...ok...this is 100% the opposite of the joy and delight in my weekend, but you know how it goes when you start playing!
In brief, I have to share what a magical place Lunenburg is, where over two days I could meet a friend who arrived from NYC and go to a brunch/musical venue/silent auction with her & my neighbour, and then I attended a performance where the venue was shared by both a Big Band AND an All-Men's Choir (not at the same time!)...in our beautiful St John's Church! (That was Saturday!) Sunday, I was actually up before dawn and took the photo that I turned into this! By noon I was at another fund-raiser auction and sale that included a small breakfast. 2:30, and we were at a stunning cello & piano concert in this building, The Lunenburg Academy, that yes, sits alongside "Gallows Hill", but it's far friendlier looking in the daylight! At 5ish, Ken and I threw wide the doors to invite the immediate neighbours, a few other friends and all the entertainers and staff from the afternoon performance to a Halloween Party! It was nothing more than sandwiches, hot cider, finger foods and "sugary take-home treats", but what a good time everyone seemed to have!
And here's the topper... Once everyone was fed and settled into the living room, we had five young opera singers entertaining us!!! It was all spontaneous, and we were in heaven! This sort of thing doesn't happen in real life! Talk about "Sing For Your Supper"! (Matter of fact, they're invited back here again Tuesday night for dinner... I pray that lightning strikes twice!")
@summerfield@bill_fe If you two had ANY idea how much I would have loved to have shared that evening with you all! My "snapshots" of the evening are just as I want them to be...nothing fancy, but wonderful fun! Will share soon! And when you move here, you can "live the life", too! I NEVER could have imagined this!
*** Sue @swazette and I were not only of one mind, but in the same neighbourhood "under the 'h' in the last line"...that's where her photo was taken! http://365project.org/Swazzette/365
Ha! That's too funny that we went all Halloweeny tonight! I love this shot of the Academy and the treatment that you gave it is perfect! Spooookilcious!
It looks like you never stop Louise. I hope when I'm officially retired, I'll have as much energy as you have. Have a great day and I'm crossing my fingers for good weather on Thursday. :)
super fabulous shot Louise. Your life up their sounds like heaven. It must be so hared to leave. Sounds as though you need to go south to recover from all the excitement.
@novab Good morning, Nova! Thanks! Yes, we're on for Thursday as soon as our appointments are finished at the airport. We'll meet you in your neighbourhood and I so look forward to seeing you again!
@cruiser I just have to share that in about 1998, when my Aussie friend, Enid, came to see us with a hand-full of real-estate brochures, she said then that she'd "...found a Slice of Heaven"! No trues words were spoken! We came up, too, and have never looked back!
oh, I definitely should have been a drop-in guest for such an experience!!! What did they sing? Oh, the luxury of hearing opera in your own living room! (I do that, except it's through the television, using my computer and my subscription of the Metropolitan Opera!)
@jyokota At last I have a morning to write notes! I thought of your words again last night when the group was here again for dinner, along with Suzie leblanc, an opera singer from Montreal. As it was her birthday, we went all out, and the group sang her an operatic Happy Birthday (!!!) Later we just kicked back in the living room having a wonderful evening (as they all picked up my cameras and took photos of one another (!) I'd invited one good friend to come for dessert & stay the evening, and she asked them to sing Ave Maria...exquisite! (I did make some recordings, and if I get them up on youtube, I'll keep them a step-down from public, but I'll let you know if you'd like. (I've also been invited today to come to the Master Class and take all the photos and video I'd like..)
As for the photo, the original was looking into the sunrise that hadn't broken through the clouds yet. I snagged all the tree and academy and tweaked it in threshold, eliminating the sky. Inverse...put through Photo Effects and added the text out of papers I have-and-photographed back in CA. Moon: outline and save tree...grop in moon and cover w tree in another layer. I love doing all that! Wish I had nothing more to do than play all day! (OK...there's nothing I'd be willing to give up, but I'd like more hours and need less sleep!) Thanks for asking! SO LOOKING FORWARD to meeting you and the rest in Chicago!
@Weezilou -- thanks for your detailed explanation! If only it all made sense to me, as it's clear you use photoshop or something much more powerful for photo editing than I do. I only use Aperture, which is a notch above the basic iPhoto. I can't wait for you to show me some of those fancy tricks when you come to Chicago!
And yes, please, about the video uploading! Are you a singer? What's your connection to the opera world other than your visiting friends? I've been known to go to 5 operas in a two week visit to Munich for Opera Festival. Taffy and I were going to go to an Open House at the Lyric Opera tonight but when I saw that over 500 ! people are going to be there, we decided to skip it this round but we'll look for a tour while you are here if you want.
@jyokota I do use PS... and no, I'm not a singer! This is such a small community, I've come to know the Music Director (who, with his wife were our neighbors when they first arrived in town from Italy). We love music of every sort, and Bert is well respected and connected in the music world and now brings talent here. Part of his fall programming is to provide Master Classes by-audition, so these young "students" are already on stage, but honing their skills. We're just "the friendly couple" who invite them to meals & parties to round out their local experience while in town for a few weeks. (Two of the students were here last year as well, so they've helped make the introductions to the new students...) Did I cover it?
awesome processing though, my good friend.
@summerfield @bill_fe Sue visited in July...remember this house?!
As for the photo, the original was looking into the sunrise that hadn't broken through the clouds yet. I snagged all the tree and academy and tweaked it in threshold, eliminating the sky. Inverse...put through Photo Effects and added the text out of papers I have-and-photographed back in CA. Moon: outline and save tree...grop in moon and cover w tree in another layer. I love doing all that! Wish I had nothing more to do than play all day! (OK...there's nothing I'd be willing to give up, but I'd like more hours and need less sleep!) Thanks for asking! SO LOOKING FORWARD to meeting you and the rest in Chicago!
And yes, please, about the video uploading! Are you a singer? What's your connection to the opera world other than your visiting friends? I've been known to go to 5 operas in a two week visit to Munich for Opera Festival. Taffy and I were going to go to an Open House at the Lyric Opera tonight but when I saw that over 500 ! people are going to be there, we decided to skip it this round but we'll look for a tour while you are here if you want.