July 4 - O Se Kan U Si

Awake to the colors of Carson City, Nevada, with



two chairs




for the



red,




white,



and blue;



departing past quaint museums



and



querulous



malcontents,



south to the Sierra,



curving west



up the



semi-arid slopes



to the shores of



Lake Tahoe,



through Cave Rock Tunnel and the Stateline casino gauntlet



to Californian truth-in-advertising coffee.



Re-en(blueberry)sconced, we proceed again, against the flow of traffic,



past checkpoints and



the checkered pointilism of



granitic slopes curving over Echo Summit and




down into views of the



Desolation Wilderness,



with Pyramid Creek at full flow, in the bracing aquamarine sun reflected off of



Yosemite-like



Bald (we can relate) Mountain,



Eagle Rock, and



Sugarloaf, the latter precariously above exotic/downhome Kyburz.



Careening through Placerville's



crosswalks and



canyon



walls, we near



the familiar ridges of home, orchestrating the rest of The Opera of Daniel: VI. The Procession of Darius and beginning to do the same for



VII. The Lions' Den as the rockets' red glare roars all around, thankful for



location, location.

July 3 - Vacation Procession

More Journal work and orchestration of The Opera of Daniel: VI. The Procession of Darius, before heading out the door with Harriet to visit Megan and Mike in Reno, on this extended Fourth of July weekend, stopping for coffee and news in Auburn / Forestville Road and proceding through the evergreens to the



expansive cumulus-building arenas of



Emigrant and


Yuba Gaps,



with burnt sticks



and broken stones,



over Donner Summit with looks back at the



Pass,



descending the Grade towards



the Lake.



Through Truckee Meadows and



Canyon, and soon we are delightfully engaged for an afternoon and evening, checking in late at a place in Carson City with internet access and other nocturnal diversions.

July 2 - Tame Thyme

Music from the Minnesinger


Der Wilde Alexander (c. 1217-1291) to



Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300-1377, with his laptop) in the Lit class, and Quiz 2 for the Pianists. Coffee run to the bookstore for Doug et al, then recording



The Opera of Daniel: VI. Belshazzar's Feast.



Home past Long Barn,



Chinese Wall and Dinosaur Ridge,



Four Tree Hill,



Buckhorn Mountain,



Twin Sisters,



Rockville Buttes,



Suisun Valley,



Fairfield Vineyard Hill



and, yes, the North Lagoon Mountains, to another orchestrated page of



VI. The Procession of Darius.

July 1 - Early Indian Summer Back

Music History with selections from the development of Hindustani sonic traditions (c. 1100) to the Thomas of



Celano (b. c. 1210)



Dies Irae;



Piano class with selections through an excerpt from Philip



Glass's



[Music in] Contrary Motion.



Back to China Moon for more paper grading, back to southern Moraga for another walk -- shorter today, from Rancho Laguna Park to the



vicinity of Sanders Ranch (will need to connect between here and Rocky Ridge) -- back to pool and back to orchestration of



The Opera of Daniel: V. Belshazzar's Feast... finishing it and beginning that of



VI. The Procession of Darius.