Archive for November, 2008

This one's for the grandparents (and the cello teacher)

Saturday, November 15th, 2008 by HML

Thing One in action

The middle school’s annual autumn concert is the first opportunity of the school year for all the orchestra parents to enjoy the fruits of nagging their children to practice.  It’s an especially exciting time for the parents of cellists and bassists, as we’ve spent the past few months listening to just the bass line of each performance piece — no melody — and have wondered how the complete piece will sound.

Thing One is finishing up his middle school career* in the senior orchestra, and they sounded great.  Even Thing Two sat through the entire concert, which he has never done before, and he was thrilled to see his big brother on stage.  But don’t take our word for it; here are the three pieces they performed (all in Quick Time format):

* Aside:  Can Thing One really be almost a high school student?  Wasn’t he in kindergarten, like, yesterday?

A closer look at November

Sunday, November 9th, 2008 by HML

A closer look at autumn

Thanks to our soggy climate, our yard is full of moss and little mushrooms.  Here’s our autumn in miniature.

Mushroom in fallen cedar fronds

This little fellow is growing out of a pile of cedar fronds.

Closeup of mushroom cluster

Large cluster of mushrooms near the driveway.

One of the mushrooms in the cluster

An escapee from the driveway cluster.

Mushroom trio

A charming trio out of a fairy ring.

Lacecap hydrangeas

Hydrangea arborescens

See all the November images in the Gimlet Gallery.