Grand Canyon - Phantom Ranch (May 3-5, 2014)

Approximately 5:40a on May 5.  Group of 20 ready to head up Bright Angel Trail to South Rim.
Back L-R:  Patrick, Chris, Mike, Maeve, Nick, Paul Jr., Charlie, Dave, me, Alex, Theresa
Front L-R:  Marlene, Jim, Carol, Patricia, Nicole, Kerry, Luis, Pat, Jon

Twenty hikers spent two nights at Phantom Ranch (after a night-before stayover at Bright Angel Lodge on South Rim).  Preceded, and followed, by some fun times in Phoenix.

It's been seven years since our last Phantom Ranch adventure (recounted here).  (Among other delaying factors, worldwide competition for large-group reservations is a challenge (one example recounted here).)

I really don't know how the 2014 experience could have been nicer.  Summary of events is included in the email reproduced below.

Among other delightful aspects of the 2014 trip:  a trove of photos, far better than what we've come back with on our prior hikes.  I will separately post a few.

Nope, can't wait for the next time.
______________________________

From: Paul Gales
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 9:40 AM
Subject: RE: phantom ranch 2014 - email #6

[Where were we last week at this time?  Even we tail-enders were probably already leaving Indian Gardens by now?]

***

Having stayed at Phantom Ranch in ’97, ’04, ’07, I’ve actually given a fair amount of thought in recent years to teeing up a group outing to a place other than PR – after all, lots of other fine destinations are available.  But every time I mull this over, I keep coming back to the uniqueness of the entire Grand Canyon/Phantom Ranch proposition – reinforced for me again last week.  I do think the general PR differentiators are worth recalling before memories further fade:

·         prosaic but relevant: it’s drivable from Phoenix and overall reasonably priced

·         the opportunity to spend time at the Rim, including a night-before reception-at-the-Rim – and how nice is that evening?  What a spot this year; and PJ, CCG and team did a particularly great job with drinks/snacks.  A closely-related-but-completely-different experience compared to PR itself.

·         the basic up/down hikes are two entirely separate experiences, each entirely wonderful, entirely world-class hikes

o    with enough challenge to be interesting, but not so much as to be daunting

o    and mules(!) to haul our stuff

·         separated by two days of cabin life – a bit rustic, yes; difficult or annoying, generally no; with

o    prepared meals, hot showers, clean sheets (though not necessarily on arrival at cabin 15)

o    among other menu gems:  chocolate cake every dinner since PR opened, and brightly-colored canned peaches at every breakfast!

o    a bar, or “canteen,” that functions like a living room in off hours – drinks, snacks, games, total freedom to move around

·         cut off from the world – no tour bus folk, no national park visitor hordes, no cell phone or TV; facilitates a focus on nature and one another in a way that cannot, and does not, happen otherwise.  (Just compare the feeling you experience as you start encountering lots o’ folks when rising past 1.5 Mile House on the up-hike.)

·         complete flex on our “rest” day to do more outdoor stuff, relax, whatever

·         ranger talks invariably yield a nugget or three

·         4500 feet below the rim – yup, that’s a pretty unique view/vantage point

·         at Mary Colter’s Phantom Ranch!

·         etc., etc.

Not sure if anything quite like this exists elsewhere?  I guess time will tell if we can identify a suitable alternative.  Whatever other destination we might add, I’m sure I’d be perfectly happy returning semi-regularly to PR no matter what.

Beyond the general GC/PR factors:  each trip yields up its own moments; here are a few that I want to remember from last week:

·         seems like there’s somebody like “Gustav” (the enthusiastic Catalan at our first breakfast) on staff at the canteen every trip  – ok, maybe he was a bit over the top, but I think it’s more accurate to say that he really “gets it” in terms of the unique experience for PR’s overnight guests – anyone blasé about this is just missing out

·         illicit dam building in Bright Angel Creek; licit beer can-pyramid building in the canteen

·         mucho Sequence battles royale in the canteen

·         soaking one’s feet in Bright Angel Creek on a hot day; or in the glorious Colorado River itself

·         I learned after the fact that some of our crew saw – and photographed – a couple bighorn sheep at top of South Kaibab trail.  Pretty rare; entirely neat; I’m actually kind of jealous that I missed this. 

·         some of us saw a raptor abduct a squirrel off a high canyon wall, pretty quickly drop the little struggler some 20-30 feet down into Bright Angel Creek, and swoop to a landing spot back up on the canyon wall – all this played out in the course of a few seconds against a perfectly framed backdrop of steep-tight dark cliffs, brilliant sunlight, clear-flowing water – just an amazing visual

·         Ribbon Falls – our first visit after all these years – we learned that this is so fine that we need to better plan how to take advantage of it

·         some of us did a bit of late-night star-gazing while reposed on benches down at the amphitheater – one of my favorite hours of a trip that had many

·         PJ’s cobbler-work on NOC’s splitting shoes

·         the bemused(?) looks on folks’ faces as I went room-to-room at Thunderbird Lodge on Friday night explaining why our South Kaibab hike-down departure time was going to be delayed a bit; the good fortune to find reasonably good replacement hiking shoes reasonably early on Saturday morning

·         surviving the trudge along Bright Angel Creek as the last segment of our down-hike on a 98-degree Saturday afternoon; sweltering through the “Box” on Sunday; enjoying a cool-weather up-hike on Monday

·         those marvelous Kolb Brothers – their adventures initially recounted by via ranger-talk, then skillfully recycled as up-hike entertainment

·         sack-lunch delights (especially that ineffable sausage (accessed for some of us via Nick’s trail-found cutting-rock))

A few things I learned: 

·         how great was it to be unplugged for a few days?  I thought I was doing a pretty good job of managing/limiting my exposure to political/policy news and the like – but clearly need to cut back further.  Way further.

·         how great was it to have a couple birders around (if that’s the word)?  I’m thinking that the time I subtract from following policy debates should go to looking at birds – if you start paying even a little attention to these critters, it ends up being a pretty amazing extension of one’s nature observations.

·         how great to have several actual photographers along on this trip?  Can’t wait to see the results.

And we had a series of fine non-GC/PR adventures (with participation varying based on who was here in Phoenix at the time):

·         Squaw Peak limber-up hikes (Wednesday and Thursday)

·         lunch on Ohso Brewery patio (Thursday)

·         dinner at 11419 featuring Fuego Bistro entrees (Thursday)

·         lunch in downtown Flagstaff at Criollo Latin Kitchen (Friday)

·         NOC’s birthday celebration at PJr/Nedda’s place (Monday)

·         breakfast/recap session at 11419 (Tuesday)

·         pizza lunch downtown at “nationally-renowned” Pizzeria Bianco (Tuesday)

·         dinner, lobby photos, and laughs – with the final hangers-on at Gallo Blanco (Tuesday)

***

So all of this was quite wonderful. 

But we all also observe that the success of the project depends far more than anything else upon the people comprising the group – and setting aside a couple much-regretted absences, I just don’t know that we can ever put together a group quite this fine?  Everything went so smoothly (including previously-daunting tasks such as duffel-coordination).  Consistent patience, good humor, helpfulness, interesting conversation, etc., etc.  Delightful.  Moving in groups-of-20 is definitely not always this consistently easy and fun.

PJ and I had high expectations for this group, and they were exceeded, easily.  We very much appreciated having each and every one of you along. 

And like always, I’m more than a little sorry when it’s over.

Paul & Patricia

p.s #1:  It is my sad duty to report a “tragedy at the mule barn” – my clip-camera was lost in the parking lot there while we were fussing around waiting for duffels to arrive (at least that’s the last time I recall seeing it).  So we shall never know whether this not-quite-ready-for-prime-time technology would have yielded anything interesting.  (And I think I shall not replace it.)

p.s. #2:  for the record, our hiking group included travelers from 10 states (AZ, VA, CA, AK, MN, MA, PA, MD, NJ, OH). 

Paul M. Gales

pgales@phoenixlawgroup.com

From: Paul Gales
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 3:18 PM
Subject: RE: phantom ranch 2014 - email #5

Final thoughts:

1. Thursday dinner planning here at 11419 is shaping up nicely, and most everyone that’s made it to Phoenix by then will be here.  Entrees being catered from Fuego Bistro – the guys that did such a great job with the food at Nicole-POC wedding back in 2011.  Appetizers, salads, dessert, etc. being taken care of by the usual local pros.  No fixed start time as we figure folks will be drifting in throughout the day.  Will set out the entrees perhaps 7p or so, but that stuff will be good for hours on the warmers.

2. Bad news:  Nedda had to drop out.  But that did open a spot for the highly esteemed Jon Blaha! (Say hi to Jon.)

3. Bring cameras; take lots of photos; and somebody figure out which photo-sharing site to use.  Please share!

4. Wearable tech #1:  anyone going to wear a fitbit (or similar)?  I want to know how many steps this requires.

5. Wearable tech #2:  I’ll be wearing the Narrative Clip (http://getnarrative.com/) – hopefully no one is uncomfortable around this kind of thing these days, and now you’ve been warned.  (Have been testing it out for a couple weeks now with consistently lousy results, but I’m not giving up.  Yet.)

6. The weather forecast is really quite good.  Definitely trending to the high side for this time of year, but should be no issues with precipitation – which is the one factor that can really damage the experience.  Those of you who have been up on Colorado Plateau know it’s typically pretty windy up there, so I am expecting a lot of that throughout the trip.  I’ll take a jacket for Friday night/Sat morning on South Rim, and then leave it in the car . . . space permitting, will send a separate light jacket down on the mule train since it likely will feel a touch cool down at Phantom Ranch at night (at least to we Phoenix folk).  Not planning to carry a jacket in my backpack even though it might feel a bit cool at the very start of the down-hike.  All in all – given that we’re dealing with three overnights across about 5000 feet of elevation change – the forecast is looking about as good as possible, I’m very grateful for that.

7. Reminder that technically we’re supposed to be bringing 10 male and 10 female hikers on this trip.  Likelihood of enforcement problems on this issue seems extremely low.  Still, if you’re a guy-hiker named “Patrick” or “Christopher” – I listed you with the females under a shortened version of your name in my submission to the vendor.  You may wish to dress accordingly just in case.

8. The only recent revelation for me as to packing – the importance of socks!  I tried the REI brand of “light” hiking socks instead of my usual, and they were noticeably thinner – such that I all but gave myself blisters heading down Squaw Peak the other day.  Too much room for the foot to move around inside the shoe.  This reminded me that the blister problem is primarily on the down-hike.  Anyone in doubt whether they have the right shoes-socks combination probably should stick a backup pair of socks – of a different thickness – in their pack on the down-hike.

9. We’re closing in on having sufficient donkey-duffel bags.  We definitely want those bags locked and loaded before we leave Phoenix on Friday.  Will have a staging area in our living room for this – please be prepared with your donkey-stuff – but not too much of it, in view of space limitations.  (Can somebody local bring a bathroom scale to weigh these bags?  We don’t have one.)

10. We’ll sort out Friday departure times, cars, etc. once everyone’s here.  If anyone has a schedule conflict preventing Friday morning departure, it would be helpful to know that right away, however.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Paul M. Gales

pgales@phoenixlawgroup.com

Quick note on visit to Serbian Orthodox church

This was pretty unusual - one of the members (or maybe it was a spouse of a member, I'm not recalling) of the Arizona MusicFest chorus died, and the word went out looking for volunteers from the chorus to perform at the funeral.  (Actually, it wasn't the funeral - it was some pre-funeral ceremony held the day prior.)

Not at all sure how the "Serbian Orthodox" church rules work in relation to funerals or anything else.  But by happenstance we had performed the Bogoroditse Dyevo (or Ave Maria) from Rachmaninoff's Vespers  in 2013, so we at least knew something suitable for the location. (Learned later that the church wouldn't have permitted non-Orthodox works.)

I mention this because the experience was pretty unusual, and pretty compelling.  The church was thoroughly nondescript from the exterior, thoroughly interesting and delightful inside.  The prayers and music from the clergy, congregation and regular church choir were great to listen to.  Our piece - at the very end of the ceremony - went quite well also.

Very glad I had the chance to be part of this.

Earl Klugh's Weekend of Jazz (Colorado Springs)

Earl Klugh with the birthday girl . . . just a couple minutes into her b'day.

This sounded like it would be quite excellent - top jazz musicians, generally pitched to our age group, lovely resort setting in Colorado Springs, small venue, with the musicians mixing around the property over the weekend.  And: it coincided with PJ's birthday weekend.  But while we had a lovely trip, expectations weren't really met.

Q&A with Dave Koz, Eric Darius, Earl Klugh

Easy flight to Denver; weather was "seasonal" throughout the weekend i.e. not that great.  We weren't really taken by this part of Colorado.  Found a couple interesting brewpubs in Colorado Springs, but overall the town wasn't that impressive.  The Broadmoor resort is fine, but we really prefer settling into hotels in the midst of an active downtown area.

Dave Koz's show

Dave Koz is an amazing talent - I don't even like the saxophone, but he made the concert experience just completely enjoyable.  Earl Klugh is an amazing talent.  Also some guy from South Africa (Jonathan Butler) was very compelling.

Light snow as we did a quick tour of Air Force Academy

Australia

Nicole and POC are traveling with the Arizona Diamondbacks - the team opens the season in Australia this weekend with two games against the Dodgers.  So that's a pretty unique experience.

Anyway - they went along with some of the team members on a climb of the famous harbor bridge.  Our heroes get a smidgen of video-time starting around 1:10.

after almost six years (remodel, phase two)

PJ and I thought about it a bit, then decided (back in 2006 or 2007) that we would stay in our current five-bedroom home for the long haul notwithstanding that all the kids had moved on permanently (or so we thought at the time); but that we would do a bunch of updating as long as we were sticking around in the place for good.  The plan was to work on the first floor in 2008, then move immediately to remodeling the upstairs floor in 2009.

Dining room qua multi-year storage facility.

Master bedroom, demo phase.

The 2008 phase went swimmingly; for example, here, here, here, and here; then we encountered a few diversions (generally in the form of unanticipated roommates).  All quite pleasant; but nonetheless a few years seem to have slipped away.  Which is fine - I'd happily trade a bit of a remodeling delay for the fun memories of having bonus time with those guys.  In the meantime the vanity cabinets for the upstairs bathrooms, along with a bunch of other construction goods (yes, including two toilets in boxes) have occupied our dining room since mid-2008.  And the living room (adjoining the dining room) has been used for nothing but storage during those years.  But:  whatever.

Slab selection Saturday.  Eagle-eye in action.

Anyway:  long-delayed phase two launched on March 3.

Quite a bit less complicated than the 2008 phase.  We are removing 20-year-old (and occasionally marked by Kelly-the-Welshie over the years) carpet; swapping out the 30-year-old builder's cabinets; new tile in the bathrooms; getting rid of both bathtubs (who uses these things anyway?)  Various other tinkerings included.  And we also came up with a wrinkle we wouldn't have thought up in 2008/9 - enlarging the master suite via the simple expedient of knocking out a wall between the "old" master bedroom and an adjoining smaller bedroom (and relocating the closet) - easy, effective.

Taken from same spot.  Bottom photo shows kid-bedroom as it existed since we moved into the
house.  Top photo:  door to hallway closed off, closet relocated, space is connected to master suite.

The other new concept will be that we have permanently given up on the idea of maintaining a furnished living room and dining room.  We haven't once missed having access to these rooms in the last near-six years.  Meaning that - once the upstairs stuff is done - those areas will be cleared out (other than pianos) and deployed as an oversized game room.  Details to come.

In the meantime, PJ and I have taken up residence in a couple rooms on the first floor - it's like living in a hotel, fun!  Much easier than this, as kitchen access is uninterrupted this time around.

Desk, bed, TV, closet = hotel life.  Grandpa+Grandma Bormann's chair comes in handy, again.

Now we just need to keep after things such that guest quarters are ready for incoming hikers for Phantom Ranch 2014.

site of future pool table

piano(s) update

I would like to improve at piano-playing.  Who knows, maybe I have three or four decades to do a little work on this task?  Anyway, we have a couple piano-problems here.

First:  practicing or playing an acoustic piano in our home - whether competently or no - is maddening for anyone else in the house in fairly short order.  There's just no way to isolate the sound.

Second:  our piano is beyond repair.  Our efforts from a few years back did not turn out to be a long-term solution.  Meaning replacement or a serious restoration job (we're leaning toward the latter, which will take at least nine months).

This gets the job done, and then some.  And what a pleasant view.

The solution:  my little wife sprung for a good-quality electronic piano.  Now I can practice with headphones!  Sure, this just reinforces how wonderful a good acoustic piano sounds - but this is a very good quality product and definitely solves the practice-disruptive-noise issue around here.

Will continue to use it once we do whatever we do with the Steinway.

Brahms Requiem (Arizona Musicfest, February 23, 2014)

After these events it is a bit of a challenge to try to express in words a couple concepts that run deeper than words - the power of participation in a musical performance like this; the strength of a family that supports that participation.

family members in attendance . . . 

This was my fourth year performing with Arizona MusicFest orchestra and choir; year three for PJr.  CPG and I had performed the Brahms Requiem in 2012 with Choral Union - also a delightful experience.  It is a wonderful, moving work.

As I've done occasionally in the past, I'll post my thoughts about the work by pasting my pre-concert email right into this post (it appears at bottom).

For me, the thrill of participating in these performances is not wearing off, even slightly.  Perhaps it has something to do with 30+ years primarily in a work-a-day setting, such that the punctuation provided by these performance opportunities remains so compelling. But I think it's moreso the fundamental wondrous-ness of these events - among the very finest works of art produced by anyone, anywhere, anytime.  During the performance I find myself - amidst Brahms's genius being communicated by high-level orchestra, soloists, chorus - in a bit of awe, and wishing that time could slow down.


Then there's the surrounding family support-narrative.  Not just for attending the concert - though that alone is a significant time commitment for folks with busy schedules.  PJ spends four hours Sunday morning shopping and prep'ing food.  After the concert, I'm just sitting around talking (ok, also sipping; bourbon in this case) with our guests about the performance and whatever - center of attention for the portions of the conversation that are focused on the concert - while PJ and her food prep assistants - not the center of attention - swirl around smiling, talking, but always working and getting things done:  one appetizer after another appears, drinks are poured, then the grill gets going, all of a sudden a full meal is ready for everyone, then the emptied dishes disappear, then dessert appears from somewhere.  PJ and team is swirling around throughout, smiling; I'm still sitting around talking and enjoying myself immensely, without having to do anything while this huge effort - which makes the evening - goes on around me.

It makes for a pretty good life, I say.
________________________________

From: Paul Gales
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2014 11:20 PM
Subject: Brahms Requiem

Hi folks –

Brahms’s Requiem is often called the “German Requiem” because he wrote it to be performed in the vernacular (German in his case, of course) rather than in Latin.  We will be performing it in the vernacular tomorrow (English in our case, of course). CPG and I were in a German-language performance back in 2012, and at bottom is a slightly adapted version of what I wrote then regarding the seven movements.

Performance time will be around 70 minutes – so a long single work, but a short overall program for the concert.

Brahms was a late Romantic composer of incredible skill; also a deeply religious figure who supposedly studied the Bible every night.  (And in chaste love, or something, with Robert Schumann’s piano virtuoso wife, but that’s another story.)

In addition to the wondrous music – which really needs to be the focus here – the work operates at the intersection of three fundamental notions:  coping with sorrow at losing loved ones who have died; coping with the fragile nature of our own existence; and wondering whether those others who have passed away – and yes, eventually we ourselves – experience an afterlife.

I think about how audiences received the Requiem when Brahms wrote this in the 1860s.  Premature death was commonplace.  People of all ages died at home.  The wake was held at home.  Everyone regularly attended funerals.  Watching others die must have given pause to even the young-and-healthy – very aware of mortality, the transitory nature of our lives.  And the Christian faith predominated.  For those that perhaps no longer believed – an increasing percentage post-Enlightenment – they still had been educated in a Christian setting and were entirely familiar with the concepts.  The Bible passages selected by Brahms were the language 19^th century Europeans used as a framework to think about those three fundamental notions.

So what do we make of this in 2014 – when most folks die in an antiseptic hospital or hospice setting; very few die prematurely; and religious faith – and certainly spending time reflecting on notions two and three of the three notions mentioned a couple paragraphs above – are out of fashion, to say the least? 

All this is beyond me, but I do suggest a simple and pretty obvious thought:  that almost certainly we must miss out on a lot in life if we too-rigorously avoid thinking about death – can one really feel the precious-ness of what we experience day to day if we don’t see it through lens of fragility, uncertainty, and an inevitable, daily-approaching end-point?

Too many of us who will be attending the concert tomorrow have been faced with thinking about this in the context of very recent losses of very close family members.  Perhaps you will find this performance another opportunity to reflect on this.  I know I will be thinking during the performance of folks we’ve lost, as I have during the rehearsals.

In any event – the music is pretty amazing.  The orchestra and soloists are professional-plus level.  The church provides a unique seating opportunity – you will be able to see the conductor communicate with the orchestra and chorus, pick out individual parts, etc.  How exciting that this work allowed the supremely-talented Brahms to work with such a wide palette - full orchestra, full chorus, soloists, and endless subsections and combinations.  Watch the sections come in and out; listen for lines moving back and forth among us.  Don’t just follow the sopranos and violins, who tend to stand out because of their higher pitch – there are lovely, interesting things happening throughout.

It’s also quite a thought, at least to me, that this work has been performed regularly for 150 years now – with every likelihood that performers and audiences alike will be enjoying it 150 years hence.  It’s exciting to be a part of the continuum with these works.

Paul Jr. and I are grateful for the support, and hope you much enjoy.

------------------- 

(from April 2012):

Things I suggest listening for:

1. As far as “requiems” go – this is the opposite of the Verdi.  Verdi was fire and brimstone.  This is sorrowful, meditative, hopeful, ultimately confident.

2. Seven movements.  Conceived as an integrated arc – movements 1 and 7 have similarities, as do movements 2 and 6, as do 3 and 5. 

3. This effect is most readily heard in movements 1 and 7 – you’ll hear “selig sind . . .” in both of these – “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted”.  Very similar feel between the two. 

4. Movement 2 – the beginning section evokes a funeral procession, to the graveyard or whatever.  The timpani drives this along, it sounds great with live orchestra. 

5. Movement 4 stands on its own – closest to God – the main melody has been used as a hymn, so may sound familiar - “how lovely is thy dwelling place”.  Brahms’ original version for full orchestra and chorus is a delight.  Written in 3/4, sometimes feels waltz-ish.  

6. Movement 5 – soprano soloist – it may be hard to focus on anything other than the soloist’s melody because it’s so wondrous, I would say “achingly so” in some segments.  But I really like the way Brahms has the orchestra and chorus working their lines underneath the soprano soloist, so listen for this.  When we sing “einen seine Mutter . . .” in complement to the soloist, it just sounds cool – translates to something about “his Mother will comfort . . .” (Added 2/22/14:  We were told in rehearsals that this movement was added after the other six movements had been written, specifically as Brahms’s way of dealing with the death of his own mother, which occurred during the three-year period while the work was written.  As you listen, I’m pretty sure that will give a different cast to what you’re hearing.  It’s just wonderful.) 

7. Among other charms, movement 6 has a great fugue for its final few minutes – you won’t be able to miss when the alto section starts it off – “Herr du bist wurdig . . .”  - something about “Lord you are worthy to receive glory and honor”.  This is fun to sing as the various parts come in and out of the fugue’s main theme.  Very clear, great finish. 

8. And what I really like is saved for last – at the end of the fugue that completes movement 6 – it really seems like the entire work would just be over.  But not with Brahms – he adds movement 7 – it leads off with a wondrous soprano line (which the bass/baritone immediately repeat).  (And yes, the words are “selig sind . . . “ (Added 2/22/14:  “blessed are they . . .” in the English text) just like in movement 1.)  Listen for this soprano line, it’s a perfect way to set off the fugue that just ended movement 6, it brings back the meditative mood.  (And it’s really neat when the line comes back in a tenor section “solo” a few minutes later.)  Movement 7 is a joy – very much “romantic” era feel, just a great finish as it hearkens back to movement 1, but with more. 

Paul M. Gales

pgales@phoenixlawgroup.com | www.phoenixlawgroup.com

(602) 325-3207 direct | (480) 444-1270 fax

8765 E. Bell Road, Suite 110 | Scottsdale, AZ 85260

alley-oop

I just don't get tired of watching this sort of thing.  (It seemed pretty impossible when watching real-time, and still seems that way after seeing the replay angles.)

Isakov - Ritter

A few notes about a concert attended by CPG, PJr, PJ, me at the new-ish Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix on January 20, 2014.

CPG, PJr, Isakov + band; lobby post-concert.

1.  We went to see the lead-in group - Gregory Alan Isakov - previously had seen him at Crescent Ballroom, like his stuff quite a bit.  But they were quite constrained in their lead-in role, or something - not that many songs, didn't really get going.  Perhaps we missed their banjo guy, who was absent.



2.  It turned out that the headliner - Josh Ritter (@joshritter) - something of a throw-in from our perspective - puts on an absolutely great show.  Very talented, great personality, side-men were strong - surprisingly enjoyable based on the limited amount of his work that I had checked out via YouTube.

3.  If I had to pick someone to carry a full show - probably Ritter.  If I had to pick five best songs - Isakov.

4.  MIM is a great venue, but not sure I loved it for this kind of show.  And the crowd skewed pretty old.

5.  Still:  we enjoyed muchly.

6.  Above clip = <1 minute of "Amsterdam."  Below clip = 1:10 from an encore (audio level a bit lower because they had come out from behind the mike).

 

Thank you, Phoenix! See you tomorrow, LA. pic.twitter.com/Ap53f5zNDN
— Josh Ritter (@joshritter) January 21, 2014

K; 5K; etc.

We had the good fortune to host Kerry over an extended holiday break (she returned to VA on Monday) - many enjoyable experiences over the course of a month as she spent most of her time here at 11419.  Though with plenty of stopovers down at 706.  Since I "work" from home, so to speak, I had the unique opportunity for a very relaxed set of chats throughout each day she spent at 11419.  Which is a good way to hang out with a fine and interesting daughter.  (And she treated me to lunch at Richardson's one fine afternoon!)

Getting into our pre-race routine.  Preparation is paramount in these things.  Note the spiffy official shirts.

Having become something of a runner in the last couple years, K had suggested that we enter a race or fun run or whatever during her visit.  So some of us (PJ, NOC, POC, CPG, K, PJr and me) did just that - a 5K on Saturday evening (January 18) with a course that wound its way through the Phoenix Zoo.  This was a great setting for a jog, as the holiday "Zoo Lights" display was still going.  And some exotic-sounding birds caw-cawed at us along the route!

Mental preparations continue for the rigorous run facing us.

Me with the gold medalist.

Three of us ran, more or less:  K, PJ and me.  The others walked part of the course, and provided moral support, if that's the correct term, as only they could.  (Side note:  PJ had fallen off her training a teensy bit in late autumn 2013 with travel, job change and what-not - but found a phone app named "Couch to 5K" that she used to marvelous effect (even if its starting point was designed for situations far more dire than hers).  POC appropriately rewarded her success with a fabulous gold medal.)

Me 'n K at Richardson's.  (Yes, of course we both lunched on the chili relleno platter.)

Now:  back to normal, or whatever passes for normal around here.

Did it really only take two minutes to capture the best family photo of 2014?

It's obviously pretty early in the year, but still:  how great is this picture?  (Yes, click-to-enlarge it.)


Dispositive evidence of the two-minutes-past-midnight photo-capture time can be gleaned from the digital clock on the mantel (clearly visible beyond the Haag-girls-fueled shenanigans in the foreground of the photo).  As anyone who's visited St. Joe has learned via EMG:  that particular clock is super-accurate based on atomic or nuclear or somesuch shmancy technology.

I'll let Grandma set the scene:

A Belated Happy New Year to All,    We are sending the picture of our New Years Eve Party.  Don’t you wish you could have been here?  I am standing there with the telephone in my hand.  We were talking to Carol, and wanted to let her hear what was going on here. . . The 4 merry-makers are on the floor having a great time.  It looks like a huge mess.  However when it was over, everything was cleaned up, and the confetti was put back in a bag for next year.  At midnight Grandpa shot his gun out the deck door.  We don’t know if anyone heard it.   For the occasion Alison made some glasses for me and Barb.  She attached mine to my regular glasses.  Alison made the year 2014 out of cutout letters, and then taped them to the top of our glasses.  She also added a horse to show that 2014 is the year of the horse in China.  Grandpa weighed the confetti, and said it weighed 2 pounds.  The same stuff has been used at least 3 years over and over again.    We went to Mass at 6:30 on New Years Eve.  Later in the evening we had a fondue treat that Barb and the girls put together.   We also had a non-alcoholic drink.  We hope that 2014 is a good year for all.

Initial thoughts:

1.  How was this captured?  Pure luck with a timer or remote control?

2.  Did Grandpa have time to blast his gun at midnight, and then leap into this photo at 12:02a?  Seems like a tight timetable - isn't he still recovering from multi-car wreckery?

3.  Can I buy glasses like those somewhere online?

4.  Used confetti.

EMG turns 85

Undaunted by some unsought excitement toward the end of his 85th year, my dad is celebrating the start of his 86th year today.  As I write every January 3rd:  I'm lucky to have a great dad.

While I'd happily repeat some of the details about why I feel that way, I thought instead that I'd revisit some movie-star comparisons that have been made over the years.

Exhibit 1:  Tyrone Power was a bit ahead of our time, but we repeatedly heard over the years that EMG often was compared to Tyrone back in the day - perhaps because of photos like these (click to enlarge):

EMG high school graduation photo on left; two views of Tyrone at right.

Exhibit 2:  Moving ahead a generation (or two) - our children often cited the similarities between EMG and George Clooney - perhaps in part because of the way Clooney was outfitted in the wondrous O Brother, Where Art Thou?:

EMG (with CPG as wing man) faces off with two Clooney views.

Hey Dad - happy #85 - with love from your son.

Tweets

New year, new (at least for me) social media - I'm going to start occasional tweets.

Content TBD; my general concept is that I will tweet the same type of comments about things I read or otherwise run across as I would make to folks if I was sitting in the same room (or walking around, or whatever) with them; meaning likely topics will include sports, public policy, low-IQ tech stuff, books, music, food & drink, random ideas, who knows what.  A positive difference:  the 140-character limit should discourage rambling.  (Longer stuff, diary-style entries, book summaries, trip reports, look-backs, etc. will continue on the various blogs per usual.)

So far I have two followers (CPG and EPG).  Quality over quantity, right?

My very first tweet (with attached photo) is embedded below (after today you'll have to go to twitter.com to find them).

My Twitter user name (if that's the right term) on Twitter:  @PaulGales1.

Follow button:

Follow @PaulGales1

Now that I understand social media better: time to start tweeting! (Photo via D. Cornelius.) pic.twitter.com/OCJ70CBB6s
— Paul Gales (@PaulGales1) January 2, 2014

Year-end 2013

Experienced the typical accelerated but very enjoyable year-end pace again in 2013.   Choral Union Christmas concert participation was Poulenc's Gloria - which we ended up liking quite a bit; Virgil and Laurel attended.  Most of the crew went to Las Vegas for a couple days shortly before Christmas - trip was planned around a Marquette basketball game up there - they ran into more excitement than planned.  But at least we got to see SOC out of it.  PJ started a neat new position at Mayo in mid-December. K here on extended vacation; EP here on vacation - extra nice to have everyone around.   Christmas Eve dinner at Rokerij was quite delightful, as was Christmas dinner at the Reghabis.  PJr and Nedda doing some remodeling so temporarily homeless.

Steady swirl of enjoyable events, and not finished yet.

It was a great year overall for us, with the notable downside being the loss of too many really important people. On to 2014.

Candy cane reindeer decorations per POC; detailed gingerbread houses L-R by PJ, N, K;
extra-detailed toy soldiers L-R by PJr and EP; salmon dinner prepared for the decorators
 that eve (12/26/13) by  CPG.  One of many fun nights.