What I've been doing lately

[bunrab]

Okay, the last post that wasn't a meme or something was while we were in MA for my cousin's wedding. So here's some pictures:
Three views of the George Washington Bridge, on the trip from Baltimore to West Brookfield, MA:
    

Jesse and his new wife Ruth; Jesse's daughter Sara as bridesmaid; Jesse's son Josh as groomsman (we'll refer to them, for convenience, as my niece and nephew, even though what they really are is first cousins once removed):
    

I don't have any pictures from the knitting convention that I went to, the 11th through the 14th. I had fun. I started more projects than I'll probably finish. I bought more yarn than I really had money for. I met really nice people. I didn't get enough sleep. It was, in other words, a con, despite the absence of science fiction.

A small ensemble from the Montgomery Village Community Band constituted itself the Montgomery Village Stammtisch Band, and played a few Oktoberfest gigs. This picture is from one at a private club near Annapolis. I made the vests that squirrel_magnet and I are wearing, and glued braid and feathers on the cheap hats from Value City.


The last weekend in September, the weekend before Jesse's wedding, S and I and Cindy drove out to Shepherdstown, WV (about 90 minutes away) to visit PIGS, an animal sanctuary that we support, which mostly has rescued potbellied pigs. Nice drive, nice afternoon scritching various animals, and a stop at a roadside stand that's always there, the Catoctin Kettle Co., to get caramel corn and homemade jam - and dark-chocolate-drizzled caramel corn, which is TOO good. Cindy took a couple pictures of us:
  

That catches us up, I think, on everything except books. I've gotta catch up on those yet.

Comments

[squirrel-magnet.livejournal.com]

Thanks, J. I enjoyed using my German Miraphone at the German music gig. Unfortunately that happy ethnic alignment was a coincidence, since I have only one tuba. Do French horn players lust after additional horns like tuba players do?

[nentikobe.livejournal.com]

I know most of them don't own just one in their lifetime - most are looking onward to that Holton or a top of the line one. I used to own two, but I sold one, since I was moving down here and needed the money. The second was my first horn - a yamaha student model - and my professional model Conn 8D was the one that would keep me throughout my life and the one I have now.

Personally, I don't think I will ever move on to another horn - the Conn's have the larger grip, suited to my big paws - and the money situation means that to get another French horn truly would make me a starving musician!

[squirrel-magnet.livejournal.com]

I guess that was a hastily conceived question; there aren't that many different french horns (although the principal in a community orchestra I played with 20 years ago acquired a descant horn), unlike the 4 different keys and wide variety of sizes and timbres of tubas. Even bunrab has 3 saxophones--soprano, tenor and baritone.

--Although, isn't there an English sound (Dennis Brain) and a German sound (Hermann Baumann)? caused by the mouthpiece? the horn (Brain's Alexander vs. whatever)? different embouchures?