Calling All Guitarists!

Posted on July 11, 2012 by composerinthegarden

Bill and science camp kids in front of the big guitar

If you play guitar, like guitar music, or just want a different kind of museum experience, visit the traveling National Guitar Museum exhibit “Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World.” Their subtitle for the show is “The history, the science, and cultural impact of the most popular instrument. Ever.” They are not exaggerating.

The Carnegie Science Centerin Pittsburgh is hosting the exhibit until the end of September and it is spectacular. This past week, my husband Bill played guitar for the kids at science camp at the museum, directly in front of the largest playable guitar in the world. After the concert, we had a chance to explore the exhibit, Bill got to play the “big guitar” and I caught a few of the highlights on camera.

The Interactive Guitar Gallery

Everything is unique; road cases house guitars and support amps that are equipped with video displays of historical performances. All styles are represented, and our friend and guitar luthier Bob Benedetto shipped a copy of his luthier workshop to join the exhibit. Bill took the opportunity to climb into the exhibit and don Bob’s work apron, much to the amusement of Bob and his wife Cindy. You can see a few of the shots on their Benedetto Guitars website.

The exciting thing about the exhibit is its marriage of science, history and culture into interactive displays – this is a hands on experience and a treat for all the senses. Here is a little video I made of our day at the museum, to a soundtrack of “Counting By Eight”, one of Bill’s pieces from his CD Sonic Art – enjoy!

Want to hear the sound of the big guitar?

What’s in a Word?

Posted on June 30, 2012 by composerinthegarden

I like good strong words that mean something. ~ Louisa May Alcott

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Shakespeare

A week of very hot weather and a very intense teaching schedule has come to a close. After a quiet morning spent re-acquainting myself with my garden and my family, I find that I am a little short of words. I’ve used up so many of them this week that I’ve decided to share a clever video from Radiolab, all about words.

Many thanks to my student John who shared this video with my class. Enjoy!

Beauty for a Day

Posted on June 22, 2012 by composerinthegarden

Hemerocallis or daylily – from the Greek “hemera” (day) and “kalos” (beautiful) translated as “beauty for a day” – a hardy perennial native to China, Japan, and Korea whose flowers last for only one day

Although I have been deep in multiple projects for the past two weeks, I found time the past few mornings to grab a few photos from the garden. The intense heat has driven garden bloom from rose season into daylily season.

I love daylilies for their huge variety of color, shape, size and durability. If you are only familiar with the orange roadside dayilies, you may be surprised to find that there are literally thousands of modern hybrids to choose from, often with fanciful names and exotic shapes and patterns. I love coordinating daylily bloom colors with other flowers and foliage. One of my favorite color beds in the garden is the “grape and lemonade” bed – cool lemons and deep purples, a color scheme inspired by daylily ‘Etched Eyes’ hybridized by Matthew Kaskel.

Here are a few portraits of the early season bloomers. For more information on the wonderful world of daylilies, visit the American Hemerocallis Society.

A Breed Apart

Blue Eyed Butterfly

Bubbly

Dark Star

Diabolique

Etched Eyes

Full Moon Magic

Grape and Lemonade Bed

Intricate Etchings

Lonesome Dove

Deck border

Roger Grounds

Strawberry Fields Forever with roses

Tiger Eye Spider

Wind Frills

Wisest Of Wizards

Mid-week Milestone

Posted on June 14, 2012 by composerinthegarden

Milestones are constructed to provide reference points along the road. This can be used to reassure travelers that the proper path is being followed, and to indicate either distance travelled or the remaining distance to a destination. (Wikipedia)

When we were kids riding in the family car, my dad would always announce an upcoming rollover in the car mileage. Turning over to the next thousand miles was a big deal and we all leaned over the front seat to watch the numbers change from many 9’s to many 0’s, then gave a big cheer!

I relived that experience this week on WordPress, my vehicle for communicating and sharing. I try not to obsess about stats but rather use them “as a reference point along the road” and to reassure myself that “the proper path is being followed.”

I’ve been blogging for a little over ten months, once a week, with a rare mid-week post. This blog has helped me enormously in finding a voice and creating a welcome challenge to express myself and share my ideas, images, and music. Little did I anticipate how many wonderful people I would meet and learn from along the way. So, when I saw my 100th Follower (thank you, Historic Virginia Plantation) and my 10,000th View appear on the same day, and my 500th Like a few days earlier, it felt like a milestone reached and I gave a little cheer when the numbers rolled over. For many of you, I am sure these are small numbers (and it is probably very impolite to make them public!) but to me, they represent a valuable contact with others that I wouldn’t have had if I had never begun to blog. And so, I want to express my deep thanks to those who read and follow and visit and comment – you are never taken for granted! Blogging continues to be a pleasure rather than an obligation and I hope that it remains that way.

Milestone: An important event, as in a person’s career, the history of a nation, or the advancement of knowledge in a field; a turning point. (The Free Dictionary)

Here’s a link to my very first post on August 28, 2011, The Sound of the August Garden. Enjoy!

Thanks to Zorba the Greek for the use through Creative Commons of this great image of an ancient stone milestone in the UK.

Breakfast in the Treetop Bistro

Posted on June 9, 2012 by composerinthegarden

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. ~John Gunther (American journalist & author)

This morning was a perfect moment – the air cool but not chilly, the sky a clear blue, and a light breeze bringing the fragrant scents of the garden up to the deck. I celebrated with a long lingering breakfast in the Treetop Bistro, the name for our upper deck.

The two decks along the back facing the woods were a big factor in choosing this house. The upper deck, reached by a spiral staircase, was where I originally planned the garden. The perfect place for morning coffee, it started out as a calm blue and cream place with wicker chairs, a birdbath, and some potted plants, and served its purpose well.

But then two years ago, with a thunderous crash, a huge old oak fell on the house on a calm windless day, taking out the lower deck, part of the roof, part of the upper deck, and most of the furniture and pots. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the garden and decks were a construction zone all summer.

It seemed a good time to rethink the upper deck; I wanted to create a colorful hideaway for a cup of morning coffee or a glass of evening wine. Taking into account the dark brown house and the green wall of treetops, I settled on a mix of rose, coral, orange, gold, and dark red.

The area rugs are actually woven vinyl, called Mad Mats, an inexpensive but attractive way to create the feel of an outdoor room, easy to hose down all summer and roll up to store for the winter. Brown outdoor paint pulled together a mish mash of furniture, a few pillows were added, and the “bistro” was born.

Not only did I want a certain color scheme that was warm and cheerful, I wanted the feel of a secluded bistro like so many I have visited in France, Italy, and Spain, tucked away in a side street and surrounded by old trees. Hayracks and pots holding flowers, herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes turned it into a lush kitchen garden as well.

The bench invites a quiet moment in the treetops.

Sometimes Angel Eyes takes a nap on the bench.

And breakfast? It was delicious!

Want to see what the plantings will look like by the end of summer? See a slideshow from last September that includes some photos of the Treetop Bistro’s first season.

I had to delay the video deconstruction of “Breath” until a later date because of work on several projects; next week, I hope to premiere the second part of The Four Elements – “Light”. Enjoy your weekend!