Today will go down in history as one of my most blessed days. It wasn’t filled with exciting events, impressive site-seeing or famous people. It was simply hours of playing music and living our simple life in Baja. The girls went to the Spanish public schools here in Los Barriles for the past 4 weeks and had a wonderful adventure and made some cherished friends. Now, it’s back to home school and lots of time with Mom and Dad.
Stephanie concentrating on learning Fur Elise
Stephanie, age 9, is playing the piano and learning Fur Elise, one of our favorites that Beethoven wrote for someone special. I giggle with Motherly tension as I watch her fearful attacks of the phrasing. There’s an awkward struggle with the notes then a familiarity of melody and little eyes light up that snap with prideful excitement. 3 hours working on this song in the past 2 days and she’s at the 8th measure and so happy with herself and I’m happy too. Nikaila, 14, is working on several different guitar pieces, including the Phantom of the Opera. It’s hard for her to watch her sister learn something quickly. The first learning phases of guitar and piano have piano leaving guitar in the dust. People think the guitar is such an easy instrument to play. Yhey are sadly mistaken. Stringed instruments sound terrible until everything comes together. The piano makes the correct sound as long as you strike the correct key. I spent about a hour and half with each girl, today, working on their new little masterpieces.
I started working on some Diatonic Major and Minor Scales in a book by Andres Segovia. In the forward he suggests that we all should spend TWO hours each day on the scales! OK, I probably made it, today. But, finding TWO HOURS is going to be hard, later on. It was challenging and heavenly and similar to studies I spent time on many many years ago. I WILL master these things by the time Summer rolls around.
Craig and I spent time with my playing the banjo and he the bass. He loosened my truss rod(sounds a little racy, huh?) and the banjo is singing sweetly. NOW< if I can remember the fingerings for all of the chords. It would be better, or at least easier if I could allow myself to play the chords in one position. But, the banjo just cries for you to play the entire neck and I’m not familiar enough with all the fingerings to sound proficient, yet. My family isn’t used to me sounding like a train wreck, I’m afraid. I suppose It will be good for the girls to hear me struggle and succeed.
We ate at our favorite little taco spot in Los Barriles, El Viejo for lunch. I had the most incredible grilled shrimp taco. I’ll never stop being amazed at what 18 pesos can get me down here. There must have more than 10 shrimp on my tortilla that I filled with cabbage and guacamole and salsas and grilled peppers and onions…all THAT for about $1.50 US. Pretty good deal, huh? The four of us had lunch for around $12 and I was stuffed and satisfied.
Evening was coming up fast and Catherine, a Baja musician, came over and played music for nearly 2 hours. We played old Bluegrass and pieces out of Stefi’s piano book and songs that Craig could sing and Niki played the guitar on about half of them. We shared and sang and ate chips and beans and salsas and funny little rib bits(that I’ll tell you about later) and sipped on wine and fresh squeezed orange juice.
Catherine left us all smiling and I’ve spent the rest of the evening working on the scales and perfecting one of my new compositions for James while Stefi drew memory pictures in my personal journal. Now, HOW could you beat a day like that?! The only way might be if my mother could have joined us for all of it. But, honestly, it was perfection.
*sigh* I DO remember to say thank you to God every day. But THIS particular day, I found pause at every turn for a moment of awe and to thank my heavenly Father for the wonderful gift that He’s given us. I will remember this day, forever.
Dad in Paradise with one of his new bony friends
Totally enjoyed your update– enjoy those girls of yours NOW- & all you do –as you will blink & turn around & they will be grown & have their own family!!