My best friend and duo partner, Diane, and I have been traveling together to rehearse and perform for many of our almost forty years of friendship. Right now we are in the mountains of western North Carolina, enjoying a lovely cabin as we celebrate the end of Diane’s third battle with cancer, rehearse for our … More On the Aging Clarinetist
Miraculously, Dan and I were able to grab a very short trip to our favorite place in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina in Bryson City, literally at the last second as the new semester begins. We’ve not been able to make our annual anniversary trip thanks to the pandemic, but no matter- we … More Mountain Medicine
I ran away from home on Sunday. Well, not exactly; I had the full support of my sweet Dan to go on a mission of love to check on a dear friend who is struggling in North Carolina. My BFF, Diane, very kindly offered to join me- no easy task during these challenging times of … More Pieces of My Heart
I am bone- weary tired from driving much of the day, but wanted to get some thoughts down while things were still fresh in my mind. I’m in Knoxville, Tennessee, finally tucked into my hotel bed after leaving Birmingham before 8am with my best friend and Amicitia Duo partner, Diane. We’re here to attend the … More On Road Trips, Memorials, Clarinets, and Life
We just spent a few days in our happy place, the Nantahala Gorge region of western North Carolina. Sixteen years ago on the Summer Solstice we pledged to spend our lives together and have not looked back since…except to come back to this magical place almost every year to celebrate and honor our beginnings. What … More Cabin Fever
The view from our room at the Grove Park Inn… As seems to be my tradition when we travel to the mountains of North Carolina, I have used all of the data on my iPhone from posting too many photos and videos. Frustrating for someone who had planned to blog each day of our trip, … More On Nothing and Everything
The adventure has begun. Getting out of Birmingham was stressful, but once we were on the road, our cares seemed to melt away with each mile that passed. Neither of us realized just how much we needed to get away, and the drive itself in Dan’s new Mini Roadster was medicinal. We couldn’t have asked … More Nantahala Dreams
The View from Here 