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Ally House

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2010
Messages
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Location
Eugene, OR
I have a good friend (who has been my tuba instructor off and on) who got hired as the bass trombone player with the Newport (OR) Symphony, and his first performance with them was last weekend. The weather was beautiful, and so we set out. We chose to go from Eugene by way of Alsea Falls, to the north and west of town.

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Got some good fall colors:

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And posed for a shot. I'm on the left; Karyn, the FJR pilot is on the right:

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Some departure shots:

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We rode into Newport via OR 34 and US 101. Got our rooms at The Whaler, with a great ocean view. We then walked into the Historic Nye Beach area of Newport and found a fantastic Irish Pub. Now, I realize that "This thread is useless without pics", so I guess we'll have to go back to show you the spectacular ocean views and the pub food. Suffice to say that the Shepherd's Pie and the Bangers and Apples made enough for dinner and breakfast. Yes, there was Guiness on tap. I promise to return and provide decent photographic evidence.

The purpose of this ride was to go watch my friend and teacher play with the NSO. Unbeknownst to me, they were performing "Carmina Burana" which I had never heard. In addition to the NSO, members of the Willamette Master Chorus and the Central Coast Chorale, along with a 20 voice children's choir were part of the production. The cast was too big for the Newport Performing Arts Center (which was on the opposite side of the parking lot for the hotel we were at, but I digress...) and so this event was in the high school gym. I was a bit skeptical, until they began. This show knocked my socks off!

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As a bonus, the man we just hired to direct the Oregon Tuba Ensemble was substituting on tuba for this group. Sean is the tuba player, Todd, my teacher, is the trombone player to his right.

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I cannot say enough about the quality of the performance. We went back to the hotel afterwards, and I was able to sit on the balcony of the room, full moon on the ocean, and a microbrew (Dead Guy Ale, if anyone is interested) and reflect on that performance. Truly magical. And to be able to watch two people that I knew well be a part of that was such a bonus.

The next morning I managed to chat with the three other motorcyclists staying at the motel, and two of the performers from the night before. One was a viola player...and was a typical viola player. The other was a member of the Central Coast Chorale, who told me that a prerequisite to sing for this was to have performed "Carmina Burana" before. She confirmed that there were 105 combined choir members, plus the children's choir. WOW!

Our trip the next day included Yaquina Head Lighthouse:

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And on the way out:

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We had a lovely trip home, on OR 34, which is as good a ride from the coast to the valley as you can get on a highway, and utilized our "new to us" smart phones to avoid most of Hwy 99 from Corvallis to Monroe. We had a fantastic ride, and it is one that I feel honor bound to repeat again, so that I can show that the great view and great food really did exist.

 
Very nice. Don't know why, but I especially like the Salvation Army pic.

It must speak to me on some other level.

What, no pics of a tuba on the back of the FJR? :)

Mark

 
The purpose of this ride was to go watch my friend and teacher play with the NSO.

Ahh, I see. Guess I misunderstood.

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". . . a prerequisite to sing for this was to have performed "Carmina Burana" before . . . that there were 105 combined choir members,

They must have cast a pretty wide net to find 105 who qualified. :rolleyes:

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Loved this shot. Very cool RR, Ally.
 
Hell yes. Dead Guy Ale is the bomb diggety!!

Nice RR, and some nice photos.

A bit odd to see a symphony playing in a gymnasium. The acoustics can't have been too terribly good. But I guess you get whatever venue you can...

PS - I do have a soft spot for lighthouses. That's why I drag my friends around annually to see some of the best in New England, along the Maine coast.

Keep it up!

 
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And...as defined by a fairly "typical" tuba player; a typical viola player is somewhat eccentric and an introvert who does not understand that one person can talk with motorcycling with one person, "Carmina Burana" with another, and peg her as a viola player (her vehicle, with a cultural custom plate of "veeola" was my clue).

 
Great pictures of the water in the woods!

Still like to hook up for a ride when I finally get back up that way. It seems I seriously miss-judged how involved I'd be with the boys at this age (18 & 20). I'm also torn between my Mom in Oregon and my Dad in Florida!

Those pictures are pretty good inspiration!

 
I enjoyed the whole report immensely. I am fairly ignorant musically, I can barely play the radio, much less a real instrument. However, I found myself wishing I could have been in that gym listening to that music. Like Fred, I have a soft spot for lighthouses, something to do with my time in boats I guess. Thank you for sharing this, the pics were great as well.

 
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