Back in the saddle.
8:49 p.m.
We arrived at our hotel in CaIgary at 11:30 p.m. (our bodies were two hours sleepier), having missed supper (Hubby bought a sandwich on the plane, but I made do with my complimentary beverages), so hit the lobby bar where we got a snack (edamame for me, nachos for him) before hitting the proverbial hay.
It was frickin� cold in Cowtown. There was snow on the roofs and ice on the sidewalks, and I had eschewed my warmest winter coat in favour of something a little less bulky and rued it. It would have been nice to have boots, too. At least I had a scarf and gloves, unlike Hubby, who ended up buying a scarf, among other things, at a souvenir shop. He also got himself a really nice leather Aussie hat (not the kind with the flipped up brim) which looks fantastic on him. I actually suggested that he get it after he tried it on for fun. We searched high and low for a hat for me, but were once more unsuccessful. Maybe next trip.
The dress rehearsal for his piece went excellently, and both performances were really good. He even got a great review from the HeraId music critic, who hadn�t been all that complimentary about his symphony last time around. The bit which will be quoted ad nauseum is that this piece �should become a staple of Canadian repertoire.� Not bad, eh? He was mobbed both nights by concertgoers, even giving out autographs. He loves the attention. Well, who can blame him?
On the Friday night there was a gala hosted by the CMC, which included a pre-concert party including food and a silent auction, cheese and fruit at intermission, and dessert and coffee afterwards. It was at this last that we played jazz. That was a little disappointing. In the afternoon we had rehearsed with the bass player and the sax player (who is also the regional director of the CMC and was busy setting up for the party), just going through the tunes very cursorily, making sure we knew what the endings were like. The bassist was very good. At the actual party, though, hardly anyone paid us attention, the sax player actually only played a couple of tunes with us, and it was up to the three of us to keep the show going, which we did ably. But we never even played through our entire rep as guests were leaving and the CMC people were wrapping up. At least Little Princess� friend J and his girlfriend I (they�re both grad students at the university there) stayed, and we went out with them afterwards to a smoky bar (yes, there is still smoking in bars in AIberta, sadly) and drank an amber ale with an unlikely name. More nachos were consumed along with the beer.
The trip home was with a different airline, and we got complimentary cookies along with our complimentary beverages, and our flight attendant was hilarious while acting out the safety procedures. He got a round of applause, in both official languages.
It was a good trip, but I�m exceedingly glad to be home. Now I have to get used to being back in eastern time.
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