A Presidential Visit… Sort of
When I visited Little Rock in 2016, I had to settle for a drive-by of the Clinton Presidential Library. So, when Gerry told me he planned to drive to Little Rock to visit the library, I jumped at the opportunity to finally see it. We got an early start on Tuesday morning with the thought of reaching town after its morning rush hour and with the hope that the library wouldn’t be crowded. Our timing was excellent. Other than a busload of seniors, the attendance seemed light. We saw the replica of the Oval Office and the limo on loan from the Secret Service. The library had also just opened an exhibition of American crafts the Clintons had commissioned back in 1993. We also saw a series of displays profiling many of the programs developed or continued by the Clinton administration, celebrities and leaders of the era, the replica of…
Hot Springs,… Finally! And a Special Birthday
Since my 2016 trip to southeastern US, I’ve hoped to visit Hot Springs, Arkansas; however, I simply ran out of time to add it to that trip. My birthday approached, and I wanted to get out of town for a few days. Hot Springs came up again because it was far enough south to get to warmer weather but not so far that I need a whole day to drive it. The celebration had started early when I visited family back East, and they decided to surprise me with the early presentation of a German Chocolate Cake decorated with six candles. Then, my eldest sister informed me that she and my brother-in-law would treat me to a week in their timeshare! Finally, my youngest brother accepted my invitation to spend that week enjoying the facilities and activities along with me!! I left home the Friday before my b-day very concerned…
A Family Fourth,… A Wedding,… and the Outer Limits… Well, Banks
: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/map2.jpg" alt="" width="905" height="411" />
Between the rehearsal, the wedding (oh, yeah, I sang the Schubert "Ave Maria"), and staying on Friday and Saturday nights with my sister and brother-in-law's timeshare an hour away in Williamsburg, I didn't see much of Virginia Beach nor more than a glimpse of the beach. On Sunday morning, Momma and I got back on road. Neither of us had seen the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so instead of driving directly back to Greensboro, we headed due south.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/map3.jpg" alt="" width="884" height="484" />
We made our way down the Carolina coast first to Kill Devil Hills and the : //www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm">Wright Brothers National Memorial , through Nags Head and finally down the Cape Hatteras Seashore to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It was a beautiful but warm day, and neither Momma nor I were inclined to climb either structure. So, we drove around and took pictures of the parks.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="166" gal_title="outerbanks1"](As usual, most of the pictures I took are available on my : //www.flickr.com/photos/singinone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flickr page.)
We headed north again to get to the highway that led back to Greensboro. It made for a long day when we finally pulled into the driveway. My original plan for Monday had been to run around town to get RB washed and waxed and to buy different foods to take back to Iowa with me. Instead, I rested and prepared for the long drive back.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/20170711_014305-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />I left Greensboro for Iowa on Monday night. The route set was the one I've driven many times, and I was in drive mode, which normally means best speed with minimal stops only for gas and restroom breaks. As it worked out, between a missed direction that routed me on state roads to Cincinnati--instead of the interstate highways through Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky--and several bouts of intensely heavy rain that forced me to get off the road, the trip home was extended by several hours.
Oh, RB turned 150K. Happy b'day, RB!!I made it back to Grinnell just after 6 p.m. Central Time. This was quite a trip!! And, believe it or not, I was at my desk at work on Wednesday at 8: 30 a.m.!
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Smoky Mountain High
: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/map1-1.jpg" alt="" width="708" height="440">
First order of business was a stop at : //www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Smoky Mountains National Park on my drive from Iowa. Curious that I'd visited the Rocky Mountain National Park, which is more than halfway across the country, before visiting the park in my home state; however, it seems that we are prone to want to see sites in faraway places rather than those right in our own back yard.
RB and I pulled out of Grinnell on Friday night, reaching Sevierville, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon. As usual, my first stop was the National Park Service store, where I got their map, information about the park and a medallion for my hiking stick.(NOTE: I'd also learned my lesson from previous national park trips. I filled up the gas tank and picked up some refreshments before entering Smoky National. As it worked out, this was a good decision, for civilization was minimal in the parts I visited with no service stations in sight.)
The park is huge, with a variety of entries and historic and scenic routes through the mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina. And, as usual, features are offered to all sorts of visitors, from the hiker and biker to the motorist.: 16px;">I entered the park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and decided to drive to Cades Grove, advertised as one of the most popular valleys--with excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife in the park. With the exception of some wild horses, I didn't see any wildlife along the way, but the scenery was lovely. The road ran adjacent to a river and led to a looping roadway that held century-plus old cabins and chapels.
While departing via Newfound Gap Road, I got a magnificent view of the sunset. [gallery size="medium" ids="892,889,896,914,898,917,916,899,900,902,903,904,915,905,907,908,909,910"](As usual, most of the pictures I took are available on my : //www.flickr.com/photos/singinone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flickr page.)
By the time I exited the park near Cherokee, North Carolina, and reached the Blue Ridge Parkway, it was nighttime and the mountain roads were like riding on a roller coaster.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/parkmap.jpg" alt="" width="817" height="496">
Oh, I didn't mention that I was scheduled to sing at my home church Sunday morning. So, the race was on to traverse the last 243 miles home. I made it as far as Winston-Salem before I had to stop for a short rest break. I pulled into my mother's driveway at 6: 25 a.m. Believe it or not, I sounded okay singing at church, too!
A 1-Hour Tour. A 1-Hour Tour…
(If you don’t get the reference, you really need to watch more 60’s TV.) Saturday morning of the Memorial Day weekend, and I wanted get out of town for a couple of hours. So, I grabbed my camera and laptop and was going to drive to the state park about ten miles away. I plugged in the latest adapter (RB is pre-USB player-equipped) and immediately realized that my original destination was inadequate for a proper test of its ability to handle my playlist. Since I didn’t have a change of clothes, and a visual reminder of my need to clean house might have dampened my impulse if I went back inside to pack, I started RB and headed east instead of west. As I neared the Mississippi River, which creates the eastern border of Iowa, and the exit for my destination, I had an impulse to keep driving east towards…
Tiptoe through the Tulips
: //www.cityofpella.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pella, Iowa, is a town that calls itself "a touch of Holland." And its biggest draw seems to be its "Tulip Time." And, of course, what would Holland--even a touch of Holland--be without windmills. Right on the corner of what appeared to be the main intersection was an information center fashioned like a windmill, and right around the corner on Franklin Street, I could immediately see what looked like a working windmill. It was quickly apparent that I would not get good pictures through RB's rain-streaked windows, so I decided to "sacrifice" myself by opening the windows when necessary so I could get nice, clean shots of the windmills, the old town area, and the beautiful patches of tulips in yellows, purples, and pinks.
If you've read past posts, you know I'm a fan of classic cars. So, I really appreciated this gentleman allowing me to take a picture of his automobile (and, no, I can't tell you the make and model). [gallery size="large" type="slideshow" ids="809,811,816,740,739,738,737,736,735,813"]A friend mentioned a bakery that was very popular, so I decided to stop by. Across the street was Central Park, which must be the main site for activities based on the very large sign at the park entrance. I was lucky to get parking directly in front of the : //www.jaarsmabakery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jaarsma Bakery and so watched a bit to see how long it took for the many customers who entered its door to exit. Since the time seemed fairly short, I went inside and was initially dismayed at the very long line that wound throughout the room. Still, the staff was very fast, handling their customers' requests rapidly. I spent far more money there than I'd planned, but everything looked and smelled SO good!!
(A side note: I guess I've been in Iowa long enough that I don't really take note that I haven't seen another Black face until I actually see one. An African American gentleman entered the bakery just before I did. Wonder if folks thought we were a couple.)
[gallery size="full" ids="745,742,817,743,746"]I headed briefly back to the : //www.cityofpella.com/facilities/Facility/Details/7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Klokkenspel on Franklin Street and walked the courtyard with its flower beds filled with purple and white tulips and daffodils. On a nicer day, I most certainly would have sat on the stone benches and perused the detailed artwork of the Dutch tile scenes that lined the courtyard. However, the hard, wet, cold seats were rather uninviting to me. Most of the flowers were holding up well, but occasionally I did see some beds where the wind and rain had left the flowers looking a somewhat the worse for wear. The far end of the courtyard was a fountain sheltered under an ironwork pavilion; the street end contained a windowed area where puppet shows could be seen both on the street side and within the courtyard. I'd arrived at 4:00 p.m., so I took a break with the idea of catching the 5:00 show. Unfortunately, RB's time was three minutes later than the clock there, so I just missed it. Perhaps I'll catch it on my next visit, if the opportunity presents itself.
[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="749,750,751,752,753,754,755,756,757,758,759,760,761,763,765,766,767,768,769,770,772,773"] It was starting to get late, and I still wanted to visit the Elk Rock State Park. The GPS, which had brought me into Pella on Main Street, now gave me a route that took me out of Pella heading west down Washington Street. I'm glad because I got views of the other side of Central Park, various gardens, and houses along the street with their own flower beds on full display. Then, on the edge of town was a nicely decorated "welcome" to Pella, again with its signature windmill and tulips. [gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="777,780,776,782,783,784,785,787,788,790,791,793"] Because of the inclement weather, I wasn't surprised that there were few people at Elk Rock State Park. Quite the contrary, I was stunned to see a single tent pitched on the grounds (boy, did it look cold setting there!). I'm sorry, but I'm not drawn towards camping out even under ideal weather conditions. There was a large ramp leading to the lake clearly for putting boats out and a parking lot large enough to hold both passenger cars and RVs, but again, I was alone. I took several pictures of the lake and nearby scenery; however, I didn't feel terribly comfortable being out there with no one around and my smartphone picking up no signal at all. So, I made my way back to Grinnell. [gallery size="medium" ids="797,800,802,803,804,806" orderby="rand"]: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170429_193911-1-226x300.jpg" alt="" width="226" height="300" />As usual, all of the pictures I took from this trip are posted on my Flickr page.
On Sunday, I carefully examined the very tasty looking butter pecan coffee cake that I'd bought at the bakery the day before. Believe me, it smelled as good as it looked, even the next day. My original thought when I saw it was to take the entire thing into work on Monday for my co-workers to enjoy. However, it occurred to me that I should consider freezing it and eating it all myself over time. Well, I had just enough willpower to eat only a piece--and it tasted even better than it smelled--and take the rest to work, where it met its fate quickly (come to find out there was a staff meeting that morning, so it didn't stand a chance). Somehow, it won't surprise me if I find myself visiting that bakery again since it's pretty close by--don't worry, I still have no plans to fight the crowds expected this weekend at Tulip Time. Besides, I can always plan a detour on one of my trips to Des Moines (I've driven much farther for less). Lord, help me if they have anything with creamed cheese or strawberries.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/loudmusiccrop.jpg" alt="" width="291" height="264" />As usual, music was a companion on this trip. Rather than use my standard drive-time playlist, I listened to a Des Moines radio station that was playing all Paul McCartney songs in honor of his announced upcoming performance in town. Between The Beatles, Wings, duets with other musicians (i.e., Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson), and his own solo work, McCartney certainly cranked out a lot of really great music! And it was played at an appreciable volume, too!
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See the Tulips at Last?
: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/besideBurling042817.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="338" />So, I've decided to further delay the completion of the book review that's due next week for a few more hours in order to visit Pella tomorrow (Saturday) instead of waiting for the festival they're hosting next weekend. This will allow me to see the tulips and avoid the crowds.
The question is: will the weather allow for this? As I head to lunch today, it's cold (RB's thermostat reads 39 degrees) and raining. The picture here shows the rain falling on the patch of tulips and daffodils on the other side of the library's parking lot. The forecast for tomorrow is for more of the same, so I'm hoping I can see plenty without getting out of RB.
Looking at the route to Pella, I also noticed a decent sized lake with a state park nearby that I've also never visited. So, it seems logical to add this to the quickie trip. If this happens, I'll certain take--and will post--lots of pictures from Pella and at the Elk Rock State Park.
They Say the Neon Lights Are Bright
While the temps were still on the cool side, the rain had gone by the time we jammed ourselves into an Uber car and rode to Times Square. The restaurant was called Bubba Gump and was a seafood joint with a "Forrest Gump" theme. My sister had selected it because she knows that I try to inhale as much seafood as I can whenever I'm on a coast. It must be pretty popular because the place was SRO with folks waiting to eat. The wait wasn't bad, and the food and service was quite good. One could even order one of their specialty drinks in a lighted glass. We had a nice time, but unfortunately, we didn't allow ourselves much time to eat before the 8: 00 p.m. start of the show we were to attend.
[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="639,640,641,642,643"]Yes, we had wanted to see "Hamilton," but with ticket prices starting at $734, that wasn't going to happen (besides, I'm perfectly willing to wait until the tour comes to Des Moines where the tickets won't be so budget busting). Instead, we went to ": //beautifulonbroadway.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beautiful," a musical based on the life of singer-songwriter Carole King. I had no idea that she had collaborated on so many popular songs from the 1960's. It was so tempting to sing along, and in fact, the cast invited the audience to join in for a recap at the end of the show.
[gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="645,646"] We had scheduled nothing for Sunday morning, and we wouldn't need to leave for the airport (me) or train station (my mother and sister) until mid-afternoon. Thank goodness for the free time because it allowed us a last opportunity to spend a few hours together before parting company. And I certainly didn't mind the much less adventurous flight back to Cedar Rapids.All of the pictures from the weekend are uploaded on my : //www.flickr.com/x/t/0094009/photos/singinone/sets/72157682926464726/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flickr account.
Overall, it was a great weekend!!: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font: bold 11px/20px 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #ffffff; background: #bd081c no-repeat scroll 3px 50% / 14px 14px; position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer;">Save
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Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on Ma Head
The : //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/HTBSTributeProgramOrder.pdf">Harry T. Burleigh Tribute Program was wide-ranging, and all who either performed or lectured --including the congregational singing of Burleigh's version of "Walk Together Children," contributed strongly to its success (I'll have to leave it to others to access my part in the proceeding). However, for me, three things parts of the program were most memorable.
Following the welcome came a performance on a foot-pump organ. After I saw all the work the organist put into her performance, I went onto YouTube to see if there was: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBCYN0nxGF4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> a video about a similar instrument. I don't know if the instrument used on the video was the same as that used in the program, but the organist, Artis Wodehouse, was the performer during both. I do wish I'd seen the video before the program because I'd have appreciated her outstanding performance even more than I did.
: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/One-Year-Cover-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" />Second, a young member of St. Georges read a biography about Burleigh written by another youngster. The astonishing thing was that the A+ graded paper was written fifteen years after Burleigh's death by a young person who had clearly learned to admire the late composer. And the third thing that was most striking to me was my first hearing of the performance of "One Year," a song written by Burleigh during War World I. What I found even more impressive to me as a singer myself was that the baritone, Steven Kirby, had sat for more than an hour before delivering that affecting performance.
And, of course, it was wonderful hearing Jean Snyder, my roomie at the AAASA conference just last February, share a little of her wealth of knowledge about Burleigh with her presentation about the singer-composer's relationship with St. Georges Church. Overall, though, I must extend kudos to all who performed or presented that evening!Fortunately, the program was surprisingly well attended considering the cold, torrential rainfall that dampened the evening. I believe that much of that was due to the organizational skills of the : //www.burleighsociety.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Burleigh Society (Marti Newland and Lynne Foote), the appreciation that members of St. Georges Episcopal Church still have for composer Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949), as well as the talented presenters the society had invited to be involved in the program.
[gallery size="large" type="slideshow" ids="633,632,631"]The program was live-streamed and is now available online at : //www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KncSSsGrUM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KncSSsGrUM. I understandably avoided standing for the pictures that were taken afterwards.
The generous feeding of the soul that evening was then following by a major meal to feed the body. The presenters and other guests, including my mother and sister, were treated to a sumptuous, not-soon-to-be-forgotten feast!: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_0094.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" />
We got back to the hotel around 2 a.m., and my sister and I immediately decided that, between the terrible weather that was forecast to continue until the afternoon and the early hour we would have to arise to make the 8: 30 a.m. tour--plus we really didn't want to leave our mother alone, we would be better off cancelling our tour appointment for this trip.
So, we all settled in for a good morning's sleep.: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font: bold 11px/20px 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #ffffff; background: #bd081c no-repeat scroll 3px 50% / 14px 14px; position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; top: 1381px; left: 50px;">Save
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Headin’ to New York
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