8/23/18

Gathering Graces 8/22/2018

*Today it was the sophomores registering at KHS, and we made it through another day!!  As I have gone through the week, I have been encouraged as co-workers keep telling me they will miss me, and what are they going to do when I am not there.  I am not going to lie....that does make me feel good.  My response is that I will probably come up to have lunch with Paul every now and then throughout the school year, so I will still be around some. 
*For Christmas, I gave Paul a years worth of “dates”.  So each month we have scheduled a purposeful date to go out and enjoy one another’s company.  For August, we had made plans to attend a concert at Arbor Crest Winery in Spokane to listen to the Spokane Symphony perform.  But because of the poor air quality from the fires in the area, the concert was moved indoors into the Fox Theater in downtown Spokane.  At first, I was a little disappointed, because I wanted to enjoy the concert in a beautiful outdoor venue.  But once we stepped into the Fox Theater, I was disappointed no more.  What a beautiful theater.  It is decorated in an amazing art deco motif.  The theater was restored back in 2007, and is so wonderful.  I hope to return soon to see other types of performances in this theater.
*What a treat to hear a symphony perform.  Listening to recorded classical music is a wonderful experience, but to hear a live symphony performance far surpasses a recording.  You not only hear the sounds, but you see the experience the body language of the musicians, the emotion of the conductor, and feel the music in a way you don’t experience in a recording.  The first half of the concert was more modern selections, including Word of Mouth by Timo Andres, a piece inspired by the Word of Mouth Chorus, whose classic recordings of Shaker hymns from the 1970’s were his first exposure to music.  The second piece was a piece composed by Gabriel Kahane called Freight and Salvage, and the third was by composer Sarah Kirkland Snider, titled Daughter of the Waves, written for her new born daughter.
*After Intermission, the Spokane Symphony performed French composer Georges Bizet’s Symphony in C.  Bizet was a child progeny who started college at the age of 9.  Bizet is most famous for composing the music for the opera Carmen.  The piece he composed that we heard tonight was written when he was 17 years old.  Paul and I enjoyed this music the most.  As conductor Morihiko Nakahara pointed out, the Symphony in C was a much more uplifting piece of music, whereas the pieces in the first half were full of more angst.  Maybe that was part of it.  I think some of it is liking the more classical sound.  Whatever the reason, it was a wonderful night experiencing the music on many levels.
*Before the concert, Paul and I went to Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar for dinner, and started the evening with a delicious meal.  I ordered Pork Osso Bucco and Paul had Ahi Tuna.  Both were very delicious.  Every part of our “date night” from the dinner to the music was wonderful.  And every time we go into Spokane for something like this, I tell myself I need to spend more time exploring Spokane, because I love spending time there.

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