some observations from an outdoor concert I sang in

rock man

While walking around a lake before the concert, I saw a man staring intently at two rocks. I was baffled and questioning his sanity until my return trip when I noticed several unnatural rock formations. 

The man was balancing rocks on top of other rocks in a way that looked like it defied physics and made me think of Zen gardens. I was kind of entranced and wanted to try it myself until I remembered that I couldn't because I can't use both hands like that anymore.

I wish I'd had a camera (and hands steady enough to take pictures).  It was beyond cool.

1812 Overture

Everyone who sings choral music should get a chance to sing this whole song in Slovanic with an orchestra on stage.

Singing that song--or any particularly loud, from the gut song--in a semi-enclosed space where you can feel the percussion and where you are doing your best to outsing an orchestra with more members than the choir is a huge natural high.  It doesn't make you as weak in the knees as the endorphins after an hour of playing racquetball, but it's not as much exercise either. I suppose everything is a trade-off. In the end, I'm also glad there were no cannons; being next to the kettle drums was plenty loud.

I'm not sure who planned the order of the concert, but having the hosts of the September 11 memorial event read the news reports that came in to their small station on the day of that tragedy directly before we had to sing a song that actually had "fff" marked in places with crescendos might not have been the best idea. It's hard to sing loud while wiping your nose.

bugs

Bugs sure do love outdoor concerts by lakes.  It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

pothole ice cream

This ice cream at the picnic had caffeine in it. My jaw is killing me.  I'm glad it didn't get bad until after the concert.

Fireworks over lake

= awesome.  Having to take an hour to find your way home when getting there only took 25 minutes = not really awesome at all.  (But at least I didn't accidentally run any red lights this time.)