Monks and Music

A few weeks ago Cliff and I had a cultural experience...we went to a monastery to listen to Bach music.  I'm a bad Arts Administrator as going to cultural events is still considered a treat as they are often a little spendy.  With this said, we are grown-ups and dag gone it we will listen to Bach music if we want to!

Plans for the Mt. Angel Bach Festival have been in the works for months.  Kerry planned the trip for her folks at the Adult Activity Center but we knew right off the bat that it was going to be an awesome outing that we needed to get in on. I mean, look how excited we were....

The evening consisted of a few different performances.  We started off with vespers and it was so soothing.   So soothing in fact that in my post SummerFair haze I might have let myself drift off.  Thanks Todd and Kerry for documenting.  Embarrassing but whatever.  Apparently it took me back to my college days of listening to Pure Moods in the library as I tried to nap before Noteworthy rehearsals or Kappa meetings.  Yeah I said it...I listened to Pure Moods.

After vespers was a Bach choral concert.  I have to admit, choral music is not my favorite.  They were good but I was consistently thinking about dinner which was just a half hour way.   

Dinner consisted of a picnic on the lawn served by monks.  Salads with salmon, melon salad, stromboli, peach pies, and wine.   The monk who helped us out was so friendly and wore a fedora and had tattoos.  Gotta love Oregon.

After dinner we settled in for a Bach quartet.  This was my favorite part of the night.

We need to do this more often.  I still need to go to an opera and see a ballet that isn't the Nutcracker.  They are on the list.

Beats and Brushstrokes

Last Saturday Cliff and I left the house for a nighttime social event.  Over the past few weeks I have been reconnecting with faculty and staff from the Arts Administration Program (AAD).  It has been really wonderful.  On several occasions I've had a chance to sit, chat, and drink tea with people who really made our first years here special.  My former research advisor let me know that the Emerging Leaders in the Arts Network (ELAN) was having a fundraiser at that we should come.  And by gosh....we went!

The event was called Beats and Brushstrokes.  It was a silent auction of recycled art made from old records and record sleeves.  All of the works were made by local art-loving people.  It was at the old firehouse in the Whitaker (eclectic Eugene neighborhood) which was fun.  For a $5 cover we got two free beers from Ninkasi Brewing, pizza, Voodoo Doughnut bits, other snacks, and a chance to look at some pretty fun local art.  There was a DJ and band with an accordion.  We left early so sadly we missed the accordion fun time.  Cliff and I felt pretty cool. Or at least I did. It was really nice as the place was packed by the time that we left and the bids were starting to pick-up.  Way to go AAD and ELAN!  You make me proud.

A majority of the works started at $5 with a minimum $1 bid increase.  The one piece that Cliff and I both liked initially had a robot on it.  Apparently alot of other folks liked that one too as the first bid went directly to $25 bucks.  Welp, that meant that we were out.  I bid $6 on another record and was quickly outdone within five minutes.  Oh well.  There were quite a few records that I thought were pretty cool but one in particular was real creepy.  So creepy in fact that over the night I slowly grew to love it but couldn't bring myself to bid on it.  I just kept thinking "What would I do with it?  Where would we put it?  Ah I'm so creeped out.  I think it's watching me!  Oh I think I might like it though.  It has that folksy quality that I like. Huummm."  What do you think?  I have named it Sir Creepy Turkey Head.

In the end we left empty handed.  We had a fun night out on the town and Sir Creepy Turkey Head will forever haunt my dreams.

Happy Leap Day!