lobsters and music

2008-10-30 11:19:07.000 – Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer

Tatiana’s first lobster!

Music has always been an important part of my life, from listening to my Mom play the piano when I was young, to falling asleep listening to Neil Young’s Harvest during high school, to playing harmonica, now one of my favorite past times. This activity has provided me with countless hours of enjoyment with friends, a constant companion on hikes or car rides, another thing my Papa and I can share (he can play “Springtime in the Rockies” like no one else), and now a connection between our Russian friends, Anna and Tatiana, and myself. We were able to understand the concepts of different keys and with the aide of the keyboard, how a B harp differs from a B-flat harp. The major scale, do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, is a commonality and I learned from Anna that it has origins from an ancient Latin hymn, and so is the same in Russian. It is wonderful that music is such an international language, and what sounds good to one’s ear is likely to sound good to another. I look forward to playing together throughout the remainder of the week.

We also happened to have lobster on the summit tonight, which was a most special treat. Dennis, Anna and Tatiana’s host while in the States, kindly sent up several lobsters that our two volunteers, Ernie and Steve cooked. They were amazingly good and we sincerely thank everyone involved!

Now I must head outside and go deice one last time. The rime has been building up at 4+ inches an hour and winds have been gusting in the upper 80s, occasionally hitting the lower 90s throughout the night. With the temperature at a steady 8 degrees, the tip of my nose is a bit chilled when I come back inside. I’m looking forward to a nice bed and the white noise of the wind.

Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer