I LOVE Chicago.
I discovered that when I lived and worked in the Lakeview neighborhood during graduate school in 1982-1983.
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| Black-eyed susans in Wilmette |
So whenever I’m invited to return, I am delighted to agree.
This was my second time to prepare and present workshops for DSNI (The Dulcimer Society of Northern Illinois), which was preceded by a walk along a new lakeshore nature preserve at Fort Sheridan, then private lessons, and followed by a gig at Uncommon Ground in Lakeview.
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| Lake Michigan Shoreline, Fort Sheridan nature preserve |
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| Walter and Janet |
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| Sniffing tall wildflowers |
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| Great Horned Owl |
The whole weekend was a satisfying delight. Walter and Janet Swartz are welcoming hosts and together we enjoyed a good hike on Saturday morning.
Sunday, I gave a mini-concert and 2 (very condensed!) workshops to mountain and hammered dulcimer players on playing blues and jazz on these instruments.
Then I followed my friends, Sandy Andina and Stephen Lee Rich, and played my set for the closing crowd at the Uncommon Ground on Clark Street in LakeView (the neighborhood I used to work in!)
What a fun vibe in the middle of the audience, in front of that old exposed brick wall, playing music that the listeners kept wanting to hear more of!
I will treasure these memories for a long time.
