Finally got out on real hiking trails! Things have dried out enough that Julie, Gabriella and I decided to get back to the dirt. Today we hiked 2 segments of the Bay Area Ridge Trail in Novato. One was a section that went near Stafford Lake, and the other connected to Indian Tree Open Space. It was a good day to do the first segment in particular as it was relatively exposed and would be very hot during the summer. Because of all of the rain everything was lovely and green, some areas were vibrantly green. The views were spectacular, and we traveled through different types of forest with Douglas Fir and Redwoods, as well as some huge Manzanitas. We saw a red-tailed hawk and turkey vultures flying above us as well as many, many happy dogs, at times it felt like we were the only ones who weren’t walking dogs! It was the steepest hike. I’ve been on and quite a few weeks and it felt good feeling like I was back to my normal fitness level.
After the hike I spent the afternoon at a Marin Symphony concert. The first half of the concert was fantastic. The symphony performed a piece by African American composer Florence Price, Ethiopia‘s Shadow in America, that was both entrancing and fun and Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland that includes variations on the Shaker song ‘Simple Gifts’ which is one of my favorite old-fashioned songs. But the real treat was the second half when the group Time for Three performed a commissioned piece called Contact with the symphony. Time for Three is a classically trained string trio, but they do not play in a classic manner at all! They vocalize with their instruments, play them like ukuleles or guitars, bounce exuberantly around the stage, and the joy of performance glows out of their eyes and huge smiles. They were absolutely spectacular! It’s groups like this that help interest younger people in playing instruments and listening to classical music. During the encore one of the members talked about his experience with a music teacher who encouraged him and what a difference it made. I don’t know who was having more fun at the concert, Time for Three, the audience, or the Marin symphony conductor. It was such a joyful, energetic performance. The audience was even encouraged to participate when they performed and sang the song Stand By Me. We need more music like this, and hopefully we will keep continuing to get it. Time for Three is up for some Grammy awards this year, it would be wonderful to see them recognized for their incredible work.
