Snowy Owl 3, and return

Sunday: Snowy Owl Inn, Waterville Valley, NH. Woke to the alarm at 7 AM, but then slept until 8:30. After a shower (while I packed), MB retreated to the lounge to give me some time for practices. Then at 10:15 we carried our stuff to the car, retrieved our skis from the shed, and checked out. Over to the town center for a breakfast at the coffee shop. Well worth the extra expense. Eggs biscuits home-fries French-toast coffee juice. Mmmm. Then, down to the office to buy our trail passes. Today was cold and clear. We got our first real look at the mountains. Then some snow began to fall. We drove to the upper landing, strapped on our skis and hit the trail. More people out today, no doubt spurred on by the snow that fell overnight. We skied out for about an hour, then turned around and came back.

There's a huge difference in quality between a circular trip, and a straight "there and back" trip (where the return is the reverse of the journey out). Music has both varieties. A third variety that music has is "Instantly transport yourself elsewhere, then work your way back."

We got back to the car a little before 2 PM, and agreed we'd had enough. So skis off, and on our way. I was very sleepy driving back. Dangerously so. I felt some guilt about this later. I underestimated how draining exercise in the cold we be, I think. We got back to the house a little after 4 PM.

Unpacking, tending to Gus, and so on. Caught up on email. Coffee. Down basement for continuation. At 8, MB and I headed to Guitar Circle.

We arrived at the same time as Martin. The outside door to the dojo was locked. Quite cold out. Bummer. But, luckily the roll-down security door was unlocked, as was the door behind it, as was the inner door, so a little initiative got us in.

We began with an exercise where 4 of the 5 of us was pedal on a note (forming chords) while the fifth person soloed. Then circulation, with music jumping out here and there. We worked on Third Relation for some time, first running it minus MB, then working more slowly including her (she just learned the two main lines this last week, without much time to practice). I had mis-taught her the fingering of the first bit. We looped the re-intro with 4 bars of the main melody.

A short break. We talked about how a definitive recording of Third Relation remains illusive.

Next, Martin went in the next room and did some personal work on the Hammerhead exercise, while the rest of us worked on Invention 1. David Victor and I all had the experience of the piece seeming to have rearranged itself since the last time we worked on it. We worked through most of it in sections, but still have not been able to make it straight through without train wrecking.

We played Eye of the Needle and Askesis through a couple of times. And one more time through Askesis with David listening. Some talk about upcoming gigs. David and I are both out of town next week, but Martin and MB will have a lessonish sort of meeting at Victor's house.

Back home, a hot shower for me, then soup and tea, MB reading a Rolling Stone article aloud to me. Now sitting on the couch with two cat-loaves in my lap.