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…
Seein’ the DMV: Art and Legos and Captain America, Oh My!
As probably seems apparent by now, my interests drift in many directions. When I saw that an exhibit of creations using Lego blocks would be in Washington, I decided I wanted to see it. This is not unlike my 2008 visit to Iowa’s Matchstick Marvels and a desire to see how creativity can be expressed in different ways. I chose a Wednesday afternoon in the hope that attendance would be low and was pleased that I guessed correctly (this time). Called The Art of the Brick: An Exhibition of LEGO® Art, it was the second exhibit offered by Fever I had attended. (The first was their King Tut exhibit a few months ago.) Most of the exhibit consisted of recreations of famous art works and sculptures across human history and cultures. It was amazing how the creators were able to use Legos to assemble works reminiscent of those works. I…
Seein’ the DMV: Messiah Sing-along at the Kennedy Center
I’ve attended several events at The Kennedy Center since my return to the DMV, but this was special for me. I had missed last year’s Messiah sing-along because I had been exposed to COVID and, while I had shown no symptoms, I could not allow myself to chance exposing others–especially fellow musicians–to the disease. This year, I was good to go. Tickets to the Messiah Sing-along were free to the public. I submitted a reservation and was able to get a seat in the orchestra section that had been made accessible. The Concert Hall filled quickly–despite being a Monday evening after a workday–with other musicians and families with young children–so good to see another generation exposed to Handel. Conductor Nancia D’Alimonte came on stage before the program and warmed us up. She also informed us that the concert was the latest of a series of annual Messiah sing-alongs since the…