More Early Music Fest

Sorry for the long silence – I was busy enjoying the Early Music Festival. There were concerts almost every night, and on Wednesday there was a masked ball. Travalon went with me, and we made masks. His was covered with leaves so he would be a jungle man, but he couldn’t make it work either under or over his glasses, so he pushed it up on his head where it looked like a laurel wreath. If he’d had a toga on, he could have been a Greek champion. The dances were led by an energetic British lady who sounded a lot like Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins – at one point she said, “Spin around, and tiddly hop,” or at least that’s what Travalon and I both heard. The dances weren’t too difficult and were a lot of fun, especially one where the men peeked around the women’s shoulders, and then the women did the same to the men.

Thursday afternoon we had our participant concert. I performed some chants with my Hildegarde of Bingen class from the balcony, and my Medieval German love songs class sang a song that translates to “Sing On, Golden Cock.” (If that sounds dirty, I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to.) Then on Friday we had our big concert to show off the German Mass we had been working on all week. I can’t remember the composer, he’s not a household name, but our final piece was an amazing three-choir Te Deum by Praetorius. At the party afterwards there were two accordions and more dancing and singing, but mostly of the polka and yodel variety.

Saturday I had a girls’ day with Tiffy and the Daughter of Denii: we went to Art Fairs on and off the Square, then we went to the Old Sugar Distillery, and after that we hung out with some friends of theirs from college and their toddlers. Sunday after a baptism and reception, I drove to Travalon’s house and we went hiking at a very beautiful place called Ledge County Park; I took photos and will try to post them soon. The park is on a rock ledge overlooking the farmland below, and there are all sorts of outcroppings to climb around on. Then we went to a bar he likes called Kenny’s Gin Mill, which was full of colorful characters like the guy with hardly any teeth, the guy wearing an obscene T-shirt, and the guy who kept telling the bartender to turn up the volume on the jukebox, which was playing nonstop country music. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly my scene… After that we met an old friend of Travalon’s who is a great conversationalist. He said I have made Travalon unbelievably happy. Awww!!

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