Morning Ferry

The first ferries coming into the the harbor at Mackinac Island this morning glided past Round Island Lighthouse. A sharp line of clouds to the southwest threatened the island weather for the day.

But the weather at the Straits of Mackinac is auspicious to say the least. A day that dawns foggy and cool will turn out to be sun filled with light breezes by noon. Rain in the morning often blows through the Straits as weather fronts cross the top of Lake Michigan and intersect with the width of Lake Huron's waters.

This unique Great Lakes micro climate pattern brings pollen free days to the Island and keeps the mosquitoes at bay. It is no wonder that people have been coming to Mackinac for centuries.

You can ride a bicycle around the island on M-185, a Michigan state highway that is restricted to pedestrians, horses, and bicycles only. It's an eight mile ride, fairly flat, and very doable, even if you don't ride a bike regularly.

Mackinac Island is 45.8 degrees north. In summer, the days weave a magical northern spell, especially in June and July. Right now the sun rises at 5:47 am and sets at 9:31 pm. Twilight dawn starts at 5:10 am; twilight dusk ends at 10:10 pm. You can go out to eat later in the evening and still take a downtown stroll for ice cream before it is totally dark.

For those of you regular Willow Blog readers who have never been to The Island (as we call it in Michigan), I hope that I'm giving you a few reasons to plan a trip to Michigan and experience Mackinac Island. Maybe when you come you'll be on the first ferry in the morning.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Swiss Style

Respect for the organist in the organ loft, and respect for the sharing the road -- both signs are from Lutry, Switzerland and give a knowing glimpse into Swiss culture.

Bicycles, motor scooters, and cars are everywhere, so the "mutual respect" traffic sign is a good reminder to be diligent and patient while on the roads.

The sign in the organ loft, this one written in French, is polite and to the point. Even the "Merci!" in little lettering at the bottom has a pleasant wisp of kindness that goes with the reminder to be understanding of those who work on the keyboard.

Both signs add up to R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Swiss Style.

Aretha Franklin would approve.

They Are Back

A tiny hummingbird was sitting on the shepherd's crook outside my kitchen window yesterday afternoon. The little creature caught me short. The red plastic feeders were in the basement. There wasn't a teaspoon of white sugar in the pantry. Yet, there he was, waiting for dessert.

I bustled to the grocery and picked up two sacks of sugar. I make up nectar fresh -- two cups of filtered water to one cup of sugar, boiled and then cooled -- about every 2-3 days when the hummingbirds are active.

This morning I put the first feeder in place and began weeding the garden beds around it. Within an hour, three hummingbirds were soaring and dipping and stopping to drink the clear sugar water that they love. It's good to know that they are back.

Considering that I'm still tired from the travel back from Switzerland, I got to wondering if birds can get jet lagged from way too much travel? Does it take them a week or two to re acclimate themselves to their northern habitat? Just wondering. . .and still yawning!

Sleepy Day

The lilacs at Cedar Bluff are budded. The daffodils have faded. The gardens need weeding. But today was a sleepy day, kind of a recovery day after a long day of travel on Monday.

It was a 22 hour transatlantic travel run from Zurich, Switzerland to Michigan yesterday and today I'm time whacked. I did manage to do some laundry and make myself a meal or two, but every time I sat down to read a bit, I fell asleep.

The time zone difference between Switzerland and Michigan is six hours. My brain kept doing the math. By 9 am this morning, I was hungry for lunch. So I did the math and realized that my body was thinking "it's 3 pm and way beyond lunch."

Since gardens and plants are going to be late this year, I haven't missed too much. The lilacs will be out in a few days and there will be time to get geraniums planted and weed the garden beds. Meantime, I'm catching up on that elusive character that makes all of life better -- sleep.

One More Travel Day

Our trip to Switzerland ends with our travel day back to the U. S. today. While the tour group folks left on various flights yesterday, Ed and I chose to take a collapse day and do a reset. That means that Miss Wanda Jean here got lots of sleep yesterday. There was the ten hour overnight sleep, a good one, and a two hour nap. Sleep makes me into a new person, especially when away from home.

So today will be our travel day. After jaunting around Switzerland's highways and streets via a new motor coach (think seats that move into the aisles; clear, coated windows, funky tray tables), we commented that a few more hours jammed into plane seats will go by quickly.

The art work on today's blog is of the Munster Bridge in Zurich, a most lovely city and one that we would come back to in a heart beat.

Farewell, Switzerland. It's been good to get to know you and your people, and your magnificent pipe organs.

Pipedreams Tour Ends

A lovely farewell dinner at a restaurant near Munster Square in Zurich capped the last day of the Pipedreams Switzerland Tour. We said our fond farewells to each other, knowing that there will be yet another tour next year.

Good byes are easy for some and difficult for others. When you share a common bond like music there is a heartwarming undertone that brings people together.

The great reformer Martin Luther said "music is a fair and glorious gift of God."

So is friendship.

Along Lake Geneva and Headed East

Reformed Temple, Lutry

NOTE: This post is a digital diary of today's travel that gives a glimpse of a day with the tour group.  I used two apps -- Blogger and Evernote -- to keep a running account of the day's events.

Day 8: Pipedreams Trip in Switzerland

Lutry, Switzerland -- 9 am: Still basking in the rich organ heritage found in western Switzerland, the tour group begins the day by hearing an organ that dates from 1791 in the Reformed Temple. The church is noted for many concerts, including the Lutry Bach concerts held yearly since 1957. 

I played Carl Schalk's 1983 hymn tune set to Jaroslav Vajda's lyrics, "God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale," using gentle stops set for me by Anne-Caroline Prenat who has been the organist at this church for 28 years. Els Biesemans, our Swiss tour organist, said last week about one of the organists who played for us, "he becomes like the instrument." Anne-Caroline's playing and the way that she helped us learn this specific organ reminded me of that comment, for Anne-Caroline talked about her organ with great respect and affection.

Els says that a good organ teaches the organist how to play. "The organist has so much love for the organ. They touch. They grow together," is how she describes the relationship of an organist to the instrument played day after day, month after month.

Valere Basilica -- 1435 organ

Sion, Switzerland -- noon:  Now it is just beyond noon and a good number of us have just completed a difficult walk up a very steep hill to the Valere basilica which is high above Sion. We are listening to the oldest working organ in the world, one that dates from 1435. It's a small instrument that is hung with a swallow's nest, a kind of wood shell, high on one wall of the very, very old church. 

I'm surprised by my persistence and daring at attempting the climb. The stone stairs and walkways are not that hard to navigate, but the steep, constant incline was a real effort for me. But I made it to the top of the hill and the reward was hearing this delightful ancient organ in a setting beyond what any movie director could depict. 

The view of the valley of Valere is expansive. I am imagining the contruction of this church, men and women and animals hauling stone and wood and food and fuel up the hillside. It is an incredible place but not a climb that I would do every day. 

Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Sion

Sion -- 1:30 pm:  We are down the hill and and in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Sion to hear the 1988 three manual organ with 49 stops. The organist, David Waeber, tells us he is the "second organist." His smile and short history lecture show enthusiasm for the organ and this holy space where, he tells us, a cantata is played every Sunday. "Bach is on the first Sunday," he says as he recites the monthly organ schedule of Sundays.

After the long climb I am ready, like Ferdinand the Bull in the children's book, to sit just quietly and smell the flowers. The soothing flutes and reeds flow over the sanctuary, and my heart, having worked overtime to climb the hill, is calmed. I begin to wonder if there is any research that shows that people who listen to organs regularly have less heart problems.

Joe, Ed, Larry, A.B., Lise -- Lunch in Sion

Sion -- 2:15 pm: Lunch was at tables outside a lovely restaurant. I had a salad with warm goat cheese and carmelized walnuts. It was delicious food and good conversation, both of which are typical of the three Pipedreams tours I have been on.

On the highway -- 3:20 pm: The bus is rolling east toward Brig through the Rhone valley where the mountains tower over towns and villages surrounded by fruit growing and farms. 

Leuk --3:45 pm: We are in Leuk to hear the parish organ at the Ringacker Chapel. Our bus driver, Alfred, let us off on a side street, just after a hairpin turn. The church is baroque style with angels and cherubs everywhere. It is used two or three times a year for a Catholic festival days. 

The organ is from 1805 with one manual. Els Biesemans, having never touched these keys before, plays music from various periods that displays the unique stops on  yet another old organ, this one being from 1805, four years before Abraham Lincoln was born. The photo of the stops, keys, and pedals is taken from our tour book, a custom printed 135 page book filled with trip schedules and information.

On the way to Brig -- 5:20 pm: We are headed to Brig and a one stop overnight at the Hotel Alex. Our guide Tim Schmutzler, with high humor and great knowledge, gives a running commentary on roads and trains and bridges and tunnels in the high alps.

Water bottle, knitting, Swiss guide book

I manage to sneak in a very short nap and I also realize that my knitting has been schmushed in the seat pocket in front of me all day. The scenery and the organs have been compelling, the travel has been engaging, and the knitting can wait.

The end of the day is near with dinner at the hotel and time to rest up for another day of Pipedreams travel.

Little Pipes, Big Heart

 Day 7: Pipedreams Tour of Switzerland

One could fall in love with a little pipe organ, the kind that is used for practice or accompanying choral ensembles. The Choir Organ at St. Francis Reformed Church in Geneva certainly fits in the little organ category.

When closed it looks like a giant kitchen cupboard. When open, you see a keyboard, a pedal board and the pipes. Built by Italian builder Formantelli in 1990, it has nine ranks with names like "tromboncini" and "voce humana."

The woodworking in the organ is practical looking, yet beautiful. Various colors of wood accent the keyboard. Stops on either side relate to the upper and lower partitions of the keyboard, depending on their location.

An advantage of a smaller organ lies within the limitation of the instrument. Because there are fewer stops, the organist develops an ear for the delicacy and sweetness of the sounds, often without relying on the big sound of the couplers or the mixtures found in larger organs.

Several of us commented that if we could take home any of the organs that we've been hearing, this would be the one. I'm in total agreement, but sadly enough, even this little instrument won't fit in my rollabout. Instead I will carry the memory of a little Italian organ in a church in Geneva, one with little pipes and a big heart. 

Day of Light

Day 5: Pipedreams Tour in Switzerland

The overcast days went away in western Switzerland. Skies were blue with high rounded puffs of fair weather clouds. The sun, so welcome, brought marvelous light. In the Abbey at Payerne shafts of light outlined the dust of the ancient building that housed the first organ of the day, an Ahrend built in 1999.

From the old space of the Abbey we walked across the courtyard to Eglisse Paroissale where a 1993 Ahrend, a sister to the first organ, is housed in a sister church building close by. The morning light moved in streams through the stained glass windows, creating lovely patterns on the stone walls of the church.

Mid afternoon light formed shadows and sunspots inside the Fribourg Cathedral as we listened to a magnificent organ in a majestic setting. Here one could feel the heartbeat of the organ. It was like a pulse that would rise and fall, a living movement of sound.

Late afternoon light illuminated the vineyards along the shore of Lake Geneva as we arrived in the Lausanne area. Distant mountains, white with snow cover, glowed in the evening sun.

It was a day of light and sounds in Switzerland with the Pipedreams tour. I'm struck again, at the end of another fine day. with how easy it is for me to show through photography what can be seen. What I can only attempt to describe in words is the luscious sounds of the organs that we are hearing. It is a sound that surrounds you with an indescribable aura and lifts your soul.

I can't put that feeling into a photo, but I can tell you that it is uplifting and satisfying beyond measure.

Colorful Pipedreams Day

Day 4: Pipedreams Tour in Switzerland

Pipedreams travel can be quite colorful. Today's most colorful delight was the golden orange of the back walls in the sanctuary at Holy Trinity Church in Bern where we heard two organs played, including the Italian organ at the front of the church, an instrument that was built in 2008.

Yesterday's colorful highlight was the blue organ in the Jesuit Church at Porrentruy. The church is now used as a concert hall and the acoustics were sharp and specific to the tonalities of this organ. Some of us liked the blue casework on this organ, and some of us were not so sure that we would have chosen this color.

Ed and I spotted this pink trombone while window shopping and strolling the streets in Bern at supper time today. At first I thought it might be a spray painted window decoration, but it was a brand new trombone.

And for today's final color, here are the erdbeeren that I had for dessert tonight. My mother always commented that in German the word for strawberry, erdbeeren, means "earth berry." Mom, who grew up speaking German, thought that was appropriate since you crawl along the earth to pick strawberries.

From orange church walls, to a blue organ, to a pink trombone, and red strawberries, Pipedreams travel is colorful. And the strawberries tasted good, too!

Goderich Harbor

The Goderich harbor has two things that both Ed and I like -- freighters and food trucks. We saw two Algoma Central lakers, the Algoma Transfer and the Algosoo, tied up in slips at Goderich. The Algosoo was being loaded, probably with salt, we thought, since Goderich is the site of the world's largest salt mine.

We could walk alongside the Algosoo and watch the loading process. Freighters are really big when you see them up close. Out on the lakes, in the shipping lanes, they can be as many as 6-8 miles away. In the harbor or on a river like the St. Clair (Port Huron to Lake St. Clair) or the St. Mary's (eastern Upper Peninsula, into the Soo), a freighter is a huge ship with superstructures that are often 5-6 stories tall.

We spotted a chip wagon, a.k.a. a food truck, right out on the docks at the harbor, too. From the harbor south, there is an expansive lakeside park with playgrounds, several beaches, places to wade out on rocks, eateries, and lots of parking and shade trees. It's a jewel of a lakefront that Goderich has developed.

We asked about the poutine on the menu and found out that this uniquely Canadian dish is actually French fries with gravy and cheese. Yipes! Ed ordered one and enjoyed the cultural tastes of a whole lot of fat and calories. I stayed with a burger and standard fries which were hand cut and delicious.

The Goderich lighthouse stands tall on the bluffs overlooking the harbor and park areas. In this photo the lighthouse is a red speck along the bluff, about one third of the way across the picture, from the left.

One of the opportunities we have living on the east side of Michigan is our close proximity to Canada. From Huron County, Michigan we can be across the border in Ontario's Huron County in an hour or two. Travel is always an enriching experience -- especially when you order poutine from a Canadian chip wagon while watching freighters in Goderich!

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Coastlines

Fog swept in off of Lake Huron toward evening last night. A spring thunderstorm in the afternoon brought warm air which met the cool water and produced layers of fog along the shoreline.

Our lakehouse is about 43 degrees north of the equator, so contrast the photo of the Lake Huron's shore with this one, taken near San Sebastian, Spain last week in Basque Country.

It was a Sunday afternoon, late in the day, and clouds hung over the Atlantic. The coastline of Spain is mountainous here. San Sebastian is 20 kilometers from France and is located on the Bay of Biscay. If I had turned the camera toward the harbor you would be looking at a long crescent beach that is the envy of the coastline and the heart of this beach resort town.

Interestingly enough, San Sebastian is 43.32 degrees north while our lakehouse is 43.66 degrees north. It was a wonder to me to realize that we flew north toward the Arctic Circle and then south into Barcelona and ended up at almost the same distance north as we are at home.

It's a small world, in many ways.

Copyright 2013

Wanda Hayes Eichler

Incredible Weariness

We watched the shipping lanes on Lake Huron in front of Cedar Bluff today with renewed interest. After travel to Spain this last week and a half, three trips to Wisconsin to see my Dad, and then for his death and funeral, a quick trip to Arizona to celebrate Ed's birthday, well, I am feeling an incredible weight of weariness. So, I watch the freighters -- over a dozen of them today -- carrying their weight of cargo as they ply the Great Lakes and I think about the load that I have been carrying these past few months.

There is the challenge of time travel for me. I don't recover well from travel through time zones. It usually takes me a day per time zone to get over the brain fog and tiredness from travel, especially air travel through multiple time zones. I have always been like this, unable to bounce back from travel with vim and vigor. I need space and time to recover after a trip.

Then there is the huge wad of grief that is clogging my soul. I am missing my father in ways that I never thought possible. The awareness that I no longer have a focus for my blog is looming big in my mind. I see a photo, a flower and I think of him and of how I would describe it for him. From time to time, but almost daily, sobbing shakes me for a few moments. Honest to goodness, tearful sobs. The kind that make you lean over and just shake.

But there are moments of calm that pierce the sadness. Ed brought me a pile of mail that had come while we were in Spain. I sat in the great room late this afternoon and opened a three inch think pile of cards from friends who wanted to remember my Dad. Some were from his ministerial colleagues in Wisconsin, most of whom I got to know, but a few were from younger pastors whose lives were shaped in some small way by knowing Dad. I handled each card with care, admiring the handwriting, the choice of card, the little notes, the stamps chosen.

The weariness will lift, that I know. I will get some sleep. I'll walk and eat well and begin to rebound from the travel. The other incredible weight, that of grief, will take longer to absolve. It will fade slowly into admiration and appreciation and memory and, yes, a lonesomeness that one feels when losing a parent, especially the second parent.

So tonight I am like a freighter, with tons of care and tiredness, plying the shipping lanes of life, ready for a harbor and a good night's sleep.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Madrid Celebration

Traditional Spanish paella headlined the final dinner on Friday night that capped off another successful Pipedreams tour. The festive dish with seafood, pork, veggies and rice was carried into the dining room by two servers.

It was the second time on the trip that I had paella. Another favorite of mine was Spanish omelet, often served as a tapa or for breakfast. The meals were wonderful, as well as the wines, especially the tempranillos.

We are back in the States, waiting for our now delayed flight to Detroit, so I figured that I would get this blog post up before I am asleep for hours. Tomorrow there will be more photos from the tour. Today, travel makes blogging a bit more complicated.

Copyright 2013

Wanda Hayes Eichler

Madrid Organ Masterpiece

We are pretty tired after a week of touring with the Pipedreams group in Spain, but today's final organ, a 69 stop, four manual Grenzing organ made in 1991, took my breath away. The Auditoria Nacional de Madrid is home to this fine instrument. It is a massively beautiful instrument.

I have been watching for cherubs each day and this tumble of figures found in the Basilica Pontifica de San Miguel is the largest grouping of cherubic figures that I have discovered yet on this spring's Pipedreams tour.

The artist arranged all of the figures like a bouquet of flowers, some stuck here, another there. At first glance, this carving is a mishmash of arms and legs and heads, but after studying it for a bit, it really works.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Small Cathedral, Big Heart

Nobody has to stand at the door and greet people as they leave a church, especially a cathedral. But that is exactly what happened today as the Pipedreams tour group left Catedral de Santa Maria Magdalena in Getafe, just south of Madrid. The priest of the church stood at the door and thanked us for visiting today.

The church, designated a cathedral in 1991 with the creation of the Diocese of Getafe, was abuzz with preparations for a festival honoring their Virgin of the Angels.

Fresh flowers filled the altars, bundles of flowers stood in the church, and flower vendors crowded the steps in front of the church. Today the children of the area come to the church and bring flowers for their festive occasion.There was lots going on as we finished hearing their pipe organ and boarded our bus.

Tucked on a balcony shelf at the back of the church is a one manual organ that dates from the 18th century. The Grenzing Organ people restored this instrument in 2011 and have done a masterful job with a very old treasure. The cathedral has six huge columns, six feet in diameter that stand 50-60 feet tall. The sound of the organ moves and bounces off the rounded columns and domed ceiling spaces. Tones and melodies play with each other, reflected by the hard surfaces of marble and stone. The color of the music is enriched into a triumph of pipe organ sound, especially when a master organist like Andres Cea of Seville is playing the organ.

Santa Maria Magdalena is probably the smallest cathedral that our group has visited on this tour. It definitely has a big heart, though, as we enjoyed the sights of a festival in the making and the sounds of a well loved pipe organ.

Copyright 2013

Wanda Hayes Eichler

Madrid Bull

Here's one of my art journal pages from Madrid. Our tour group spent the morning looking at sights around city center Madrid. We went to Madrid's Plaza de Toros Monumental de las Ventas, the bullfighting ring, to take photos and just see what the venue looks like.

My kids always liked the children's book, "Ferdinand the Bull," so I imagined a storybook Ferdinand,  who likes to sit just quietly and smell the flowers, spending some time in the great plaza outside the bull ring. This Ferdinand is adorned with a music staff and treble clef. One flower grows from the pavement in the plaza where he can sit just quietly and smell the flowers, and maybe listen to Michael Barone's Pipedreams program on public radio.

My Madrid bull has wavy, squiggly lines that came from drawing on the bus. He gave me some fun time today in Madrid.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Organ Twins in Lerma

Skies were cloudy and the air was cold when we arrived in Lerma to view the twin organs at Iglesia de Lerma. The guidebook explained the age of the organs, both built by the same maker, Diego de Quijano, in 1616-1617. I also understood that the instruments occupy a space where they are mounted across from each other in the church.

But I just was not prepared for the impact of seeing and hearing these instruments. Juan de la Rubia, organist and teacher from Barcelona, began playing on the Epistle Organ.

Using the one keyboard (there are no pedals) and playing what seemed to be a fugue, maybe baroque or renaissance, Juan brought the listener through the gentle stops to fuller, more grounded sounds. I was stunned by the sound. Here were tones and nuances flooding ears and brain -- sounds heard in this church since the early 1600's, almost 400 years ago.

Then Juan moved across the church via the U-shaped balcony that connects the two organ lofts and began fuller, deeper harmonies on the second organ, the Gospel organ, with trumpets and a pedal system that echoes the low notes of the keyboard. The organ speaks with a rushing, reedy voice, then with a clear, jubilant tone, and again more hushed, with a low humming sound.

I looked around and tried to imagine the people of Lerma coming to this church centuries ago. There was no radio, no television, no recorded music. No sound of gasoline engines or distant jets. This space with its twin organs was where they came to hear this big, big sound. Michael Barone told me over lunch today that in those days people thought that the organ sound was the voice of God. What a thought!

Ed took this photo of me with Mario D'Amico of the Grenzing Organ Company (left) and Joaquin Lois (right) of Joaquin Lois Organero. Joaquin and his company had the honor of restoring both of these historical instruments in 1994-95. He was able to explain their construction and intricacies for he knows both organs very well. Mario has great knowledge of organs and has been our guide and translator for the tour.

We cross continents and cultures, those of us who love and treasure these fine instruments. Just like the sounds of the Pipedreams radio shows that stream weekly from Michael Barone's studio in St. Paul, or like the twin organs that speak across the nave of Iglesia de Lerma, the organ sounds cross boundaries and bring people together. It is a stunning, satisfying experience. Maybe we, too, are hearing the voice of God.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Burgos Cathedral

The cathedral at Burgos north of Madrid is a huge, rambling church in the center of the old part of the city. A  large open square surrounds one side of the cathedral and provides perspective from which to view the many spires and facades of this complicated building.

The cathedral is home to at least six organs, one of which dates back to 1670 and is located in the Chapel of San Enrique.

The 1607 organ was restored in 1999 by Grenzing Organ Builders of Barcelona. Originally pumped using a mechanical system of levers and ropes, the organ is now powered by a motor and small wind chest. The keyboard, uniquely constructed of bone and ebony, has a checkerboard effect. Juan de la Rubia, organist at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, skillfully demonstrated the stops on this ancient instrument for us.

It is a magnificent experience, hearing sounds heard from a century and a half after Columbus sailed to America. The restored organ speaks across the centuries. 

The cathedral is filled with paintings, carvings, sculpture, woodwork, marble, ironwork, and many more forms of artwork. I liked the facial features of this cherub and the colors of the feathers painted on the wings. The eyes, cast aside coyly, look at us from another century, just like the pipes of the 1607 organ bring the sounds of a much earlier era alive.

Copyright 2013

Wanda Hayes Eichler

More From Barcelona

The view of the Barcelona skyline from our hotel room's terrace was, pardon my use of an overused word, awesome. Last night's sky with glints of light from the city proved to be superb. That's Sagrada Familia in the distance behind a domed structure that we never did identify.

Breakfast at Cachitos on Las Ramblas was al fresco and before the first rain of the day hit. I obviously need another cup of coffee, judging from the slack look on my face. My art book is spread out in front of me and my brain is way off somewhere.

Throngs of people crowded the streets in front of the Gaudi designed buildings. I managed to find a good spot to photograph this popular building. Gaudi's inspiration from nature, botany in particular, is apparent in the swirls and curls of the building facade.

We took the high speed train from Barcelona to San Sebastian this afternoon and viewed olive groves from the train through the first half of the trip. At first I thought we were seeing vineyards and then realized from the solid trunks that what we were seeing were olive trees. Lots of them.

We arrived in San Sebastian around 9:30 pm and were greeted at the hotel by several of our Pipedreams friends. How wonderful to have people looking for you and happy to see you. Now, tomorrow, there will be lots of music (we visit four churches) and many conversations. That will be good for my weary soul, a soul that still thinks about my Dad way more often than I ever thought possible.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler