Prayers for hurricane victims and helpers

I send prayers for those who have lost homes, families, neighborhoods, and livelihoods in the wake of this terrible storm. The photos and videos break my heart. I looked today at a photo of Canal Street in New Orleans, seeing a group of folks carrying belongings in sacks while walking down the center of the street in waist-deep water. I recall that my folks took me to New Orleans when I was 13(1966), and I thought Canal Street was the grandest, widest street I'd ever seen in the most glorious city. I can see the hotel in which we stayed in this photo.

I send prayers for all those working in search-and-rescue operations, for all those, paid or volunteer, who are working to minister to or to help alleviate the misery of the multitudes affected. Lord, have mercy upon us, open our hearts and our wallets, and may the resources needed to meet the needs and to re-establish some sense of normalcy be made available quickly to those who can make best use of them.
AMEN.

Report on Thomas Stacy Seminar--Carmel Valley

California was terrific. We needed extra blankies at night, and needed no a/c!! A few motels have a/c in Monterey, but not all of them. The music camp in Carmel Valley is higher in elevation, and keeping a breeze flowing through the rooms worked fine. I am recuperating from carrying my double instrument case (oboe/English horn) AND computer on one shoulder, my "healthy back" bag full to the gills on the other, and dragging a rolling suitcase that weighed in at 56 pounds leaving Monterey. By passing up flying out of Corpus and going instead to San Antonio, I was able to get covered parking and a shuttle ride to the airport, so I only had to hoist that 56-pound bad boy into my wagon at the house, off the luggage carrel in Monterey, into and out of my rent car, then off the luggage carrel in San Antonio and out of my wagon back in my drive-way. My back is, of course, screwed up, and I'm sure I'm a couple of inches shorter due to compressed vertebrae! I've had a massage, used my hot tub, and have just taken it really easy. The back and hip pain are starting to let up now that the kinks are gradually working out. I'm gonna have to work out a better system for a 10-day stay--maybe ship all my clothes and music out there ahead of time or something! Or as my sister preaches, TAKE LESS!

Anyway, we had 17 participants which is a great number. (Last year's 30+ nearly did me in) Both Tom, the English Hornist for the NY Phil and Judith, the #1 bassoonist for the NY Phil, did camps this year, overlapped by one day, so we got to share meals and party with the bassooners. The bassoon camp had no coordinator, so they just ran free (wild). I had to make a noise announcement on day 2 at breakfast because there was laughing, screaming, and loud talking way into the night before. I was unsure how to get everyone's attention, but then inspiration struck! In the dining hall is a Kawai Baby Grand Piano, so I snuck over to the bench and launched into the intro to "Texas, Our Texas", which as an 18-year music teacher, I knew by memory. The other Texan in our EH crew stood up with her hand over her heart, which brought the house down. There were THREE (One bassooner from Laredo) of us who knew what the heck I was playing, but hey, I got the group's attention! Gee--why do people think Texans are so weird????? (Might it be the story I told of seeing a UFO on the way to the SA airport--honest to God!)lol

Sad news however---the technician that Tom brings in to look over our instruments found that my EH is fine, but my oboe wouldn't even seal. That means another crack in the top joint, and he couldn't figure out where it was exactly! Mark Chudnow is an oboe MAKER and an excellent tech, but he didn't have all the stuff he'd need to find the crack on the road with him. I have had some trouble lately with it here; I guess the drastic change in humidity made it show up big time out there. He can't get to it till November, and I can't afford to sent it anywhere right now anyway. I may have to hit up Alice ISD to loan me an oboe when Wind Symphony rehearsals start. My oboe is 34 years old and has been overhauled twice. The last time was a miracle-working $800. I couldn't replace it because the waiting list for NEW Laubin oboes is SEVEN years, and those with older ones don't generally sell 'em. I want a new oboe for Christmas; think Santa will get my note????

St. A's has a new piano! Praise God!

Wow--what a long, strange trip it has been. When my father died in 1999, it was finally possible to get both his estate and my mom's (who had died in 1993) resolved. With a tithe of my inheritance, I set up a memorial music fund at my church. Part of it was used some years ago to purchase a well-used but very serviceable electronic organ from a nearby community whose Episcopal church had been gifted with a new pipe organ. I continued using both the new-to-us organ and our old piano until my retirement as organist/choirmistress last summer. The piano is all that our current musician is using, and it has needed frequent repairs.

It was my joy as a bishop's committee member to be the piano committee when we determined that a new piano must be purchased. All of my internet research kept pointing to an excellent book by Larry Fine, called The Piano Book. It gives info based on surveys from piano techs as to the reliability of different brands, and it also has excellent information on the histories, warranties, and current prices of the multitude of piano brands out there.

Yesterday, the church pianist/choirmistress and I went to our local piano store to try out the two brands to which we'd narrowed our search. (Yamaha and Kawai) It was joyful to listen while she played, then to trade places. I really griped about the stupid, inconsequential music racks currently in vogue; The "stylish" ones are wide enough for about 2 sheets of music. No hymnals will stay up, nor could one have anyplace to put enough music to play a full church service. We also rejected the "apartment mute" center pedal. Listen, piano manufacturers! We downgraded to a less-expensive piano to get the usability and features we needed! The piano looks great, sounds great, has a terrific usable music rack AND the center sostenuto pedal which comes in handy (or footy??) every once in awhile.

Yep--I would have loved to have a Steinway in the sanctuary. I inherited my mom's studio model. However, they have priced themselves out of the small church market. We had their less-expensive Boston line on our final list--the brand is Steinway's design built by Kawai--but we opted not to go out of town. Perhaps I can will to the church my Steinway upon my death, and they can trade it in on whatever they want at that point!

There will be a dedicatory plate on this piano to the glory of God and in loving memory of my mom, who was a church organist (another denomination) for many years. How nice to have good quality music equipment for our little church as we struggle and grow. Thanks be to God!