Lake Michigan and Interlochen are lovely, but I am reassured that Eric and I made the right choice to move to New York City. I am not a midwesterner, and I am a foreigner here. I will visit when I bring Maya to camp and when I pick her up. I am not particularly interested in exploring it further, except that there is a personal connection between Michigan and Maya. Eric was born somewhere in Michigan, where his parents met at university, his mother and her parents are from Michigan, and Muskegan, which is only 50 miles from Traverse City, floats through my memory as a place of significance for Eric, and of course by extension, to Maya. She had an incredible experience at camp and is raving constantly about the three weeks. I have assured her that we will do our best to send her to the camp next year. I will plan better too, since I am now familiar with the ins and outs.
Firstly, I must book my hotel at Interlochen months ahead. The hotel I stayed at was a half hour away, and although right near the water, and a prime location if water sports was my purpose, I wanted to be close to Maya, and the long drive away and back was unnecessary. I will need more time to get her situated when she starts camp, and I need far less time on the back end. I floated through Interlochen for two days without much purpose. Of course, I listened to unbelievably amazing music constantly. Today I heard the group of high school students singing the songs that I heard yesterday, and they sounded better and better, and gave me more chills.
Our evening last night was spectacular, the highlight of the six weeks. Three symphonies and three bands crowded the stage for Lizst's 'Les Preludes', with ballet dancers in the aisles, at the front of the stage and on the roof of the 'bowl'. And this was after the finale of Beethoven's Ninth, with a huge chorus and a bass-baritone, a tenor, a soprano and a mezzo-soprano. I was truly impressed. The place was packed with not only parents and every camper of every age group, but many local appreciators of classical music drove from their vacation homes and residences to cover every patch of lawn and occupy every seat. The concert was recorded and beamed out in real time for listeners from afar. It was quite a production.
It was clear that the families who participate in Interlochen are well off. The cost of the camp is steep, but not much more than other similar camps. When Maya asked to do six weeks next year, I sighed and said yes, but I will probably direct her to other choices, and make it three weeks again.
Maya and I had a chance to wander along the lakeshore, and to walk around the downtown area. We stopped in the olive oil store for samples, and in a spice shop to smell the wares. Lunch was excellent, such an improvement from the camp fare, although I am not sure that Maya cared.
I tried to get on an earlier flight. I will remember next year, that I don' t need to stay so long when I pick Maya up. She was the last person to leave her cabin and was scrubbing toilets when I arrived. I was IMPRESSED. I will make sure to keep her scrubbing everything and anything in the house. She ordinarily does no housework or chores, somehow I had not been insisting on contributing to the household, but perhaps I ought to. We had a leisurely afternoon and a long wait at the 'Cherry Tree Airport' (they grow cherries in the area) for our oversold flight to Minneapolis and then to Baltimore. Home, with a long list of things to do in the next 24 hours.
Firstly, I must book my hotel at Interlochen months ahead. The hotel I stayed at was a half hour away, and although right near the water, and a prime location if water sports was my purpose, I wanted to be close to Maya, and the long drive away and back was unnecessary. I will need more time to get her situated when she starts camp, and I need far less time on the back end. I floated through Interlochen for two days without much purpose. Of course, I listened to unbelievably amazing music constantly. Today I heard the group of high school students singing the songs that I heard yesterday, and they sounded better and better, and gave me more chills.
Our evening last night was spectacular, the highlight of the six weeks. Three symphonies and three bands crowded the stage for Lizst's 'Les Preludes', with ballet dancers in the aisles, at the front of the stage and on the roof of the 'bowl'. And this was after the finale of Beethoven's Ninth, with a huge chorus and a bass-baritone, a tenor, a soprano and a mezzo-soprano. I was truly impressed. The place was packed with not only parents and every camper of every age group, but many local appreciators of classical music drove from their vacation homes and residences to cover every patch of lawn and occupy every seat. The concert was recorded and beamed out in real time for listeners from afar. It was quite a production.
It was clear that the families who participate in Interlochen are well off. The cost of the camp is steep, but not much more than other similar camps. When Maya asked to do six weeks next year, I sighed and said yes, but I will probably direct her to other choices, and make it three weeks again.
Maya and I had a chance to wander along the lakeshore, and to walk around the downtown area. We stopped in the olive oil store for samples, and in a spice shop to smell the wares. Lunch was excellent, such an improvement from the camp fare, although I am not sure that Maya cared.
I tried to get on an earlier flight. I will remember next year, that I don' t need to stay so long when I pick Maya up. She was the last person to leave her cabin and was scrubbing toilets when I arrived. I was IMPRESSED. I will make sure to keep her scrubbing everything and anything in the house. She ordinarily does no housework or chores, somehow I had not been insisting on contributing to the household, but perhaps I ought to. We had a leisurely afternoon and a long wait at the 'Cherry Tree Airport' (they grow cherries in the area) for our oversold flight to Minneapolis and then to Baltimore. Home, with a long list of things to do in the next 24 hours.
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