Summer is Winding Down

Greta and David are presently off at a park picnicking with friends. I can't imagine picnicking in today's 100 degree weather, but this is their last hurrah of summer before school starts tomorrow.

David has been busy with plenty of piping this summer. Besides piping school and two competitions, he has done several funerals, a rehearsal dinner, a scout event, and two band concerts. The scout event was the 100th anniversary of scouting, begun in England on Aug. 1, 1907, by Lord Baden-Powell. The photo below shows David piping in the Scottish flag at the beginning of the ceremony. He also played at the end. Notice the mix of scout uniform and kilt uniform! It was quite exciting to see this segment make it on the news.

The band concerts were last Saturday ~ one in the afternoon and one in the evening. David opened each show by stepping onto the stage playing a solo. Then the curtains opened behind him, and the full band joined in. Later, he played a fast-fingered solo, and still later, he played the opening solo for another band piece. His name was rather prominent in the program. The Professor was the band's official videographer, and I agreed to man the still camera.

David's opening solo

The full band

Greta has worked at the bookstore about 30 hours each week this summer. She begins school with enough in her bank account to cover textbooks (hopefully). She has also gotten in several swing dance nights, and sometimes she successfully dragged her brother along too.

That leaves The Professor and me. We do about the same: work, work, work, and drive, drive, drive!