Late Summer

This lovely, busy Summer is winding down, and I'm eagerly anticipating a fantastic Fall! Here are some highlights from late August through September:

After being in the Field Band for a full year, it's nice to no longer be considered a "newbie." Here I am posing with one of our brand new members, Jeannie Wiesman, at her first TUSAFB concert. This gig was our rain-plagued Alumni Concert, that turned out great, despite the weather refusing to cooperate.

Chris and I are seen here performing the Fantastic Fast-Fingered Fandango at the same concert.

 

One reason I love Fall so much is NFL season! I love football- but I really only watch pro, I can't get into college. Of course I love the Houston Texans, and have recently adopted the Baltimore Ravens as my new home-town team. I did live near Dallas for six years, so I cautiously support the Dallas Cowboys, although it isn't a great idea to admit it around these parts!

 

I really enjoyed going to a Ravens pre-season game at M&T Bank Stadium. Nice to see that famous defense in person!

I decided to challenge myself to run a 1/2 marathon in September. I didn't do a great job of sticking to a training regimen, but I still wanted to go and do what I could. It was my first big race event and it was a blast. I ran with some other Army friends, in particular, my buddy CPL Dan Ord who teaches euphonium at the Armed Forces School of Music. Here we are hamming it up after the race. 

It took me 2 hours and 45 minutes to run 13.1 miles. That's not very fast running, but it was more about finishing the race and doing something I never imagined I was capable of. 

I've been trying to attend more music events outside of work. This M&M joined me in viewing a live broadcast of the Barber of Seville at Nationals Stadium. It was an amazing free event. I had never experienced a full opera before, and enjoyed it immensely. 

Here is a picture of the fabulous New York Voices with the Airmen of Note, the jazz component of the US Air Force Band. On September 11th they put on a stunning performance that I was so lucky to attend. 

This final shot is from the Field Band's Hispanic Heritage Recital in a beautiful Benedictine church in Baltimore. I played a piece with some incredibly talented percussionists, Todd Harrison and Jeff Lopez from the Jazz Ambassadors, and the fabulous Mr. Gene Cedras.