Summer 09 - pre Jane and Johannes visit

It has been a remarkable summer with the other non-music festival activities being the icing on the cake. Managed to squeeze these in between bus driving and gardening shifts respectively.

Photos from the bottom -
1.Edward and Kiba our lodgers for 1st half of 09 - a delightful couple from South Carolina, but sadly transferred by TSA to Lafayette, Louisiana
2.Hiking with our current long term lodger Mike on trail up to Cathedral Lake
3.Hiking with our cycling friends Mike and Joan from Cincinnati
4.Crystal Mill and a quarter way into the epic Lead King Basin bike trail round
5.Lance Armstrong powering his way to victory in the mountain bike race at Snowmass
6.Our neighbour and guide for the day Beige at start of hike to Capitol Lake - Mt Daly on left and Capitol Peak ( a 14er ) in centre. The Lake sits right underneath it
7.This beautiful pond on way to Thomas Lakes - another day hike M & I did on our own.
8 & 9 with the abundance of wild flowers on the way.

Summer - 2009 - music festival

The Aspen music festival & school has again been the highlight of our summer. Huge new dimension for us though has been having a brilliant young oboist Amanda staying with us for the full 9 weeks of the festival. Apart from the very substantial perks of free access to all concerts, recitals and masterclasses , and regular inspiring oboe lessons in-house for me , not to mention having with us my resident personal reed maker , she was an absolute delight to have here. When she left a week ago , the house seemed very quiet in more ways than one. Her practicing was like having a daily professional concert in your living room.

We went to something in the Festival virtually every day . What we looked forward to more than anything was the weekly opera masterclass at the Wheeler Opera House See photos. Simply brilliant . We'd cycle into Aspen early each Saturday morning , get our free tickets , enjoy coffee and muffins in the square outside Paradise Bakery in donwntown Aspen, and take our seats ( always in the very front row ) at 10 am for 8 or so excerpts from different operas on which the students would then be critiqued on their performance and do it , or parts of it, again. Sheer bliss. Stars of the future opera world we have no doubt.

Then another superb bike ride home and often in to Aspen again for a concert in the evening. Just day after day and night after night of stunning performances.

What we didn't get free access to were the 3 operas ( this year La Boheme , Britten's Rape of Lucretia , and Don Giovanni ) , and we splashed out a bit for seats for all 3 . Again quite magnificent - all directed by the brilliant Juillard, and Aspen Opera director Ed Berkeley - see photo. The Britten we enjoyed particulary bringing back stirring memories of Turn of the Screw in Glasgow all those years ago.

Concerts at the Benedict Music `tent` we enjoyed from inside and out . The latter often enjoyed with picnic , wine and delightful company - see photos of both .

Will try to cover all the other activities of a memorable summer in separate entry. Jane and Johannes arrive in a few days , so I need to get on with it.