April 22, 2013

• Psaltery Symphony weekend

  This past weekend, Jim took part in the Psaltery Symphony that has been held for the past few years, at Tamarack, in West Virginia.  The symphony itself is on a Sunday afternoon, and the workshops are the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before it.  It is a wonderful opportunity for people from all over the country to get together and play these beautiful instruments.  Many have played for years, and some are very new to it!  We have made many friends over the years who we met at these workshops.  I don’t play a psaltery – I sit and do handwork!  It is very relaxing!

  Here is the group at one of their rehearsal/workshops.

                                  

                                  

                                  

  At night they had an opportunity to get together in the meeting room of a local hotel to “jam” – or play music together.  Many of the group play other instruments, and it was soooo much fun to watch and listen!  There was a large group this year, and so some of the time, they went over the music they needed to practice together for the symphony, and some of the time they played other pieces.

                                  

                                  

  These pictures are from Saturday night when there was a small group, playing psalteries, dulcimers, and even a drum.  Some of this group are professional musicians and can play a wide variety of music.  I love listening!  Oh, and sewing while I listen!

                                  

                                  

   

  I had an especially wonderful time on Saturday.  At lunchtime, a friend who I knew when we lived in Biloxi, who now lives in West Virginia about an hour from where the workshops were, came to visit me!  I forgot to take any pictures!!  We had 4 hours together, chatting away and catching up on 20 years of family news!  We have been in touch through Christmas cards and Facebook, so we did already know quite a bit of news, but there was sooooo much to talk about.  It felt like we hadn’t been apart for any time at all!

   

  Saturday, in the late afternoon, Julie and Arne Paulsen arrived!  Julie is my xanga friend of many years now, who I met in person when I visited her at her home outside of Chicago, and who I have seen many times.  Our husbands have become friends, some of our children have met each other, and we chat online almost every day!  They were not participating in the symphony this year, although Arne did last year.  This year they arranged their vacation to be coming to the area at just the right time!  They were going to surprise me, but decided to tell me ahead of time, and I am glad they did, because the anticipation is half the fun!  

                                  

   

  We sat in the auditorium during the Sunday morning rehearsal, before the symphony got started.

   

  Next time – visiting with the Paulsens, and the Psaltery symphony!

  • 11:16 pm
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