Harper's Ferry (Helloo Summer!)

(Please note: Anne's ballerina pose/tomboy shorts, Mom's fabulous H&M sunglasses, my HHS volleyball t-shirt is STILL in use, Robert is texting a GIRL behind Hunter, Peter chose the wrong day to wear black, Sister Edwards is about to slide off of the historical landmark.  Noted.)

Today was the first of what I hope will be many delightful summer excursions!  At 6:55 a.m.,  the fam loaded up into the trusty mini van and cruised into the hinterlands of West Virginia.  We arrived at Harper's Ferry, a quaint ghost town with a history of disastrous floods and of an attempted slave insurrection lead by John Brown.

Speaking of John Brown... any Remember the Titans fans?   I will be seriously impressed if any quote connections are made... sans Google.

Oh, it was beautiful! And so stiflingly hot.   Our ventures included: gawking in a bizarre wax museum,  perusing a lovely underground used book store, cool root beer from a bottle in an ice cream parlor, an informative museum, a tour through a stunning cathedral (I'm beginning to have an infatuation with stained glass windows), and some ruins and gorgeous vantage points!

(I spy two baby brothers)

Though the weather has been playing the part for a while now, it will still be one week until I can officially call it Summer. This school year has been a bizarre dichotomy between two realities, and quite frankly, I can't wait to leave it behind.   Early Saturday morning I'm hopping on a plane for Utah where I will spend the highly anticipated month of June. 

More to follow.

The Rut

I'm stuck in a musical rut!  Old sounds are getting, well, old, and I'm ready to revamp my iPod.  I need some new tunes to set my alarm to, run to, dance to, and drive to ( I've got a lot of hours to fill to get that ever-elusive license).   I'm ready to discover the sound of the summer of 2010!  Plus most radio stations become a blur of static as I drive over hill after hill.

...Suggestions?  Anything, everything!

(Preferably something that will induce this type of response)

Serendipity

Thanks to some major miracles, I will awake to this view for three weeks this summer!  But wait, you've got to hear the story. 

Smack-dab in the middle of Vermont, Point Counterpoint is a chamber music-oriented summer camp that I applied to earlier this year.  Not only does it offer lots of awesome musical experiences, but some boating, hiking, and morning runs too!   The biggest issue was tuition.  How would I earn my way with my time spread between testing and Utah travels?  When PCP's director called to follow up on my application,  I had to resign my position for session two.  That should have been the end of it.

Interestingly enough, twenty minutes later the director left a voicemail urging me to call her back quickly.  Very soon after she had hung up with us, a well-known musician had called in with an offer to sponsor a potential camper-  he would cover full tuition and travel costs.   She admitted that I wouldn't have been the first to come to mind had the timing been any different, but it seemed as though everything was aligned just so.    In very little time, my name was off the tip of her tongue, and into the ear of the benefactor.

Who he is, and whether I will ever meet him, I don't know.   What I do know for sure is that I can't wait to spend some extended time with my violin in such a serene setting.  I know this opportunity will inspire me to in turn "pay it forward", and I'm so grateful for this blessing.

Vert

So...

West Virginia bloomed.   I can't believe the rain forest this place turned out to be!  At only 75 degrees, the humid air clings to my forehead and the back of my neck.

The rain pours down in the night, and soaks the endless masses of foliage.  And in the afternoon, the soft sun pulls the greenery towards it.   I've sworn to myself that I'll bring a camera with me on my next 6:00 am drive to seminary.  The way the mist floats over the hills in the early morning is magical!

I feel as though if I looked more closely, I could distinguish one of these buildings as my high school. In fact, if I squinted really hard, it would become a game of "I Spy".   I would show you the library, the Public Rail Transit, Black Bear Burrito, the frequented Great Wall Chinese take-out,  the  WVU Coliseum, the rail trail, the place that sells those nasty pepperoni rolls, and the Creative Arts Center.   I might even be able to pick out the Bartlett house, the Salvation Army, and the trail along Decker's Creek where track team runs.   But I'm afraid one solitary picture, or even several couldn't begin to describe my life here.

It's much different than my mountain valley home as I last saw it.

 I still reminisce about the mountains.

Ornate

Stained glass
Flys me to the Vatican's highest turret
Sweeps me down to Austria's darkest, dankest, crypt
The mysterious longing
To be Indiana Jones
And Queen Isabella
All at once