Mansker's Station

A group of us from McKendree Village visit the historic replica of a 1779 Village in Goodletsville, TN

After eating lunch at Mimi's in Hendersonville

Seat 9

Since the opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville in 2006, I have had seat 9 in the East Balcony, so long that I see it as my established place! And now that establishment is in danger. I've had Classical Series B in that seat and now because of low attendance, they are combining Series A & B for Thursday nights into one Thursday night series of 7 concerts. I renewed early and hope to keep "my" seat! 

Last night at the Nashville Symphony I enjoyed another unusual concert that started with Revel's left-handed piano concerto. Just twenty minutes but magnificent! Then a 70-minute wordless German opera by Wagner, Lord of the Ring before Tolkien's book which was partly based on Wagner's mythology opera. It was wonderfully and powerfully done as the non-sung, condensation of a 19-hour long opera usually done on four nights.

International Students

Today I had the privilege of joining Marlan & Carolyn Seward as they hosted for lunch 4 international students from Vanderbilt University. It was delightful as all such encounters are! Two were from China, one from Japan and one from South Korea.

Courtyard Archways

Looking into Cuban lives

where most buildings are built around courtyards

and the people are central

Tobacco Farmer

Our host on the visit to a tobacco farm near Vinales in Western Cuba

Rooftop Color in Cuba

I was attracted to the many colorful rooftops and this one in particular.

The blue & yellow are complimentary colors and the clothes line leads you to the entrance.

My 9th floor hotel room offered such views along with The Avenue of Presidents below.

See more of downtown Havana at
 http://www.pbase.com/charliedoggett/travel_cuba_havana_central
and see my photo book on Cuba at
http://www.blurb.com/b/4105807-cuba

Edsel in Cuba

A 1950's Edsel which didn't last long in the U.S. (58-60) is still alive in Cuba! 

This just one of the many wonderful 1950's cars I saw in Cuba

See more photos at 

http://www.pbase.com/charliedoggett/travel_cuba_cars

A Colonial Adventure

Walking among buildings built in the 1700's is a historic experience which we had in both Old Havana and Trinidad de Cuba, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This shot didn't make my book because I needed to crop and adjust it first. It is looking over the back of a cathedral with an old fort and lighthouse in the background across a bay.

This is the first of maybe several posts with photos from my trip to Cuba with the national organization of Zoo Docents, AZAD, February 8-17, 2013 including layovers in Cancun, Mexico both to and from Havana. See my CUBA PHOTO GALLERY  or  my CUBA PHOTO BOOK, both online.

Shadows Photo

Yesterday I noticed that interesting shadow as the late afternoon sun shown through my bedroom window. Having just finished an online class in "Photo by Design" I recognized the lines, the monochrome simplicity, and what was just interesting to me with my Tudor windows, blinds and floor lamp all making a shadow picture.  :-)

I'm feeling only a little bit better. My allergies have never been as bad and I assume triggered by a musty, moldy old hotel that was once where Ernest Hemingway lived! Tuesday I saw an Allergist ENT who took me off antihistamines and other things for a week to prepare me for allergy tests this Wednesday. Then we will maybe see what is wrong and some possible solutions. Knowing that dusts and molds have bothered me before, I have already got a dust mite proof mattress and pillow covers and a HEPA Air Filter. They are likely to help. I'll report here what happens with the allergies. For now it is sneezing, runny nose and an occasional itchy eye.

I will also try to add a few of my favorite photos from the Cuba trip one at a time here. You can see my Online Gallery for more images or the Photo Book I made by clicking these links.