Praying Mantis

They were mowing today and that seems to have scared the praying mantis' out of hiding.  This one was on the walk toward the center and decided I was a safe haven.  By the time it got up to my knee I decided I'd better shoo it away.

Concert at Longwood Gardens

Last evening we heard the a cappella group VOCES8 which was outstanding.  They sang a variety of pieces and all were good, but I especially enjoyed the classical works.

The chrysanthemum festival is going on in the conservatory so we took the opportunity to walk through most of that as well.  We decided there is not enough lighting in the evening to really show off the flowers.  Daylight is much better.  But there were some neat ones.

Back in PA

We drove back home on Tuesday, October 3rd.  The leaves were just passing their peak so it was a good time to leave.  One of the reasons we came back so soon was to attend yesterday's Philadelphia Orchestra concert.  It was marvelous.  Daniil Trifonov played Gershwin's Piano Concerto and it was definitely the hit of the afternoon.  There was also a piece"This Moment" by young composer Anna Clyne and William Grant Still's Symphony No 4.  We went to the talk before the concert, given by assistant conductor Austin Chanu.  The only issue with the afternoon was the bus ride.  The bus going in was so uncomfortable on the bumpy road that I was concerned about my spine.  Fortunately we had a different bus coming home and it was better.  We saw friends there who did not take the bus.  Instead, they take the train to Suburban station and walk the 0.6 mile to Kimmel Center, stopping along the way for lunch.  That may be a better way to do it, especially since the train is free.  But we are committed to the bus for this season.