I sit here in my kitchen, snow falling outside, and missing my husband and eldest daughter as they are on the trek to Omaha to retrieve the van. The rental had to be returned yesterday by 1:30 and it's a 24-hour drive so they left bright and early Christmas morning. Hence a new "adult" Christmas tradition was born....opening presents on Christmas Eve. It was very warm and cozy with a fire going, and I think I might vote for continuing doing things that way in the future.
I was just fooling around on Facebook and realizing that so many of the contacts that I have there are people I've met through the Christmas decorating community. Yes, it is known as a "community." I know this might seem strange to people who are not part of it, but those folks who go crazy decorating their houses each year actually network on websites, forums and on Facebook. Many of them meet each other at expos, educational workshop days and weekends, and other fun events. Decorating enthusiasts are part of a rapidly growing community devoted to the hobby of not only lighting your house for Christmas, but animating the lights through computer programs that are increasingly sophisticated. LUCKY LUCKY ME! I had already written the right song for this group of folks, and someone found it, and all of this had nothing to do with me promoting it or anything. It was out there on iTunes and other sites and had been available since 1998. I'm just fortunate that the first decorator found it, and then it caught on. I've had such a wonderful time getting to know so many great people that I made sure to write some new songs for them on the latest album. It's just a wonderful thing to see what they do with my music. I'm really blessed by watching their videos and by the displays I've gotten to see in person.
I first found this community through one of the very first "House on Christmas Street" videos that popped up on YouTube back in 2006...which led me to www.planetchristmas.com. I signed up and introduced myself on one of the forums, and was greeted enthusiastically by the folks there. Since then my life has been enriched SO MUCH by being accepted into this group of amazing people. They are all over the world, and I am lucky to call many of them not just contacts, but FRIENDS.
I've met them at conventions and at their houses. I've met hosts on my tour, and I've met other decorators who have come out to see me in concert on the tour. Many I've only met online, but I feel like I know them just the same. They add fun and joy to my life, and a sense of support and encouragement. And I am VERY grateful.
I don't have an animated display, for the record, but I have done a good sized display for many years at my house, since before I wrote the song. I've ALWAYS loved outdoor Christmas decorations, since I was a little kid. The thing that always "got" me was Santa on the roof. However, at my house I have never been brave enough to get him up there. I did fall out a window once trying to jury-rig him so it looked like he and the reindeer were flying down from the roof. Luckily I fell into bushes. Yup, it's me that does it...it's not Philip's "thing," although he has been helping these past few years. I'll never get into synchronizing the lights...I just don't have the time or the smarts or the patience. But I do love my blow molds!
Anyhow, like any other community, people have differences, but I am fortunate that the folks that I have met have just been the nicest people on Earth. Just imagine what a person must be like who spends most of their time thinking about how to get Santa to fly over their house, or how to make the display the most fun for children, or where to set up the snowmen (cause there's never just one!). Or people, like Paul Aziz in Oregon, who actually invent animatronic figures, like his talking and singing snowman. These are folks with imagination, skills and a sense of whimsy, who understand the wonder of childhood. Each decorator is somewhat of a Disney in their own right.
The majority of these folks not only design a display, but they create a whole 30-minute radio program to go with their display, so people can park at their house, turn their radio on a certain frequency and hear a show while they watch lights. On my tour I've seen tons of people parked in cars with their families, enjoying a take-out supper and watching the show. How many people all over the world have been entertained for free like this?
Kevin Dunn, a.k.a "The Demented Elf", is responsible for developing the radio program feature and his voice can be heard all over the world at displays. He is also a super-nice person who has had a radio career and makes the programs sound very professional. He has his own year-round radio station, too: www.holidayamericaradio.com They plan to play music for every holiday all year round.
Then there are the people who actually build a walk-through display at their homes, like Larry and Rachel Charpiat in North Carolina, Darrel Moyer in Pennsylvania, and Tommy Sosebee in South Carolina. They spend hours and hours getting it right, and then they devote their ENTIRE CHRISTMAS SEASON to helping strangers park, giving them hot chocolate for FREE and handing out candy canes. They practically have amusement parks in their yards, and for many of the people around a visit to their display is a yearly tradition, and yet they don't charge a cent for admission. And many of them have donation boxes at their displays for a local charity, to boot.
Well, I could go on and on. Again, I'm just reflecting upon my good fortune of having so many wonderful people in my life because of that one song. If you are one of them and you are reading this, I want you to know that I do not take you for granted. I am blessed to know each and every one of you. Thank you for accepting me into your community of joy. You have put so many smiles on my face, made me laugh and sing and made me feel special. I really and truly love you all and I wish you the happiest of new years. Thank you for all that you do to make the world a brighter place!!!
Showing posts with label Christmas decorations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas decorations. Show all posts
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, February 6, 2011
December 23rd
As I write this it is February 6, and it's probably about time that I get caught up on the tour blog and write about what happened over a month ago. A month ago already! Seems like a lifetime since then!
So much has happened since I've been home, but I will never forget the evening I spent at the home of Bob Walker and his sons.
I was expecting it to be warm in Florida, but, alas, it was not exactly tropical! However, it was a darned site warmer than it had been at many of the other shows, and that was very good. I loved Bob's display...especially the backdrop that he painted over his garage door. It made a beautiful backdrop for the concert. Hey Bob...why don't you have any pictures of that backdrop on your website?
While I was setting up I had the pleasure of meeting Bob's two sons and his mother, as well as many other people who were around and getting ready for the show.
There were three guys from Planet Christmas who came to the concert and one lady who was a tour sponsor who brought me a beautiful Christmas Cactus (which made it safely home....a miracle!) plus my dear childhood friend Lori and her husband, who were to be my hosts for the concert the next night at the Orlando Doubletree. It was a friendly atmosphere and a fun concert, but I have to admit, I actually teared up while I was singing The House on Christmas Street with Bob's sequence. I wasn't expecting it, but by that time it felt like the millionth time I had sung it, and all the memories of everyone and everyplace and all the people and displays and miles and miles came flooding back while I was singing, and I almost couldn't get through it. I'm sure part of the reason why I was so emotional was that I was beyond exhausted by that time. I mean it...I've never felt so fatigued in my life as I did by the end of the tour.
After the concert a bunch of us sat around in the driveway and talked about the tour and everything, and then it was time for everyone to leave and I packed all my stuff up. I went into the house to say "goodbye" to Bob and his boys, Terrance and David. Well, I ended up staying there and eating cookies and talking for a good couple of hours. I am so impressed with Bob, who is a single father with two adopted sons, who does volunteer work for "Give Kids the World," an organization that brings ill children to Disney World. I just enjoyed being there and talking with him and his boys and getting to know them a little bit. I'm pretty sure Terrance said he was 17 although I could be wrong about that and he could be 16. He's a young man with a lot on his mind and, like so many teens, is trying to figure things out. He's got some interesting plans for his future.....but I don't really think I should blog about them because they may have been told to me in confidence. But in case he is reading this, Terrance I want you to know that I am thinking of you and praying that you figure it all out and have a safe and happy future, and please remember that life has both shadows AND light and you never know what could be right around the corner for you. Your Dad is really amazing and you are very lucky to have such a supportive father. I enjoyed getting to know you and David and your Dad and hope I can visit you again, maybe even Christmas time this year. Thank you Bob for inviting me into your home and sharing so much with me. You are all in my prayers and I hope you haven't forgotten me!
Going back to my hotel that night was very sad. I know they don't know this, but I really didn't want to leave Bob's house. That might sound kind of nuts but I just enjoyed meeting all the people on the tour and doing the house concerts in the neighborhoods and getting so much love and good will from so many people all over the US. I didn't want it to end.
And you know what...it didn't end....because the next day I met up with Lori Warwicke and her husband for my show at the Doubletree Hotel, and that was a fun end to the tour that I had no idea would end up being so amazing.
So much has happened since I've been home, but I will never forget the evening I spent at the home of Bob Walker and his sons.
I was expecting it to be warm in Florida, but, alas, it was not exactly tropical! However, it was a darned site warmer than it had been at many of the other shows, and that was very good. I loved Bob's display...especially the backdrop that he painted over his garage door. It made a beautiful backdrop for the concert. Hey Bob...why don't you have any pictures of that backdrop on your website?
While I was setting up I had the pleasure of meeting Bob's two sons and his mother, as well as many other people who were around and getting ready for the show.
There were three guys from Planet Christmas who came to the concert and one lady who was a tour sponsor who brought me a beautiful Christmas Cactus (which made it safely home....a miracle!) plus my dear childhood friend Lori and her husband, who were to be my hosts for the concert the next night at the Orlando Doubletree. It was a friendly atmosphere and a fun concert, but I have to admit, I actually teared up while I was singing The House on Christmas Street with Bob's sequence. I wasn't expecting it, but by that time it felt like the millionth time I had sung it, and all the memories of everyone and everyplace and all the people and displays and miles and miles came flooding back while I was singing, and I almost couldn't get through it. I'm sure part of the reason why I was so emotional was that I was beyond exhausted by that time. I mean it...I've never felt so fatigued in my life as I did by the end of the tour.
After the concert a bunch of us sat around in the driveway and talked about the tour and everything, and then it was time for everyone to leave and I packed all my stuff up. I went into the house to say "goodbye" to Bob and his boys, Terrance and David. Well, I ended up staying there and eating cookies and talking for a good couple of hours. I am so impressed with Bob, who is a single father with two adopted sons, who does volunteer work for "Give Kids the World," an organization that brings ill children to Disney World. I just enjoyed being there and talking with him and his boys and getting to know them a little bit. I'm pretty sure Terrance said he was 17 although I could be wrong about that and he could be 16. He's a young man with a lot on his mind and, like so many teens, is trying to figure things out. He's got some interesting plans for his future.....but I don't really think I should blog about them because they may have been told to me in confidence. But in case he is reading this, Terrance I want you to know that I am thinking of you and praying that you figure it all out and have a safe and happy future, and please remember that life has both shadows AND light and you never know what could be right around the corner for you. Your Dad is really amazing and you are very lucky to have such a supportive father. I enjoyed getting to know you and David and your Dad and hope I can visit you again, maybe even Christmas time this year. Thank you Bob for inviting me into your home and sharing so much with me. You are all in my prayers and I hope you haven't forgotten me!
Going back to my hotel that night was very sad. I know they don't know this, but I really didn't want to leave Bob's house. That might sound kind of nuts but I just enjoyed meeting all the people on the tour and doing the house concerts in the neighborhoods and getting so much love and good will from so many people all over the US. I didn't want it to end.
And you know what...it didn't end....because the next day I met up with Lori Warwicke and her husband for my show at the Doubletree Hotel, and that was a fun end to the tour that I had no idea would end up being so amazing.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Many Thanks to So Many People
The tour has officially been on for three weeks, and yet it seems like a lifetime to me. I've met so many wonderful people and had so many unique experiences and I thank each and every one of you for the graciousness, hospitality, caring and affection that you have shown to me along the way.
So where did I leave off? Oh yes....Cleona, PA on Wednesday night. I finally got to meet Darrel Moyer, a young college student I have been corresponding with for a long time through planetchristmas.com and Facebook. I was wondering what Darrel would be like in person because his emails are always so detailed and enthusiastic and he seemed like such a wonderful guy, and I was not disappointed. He is so full of good spirit that he practically shines. He took me on a tour of his display which is practically all blow molds (plastic figures) and I felt like a little kid. Darrel is quite a collector and he knew the company that made each one and sometimes even the year that it was made. He even took me to another neighborhood to see a display where there were so many blow molds that it was impossible to count. I had a terrific evening with Darrel and his family, just as I had the night before with Jason and his family. These two guys live only about 90 minutes from each other and they should definitely be friends. They are both in their early 20's, have a passion for Christmas decorating and trains and are nice Christian men. If there are any nice single young women out there who would like to make contact, let me know!
I left Darrel's and drove down to Fredericksburg the same night. It was only two hours but felt like longer because the tiredness hit about halfway there. I had cookies that Jason's mom had baked and I ate about 20 of them to help me stay awake. I definitely have not lost any weight on this tour because I do eat a lot to stay awake. Oh well, I have the big red coat to cover all the flaws!
Friday in Fredericksburg was jam packed full of activity. First of all, it was snowing. Of course! The snow has followed me wherever I've gone! I started the day with my hosts, the Shanks, picking me up and bringing me to WGRQ radio where I did a fun segment with morning host Dave Adler. We had goodies from Paul's Bakery and we did "Candy" live and he did a great job on the "oh yeahs". School was canceled everywhere so that was a bad sign of things to come, but I still had a great time.
After the interview I went back to the hotel and tried to catch up on the 100+ emails in my mailbox, then it was on to Paul's Bakery and the Young at Heart Gift Shop for a three hour appearance. I met a gaggle of super people at Paul's, including owners Paul and Sandy and their family and friends. Even Santa was there for the afternoon! I felt bad because the weather was keeping people indoors, but I was mystified too......I mean, there was less than an inch of snow on the ground! In New Hampshire there has to be at least a foot before they cancel school! But businesses were closing and as the afternoon went on more and more people were staying in, so there weren't a lot of people who came to the shop. Still, I very much enjoyed looking at all the nice things that Sandy sells in the shop, especially in the Christmas room, and of course the delicious treats from the Bakery and the candy counter. I've just given up on the figure til after Christmas.
Unfortunately the Shanks had to cancel the performance due to the weather, so that made two shows so far that had to be put on ice, so to speak, because of Mother Nature. I did enjoy watching thei rfantastic light show and the "photo ops" outside of the house,and then I went back to the bakery and Paul took me over to his house to see his display. It was unique in that Paul made nearly every single lighted wire frame figure in his yard, and they all had gingerbread children doing things like jumping rope, playing on a teeter-totter, bowling and even taking off in a rocket ship. He animated the lights to make it appear that his figures were doing all these things. Paul even created a little train to take children around the display on. He uses gingerbread people to carry on the theme of his bakery. It was so charming and fun, and just amazing that one man had created all of this stuff. I especially enjoyed the bowling gingerbread man, whose bowling ball went all down the lawn and then knocked over a pile of snowmen. I wish I had a video to show you!
All of us ended up meeting at the Golden Corral, one of my favorite restaurants and we had a wonderful dinner.. It was very hard to leave them all after such a nice day.
Everywhere I've gone I've made new friends and then had to leave them. But I will never, ever forget them or this amazing experience.
Okay, Friday deserves an update all it's own...so that's coming next.
So where did I leave off? Oh yes....Cleona, PA on Wednesday night. I finally got to meet Darrel Moyer, a young college student I have been corresponding with for a long time through planetchristmas.com and Facebook. I was wondering what Darrel would be like in person because his emails are always so detailed and enthusiastic and he seemed like such a wonderful guy, and I was not disappointed. He is so full of good spirit that he practically shines. He took me on a tour of his display which is practically all blow molds (plastic figures) and I felt like a little kid. Darrel is quite a collector and he knew the company that made each one and sometimes even the year that it was made. He even took me to another neighborhood to see a display where there were so many blow molds that it was impossible to count. I had a terrific evening with Darrel and his family, just as I had the night before with Jason and his family. These two guys live only about 90 minutes from each other and they should definitely be friends. They are both in their early 20's, have a passion for Christmas decorating and trains and are nice Christian men. If there are any nice single young women out there who would like to make contact, let me know!
I left Darrel's and drove down to Fredericksburg the same night. It was only two hours but felt like longer because the tiredness hit about halfway there. I had cookies that Jason's mom had baked and I ate about 20 of them to help me stay awake. I definitely have not lost any weight on this tour because I do eat a lot to stay awake. Oh well, I have the big red coat to cover all the flaws!
Friday in Fredericksburg was jam packed full of activity. First of all, it was snowing. Of course! The snow has followed me wherever I've gone! I started the day with my hosts, the Shanks, picking me up and bringing me to WGRQ radio where I did a fun segment with morning host Dave Adler. We had goodies from Paul's Bakery and we did "Candy" live and he did a great job on the "oh yeahs". School was canceled everywhere so that was a bad sign of things to come, but I still had a great time.
After the interview I went back to the hotel and tried to catch up on the 100+ emails in my mailbox, then it was on to Paul's Bakery and the Young at Heart Gift Shop for a three hour appearance. I met a gaggle of super people at Paul's, including owners Paul and Sandy and their family and friends. Even Santa was there for the afternoon! I felt bad because the weather was keeping people indoors, but I was mystified too......I mean, there was less than an inch of snow on the ground! In New Hampshire there has to be at least a foot before they cancel school! But businesses were closing and as the afternoon went on more and more people were staying in, so there weren't a lot of people who came to the shop. Still, I very much enjoyed looking at all the nice things that Sandy sells in the shop, especially in the Christmas room, and of course the delicious treats from the Bakery and the candy counter. I've just given up on the figure til after Christmas.
Unfortunately the Shanks had to cancel the performance due to the weather, so that made two shows so far that had to be put on ice, so to speak, because of Mother Nature. I did enjoy watching thei rfantastic light show and the "photo ops" outside of the house,and then I went back to the bakery and Paul took me over to his house to see his display. It was unique in that Paul made nearly every single lighted wire frame figure in his yard, and they all had gingerbread children doing things like jumping rope, playing on a teeter-totter, bowling and even taking off in a rocket ship. He animated the lights to make it appear that his figures were doing all these things. Paul even created a little train to take children around the display on. He uses gingerbread people to carry on the theme of his bakery. It was so charming and fun, and just amazing that one man had created all of this stuff. I especially enjoyed the bowling gingerbread man, whose bowling ball went all down the lawn and then knocked over a pile of snowmen. I wish I had a video to show you!
All of us ended up meeting at the Golden Corral, one of my favorite restaurants and we had a wonderful dinner.. It was very hard to leave them all after such a nice day.
Everywhere I've gone I've made new friends and then had to leave them. But I will never, ever forget them or this amazing experience.
Okay, Friday deserves an update all it's own...so that's coming next.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Concert in England Tonight!
I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day in merry old England. Hard to believe all of this is happening because of one little song, but I'm so happy and excited. I want the concert to go well tonight. We are using all Paul's equipment so I can't help anything that might go wrong there!
It's funny, I never ever get nervous before a show, but I guess the shows on this tour are a whole 'nother level. I know the press will be there and there will be lots of videos and so forth, and I guess that must be what's making me just a teensy bit queasy.
Providing there are no technical difficulties, the concert will be streamed live at 6:30 pm England time, which is 1:30pm EST in the US. The web address is www.pegondemand.tv and I hope you can watch, and please let me know what you think of it!
It's funny, I never ever get nervous before a show, but I guess the shows on this tour are a whole 'nother level. I know the press will be there and there will be lots of videos and so forth, and I guess that must be what's making me just a teensy bit queasy.
Providing there are no technical difficulties, the concert will be streamed live at 6:30 pm England time, which is 1:30pm EST in the US. The web address is www.pegondemand.tv and I hope you can watch, and please let me know what you think of it!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Hello from England
Hello,
I decided on the plane that the posts I would make during this trip would be more than just informational. I think I owe it to the people who have made this journey possible (that's YOU!) to dig a little deeper and let you know what I'm feeling and thinking. So here we go....
The past couple of days have been a blur as I rushed to make final preparations for the journey. Such a combination of emotions: excitement, worry, and sadness as I knew it would be nearly a month before I saw my whole family again. I cried a lot more than I thought I would over this mix of feelings swirling around. I've never been away from my family during the Christmas season, but we all discussed this some months ago and agreed that it was worth the risk if the goal, to make The House on Christmas Street a mainstream hit, was achieved.
The first concert of the tour got off to a rough start on Saturday night as we discovered a piece of equipment missing. The radio receiver which would have allowed my sound system to broadcast the music from the decorators' computer systems was missing. It's still missing. We've looked EVERYWHERE but it seems to have vaporized. This was especially awkward and upsetting as it had been a gift from my first host, Brian Mitchell. Brian is a very nice man and sort of a man of few words, so he didn't say much but I'm sure he was upset, and of course the whole situation was not the best way to begin a performance. Then, just as I was about to begin with the first song, the music wouldn't start. I'd been looking for two weeks to replace the piece of equipment that caused THIS problem but had been unable to find anything suitable. Finally it started and the show was off and running and I felt good and smiley. There were, I thought, a good number of people there but I found out later that the snow squall that had happened while I was driving to Claremont had iced over the roads and because Brian lives at the top of the hill there were many who had to turn around because they couldn't get up that hill.
The next disaster happened when I made the poor decision to sing a song I'd only learned over the past two days. It was "All I Want for Christmas is You," and though I thought I knew it, all of the lyrics just FLEW out of my head nearly immediately. I couldn't see the faces of the audience in the dark and so I don't know if they were laughing or disgusted. I was quite angry with myself. The last time I saw a performer botch a song that badly I talked about it for weeks, and now here I was guilty of it myself. Anyhow, things got back on track after that and the lovely little girl who came up to sing "Frosty" with me was a delight!
This was my third annual concert at the Mitchell home and they are the nicest people in the world. If you folks are reading this I want you to know I am very grateful for the opportunity and thankful for your friendship.
NEWS FLASH: just read a great write-up in the e-ticker news of Claremont. You can read it here (you have to scroll down to p. 8) and they have a video on their facebook page here
Sunday I had a fun ride to NYC with my daughter and two of her friends, and I got to the airport in plenty of time. The flight left at 5:40pm and it was a seven hour flight, then I had an hour layover in Dublin and another flight of a little over an hour to get to Birmingham, England, where I was greeted by Paul and his partner Chris. They were just delightful and we hit it off immediately during our two hour drive to Wells (which I learned is called Wells because of the wells! Makes sense, huh?). I visited Paul's home and met his lovely mother and got to see his display and have a photo op there. I also had a telephone interview with someone from the local paper. Then they brought me over to the beautiful b&b where I am staying. I'm in the master bedroom with an amazing canopy bed that looks like something fit for a Queen. There's even a cradle in here in case I decide to have a baby while I'm here! HA HA! The bathtub is huge...it must be six feet long...and nice and deep so I decided to have a bath and I fell asleep in the tub. Here we are five hours ahead of the eastern US so it is about 10am as I write this but 5:00 EST. OH yes, and there's a bidet in the bathroom but I have no idea how to use it and I'm afraid to turn it on lest it spray all over the bathroom. Perhaps, if I am feeling adventurous, I'll try to turn it on later just to see how it works.
Paul and Chris are very gracious and even provided me with a cell phone to call home because mine does not work internationally, so I got to speak to Philip but was unable to reach Emma or Louisa.
In the late afternoon we visited the Wells Cathedral which I'm sure is the oldest building I've ever been in. Walking through it felt like walking back in time. Plus there was the added bonus of meeting the Cathedral cat, Louis, who was curled up by a radiator and was very happy to be petted. The Cathedral is built by the well of St. Andrew, and I found it an amazing coincidence that Google just informed me when I signed on that today is St. Andrew's Feast Day.
Paul and Chris are quite knowledgeable about the history here and they've just filled me up with facts. Today I am waiting for them to arrive for our trip to Stonehenge and Glastonbury. It's snowing lightly outside which they say is very unusual. It snowed when I was in Claremont too. Do you think it will snow in Texas when I am there??????
I decided on the plane that the posts I would make during this trip would be more than just informational. I think I owe it to the people who have made this journey possible (that's YOU!) to dig a little deeper and let you know what I'm feeling and thinking. So here we go....
The past couple of days have been a blur as I rushed to make final preparations for the journey. Such a combination of emotions: excitement, worry, and sadness as I knew it would be nearly a month before I saw my whole family again. I cried a lot more than I thought I would over this mix of feelings swirling around. I've never been away from my family during the Christmas season, but we all discussed this some months ago and agreed that it was worth the risk if the goal, to make The House on Christmas Street a mainstream hit, was achieved.
The first concert of the tour got off to a rough start on Saturday night as we discovered a piece of equipment missing. The radio receiver which would have allowed my sound system to broadcast the music from the decorators' computer systems was missing. It's still missing. We've looked EVERYWHERE but it seems to have vaporized. This was especially awkward and upsetting as it had been a gift from my first host, Brian Mitchell. Brian is a very nice man and sort of a man of few words, so he didn't say much but I'm sure he was upset, and of course the whole situation was not the best way to begin a performance. Then, just as I was about to begin with the first song, the music wouldn't start. I'd been looking for two weeks to replace the piece of equipment that caused THIS problem but had been unable to find anything suitable. Finally it started and the show was off and running and I felt good and smiley. There were, I thought, a good number of people there but I found out later that the snow squall that had happened while I was driving to Claremont had iced over the roads and because Brian lives at the top of the hill there were many who had to turn around because they couldn't get up that hill.
The next disaster happened when I made the poor decision to sing a song I'd only learned over the past two days. It was "All I Want for Christmas is You," and though I thought I knew it, all of the lyrics just FLEW out of my head nearly immediately. I couldn't see the faces of the audience in the dark and so I don't know if they were laughing or disgusted. I was quite angry with myself. The last time I saw a performer botch a song that badly I talked about it for weeks, and now here I was guilty of it myself. Anyhow, things got back on track after that and the lovely little girl who came up to sing "Frosty" with me was a delight!
This was my third annual concert at the Mitchell home and they are the nicest people in the world. If you folks are reading this I want you to know I am very grateful for the opportunity and thankful for your friendship.
NEWS FLASH: just read a great write-up in the e-ticker news of Claremont. You can read it here (you have to scroll down to p. 8) and they have a video on their facebook page here
Sunday I had a fun ride to NYC with my daughter and two of her friends, and I got to the airport in plenty of time. The flight left at 5:40pm and it was a seven hour flight, then I had an hour layover in Dublin and another flight of a little over an hour to get to Birmingham, England, where I was greeted by Paul and his partner Chris. They were just delightful and we hit it off immediately during our two hour drive to Wells (which I learned is called Wells because of the wells! Makes sense, huh?). I visited Paul's home and met his lovely mother and got to see his display and have a photo op there. I also had a telephone interview with someone from the local paper. Then they brought me over to the beautiful b&b where I am staying. I'm in the master bedroom with an amazing canopy bed that looks like something fit for a Queen. There's even a cradle in here in case I decide to have a baby while I'm here! HA HA! The bathtub is huge...it must be six feet long...and nice and deep so I decided to have a bath and I fell asleep in the tub. Here we are five hours ahead of the eastern US so it is about 10am as I write this but 5:00 EST. OH yes, and there's a bidet in the bathroom but I have no idea how to use it and I'm afraid to turn it on lest it spray all over the bathroom. Perhaps, if I am feeling adventurous, I'll try to turn it on later just to see how it works.
Paul and Chris are very gracious and even provided me with a cell phone to call home because mine does not work internationally, so I got to speak to Philip but was unable to reach Emma or Louisa.
In the late afternoon we visited the Wells Cathedral which I'm sure is the oldest building I've ever been in. Walking through it felt like walking back in time. Plus there was the added bonus of meeting the Cathedral cat, Louis, who was curled up by a radiator and was very happy to be petted. The Cathedral is built by the well of St. Andrew, and I found it an amazing coincidence that Google just informed me when I signed on that today is St. Andrew's Feast Day.
Paul and Chris are quite knowledgeable about the history here and they've just filled me up with facts. Today I am waiting for them to arrive for our trip to Stonehenge and Glastonbury. It's snowing lightly outside which they say is very unusual. It snowed when I was in Claremont too. Do you think it will snow in Texas when I am there??????
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