This weekend we had Uncle Richard and Aunt Diane here for a few days. They enjoyed the drive South, stopping over night with their long time friends, the Quick's , who live outside of Detroit. Uncle Richard and Robert Quick have been friends since, well forever.
We took them to the football game up in Whitehouse where the Bison continued their winning ways; 12 to 10 over the Whitehouse Blue devils. It was a nail biter, exciting game. Uncle Rich and Aunt Diane were amazed, impressed, astounded by the dedication to perfection of the Thundering Herd band and commitment by the coaches and band teachers and students and parents to Friday Night Lights here in Tennessee. Being a former teacher, Uncle Richard really appreciated all that goes into these programs.
On Saturday we took them to visit another Civil War site in Franklin. This home was mainly a hospital for the Confederate soldiers after the Battle of Franklin in the Civil War. The McGavock's who owned the plantation at the time set aside 2 acres of their land near their family cemetery and dug up from the battle fields and reburied over 1, 400 Confederate soldiers. They placed small stones with just the initials of each fallen soldier and a number on each stone. They kept a hand written log book of the entire cemetery which exists today inside the home in a glass display case. The graves were arranged in order of states, with a larger stone marker with the number of dead buried from that particular state in that section.
We also attended the Opry on Saturday evening and heard Vince Gill and Josh Turner. It was a wonderful evening. Vince sang one of our favourites "These Days" to his mother who was there as it was her birthday weekend. Josh has this deep rich voice and is very charismatic (read: hot). The Opry is always just a great evening.
Ya-Ya went to another band competition back in Chattanooga. They placed 3rd in their division. This coming week they will be entered in the Tennessee State championships south of Nashville at Independence High School. This coming weekend our friends Dean and Barb will be here for a visit also.
What a great month we are having. Thank you to everyone who ventures South! And puts up with our travelogues.
Grandma
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Band Competitions
Yesterday Ya-Ya's Thundering Herd Band played their best ever in the competition at McGavock High School near Opry Mills Mall. They ended up in the Finals in the evening and earned a 1st place in their division for Musicality and 2nd overall in their division.
Grandpa and I stayed for the Finals and the results. I wonder if these marching bands are turning into Show/Stage bands. The majority of the others in the Finals all included all kinds of drama, props, stages, very fancy presentations. The music and marching definitely took a secondary place. It was those bands that earned the majority of awards.
I wonder if our Music director will have to step it up next marching season. Our band is pretty traditional with our "Guard" having beautiful choregraphy and banners that add to and express the music. Where these other bands seem to express the dance, choregraphy, drama going on by the dancers, Guard, etc.
For example. One local band played music from Cirque de Soleil. The Guard were dress in pink ballerina tootoos, had whitened faces, pink tights and white wigs. They carried white step ladders onto the field and they climbed up and down the ladders, swung off them, etc.
Another band played music from an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz that is out in London, England, so I heard. There were witches, good and bad, huge backdrops, white smoke and wizard. It was weird.
Another band, Father Ryan, was very classy. Their band dresses in black and shiny gold. Their Guard swung 8 foot shiny brass poles around which caught the lights from the stadium and shimmered in the darkened sky. It was very beautiful, just unconventional - they won many awards.
From what I see, if The Tundering Herd, wants to move on in competition, they are going to have to go the way of the spectator at least in the routines they give the Guard to do.
The Herd has one more week of competitions and then we may make the State finals.
Love to all,
Grandma
Grandpa and I stayed for the Finals and the results. I wonder if these marching bands are turning into Show/Stage bands. The majority of the others in the Finals all included all kinds of drama, props, stages, very fancy presentations. The music and marching definitely took a secondary place. It was those bands that earned the majority of awards.
I wonder if our Music director will have to step it up next marching season. Our band is pretty traditional with our "Guard" having beautiful choregraphy and banners that add to and express the music. Where these other bands seem to express the dance, choregraphy, drama going on by the dancers, Guard, etc.
For example. One local band played music from Cirque de Soleil. The Guard were dress in pink ballerina tootoos, had whitened faces, pink tights and white wigs. They carried white step ladders onto the field and they climbed up and down the ladders, swung off them, etc.
Another band played music from an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz that is out in London, England, so I heard. There were witches, good and bad, huge backdrops, white smoke and wizard. It was weird.
Another band, Father Ryan, was very classy. Their band dresses in black and shiny gold. Their Guard swung 8 foot shiny brass poles around which caught the lights from the stadium and shimmered in the darkened sky. It was very beautiful, just unconventional - they won many awards.
From what I see, if The Tundering Herd, wants to move on in competition, they are going to have to go the way of the spectator at least in the routines they give the Guard to do.
The Herd has one more week of competitions and then we may make the State finals.
Love to all,
Grandma
Monday, October 15, 2007
October 2007: Second Visitors
It's Monday morning and we are saying good bye again. This time to our long time friends Rick and Brenda. They have lived in Calgary for 30 years now! Wow! How time flies! (Old and worn out phrase, but really applies) Of course the 4 of us have not aged during those years.
It is so amazing to see grandpa and Rick talk, they just chatter all day long and into the night. They enjoyed seeing Ya-Ya and her band and once again the Bison won the football game, undefeated! The highlight was the four of us going to a Predators vs Calgary Flames game on Saturday night. Before the game we went for dinner at The Merchants, which is within a block of the Sommet Center. As we were leaving the restaurant the pianist at the white grand piano began to play "Oh Canada"! I stopped in shock and listened. Apparently Rick had requested it in secret to the rest of us. This was a real high light for me of their visit.
Rick was quite concerned how the Flames would play, I think that was unfounded as they beat our Predators 7 to 4! I was highly disappointed because before the end of the 3rd period, 50% of the Predators fans began to stream out of the arena! Maybe Nashville doesn't deserve an NHL team. (hard to believe I said that!).
We showed them some sights of Nashville throughout the weekend. Yesterday afternoon we drove into Madison and visited Nashville's National War Veterans cemetery. It is an amazing site. Thousands of small white tombstones set neatly in diagonal rows across gently rolling hills. Grandpa and Rick got out of the car and walked among the Civil War tombstones.
It was a great 4 days. It is so very kind of family and friends who make the trip south, words cannot express our appreciation.
Now we have 10 days until Uncle Richard and Aunt Diane come for their first visit.
God bless!
Grandma
It is so amazing to see grandpa and Rick talk, they just chatter all day long and into the night. They enjoyed seeing Ya-Ya and her band and once again the Bison won the football game, undefeated! The highlight was the four of us going to a Predators vs Calgary Flames game on Saturday night. Before the game we went for dinner at The Merchants, which is within a block of the Sommet Center. As we were leaving the restaurant the pianist at the white grand piano began to play "Oh Canada"! I stopped in shock and listened. Apparently Rick had requested it in secret to the rest of us. This was a real high light for me of their visit.
Rick was quite concerned how the Flames would play, I think that was unfounded as they beat our Predators 7 to 4! I was highly disappointed because before the end of the 3rd period, 50% of the Predators fans began to stream out of the arena! Maybe Nashville doesn't deserve an NHL team. (hard to believe I said that!).
We showed them some sights of Nashville throughout the weekend. Yesterday afternoon we drove into Madison and visited Nashville's National War Veterans cemetery. It is an amazing site. Thousands of small white tombstones set neatly in diagonal rows across gently rolling hills. Grandpa and Rick got out of the car and walked among the Civil War tombstones.
It was a great 4 days. It is so very kind of family and friends who make the trip south, words cannot express our appreciation.
Now we have 10 days until Uncle Richard and Aunt Diane come for their first visit.
God bless!
Grandma
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Kids Say the Cutest Things
In the dark, in the back of the van, Haley is leading Hunter in the sinner's prayer.
Hunter says "Is HE in there yet Haley?"
God bless them!
Grandma
Hunter says "Is HE in there yet Haley?"
God bless them!
Grandma
October 2007: First Visitors
Rich and Christine and H and H have just left after a great 4 day Thanksgiving weekend visit. The highlight was attending the Bison football game in Greenbrier where the Bison continued their winning ways, they are 7 and 0! They will make it into the playoffs in November.
This means that Ya-Ya's band, The Thundering Herd, will continue to march and perform at Friday Night Lights. Rich's enjoyed seeing Ya-Ya play and march with the band. See Rich's blog at http://www.birchtv.blogspot.com/ for some of the highlights.
We also attended the Predators game over Dallas. This was fun. Haley had her picture go up on the jumbotron twice during the evening. On Sunday we attended a "strategic partner" church in Franklin and then went to visit a Civil War site in Franklin where 9 000 were killed in battle within 1 hour of fighting. Most vicious battle of the American Civil War. The historian who took us on a guided tour was an amazing story teller.
We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday with a traditional Canadian meal plus corn bread stuffing instead of bread and sweet potato casserole instead of lima bean and cream style corn casserole. The highlight for me was at the end of the meal when grandpa tried to teach Miss H how to wiggle her ears like he does!
With sadness we waved goodbye to them this morning at 4:30 AM. We are so thankful that many family and friends continue to want to visit us here.
Grandma
This means that Ya-Ya's band, The Thundering Herd, will continue to march and perform at Friday Night Lights. Rich's enjoyed seeing Ya-Ya play and march with the band. See Rich's blog at http://www.birchtv.blogspot.com/ for some of the highlights.
We also attended the Predators game over Dallas. This was fun. Haley had her picture go up on the jumbotron twice during the evening. On Sunday we attended a "strategic partner" church in Franklin and then went to visit a Civil War site in Franklin where 9 000 were killed in battle within 1 hour of fighting. Most vicious battle of the American Civil War. The historian who took us on a guided tour was an amazing story teller.
We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday with a traditional Canadian meal plus corn bread stuffing instead of bread and sweet potato casserole instead of lima bean and cream style corn casserole. The highlight for me was at the end of the meal when grandpa tried to teach Miss H how to wiggle her ears like he does!
With sadness we waved goodbye to them this morning at 4:30 AM. We are so thankful that many family and friends continue to want to visit us here.
Grandma
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