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
It feels like we are living in some strange and nightmarish dream filled with dangerous and troubled waters from which we just can’t escape. I try my best to stay positive and put one foot in front of the other every day, but in all honesty it is getting more and more difficult not to … More Troubled Waters
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
Cabin Fever still has a firm grip on my heart and my imagination and I really don’t think that’s such a bad thing- dreams are a wonderful gift. There has been a slight shift in my thinking about it all, though, and a welcome one at that. I’ve talked and dreamed for countless hours with … More Cabin Fever Part Two: Stepping Stones
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
I recently travelled to Mars Hill University in beautiful western North Carolina with my soprano colleague to give masterclasses and perform a recital. I visit several universities in a given year, but this was special; this is where I spent nine years of my life at the beginning of my college teaching career. Nine years … More On Healing a Memory
I asked Dan the same question that we always ask each other when we stand on ‘our’ rock, the large limestone formation shaped by the force of the rushing water over the millennia that reaches out into the upper Nantahala’s Knottyhead Falls where we were engaged and married on the Summer Solstice- “Will you marry … More On Touching Base with a Touchstone: Nantahala, Day Two
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 