Democratic National Convention

I frequently rail about the damage the Bush administration has perpetrated on America. I rarely comment on hope. But after watching the 4 nights of the DNC, I've got to say that I dare to hope again. Whether one is for Hillary or Obama, these last 4 nights have energized the Democratic party.

I was profoundly impressed with the strategy. A clear message, delivered with authenticity and passion, methodic, rational, honest...I dare say that there might be hope. The organizers did a phenomenal job of making the most of the opportunity. Thank goodness the Clintons are smart enough and astute enough to use their power for the good of the party, and not just the party, but the welfare of the country.

I watched tonight's installment with a friend who was severely abused by the Bush administration when he was in power in Texas. She spoke the truth (in a photograph) and he ruined her career. Her story is not so different from countless other Americans. An alcoholic bully, fronting a psychopathic cabal of politicians, has squandered our country, its people, its resources, its hope.

I miss my mother terribly tonight. Everything that she stood for, fought for, was vindicated tonight. She worked with Dr. King to register black voters in Texas in the early 60's. She championed Mexican American and African American students at a shit-kicker university in Texas in the mid-60's. She mentored brilliant minority artisans before it was outre. She even got us kicked out of a Black Panther meeting!

As Juan Palomo, journalist extraordinaire, stated in my mom's eulogy, "She was a feminist before the word was defined." The addition of women's and gay rights to the Democratic persona would have made her ecstatic. I can only comfort myself in the thought that it was women like her who forged the path, who made tonight possible.

I have written about the depression of the last 8 years, and how Bush's sociopathic characteristics trigger my personal Traumatic Stress Syndrome symptoms by reminding me of 20 years spent as the ersatz partner of another alcoholic sociopath.

These last four nights have been a capstone to my own healing, my own recovery. It doesn't matter whether it was Hillary or Barack who got the nomination, the most important thing is a valid, viable alternative to the insanity of the last 8 years.

Does this sound like hyperbole? I assure you it is not. It is what I live with day to day. Tonight I was able to acknowledge and validate my own journey, and those of countless brothers and sisters who have been through the same distress that I have.

But most of all, I miss my mom, and know that if she were here, she would have been in Denver, would have thrown her entire self into the changes that must come about, must occur for us to be a Good American once again.

Music posts

The folks at b5media were kind enough to export all my posts from The Good Musician so that I can now access the content. I really enjoyed researching and writing for them, even though they are a news group, which is not particularly my style, except in blogging about education. I'm thinking about adding those posts to FOP, but don't know if my peeps would enjoy that or not. Have an opinion? Let me know.

In the meantime, our friend Glenda the Good Witch at UT has set up a university-wide blog, and our division has assigned six of us to populate The DIIA Blog. It's live, accessible from the UT Web site, and when our new Web site is launched, we will host it there.

The DIIA Blog will feature posts on education in the 21st century. Instructional technology, pedagogy, theory, and news from higher education. Team blogging is very stimulating. More ideas to bounce around, which generates more post ideas. We have technical, assessment, pedagogy, and blogging expertise represented on the team, and will invite guest bloggers from time to time. I am the official elderblogger of the bunch. Should be informative, fun, and help add that human touch to faculty development, which can sometimes be rather dry.

At the moment, we're brainstorming a sub-title. I NEVER have trouble brainstorming, but for some reason, I am not inspired to come up with anything, I suspect because our division has such a broad range of services. It's a challenge to come up with something that covers all the above and much more, while avoiding long, drawn-out, acronym-laden blurbs.

Once our Web 2.0 is live, I'll add the link to the FOP blogroll for you educators out there.

What a long, strange, HOT Austin it's been

It's the hottest summer in years, and the electrical wiring in my place burned up. No A/C for ten days. "Couch surfing," as my sister puts it, trying to find someplace cool to sleep, and plug in the C-PAP.

Place really needed re-wiring anyway. Probably the original string, ca. early 1930's. Second floor, no insulation except for limestone exterior walls, leaky windows, so it gets really hot if the A/C isn't on. Like in the vicinity of 110 or thereabouts.

Now, in that kind of heat, my body shuts down. I want to hollow out a hole under a house next to some cold water pipes, and stay there, all day long. From the time the sun comes up til around 11-midnight, it's an oven. Fruits and vegetables dry in a day and a half. I've seen this. Regularly.

It's a strange relationship we have with our domiciles. At least mine have always been. Maybe it's that parsonage habitual moving, but always at least a small home base. That's pretty remarkable, considering I moved halfway round the earth and back, to find that the U.S. had gone ballistic, and the cost of living jumped dramatically those two years.

Especially in Austin, my treehouse in the safest place for me in Texas. If the weather doesn't get you, the freakin' cowboys and, yes, frat boys drown the town in alcohol and slaughter folks all over town, especially on I-35, the busiest interstate in the country. An over/under right next to the capitol and university, with trucks from Mexico blowing soot and smoke in the air, it can get a might difficult to breathe.

From the sleepy 1968 town with a radical student population, to a small '80s city, just developing Hwy. 183, to the dip at Dell and all of a sudden at least five skyscrapers nearly finished downtown. And there are more going up. It looks like a 33% growth in the last 10 years to me. I have no idea where all these people are going to come from, or what they'll be doing, but it appears to be booming in commercial real estate. McMansions are popping up like mushrooms in the older neighborhoods.

I realize that people want their property to have value. I know from a lifetime of living in parsonages in one sense or another, that houses need upkeep. It still amazes me that I live less than 10 blocks from where my dad lived in the '70s. Blows my mind even more to flash when I'm driving in the 45th St./Letter Streets and see a neighborhood of brick bungalows my dad built in the 30's for the CCC. Good stuff, gorgeous and very organic stuff, but getting old and wanting repair.

I am back in my treehouse now, all of the above happening during the busiest time of the year at work for me. I sorta coasted on the top of the wave, and had a fully WNL blood report a couple of weeks ago, so life is good.

The photo is at Riverside Drive and South 1st St. just before the bridge and onto Lavaca. The Austin skyline is totally unrecognizable and has effectively hidden the capitol in a little bowl.

Fired up about work

This guy is climbing out of a manhole in Bratislava, Slovakia. Notice how the top of his helmet is all shiny? Folks rub it for luck.


I just got a promotion at work, and will get to use a lot of my favorite expertise to do it. Like blogging, promoting good stuff, networking, designing, and working with cool, very smart, creative people. What's not to like? Working for decades in non-profits and other universities, I'm accustomed to getting the best artistic value while running on a modest budget.

Looking forward to applying a little social networking to marketing, maybe even in a virtual environment. Both music and IT. At first, I wasn't so sure about how music and technology would mesh in my life. Now I know. It's the Saraswati principle. The Hindu goddess of music AND the sciences.

The first time I took an HTML class, I was struck by how the code resembled musical forms. The closing tag = a cadence. There's an arc of tension in both that is equally important.

Barbara Jordan: the Constitution's staunchest defender

They should round up all of Congress, and replay the clip of her famous speech about her utter and complete faith in the Constitution of the United States. Barbara Jordan KNEW how nasty it had been and could become in an augenblick. You can't say she didn't warn us. We need her now. Or at least call her and her rock solid politics to mind and heed what she says. We need someone who will defend the Constitution as astutely as she did.

That's something relatively new in aging for me. Living long enough to have seen a pretty interesting chunk of politics, from Truman on. It was always on our radio, and TV when we got one.

I miss Barbara Jordan, one of my earliest sheroes. I miss Nina Simone, as well, and talked about her at The Good Musician.

So long to The Good Musician

This is one of the many altars, or groupings of art in St. Vitus basilica in Prague. This piece is solid silver, one of a grouping of five. It's quite stunning, as virtually everything else is gold.

The Good Musician blog will retire on July 31. It's been an interesting four months, I've certainly learned a good deal about the world of blogging for pay. I loved the writing discipline, and at the same time had a great lesson in my personal boundaries and commitments. b5media are the greatest--supportive, congenial, and their admin is superb. I hope to work with them again.

Freakin' hard work. My lovely readers are familiar with my freewheeling style, and I believe that's when I write my best. Or at least my most satisfying. Not to say that I am not quite proud of my work as TGM, I was in heaven writing about music. Fried Okra Productions and the people who pop in and say hi, and share fascinating ideas and stories, is home. I missed it.

Of course, that's all very self-serving. It's kinda like my relationship with my flute and my voice. I got my first flute at age seven, a Bundy nickle plated wonderful shiny music-making real instrument. Of my own. To play as much as I wanted. A black case with blue velvet lining. A St. Louis music store sticker nestled by the cleaning rod.

I've sung all my life, except for a period from age 12 to 18, after a grumpy church choir director made a snide remark about me being too sick to sing, but singing anyway, and lousing it up, sneezing, head aching, NOT wanting to be there. Withered my little feelings so's I didn't sing again til college, and by that time I was heavy into the instrumental groove.

For a very long time, through grad school and as a performing musician. Then I got tired of being so focused on going to the edge of flute playing. I just wanted to sing for a while. So that's what I've done. Taken lessons, always a member of the muni chorus, paid section leader, contractor, ringer, et al for several decades now, and I like a chamber chorus to keep my chops up. Or just any singing, wherever--Ballet Austin, ASO, Festival at Round Top, Georgetown Festival of the Arts.

Over time, I've learned to supplement singing by combining it with arts management. Dashing up on stage at the last second after hauling a portativ organ in my station wagon for 80 miles, my entire wardrobe was black so that I didn't have to worry about changing into concert gear in addition to putting the show up.

So where was I? Comparing TGM and FOP. Different instruments. Exceedingly cool at different times. So what do I do? My head is into repertoire at the moment, working with a group of musicians and admins to set programs for this year, while supporting the group during the transition in conductors. Listening to scads of music, going through old programs, awash in fond memories. There's so much good music out there. You might think about searching out the chorus in your town and having a listen.

It furthers one to find a good teacher--I Ching

Change is inevitable. You can frequently turn it to your advantage if you keep a sharp lookout. Other times you just have to sit and grieve over the loss of a situation you held dear. And then move on.

Decrypting, our choral director is retiring from our group to focus on his university duties. This is as it should be, and everyone is pleased for him, and grateful for the time he spent with us. He is truly a gifted rehearsal technician and director, and coaxed the ensemble to shine. I was privileged to participate in some uncommonly good music making, singing stuff I adore. He will be sorely missed. I look forward to participating with him and other colleagues at the 2009 Georgetown Arts Festival.

So tonight I'm articulating my appreciation for two of the good teachers I've had the opportunity to learn from and grow with as a musician.

I especially am honored to have experienced the totally awesome Central Europe tour with our director and his wife, who is an equally gifted artist and teacher. I learned much from her about digital photography, both through her gentle tutoring and by observing her interaction with all the glorious sights around us and what her eye was drawn to. She created some absolutely gorgeous mementos of those dazzling experiences for the group.

Thanks, Kenny. Thanks, Star.

Elderbloggers and Zona Rosa Austin

I have sorely neglected my first two writing loves: elderbloggers and Zona Rosa Austin. Rather than posting on FOP, I yearn to catch up with my elderblogger buddies and see what's going on with them. The eldersphere has been so supportive and, well...wise, it has become a real source of authentication and friendship.

So I am finding time to visit my pals online and see what they're up to. As well, I have missed practically the last year of Zona Rosa Austin, the group started by Rosemary Daniell, that also is a source of inspiration and support. I finally have a free Saturday to visit with my friends f2f and share our writing ups and downs. I have watched some fine writers develop in that group, and their successes and heartbreaks are mine as well.

Meanwhile, here are some garnets I picked up in Bratislava and Prague.

Central Europe--more photos

These were taken at the Meissen porcelain factory. They do unbelievable, incomprehensible, absolutely gorgeous stuff, and have been doing it the longest of anyone in Europe. It was a treat to tour the showroom and workshop. I learned more about porcelain in one day than in my entire life.

And then learned that Dresden was full of Meissen porcelain, including the frauenkircher, the Lady's Chapel, which was destroyed in WWII, but rebuilt--the interior is brilliant white porcelain and gold. We were not allowed to take photos in the church.

Equally as stunning, there is a wall that runs an entire city block, several stories high, of German heroes and leaders through the millenia, painted on small squares of Meissen porcelain!
Nope, still haven't gotten them all on-line.

I am still awed by being in those places.

Central Europe photos--Budapest, Hungary

Parliament House, Budapest, Hungary--view from Castle Hill

Frustration. So many photos, so little time to get them into an accessible viewer. Central Europe is enchanting and deeply touching. As a kid, I was fascinated with what the world was really like behind the old Iron Curtain. Another dream I never expected to come true, but has. Very cool beans. I learned as much about my self as about peoples who lived only in my imagination.

Just as I never dreamed I would live in Australia for a couple of years and perform with the Sydney Choir in the Opera House, I was stunned by the force of a dream so archetypal that it transported me to that part of the world. This time machine isn't linear, it's infinite. Following that theory out, I'll more than likely make it to Africa one day. My mom, daughter, and niece have all experienced it and come away (or not, Jet's in Kenya), profoundly changed.

Plaza of Heroes, Magyar Chieftains 8-14th centuries. Budapest, Hungary.

Central Europe is just like the US except that it is historically vulnerable to invaders from a huge land mass to the east. The Carpathian Basin is fertile, lots of agriculture going on. Significant numbers of wind generators dotted throughout vast fields of wheat. Ancient heroes praised and honored through enduring architecture and artistry. This area was a thriving commercial center over the milennium, alternating with
regular invasions by folks like Attila the Hun and various ostragoths and eastern aggressors.

Tomb of Saint Wenceslas (Szent Vraclav), Budapest, Hungary

OMG. The cathedrals, churches, palaces, municipal buildings, royal residences. Opulent artistic expressions that shine like jewels throughout. Is it Budapest, or Prague that has over 300 spires? The other isn't far behind. As we traveled east to west, the condition of these gems showed more funding for repair and renovation. Budapest is still struggling, but commerce is picking up. Go soon before the Euro goes into effect in January 2009.

Altars of solid silver, gold everywhere, walls inlaid with semi-precious stones. Garnets and amber abound. You're looking at the tomb of Saint Wenceslas (Szent Vraclav) in the Wenceslas Byzantine chapel, surrounded by layers of subsequent centuries and building--an unbelievable display of styles. AVAE sang in the middle of all this wonderment.

Parliament House, Budapest, Hungary at twilight, around 10:00 p.m. Same view as above but coming back down from Castle Hill. Charming, no?

Photographs were not allowed in some areas, like the frauenkirche in Dresden. This lady's chapel was all brilliant white porcelain and gold. Exquisite, not to be sullied by digitization. In some museums, you could pay for a license, sans flash.

Back to commenting out Photobucket--glad they insist--508 rocks, baby!

Another Texas Summer

It was 100 degrees today. Summer is here. Time to drink more water, stay out of the sun's rays, eat lots of fruit. Making meals of a half-pint of blackberries, or a mango, yogurt.

Also time to get out after dark for musical happenings in parks and other venues.

Speaking of which, I am thoroughly pleased about meeting some great folks and musicians through The Good Musician. Posted an interview/review with Rick Blincoe, a seasoned local musician who just released his first CD, "Don't Bet the Farm." It is quintessential Austin cool.

Upcoming guests for TGM Exclusive Interviews are Steven McMillan/White Oak Trio, Will Taylor/Strings Attached, and James Neel/James Neel Music House.

Digital cameras and the kitchen sink

Found some nice light the other afternoon. Here's what I saw--afternoon sun, my favorite crystals, a volunteer avocado plant.

The hail/lightning/wind storm fried my computer. I am exceeding all known equations of happiness to have it back safe and sound.

And to have a little time to take stock. Lots of transition at work, not good news on back, daily business, rehearsals piling up more than I would like.

In less than a month, I'll be schlepping a bag east to west from Budapest through Slovenia to Prague to Dresden to Leipzig to Frankfurt. Houston-London POE. Singing mostly gospel and colonial church music in the churches and cathedrals there.

So I'm delirious to have a few moments to practice with my wowie camera (present from my daughter) and get a grip on how the heck I'm going to negotiate ONE bag with concert gear (long, black 100%), music, personals, camera, and clothes for ten days. I saw a site that demonstrated "bundling," which I may try this time.

And to get back to Fried Okra Productions. I've missed it.

John Slatin AccessU

A few years ago, Glenda Sims assured me that if I wanted to really understand accessibility, I should attend AccessU--it would entirely change my perspective on usability. This year I was able to attend the John Slatin AccessU, and yes, Glenda was right. The two-day conference, held on the St. Edward's University campus was an eye-opener and packed with information and tips.

The conference was renamed this year to honor John Slatin, UT professor of English, and director of the UT Accessibility Institute who recently passed away. John was sight-impared, and understood exactly what differently abled people need in order to access and use the Internet.

You know how I love paradigm shifts, how I reach out and snag any that look interesting...here's my big reification: applying accessibility guidelines to the Intranet makes access easier for EVERYONE, not just folks with disabilities. Consider the curb cut-out. You know, the mini-ramps at most streetcorners that allow you to more easily get a baby stroller, a dolly heaped with boxes, or a rolling backback across the intersection without having to negotiate a steep curb.

Chances are you use curb cut-outs on a regular basis. The next time you do, think about how difficult and dangerous it must have been for anyone in a wheelchair to safely and easily cross the street before cut-outs were available. A simple thing, but it can make the difference between living a relatively independent life, and a life hemmed in by barriers.

Plan in accessibility, and it's relatively easy. You'll have a much more difficult time refitting a site for accessibility--do it right the first time, and you're done!

Music for your every mood!

Start your week with music.

b5media's Music Channel offers 38 tracks to get you through your Monday.

The selection is vast. The tracks are ones we feel you should hear. Discover music and let us know what we should be checking out. Have fun and welcome to a great selection of music.

Every Monday should start off with some quality Jazz. The Jazz and Blues Lounge is our online authority. Keeping with the jazz era The Good Musician gives us two of the greatest of all time. Finish your third cup of coffee and bring it upbeat a bit with either Pop and listen to some new Nelly & Fergie at Pop Music Scene or download two free metal tracks at Metal Martyr.

From the world of four global music meccas....Jet-set half way around the globe for two must have Aussie tracks at Oz Music Scene. Heading back to the new music mecca of America, Big Apple Music Scene gives you two tracks that should be on every iPod. Down to one of America's strongest indie cultures, Austin Sound Check gives us two tracks that you need to hear. Toronto is a bustling and exciting music scene and Toronto Unplugged gives us two solid, solid tunes.

Our online music resource Our Digital Music lets us in on two key tracks to download. Anything with Dylan is good, but this Rock Dose is the best. Christian Music Fan outlines two tracks within the Christian genre. Ear Sucker always features a wide variety of quality music and these tracks are no different.

After your coffee, enjoy a martini and crank up some good ol' fashioned crooning by blasting these two gems from Crooner Culture. No day is complete without some top notch classic rock - head to the Rock Relic for your rock fix. After the magical mystery ride in rock, float over to New Age Vibe for two favorites. New Age to Industrial Addiction for great cuts from that growing genre. She Plays Music always has the inside track of women in music - here are two solid recommendations. Punk Rock is alive and well! News in Punk features two outstanding punk tracks. Add a little Hippie to your day with these diamonds at Hippie Sounds.

Hope you enjoy the wide array of selections!

This is a sweet little nuthatch who showed up for lunch last weekend. My sister puts food out for all the different songbirds. Her retreat in Wimberley is a popular stop on their migration routes. It was her birthday, so the immediate family had a nice get-together, and I spent the weekend in the Hill Country. A nice break away from the city.

The Good Musician

Image details: ECHO Klassik 2006 served by picapp.com


I've been so busy, I just realized that I have not announced my latest endeavor. I contracted with b5media to blog as The Good Musician. This requires 1-2 posts per day, plus various music channel activities, group posts, et al. Not to belittle the opportunity, the pay is not why I'm doing this. I have a lot of building and connecting to do.

In addition to this disclosure, I'd like to invite you all to visit The Good Musician and send me your reviews, ideas, comments, anything you'd like, as long as it's not rotten tomatoes or worse. You don't even have to be a musician.

I'm happy to accept new CD releases for consideration for reviews. Or if you heard something on the radio and want to investigate further, let me know and I'll try to help.

As soon as I get some posts queued up, I'll be able to post more regularly here at Fried Okra Productions.

Come visit!!

Theraplex: the medical moisturizer

This is a lengthy project completed. A while back, some folks asked me to sample Theraplex, a new medical skin moisturizer--no strings. I've never reviewed a product in FOP, and don't know that I'd want to do it on a regular basis. Over a couple of months, I sampled the four types of products.

I read the brochure, looked at the site, and used each of the four products. The important features for me were

• Do they test on animals? No, or you wouldn't be reading this.
• Do the products live up to their claim of effectiveness? Yes. Each product did exactly what it said it would do, to a greater degree than I expected. Theraplex is hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic, which we insist upon as well.
• Is their Web site smoothly navigable for elderbloggers as well as younger users?

The last may have to wait for another post--I'm working on a rubric to (anecdotally) assess elder blogs and sites, plus not-elders wanting to sell, er....communicate with elders. Authenticity is in the top five.

I gulped at the price, but compared to other equally pricey, top-of-the-line skin moisturizers, I was impressed with the Theraplex results. It takes a much smaller amount to get results, though, so it would probably be accurate to say that in this case, you get what you pay for.

There. Not a particularly well-written review, that's true. However, it is an authentic opinion, and over the months this project has been worth pursuing as much for the philosophy of the blogosphere, as for the pure joy and satisfaction of bumping my thinking up a level. Or informal learning, as a group of colleagues would identify this activity. So many possibilities. So many challenges.

Indie book stores

Joared, of Along The Way, recently wrote a wonderful post about books. Are you aware that there is one and only one woman-owned independent book store in the entire state of Texas? Yep, and it's right here in Austin. The store is BookWoman, and it just moved from mere blocks away to North Austin.

In addition to books and assorted eclectic sundries, BookWoman is the place to go for live music, book and poetry readings, and lots of other celebratory activities.

If you're in Austin, I urge you to make BookWoman a regular stop--you'll enjoy the store, and help preserve a vital, independent book store. If you can't be in Austin, order online.

The photo is a view of Panther Canyon, behind Devil's Backbone.

AVAE's American Tapestry concert

The extended drought has severely limited the bluebonnets this year. As you can see from the photo, they're sparse. If we'd had enough rain last fall and winter, the frame would be filled with a deep saturated blue, with contrasting Indian Paintbrushes scattered throughout. They are companion plants, and you won't see one without the other, except perhaps in a drought. Few Mexican Blankets, either.

So what does any of this have to do with Austin Vocal Arts Ensemble, you may ask? Well, some of the best music happens during bluebonnet time, however lush or sparse the blooms. The concert was very satisfying, good crowd, pitch stayed up pretty well, although I hate flatting at all.

A new opportunity presented itself: I've been hired by b5media to blog as The Good Musician, and went live on March 31. I can still write about music on Fried Okra Productions, and am free to publish any post from TGM a month later. You might as well go over to TGM, check it out, give me your ideas, contacts, and critique. I'm open for suggestions--anything having to do with music.

Learning curve on WordPress, I like it. It will take a bit to get up to speed. I'd love to hear about WP tips or advice--anything to fine tune the digital media, it's a frisky pony at present.

Vernal equinox + full moon + maundy thursday

We have achieved springiness. Perfect early spring weather in Texas. We won't get many bluebonnets, due to the winter drought, but I do love me a cool, sunny, blustery day after a good rain kind of Texas spring. I'm also singing with the music director whom I worked with to promote the Texas Bach Festival a few years ago. The festival, also in March, prompted me to write an article which nobody was interested in, but it did paint a picture of exquisite Baroque music resounding in the turbulent, central Texas spring.

We adore the bluebonnets. They represent the most maternal aspect of the Hill Country. A velvety, electric blue blanket flowing over the land. We watch that endless ocean of transform through purple to red through orange to yellow by the time summer heat parches the land.

Some folks from Texas A & M University have an excellent bluebonnet site. Those Aggies are experts in plants, among other things. A children's book, can't remember the name, tells the bluebonnet story of a little girl's sacrifice to save her people. I like both stories.

At the risk of sounding trite, the music I associate with this time of year is Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." The rawness and frenzy of musical lightning and wind (sturm und drang) is a perfect soundtrack for Texas in the spring. There's the more refined version of the vernal equinox as inspiration--"C'est moi de mai," is one of my favorites from the French Renaissance.

The full moon serves to intensify the forces at work. I'm drenched in psychic energy. My friend Bruce from the Sangha Cafe in Wimberley says this is the second of the "four Maiden Moons of the Triple Goddess cycle. It means whatever you want--except undeniably the lunar energy overflows & you can ride the crest of the wave only if you observe it consciously." Actually he wrote it last month for the first of the MMs, but the overflowing lunar energy is what drenched me today.

Then there was the washing of the feet and the stripping of the altar, accompanied by Schutz, Tallis, and Palestrina, representing the German, English, and Italian Renaissance. A magical day celebrating the renewal of the body and spirit.