Lewisburg

I saw the trees blushing.

On our drive from Lewisburg to Jamestown, I saw the trees are beginning to turn red. As we traveled north and then east, more color appeared; red, burnt orange, a dull yellow. Many of the trees have lost their leaves prematurely, and some of the color looks tired and dry. I am heartened, though, that even with 80 degree temperatures, we are approaching days of crisp, clear skies and cool weather.

It felt like summer yesterday, in Lewisburg. With a Super Wal-Mart located behind the hotel, band members were seen making the trek to replenish groceries or pick up the items accidentally left on the kitchen counter at home. The sun was hot, beating down on my head as we walked the mile to the shopping center. Maybe it is time for me to pull out the short sleeve shirts after all. It is always chilly on the bus (I’d rather be cold than hot), so I’ll just dig out the bus blanket instead.

I finally had a chance to try one of my new Tour Toys; my Pocket Travel Router. The router itself is no bigger than a standard pad of Post-It notes, and it comes in a little travel case with pockets for all the wires and cables required. (We’ve had wireless in all the hotels up to this point, so I haven’t had the opportunity to try it.) I popped the little Ethernet cable into the wall, powered up the router, and suddenly Karen and I had a nice wireless bubble right there in the room.

The concert in Lewisburg was at Bucknell University. The hall was beautiful, with dark wood floors on the stage, dark brick walls in the hall, and elegant yet simple cylindrical chandeliers floating above the audience. It was our second performance of Program A, and people were a little more relaxed with it.

I have so much fun with Powhaten’s Daughter, even if, and maybe because, it is a Db part. The audience really seems to enjoy the march. The audience response to Chris and his performance of the percussion concerto was overwhelming. I think they would have loved to hear an encore. The acoustics of the hall really magnified the diabolical nature of The Devil and Daniel Webster, and I’m making progress with my own demons in the Persichetti. The tightness in my chest during the second movement is relaxing its death grip, and I’m starting to have more fun with the last movement.

The audience was so enthusiastic during the patriotic portion of the program we pulled out God Bless America even before the Colonel made the decision to play an encore. I think it will be a frequent addition to the program this year. I’m starting to wonder if we may have to pull out a march from the second half as well.

Karen and I rose an hour early to combine a walk with a last minute trip to the Super Wal-Mart. I didn’t get in my four miles, but with an early departure and a fairly long drive today, I wanted to get a little walking in before all the sitting. It was foggy and cool as we walked, discovering a little path taking us through gardens with small statues and an arched wooden bridge. Finding these pockets of surprise is one of the unexpected pleasures of Tour.