Coffee, camera, croissants, and more....

First, I must mention that my Canon G9 camera has inexplicably stopped functioning.  That was the best camera I have ever owned.  I have an old Nikon D70 with me that is also a great camera but it is too big and clumsy to carry around all the time for quick, candid shots.  I also have a fancier and newer Nikon D300 (possibly the worst camera, and most expensive, I've ever owned).  I took a bunch of photos yesterday with the D70 but cannot get them from the camera to the computer.  Today I will fight with the D300 to see if I can use it for our final week here in Aspen.  All of that is offered to explain the recent paucity of photos and comments.

Here is a shot of Maya enjoying coffee in bed, delivered by Dr. Carl and Ms. Nicolette.  I believe this was a "pay-it-forward" deal to get some early practice out of Maya.




Jamuna is sleeping over with Sierra in Carbondale.  It was a beautiful day yesterday and the drive up and back seemed to pass quickly.

Yesterday started with an early (8:30 am) lesson with Mr. Kantor after which I made the Carbondale run.  Upon my return we all met up with Ms. Tamara and her dog Blackout to ride the gondola to the summit of Aspen Mountain.  We sat on the ground and listened to a nice brass quintet play music for about 45 minutes.  Played around up there for a while then rode the gondola back down.  It was so beautiful I wished out loud that the cars would just come to a stop for a while - and they did.  We sat suspended for about 15 minutes midway down the mountain with a spectacular view of the Aspen area.

Then we made our way back to the condo for some practicing and general hanging out.  Maya then took the van Wyks on a hike in the hills (Little Cloud trail) and apparently was quite demanding about velocity (speed and direction), nature interpretation, and photography.  Abe and Maya had a nice evening in the condo while the rest of us went to a nice restaurant, Brexi, just a few blocks down the road. We were just getting started when we saw Ms. Tamara and another fine pianist, Charles Tauber, walk in for their evening meal.  We invited them to join us and we had a very nice evening of musical chat.  Charlie had run a half-marathon that morning.

The evening prior was consumed by divergent music activities.  Maya practiced, Prema went to the music campus to see a showcase presentation, and Jamuna, Dr. Carl and I walked to Harris Hall to hear performances of six of the composition students.  All were experiences of merit.

Today Maya has a rehearsal with Ms. Tamara, Prema is leaving to go back to work for a few days, Jamuna is to return from down valley, and we will likely attend a Sylvia Rosenberg master class this evening.  I will spend much of the day fussing with the D300.