the first place.</B></div> <div> <B>The Haydn Sonata in C# Minor is mostly playable, and I have begun to memorize Movement 1.  It's amazing how much Haydn can say with so few notes, though parts of this work are noisy and chatty.  It is the only sonata I know of that ends with the slower movement of the three, leading to a bit of an anti-climz at intermission.</B></div> <div> <B>The most difficult work continues to be the Schubert Impromtu in C# Minor.  The first section is a tribute to Bach (and does not seem easy to memorize), and is a real finger twister.  While it may seem to the listener that there is a repetitive pattern here, there is not.  Virtually every measure is different in more ways than one from its predecessor, meaning that it is taking forever to get to a playable speed.  Maybe in one more month.  The middle section is pure Schubertian song-like bliss, in the related key of Db Major (C# Major), but soon delving into the almost unheard of key of Fb Major!!  I've never seen so many flats in a piece of music before in my life!</B></div> <div> <B>The two central works of the program (Scriabin and Rachmaninoff) are both coming along well, and mostly playable at present, though somewhat under tempo.  The strange little Debussy piece that follows, "Mist," is sounding rather charming, too, though much more fluidness in the many rapid note passages is required.  The final work on the program, a rousing Bartok Rondo, seemed at first to be the easiest of the set.  However, the final tempi are so fast as to make the piece one of the more difficult ones!  At least I should be well warmed up by then!</B></div> <div> <B>Full Moon bash tonight, expecting a moonrise shortly after sunset.  I was supposed to make a batch of cupcakes for the event, but the baking utensil has gone AWOL.  Damn! </B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, May 3rd/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>As I look at my new tarot card for the next seven weeks, I am struck by two things.  The first is that the mountains are so far away.  The second thing is that the sword, representing my current status, is so very far away from the mountains.  Not only that, but the distance is increased by the fact that a huge bog stands between the mountains and me.  It is going to be a hard slog.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19e6fd8a0.jpg" border=0 width="253" height="394" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>This, however, is almost the perfect kind of challenge for me.  I have always relished the journey at least as much as the goal.  To take things literally, I have a lot of work to do to prepare for my chance at being in the mountains.  This year we have chosen the Southern Rockies, which are the highest mountains in New Mexico.  We plan to climb the highest mountain of our lives.  It won't be easy or fun (at least in the traditional sense) to achieve that goal.  Then there are those dark clouds approaching the mountains...</B></div> <div> <B>The fact that a sword appears in the card is also telling (there are four suits, including Sword, Spear, Stone nad Grail, along with the Major cards).  The cards were chosen last October 31st for our year, and this one will last until Summer Solstice, June 21st.  If my sword goal in Iaido is a black belt (Shodan level), then it would appear that I have a lot of tricky ground to cover before achieving such a feat.  I took a retest on my 2nd kyu material last Tuesday evening.  I was not happy with my performance.  That is due mostly to the late hour.  Again my test was not until the very end of class, ending after 10 pm.  I simply do not function well at that time with tasks requiring precision and great skill.  For this reason I have decided to withdraw from formal lessons.  I will come back to them in July, as I have no teaching duties on that day during the summer.  However, come September I either have to cancel lessons on Tuesdays or withdraw permanently.  Right now I am quite spent by the time I arrive at class, which begins about 8:45 pm.</B></div> <div> <B>Speaking of teaching, I had a new 5 yr old beginner this week.  Gigi learned her first song, called "Two Cats."  Her hands and fingers are the tiniest I have ever taught!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, April 30th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Happy Beltane!  It certainly was a spring day in these parts.  We awoke to heavy rain, having planned some serious walking today near Rochester, MI.  It was 65 miles driving each way, so we nearly cancelled the trip.  Glad we didn't.  We brought our full rain gear and made the drive, though we did not begin our walking until 11:30 a.m.  Deb wanted a distance walk in preparation for her Sudbury half-marathon in two weeks, so she walked 8 miles of the Paint Creek Trail from Lake Orion to Rochester Mills.  I headed into adajcent Bear Creek Nature Park for my annual spring wildflower walk.  The flowers were far from dazzling, but the woods were lovely.  It rained on us for about twenty minutes, but we were both mostly waterproof.  We met up at 1:30 p.m. at Rochester Mills Brew Pub for lunch, enjoying some lovely ESB and IPA, as well as salad and sandwiches (both gourmet--yum!).  I did see a few flowers, along with two pair of deer.  The park is suitable for hiking, and we may return so Deb can see it.  She was on the rails to trails path, which was also nicely wooded.  My park had meadows, ponds, marshes and woodlands.  The best part was that I was the only human in the entire park.  Gotta love rainy, cool days!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19e00a6d0.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="365" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Deb sets out on the Paint Creek Trail.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19e20bc80.jpg" border=0 width="267" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>My goals were different than Deb's today.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19e303dc0.jpg" border=0 width="259" height="220" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>One of four deer I encountered today.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19e409010.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="257" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>A few trilliums were on display, looking even lovlier than usual in the dark, wet woods.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19e5e5ff0.jpg" border=0 width="229" height="255" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Wild geraniums at Bear Creek Park.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, April 29th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>I am currently seven weeks into the new repertoire for my autumn piano concerts.  Full report on progress next weekend!</B></div> <div> <B>It's almost impossible for me to grasp that another cross-quarter holiday is upon us.  Beltane (April 30th-May 1st) is opposite the calendar year to Samhain, or Hallowe'en.  Six months has sped past, no doubt due to the fact that I'm as busy as ever, but without the stress.  Deb is only two months away from being retired for one school year.  Financially, there has been nothing to worry about, as our retirement and teaching incomes are keeping us comfortable, despite paying on two vehicles and purchasing our own extended health care plan.  We managed a trip to England last November, and though we skipped March Break this year, we have 8 days of travelling planned for May.</B></div> <div> <B>Filling up the day with meaningful activity has not be a strain on me, either.  Piano, Iaido, and flute practice, along with reading, writing, mapwork (I am studying in detail every topo map of New Mexico in existence, nearly four  thousand of them), along with a dozen other activities usually mean that I run out of time before I run out of things to do.  I wish I could get seriously back into Astronomy.  I have real difficulty staying awake past 10 pm after one of my typical days.</B></div> <div> <B>As to Beltane, we celebrate it mainly by taking our annual spring wildflower walk.  This year it will be in Rochester, MI, at a park and greenway.  It is also the last official wood fire of the season (until Autumnal Equinox), and the end of single malt Scotch season (Randy, your donated bottle is still holding up well--lots left for next season).  Watch for pics of our Monday walk here tomorrow evening.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, April 23rd/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>As last week was a teaching week </B><I><B>and</B></I><B> a group lesson, we are mostly on a break this week.  I have two students tomorrow, and then I am done for the week.  Deb has one on Wednesday, as well as a harp gig at the Caboto Club.  Our final semester begins next week, with only eight weeks until the summer break.  We always hope for a few students during the summer, to help pay our gas bill for the big drive west in August.</B></div> <div> <B>I have taken up cooking again, and once a week preparing a real dinner is my responsibility.  Tonight, with some help from the assistant chef, I made a lovely batch of vegan manicotti!  Yum!</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19d10cb00.jpg" border=0 width="268" height="176" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Vegan manicotti, prepared by chef Michael.</B></div> <div> <B>I follow a recipe, so am not really a very creative chef.  Deb will simply open the fridge, see what's in there, and then make something incredible with on-hand ingredients! </B></div> <div> <B>I have been slowly updating the book cover scans on my Ballantine Adult Fantasy book page.  The covers really drew me in as a teen reader, and many of them still fascinate me to this day.  Instead of just showing the front cover, I am attempting to show the linked front and back art where applicable.  Now the covers look twice as impressive!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, April 21st/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>A fun day with Jennifer G. and her son Aston.  I have not seen Jennifer since she graduated from Gr. 8, about 1988 or 89!  She was a favourite, and thanks to Facebook we were able to reconnect.  She lives in B.C. and is on a big eastern road trip.  We gave them an insider's tour of Detroit today, with stops at Eastern Market, the Heidelberg Project, Slows BBQ, the towering hulk-ruin of the Detroit train station, Motor City Brewing Company and Avalon Bakery.  Aston is 8, in Gr. 2, and is quite a delight.  Lots of fun today, especially as Jennifer is a big fan of craft beer!</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19bb047f0.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="383" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Heidelberg Project, Detroit</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19bd05c30.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="195" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Heidelberg Project, Detroit</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19c00eea0.jpg" border=0 width="270" height="234" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Heidelberg Project, Detroit</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19c1f77e0.jpg" border=0 width="247" height="382" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Jennifer and Aston, Detroit</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, April 20th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>And again a whole week has flown past!  Good Iaido review class on Tuesday, as I prepare for my final test before I bow out for awhile.  If all the classes were this good I might not leave.</B></div> <div> <B>Today we went and picked up our completed tax returns from our accountant in Amherstburg.  We are going to get a small refund!  Last year I paid $800.  I am overjoyed!!  We went to school later on to meet with our private students.  This was our final group lesson of the year.  8 weeks of regular lessons remain before summer vacation.  I picked up a new  piano student.  Gigi is 5 and raring to go.  She is the younger sister of the twin boys I currently teach.</B></div> <div> <B>Deb did a mega walk today on the Chrysler Greenway, totalling 9.8 miles.  I drove her to Oldcastle, then came back home to practice, picking her up later at County Rd. 18.  I'm hoping to ramp up my walking soon, likely mid-May, to prepare for the big summer hiking trip to the Rockies.  Deb is gearing up for her half-marathon in Sudbury in 4 weeks.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, April 15th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Deb had a busy day yesterday.  We were up before 5 am so she could get to her 10k race in Dearborn that morning.  Home for lunch and a wee rest, then she was off to Windsor to play harp for 2 1/2 hours at a Titanic-themed dinner.  No problem for Supergirl!</B></div> <div> <B>After much soul-searching, I have decided to take a break from formal Iaido classes.  It is getting very demanding, and my time and mental energy needs to be focussed on music right now.  I will likely return to lessons in the summer, but in the meantime I will continue to practice swordwork here at home.  I am undecided about the retest in three weeks.  Probably not.  Doubt if I would be much better by then.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, April 11th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Headline--breaking news---"Slo Go at the Do Jo!"  I managed to NOT pass my 2nd Kyu Iaido  test last night.  I am allowed a retake in three weeks, along with two other testers.  The good news is that Deb passed her 3rd Kyu test.  Three others passed, too.  Despite putting a lot of work into the preparation, and not doing anything seriously wrong, Sensei feels I need some polish on the newer kata.  Back to the drawing--no, make that the cutting--board.</B></div> <div> <B>On Monday Deb completed a long walk from Harrow to Kingsville on the Chrysler Greenway.  I opted for shorter walks and met up with her in Kingsville.  I headed into the woods at the small conservation area near Arner, not surprised to find wildflowers blooming this early.  It was sooo much fun getting into the woods again!  We are hoping to make Mondays into regular hiking days, once Deb has completed the Sudbury half-marathon next month.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19b2f1bb0.jpg" border=0 width="241" height="187" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Spring Beauties were out early at Cedar Creek, near Arner.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19be09c70.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="199" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Mossy tree stump.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19b401570.jpg" border=0 width="257" height="343" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Bumps on a log, Cedar Creek.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, April 8th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Another busy day, with a lot accomplished.  2 1/2 hours of piano practice--check; 3 loads of laundry done--check;  taxes prepared for accountant--check; outdoor walk--check; phone call to parents--check;  iaido practice on back deck--check;  flute practice--check;  afternoon nap--nope.  Oh well, no day is perfect.</B></div> <div> <B>My webpage entitled "Ballantine Adult Fantasy" has finally become more popular than the main page and blog.   This is a good thing, since I do put in a lot of work on that page.  I get daily hits (and rehits) from all over the globe.  There really isn't a lot of info out there on the books, so I seem to be filling a niche, especially with the images of the covers.  Some of the covers have two sides, and until now I have only shown the front cover.  I am now going back and including all double-sided cover images, due to popular demand.</B></div> <div> <B>Hope everyone had a fun Eostre, one of the biggest pagan festivals of the year (fertility, which is why rabbits, eggs and a full moon got usurped by Christian mumbo jumbo--they figured that by putting the ressurection of Christ on top of a major pagan spring festival, the pagan aspects would just go away).   Hahaha.  Not sure why Christians were against a fertility festival, especially since they still say no to birth control of any sort.  Probably because theydidn't think of it first.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, April 7th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Even though our NM trip is still months away, we are continuing to rethink it and tweak the details.  We are venturing higher than ever before, and that includes sleeping at approximately 11,700'!  At this altitude we could easily wake up under a blanket of fresh snow, not to mention succumb to altitude health problems.  It will be cold, and it will be damp.  The Southern Rockies are the coldest and wettest parts of the State (and of course, the highest), and we have largely avoided them until now.  We hope to make two separate treks up into the high country, tent overnight, and get up early next morning to ascend a major peak.  The first expedition will see us haul our gear about 3.3 miles before setting up base camp.  It wouldn't be half bad except for the extreme altitude.  It might be over 90 F down in the desert, but not up there.  We will camp near Serpent Lake, which is right at tree-line, before heading up Jicarita Mtn into Alpine terrain at 12,800'.  Our second big overnight trek is longer, over 5 miles one way, and again camping up around 11,500'.  Next morning we head up to Taos Cone, over 12,200', before descending, grabbing our gear, heading back to the vehicle and driving back to Colorado Springs, about four hours away.  This trip is going to keep me awake at night for awhile!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, April 6th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>We went to the dojo tonight for our final practice before Tuesday's test.  It's a big one for me, as they all are from now on, thr</B><B>o</B><B>ugh 3rd Dan.  It's the knife kata that has taken up most of my time, but I think I finally have it down.  Home practice on Sunday out on the deck, then again Monday.  </B></div> <div> <B>I was likely the last person on the block to finally get around to cutting the grass.  It wasn't so very long, but the first cut of the season is done.  We also began the task of trimming our overgrown hedges.  It was a fine day to be outside.</B></div> <div> <B>Tomorrow morning, Deb has a race-walking clinic to attend in Huntington Woods, MI.  No other plans that I know of.  Sunday is income tax day.  Good grief.  Here's hoping I've kept everything I need, and it's in one place.  At least two hours work involved just to get things prepared for the accountant!</B></div> <div> <B>Waiting for the full moon to rise--should be any second.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, April 1st/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>It's been about a month since I abandoned the Toronto piano concert idea and struck out head-first into new repertoire.  Time for an inital evaluation!  </B></div> <div> <B>Of the 7 pieces, none are concert-ready.  Beginning a new program is akin to hacking through a very dense jungle.  Using all one's strength a small path can be made, but it takes an immense amount of time and energy!  It has been many years since I learned a mostly-new program.</B></div> <div> <B>The Bach Prelude and Fugue is not a piece that audiences will fawn over, but it is the one piece I will not be tired of playing by performance time.  I am through the worst of things here, and the Prelude even sounds more or less like music!  The Fugue still requires eons of work.  Both pieces are still played very slow (the Fugue painfully so), but for the first month I feel that progress is decent.  When I was actually in Gr. 10 piano (winter and spring of 1975), I managed to leap from Gr. 9 to Gr. 10 in six short months.  If this still holds true, I should be ready to perform in mid-September!!</B></div> <div> <B>The Haydn Sonata in C# Minor was my actual Gr. 10 exam and Festival piece (I placed 1st in my class in the Festival with it).  Still, 36 years is a long time...  Regardless, it is now my most advanced piece, and should be ready to perform sometime in April!!  Once learned, never forgotten.  The human brain is a strange thing.</B></div> <div> <B>The Schubert Moment Musicale in C# Minor is quite another story.  It is a 4-page piece and I am barely groping my way through 3 of them.  This is a tough piece, though at a glance it does not look that difficult.  Schubert was writing a tribute to Bach's Preludes here, and he has written one much harder than any of the Bach ones.  Very slow going.</B></div> <div> <B>The thickest of the new works is Scriabin's Etude Op 2 #1.  Very Chopinesque, this 2-page work is extremely dense, hard to stretch the hand, and along with the Schubert, is the piece that will take the most work to bring to concert level.  Of course it must not sound dense or difficult, but rather as if anyone could play it...</B></div> <div> <B>The second piece I have previously learned is the Rachmaninoff Etude, though I have never performed it live.  It will be ready sometime in April also, despite it's extreme difficulty.  I have purposefully chosen very difficult works this term, in order to properly prepare for other things I have planned (such as the Beethoven Sonata Op 110).</B></div> <div> <B>The Debussy Prelude (Mist) is another serious challenge, requiring more tonal control than I presently have!  I am through its 5 pages, though barely.  I see this one as at least a three-month challenge.</B></div> <div> <B>The Bartok Rondo is a piece a good friend of mine (Maxime!) learned for her Gr. 10 exam (1975), and I have not heard it since!  Bartok and I usually hit it off pretty well, so I'm hoping this will be nearly ready one month from now.  Tune in then for the next report!!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, March 30th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>After two sessions of Iaido this week, I feel a bit more confident of passing the test on the 10th of April. </B></div> <div> <B> It was not the most pleasant day to leave the house and drive to Windsor, but we had that priveledge twice today.  I had to attend an ORMTA meeting this morning at Greg Butler's place in Russell Woods.  With the downtown library closing soon, we had to find a solution to storing our piano somewhere else.  Deb did a long walk from the church in Tecumseh, down to the river, along the Ganatcho Trail, and then on to Walkerville via Wyandotte East.  8.6 miles!!  We had lunch at Pause Cafe downtown Windsor, a place with the best soup, sandwiches and salads in Essex County.  Just as we arrived at the Oriental grocery store we frequent on Wyandotte West, all weather broke loose, and contined to break loose most of the day.  What misery!  In fact, it reminded us of the kind of weather we have encountered in New Mexico at very high altitudes in July and August!  Except the hail is even more fearsome, and the lightning, too!</B></div> <div> <B>We returned to Windsor this evening for open practice, spending a worthwhile hour on the mats going over our katas.  I need to know twenty-six of them, and a few are very similar and easy to mix up.</B></div> <div> <B>A Facebook friend and former APS student is on a road trip soon from B.C., where she runs a ski lodge motel.  She will spend a weekend in Detroit and would like to meet up with us for a day.  Jennifer is one of the very "special" students from our past, and sadly we had lost contact for many years until finding each other on FB.  I am very excited to actually see her again, and to meet her young son.  And she loves craft beer.  How awesome is that!!!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, March 25th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>My first walk and Iaido home practice since wrenching my back last Tuesday carrying a big old tv outside from the basement.  Missed my Tuesday Iaido class, but things seem to be much improved today.  Lots of heat and lying around, as well as wearing the back brace.</B></div> <div> <B>The shoulder and elbows have caused me no problems in quite some time now, and the knee seems to have healed, too.  We have some awfully big hikes planned for August, so I'm hoping I can get the old body into gear for it.  In the immediate future is my upcoming 2nd Kyu Iaido test--two weeks to get ready instead of three.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, March 24th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Isn't it odd how the first week back to work after a holiday can seem like two?  And as if the holiday is some distant memory?  And this is from a guy with a three-day work week!  Haha.</B></div> <div> <B>Deb has a wedding to play at today at Willistead Manor.  I will hang out at Taloola's during the event.  I am currently reading a very good book on music and the brain.  Called Guitar Zero, it not only encompasses the most current research on the brain, but the pschologist writing it is also attempting to learn guitar and music from scratch.  He is nearly tone deaf and clueless as to rhythm, not to mention uncoordinated and nearing 40!  Brilliant so far...</B></div> <div> <B>Last night we attended a Detroit Symphony concert at Orchestra Hall.  Most of their concerts are now simulcast on the internet, and with headphones the sound is pretty good.  The highlight was Robert Levin's performance of the "Emperor Concerto" by Beethoven, easily the finest performance of this work I have ever heard, live or otherwise.  He brought the house down after the first movement, it was that good!  After intermission he did something I have never seen before at a subscription concert.  During intermission he took themes from the audience (in-house and internet), which had to be written down in notation.  He then came out, took four selections from the two baskets (he didn't choose ours), played them for us, and then proceeded to improvise on them, a la Beethoven or Mozart, for fifteen minutes.  Quite entertaining.  The concert opened with the Don Giovanni overture by Mozart, and concluded with his Symphony in D, #38.  Needless to say, the hall was packed to the rafters.  Next weekend we will hear Helene Grimaud perform the Brahms Piano Concerto #1 in D Minor.  She is one of my very very favourite pianists!  Former music director Neeme Jarvi will conduct.  Can't wait!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, March 19th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>We had a very fun final day of Winter and final day of our prolonged March Break.  We spent the morning in Detroit, walking the River Rouge Trail.  In addition to plenty of flowers, we saw turtles sunning on logs in the river!  After our walk, we went to Motor City Brewing for lunch.  They had the front window/wall wide open!  We are currently running about 30 F above average for this time of year.  Let's hope that doesn't happen in July...  On our way home we shopped at Honey Bee Market in Mexicantown.  At home we have marked off an Equinox sunset line, in the hopes of making a small front garden to commemorate the two Equinoxes and two Solstices.  More details when they become available.  We changed all of the living room art over to our Spring collection, got our new Tarot cards for the next segment of the year (Until April 30th, or Beltane), and even worked on our August trip to Taos a bit more.  There is still a lot of planning to do for that.  And tomorrow it's back to work (and Iaido--next test is in three weeks).</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, March 16th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>The weather has become quite ridiculous, as our warm streak enters it's 8th or 9th straight month.  If this is any indication of what may happen in the summer, it is not something to anticipate cheerfully.  I suspect quite a few 100 + days in our future.  We were awakened at 5 am Thursday by a ferocious hail and wind storm.  Thursday night we watched storms approach from Michigan, where they had a major tornado touchdown.  Just before reaching us, they veered suddenly southeast and headed across Lake Erie.  At least we got our downstairs shelter ready for the season!  Ludwig the Tortoise has been outside a few times already.  It is much too early to be this warm.</B></div> <div> <B>I continue to grind away at the newest piano (and flute) pieces.  I have a very fine Handel sonata for flute, as well as a snazzy Latin tempo piece called Tico Tico.  It would make a good Rumba.  I am anticipating some progress by the end of the month, though certainly not anything you would wish to hear yet.  I am currently undertaking 2 1/2 hours of piano every day, along with 30 minutes of flute and 30 minutes of Iaido.  It is keeping me busy.  This evening we went to the dojo to work on our katas on our own.  My elbows are managing to get along fine with all of this activity, and even my knee has been behaving itself.  The shoulder is nearly better, too!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, March 11th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>A fun day at home, though we did get out for a longish walk in the pm.  Though Spring is officially a week away, it has felt like Spring for quite some time.  Today was the limit, however.  I now declare it to be a new season, and that season is Spring!  Setbacks will be brief and minimal, though I do fear a very uncomfortable summer.</B></div> <div> <B>Deb set up  the hammock outside today--it's like a tent that floats above the ground.  There are still a few kinks to iron out.  She got in it briefly.  It has a mosquito net that zips completely up, as well as a tarp that floats just above it.  All cozy and protected, and it weighs just over 2 pounds, less than a tent and two sleeping pads.  Of course we still require sleeping bags.</B></div> <div> <B>We had our first outdoor Iaido practice of the season today--it felt good, too!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, March 10th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Sometimes I am amazed when I realize the date of my last post--I cannot believe it's been so long!  Time does fly when you are having fun.  We are officially enjoying March Break, with zero teaching this coming week.  We got things off to a good start with Thursday evening's Full Moon.  Our last student of the week is always Alexandra, an 11 yr. old piano and violin student whom we both teach.  She is quite fun to teach and works hard (she got 83% on her recent Gr. 3 Piano exam), but the fact that she is our last student of the week usually makes us anxious to see her on Thursday evenings.  No sooner does she leave than our long weekend (or in this case, March Break) begins in earnest, usually with a wee dram of Scotch.  For Full Moon occasions we have dark rum.</B></div> <div> <B>On Friday we went to Ann Arbor, arriving during a windy and cold snow squall.  It was a day of cafes, pubs, shops and urban walking.  That city continues to be our favourite getaway for a day trip.  Today was a Windsor day.  Deb's training called for a 7 1/2 mile walk.  I managed three miles, but found the wind too much of an assault on my senses.</B></div> <div> <B>I've driven the new Tiguan enough now to know that I love it.  I am really looking forward to driving it west this summer.  We are heading to Taos, NM via Colorado Springs, and are planning our highest hiking and camping to date.  In addition, we will forgo tents and sleeping pads for a new design in hammocks.  We have one and hope to set it up in our yard tomorrow, with pictures to follow.  Stay tuned to this channel!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, March 5th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Whenever I begin new piano pieces, it seems impossible that I will ever learn them well enough to perform them in public.  The learning curve is immense, and having to go from fairly competent pianist back to a beginner is a shock to the system.  However, one month from now things will begin to gel, and no doubt I'll be playing one or two of the seven half decently.</B></div> <div> <B>We went to Detroit today, making the usual mail box run.  In addition, I went to the Wayne State Science Library and looked at New Mexico topo maps for an hour or so.  Then we went to Seva for lunch.  Their $9 vegan lunch special includes a cup of soup, half a sandwich (five kinds to choose from) and sweet potato fries with sweet salsa.  Yum!  This is our fourth visit, and each one has been special.  We also went to Avalon Bakery for coffee and a cookie.  Then it was time to fill up the Tiguan for the first time at the duty free gas bar at the bridge.  Gas prices have soared, and I paid $3.93 a gallon for premium.  So far we are averaging 32 mpg, about 30% better than the Touareg.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, March 4th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>I have finalized the pieces for my next piano program, which will be a full solo one consisting of a complete set of Gr. 10 pieces, the next step in my plan to aquire better technique, an improved memory, and enhanced musicianship.  Starting new pieces is always a time of great excitement!   From List A I have chosen a new (for me) Prelude and Fugue by Bach.  From List B comes a Haydn Sonata, a long-overdue return to one I performed on my Gr. 10 exam in 1974!  My List C choice is a new Schubert Moment Musicale, itself a tribute to Bach and his Preludes.  Next come the two etudes, including a new one by Scriabin and another by Rachmaninoff (this 2nd work is one I have previously learned and recorded, but never performed).  List D is a new Prelude by Debussy (Book 2), and the List E choice is a new Rondo by Bartok.  In addition to these solo works, Paula and I will learn one of Dvorak's Slavonic Dances for four hands.  I hope to record the entire program and issue it on CD.  I may have a little Astronomy surprise for an encore, if time permits.</B></div> <div> <B>Flute repertoire is still tba.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, March 4th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>After yet another week of some very fine practicing, I find myself cancelling the Toronto concert once again.  This time it was an insane wind that kept me home, as I was unwilling to drive.  Light snow was also predicted.  So I stayed home for a second Saturday, this time putting away my Beethoven and Spanish pieces for good and taking out the new ones.  I practiced the concert repertoire on Paula's piano yesterday, and things went well.  Ah well.  Planning events far away in winter is not such a profitable pastime.  We were certain the power would go out last night or today, but it stayed on.</B></div> <div> <B>With any luck the new pieces (a full set of Gr. 10 works, 7 in all) will be ready by October, a much better time of year to travel.  In addition to performing in Windsor and Toronto, I hope to do so in Sudbury.</B></div> <div> <B>It feels strange not preparing for a trip  during March Break.  We will undertake several day trips instead.  I really wish we were heading for some desert hiking, but we are saving ourselves for this summer.  We will be centered in the Taos area, where the largest mountains in NM are situated.  We have an amazing trip planned, including our highest summit ever, back-country camping, and overnight stays in some fine mountain resort cabins.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, February 27th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>So far, the Toronto concert is back on for this Saturday (weather permitting!).  The big news today was that we finalized our dates for this summer's New Mexico trip.  Deb will fly into and out of Colorado Springs, CO in August.  We got a very good fare.  If anyone wishes to drive down with me and then fly home, I can get you a pretty decent airfare one-way!  In addition to spending time in northern NM (where the highest peaks are), we will plan some high altitude hiking in Colorado as well.  Getting excited already!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, February 26th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>The Toronto recital is back on, this time for next Saturday.  I spent Saturday (yesterday) finalizing my choices for new piano repertoire.  It was fun!  I will say more about the new pieces later.  For now, I must stay focussed one more week on the Beethoven Sonata and the three Spanish pieces.  The road conditions Saturday morning were far less than ideal, with blowing and drifting snow across the 401 from Chatham to Woodstock.  So it turned out to be a good call, regardless of the fact that no storm ever hit Windsor or Toronto.  Tomorrow I advance to Level 6 in my flute studies, and get to select new repertoire also!</B></div> <div> <B>  Today we went to Detroit, enjoying a day of craft beer and good food, and some shopping at a few unique stores.  Monday it's back to the old keyboard.  I haven't practiced since Thursday!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, February 24th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Seems like I cancelled the Toronto trip a bit prematurely!  7" of snow turned into virtually none, here and in Toronto.  It is going to be very cold Saturday, though, and windy, so just as well to stay home.  I may try again on March 10th, though my ambition has begun to wane.  I had everything timed for Saturday, and had a fantastic week of high quality practice.  Bit of a let-down.  Thought for certain I'd be shovelling all day today, too.  Thankfully, that did not happen.</B></div> <div> <B>I did not practice piano today, the first day missed in over a month.  As a result I feel somewhat lost.  Doing lots of reading, and might go to the dojo this evening to practice Iaido.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, February 23rd/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>We nearly made it through the winter without a big storm.  Unfortunately, the timing of this one means that I had to cancel my Toronto recital for this coming Saturday afternoon.  I doubt the 401 will be in great shape by Saturday morning.  An opportunity in March may present itself.  We'll see.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, February 18th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Yesterday's Detroit Symphony concert was off the scale in terms of fun, excitement and breathtaking beauty!  The Mozart concerto was a great prep for the monstrous Mahler 5th.  This is a very long work, but with a huge payoff after the first three movements have been digested.  The justly-famous Adagietto for muted strings and harp brought shivers to me, and the final movement nearly brought down the walls with its incessant waves of ultra-dynamic sound.  It was conducted by Maestro Slatkin from memory! </B><A HREF="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120217/ENT01/202170429/1033/ent01/Slatkin-DSO-sound-resettled-Mahler" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120"><U><B> Here is the review</B></U></A><B> from the Detroit News.  Afterwards, we went to Seva for lunch--that's two Fridays in a row we have been there, and we can't wait to go back again.</B></div> <div> <B>Last evening I performed a Beethoven Sonata for a small audience of close friends here at home.  As my first performance of the work it went okay.  The third movement, where I was anticipating all manner of problems, went off quite well.  The first movement, where I expected virtually no problems, was fraught with gremlins!  A few areas of concern to polish before next Saturday's Toronto recital.  The lovely second movement went as planned.</B></div> <div> <B>We are just back from our morning Iaido class, and had been looking forward to going out to the observatory tonight for some winter sky astronomy.  However, because of quite chilly temps and a biting wind, I have held off for now.  Must stay healthy for at least one more week!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, February 16th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>How can a three-day work week seem so long and involved?  I feel drained tonight, and will be in bed early.  I've been reading the manual to our new Tiguan.  The vehicle hasn't even been out for a single drive yet, except to bring it home from the dealer on Monday--that's the kind of week it's been.</B></div> <div> <B>We did get our Iaido promotions on Tuesday night!  My next test will be much longer and more complicated (and every test after that one, too).  I wanted to work on the katas today at home, but did not manage to get to them.</B></div> <div> <B>A busy day tomorrow.  In the morning we are off to Detroit to hear Emmanuel Ax perform a Mozart Piano Concerto with the DSO, along with Slatkin's version of the Mahler 5th Symphony (driving over in our new vehicle).  Home in the afternoon to clean the house, rearrange some furniture and perform the Beethoven Sonata that appears to have only recently departed my brain.  It has not been a great week.  Let's hope things improve during the weekend...  </B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, February 13th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Fun and interesting times!  Traded in Beorn today for a new Tiguan, which is not a true SUV, but a crossover (built upon a Golf body).  Still an amazing vehicle, and more than ready for the mountain roads of New Mexico.  We are already planning our next summer trip into the Mogollon Mtns.  We can put regular gas into the vehicle, too, instead of premium!  Has every option except nav, and it's ours on a 4-yr lease.</B></div> <div> <B>Starting work on the Beethoven sonata again today, which I had left alone since last week.  Sunday's library concert was fun to do.  Paula is an amazing partner, and even though our approach to the piano is so different from one another, I do think we make a dynamic duo!  Two more performances (one this Friday!) and I can begin to learn some new pieces.  My next program will be a mix of new and old, with a really great sonata by Haydn, a gorgeous Rachmaninoff piece, and some Schubert, Prokofiev, Bach and more Debussy.</B></div> <div> <B>Tomorrow being a teaching night as well as Iaido class night, we celebrated Lupercalia tonight.  Mid-February is the beginning of the end of winteri n Essex County.  The daylight increases noticeably by now, and the worst cold spells are usually long gone.  It looks like Wed. the 15th will be the actual day winter begins to leave us for this year.  Hooray!!!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, February 11th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Friday morning's DSO concert was a blast!  The Shostakovich Violin Concerto is a rather tough nut, and as long as a full symphony.  And the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances give each section and soloist of the orchestra a solid work out.  The Rachmaninoff was recorded today by Naxos, as part of their "recorded live" albums.  The orchestra was flawless and in the groove!</B></div> <div> <B>We had lunch at Seva afterwards, Detroit's newest all-vegetarian restaurant.  Good stuff continues to happen, especially downtown and mid-town.</B></div> <div> <B>Deb is now two weeks into her gluten-free phase, and feels so much better.  Food allergies are a funny lot, though wheat is much more common than most people realize.</B></div> <div> <B>I didn't dare go out and shovel snow today, in case I pulled or strained something.  I need to get through tomorrow's concert first, then I can return to normal, at least unitl Friday, when I will be playing again, this time a sonata by Beethoven.  As it is, I have overused my right index finger practicing the repeated notes in the Albeniz, and will have to try and switch them to my third finger now.  Yikes!  Looking forward to tomorrow!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, February 8th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Brought the Golf into VW today, as we were receiving an airbag error message.  They have to order a new one for us, due in next week.  In the meantime, we ended up leasing a 2012 Tiguan, fully loaded, and trading in our Touareg.  As painful as that is to me, that vehicle is just too risky to drive without a warranty, especially to the mountains and back.  It is in excellent shape and will no doubt last for many years to come.  We lose one inch on the clearance, so we won't be going off-road with the new vehicle like we did with the Treg.  We should have the new one on the road Monday.  Thanks to the trade-in we have no down payment to make, and only $300 per month payments (48 months).  Not too shabby.</B></div> <div> <B>Last night's Iaido test went off pretty well.  It was very hot in the dojo, however, making the test a real sweatbath by the end.  If I passed I will be promoted to 3rd Kyu.  Next test is in two months, a much bigger challenge to reach 2nd Kyu.  Deb did her 4th Kyu test, and Alicia did 5th.  Five of us went for Thai food before class, a new pre-test tradition.</B></div> <div> <B>Firming up concert details for the 25th in Toronto.  Morning reheasal with Paula tomorrow, our final one before Sunday's library concert.  DSO concert Friday morning, and a student group lesson Friday afternoon.  Not a lot of down time lately.  It will be like that until we return from Toronto on the 26th, when I can begin learning new pieces.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, February 6th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>A slight cool down in temps for a week or so will remind us what month it is--the last few days have been too good to be true.  I was supposed to accompany Angela, my flute student, in a concert Sunday afternoon.  However, she phoned me to say she was too sick.  I had to go downtown anyway, as Paula and I were going to rehearse on the piano after the student concert.  It was my one chance to get on the piano before next Sunday's concert.  It was mostly a wonderful experience, though the keyboard gave me grief for the Albeniz piece, with its fierce repeated notes.  Ah well, c'est la vie.</B></div> <div> <B>Today we performed for the Gr. 6s at Anderdon Public School, a similar though shorter version of last week's school program at Amherstburg Public.  Things went well, and there were some very good questions afterwards.</B></div> <div> <B>Tuesday is our next Iaido test.  It occurs to me that this is a very busy month!  My life consists of practicing one thing or another just now.  Hopefully I will achieve 3rd Kyu without my body having a major malfunction!  I strained a groin muscle yesterday while doing the newest kata, and it still hurts.  I am rather surprised to have made it this far, to be truthful, especially after the way I injured myself at my very first class last March.</B></div> <div> <B>I have decided to perform the Beethoven Sonata on Friday evening the 17th, in a short lecture/recital format here at the house.  I will announce it at the concert Sunday afternoon, for those interested in hearing it.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, January 30th/2012</U></B></div> <div> <B>Two months of winter down, just over one to go!  We have managed to get through December and January in a most un-Canadian fashion.  Yippee!  We are nearly through the worst.  Beorn is now halfway through his winter siesta.  Only three more days until Candelmas, which traditionally marks the beginning of the end for the winter season, at least in the British Isles.  In Essex County, Ontario (Canada's southern-most county), we usually add about a dozen days to that milestone.  By the time Valentine's Day rolls around, we are usually seeing the backside of winter in this area.  Can hardly wait!  Remarkably, we have been able to keep up our outdoor walking program this late into the season, almost without interruption.</B></div> <div> <B>Today was my first of six upcoming musical performances on flute and piano.  Paula and I played a school concert today, and we have another one next Monday at a different school.  On Sunday I will accompany my own flute student in a recital.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19a1045b0.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="347" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Playing flute today for the Gr. 7s at Amherstburg Public School.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19a308c80.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Paula and I perform piano music for four hands at our school concert today.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="19a50db20.jpg" border=0 width="269" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>The Gr. 7s managed to stay awake for most of the concert.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, January 27th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>I have a confirmed concert in Toronto in February, making a total of 6 upcoming concerts/performances in the next month.  The first one is this Monday, when I play flute for the Gr. 7s at Amherstburg Public, with Paula accompanying.  We will then perform the Mozart Sonata for 4 hands.  The following Monday we perform for the Gr. 6s at Anderdon School.  The following Sunday we play at the Windsor Library, including some of my solo piano work.  Also in there is my next Iaido test, for junior brown belt.  A busy time, most of it practicing either piano, flute or Iaido.</B></div> <div> <B>Today's rehearsal at Paula's house was okay.  Not much to complain about.  I even got through the Debussy Prelude fairly well.  Sounds amazing on Paula's piano!</B></div> <div> <B>Going to the dojo at 6:30 pm to run through all the katas.  A week and a half to go before brown belt test</B><B>ing!  Certainly an exciting time!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, January 22/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Invitations went out today for the library concert on Feb. 12th--if you did not receive one (or two) please e-mail us at the address at the bottom of this page.  I have decided to replace the Beethoven Piano Sonata with a number of shorter flute pieces.  About three weeks afterwards, I will perform the Beethoven at a lecture/recital instead.  There will still be lots of piano pieces on the upcoming program.</B></div> <div> <B>We attended a Detroit Symphony concert this afternoon at Orchestra Hall.  The main attraction was the very accessible and totally delightful and captivating Piano Concerto #2 by Camille Saint Saens.  It was performed by a 17 year old Asian boy, and he was completely outstanding.  With eyes closed one would have thought it was one of the great virtuosos of our time!  </B><A HREF="http://conradtao.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://conradtao.com/"><U><B>Conrad Tao</B></U></A><B> is an incredible musician, and has the concert itinerary to prove it!  He plays with more heart and soul than Lang Lang, and has the technique of Yuja Wang.  Read the </B><A HREF="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120122/ENT01/201220316/Piano-phenom-17-makes-blazing-debut-DSO?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120"><U><B>Detroit News review</B></U></A><B> of last night's concert.  What a world!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, January 20th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>We are back on-line, after a short hiatus as we switched over to a new desktop computer.  It wasn't too difficult of a switch, as we had everything backed up on another disc.  We still have all of our e-mail to retrieve, however.  Maybe tomorrow.</B></div> <div> <B>Old Man Winter finally roused himself enough to give us a few genuine January days, even adding a bit of snow and blowing.  It will all come to an end again by Sunday, however, as warmer air pushes back in.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, January 14th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>I finished reading the first of two Bulldog Drummond mystery/crime novels that I bought last weekend at a used book store.  They are actually highly entertaining and well-written.  We recently watched six old b&w movies based on the books, and after enjoying those I wanted a taste of the original material.  Just about to start my second one.</B></div> <div> <B>Old Man Winter has been lacking some teeth so far this season.  We should be well into the deepest and coldest part of winter right now, usually lasting until early February in Essex County.  So far, not much of anything in our area.  Very thankful!  Two weeks of the worst gone, and four to go.  We can get through this!</B></div> <div> <B>Paula and I rehearsed Friday morning.  We have a  flute and piano concert booked for January 30th at a nearby school, with one other tba.  After that comes the piano-only one at the library on Feb. 12th.  Hopefully that will also be the day when an early spring arrives! </B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, January 12th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Perhaps by tomorrow it will become more obvious why I use a white font in January.  Spring appears to be coming to an end sometime after midnight tonight.  Although only a couple of inches of the white stuff is predicted, it should be gone by next week, when it is supposed to warm up once again.</B></div> <div> <B>A full week of teaching music lessons has zipped by, and a four-day weekend awaits!  A trip to Detroit on Friday, weather permitting, and a stay-at-home holiday on Saturday and Sunday.  Now that a concert date has been set (Feb. 12th), practicing will intensify.  Tomorrow I also have a rehearsal with Paula.  We have two school concerts coming up soon, as well as the duet part of my piano program.  I am really looking forward to playing the entire Mozart Sonata in D+ for four hands, especially on the downtown library piano.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, January 9th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>The final day of our extended vacation has come to an end, as we resume our private teaching duties tomorrow through Thursday.  In four short weeks we will be halfway through the school year.  If the weather continues to be anything like it has been, the time really will fly past!  Though seasonal temperatures will be arriving later in the week, there is nothing in the 10 day forecast to strike fear into my heart.  Each mild day is a gift!</B></div> <div> <B>Deb managed to wiggle out of jury duty today.  She was excused, much to her relief, because she is friends with one of the upcoming witnesses.  The civil trial is expected to last 3-4 weeks!  Lucky Deb!!</B></div> <div> <B>Chatting on Facebook with some of my younger former students this evening--most sound glad to be back into routines.  Not sure about the teachers.  I'm sure they'd rather still be on holiday.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, January 6th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>Had a really fun day in Detroit yesterday,  It was a beautiful day, and we walked on our usual River Rouge Trail for a couple of miles before heading to Buddy's in Dearborn for a free pizza.  Deb signed up for their e-mail notices, and gets a free pizza during her birthday month, as well as lots of coupons during the year.  Next we picked up our mail and then headed to the Wayne State University Science Library, home to every topo map of New Mexico!  I have been attempting to look at each one of them for several years now, and am nearly done the "Cs".  Deb usually wanders through the library stacks while I study, this time discovering a multi-volume edition of "Wildflowers of the USA."  Next came a stopover at John King Books.  We were in search of some mystery novels by "Sapper" McNeile, author of the Bulldog Drummond series (we've been watching the old movies lately), as well as a novel by Philip K Dick.  We had success with the mystery books, but not the sci fi one that Blade Runner is loosely based.  Finally came Slows restaurant.  They had just tapped their latest cask, and we enjoyed a very fine glass of Bells Best Brown Ale before heading homeward.</B></div> <div> <B>Today I had a rehearsal with Paula for our upcoming school concerts, as well as for my library recital (tentative date is Feb. 12th, 2 pm at the downtown Windsor Public Library).</B></div> <div> <B>Incredible weather continues, as we seem to have skipped from December to March!  Fine with me!  Must get outside again today.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wed., January 4th/12</U></B></div> <div> <B>The year is off to a decent beginning for us, especially as there is no snow!  Each day without it is like a little bonus from the gods of mercy.  It's been awhile since we had a mild winter.  I hope our ship has come in!</B></div> <div> <B>Mom had her eye operation today, to replace her lens in one eye.  Early reports are that everything went okay.  More news tomorrow.</B></div> <div> <B>Iaido classes resumed last night.  I posted some pics on the dojo Facebook page, and one on my own wall.  Alicia got a new, very expensive and wonderful sword from her grandparents for Christmas.  Sensei was away, so we are still awaiting word from our last test at the final class of 2011.  I have begun working on material for my next test, junior brown belt level.</B></div> <div> <B>              </B><A HREF="id333.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2011 Blog Archive"><U><B> </B></U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id333.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2011 Blog Archive"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2011</B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I></FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id141.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id141.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2010</B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id139.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2009</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id99.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2008</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id65.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2007</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id64.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2006</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=435 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="a6a40f03.jpg"> <div> <I><B>Welcome to Lone Mountain Homestead</B></I></div> <div> To the left is a personal journal that is updated often.  Over here on the right side one can find the larger photo galleries.  It is not updated as often, though changes do happen after major journeys and events.   If you wish to use a photo seen here for any reason, kindly e-mail me and let me know (Yahoo address near bottom).  The photos on the website are not very large or of very high resolution, and I may be able to send you a better version.  My main camera is a Fuji Finepix S9000; the walking camera is the smaller but capable Finepix S1600.  A Finepix A820 is the everyday <I>backpack</I> camera, as well as the one to be taken on particularly grueling mountain climbs when even the S1600 will be too much weight.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Live every day like it's your last, 'cause one day you're gonna be right. </B></I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>~ Ray Charles </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FF33CC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Deb's CDs "strata" and "phases of light,"</B></I></FONT><I><B> are available </B></I><I><B> </B></I><A HREF="http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DeborahEthier" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DeborahEthi"><U><I><B>here!</B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Michael's novel, "The Dulwich Haunting," is available </B></I><A HREF="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-dulwich-haunting/14847972" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/th"><U><I><B>here!</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="19ea4e7a0.jpg" border=0 width="846" height="634" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Hiking with Emma-Lee in Sudbury</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Deb and niece Emma-Lee inspect "bug flowers" along a woodsy path.  Because bumble bees like the flowers, Emma has renamed them.  She is carrying her self-peeled banana.  Those short little legs climbed some big hills!</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id312.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="London Trip 11"><U><I><B>LONDON, UK TRIP # 11</B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id302.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Amherstburg to the Mississippi"><U><I><B>NM TRIP #31: KNIGHT PEAK ADVENTURE</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/580859631gcGoWX" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5808596"><U><I><B>NM TRIP #30:  Albuquerque March 2011 </B></I></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>(off-site location)</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/579250554RWuxMx" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5792505"><U><I><B>LONDON TRIP #10: A Solo Adventure in Late Autumn</B></I></U></A><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>(off-site location</B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>)</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/579829755tktQUQ" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5798297"><U><B>NM Trip #28: "Albuquerque 2010"</B></U></A><A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/579829755tktQUQ" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5798297"><U><B> </B></U></A><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><B>(off-site location)</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/577142086qgaDXM?vhost=travel" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5771420"><U><B>NM Trip #27: </B></U></A><A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/577142086qgaDXM?vhost=travel" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5771420"><U><B>"</B></U></A><A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/577142086qgaDXM?vhost=travel" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5771420"><U><B>The Drive West"</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>(</B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>August 2009)</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><B>(</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><B>off-site location)</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/577165690VrpaCv?vhost=travel" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5771656"><U><B>NM Trip #27: </B></U></A><A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/577165690VrpaCv?vhost=travel" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5771656"><U><B>"</B></U></A><A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/577165690VrpaCv?vhost=travel" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5771656"><U><B>In New Mexico"</B></U></A><B> </B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><B>(off-site location)</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>NM Trip #27: "</B><A HREF="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576363489tcUfLa?vhost=outdoors" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/57636"><U><B>Little Costilla Peak Hike</B></U></A><B>"</B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><B>(off-site location)</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://community.webshots.com/user/beorn53" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://community.webshots.com/user/beorn"><U><B>Detroit</B></U></A><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><B>(off site location)</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://travel.webshots.com/album/576994468GScETM" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://travel.webshots.com/album/5769944"><U><B>LONDON TRIP #9</B></U></A><B>!</B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><B>(</B><I><B>off-site location)</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://pets.webshots.com/album/576981858KGBdcV" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pets.webshots.com/album/576981858"><U><I><B>Our Kitty Cats</B></I></U></A><A HREF="http://pets.webshots.com/album/576981858KGBdcV" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pets.webshots.com/album/576981858"><U><I><B> </B></I></U></A><A HREF="http://pets.webshots.com/album/576981858KGBdcV" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pets.webshots.com/album/576981858"><U><I><B> </B></I></U></A><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>(</B></I><I><B>off-site location)</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="ballantine_fantasy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B>Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series</B></U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><A HREF="ballantine_fantasy_tolkien_a_look_behind_the_lord_of_the.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B>Tolkien: A Look Behind the Lord of the Rings</B></U></A><A HREF="ballantine_fantasy_tolkien_a_look_behind_the_lord_of_the.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B>!</B></U></A><A HREF="ballantine_fantasy_tolkien_a_look_behind_the_lord_of_the.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B> </B></U></A><A HREF="ballantine_fantasy_tolkien_a_look_behind_the_lord_of_the.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B> NEWEST!!</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                                                                        </B><A HREF="ballantine_fantasy_the_road_goes_ever_on.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B>The Road Goes Ever On!</B></U></A><B>  NEW!</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><U>Last Update May 17th, 2012</U></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Who We Are</B></I></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><I><B> </B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#BBBBBB" FACE="Arial" ><B> We are Michael and Deb, vegans and hikers from southwestern Ontario, Canada, where we live with our three cats Ferdinand, Gustav, and Mogollon,  and  Ludwig the tortoise.  We have completed 31 hiking expeditions to New Mexico, finding that we cannot live without the skies, deserts and mountains of that unique place.  Another favourite travel destination is London, UK (11 visits), where we enjoy making new friends, taking long walks in the city and outskirts, attending concerts in the city, and carrying out museum visits and pub pilgrimages.  We have also explored the Valley of Mexico in some depth (3 visits), spent an entire summer in Madrid and Barcelona, spent two weeks in and around Copenhagen, Denmark and visited great Mid-Western cities like Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toronto and others many times.  Detroit is our nearest big city, and we visit at least once a week.  Lone Mountain Homestead is our attempt to share some of our adventures with relatives, friends and drop-in visitors.  We also study martial arts, specifically "Iaido," the art of using a samurai sword.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>     Michael is retired from teaching music at </B><A HREF="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps"><U><B>Amherstburg Public School</B></U></A><B>, but maintains a busy </B><B> private music studio at home.   When not teaching, performing, practicing piano or  attending concerts in the Detroit/Windsor area, he enjoys driving a VW Touareg and Golf TDI, actively pursuing  his photography hobby, practicing Iaido, and reading (as well as writing) fiction.  He also loves to study maps, watch old films, observe the night sky, and work on his HO model train layout.  He enjoys microbrewed beer way too much.  Deb teaches Harp and Violin at home and is recently retired from teaching Grades 1-3  Language Arts, Music  and Drama at </B><A HREF="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps"><U><B>APS</B></U></A><B> </B><B>.  She is an avid lever harp performer, composer and arranger.  Her works and performances have been featured in three short films for television broadcast (including England), and her original works are featured on two  CDs, "strata" and "Phases of Light" (see links above).  She also practicies Iaido, paints canvasses inspired by the spirit of the Southwest and enjoys a glass of red wine and the occasional pint of hoppy beer.  Deb has completed four half-marathons (Detroit, Kansas City, Columbus, Ohio and The Martian in Dearborn, MI).  </B></div> <div> <I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#66FFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com"><U><I><B>Check out Deb's website here.</B></I></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Been to New Mexico?  London?  Like long road trips? Planning something?  Have a comment about this site?  Drop us a line....</B></I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="mailto:pegasus48124@yahoo.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:pegasus48124@yahoo.com"><U><I><B>pegasus48124@yahoo.com</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>  <script type="text/javascript"> var sc_project=4981791; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=57; var sc_click_stat=1; var sc_security="0f8f7595"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js"></script><noscript><div class="statcounter"><a title="myspace profile view counter" href="http://www.statcounter.com/myspace/" target="_blank"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/4981791/0/0f8f7595/0/" alt="myspace profile view counter" ></a></div></noscript>   </B></I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>