Many miles have passed since Wausau; I’ll do my best to catch up to the present.
17 October
Somewhere, USA
My favorite kind of Tour Stop is when we stay in the town instead of out on the strip. While stays on the strip have their high points, they often blend into one another, feeling a little like Anywhere, USA. Staying in town, however, feels like Somewhere, USA.
Fond du Lac is Somewhere; a Main Street with character, Mom and Pop eateries, unusual shops, and a personality.
It was trying hard to rain as we entered Fond du Lac. Ominous clouds hovered overhead, threatening to burst forth with a torrential downpour. My spirits picked up as I spotted coffee shops, antiques stores, a gloriously landscaped park, and a fiber store.
After a woodwind quintet rehearsal in the lounge (appropriately decorated with musical instruments and kindly offered by the front desk as rehearsal space), I went out to explore. I remembered Fond du Lac from the 2003 Tour and was happy to see it still seemed to be a thriving downtown; very few of the empty storefronts we’ve seen in other downtown areas.
I puttered in the gentle misting rain, wandering up and down the main street, eventually wandering into the fiber store. I enjoy the colors and textures in places like this. The owner was sitting at her loom, weaving damask dinner napkins.
After dinner (Room Food – tortellini, organic chicken breast, sun dried tomato in parmesan sauce…mmm); Michelle and decided to stay out of the drizzle and early dark. On the eighth floor, the room was quiet with little street noise. Out of the quiet I heard drums and then the sounds of a marching band. Looking out the window, I saw a street parade passing in front of the hotel.
Grabbing cameras, we raced for the stairs. Fortunately, the elevator was waiting. We missed the band, but caught the end of the Homecoming Parade. (My pictures didn’t come out well, but other Band Members promised to send me photos.) The poor students looked miserable, riding in the chilly drizzle. Chris, Pat, and Harry cheered them on, calling out the names written on each car; the students smiled and waved, perking up at the sound of their names.
The concert was held in a basketball arena, pretty much filled to the rafters and across the floor. One of our larger groups of Marine Corps League members sat in the front row, snapping to attention for the Colonel and Major, crisply saluting during the anthem. This crowd was working hard to earn their encore that night.
18 October
On to Illinois
Departure from Fond du Lac was early – we had a lot of miles to cover and a chance to check in before a very early run-out departure. I spent a good deal of my ride fielding phone calls from home as unexpected events unfolded in Annapolis. Arriving in Evanston early (and only a few minutes behind Jenna’s return from Great Lakes Naval Station), I time to kill before Jenna would be able to come to the hotel after her lesson. I picked up dinner for the ride to Frankfort, and she made it in plenty of time for the long drive down.
Long lines awaited us in Frankfort; the sponsors added an overflow room to hold as many as three or four hundred people to watch the concert on a video feed. With the number of Band Members from this part of the country, family members are starting to appear in the audience. Jay’s Mom, Mark’s Mom, Roger’s niece – it’s as close to the family visits of stand down most people will get.
Returning to Evanston, Jenna and I made a brief stop in my room to pick up my overnight tote and some laundry before heading to her house/apartment for the night. Taking our time Sunday morning, we wandered out for breakfast and shopping. A quick lunch before the concert and then off to Pick-Staiger.
Pick-Staiger is familiar to most band members – on previous tours it has been our home-away-from-home for stand down (the first ever band stand down was here). The Band has a pretty strong connection with Northwestern; the trumpet section is sprinkled with alumni as well as other sections. The audience held some familiar faces beyond family.
Both John Hagstrom and Tage Larsen (former members of the band now in the Chicago Symphony) came to the edge of the stage at intermission.
20 October
My favorite kind of Tour Stop is when we stay in the town instead of out on the strip. While stays on the strip have their high points, they often blend into one another, feeling a little like Anywhere, USA. Staying in town, however, feels like Somewhere, USA.
Fond du Lac is Somewhere; a Main Street with character, Mom and Pop eateries, unusual shops, and a personality.It was trying hard to rain as we entered Fond du Lac. Ominous clouds hovered overhead, threatening to burst forth with a torrential downpour. My spirits picked up as I spotted coffee shops, antiques stores, a gloriously landscaped park, and a fiber store.
After a woodwind quintet rehearsal in the lounge (appropriately decorated with musical instruments and kindly offered by the front desk as rehearsal space), I went out to explore. I remembered Fond du Lac from the 2003 Tour and was happy to see it still seemed to be a thriving downtown; very few of the empty storefronts we’ve seen in other downtown areas.I puttered in the gentle misting rain, wandering up and down the main street, eventually wandering into the fiber store. I enjoy the colors and textures in places like this. The owner was sitting at her loom, weaving damask dinner napkins.
After dinner (Room Food – tortellini, organic chicken breast, sun dried tomato in parmesan sauce…mmm); Michelle and decided to stay out of the drizzle and early dark. On the eighth floor, the room was quiet with little street noise. Out of the quiet I heard drums and then the sounds of a marching band. Looking out the window, I saw a street parade passing in front of the hotel.
Grabbing cameras, we raced for the stairs. Fortunately, the elevator was waiting. We missed the band, but caught the end of the Homecoming Parade. (My pictures didn’t come out well, but other Band Members promised to send me photos.) The poor students looked miserable, riding in the chilly drizzle. Chris, Pat, and Harry cheered them on, calling out the names written on each car; the students smiled and waved, perking up at the sound of their names.
The concert was held in a basketball arena, pretty much filled to the rafters and across the floor. One of our larger groups of Marine Corps League members sat in the front row, snapping to attention for the Colonel and Major, crisply saluting during the anthem. This crowd was working hard to earn their encore that night.18 October
On to Illinois
Departure from Fond du Lac was early – we had a lot of miles to cover and a chance to check in before a very early run-out departure. I spent a good deal of my ride fielding phone calls from home as unexpected events unfolded in Annapolis. Arriving in Evanston early (and only a few minutes behind Jenna’s return from Great Lakes Naval Station), I time to kill before Jenna would be able to come to the hotel after her lesson. I picked up dinner for the ride to Frankfort, and she made it in plenty of time for the long drive down.
Long lines awaited us in Frankfort; the sponsors added an overflow room to hold as many as three or four hundred people to watch the concert on a video feed. With the number of Band Members from this part of the country, family members are starting to appear in the audience. Jay’s Mom, Mark’s Mom, Roger’s niece – it’s as close to the family visits of stand down most people will get.Returning to Evanston, Jenna and I made a brief stop in my room to pick up my overnight tote and some laundry before heading to her house/apartment for the night. Taking our time Sunday morning, we wandered out for breakfast and shopping. A quick lunch before the concert and then off to Pick-Staiger.
Pick-Staiger is familiar to most band members – on previous tours it has been our home-away-from-home for stand down (the first ever band stand down was here). The Band has a pretty strong connection with Northwestern; the trumpet section is sprinkled with alumni as well as other sections. The audience held some familiar faces beyond family.
Both John Hagstrom and Tage Larsen (former members of the band now in the Chicago Symphony) came to the edge of the stage at intermission.20 October
Time to Say Goodbye
Monday morning found us at Regenstein for another TAD. A little miscommunication regarding room assignments for the multiple performances and master classes was eventually sorted out. Our woodwind quintet played in the instrument storage room directly off the band offices. Our audience was small, but the esteemed Walfrid Kujala, piccolo extraordinaire formerly of the Chicago Symphony attended. He remembered the flute section taking him to lunch during a previous Tour; it was delightful to see him again. I only wish time and circumstances had allowed us to have lunch once more, or maybe even a lesson.
Back at the hotel I packed quickly and loaded the bus to be able to spend the last precious minutes with Jenna once she was out of class and had to be at the next one. Our time together was all too short,
but I remind myself I am lucky – if I was on Home Guard, I wouldn’t see her until Thanksgiving, maybe even Christmas.
The weather and my mood didn’t improve on the drive to Warsaw. The dreariness of the drive didn’t sit well with my stomach, so I curled up in my seat and huddled under the blanket. We were warmly welcomed, though, with wonderful Midwestern hospitality. We played the B Program for the packed Warsaw audience.
The generosity of the sponsor and the enthusiasm of the audience was what we needed after the moodiness of the departure from Evanston.
21 October
Monday morning found us at Regenstein for another TAD. A little miscommunication regarding room assignments for the multiple performances and master classes was eventually sorted out. Our woodwind quintet played in the instrument storage room directly off the band offices. Our audience was small, but the esteemed Walfrid Kujala, piccolo extraordinaire formerly of the Chicago Symphony attended. He remembered the flute section taking him to lunch during a previous Tour; it was delightful to see him again. I only wish time and circumstances had allowed us to have lunch once more, or maybe even a lesson.
Back at the hotel I packed quickly and loaded the bus to be able to spend the last precious minutes with Jenna once she was out of class and had to be at the next one. Our time together was all too short,
but I remind myself I am lucky – if I was on Home Guard, I wouldn’t see her until Thanksgiving, maybe even Christmas.The weather and my mood didn’t improve on the drive to Warsaw. The dreariness of the drive didn’t sit well with my stomach, so I curled up in my seat and huddled under the blanket. We were warmly welcomed, though, with wonderful Midwestern hospitality. We played the B Program for the packed Warsaw audience.
The generosity of the sponsor and the enthusiasm of the audience was what we needed after the moodiness of the departure from Evanston.21 October
Onwards and Upwards
Fall arrived with a vengeance; we woke to frosty, crisp temperatures. Michelle and I followed the directions given by the front desk through a less than pedestrian friendly area to find the Lake Winona Greenway, a wonderful trail along the lake and through the forest. Sculptures and benches appeared at intervals along the trail, winding through the woods and crossing marked hiking trails. 
We have been lucky to find so many well kept trails on this tour.
The itinerary told us we had a mere 85 or so miles to drive to get to Kalamazoo. I picked up my crochet project (or should I say Kira’s crochet project – hi, Kira!), but soon had to put it down when we seemed to make a turn every mile or so. I finally asked Mark if we were driving in circles. Apparently there isn’t a direct route to Kalamazoo from Warsaw; we were working our way around a large lake.
I took down the coats hanging in my window to watch the scenery roll by. We were in Amish Country, and the farms were plentiful. Growing up, fields of corn or wheat would stretch endlessly, as far as the eye could see. Few trees were found on the farms, mostly sheltering the houses or lining a creek bed. Here the farms were broken into smaller, rolling fields, edged with windbreaks of trees. The foliage is peaking here, with brilliant scarlet and flame orange crowding the last of the green trees. The crisp blue sky was the perfect backdrop, the cold sun casting shadows across lush green fields. Traffic slowed for the occasional horse and buggy on the narrow roads; life is a slower tempo here.
Fall arrived with a vengeance; we woke to frosty, crisp temperatures. Michelle and I followed the directions given by the front desk through a less than pedestrian friendly area to find the Lake Winona Greenway, a wonderful trail along the lake and through the forest. Sculptures and benches appeared at intervals along the trail, winding through the woods and crossing marked hiking trails. 
We have been lucky to find so many well kept trails on this tour.The itinerary told us we had a mere 85 or so miles to drive to get to Kalamazoo. I picked up my crochet project (or should I say Kira’s crochet project – hi, Kira!), but soon had to put it down when we seemed to make a turn every mile or so. I finally asked Mark if we were driving in circles. Apparently there isn’t a direct route to Kalamazoo from Warsaw; we were working our way around a large lake.
I took down the coats hanging in my window to watch the scenery roll by. We were in Amish Country, and the farms were plentiful. Growing up, fields of corn or wheat would stretch endlessly, as far as the eye could see. Few trees were found on the farms, mostly sheltering the houses or lining a creek bed. Here the farms were broken into smaller, rolling fields, edged with windbreaks of trees. The foliage is peaking here, with brilliant scarlet and flame orange crowding the last of the green trees. The crisp blue sky was the perfect backdrop, the cold sun casting shadows across lush green fields. Traffic slowed for the occasional horse and buggy on the narrow roads; life is a slower tempo here.
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