Clashing Symbols

Just spend a wonderful three days with friends in Tucson. Flew out on Friday morning and returned on Monday afternoon. The impetus for this visit was the premiere of a new composition, a fantasia written for and performed by a very skilled orchestra of young people.

The pictures of the desert I show from a friend's rental. Not driving a car for three days was a nice break for me. The camera in my mobile phone can take pictures in black and white, color, or sepia. I like the sepia look, especially the desert shots. I don't like posed shots. I would just keep taking pictures knowing that many would be discarded. I'm still sifting through more than a hundred shots.

Spent most of my time in Arizona indoors. Good thing as I am no longer acclimated to warm summers. The temperature edged up to 100 degrees Farenheit. Everybody has air conditioning. Flights arriving in Tucson or Phoenix give passengers at the windows a view of swimming pools as the sun glints off the blue water.

The premiere performances on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon were great. The composer said that it sounded as though they had seven more rehearsals before their first performance. The performance was that much better than the last rehearsal he'd attended. I enjoyed hearing the different groups perform. It is amazing how much technique the children learn on their instruments in just a few years.

As much as I enjoyed the time there in Arizona, I was reminded just how dreary travel can be. A woman across the aisle on my flight from Tucson to San Diego had three children, two or three more than she could handle. Just put a DVD in the little player and have your boys zone out on that. Don't worry about the sound of those videos. The world is your day care center.