The Good News

As strange as this may sound, my computer was not turned on at all on Sunday, 8/17. And as far as I can tell, there has not yet been a rift in the space-time continuum. Cross your fingers.

It was great having Kris visit us over the weekend. We shared news from Cincinnati and Kent, sampled food in area restaurants, watched some of the Olympics, and visited with Mike. We also just "hung out".

Kris even got to see and hear my barbershop quartet in action. We had a gig at 10:30 on Sunday for the Penn-Ohio chapter of the Model A Owner's Club. They were celebrating their 50th anniversary at The Ledges shelter in Virginia Kendall Park (part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreational Area). It was a beautiful morning, the audience was great and the cars were fantastic. They had over 60 Model A's there. All colors and body styles. We wore our old time outfits and they fit the mood very well.



After that gig, we went to Mike and Kim's apartment and picked up Mike to go out for lunch. (Kim is in Maryland visiting her twin sister Kelly and Kelly's husband, Chuck). It brought back memories, going out with just the four of us. We don't do that very often. I couldn't imagine Mike and Kris in the 3 ft tall range anymore. Those days are gone.

Sue and Kris went home to Kent after lunch and Mike and I continued on to the next barbershop gig. We joined about 40 other chorus members as well as both of our quartets for an afternoon concert on the front lawn of Stan Hywet Hall in Akron. Stan Hywet was built by the Seiberling family, prominent folks in the Akron rubber industry. We had to get there early because the chorus was using our sound system( from the old Time Travelers classic rock band days) and we needed to get it set up and do the sound check. We shared this gig with the Akron Goodyear Concert Band. Folks brought chairs and sat under the big trees on the "Great Meadow" in front of the manor house to enjoy the music. The Seiberlings put a stone above the main door with a Latin inscription saying " Not For Us Alone". I think they would be pleased to see everyone there enjoying their house and gardens.

It was about 5:30 when I finally got home, after dropping Mike off at his house. I was ready to relax by that time, so I did. That helps to explain why the computer never got switched on.

Today, I am catching up on flower and vegetable watering, picking some tomatoes in preparation for making a new batch of soup and doing some reading. No rest for the wicked though. We have have a quartet gig tonight, near Medina, at Rinky Dink's. It's one of those family fun places( mini-golf, bumper boats, batting cages, etc). We stroll and sing and we get pizza. Sue is going along, as are family members of the other guys in the quartet. On Wednesday afternoon, we are doing another stroll and sing at an ice cream social in downtown Akron. Hobbies can be a lot of work, at times. We are sometimes amazed that there are so many jobs available for our quartet. Our pay scale is very flexible (we sometimes do retirement homes for just a snack, etc.). On the other end of the scale, we have a gig like the one we are doing over the Labor Day weekend. The big outlet mall near Lodi, Ohio has been remodeled and they are having a "re-opening" celebration. We stroll and sing from 3-7 on Sat., Sun., and Monday. They are paying $550 plus $50 gas money for EACH DAY!! I love that old, barbershop style.

We don't split up the money when we get paid. It goes into an interest paying quartet checking account. Our lead singer is a financial planner so he set this all up, gives us statements and takes care of filing tax returns. We have been spending money on clothes for our performances, music, out of town trips, and meals before or after gigs. The plan is to save enough to take guys and wives on a trip somewhere like Las Vegas or maybe on a cruise. That should be fun.