"Hiding" is a technical term

We performed our last concert of the season last night with an audience of 22 people at the Clinton library. Not counting spouses and other relatives it's a band-to-population ratio of about 0.5, not bad for our level. All of the material we do has been challenging, since I only started playing saxophone for the first time last October; some of it is really hard.

Fortunately we have three really strong trumpet players and our professional bandleader/ arranger plays piano; incompetencies in the ranks don't show very much, especially if they have no solos. When we complained about the rhythms in his arrangement of "A Train" he generously said, "it's ok to hide, play what you can." So "hiding" is a well-known technical term. I'll have to pay attention next time I hear the Chicago Symphony. Fortunately I sit in the back row. Pretending to play notes is just as easy as pretending to play music.

The flowers in the garden are glorious. Note niece Helen's mosaic on the fence next to "Fourth of July".