D-Day!

The rehearsal was wonderful, and the dinner at Il Pirata in Capitola delicious. It is going to be a lovely wedding!

As W.S. Gilbert noted in The Grand Duke:

Won’t it be a pretty wedding?
Will not Li(s)a look delightful?
Smiles and tears in plenty shedding –
Which in brides of course is rightful.
...
Oh, ‘twill be a pretty wedding!
Such a pretty, pretty wedding!
Such a charming, charming, charming wedding!

The Big Day minus 2 and counting...

Saturday was a Bach Festival rehearsal day, and that went well. We really like Andrew Megill, the new chorus master.

Sunday was a real treat, as both of my daughters came to visit for Father's Day. We had a lovely dinner at the Cellar Door, watched Doctor Who, and had a fun time all around. Sofia is still here, but even Lia stayed over one night. It was the best Father's Day ever!

Getting ready for Lia's wedding on Friday. Not anything really for us to do, but emotionally it is a big step!

Southern excursion

Back from our trip south. There is a new airline serving Monterey - Expressjet - and it has non-stop service to Ontario and San Diego at reasonable fares. We decided to avoid the 1000 mile round trip drive and give the new carrier a try. It was wonderful. One hour gate to gate, and very comfortable. The jets are small, but do seat about 60 people, and there is more leg room than on your average transcontinental (or intercontinental, for that matter) flight. We were able to spend more time with family and less time on the road, and were not at all fatigued from the journey.

We spent the first and last nights with my wife's mom and step-dad, with the middle night at her sister's new house in Fallbrook. It was a very pleasant trip indeed.

One of the reasons we really wanted to go was to see my wife's grandmother, who recently moved into an assisted living facility at the age of 94. Her grandfather passed away last year. The facility is very nice, and Louise has a beautiful view of the park and San Diego bay. She seems to be doing quite well, and we were fortunate enough to see her on two occasions. First, at her new abode, and second, for lunch at the Coronado Golf Course club house, which was really quite good - again, with an absolutely gorgeous view.

Dictionair o the Scots Leid!

Dictionary of the Scots Language

As they say in Scots, trés cool...

Madregalia!!

The madrigal group that I belong to (MADREGALIA!!) gave a "house" concert for friends and family yesterday at St. Mary's church. About 40 people showed up, and it was a lot of fun. We sang renaissance part songs from the sublime to the absurd from several different countries, and we finsihed off with a little cantata by Michael Praetorius on the hymn "Herr Christ der Einig Gottes Sohn." Turns out that hymn was the first one in the Lutheran tradition to focus on Christ, and the text was written by the first female Lutheran hymn writer, Elisabeth Creuziger in 1524.

The audience was very enthusiastic, and I have been receiving e-mails and telephone calls from folks telling me how much they enjoyed it. One of the members owns a harpsichord that he built from a kit, and it was the hit of the afternoon. Several people came up afterwards to see it and the viols.

Now I am completely exhausted!