Vacation

Last week we went to my friend's cabin in the Tetons (Wyoming) for kayaking and general visiting. Fun fun fun, beautiful weather - we kayaked twice and even left the boys at home one day and went "shopping" in Jackson
Hole. We got silly pictures where you dress up like old time gals (we both had guns just because). And I found yet another black outfit at the Coldwater Creek outlet, could be a good thing to wear if I do the Bach double (possibly in the works).
Today I actually made ti to the gym and picked up my music for "Putting it Together" a Sondheim review we will do next week. Doesn't look too bad...

Concert

Wow, the concert has been over for more than a week now - but it went pretty well, no rain! And no real wind, but HOT interspersed with clouds. Unfortunately the only EH I played was William Tell, and the first few bars my reed was just not great - kinda spitty sounding! But it is so hard to get it right outdoors when you're doubling - either too wet or not wet enough.

But the solo went well, sadly the flutist did some weird thing and got lost - she is usually really on top of things. Oh well! I managed to find places to breathe; and suddenly another big solo moment is over.

Tetons!

We are leaving for my friend Cs cabin in the Tetons! Yay. So I have been stuffing the camper with every item possible - the problem with bringing the camper is that we DO have room to bring more, so we do! Tons of stuff. But once it is all in there it is a pretty nice ride (until it is time to unpack!)

So we'll be kayaking, and shopping and eating (hopefully in a responsible way mostly)...and having coffee on the beautiful new deck. Can't wait, maybe I will figure out how to post the pictures this week - I do bring all the manuals for camera, ipod etc since I will actually have time to look at them for a change.

boat

http://userweb.windwireless.net/~jimc/boat.html

I wish I could figure out how to post a picture, but who has time for that? Anyway, here is a link to Jim's webpage which has pictures of ALL our vehicles, this link featuring the boat. This boat was bought by his father when Jim was a teenager, and it has rotted in the barn for many years now but I guess it is sound. So we are having it reupolstered (will cost $$$, but way less than buying a boat!) and a few parts for the motor. I've never owned a boat before, but I love going out on the river/lake with friends who have boats. I understand it is best to be the friend and not the actual boat-owner, but I guess my time has come!

Other exciting side issues with the boat include where to store it - since we are spending big bucks to get it all nice we want it to stay that way. Jim wants to get a storage unit you buy from freight companies and stick it in the woods. This would be the perfect thing except for one tiny detail: storage unit is 8'x24'; boat is 7'9"x 23'. Sadly because it is actually smaller dimentions Jim thinks we can just squeeze it in, but I think we need just a tiny bit more room...

vacations

Tomorrow is our first summer concert - hightlights include William Tell (where are you supposed to breathe???) Mendolssohns Fingals Cave which is GREAT!, and Schumann Symphony #1 (m1 &3) And a bunch of pops stuff, should be fun. It appears the rain they forcast for Sunday earlier in the week is now coming on Monday (yay). We have a blow-up shell - very weird looking, you can check it out here(bottom of page): http://www.hayden.govoffice.com/

Also I can't believe that next Friday we are leaving for a week to visit my friend in Wyoming - she has a cabin overlooking the Tetons (near Jackson Hole). Fun fun fun, we will go Kayaking and hiking and probably wander through Yellowstone.

Another week, shot to ****. I got a fab new desk yesterday on Craigslist - it is a rolltop in great shape - $250. I have always wanted one, and I would have bought a new one but this was in great condition and I love it! (happy dance) Now I can make my "oboe studio" in the middle of our living room.

We have a space issue, mainly because Jim lived in the house for 7 years before I did, and he won't move his stuff. I am fine with sharing most of the house, but I really wanted one room to myself for an office/practice room (we have plenty of space for this). He actually agreed to that before we were married, but he didn't understand that I actually wanted a room like when you move into a new house, cleaned out! So I could put my stuff in and make it my room, with no beds that his parents had, and no bookcases (full of his books) etc. I have tried about every room in the house, but I finally decided I would just go for a corner of a room, and move the nasty couch he got for $50 (that we must keep forever) out of the way; and put the weird and very uncomfortable Danish Modern lounge chair on the other side - and move the mountain of computer equipment a little bit and then I'd have a corner! Yay. Something to call my own, which is important to me even though I'm part of a team now. This is very threatening to him for some reason, I just don't get it. But I have a beautiful desk for a start!

summer dayz

Seems like there is less to blog about these days. But for the update: Choir party was great, the house was just off the lake and PartyLady had just had her landscaping done - complete with a beautiful waterfall/walk-in pond. It was all huge boulders (no visible lining)and about the size of a large hot tub with seats and steps made out of boulders. D and the other kids started by dipping toes, and ended by being completely soaked. Not many people from the bell choir were there, just us and the K's, but we'll do something in the fall and hopefully more can come.

Orchestra tonight, I haven't been playing much. Too much socializing! But I realize we are playing this weekend - so I need to get it together. William T is long, I need to work out the breathing better. I am still basically sight-reading it; what IS my problem??? After this I have a couple of weeks until Puttin It Together starts, but I'd better be ready for serious playing by then.

I have been going to the gym religiously, 5 days last week. I still don't do much outside of the gym, today I have a session with the trainer. She wants me to do exercises morning and night, and I just don't want to. La! Also eating is problematic as I eat everything. But I'm doing better, just have to keep that in mind.