Bela Fleck Concert

We saw a great concert last evening in Princeton, featuring Bela Fleck and his wife Abigail Washburn.  They played a variety of banjos - who knew there were so many - and she sang and even danced.  It was a fun evening.

Trip to Oregon

S and I just returned from a rather harrowing trip to visit Dad in Oregon.  Her cooler containing all her food was dumped, apparently deliberately by TSA, on the trip out so we had to scout for things she could eat.  Then there was one annoyance after another that added to the stress of the trip.  And the weather was bad, but it did manage to clear for a bit on Sunday morning.  So we escaped for a quick trip to the coast.  We started at Yaquina Head and were surprised to discover it does not open until 10 AM on weekends; but earlier during the week, which doesn't make any sense.  Since we had to get back to check out of our hotel, we climbed over the barrier and took a quick walk toward the lighthouse and down to the rocky beach.  Then we headed south to Seal Rock which has no gate.  It was really neat and we wished we had more time to explore.

Munich Philharmonic in Concert

Another great concert at NJPAC:

• Don Juan by Richard Strauss
• Piano Concerto for the Left Hand by Maurice Ravel with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard - this was my favorite piece
• Symphony No. 3 by Beethoven

End of Vacation

We left Savannah Monday morning and drove 8 hours back to Harrisonburg, VA.  Yesterday we drove to Burkholders Fabrics in Lancaster County, PA where we shopped for fabrics for about 2 1/2 hours.  Then to the motel in Lancaster.  This morning we went to the AQS quilt show, then more fabric shopping before heading home.  Our schedule was determined by the fact that we had to be home in time for chorus rehearsal tonight.

Savannah, Georgia

Our guided trip ended after breakfast this morning.  We said our goodbyes and drove to Savannah for the day.  We took a trolley ride to get an overview of the city, including seeing neat buildings

went to the art gallery, then headed for our bed and breakfast on Jones Street.
The Eliza Thompson house is very nice.




It has a neat courtyard with a fountain and lots of bronze statues.










I especially like the little boy with his ice cream cone.


Tomorrow we drive back to Harrisonburg, VA on our way to Pennsylvania.

Paddling in South Carolina - Day 3

Today's paddle was on the Ashepoo River.  We put in downstream and paddled upstream with the incoming tide.

Paddling in South Carolina - Day 2

Today we did part of the Cumbahee River, the "C" in ACE Basin.  We put in on Cuckholds Creek and did a one-way paddle to a takeout down the river, for a total of about 8 miles.  The tide was with us on the latter part of the paddle, which was a good thing since the winds were strong in places.


After the paddle we stopped at the ruins of the Prince William Parish Church, which was built between 1745-1755; burned by the British army in 1779, rebuilt in 1826; then burned again by the federal army in 1865.  The circular brick columns are amazing.

Paddling in South Carolina - Day 1

Today we put in on Penny Creek, a small tributary of the Edisto River in the ACE Basin.

The winds were forecasted to be fairly high, so we paddled down to the larger river

then returned to our starting point.

Paddling in Georgia - Day 3

Our first stop today was at the Lutheran Church at the now-deserted community of Ebenezer on the Savannah River.  The Salzburg Lutherans who founded the community raised silkworms and wove silk to make part of their income.  The church itself is still active.




Then we drove nearby to put the boats into Ebenezer Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River.  According to our guides the water was lower than they usually see it, so the cypress trees loomed over us.  It was very neat.






Late in the afternoon we arrived at our next lodging, the 907 B&B in Walterboro, SC.

Paddling in Georgia - Day 2

Today's paddle was on the Ogeechee River.  It was quite warm and you could almost see the leaves popping out as we traveled.  We did a one-way paddle down the fast-moving river, dodging obstacles when necessary.  It was another fun day.