Sorry that I didn't blog for the last couple of days, but there wasn't much to say or much time to say it, since I was chatting with people until late in the evening. Today, however, I have a lot to blog about. The first thing Travalon and I did was go to the little pond in Waunakee where there is often a bird party this time of year, and was there ever a bird party going on! Tons of Canada geese and sandhill cranes.
I had seen (and heard!) tundra swans while walking around the neighborhood on Thursday, and we also saw these birds sitting just outside our window. Anyone know what they are?
Travalon and I went to Governor Nelson State Park after the bird party pond, but we didn't see any tundra swans at all. Then we took a hike, trying to find a bench dedicated to the memory of an Early Music Festival teacher's wife, who died of COVID. We found it!
You can see why she wanted a bench right there - check out the view!
Then we drove downtown. This photo is actually from last weekend, when Tiffy and I checked out the Christmas tree in the state Capitol.
We went to Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square to hear the Russian Folk Orchestra. Look at the beautiful windows in Grace Episcopal.
Even more beautiful when the sunlight shines through them!
Here is a photo Travalon took of the Russian Folk Orchestra.
On the last song, a jazzy version of "Jingle Bells," the Madison Flute Club joined them. They included this bass flute, which is shaped like the number 4 and was decorated with Christmas ornaments, but you can't really tell in this photo.
The folk orchestra consists of balalaikas, some other kind of Russian folk string instruments, accordions, and some random wind instruments. We ran into Pete the Sailor Man at the concert, and afterwards we got lunch at a new restaurant called the Botanists Club or something. I had a croque madame - so good! Then we checked out a new vintage clothing shop (sorry, forgot to take a photo of my awesome Packers hat we got there), and then we headed home, and Travalon left to hang out with his buddy. I took photos of the ornaments my coworker gave me.
Here they are on our little fiberoptic tree. We can't find the cord, so right now it doesn't light up.
I also looked more closely at the "bracelet" I got at the antiques shop we went to on Travalon's birthday, and I realized it's actually a rosary - an Anglican rosary! Richard Bonomo came over, bearing an air purifier for us to test out, and he and I talked for a long time. He looked up how to pray the Anglican rosary, and the answer seems to be: any way you like. There aren't specific prayers like there are for most of the chaplets I'm familiar with. Rich and I thought that sounded very Anglican. So this "bracelet" is really a set of prayer beads, but the "Moslem prayer beads" I got at another antiques shop seem to be just... beads. Go figure.
Another thing Rich and I discussed was my blacklight birthday party. I stole this idea from one of the kids Travalon works with, who had her blacklight birthday party last weekend. What better way to celebrate your birthday when it's on one of the shortest days of the year? Might as well utilize all that darkness! I showed Rich the various things I have that glow under blacklight, and he was duly impressed. There's no way for me to stop this big birthday from arriving, as long as I'm still alive that day, so I might as well have the most fun legally possible.
Famous Hat
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