Golden Strings Concert

The concert was a great success with the house of 385 seats almost full by intermission (Mexicans count time differently than Americans). We sang a mini concert then the kids did their part. The last third of the concert was Strings and Cantantes together. Strings conductor, Senor Medeles, is a great director and easy to follow. Despite we only had about an hour to rehearse with him and the Strings, things went well. The music was much slower than normal for us, but the younger kids just couldn't play some pieces any faster! We had long, sustained phrasing but fortunately we know how to stagger breathe so no one fell off the risers! At the conclusion of the concert the audience wanted more. Evidently Strings didn't have a encore planned so we sang the last song of the concert again, Silent Night (in English and Spanish). Even our director, Tim, joined the tenors and sang the encore. Kinda strange to sing a song twice, but the mostly Mexican audience loved it!

Every concert we have with Golden Strings, we donate our time. The Strings keep the door receipts; it's our way of supporting them with revenue and lending our name to their concert. We've performed enough with them over the years, that we recognize most of the teenage students and I've picked my favorite grade school kids to watch in the future. They are so honored to perform with us (as if we are a big deal) because we're gringos, whom they admire.

I didn't get home til a little after 10 and the dogs were nuts. I have been keeping a friend's Bedlington Terriers for the week. The male wants to mark the territory (being the only male with five, count 'em, five girls! Can you blame him?) so I keep a Man Band on him--a cloth fastened with velcro that goes around his loins and covers his pee pee. For extra protection I stick a "masculine" hygiene product (can't let him know it's a feminine product) to absorb better. My dogs and the Bedlingtons don't argue exactly, they just don't play and mostly avoid each other. Maybe another week and they would be rolling around together, but I don't think I could take 4 dogs for that long.

Anyway, got the dogs fed and my heavy makeup removed and hit the hay. I was tired but more than anything my feet hurt. I'm thinking perhaps I'll wear my black rafting sandals for Friday's concert. I wore them once before several years ago with resounding success; at least my feet thought so even if they aren't particularly feminine with a long, black gown with sparkly trim at the neck and wrists. Friday we will be standing on the concrete steps of the Chapala church, which is a killer for old feet. And sexy I don't care about--most of the eligible men here want a "purse" or a "nurse". The others are divorced for a darn good reason.