Sunflowers!

Southern Maryland Balloon Festival July 14, 2018

Jim and I went to the balloon festival at Jefferson Patterson Park.  There were nice fireworks.  Last year, we at least saw the balloons.  The Festival was rather disappointing for us.  We left a little late, got in a huge traffic jam and spent nearly 2 hours just using the bathroom and getting dinner.  I didn't even get a balloon photo!!!!  The walk-in balloon closed during dinner.  The balloon glow was cancelled because of wind, so they let the visitors play with the gas jets, creating a candlelight effect.

Fireworks

 Last Year's photos

Inside a balloon last year

Sunflowers Were Blooming Recently!

A few lovely sunflowers

Lots of colors besides yellow!

Red Winged Blackbird

I love this design!

Clazzical Jazz Concert July 22, 2018

Clazzical Jazz performed at St. Mary's Hall at St. Mary's College of MD on Sunday at 3 PM as an extra concert for the River Concert Series. The group jazzes up classical pieces into a more modern style. Don Stapleson shared that he had been texting or e-mailing with such famous composers as Ravel and Chopin to discuss their performance. What fun. Some of the pieces played included "I’m Always Chasing Rainbows" by Harry Carroll and Joseph McCarthy and "Reverie" by Claude Debussy. Clazzical Jazz also invited Dr. Mark Runkles and Robert Hayes to perform. Runkles was invited onto the stage after his cell phone went off in the middle of the performance and he was "forced" to play the oboe, rather badly at first.

Here are a few fun photos.

Don Stapleson, flutist

 Robert Hayes, pianist

 Pete Fields, guitarist

  Dr. Mark Runkles, oboist

 Fred Lieder, cellist

 Another joke.