2010

Here we are: another year! Amazing. I'm in San Diego with my father and my niece Lisa...enjoying her company. She is an amazing young woman and I love her so much. She's taken an assistant professorship at NSW University in Sydney, Australia. SO BRAVE, so willing to embrace change. Dad is really happy that we are both here, and next weekend my brother John and sis in law Lexi will be here (fleeing Olympic madness in Vancouver).

I hope 2010 is a year of courage, change, and life re-energized. It's been easy for me to just go into "cruise" mode and forget that I still have things I want and need to do; changes to make that require fortitude and persistence. Reader, don't you find that it gets really easy to fill our lives to the brim with "business" (busy-ness!) and forget to work on things that may matter more: love, intellect, art? That's what I find anyway.

My "resolution" (hate em, but there you go) is to find the cojones to work on these things in personal and professional spheres. If this resonates with you, I hope that for you too.

Bandon Vacation

Hello friends! I write from Bandon Oregon, where I am spending the EUHS intersession week relaxing and recharging. It's a beautiful place where we usually get a head start on cool, wet weather. From the sound of it though, Central Cal is every bit as rainy as it is here. Well, go for it. The water will be welcome.

This is not the best pic, but I'm still working on my digital camera skills.

As for my previous post, thanks to you all for the good wishes. The last week of school, before I left, felt for the first time that I was crawling out of my downer and into some semblance of resilience. I hope that continues. I've sure tried to keep my head in the game, but as I said, it can be really hard. Not that my students aren't cool. Look:


Jana's birthday. Just one cool moment in a series of many. Wouldn't mean a lot to anyone but the 67 of us, but it seems to me that the kids are really well bonded. It's not perfect, and the kids have some drama, but they are sure the reason for going in to Exeter every day!







I plan to try to angle for some Salmon up here while I'm here, but the wind has to stop blowing at 40 mph first. We'll see. I'll post again soon.

In San Diego again

To see to my Dad. He just turned 89 years young-amazing guy. He is definitely showing signs of his age, and it's a bit hard to see. But he still is aware and active, just very very slow.

I've been trying to stay on the happy side of things but am finding that more of a challenge than it has been in many a year. The causes could be many, but the cures seem few. I am trying to keep from becoming cynical and mean-spirited, but man it can be hard. It's so easy to see the craven side, the empty grasping side of most people. In the past its been easy to balance these views by taking refuge in my work and my outdoor hobbies, but lately I am not finding the kind of joy in these that I have in the past.

I sense change in the wind. I hope it's change for the better.

thanks

to all of you for your good wishes for Dad. It's been a tough week but he's had some good moments too, like when he got to watch Ryan, his uber-cool GREAT GRANDSON as he explained trucks to us all. Or having all of us kids with him at least one more time.

I'm grateful to my friends for all your prayers and love.

I ALSO, when I could, attended a very fun family reunion. Here are the players:








Now I leave for the Eastern Sierra...Dad's set for now and its time to harass some unsuspecting trout!


More to come...

In San Diego the past few days

Had a scare at the conclusion of my raft trip...My father had a fall in his house and was admitted to the hospital for four days. Hard on an 88-year-old. He had a TIA (mini-stroke) and it has thrown him for a loop. Drag...he's needed us to be on him 24-7 since late June to be sure he stays on meds and doesn't fall again. We've been wrangling out a new care deal for him...he is *understandably* reluctant to relinquish more of his (already dwindling) personal independence. If you are out there and are dealing with this kind of thing, I would love to talk to you.

Concurrently with this has been a family reunion. I've gotten to know a side of my family (connected with my brother-in-law Steve) that I didn't know well, and enjoyed all of them greatly. Very different and very interesting. I hope this will continue.



I am off day after tomorrow for Eastern Sierra and some flyfishing. more to come.

Summer 09

....since many of you do actually are asking:
I haven't been posting. Shame on me! I've been having a great summer! As soon as school got out, I took a group of eleven friends for an 8-day float on the beautiful San Juan River in Utah. It was so very much fun. My first attempt to run a group as trip leader. I had good coaching from my Brother in Law Olie, as well as Julia McIver and Mike "Mojo" Clifton. It was a great learning experience and I think everyone had a good time.

I'll post more and more pics...stay tuned!

A note to my 2009 students

Hi guys. I wanted to write to all of you and let you know what a joy it has been to make music with you and to get to know you all. My students, as I told the attendees at our concert, are first-rate people first and pretty darn good musicians too. Is there more to do? Sure. Welcome to being a musician. Can we celebrate this wonderful year and last nights successes? You bet!!!

Seniors: what a joy you've been to me in my life the last four years. I can't begin to put into words the feelings I have for the daily experience of playing and rehearsing the best music we can. Isn't it great? One of my big hopes for you is that you can continue to have this experience; my big sadness is that it can no longer be me that you have it with. I will say that I've made many collegiate-level friends who teach music and would LOVE to have any one of you in their ensembles. I hope you take advantage of this.

Whatever does come in your future, I do hope you will take a moment to reflect on the joys that Exeter Union High School's music department has (hopefully) given you. The music we've shared has been the best I can find in all the areas we cover and you've given a lot of time to prepare it. Is all of that time just for bragging rights? Is it only for a grade, or a trophy? I don't think so.

I think that something really deeper is going on...I don't have the spiritual "chops" to know what it is, but it IS something spiritual. It lives in the same place as our hopes...our aspirations, our dreams. A good place to make a nest for our deeper souls. I know that it is a place that-once you've been there-you will definitely want to get back to.

So my wish is that you will continue to nuture this little flame. Let it build into an unquenchable fire within you. I wish it because the music deserves it, and especially because you deserve it. Consider NOT letting everyday life dictate the end of your playing. Let musicianship continue to be a major daily habit. Trust your heart!

So, to close, I wish you seniors well. I trust that I will continue to enjoy the company of the rest of my young musicians for the rest of your time at EUHS. I promise to work for excellence always, and I can do it because YOUR enthusiasm is my never-ending fuel.