Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Monday, April 28, 2008

Spring is in the air!

"Pathfinder, there is no path. You must make the path as you walk." -- Antonoio Machado

We arrived under cloudy skies at the garden yesterday afternoon, and it was so full of trees and flowers getting ready to burst in to bloom. The clouds were a bit disappointing after yesterday's sunshine, but with all the cold weather recently we were happy to be able to play in the spring air.

We played to a fairly quiet garden, and talked to a Vietnamese couple, who compared Japanese koto music to the music of the similar stringed instrument in Vietnam, the Dantran: "Japanese music is pulling at ou from the inside, it is somewhat sad, with something left unsaid; Vietnamese music is cheerful, happy, and clear....". We also met a young woman who has a Chinese version of the koto, the guzheng, and a Spanish teacher who will be taking her first trip to Japan this summer.

Under today's clouds the wood and bark looked especially dark, contrasting with the verdant greens of the garden today.







A turtle contemplates the stone lantern...At about 2:45 it started to rain. Bicyclist Herb ducked under cover to get out of the rain and say hello. Brian and Jesse - our sons - helped to carry the instruments and gear.





Elegant magnolia blossoms have survived the recent cold and seem full of hope.













The cherry trees in the meadow are ready to burst into bloom....




Each branch is so full of buds!

Monday, April 7, 2008

April 6th 2008


Our first Sunday of the spring season....only a few drops of rain!
This makes us feel optimistic about our Sundays in the Garden this year!

Coming out of a week of rain and even snow at the end of March, we arrived and loaded the cart with our hopes high that we could play during a break in the weather. We felt lucky; April 6th was our 28th wedding anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than to share our music in the beautiful Japanese garden!
We met some wonderful hardy visitors; a potter from Massachusetts, two students studying Japanese at the University of Washington, and a young professor of ecology from Cornish College who was very interested in the types of wood of our instruments as well as the trees of the garden.
We were sent the photo of koto and hands above, by the potter, Hollis Engley afterwards...thank you Hollis!




























































Signs of Spring....
















Bushes and trees are just starting to blossom...















The grey clouds made a nice lighting over the pond....












The green  moss of the garden is like a soft welcome....