Seein’ the DMV: Concerts and National Aquarium
Two Concerts I don’t normally post about musical concerts I attend because I don’t like to write reviews. However, I’m going to spend a little time touching on three concerts I attended in July, but the bulk of the post will cover my second visit to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Since my return to the DMV, I have taken as much advantage as I can of the stage events offered here. This summer, this has included concerts from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Summerfest schedule–an all-George Gershwin program and movie music by John Williams, plus the performance of Carl Orff”s Carmina Burana, performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, soloists, Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Children’s Chorus of Washington. The Gershwin concert started what was a very busy week on Sunday, July 20. The program included his Cuban Overture, excerpts from the opera Porgy and Bess, Rhapsody in Blue,…
Seein’ the DMV: Mubadala Citi DC Open-July 2025
Monday-Day One I was watching the Wimbledon Open when I realized that I had never seen a live professional tennis match. I’ve enjoyed watching tennis on television since I was introduced to the game in public school and became aware of Arthur Ashe in the early 1970s. Impulsively, I started researching the costs and process of making a one-day trip to New York to see an early round of the US Open. Just as I was forced to acknowledge that my budget required more prep time to handle such an excursion, I learned that there was a tennis tournament–the Mubadala Citi DC Open–scheduled in Washington the next week!! A check of the ticket prices for an early round session indicated that I could make it work. I ordered one of the ADA tickets on the first level of the stadium. On that Monday, I tried to time my drive to…
Heading Home for 45th Class Reunion
I hadn’t planned to post about my trip to Greensboro, North Carolina, to celebrate my 45th class reunion at Bennett College since it was a driving trip to my hometown. However, I recently saw a post on Facebook that brought back memories of my days as a student, and I decided that sharing those memories, combined with my return 45 years later as an alumna, made sense. First, the now,… Graduation and class unions at Bennett College tend to occur during Mother’s Day weekend, sometimes with Commencement scheduled on that Sunday. This year, events for returning alumnae attending Reunion Weekend began Thursday before Mother’s Day. Not surprisingly, I chose to drive down because I wanted to be able to have transportation throughout the weekend. I drove through Greensboro’s downtown and the college campus, taking advantage of quiet grounds to get pictures of the classroom buildings, student union, administration and dormitories…
Unplanned Mini-Trip: Rock And Roll HoF, Cuyahoga Valley NP, Western Maryland Scenic RR
Some trips just happen. This was one of them. I was watching a news story on Monday, June 9th, about the extremely rare Strawberry Moon scheduled to occur on Wednesday and decided I would find an different place where I would see it. Next morning, with minimal preparation, I jumped into the Silver Bullet (SB), texted a family member I was headed out of town, and drove towards Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Now, those of you following this blog know I have been there before. Twice, in fact, in 2024, first to witness the total solar eclipse, then traveling on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. On neither visit, however, did I actually see much of the park itself. The downside of unplanned trips is that I WILL forget something. In this case, I forgot that my usual ability to get satisfying photos from the camera on my very dependable…
ARSC, National Parks and More (Gettin’ Home and Afterthoughts)
Gettin’ Home I didn’t drive the most direct route from Michigan to the DMV because I had mentioned to my family the possibility of stopping in Iowa long enough to get some Iowa chops to eat. I am horrible at cooking the thick cuts of pork, but my grill master brother is wonderful at it, and it’s been a year since I last got some chops for them. So,… Plus, I had the opportunity to meet old friends and colleagues along the way. Catherine made the drive to meet me for lunch in Davenport on Saturday, and David and I had lunch in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday. While in Davenport, I picked up sixteen chops that I ordered in advance from a local Fareway. If you are wondering what the big deal is, you haven’t had well-prepared Iowa chops before. I had anticipated that the drive Sunday would have less…
Five National Parks in Five Days (Days Three-Four)
Day Three: Black Canyon of the Gunnison Although Wednesday’s drive to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was the shortest of all, it would begin the longest stretches of the marathon trip. I checked out early, then cleaned and reorganized SB’s inside so that I could more easily find and access supplies. Beyond the visitors center, there was some limited scenic driving and a steady stream of vehicles taking advantage of it. However, this was a park that had more to offer for the hiker. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and warm enough to wear one of my national park shirts, the one with each park printed on the front that allows me to use a magic marker to check off a park as I visit. I viewed the visitors center exhibit and did my usual purchase of a hiker’s medallion and park-themed refrigerator magnet before taking the scenic…
Five National Parks in Five Days (Day Five)
Isle Royale National Park is an island on Lake Superior about 20 miles from the Canadian Border. It’s only accessible by airplane or boat. I drove all night from South Dakota aware that I was not only working against distance–approximately 1050 miles to Copper Harbor, Michigan, but time since I would lose two hours going from Mountain Daylight to Eastern Daylight Time in Michigan. The boat was scheduled to launch from Copper Harbor at 8 a.m. My one advantage was that 400 miles of the drive was on I-90 with a speed limit of 80-miles-per-hour. I reached the boat at 7:56 a.m.!! There were basically two groups of passengers on board–those who would stay on the island at least one night and those (including me) who were there for the day. The trip took approximately 3.5 hours each way with about 2.5 hours at the park’s visitor area. The day…
Five National Parks in Five Days (Day Two)
I was up three hours before the Mesa Verde National Park‘s visitor center was scheduled to open, so I watched the sun rise and awaken the park. The center had only been open a few minutes when I arrived, but the ranger on desk duty was already busy speaking with other visitors. He confirmed for me that, as had been indicated on the website’s map, there was extensive scenic roadways in the park. After looking at the center’s exhibits about the Pueblo Native Americans who had inhabited the region, I readied myself for the day of driving in the park. As I mentioned in earlier posts, it is a great idea to enter national parks with a full tank of gas because, even if the park does offer gas for sale, the prices tend to be considerably higher. Since I had stocked before entering the park, I was ready for…
Five National Parks in Five Days (Day One)
I have been planning to visit the three national parks I hadn’t visited in Colorado since my last trip to the southwestern United States in 2022. Since there are only about 650 miles from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Great Sand Dunes National Park–the closest I am likely to come in the foreseeable future, I decided that the opportunity should not be passed up. This would, of course, mean adding it and the other two parks in Colorado to my trip. Then, I had the chance to finally get to Isle Royale in Michigan and to Wind Cave national, which I didn’t know existed when I visited Hot Springs, South Dakota, in 2018. The boat trip to Isle Royale had to be scheduled in advance, so I would have to go from Tulsa to Copper Harbor, Michigan (Mapquest mapped that as 2,670 miles) in five days. Could I pull it off? Day…
ARSC, National Parks and More (Conference and Greenwood)–May 17-18
The ARSC Conference Although I was rather tired when I finally reached my hotel room, I had already missed ARSC sessions on Thursday and that Friday morning. So, instead of answering the call of the hotel bed, I showered and changed clothes then attended the afternoon sessions. ARSC, or the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, is an interesting mix of professionals and amateurs covering the fields of sound production, preservation, research, etc. I have maintained my membership beyond my retirement because my research interests have a direct correlation with the organization, and there are colleagues whose interests tie directly with mine. I got a very pleasant surprise when, looking through the printed program to decide what to attend, I saw that the publisher of my second book had taken out an ad featuring the book. Thanks!! This year, my proposed presentation, “Porgy and Bess at 90,” had been selected for…