Friday, November 21, 2008

Musings in Late November

Well, the last of the Fuji apples off our tree have been harvested. We did much better this year as "farmers." We left most of them on the tree until October and they are so sweet! I tried my hand at a third pie (the 2nd try being a peach one in August).


This is the last of that Apple Pie:

It was very yummy! Of course, most Disneyland recipes are delicious. This one was from the Plaza Inn and had a terrific crust.


I'm glad we have (mostly) defined seasons here. Well, at least, hot, dry season and cold season. It gets to the 30s/freezing overnight in the winter but then also gets well over 100 in summer.

Here is the beautiful red tree in our eastern neighbor's yard.

And the blooming lemon tree in our southern neighbor's yard. I'd love to plant a citrus tree on our own property.

'Course last weekend we managed to take our aggressions out on our lively wisteria plant. The landscapers (before we moved in) planted it a few feet away from the house as a tree. Well, they apparently didn't realize that wisteria is a climbing vine plant that needs to attach itself to something. In the summer that became our new rose hedge, the rose tree by the house and the neighbor's tree. Man! We want to take it out and replace it with a lovely maple tree.

But for winter at least, it's all cleaned up. And when the spring comes it should be a bit easier to maintain.


Here's our blooming cyclamen:
They made it thru their first summer in hot Bakersfield. Moving them out of the direct sun really helped. Although all the herbs on the back patio boxes died. :-(

So Jeff and I are excited that cooler weather is (slowly) making its way here. We love autumn.
The trees are all turning and the crunch of leaves beneath my feet is a great sound. Ahh... Time for tea and a good costume drama. Jane Austen anyone?

*Final Thought: In mid-October I filled my car with gas at $3.19. Tuesday this week it was $2.05. And the price just keeps dropping. (Today it's $1.95.) I'm thankful for the reprieve but know it won't last.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Return to the Jazz World

Many of us have an activity or hobby which we enjoy so much that we want to do it every week. It may be a church group, bowling league, poker night, or whatever. It's taken me some time to find a regular weekly activity, but I think I found one I'll keep for a while: jam sessions.

When I started piano lessons as a kid, my background was mostly classical and church music. Then, starting in high school, I discovered jazz band. While I loved the rhythms and cool grooves, I was quite content to just play what was on the page and not branch out. As a result, I learned lots of unusual chords and how to accompany soloists, but I didn't take many solos myself.

Fast-foward to two years ago. I played a gig at the Kern County Fair with some professional players, several of whom attend the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop. One of them liked what she heard from me and invited me to join. Unfortunately, my schedule didn't allow me to commit to the one night a week, but I told her to keep me posted; one day I will make it, I promised.

That day finally arrived last month. Being new to the scene, I didn't know whether to start with the beginning workshop or the open jam session. After all, I knew I could read chord charts, but I wasn't sure how well I could solo. I decided it was better not to get in over my head too soon, so I sat in with the beginners first. (I liken it to skiing on the 'bunny slopes' first to get a feel for the mountain before braving the black diamond runs.) It didn't take that long for me to find my footing, and I was soon happily jamming along.

Most of the musicians at the beginning workshop fall into one of two categories: students who are learning their instrument and how to play jazz for the first time; and more experienced musicians who know their instrument, but are new to the world of jazz harmony, improvisation, and soloing. The open jam session is for intermediate to advanced level players, some of whom have been gigging for many years. This session usually calls harder tunes and experiments a bit more. It's a great way for everyone to learn in a real-world situation with a supportive environment.

After the first day, I felt pretty comfortable with it, and the player who moderates the sessions asked me a little about my background. When I told him what my favorite styles and players were, he strongly encouraged me to return the next week, and we would play some of my favorite tunes...at both the beginning and open sessions.

By the next week, I was playing at both sessions, calling tunes, taking solos, and generally having a great time. It hasn't taken long at all for me to get hooked, and I'm not as nervous playing at the open level as I thought I would be. Soon, I may even be a regular.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Election thoughts from a reenactor


I'm a American Civil War reenactor. So I study and present to the public a period in time that gave colored men suffrage (the right to vote). It would be another 56 years til women gained that right in 1919.

So here we are 145 years later and the country has seen the election of a black man to the office of US President.

I have mixed feelings about this. The President-elect was not my candidate of choice (and even then I had to warm up to him as no one in my party excited me.) I don't have happy thoughts for the future administration, but I MUST give my respect to the President and anyone who volunteers for the job of US President. He deserves the respect of all Americans even if he does not sit well in their eyes.

However, on the other hand, why participate in a hobby that demonstrates the past that our modern country has built upon if not to one day see a black man or a woman (of any color) ascend to that pinnacle of US politics. I have to support it; otherwise my hobby has no validation.

So this historic time (2008) I can put down myself as someone who saw the advancement of our society and our constitution at work. Now onto getting a woman in there....

If it took 145 years for a black man, I hope we don't have to wait another 56 years (to equal 145) to see a woman at the top.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Travelin' Bug Bites Again!

Remember the old saying that if your foot itches, you will soon go on a journey? Well, somebody must have put powder in our shoes, because Jennifer and I are both wanting to take another trip. We loved our trip to Florida in June and last year's travels to Vermont (again). But we must have bigger aspirations, because we finally applied for our passports.

A postcard came in the mail, advertising a passport fair on the weekend, where the post office would accept applications and take pictures. They usually do this anyway, but only for a few hours on Saturday morning. This time, though, they had full facilities available all day, so we braved what we knew would be a bigger than usual crowd and went in.

As it turned out, the crowd was not as big as we imagined: only about an hour's wait. So after showing our birth certificates, driver's licenses, and taking a couple of mug shots, we paid the fee and started the process. We were told that everything should be done by early December, which means if we really wanted to spend Christmas in London or Paris, we could.

It may be a while before we actually use them for foreign travel, but the point is to have them, then all we have to do is save a little money and we really can go anywhere. It's pretty exciting to be able to join the ranks of the world travelers.