Yesterday Travalon and I had a lazy morning, then we headed to Olbrich to see the holiday train displays there. We ran into Light Bright and her toddler daughter, because my old department was having a holiday party there. Then we went to the Forward FC Clubhouse to watch France beat England in the World Cup. (I was pulling for France because I enjoyed my time there, while Travalon was pulling for England because they haven't won the World Cup since 1966.) On the way home we stopped by Zippy Lube for coffee, then Tiffy texted to say she was in town. She, Richard Bonomo, and I met at our church, then he drove us to the Chinese restaurant across the street from the church where the annual Christmas handbell concert was being held. After dinner we went to the concert, which was wonderful as always, and afterwards there were lots of homemade Christmas treats. We talked to one of the ringers, whom we have known for years - she's the one whose consecration to virginity we attended some years ago. Watching the concert, I couldn't help wondering what the ringers thought of each new technique: "Now you have to hit the bell with a mallet! Now you have to pound it on the table! And now you have to swirl this wooden stick around the outside so it rings like a singing bowl!" I wonder if I would like ringing bells? I do like being part of something larger than myself and creating music by singing or playing just one part among many, but only playing one or two notes is a whole other level of being "just a part of the whole."
Today Travalon and I went to the later Mass and then to the Shamrock Club Christmas Party. (We are so glad we went to the East Side Club Christmas Party last Saturday, because a guy we saw quite a bit of there died yesterday morning!) We sat with a mother and son who chatted with us about traveling in Ireland and music and the Westport neighborhoods. Travalon and I had to sneak out right after lunch (and after I won a gift certificate to Culver's) so we could pick up Tiffy, and she and I could go to a Madison Bach Musicians Christmas concert at First Congo while Travalon went to the zoo and Leopold's. The music was Latin American Baroque, so there was a song in Quechua (language of the Incas) and one in Nahuatl (language of the Aztecs), but mostly the songs were in Spanish. The four singers were incredible, and the music was so beautiful. As my regular readers know, I love Latin music, and I love Baroque music, so putting them together is heaven.
As promised, here is the video of the Holiday Train. There is a brief video Tiffy made of it passing a railroad crossing in Caledonia, then there are videos Travalon and I made of it coming into and leaving Columbus. Enjoy!
Famous Hat
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