East Coast Tour (Fall '07) Midwest Tour (Fall '08) Germany Tour (Winter '08) December Tour 2009 West Coast Tour 2010
West Coast Tour (Spring '07)
by Kathie
Elko and Reno, Nevada
Nevada is BIG and lonely across the state on this highway. Sharon is back in the motor home with Cy, so I'm watching for crows on the fences along the highway. The fence is the tallest place for birds to land.
Discovered the Starbucks in Elko and Reno. They are hidden in the casinos. This is the first time my clothes have smelled like cigarettes when I was buying a cinnamon dolce drink.
Well the tour is over and Sharon is STILL a saint.
by Kathie
Elko, Nevada
Attention AGEHR and Area XII Board: Elko delivered! Had a turn out of about 30 for my concert tonight. Very appreciative audience. Wanted to go to DQ after the concert, but it closed at 9 PM. Ann Nisbet tells me the DQ closes for 3 months each winter, and just opened last week. There is one Starbucks in town, which is located in the casino...and closed at 9 PM as well. The streets are rolled up here in Elko, so I guess I'll go to bed.
By Kathie
Somewhere in Nevada
Started out the trip with snow, and ended the trip with snow as we passed through the Rocky Mountains outside Denver. Fortunately, we just missed the snowstorm which I understand came in today.
Started out the trip with two concerts in Washington in which my twin cousins(the ones in the video) sang along on one number while I rang. They showed up in Utah in their new 5th wheel, husbands in tow. What a special blessing for me to end the tour with their beautiful voices accompanying me again during Easter services!
by Kathie
Denver, Colorado
Michael Kastner's intimate home venue last night was a hit. It really was the second home concert, because the first one was a concert just for the “V” cousins in the basement of Vern's home in Jasper, MO.
I'm feeling tired today. Must be because of the whirlwind weekend flight to San Francisco to rehearse with Sonos. Was good to be home, but now I'm anxious to REALLY stay home for awhile. Only 7 days -. 2 concerts and 2 church services left.
Sharon and I visited the Denver U.S. Mint today. The tour guide gave everyone on the tour a state quarter “untouched by human hands”and not released for circulation. It may be special, but it still only buys 25 cents worth of stuff. Sharon doesn't want me to put it in my change tray in the car.
The Denver Mint makes no paper money. It makes a heck of a lot of pennies. Although there is talk by Congress of doing away with pennies, the tour guide insisted that the most expensive bill to make is the $1 bill. Paper money only circulates for about 18 months, but coins circulate for up to 12 years. The Denver Mint is called a “mint” because the coins are minted, but bills are “printed” in Fort Worth, TX and Washington DC.
Michael Lee (Michael's 2 year old) entertains us with his large “vocabulary”, which he promptly reminds me means “how many words that I know”. He showed me that he can ring a bell, and knows how to damp it. He'll probably be ringing in Michael's Rocky Mountain Ringers by the time he is 5 years old!.
Hays, Kansas
Our Aunt Lula, who kicked off our concert in Washington state with her 90th birthday party, flew into St. Louis to travel with us through four states in eight days. A student she taught in sixth grade over fifty years ago met her at the airport while we were doing a concert in another city. Somehow, with the help of friends, we figured a way to squeeze her and her suitcase into our already packed SUV without having to tie me on the roof!
I'd guess there were over 35 of us in and around Vern and Judy's spacious home on 46 acres near Neck City, Missouri. Eight of our ten “V” cousins showed up, many with spouses, children and grandchildren. All are siblings whose names start with the letter V. Their parents' names also started with V. We loaded ourselves with slow barbecued brisket of beef and ribs and baked beans. We topped if off with Judy's special mandarin orange cake and her daughter's bread pudding with caramel sauce. We finally crashed around 1 a.m. but some were up until 4 a.m! What fun to hear their stories about growing up on the farm. Vern taught his sister how to shoot the 22 rifle. He told her to aim at the knothole in the outhouse. A few minutes later Dad came bursting out, pants down,madder than a wet hen.
While Kathie flew home to San Francisco for a quick rehearsal with SONOS, Aunt Lu and I drove through Kansas, visiting old friends and her homestead in Plainville, Kansas where she grew up. She spent the night with a childhood girlfriend, Mrs. Senior Kansas, near Wichita. Aunt Lu's a fun traveling companion with a lot of stamina. I've decided I want to be like her when I grow up!
PLAYING THE TOURIST
Near Carthage, Missouri, where our V cousins live, we visited the Precious Moments Park and Chapel and saw the chapel full of memorial painting created by Samuel J. Butcher, a godly man, well-known for his Precious Moments figurines.
We did a concert in Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln's home and burial place. I took the opportunity to visit the new Abraham Lincoln Museum there and walk along the street where he lived. It's done on the level of Disneyland using the latest technology and holography. EXCELLENT. I came away sad; sad that our now well-loved President was despised so terribly when he was in office. President Lincoln suffered many losses and defeats, but changed our nation because of his firm stand against slavery. If you ever go through that area, it's a must-see.
We'll be home in 12 days!
by Kathie
It's time for Sharon and I to get home. We can't even remember what day of the week it is. We tallied our statistics to date. 53 concerts, 14000 miles, and 20 states we “be passing through”. Not to mention the 68 relatives we visited along the way.(Of course, the “V” cousins tallied the majority of the relatives).
Tonight I am I Springville, Utah. The following incident could only happen in UTAH. I am in Walmart checking out at the self -check aisle. I'm trying to purchase some malt ale...forgetting it takes a special dispensation to purchase alochol in Utah. So the light starts blinking, the male customer behind me asks if I'm purchasing a “video”(those apparaently need dispensation as well). The clerk asks to see my I.D. I asked her if the picture on the back of myAmerican Express card was sufficient. She insisted she needed to see my license. She proceeded to announce to all within hearing distance that she couldn't read the year on my license. The man behind, approximately 45 years old, was rolling in laughter by now. He couldn't believe I was being carded. I told him to “hush”. It was the best thing that happened to me since....the last time I was carded, probably 35 some years ago!
by Kathie
Michael Kastner's intimate home venue last night was a hit. It really was the second home concert, because the first one was a concert just for the “V” cousins in the basement of Vern's home in Jasper, MO.
I'm feeling tired today. Must be because of the whirlwind weekend flight to San Francisco to rehearse with Sonos. Was good to be home, but now I'm anxious to REALLY stay home for awhile. Only 7 days -. 2 concerts and 2 church services left.
Sharon and I visited the Denver U.S. Mint today. The tour guide gave everyone on the tour a state quarter “untouched by human hands”and not released for circulation. It may be special, but it still only buys 25 cents worth of stuff. Sharon doesn't want me to put it in my change tray in the car.
The Denver Mint makes no paper money. It makes a heck of a lot of pennies. Athough there is talk by Congress of doing away with pennies, the tour guide insisted that the most expenisve bill to make is the $1 bill. Paper money only circulates for about 18 months, but coins circulate for up to 12 years. The Denver Mint is called a “mint” because the coins are minted, but bills are “printed” in Fort Worth, TX and Washington DC.
Michael Lee(Michael's 2 year old) entertains us with his large “vocabulary”, which he promptly reminds me means “how many words that I know”. He showed me that he can ring a bell, and knows how to damp it. He'll probably be ringing in Michael's Rocky Mountain Ringers by the time he is 5 years old!
Shreveport, Louisana
LIVE ON TV!
Kathie played her bells on the live morning Shreveport TV news station at 6:00 a.m. And again at 7:00 AM. It was interesting to see how they broadcast the news and weather. That evening as we were being seated for dinner at the Olive Garden someone at the next table stopped Kathie and asked, “Weren't you on TV this morning?” Her name was also on the lighted scrolling church reader board along a primary road in Shreveport...her 15 minutes of fame.
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. Kathie, Cy and I spent a delicious weekend with our dear friends, Lane and Susan Morris. They gave us the royal tour of the huge international Family Life Ministries headquarters, where they work. Lane and Susan took us all over Little Rock, showing us the gorgeous brick homes and green acres, the Clinton Library and fun restaurants. I'm jealous because after Kathie and I headed to Memphis for a Sunday afternoon concert, Cy took Susan and Lane to Cock of the Walk Restaurant where they ordered fried dill pickles. I'm still hoping before I get home to have some deep fried dill pickles and fried green tomatoes.
SHE BROKE THE RECORD!
Joyce Terry holds the record in our books as the person who came the farthest to attend one of our concerts. She flew to Memphis from Baltimore, Maryland just to hear Kathie play. (Kathie: Well, not completely true. She wanted to meet with Elvis too, so she visited Graceland)
Somewhere in Louisiana
We're headed down some back roads, which our Louisiana friends call a main highway. The churches are numerous and small, and the landscape is scattered with what Sharon calls “modern day plantations”.
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans was a new experience for Sharon. I've never seen anyone scurry so fast through Bourbon Street, trying to avoid the revelers, that increased in number and drunkenness as the night progressed. We were headed for Cafe du Monde for beignets and coffee. They seemed to taste even better than I remembered. Beignets are a deepfried triangle shaped donut that is smothered in powdered sugar. $1.59 for a serving of 3 donuts. By the time you finish eating them, your hands are sticky, and you are covered in white powder all over your jeans and on the soles of your shoes.
The devastation of Katrina(outside the 9th ward) was most notable on the swamp tour. Before Katrina, our guide told us there were 38 swamp tour companies. Only 5 remain. The Honey Island Swamp has much debris, both human and natural, that sits along the edges of the river leading into the swamp. The trees were not yet in foliage, so the swamp did not look as menacing as I remember my last tour with Jeremy and Alexis. The Spanish moss hung off the bare branches. I was glad to learn that Spanish moss is not a parasite. It propagates by the wind blowing it from tree to tree. As it rests on the branches, it turns gray. The Indian legend is that a young princess died, and her grief stricken husband placed a lock of her hair on the tree beneath where she was buried. Her “hair” turned gray. Her spirit remains as she blows her hair from branch to branch. The Indians called it Spanish moss, because it reminded them of a Spaniard's beard.
A visit to several plantations this morning. Oak Alley reminds me of the mansion in “Gone With the Wind”. The 28 large golden oaks lining the pathway to the entrance is idylic. But this mansion is NOT the one that was used in that movie. Many other movies have been filmed there, but not with Clark Gable present... Sigh.
The Bradford pear trees are now in full bloom with white flowers. When Sharon and I first saw them in Oklahoma, they looked like giant makeup brushes(no foliage, but perfectly shaped in a rounded top).
TEXAS! You are bigger than life. Your homes are huge, beautifully furnished, and the hospitality is generous. Your brick and stone churches sit amid manicured green lawns.
I sit up high in my Suzuki SUV, enjoying the sights... until I arrived in Texas. Then I was a midget against these maxi cab trucks. I couldn't see around or over these monsters.
Directions from people in Texas usually includes taking a “texas u-turn”. Finally figured out what that means. When you exit from the freeway, there is a left hand turn lane, that goes under the freeway and back up onto the freeway on the other side. It is one way, and once in that separated lane, you must enter back onto the freeway going the opposite direction. If you are really quick, you can jump off onto the access frontage road instead. I didn't always make it, and had to get back on the freeway when I didn't want to.
I guess I've been in the south just long enough. The other night, I used the term “y'all” in my bell banter at the Plano concert.
Dr. Jim Smith is a perpetual motion traveling billboard and cheerleader for me. He and Bettie took us to dinner, where he proceeded to slurp two pounds of crawfish, as he cracked these “shrimpy things”. Seems like a lot of work for a little bite of fish. I decided on salmon instead. Of course, in true Texas style, the piece of salmon was huge.
I didn't realize that Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States. It goes on forever.
Thank you Linda Mckechnie for playing piano solos before the concert and during intermission. What a treat for the people who came to the concert. Linda and her husband, Reverand Dr. David McKechnie treated us afterward to an elegant dinner at a French restaurant. I thought the French served small portions, but I still managed to overeat. Good grief!
Good bye Texas. We're off to New Orleans... I mean Naw'lins.
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma
WHAT WE LIKED ABOUT OKLAHOMA:
Visiting our cousins, Dean and Mimi Guyer in Oklahoma City. We felt right at home and even enjoyed a gourmet dinner presented beautifully in their lovely dining room. Cy, my husband, met us there and while Kathie recuperated (see below),for my birthday, Dean gave us an all-day tour of OK City, including the Memorial site of the bombing and the stinking stockyards with a steak lunch served at a restaurant nearby.
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT OKLAHOMA:
1. The epidemic of stomach flu. This was the first time we came close to canceling a couple concerts, but we made it through them all. I got sick first and Linda Maloney, a handbell ringer and volunteer booking agent, who was also an excellent piano sight-reader, played part of the accompaniment and ran the DVD at our Tulsa concert. I made it through the rest of the concert. Then cousin Mimi got sick, so instead of having another of their good homemade dinners, Dean took us out to a wonderful restaurant overlooking Lake Hefner, outside of Oklahoma City.
Next it hit Kathie. She made it through the Sunday evening concert by shortening the program, then crashed the next day. Monday night it hit my husbnd Cy really hard. He was ready for me to take him to the emergency room, but made it through the night and was much better the next day.
2. The tornadoes that come through. Fortunately, none when we were there. We drove by a large expanse of concrete with nothing on it and were told an outlet mall used to stand there in 2002 until it was wiped out by a tornado.
3. Oklahoma! Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...and almost blew our SUV off the road! This wind pushed and pulled us all the way through New Mexico and it still won't leave us alone. It's like an irritating person. It keeps on messing up our hair, pushing our car all over the road and blowing our papers all over the place. I wish the wind would just leave us alone!
by Sharon
Clovis, New Mexico
We've spent the majority of this week in New Mexico. I'm writing this from Clovis, NM, just seven miles from
the Texas border. We'll head through Texas to Oklahoma City tomorrow. We are beginning to experience the edge
of the southern accents and beautiful brick homes.
New Mexico has been filled with a variety of new experiences. As always, we've been warmly welcomed and
hugged by complete strangers - strangers for about one minute. We stayed in a huge multi-level home where
we almost got lost and a hand-built adobe home in the middle of the desert, and everything in between.
All have bent over backward to provide:
Extra quilts and comforters (It was cold and snowing when we arrived north of Albuquerque!)
Warnings of how to exercise and adjust to the high elevation of 4,000-7,500 feet.
Technical help before the concert! Yes, we're still on the learning curve, but it's getting better.
Excellent directions for sight-seeing and getting to the next place (We spent an afternoon in Santa Fe
and visited Billy The Kid's graveside)
Prime rib dinners at the local steakhouse. Y'all don't need no steak sauce on these steaks!) and,
of course, lots of Mexican food.
We've played in small country churches where the pastor wore cowboy boots under his robes and at expansive,
regal churches with huge vocal choirs and many handbell choirs, directed by a musician with a doctorate.
All love the Lord and get excited about blessing others with their music.
We had the honor this morning to listen to a group of mentally disabled people who were learning to play
the chimes. They played “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" We shared several of our numbers with them.
They listened politely and watched their director, Dr. Dave Gerig, so they would know when to applaud.
New Mexico
This was our first concert at 5:00 PM., along with a cookie and coffee/tea reception after. What a clever idea.
This wind chill factor is serious business. It was so cold and windy, that my hair, which has a good amount of natural curl, was quite straight for the concert. I had that wind blown look without even trying.
Sharon and I learned how to fix another problem with my projector. Caused me considerable stress before the concert, but our host Brenda Wilvert didn't blink an eye. The concert came off perfectly, with her 16 year old daughter Stephanie running the laptop without a hitch. Sharon said we will have a computer degree by the time this tour is over...or at least graduate from kindergarten.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Who would have “thunk”? 70 degree sandal weather leaving Tuscon, and snow on the ground, freezing temperatures in Albuquerque. This vastness of our country is truly amazing. And it is especially noticed when one is traveling by automobile. I remember as a child, my father trying to point out the beautiful sites as we rode along in the motor home, and my brother Larry and I being more interested in the card game we were playing. I missed appreciating the sights when I was young.!
I need to set the record straight. Sharon keeps saying that I am jogging. This would only be true if a TURTLE jogs. My uncle(in the video clip) told me years ago, that he was slogging. And I am following in his footsteps. Slogging is a slow jog. The kind that looks pretty good as long as no one is walking beside you...like Jukka, the tall Sonosian with long legs, who WALKS beside me when I slog.
Tucson, Arizona
This afternoon I'm going to practice operating the video portion of our concert program. We would like to think that now we won't have to oblige people along the way to operate our DVD or sound system. The DVD is on Kathie's laptop hard drive and she just purchased speakers to go with it, for those churches that don't have the technology needed. We have tons of cable and cords, too, so now we're a self-contained two-woman traveling show with cords attached.
Kathie and I have been walking/jogging in the Sabino Canyon outside Tucson every morning, a national park recreational area nearby where the giant saguaro cacti stand on the mountain-sides with raised arms pointing up to our God. The desert certainly has it's own awesome beauty.
Tucson, Arizona
This evening I was invited to observe the Sonoran Bells rehearsal. Met some wonderful new friends. The highlight of the evening (besides the drinks afterward at the local hangout) was to see Sharon Sparlin's “bell house”. A very large square building located next door to her home, complete with mirrors, full set up for several sets of bells, and a parking lot in front. Sonos, eat your heart out!! And all it cost her was an agreement with her hubby that he could have a putting green in his back yard! What a deal.
No bathroom in this “Bell House”. Sharon said her husband said if she didn't have a bathroom, then he would get to see her at least once in awhile when she ran next door to use the facilities!! Of course, that means the Sonoran Bell members need to run into Sharon's house on occasion as well.
Gold Canyon/Phoenix, Arizona
Doug Benton's church is phenomenal. The acoustics and the piano (a 9 ft Petrof “Mistral” concert grand) were to die for. Velocity was here in January. Doug says I'm coming back for their music series in January 2008 with the Legacy Tour. Their church services have 800 and 1200 present in the winter, but the church reduces to one service after the snowbirds leave. Great fun to be with this dear friend.
Afternoon concert with Marcy Hontz. Another phenomenal facility and campus. Wonderful attendance. What good fortune that I stayed with a computer techie. Sue Leutwyler has a beautiful mansion, and volunteered to edit my video footage to put together a DVD. Marcy had the program video taped for their shut-ins. Sue will edit “the best of the best” for the DVD. She is a God-send.
Well Rise and Elke (handbell addicts) will have to take a back seat to Barbara Hartmann, who drove 12 hours from Salt Lake City to attend this concert. Then she followed me down to Tucson, and saw the concert Monday night as well. Of course, I can't take all the credit. She was really coming to ski due to the long President's weekend!
Sedona/ Phoenix, Arizona
Anne is a Starbucks junkie. Except she's the smart one of the two of us. She actually BOUGHT stock in Starbucks, which has divided 5 times. I just talked about it, and continue to buy Starbucks and support HER stock.
Anne found me this blouse that she wants me to wear for performances. I'm not sure I'm comfortable wearing it yet, but she tells me she will will be checking with all her handbell friends along my tour route to be sure I am wearing it.
Then she referred me to a hair stylist in Phoenix to get my hair done. Brenda was phenomenal. While Sharon was waiting for me at the cafe, she saw Paul Harvey ordering his lunch. She was told he lives in Chicago, but winters in Scottsdale.
by Sharon
Sedona, Arizona
Two days of pampering - one in San Diego, one in Las Vegas, but nothing compared to our next stop. Sedona was God's special treat to us. HE really outdid Himself when He created those beautiful red formations. We experienced his majesty and greatness when we hiked the Sunrise Trail (Kathie jogs, I walk). We saw Him again as we walked into the Church of the Red Rocks for our concert. The front of the sanctuary is all windows looking out across those monuments of red and gold. Such a worshipful experience! Vern, our host, told us that one Sunday during a morning service, a bald eagle, rare in their area, flew slowly across the front windows.
We had a Friday afternoon concert since most of the people in Sedona are older retired people and don't like to drive at night. The audience was large and they gave us another standing ovation.
Sedona is a mecca for the wealthy. Anne and Vern Cotter, warmly welcomed us into their beautiful home for two nights. We were wined and dined like royalty with so much kindness and down-home hospitality. Kathie and I each had our own bedroom and full bath. We shared a suite with a workout room, laundry and sauna down the hall. Anne and Vern have a number of Maine Coon cats, prize-winning long-hair cats the size of large raccoons. I've never seen such huge and beautiful cats!
Ann and her friend, Sheryl ring fun handbell duets together professionally. Their goal is to be the Victor Borge of the bells. Kathie critiqued a recent video of Anne and Sheryl's concert and they were so grateful for the coaching that Anne invited Kathie (me too) back for a week next May. Anne says bell ringers are all family, so now that we're family, she's going to be very offended if we don't come back and visit once in awhile.
Anne said that Kathie's music comes from her soul and exudes out through her whole body and radiant face. Kathie has a unique way, unlike any others, of expressing her music through bells.
Las Vegas, Nevada
uh-oh. Sharon might be catching my cold. She is inhalng astragalus, an AWFUL tasting liquid herb that is guaranteed build up your immune system and probably remove your hair if it spilled on you. I know, cuz I tried to swallow it a few days ago when I first got my sniffle. It worked for Sharon...no cold.
Somewhere between California and Las Vegas Nevada
Happy Birthday Jeremy! My Valentine baby now 27 years old!
Wish I could call you, but Sharon and I are trekking up Highway 95 heading to Las Vegas, and there is no cell tower around here. We stopped at Vidal Junction to have lunch. The cafe, gas station and Ca inspection building were the only civilization around, except of course for the unending RVs on the road..and parked at the side of the road everywhere. To use the bathroom cost 50 cents unless you ate at the restaurant. I don't know if that sign was a joke or not.
Tried a new appetizer at Vidal Junction Cafe. Mac and cheese bites. That is macaroni stuffed inside a circular deep fried crust. Actually tasted OK. The macaroni seemed to made from Velveeta cheese.
BTW, out here in the desert, the towns don't list their population, just the elevation. Probably because the population ebbs and flows with the snow birds.
Passed this huge sand dune on which was placed a large billboard that read “build to suit”. I don't think I could bring in grass, trees and snow on mountains. Sharon says there is a beauty to this desert that she loves. I'm working on it.
This road is curvy and goes up and down in rolling valleys, like a roller coaster. Sharon calls these dips in the road “tickle tummy hills” My tummy may be more than tickled by the time we arrive in Las Vegas.
Came to the border patrol on highway 95, which was very odd because Sharon and I thought we were heading north. The military guy said if we crossed the yellow line we would be in Mexico. He had me fooled. My GPS internal system is not very good, and this guy was pretty convincing. He finally admitted we were going north, but not to pick up any hitchhikers, as this highway was a common drug route. That's makes me feel safe as we head out to “nowhere” in desert territory. Sharon tells me to get used to it. It's a long drive through New Mexico and Texas.
By Kathie
Leaving beautiful San Diego. The strangest rock formations en route to Yuma.
I visited the border patrol at Yuma when attempting to find Sharon, who had walked across the border to have her teeth cleaned. That whole scene was quite an eye opener for me. RVs in herds for miles around. Apparently this is the dental mecca for senior citizens. It works like this. You find a Mexican dentist, who advertises in a U.S. newspaper or is recommended by a friend, and whose office is just across the border. You walk across the border 1 block, and enter the dental building. Get your teeth cleaned for pittance, and crowns made for $140-300. Then you wait in line for two hours to return to the United States.
The host church bell ringers were quite concerned that Sharon would not make it back in time for the concert. But she did, however Cy has to return another day to get his teeth cleaned. I think I'll pass.
San Diego, California
In spite of the stress during the day,(HaRV, our motorhome, having transmission problems, Cy with teeth problems, and HarRV getting crunched when in the repair shop and losing my keys somewhere, I am finding myself very relaxed and restful at the concerts. The music (my own and Kathie's) is very soothing to my soul, and it must eek out to those in the audience too. The actual notes have now been conquered and I find myself thoroughly enjoying the whole process.
Chula Vista ?), California
Well this was old home week. Seeing Ginny Fleming, Flo Conrad, and Norma Petersen again at the concert. We were traveling buddies along with my dad and 36 others on the AGEHR European tour in 1984. It's always special when someone at the concert acknowledges they knew my father. Host Joann Hammond gave Sharon and I bouquets of flowers at the end of our concert. How sweet was that! I felt like Celine Dion! Well, OK, not quite.
Still fighting this cold. My natural voice is raspy enough without adding the symptoms of my cold to it.
Wonderful to hook up with Karen Zerlaut again. I first met her in 1988 in Pasadena, when she and Diane Cobb Levorsen (Area XII chairman-elect at the time) were prancing around in these ridiculous(referring to the style only) matching poodle skirts and saddle shoes for the 50's event at the bell conference. Those two were the life of the party! Things haven't changed. Karen is still full of energy and enthusiasm.
Los Angeles, CA
Nancy gave us a special treat today. Free passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. Although I had good intentions of returning to Nancy's home that afternoon and practicing, Sharon and I so enjoyed our time at Disneyland, that we stayed until the park closed... “the spirit was willing...weak flesh”.
by Kathie
Los Angeles, CA
This morning Nancy told me how to get to the Santa Ana River bike trail. Only in California is a trail as wide as a 2 lane highway, complete with a dotted line in the middle. As I'm jogging along the trail, I observe the Santa Ana River, which is really a large, empty, dry manmade aquaduct. The steep sides reminded me of the Grand Canyon, only because there were no railings. You would think in “sue-happy” California, this would not be a good plan.
Not more than 5 minutes on the trail, I encountered this wonderful smell wafting from the commercial building on my right. It was a bread company. For the remainder of my exercise time, all I could think of was eating a cinnamon roll, completely defeating the purpose of exercising that morning.
by Kathie
Los Angeles, CA
Wonderful relaxing day. The Concordia University has a beautiful Performing Arts and Worship Center, and a brand new sound system, that could read both the DVD and the laptop with no glitches. OK, maybe I can relax again, but not totally until the concert is over tomorrow.
Nancy Jessup, our hostess for the Concordia concert, gave me the biggest comlpliment I could ask for. The odd part was that P.L. Grove has said the identical thing a week earlier. Nanacy said I taught her that anything is possible in handbells. Must have been something I learned from my father.
This weather is to die for. Of course, I didn't pack any shorts. Good excuse to go shopping on my day off.
by Kathie
Claremont, California
Arrived at noon at Lee and Bill Waggener's church in Claremont. Phil, the sound man, did not have a remote with numbers, so he switched out to my DVD player. It was nice to know that hauling that box was not a waste..yet. He ran through the video, and taught Lee what she needed to do to push the buttons on the remote. Then he left. (problem #1)
As Lee was fiddling with the system to be sure she was comfortable, the DVD began talking to her, or I should say, began NOT talking to her.(problem #2) The hiccups started again, but just in the final number. I was ready this time with a boom box and my CD accompaniment tape for the final number... just in case.
We had a willing audience member, who was pretty techie savvy, attempt to figure out if my laptop could hook into the system, so that at least the last number could be played on the screen. No such luck. I needed an “S video” connector.(problem #3) Oy, oy. Another cable I will buy tomorrow, which I will lug with me, and hope and pray I don't have to use in the future.
By now, my stomach is in knots, I am not dressed, there is no Starbucks on the horizon (BIG problem #4), and the audience is arriving.
Pray, pray, pray. Sharon is convinced that Satan is working overtime. The video problem always involves the last number, which is the spiritual message we most want to impart.
I didn't play well (problem #5), especially when the glitching started about the fourth video. I pulled out all my accompaniment tracks, in hopes the video could be saved from “stress” and used sparingly. But no avail. It froze, right on cue, before the last number.
After the concert, this wonderful young lady named Beth (an aspiring solo ringer), placed the whole program on my laptop, checked the DVD, said it wasn't corrupted, and burned a new DVD at a slower rate. Armed with this arsenal, I am headed to Nancy Jessup's in LA a day early to meet the sound person.
We can't live with them, and can't live without them. This used to be said of women, but I think computer technology is quickly claiming that mantra.
I'm beginning to understand why Christine Andersen said she would never travel with a video program. I can see the future now. Forget the accompanist. Take a computer geek as your travel partner. Hmm, wonder if Sharon could be a techie and an accompanist... (Sharon's comment: “Not!”...just find a computer savy good looking single guy on the tour who wants to marry you...shouldn't be too hard!)
P. S. Apologies to Linda Krantz, who so wanted to see the Minute Waltz from 1987 when P.L. was my duet partner.
by Kathie
Bay area, California
Time to head south. I was supposed to leave by 1:00 PM in order to arrive at Christine Anderson's home in Frazier Park for dinner. The Sonos rehearsal was over at 1:00 PM. I was too tired the night before to pack, so I returned to Missy and Jukka's place to begin packing for two months. I was planning to leave by 2:00 PM at the latest. I left at what I call a “soft 2”...three hours later! It is difficult to pack to be on the road for two months. Cool clothes for the south, warm clothes for back east in March.
So I started out with a wonderful pack job for the SUV. I was so proud of myself. Squeezed everything in and could see out the side windows. Even had built in some “wiggle room” for shopping along the way. (Needed for all those items I left behind in the San Francisco Bay area).
Of course, I'm now traveling with a DVD player and projector, and a ton or cable wires and connections that I have no idea how to use.
Sharon had gone on ahead with my brother in their motor home. She was looking forward to enjoying some “couple” time as they traveled down the coast visiting Monterey, Solvang and Santa Barbara. I will see her again at Claremont, CA.
by Kathie
Christine Anderson and her husband, Dr. Ross Anderson met me in their vehicle at the entrance to their neighborhood, because she assured me I could never find her place in the dark. She doesn't know me very well. I couldn't have found her place in the light!
I couldn't believe that I was headed south to sunny weather, and there was ice on the road and snow on the ground at Christine's home near Mt. Pinion. Whatever cold weather was outside was quickly forgotten due to her warm welcome inside. She had saved a piece of her homemade coconut pie for me, which I quickly devoured at 11:00 that night.
She showed me her bell room, which was off the guest room. This allowed me to practice late at night, since it was downstairs and almost complete sound proof. I barely fit inside the bell room. The ceiling was maybe 6 ft tall, but the door that led to the hobbit room was about 5 ft tall. I had to duck to get in.
For breakfast I was treated to her famous family recipe of shoofly pie. It was like a crumbly coffee cake. She wouldn't part with the recipe, because it's a family secret. It was to die for!
What a source of encyclopedic knowledge Christine has in solo ringing. And so willing to share her experience and solutions to nagging solo ringing problems. No one should miss the opportunity to attend her workshops.
We watched the DVD, since Christine couldn't make any of my concerts. She was flying out that very afternoon for a concert and workshop. For some reason, Ross couldn't get his remote to jump from chapter to chapter. Oh. Oh. First hint of pending disaster.
Bay Area, CA - home
Today I dragged Sharon and Taiko (Sonos ringer from Japan here for two weeks to rehearse with Sonos - now that's a commute!)to my home in Bay Point to weed the flowerbeds. Sharon was so thrilled to see sun, that she happily hummed and weeded to her heart's content. Taiko was intense on weeding this one small flower patch. I attempted to assure her that the yellow gazanias did not need to be bonsai-ed. They never looked so good after Taiko finished with them.
Treated all to a trip to the Old Spaghetti Factory where we chowed down on their new Pesto Basil sauce. Yum. Then we “rolled” out to the car, and headed for Cupertino. I think our car was powered by garlic breath.
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Pleasant Valley, CA
I just LOVE bell people. Lots of special connections tonight. Dick Coulter was there remembering our family at the 1961 St. Louis Festival, and a former ringer from Salt Lake City, who rang under Ed Duncan, was thrilled his name was mentioned in the video. Dave Ruder thinks he met me in 1982, but I assured him that he was mistaken, since I was probably only about 12 then. Right!
Michele Sharik did a great job on San Francisco. We attempted to play in unison. I can now sympathize with mass ringing conductors. And there were only two of us!
Nice compliment of a standing ovation.
Signing off for a few days. Need to repack, do taxes, and head south to Los Angeles.
1/29/07 Monday
by Kathie
Bay Area, CA
So on the way to the concert, Sharon digs in her purse to find her earrings, and pulls out a handful of peanuts instead. Her peanut stash had spilled all over her purse. She decided to eat the peanuts she found, as she continued to hunt for her earrings. After several handfuls, she found one earring. I was worried that during her quest, she would mistakenly chomp on an earring instead of a peanut. Finally the other earring was located covered in a peanut skin. Close call!
It is nice to be home! What a wonderful enthusiastic audience. They were laughing from the start. But when they laughed at me turning my music on the table “over” (in 1961 video), I figured that they must have had something added to their Starbucks coffee!
1/28/07
by Kathie
“Why in the world did I ever schedule this day so full?” We played for 4 (FOUR!) church services with an afternoon concert in between. That meant leaving the house at 6:00 a.m. in order to make it to the first service. Oh, yes, and the concert was an hour away from the church, so in order to make it to both places on time, we borrowed another set of handbells for the concert so we could leave the extra set at the church without having to take down and set up. We got home after 9:00 p.m. ..a three-Starbuck day for sure! Sharon got pretty rummy during the afternoon concert and almost fell asleep at the piano! The fun part was when Pam walked up to the platform and played the Minute Waltz..just like they did at the 1987 Flagstaff Festival. What fun to have her there!
I met a 97 year old woman who had attended a concert of the Fink Family Handbell Ringers at this church (First Presbyterian church of San Anselmo) in 1964! Can't say I remembered her.
1/27/07
by Sharon
Concert Saturday night in Napa, CA. Diane Levorsen set it all up for us. Her sister, Kitten Morgan, took pictures in their beautiful downtown church built in the 1860s. A warm and receptive audience. Steve Berchtold kindly volunteered to set up and run the new DVD and sound system for us. Kathie decided the safest thing for us to do is to purchase and carry a DVD player and sound system for those churches that might not have what we need for our video program.
Thursday, Jan 25
by Kathie
on the road again....
We left Oregon at 11 AM this morning, headed for Grass Valley. Beautiful sunny weather. Sharon was concerned about the lack of snow on Mt. Shasta Hard to believe after all the snow we've been through that the word snow would even be mentioned aloud. Even this morning, my water bottle that I left in the car overnight had developed a big block of ice in it.
Went through the grand state of Jefferson. Didn't know the United States has a 51st state? It's a small portion of land in northern California that has been trying to secede from California for years. The locals have even posted a sign on Highway 5 announcing when we entered the state of Jefferson.
At about 2:30PM, we left highway 5.Traveling down “old 99” for 40 minutes. We came across an old, dilapidated town that Sharon calls a “would ya” town. This can also apply to “would ya cars” and “would ya houses”. It follows thus: Would ya marry me if I lived in a place like this? owned a car like that? etc.
Well map quest bombs again. Sharon said we should have taken an atlas. Stopped at a food mart, where a nice clerk patiently explained that Highway 32 had changed its route, and map quest did not have it updated yet. We only went 19 miles out of our way. This wonderful store clerk explained how to re-connect with highway 99 by “turning by the rice towers, going 12 miles, coming to a T,” etc. All of course without the benefit of street names.
OK, it's time for a Starbucks run. Uh-oh, Sharon gets NEW directions from the Starbucks clerk. A shortcut, he says. Only an hour. Bypass Yuba City and “rush hour”. Do people in this rural area even KNOW what rush hour traffic is??
by Sharon
Good to be home for a few days. 'Got a chance to walk (Sharon) and jog (Kathie) on the bike path...and in the sunshine! Lora, a friend and bell ringer told us that scientists, with the use of high-tech computers have discovered that the sun rays actually make harmonic sounds like bells. Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear those millions of sun rays ringing out melodic bell music? And that's just one celestial sun out of thousands. It must be heavenly music.
We realized why were so nervous at the Medford Sunday afternoon concert.. it was in our home church and.we were playing for people we knew! But the audience was so receptive and encouraging that we relaxed and had a good time. It was great seeing many friends come out we hadn't seen for awhile.
Cy and I will spend the next few days getting our place ready to close up for three months while we're gone.
by Kathie
Central Point, Oregon
Yeah! We are headed home to Central Point. Stopped at Heaven on Earth for lunch. This restaurant is in the middle of nowhere,. The homemade food is amazing. The “dinner roll” was so huge it was sliced into 4 parts. Bought Cy home a cinnamon roll – small; The big ones are 5 inches tall and 5 inches square. Their pumpkin bread pudding was fresh and to die for.
Nice to be settled in one spot for awhile. Sharon and i will have time to practice and clean up some pieces. She needs to pack for the 3 month run out by Thursday.
Roseburg, Oregon
Of course, when we left the hotel, we checked thoroughly to be sure we didn't leave anything behind. It wasn't until 6 PM that night, that we realized the poster board with all the family pictures was missing. Fortunately the hotel was only 5 minutes away, so back to the hotel before show time to pick it up.
Wonderful turnout(76?) and gracious hostess for the Roseburg concert. Yes, good sound people and no problem with the video.
My stomach is no longer in knots about the program.
by Kathie
Salem, Oregon
The noon time concert was a disaster. The sound system glitched with the master DVD. I couldn't even finish the last number. My accompaniment tape was in CA, so had no back up plan. Shosh put one of my accompaniment CD's in the boom box earlier, and of course we left it in the boombox.
We were very nervous approaching Salem. Concerned about the sound system, and possible glitch that might occur. Nancy Hascall drove down with Cyndy to see the “long” concert without the glitches. But after a wonderful evening meal of split pea soup, salad and bread, the concert began, and by the third DVD clip the program began to glitch. I was sick!
But the audience was again rather small(25),but very gracious. At first we thought it was the master DVD, but it played perfectly in the DVD player at the condo where we stayed. Sorry Nancy for the wasted trip.
Seattle, Washington
The snow fell softly all night. Received a call early this morning from Shosh that the Portland concert was canceled due to snow. The roads were icy and many highways were closed. The highlight of the day came when Nancy Hascall called to say that she had filmed the Minute Waltz in Flagstaff in 1987, and that she could make me a copy. SO much fun to see this number clearly. I'll have to transfer it to a DVD when we get back to California.
Cy and Sharon headed out for Portland in the afternoon, because the roads were clearing. I decided to wait til the next morning. Shosh moved her concert to Tuesday at noon, before we head for Salem. Sharon meant to leave some decaf coffee with Janet, her sister-in-law, but forgot.
Seattle, Washington
Nice relaxing day. Said goodbye to Mary Lu, practiced at First Free Methodist Church in Seattle across from Seattle Pacific University in the morning, and returned to Gary's, Sharon's brother. He is celebrating his 60th birthday with a party tonight. Snow!
Seattle, Washington
After church service, a lady came up and said, “I was transported to heaven”. What an honor to ring for Jesus every day.
Very small turnout this afternoon, but a lot of family and friends. I did not play well, as I was very tired. Did not sleep well the night before, so it showed in my ringing. Ice and snow affected the attendance.
Went out for dinner with the “girls” to Bucca de Beppos. The tackiest Italian-Greek style décor I've ever seen. The servings are family style and very moderately priced. We googled the chain afterward, and found that there are 93 of these eateries across the United States. Sharon and I decided we should visit another one while on our tour.
warm Beach, Washington
Wonderful concert at warm Beach Senior Community. About 125 seniors attended my Aunt's 90th birthday party. Wonderful celebration. The twins in the video of 1963 were in attendance and sang, (along with my sister) O Holy Night and Holy, Holy, Holy. What a hoot! They agreed to come to the Sunday afternoon concert and sing the songs in that concert as well. One retired pastor said, “I worshiped today”. We left the poster board display at the venue.
Portland to Seattle, Washington
Left Portland at sunrise. We enjoyed a spectacular light show in downtown Portland where the city lights joined the dawn reflecting the bridges over the Columbia River. Kathie made an attempt to take some pictures, but digital cameras that have been left out in the freezing cold car aren't very cooperative. Shoulda' used our camera phone.
Plans for the day are to drive to Seattle First Free Methodist Church to rehearse and do a sound check in preparation for our Sunday concert. Ron Haight, Sound Engineer and professor at SPU will meet us and help with the set-up. He says he remembers Kathie and their family when they played handbells in the 60's.
Driving from Central Point, Oregon to Portland area,
Trucks passing trucks. That's what Sharon says means trouble as we travel along in the snow. Fortunately the road are sanded. We are headed toward Portland, and approaching Roseburg where the snow is swirling in huge snowflakes. I mean the kind that can land on your tongue and taste so good in your mouth. See, I do remember from my younger days in new York!
We prayed that the inclement weather would stay away from this tour. I am so excited about seeing the snow, I guess God didn't think I meant snow to be eliminated. Sharon is driving because she has driven in snow before and because she would be freaking out right now if I was driving.
I am madly taking pictures of all the snow covered trees, cars, building...roads. Inching across the passes slowed us down. So I'm late to meet Shosh in Beaverton. So what's new?
We arrived at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Beaverton. The sanctuary is lovely. The acoustics are phenomenal. Sharon says the grand piano is to die for. The rehearsal space is much appreciated.