Brian Beach @bwbeach@qoto.org

At rehearsal this morning, Dr. Rogers asked us to memorize one section. A latte and scone will help with that.

(I’m at a week-long chorus workshop in Denver.)

At the University of Denver this week to sing with Berkshire Choral. Checked into the dorm today and had orientation.

This is a good spot to read under a pear tree for the next half hour until the sun goes down.

#Bookstodon

In Denver, a day early, for a week of singing with #BerkshireChoral. A quiet day before a week of intense rehearsals.

Nothing better for an introvert than a nice dinner in a quiet restaurant with a good book. The salmon was cooked perfectly, the rosé from Oregon was tasty, and Babel in an exceptionally good book.

#bookstodon

Spider babies.

When I took the dog out this morning, the were dozens of little spider webs on the grass. Each one is about 2 inches across, and has a tiny red spider on the underside.

Power went out yesterday. Still out this morning.

Cooking our Hello Fresh on the grill worked just fine.

I love that people like books.

Morgenstern’s is a new bookstore here in Bloomington. Every time I go there the parking lot is full, there’s a bunch people reading in the cafe, and a line at the register.

#books #bloomington #indiana

Walking the dog this evening in #Bloomington #Indiana. The tulip trees (the state tree) are blooming.

In southern Indiana, where I was this morning, the tulip trees were done blooming last week.

#BloomScrolling

Raised bed put together. Dirt hauled. Plants planted. 🧑‍🌾

We got a nice variety of heirloom plants at the farmers market. They seem happy.

Hoping the deer don’t decide this is motivation to jump the fence and eat them all.

I got vegetable plants at the farmers market Saturday. Still waiting for dirt to be delivered for the raised bed. Meanwhile, they’re happy in their temporary home.

I could barely see some color with my eyes. My phone could see more.

#bloomington #indiana #aurora

Afternoon break at Kona Heaven with an iced latte. For some reason, all the chairs on the deck face the same way.

I'm very much looking forward to singing in the upcoming Maui Choral Arts concert "I Dream a World".

We're doing two longer-form pieces this time. Both are about finding hope in a world full of conflict.

A World Beloved, by Carol Barnett, is subtitled A Bluegrass Mass. It's a spectacular mashup of traditional latin text and bluegrass ballads.

A Vision Unfolding, by Kyle Peterson, is a hopeful take on moving beyond prejudice and racism.

Ticket and concert info: https://www.mauichoralarts.org

#maui #music #chorus #hope #peace

Could it be that pickup trucks are getting too big and tall? Why would you want a truck with a bed that high?

I think this was the problem, the trace on the near edge at the right. It’s nice when the flaw is visible.

Managed to fix the TV remote today.

Hadn’t used it for months. Batteries leaked and it didn’t work even with new batteries.

The trace on the circuit board for power was corroded. Adding jumper to take the power where it was needed took care of it.

It’s a good thing they have “safe” bike parking at the SEA airport.

Baking cookies on a gray rainy day.

When I was in California a couple weeks ago visiting Mom, she gave me her mother’s box of recipes. Today I’m baking some of the cookies Grandma used to make. My grandkids can give them a try tomorrow.

These are “Candy Cookies”, made with graham cracker crumbs, condensed milk, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Yum.

I'm switching back to Hawaiian in Duolingo, after a year of Japanese. It seems to expect me to remember words from before.

I decided I'm OK with using the dictionary to fill in these blanks, rather than trying to make up a word.

I hit the 400 mile mark on my new Tern Vektron e-bike on the way to work. It happened right near the bakery, which I took as a sign that it was a good day to pick up scone to have with my morning coffee.

Almost all of my riding has been to and from work. It's an 8-mile round trip, so that's about 50 commutes on the bike, and not in the car. The trip is much more enjoyable riding on the bike path through campus; the route for the car is on the bypass highway that goes around campus.

#bike #ebike #WarOnCars #Bloomington #Indiana

It’s a beautiful morning in Mountain View, catching the train to work.

I find that the Bay Area is much nicer to visit using public transit than renting a car and fighting the traffic.