Five Days

Saturday: Brunch at a classic diner with the Taylors, Birds, and Erik. Blueberry pancakes for me, "plain pancake" for Sylvia. Headed off to the theatre while everyone else relaxed or played with their uncle. Mark and Elizabeth shared one ticket to the opera, Mark taking the first Act while Elizabeth and Sylvia wandered through the Tanglewood grounds. (At the first intermission, Elizabeth brought Sylvia backstage to see Aunt Bou in all her finery! There's a great picture in the album that shows her uncertainty! Who is this white woman?) After the show, dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant, the traditional ice cream after a performance, and the end of a long day.

Sunday: The Taylors had other friends in town, so they did their thing while we walked through downtown Pittsfield looking at the sheep. (Pictures in the Misc. Album.) I had a coaching in the afternoon (Erik was able to attend, to see what goes on behind the scenes.), and then, to be honest, I can not remember what we did Sunday evening.

Monday: A hike up Monument "Mountain" with the Taylors, and a tasty lunch at the top. Then they got to go swimming while I went to a practice room. No rest for the weary! I attended my Russian diction class, then joined back up with my gang for dinner and an evening of Texas Hold'em! Really, it was so nice to get to do this kind of "real life" stuff here; reminded me that my life is more than rehearsals and performances.

Tuesday: Erik's last full day. I had a rehearsal in the morning; he got to sleep in. We spent a lazy afternoon "at home," something we love doing at our real home but have been sorely missing this summer. I had a vocal recital in the evening (all the vocal fellows sang, one folk song - arranged by a classical composer - each), then we had a lovely dinner with my sponsors, Pearl and Alvin Schottenfeld. Finally, a concert under the stars! It did sprinkle on us a bit, but we cuddled a blanket. The bottle of wine was well on it's way to being vinegar, so that was a bust, but the music was wonderful. The canons in the 1812 Overture were certainly loud and exciting, and the fireworks were fantastic. (Erik says they were as good as the one's on Lake Union; I say they were better.) Not to be out done, Mother Nature joined in with some incredible lightning. It was quite a site, to see flashes of color and white sharing the sky.

Wednesday: An official Tanglewood Day Off. (There are two all summer.) Erik's flight was at 5, so we packed up, cleaned up, and headed out around 2. And that's the end of my "real life at Tanglewood" week! Only two more weeks until it's "real life all the time." Until the next big thing...