Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Evening With the Madrigal Singers








 I have for years enjoyed the Madrigal Singers' spring show at which the brightly-dressed singers entertained with Broadway songs.

This May concert proved to be one of the last of the musical events Tom Ediger directed.

As the photographs indicate, the students enjoyed themselves wonderfully well.  They looked sparkling and sang beautifully.

I uploaded two recordings.  The first features performances by the Madrigal Singers.














The second video offers two individual performances from the evening.  Unfortunately, I managed during all last spring's madness to misplace one of the videos of all the group in song.












Rotoract Reception and Honors' Student Presentations



Near the end of April, I stopped by the president's house to take a couple pictures at a reception at which the Peru State Rotoracts served as hosts.

I always enjoy working with this active group of excellent students.

After talking with folks a while, I went across the street to see the students and professors in the Fine Arts Recital Hall that featured poster sessions by PSC Honors' Students. 









Squaw Creek, Marritt Island, and Gatorland



On the way to the Kansas City airport to catch a flight to Orlando for the annual ICFA Conference, I stopped at Squaw Creek to see the Snow Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and other birds.

My attempts to take video of the mass Snow-Geese mass met with drained batteries.

As I have in the past few years, I arrived a day early to the conference and drove in the morning to Merritt Island to drive through the sanctuary.  

Low water made the bird watching less exciting than in the past couple years; however, I enjoyed the warm weather and like this area near the Kennedy Space Center.  

That Saturday, I and a group of other IAFA folks went early in the morning to see the birds at Gator Land.  The previous year, I had gone along but this time enjoyed myself much more with a group of folks, including Nedi, one of the conference's featured guests.

 While Nedi did not enjoy the gators all that much, she and the rest of us marveled at the nesting birds on a beautiful morning.   Last
year, mist and rain greeted me.

I look forward to seeing both areas again this spring in Orlando. 






Monday, December 22, 2014

White Pelican Festival





I returned this April to Harlan, NE, for the White Pelican Festival, where, once again, I enjoyed myself.  

And I appreciated all the more how hard the folks in Harlan work to put this festival on the Nebraska map.

This time around, I showed slides and talked with adults about birds.  Next spring, the organizers hope to get some youngsters to attend, for I enjoy introducing them to the birds in their area.

I got out for an excursion on a pontoon boat and enjoyed getting close to the groups of White Pelicans that dot the area around the Harlan County Reservoir dam.

Lots of other birds also populate the area, from Red-eyed Grebes to Baffle Heads.

I look forward to a return trip in Spring 2015.













Dr. Seuss at Tarkio Elementary School



Each spring for the past at least ten years--we have lots count--Chet Harper and I take our Green Eggs and Ham entertainment to Tarkio Elementary School.

We read from Dr. Seuss books and watch students enjoy various activities before Chet and I perform our special version of "Green Eggs and Ham" for the students.


We always enjoy these special visits that end with the kindergarten and first graders enjoying green eggs, ham, and cupcakes to conclude the annual program.

Give the collection of photographs a look to capture some of the joy Dr. Seuss continues to generate.