Lake Tahoe

Classically Lake Tahoe

Summer 2018

          Exciting news: Matt was selected as a percussionist for “Classical Tahoe” at Lake Tahoe! In its 7^th season, the Classical Tahoe Orchestra has been expanded this year, mostly adding percussion & brass. The orchestra brings together “virtuoso musicians [that’s our boy!] from ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony and the LA Philharmonic” for a three-week festival and institute on the campus of Sierra Nevada College off the lake in Incline Village NV. Interestingly, clicking on “orchestra” at the CT website yields a large (and very handsome!) photo of Matt right at the top. My travel juices started flowing since we’ve never been there. Sitting on the California-Nevada border, Lake Tahoe is America’s largest “alpine lake” and the 3^rd deepest lake in North America: 22 miles long, 12 miles wide, and 1,645’ at its deepest; 6,225’ above sea level; surrounded by Sierra Nevada Mountains including the Squaw Valley 1960 Olympics site. The 72-mile shoreline drive is billed as “The Most Beautiful Drive in America.” Plus Reno, Carson City, & Virginia City are nearby. We’ve been elsewhere in Northern California, including Yosemite and Sequoia Nat’l Parks (our “2^nd honeymoon” in 1972) and several times in the San Francisco area for vacations and conventions, but not this region. So we’ll stalk him, as we did when Matt was at the “Music Academy of the West” in Santa Barbara (1998). Why should he have all the fun?

This will entail some family reunions: Marjorie’s cousin Jim, wife Susan, and Susan’s sister Ann will join us (reprising their participation in our 2015 Andalucia trip); Jim & Susan’s  daughter Katherine, husband Mike, and children Cooper & Kexel live in Walnut Creek CA, not too far away, so we’ll see them; plus daughter-in-law Anthea and grandsons William & Miles are flying out toward the end of our stay. This evolved into a longer stay than originally anticipated, but Marjorie pointed out that some people actually “relax” on vacation  ̶  imagine that!

"Midnight Sun" Ocean Cruise

“Into the Midnight Sun”

June/July 2018

          My brother Doug & sister-in-law Ann declined our invite to join us on a Fall trip to Croatia. But then made a counter-offer for me to join them and daughter Katie on a Viking Ocean Cruise. Doug had booked 2 cabins but there was no option for a single fare, so I would be the “fill-in” (actually the 2^nd choice, but their grandson Aiden was too young), Doug & I sharing one cabin, Ann & Katie the other. [They knew Marjorie would be busy then with the Colonie Art League summer Art Camp for 4^th-6^th graders she organizes (and is one of the instructors)  ̶  I suppose now she’ll want an equivalent trip with her sister.] Doug & I have enjoyed trips together, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity for more time together . . . with Ann & Katie as a bonus! Marjorie & I have enjoyed several Viking river cruises, so it will be interesting to sample their ocean cruises. And the itinerary is very attractive: Shetland Islands and Edinburgh in Scotland, along the Norwegian coast including 3 ports above the Arctic Circle! (Marjorie thinks maybe I’ll see Santa!), finishing in Bergen, one of our favorite places from a Scandinavian tour in 2008. (Sadly, I will be unable to connect with one of our regular Albany Symphony guests, bassist Tristan, now with the Bergen Philharmonic. He did e-mail to say, as I suspected, that with the season over he is not in the city.) Norway is “home” to Viking for obvious reasons, including the Norwegian founder (in 1997) & Chairman Torstein Hagen. 

Bucks & Lancaster Counties PA

Pennsylvania Reprises

Bucks & Lancaster Counties & Longwood Gardens

May-June 2018 

          We’re returning to areas of Eastern Pennsylvania visited on previous trips: Pennsylvania Dutch country around Lancaster with Marjorie’s Mom Win and our then-little Matt in 1983, Bucks County (after stays in Cape May & Philadelphia) with M’s Uncle Bill in 1996, plus Longwood Gardens both times. And another reprise: friend Marlene, a fine trip companion to the Smokies in Fall 2016, is joining us again. We schedule after Marlene and my Spring choral schedules are completed. Looking for lodging on Airbnb we’re enticed by “River Retreat: a Piece of Heaven.” On the Delaware River near Stockton NJ (across from Bucks County), we’ll have the entire ground floor (hosts Patricia & hubbie live on the 2^nd floor) with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, and porch looking onto the river. Sounds like a lovely base of operations. This will be the 1^st of a busy schedule of Summer & Fall trips, plenty of journal & photo ops for my blog.

          Some busy time before we head out. Marjorie has a couple of days in NYC highlighted by a fascinating show by illusionist Derek DelGaudio, “In and of Itself,” with Matt playing an unexpected role, and “Boys in the Band” with M fav Jim Parsons. Then the weekend before our trip Marlene comes up for my Mendelssohn Club concert. She’s an accomplished singer, and I’m honored she pronounces the concert “excellent,” with special kudos for my basses in “Down in the Valley.” Marlene also gives me some tips on learning Britten’s “War Requiem,” a beastly challenging work I’ve been rehearsing as a “guest” singer with Albany ProMusica for a Fall concert with the Albany Symphony. She stays until Sunday for a Mass celebrating the 50^th anniversary of our Fr. Farano’s ordination; lots more music with the choir.

          But I digress. After a typical Memorial Day (5/28) of lawnmowing and other yard and garden work (we learn Marlene was doing the same), an early dinner and a lovely evening drive down to stay overnight with Marlene in Poughkeepsie.

Golf Venues in the Capital Region and Elsewhere

Golf Venues in the Capital Region

      This is another post that's not exactly "travel," but I thought I'd share some views of golf courses in the Albany "Capital Region" area, and a few beyond. I came back to golf when I retired after 30-some years away from the game and discovered that there are some beautiful public courses that offer diverse scenery, wildlife, and golfing challenges. Here's a selection. 

Australia, New Zealand, & Tahiti

Waltzing Down Under

November 2017

          It’s a long way to Australia & New Zealand! But surviving flights to Vietnam last Spring encouraged us to think about another long trip. Coincidentally during dinner at the home of Aussie colleague Peter, wife Ellen, and sons Conor & Quinn we learned Peter would have a Fall sabbatical at Australian Nat’l U in Canberra. Couldn’t pass up a chance to see some of Australia with a native. Then discovered a Qantas airfare sale  ̶  “dirt cheap” said Peter. Seemed like travel karma. So I did the fastest trip planning ever! Multiple flights across time zones & date lines, several destinations (Auckland NZ, Sydney AUS, Papeete Tahiti to decompress on the way home), plus hotel arrangements via booking.com. Then Qantas kept making changes, mostly in flight times. Whew!! I’m back to my “travel agent” persona, making all the trip arrangements myself. And had to arrange “Electronic Travel Authority” docs on-line for Australia. (And who knows, with the way Trump is going, can we get back into the US? Peter says if we ask for asylum they’ll welcome us right in.) As in some other trips, we’ll have to handle 3 different currencies: Australian & New Zealand dollars are similar (1 AUD = $.77, 1 NZD = $.69) but Tahiti’s Pacific Franc is more complicated (1 CFP = $.01).

          More recently, we’ve been busy since returning from a trip to KC and Branson on 10/25. Marjorie creating another Grandma Halloween costume requested by grandson Miles  ̶  he’ll be a Box of Popcorn! I wading thru 300+ pages of a dissertation  ̶  not quite done with academia. Friday up to Glens Falls for a reception at artist Tom Myott’s studio in “The Shirt Factory,” celebrating his segment on WMHT’s program “AHA” (A House for Arts). Tom’s paintings include beautiful images around the Saratoga track. Marjorie was instrumental in connecting him with WMHT, where she used to work; she also provided a cake for the reception. 

Tom very thoughtfully arranged a room for us at the classic Queensbury Hotel, and we enjoyed the late peak Fall colors in and around Glens Falls. Saturday afternoon off to a play at Curtain Call: “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” a comedy featuring an Elvis impersonator and drag queens. That night to a Halloween costume party hosted by the President of my Mendelssohn Club singing group. 

Sunday a rendezvous with son Matt & family at friend Marlene’s in Poughkeepsie to deliver Miles’ costume and see William’s last-minute decision to be a hot dog. And we fill out our 1^st absentee ballots for the 11/7 election. Whew! We need a vacation.

Kansas City & Branson

Branson Bound

October 2017

          Branson? Really? Not exactly on our bucket list, it morphed out of a generous invitation from Marjorie’s sister Mary & hubbie Jeff to join them for a getaway using their Marriot Vacation Club points. First choice Hilton Head unavailable, also Washington and NYC. Then Mary advised that everyone age 65+ should visit Branson MO. Hadn’t heard of that gerontological pilgrimage , but M & J have enjoyed a couple of stays there, so we’ll trust their judgment. The guys can play some golf, the ladies explore shopping, plus many shows and other tourist fun from which to choose. We can fly to their home in Kansas City using our frequent credit-card United miles, then drive south to Branson. Not much Fall color around Albany yet, maybe we’ll see some in Missouri.

Vermont Inn 2017

Vermont Inn

September 2017

          Another of our online voucher B & B getaways, taking us back to Vermont. Some end-of-summer relaxation after Marjorie’s 7^th year at the Stockade Art Show on Saturday 9/9, joined by artist friends Betty and George & Mary. A lovely day, and Marjorie sells a personal-best 12 pieces. 

That night we get to see the nice new digs for our nearby Curtain Call Theater. Producers Carol & Peter Max are so deservedly proud of the beautiful new space  ̶  theater, lounge, ample parking  ̶  and some of our favorite actors (Jack Fallon, Barbara Richards) are helping out for the evening reception.