Remember show and tell? One thing I loved to bring to show and tell year after year was one of the small pieces of the Kitty Hawk fabric that had been divvied up to the members of the Orville Wright’s estate. We had two small pieces that were mounted on certificates of authenticity and [...]
I have this vague geometric model in my head that represents in an abstract way the return home from any destination. I see the trip back as passing through a funnel that gets increasingly narrower as I approach Milwaukee. The actual plane that lands in Milwaukee is the neck of that funnel and contains [...]
It was a sound I had to have. I remember hearing it for the first time in songs like Spyro Gyra’s Morning Dance and Catching the Sun. By this time, I was already a fairly accomplished trumpet player and enjoying the instantaneous popularity only afforded to those kids who carted over-sized instrument cases on [...]
When something is sacred it is said to be “regarded with reverence” and “properly immune to interference.” We all consider certain things in our lives to be sacred; from the objectively frivolous but subjectively important to relationships with our children, to the hallowed promises of God. I recently heard Emerson misquoted “consistency is the [...]
In a rare occurrence, the four Konnor kids are gathered here around my dad’s bed. The nurses and doctors have told us to expect dad to die in the next day or two, so we’ve all silently agreed that we need to stay here, or probably more accurately to not leave at least for [...]
Whenever I have the opportunity to visit an art museum I haven’t seen before I generally head to the Impressionists. The National Gallery is a serious museum with a wonderful collection of art that spans many, if not all of the major periods of art. This is a significant contrast to the art museums of [...]
After working though Chloe’s piano materials and tucking her into bed, I came back down here to the piano to work on a couple things I’ve started. I’ve been working on one song in G minor. Written music has two major categories, major and minor. Major and minor refer to the key in which [...]
The Secret of Life …is enjoying the passing of time. According to the James Taylor song “the secret of life is enjoying the passing of time. Any fool can do it. There’s really nothing to it… “ I’m not so sure about the second part but I’m nearly completely convinced of the first. A [...]
Fathom That One thing I haven’t done in a long time but used to enjoy a lot is scuba diving. I got into scuba diving through the influence of my Uncle George on my mom’s side. He’s the one who had twin girls at the age of 76 and is now 83 or so. [...]
When I was at Maranatha* playing trumpet was really my escape. For one thing, it got me out of at least part of the mandatory evening study halls. I would find a large room in the upper floor of the school building and play for hours on end. At the time I had dreams of [...]
