Chautauqua, Week 6

Okay, so I'm back in Chautauqua. But I'm not going to write about Chautauqua. . . yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Because sometimes you get to do wild wacky things that have to be commented on. . .and this is one of those times.

Also. . . .questionable internet connection like last time. . . so I'll save, save, save and hope for the best. If this is my cross to bear in life, what a wonderful life I am having.

I finished up my obligations at the Wintergreen Music Festival. The festival is finishing up today, Sunday, and it was a total success. I plan to do the same job next year if they will have me. I dropped Chester at camp, and of course waited until Friday morning to pack, so the house is a disaster area for when I get home. Some things never change.

I left for the Pittsburgh area to stay the night with my friend Sandy whom I met during week one. We have lots in common. . .both are piano/organ/choral people, both have two boys, both live on houses with property and horses next door, etc. etc. etc.

So now to begin the story. . . .

When I took my sons to Seaworld in Florida when they were little boys, we decided to go see the Shamu show. The amphitheater where the show took place was pretty full by the time we got there. But low and behold there were some wonderful seats right down close to the front. We could hardly believe our luck. Those of you who have been there are already laughing! Well, soon the show started and it did not take long for it to become clear why those seats were empty. And the people in the crowd, who shared the secret, got a great deal of joy at seeing the three of us get completely drenched as Shamu splashed us! And when I say drenched, it was, I think, possible to be literally drowned during the process! I was wearing contact lenses and it was a miracle I did not lose them in the force of the water. However, my eyes burned from the salt water for the rest of the day. Needless to say, I would know better than to sit there if I ever went back! And I would be as smug as the rest of the audience was with us as I watched some neophyte take those seats.

There's a reason I related that story. Sandy took me, along with her son and a friend, to my very first Demolition Derby!!! I was totally on board for this. I love new experiences. I even had the forethought to dig through my bags and get out my Big O and Dukes shirt, knowing that there would HAVE to be someone in that crowd that had listened to Chad's former show streamed on computer. I was certain that if I strutted around in that shirt that someone would eventually come up to me and ask me about it. And then I would have the pleasure of announcing that I was Mama Dukes! This did not come to pass however, because very shortly after arriving at the muddy field that was the venue, Sandy suggested I don the waterproof poncho she had provided for me. This made me a bit nervous, especially when I saw people sitting in front of us that were unrolling large rolls of plastic and sitting behind them. I suspected another Shamu event, but this time with mud instead of water.

So here is this large field with at least 6-8 inches of extremely juicy mud. It was into this quagmire that the first event began. On to the field, one at a time, drove the most unbelievable excuses for motor vehicles that you could imagine. Most of them seemed to be held together by paper clips. The noise was deafening as they came on to the field one at a time. By the time the flags went down, the squeal of the wheels and the roar of the engines was like what it must be like to having a tornado bearing down on your house. And then came the mud as the accelerators of all those cars were smashed to the floor, every car in reverse, at the same time. We all had to literally leap behind our plastic, ponchos, or whatever as the blobs of mud came pelting through the air, plopping down on everyone within range. Anyone who has ever read the Dr. Seuss book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck (my favorite DR. S book) knows what the situation was. And I had no idea how funny that would seem. All I could do is laugh and laugh and laugh. Watching these cars slam into each other was amazing. And the noise of the engines was so loud that you could not even hear any noise from the crashing itself. When the "match" was over, there was a long period of time to allow large pickups to come out and tow the "dead" cars out of the ring. It was amazing and fun and I suspect slightly dangerous for all concerned. Every once in awhile a car would catch fire and the race would stop while firemen came running on the field to extinguish the flames. If any event could be characterized as the Anti-Chautauqua, this would be it. What a great, muddy time. I only regret that my Big O and Dukes shirt was not visible, because I KNOW Chad had some fans in that arena.

After the derby, Sandy and I went back to her house and played piano duets and drank wine. I have literally not played piano for about 5 years, but the more wine we drank, the better the playing sounded! What a treat to be able to make music that way. For a piano player, at least this piano player, this is Nirvana! Huge shout-outs to Sandy for a great time.

I had gone two nights with not enough sleep when I arrived here, so I was semi-catatonic on my first night. I'm staying in a small room, shared bathroom situation in a different house than last time. But I'm all moved in, I had about 9 hours of sleep last night, and I've already sung in a rehearsal and church this morning. It's great to be back. I did my strength training at the gym this afternoon, and I am re-energized and ready for the week. Stay tuned for more news from Chautauqua! RP