So far all I've done with the new camera is get pictures of Tybee. I love this one that Zannah took of me and Tyb on our walk Sunday.
Monday, March 17, 2008
camera
So far all I've done with the new camera is get pictures of Tybee. I love this one that Zannah took of me and Tyb on our walk Sunday.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Coming into Bass Hall
As I left Bass Hall last night, I commented to C, “This was like going to church, only better.” Her reply: “Waaaay better!”
The Arlo Guthrie concert was brilliant in every way. As we were waiting to enter the hall, C said “These people look like they might have gone to college with us.” Yes, the crowd was decidedly middle-aged, with a few younger folks in tow, as well as a few older folks with canes. We looked at the merch and I wanted a “Solo reunion Tour” t-shirt but talked myself out of it; how many t-shirts does one woman need? Anyway, our seats were perfect – the first row on the second orchestra section. Too bad the geezer beside me with either dead or asleep – must have been a dragged-along husband.
Of course I can’t remember the set list, but I do know Arlo played The Motorcycle Song (aka The Pickle Song), City of New Orleans, St James Infirmary, Coming Into Los Angeles, Green Green Rocky Road, The Alice’s Restaurant Massacree, among others. The last song of his set was This Land is Your Land. For the encore he taught us a song that his dad wrote but never set to music, then led us in a sing-along. I wish I could remember the words, but my infamously sieve-like memory has let them trickle out overnight. “My Peace” is the title. While his songs mostly touched my heart, his stories touched my funny-bone. Lord, he’s a great storyteller. C and I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.
And at intermission? I did buy a t-shirt.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
but now the snow
We're having a blizzard. Well, by north Texas standards, it's a blizzard. It bagan sleeting this morning, then changed to a "wintery mix" as the meteorologists say, then turned to plain old snow falling in huge fluffy flakes. So what did I immediately think?
Photo op!
If we get more snow tonight, school will probably be canceled tomorrow. That's good, but bad, because it'd mean I would have to work on June 5.
Photo op!
If we get more snow tonight, school will probably be canceled tomorrow. That's good, but bad, because it'd mean I would have to work on June 5.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
at night we crossed the border
The day after the Dylan concert I left for the borderlands with the Interact Club, for which I'm faculty adviser. We went with members of the Keller Rotary, the Grapevine Rotary and Interact, and one guy from the Metroport Rotary, in whose vehicle I happened to ride, along with three juniors from my school. The girls were great; funny, nice, just super kids. Our driver enjoyed them very much.
So we drove about seven hours to Del Rio and checked into the hotel. We were supposed to go across to Cuidad Acuna for dinner at a certain time but the G'vine people were running very late arriving so we had to wait for them. We finally got to the Taco Grill around 8 p.m. They had the same funky guy (with a toupee, I think) playing the keyboard and singing. The kids really got into the dancing this year. Senor Keyboard played Achy Breaky Heart and some ladies from the Rotary taught the moves to the kids. Then he played the Macarena. Oh my.
We had mariachis too.
Saturday morning we crossed back into Mexico to spend the day painting classrooms at the Escuela Benito Juarez. The school was generally in worse condition than the one we painted last year, but at least some rooms had plaster over the bricks so they were easier to paint with rollers. Painting the rooms white certainly made them look clean and bright, but if I do this again next year, I'll take some bottles of acrylics to paint some flowers or stencils or something to brighten them up a bit. The Interact kids worked hard and had a really good time. Many of them made an effort to attempt to communicate with the children who came to watch, help, and score free tshirts .
After a full day of work, we went back to the hotel to clean up and rest up before crossing the border yet again to enjoy a dinner hosted by the Acuna Rotary. We went to the same place as last year but I thought this year's food was better - they grilled meat out back, and had the best cheese quesadillas ever. The kids talked big about how they were going to stay up all night, go to the hotel sauna, etc, but on the drive back the girls in our car conceded that they were entirely too tired for that and would be tumbling straight into bed. Smart gals.
I often seem to dread excursions such as this, but then they almost always turn out to be great experiences, and this trip was no exception. I hope I can remember that next year and be enthusiastic in my agreement to go along again.
So we drove about seven hours to Del Rio and checked into the hotel. We were supposed to go across to Cuidad Acuna for dinner at a certain time but the G'vine people were running very late arriving so we had to wait for them. We finally got to the Taco Grill around 8 p.m. They had the same funky guy (with a toupee, I think) playing the keyboard and singing. The kids really got into the dancing this year. Senor Keyboard played Achy Breaky Heart and some ladies from the Rotary taught the moves to the kids. Then he played the Macarena. Oh my.
We had mariachis too.
Saturday morning we crossed back into Mexico to spend the day painting classrooms at the Escuela Benito Juarez. The school was generally in worse condition than the one we painted last year, but at least some rooms had plaster over the bricks so they were easier to paint with rollers. Painting the rooms white certainly made them look clean and bright, but if I do this again next year, I'll take some bottles of acrylics to paint some flowers or stencils or something to brighten them up a bit. The Interact kids worked hard and had a really good time. Many of them made an effort to attempt to communicate with the children who came to watch, help, and score free tshirts .
After a full day of work, we went back to the hotel to clean up and rest up before crossing the border yet again to enjoy a dinner hosted by the Acuna Rotary. We went to the same place as last year but I thought this year's food was better - they grilled meat out back, and had the best cheese quesadillas ever. The kids talked big about how they were going to stay up all night, go to the hotel sauna, etc, but on the drive back the girls in our car conceded that they were entirely too tired for that and would be tumbling straight into bed. Smart gals.
I often seem to dread excursions such as this, but then they almost always turn out to be great experiences, and this trip was no exception. I hope I can remember that next year and be enthusiastic in my agreement to go along again.
the answer, my friend
It has been suggested that I write about seeing Bob Dylan in concert in Dallas recently (Feb. 21, to be exact, at House of Blues). Sweet Zannah agreed to accompany me; she loves some Dylan herself, particularly the "stoner song". Anyway, we got to the right area after a couple of missed turns on my part, then drove around looking for a place to have dinner before the concert. Finally we decided on El Fenix, which is reliable and quick. Zannah had a lovely peach margarita; I enjoyed a sip.
We made it into the venue shortly before the concert began. Since we had GA floor tickets, we first tried to get into the main crowd but as always, just when we thought we were settled the tallest, broadest man in the building came and plonked himself down in front of us. We retreated to the back, where we could see pretty well actually. Unfortunately, that was the lair of the folks who paid $70 to drink and talk with Dylan as background music. Idiots. The acoustics weren't good there either. We moved back into the crowd down front and managed to be able to get a decent view for the rest of the show, as well as to hear it.
And hearing is pretty dang important. Dylan played some old classics but they were reworked so as to be unrecognizable. That makes it impossible for me to mention the set list! However, I have lifted that from a Bob-blog:
It was just amazing to be in the same room with a legend.
Here's the review from The Dallas Morning News:
BY THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com
"You think I’m over the hill?" Bob Dylan sang with sneer Thursday night at the House of Blues. "You think I’m past my prime?"
The answer, my friends, isn't blowing in the wind. It’s a very concrete "No."
At his best, the 66-year-old legend was full of spit and venom – a grizzled blues master with a voice that bordered on the demonic. And even when the show wobbled – as it did for about a third of the 105-minute set – Mr. Dylan still gave it his all, bobbing his shoulders and pummeling his keyboard in "Highway 61 Revisited" like he was Little Richard.
Before the show, there was reason to believe Mr. Dylan might not be at his best. He hasn’t played live in four months, and his handlers were apparently so sure he’d be rusty they issued a statement saying press wasn’t invited to his three sold-out H.O.B. shows.
What next? No fans under 30 allowed? No one who doesn’t own Slow Train Coming? No eye-rolling during his harmonica solos?
They needn’t have been so uptight. It was one of Mr. Dylan’s more exciting Dallas gigs in recent decades – much better than in ’95 at the Dallas Music Complex or ‘03 at the Granada, though not as stunning as his ‘99 Starplex show with Paul Simon.
Dressed in black, with a wide-brimmed hat blocking his face, Mr. Dylan walked on to the dimly lit stage flanked by his usual band – longtime bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Recili, pedal steel player Donnie Herron and guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman (who’s originally from Dallas).
Despite the four-month break, they started the show with a bang: A rocking version of "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat," followed by a wicked jump blues overhaul of "Watching the River Flow." Soon after, Mr. Dylan unplugged his guitar and retreated for the rest of the show to electric keyboard – his instrument of choice in recent years.
Visually, Keyboard Bob isn’t nearly as fun to watch as Electric Guitar Bob. But it gave Mr. Freeman more room to execute his knife-like guitar solos in songs like "Thunder on the Mountain" and Muddy Waters’ "Rollin and Tumblin." And when the whole band kicked into high-octane blues-rock ("Can’t Wait,’’ "High Water (For Charley Patton)") they were the world’s best middle-aged garage band.
They had their share of tentative moments in slower songs like "Nettie Moore." And some of the new arrangement didn't work, especially the dirge-paced "Positively 4TH Street."
But for every fizzled experiment, another one soared, like the bizarre, Brian Eno-style "Girl of the North Country" and the fiddle-laced waltz version of "Blowin’ in the Wind" that closed the show.
Curveballs like that tend to confuse casual fans who like to hear the hits played the way they know them. But Mr. Dylan couldn’t care less: He keeps everyone guessing – including himself – which is why he’ll never be past his prime.
We made it into the venue shortly before the concert began. Since we had GA floor tickets, we first tried to get into the main crowd but as always, just when we thought we were settled the tallest, broadest man in the building came and plonked himself down in front of us. We retreated to the back, where we could see pretty well actually. Unfortunately, that was the lair of the folks who paid $70 to drink and talk with Dylan as background music. Idiots. The acoustics weren't good there either. We moved back into the crowd down front and managed to be able to get a decent view for the rest of the show, as well as to hear it.
And hearing is pretty dang important. Dylan played some old classics but they were reworked so as to be unrecognizable. That makes it impossible for me to mention the set list! However, I have lifted that from a Bob-blog:
| 1. | Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob on electric guitar) |
| 2. | It Ain't Me, Babe (Bob on electric guitar) |
| 3. | Watching The River Flow (Bob on electric guitar) |
| 4. | Girl Of The North Country (Bob on keyboard and harp) |
| 5. | Rollin' And Tumblin' (Bob on keyboard) |
| 6. | Workingman's Blues #2 (Bob on keyboard) |
| 7. | High Water (For Charlie Patton) (Bob on keyboard) |
| 8. | Spirit On The Water (Bob on keyboard and harp) |
| 9. | Can't Wait (Bob on keyboard) |
| 10. | Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on keyboard) |
| 11. | Positively 4th Street (Bob on keyboard and harp) |
| 12. | Honest With Me (Bob on keyboard) |
| 13. | Nettie Moore (Bob on keyboard) |
| 14. | Summer Days (Bob on keyboard) |
| 15. | Ballad Of A Thin Man (Bob on keyboard and harp) |
| | |
| | (encore) |
| 16. | Thunder On The Mountain (Bob on keyboard) |
| 17. | Blowin' In The Wind (Bob on keyboard) |
It was just amazing to be in the same room with a legend.
Here's the review from The Dallas Morning News:
BY THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com
"You think I’m over the hill?" Bob Dylan sang with sneer Thursday night at the House of Blues. "You think I’m past my prime?"
The answer, my friends, isn't blowing in the wind. It’s a very concrete "No."
At his best, the 66-year-old legend was full of spit and venom – a grizzled blues master with a voice that bordered on the demonic. And even when the show wobbled – as it did for about a third of the 105-minute set – Mr. Dylan still gave it his all, bobbing his shoulders and pummeling his keyboard in "Highway 61 Revisited" like he was Little Richard.
Before the show, there was reason to believe Mr. Dylan might not be at his best. He hasn’t played live in four months, and his handlers were apparently so sure he’d be rusty they issued a statement saying press wasn’t invited to his three sold-out H.O.B. shows.
What next? No fans under 30 allowed? No one who doesn’t own Slow Train Coming? No eye-rolling during his harmonica solos?
They needn’t have been so uptight. It was one of Mr. Dylan’s more exciting Dallas gigs in recent decades – much better than in ’95 at the Dallas Music Complex or ‘03 at the Granada, though not as stunning as his ‘99 Starplex show with Paul Simon.
Dressed in black, with a wide-brimmed hat blocking his face, Mr. Dylan walked on to the dimly lit stage flanked by his usual band – longtime bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Recili, pedal steel player Donnie Herron and guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman (who’s originally from Dallas).
Despite the four-month break, they started the show with a bang: A rocking version of "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat," followed by a wicked jump blues overhaul of "Watching the River Flow." Soon after, Mr. Dylan unplugged his guitar and retreated for the rest of the show to electric keyboard – his instrument of choice in recent years.
Visually, Keyboard Bob isn’t nearly as fun to watch as Electric Guitar Bob. But it gave Mr. Freeman more room to execute his knife-like guitar solos in songs like "Thunder on the Mountain" and Muddy Waters’ "Rollin and Tumblin." And when the whole band kicked into high-octane blues-rock ("Can’t Wait,’’ "High Water (For Charley Patton)") they were the world’s best middle-aged garage band.
They had their share of tentative moments in slower songs like "Nettie Moore." And some of the new arrangement didn't work, especially the dirge-paced "Positively 4TH Street."
But for every fizzled experiment, another one soared, like the bizarre, Brian Eno-style "Girl of the North Country" and the fiddle-laced waltz version of "Blowin’ in the Wind" that closed the show.
Curveballs like that tend to confuse casual fans who like to hear the hits played the way they know them. But Mr. Dylan couldn’t care less: He keeps everyone guessing – including himself – which is why he’ll never be past his prime.
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