Tew Update
November 2014 The annual Tew report on travel and celebrations, projects and pets.
January to June The New Year started with Laura’s right foot fifth metatarsal fracture experienced last December 15 in Hamburg, Germany. Although the healing process took months, the actual event wasn’t so bad according to both German and American doctors. Nevertheless, she limped around, complained, couldn’t drive, and yet managed to stay nearly on top of things, including first-quarter tax preparation for low incomes and seniors at Smith Senior Center. By May, she was on the mend, and her small strawberry bed yielded a bountiful eight quarts.
Chris, meanwhile, worked nonstop on music, scores and parts, in preparation for the June recording sessions in Bratislava, Slovakia. Decades of work came down to two weeks with the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra and the largest organ available in Eastern Europe, then nearly two more weeks in the editing studio with the technical crew. Our walk-up apartment was centrally located in Old Town with ambulatory access to concerts, operas, and dance, all a part of the annual Bratislava Music Festival which brings in groups from regional cities and countries for an amazing repertory. Highlights of our stay included a train trip to Kosice and a road trip to the Carnuntum Roman ruin and reconstructed village. Our thanks to Peter, David, Carolina, Martin, Jan, Anton, Jane, Aaron, and the US Embassy staff.
July to November Eastern Music Festival continues to be an annual joy, five weeks of nightly concerts. The two student orchestras and the faculty Festival Orchestra have never been better. Maestro Schwartz was masterful. We were pleased that when the season came to a close in August, cellist and conductor Eduardo Vargas was able to spend a few weeks at our house before returning to Bolivia. Our salute to EMF’s Stephanie Cordick, who is retiring in December.
Chris got back to the music in August, working in Thomas Rowan’s The Sound Lab in Greensboro to ready the files for uploading and production. We took a week in September to hang out in the mountains near Boone, NC so that we could chart a path through the maze of Discmaker, CDBaby, and Amazon. Decisions, decisions. The beauty of the Blue Ridge and fun with Susan/Nigel were just the inspiration we needed to launch. Finally Chris was ready to upload artwork and music files, and set a release date, all the while wondering if this was really going to happen. Three Mutts Music, in tribute to our dogs, Heywood, Lili, and Latte, has its first two albums: American Reflections and Light and Shadow, the music of Christopher C Tew, disc one and two, 140 minutes of harmony and melodies.
What’s Next It has been a pivotal year for us. We have found time to visit friends in Michigan and family in New Hampshire. We have celebrated births and weddings, shared losses, and commiserated the politics of gerrymandering and voter suppression. Chris has delved back into his passion for WWII scale models, and he is keeping a steady stream of letters flowing to the News & Record whenever a voice for reason, science, and fairness is needed. Laura has taken a more active part in Master Gardening and the Greensboro branches of AAUW and LWV.
We wish you a just and more tolerant New Year..
