A Wicked Time in New York

We've been meaning to get back to New York for a while now, but between the kids' schedules and work, we kept putting it off. Finally, after we failed to go anywhere for Spring Break, we figured a long weekend would be good for our collective souls. So after Youth Orchestra ended but before opening night of Shrek, Allen planned a trip to NYC.

The last time we were in New York, the kids hadn't quite caught the musical bug, so the visit was focused on the Empire State Building, museums and a lot of rock-climbing in Central Park. This time Allen got amazing tickets well in advance to Wicked (Nora's current favorite soundtrack). Nora was ecstatic during the first act, but then worried that Fiyero would become the Scarecrow and forget Elphaba forever during the second (Allen told her it all works out in the end and she was able to calm down and enjoy the rest of the show). Owen was just blown away by the tech (I think he has some suggestions for Ms. Perguson going forward).

We supplemented the trip with a visit to the Met, Times Square (after waiting for a storm to pass) and, since Owen complained that all he really wanted to do over the Memorial Day was paddle boat in the Tidal Basin, rowing in Central Park (where they were briefly engulfed in bubbles). We even discovered an amazing gelato place near our Upper West Side Air-B&B (which warranted multiple visits, which means we definitely need to make it back before Phantom of the Opera ends its run...

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Classic 2019

This year marked the 40th anniversary of the Capitol Hill Classic, which means like all good Hill residents and Cluster families (plus Katherine), we supported our local schools by registering and running the 3k (Katherine supported them even more by running the 10k).

It was just as hot as last year, but we must have managed expectations better, for while everyone was a sweaty mess after, there was a lot less complaining on the walk home.  The promise of icees, showers and a lovely brunch probably didn't hurt either. And while our times weren't anything to write home about, we do look cute in our new tees.

(To see all the pics, click here.)

Concert Time

Saturday was a big day for concerts, Nora had her Music on the Hill viola recital in the morning, and then Owen and Nora had their DCYOP orchestra concert in the afternoon (both kids in the same concert!). For Owen, we've got the usual concert video with the Young Artists Orchestra's lovely renditions of Iowa Spring, Blue Rythmico, and Gustav Holst's Jupiter. Nora on the other hand needs a little something different.

Viola Radio Network has been a thing for a little while now during Nora's practice time, but now it is an official YouTube thing, Viola Radio Network, with multiple episodes, merch, and tens of views :-) So of course, Nora's concerts couldn't just have the usual treatment, but needed to be documented with a very special episode including both her recital piece (which started off a little rough when her accompanist took a few measures to realize the song was in the alto clef) and her DCYO concert. Enjoy :-)

Momfest 2019

The proximity of Mother's Day and Mom Mom and my birthdays is always a source of stress for its event planners. While this year the dates did not converge (which hasn't historically ended well), they were sufficiently close that the celebrations was limited to a 24 hour period involving food, adult beverages, and planned activities. The latter was a source of some stress for the celebrants, as the weather was not kind and Katherine was adamant that neither rain nor cold nor gloom of night would prevent the Mother's Day/Birthday bocce ball and ladder ball tournament from happening (also there was threats of mayonnaise marshmallows, which hardly seems a celebration of either motherhood or birth).

But apparently, that was all subterfuge (the mayonnaise marshmallows should have been the tip off), for after a delicious Mother's Day brunch (and presents), Katherine snuck in Brandi, an artist who proceeded instruct us in the finer points of replicating "Bonsai at Night." It was fun time and we all fared about as well as you'd imagine: Allen and Sharon were the teacher's pets; Katherine struggled to mix turquoise; Nora's moon emoted; Owen was all about the roots; Elaine's trees were a bit forced; Don overcame his colorblindness; John struggled with pigments; and Lee had his own point of view.

It was a lovely group activity that didn't involve standing in the rain while throwing objects in the yard or mayonnaise, everyone left with a lovely party gift, and no one got sick.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Banff

I had a work trip up to Calgary this week for a conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, and when the conference wrapped up a little early on Wednesday some time opened up before my flight on Thursday afternoon to do a little exploring. So I checked out of the hotel early and booked a place in Canmore near Banff. A quick hour drive west of Calgary and I was in the mountains. I dropped my bags off at the Bear & Bison Inn and drove on to Lake Louise for a walk out on the ice and some stunning views through the snowy skies. Driving back from Lake Louise I was planning on doing just a quick drive around Banff before, but a trail marker on the side of the road caught my eye. The Tunnel Mountain Trail, 1.8 km to the summit, perfect! The hike was great, and the trail offered some stunning views of the town, the Banff Springs Hotel, Bow Valley and Mt. Rundle! Then back to Canmore for some duck wings and a beer with great views of the mountains.

In the morning after a delicious breakfast at the Inn, I had enough time for another quick drive up to Banff before heading to the airport. I decided to check out the lookout on Mount Norquay and boy was I glad I did. There were 10 cm of fresh powder on the ground and all the trees were dusted with snow. I walked out onto the snow covered mountain side meadow to a stunning panoramic vista. Clear air, dramatic clouds, mountains and valley below, the fresh snow creating an incredible quiet that was only broken by the beating wings of a raven on the hunt. There was one other person there, a local who worked at the Sunshine ski resort who saw the weather in the morning and knew exactly where he had to go to take it all in. Then he quietly told me to look behind us, and laying in the snow at the edge of the trees not more than 20 meters away were about twenty bighorn sheep, with a giant proud looking ram staring right at us! I stood in the meadow for about an hour taking it all in, holding onto my last few minutes in the mountains before heading for home.



(click here for all the pictures)