2018 Life Logs, Day 21—Happy Birthday, Sam
Date: Sunday, January 21, 2018
Weather: Sunny; High 50, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
Sam turned eleven today and the theme was drums. This year Sam is playing drums in the school band and this morning Heather and Jed unveiled a new drum set-up in the basement. Then this afternoon, my present to Sam to was to take the whole family to New Bedford to see Yamato perform at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center.
Yamato is a percussion ensemble from Japan. They take the ancient art of taiko drumming into the 21st century. We had read that taiko drumming is a physical, as well as a musical experience, but we didn’t really know what to expect. There are nine drummers, some of who also play other classical Japanese instruments with a modern twist. They move and play the drums together as if they are one. Think sitting cross-legged on a bench suspended in the air and leaning back and coming up like doing sit-ups while playing huge drums in front of you, and then leaping in the air, down to the stage to start playing a new set of drums and not missing a beat.
For two hours, no words are spoken, but they communicate completely through body language. In addition to be incredibly talented whether playing tiny hand cymbals or gigantic drums, they are funny and they include audience participation—something for everybody. All of us really enjoyed the show, but at intermission we were a bit sad to find out the Patriots were losing to the Jaguars. Then at the end of the show we checked our phones and found out the Patriots pulled out another win. So, we were doubly happy—great show and the Patriots will be in the Superbowl. Woohoo!!! I picked out a sports pub in a bit of a shady part of town for dinner (didn’t understand the location when I chose it), but it turned out to be a great place to watch the Vikings-Eagles first half while enjoying good food with a Portuguese twist. If you saw the opening of this game, you were probably as overwhelmed as we were. A retired Navy officer singing the Star-spangled Banner was spectacular with the back drop of an American flag big enough to cover the entire football field. And then a bald eagle soared across the field. Maybe this happens all the time, but for those of us who watch very little football, this game opener was dramatic. Minnesota got off to a great start, but that was it for them. It will be the Patriots against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. And to top it all off, it was sunny and warm today with a high temp hitting 50 degrees F, so I went for a two mile walk by the ocean this morning. It was a good day in this part of New England.
