Fall Updates

As usual, the semester is flying by! Here's some of what we've been up to this fall.

Visit from Mom & Dad Cook

Mom and Dad came to visit in early September. They were here during the Black Swamp Arts Festival (BSAF), one of the biggest annual events in town. It was also the first home football game, so we went from start to finish to watch Mark at work. Dad even joined Mark for rehearsal in the morning while Mom and I went to tea! It was great to have visitors, though it looks like we didn't manage to get a pic of the four of us together...oops!

me & Mom at the Swan House in Findlay

our delicious tea tray

Dad watching the drumline rehearse

Mark & Mom after preflight

the Top Gun halftime show

the drumline feature

Quick Trip to ABQ & Phoenix 

The following weekend, I ended up making a trip out west to join family in remembering Aunt Linda, who passed away in August. We learned she had cancer during the summer. She had had surgery and was starting other treatment, but she had a series of issues and ultimately didn't make it. We were so, so sad about this loss. But I was thankful to be able join my parents and other family at Uncle Chuck's house to celebrate and honor Aunt Linda's life. We met some extended family and reconnected with others we hadn't seen in a long time. 

Thanks to some clever travel planning from Mom, Dad, and Mark (who couldn't come along because of a football game), I made a quick stop in Albuquerque, so I was able to see even more family. I flew to ABQ from Detroit on Friday, had dinner with everyone at Mom and Dad's, drove with them to Phoenix on Saturday for the gathering at Uncle Chuck's, saw my friend Terry on Sunday morning, then flew home to Detroit by Sunday night. It was a whirlwind, for sure, but it was good to see everyone. I had also forgotten how beautiful the Arizona desert is, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being back in AZ (the last time I was there was summer 2010, when we moved here!). 

Mom made this amazing dinner!

selfie with Daniel!

Daniel & Papa feed the fish

Nana & Daniel

We celebrated Dad & Grandpa Mike's birthdays.
The guys are checking out Dad's gift from Grandpa.

Dad & me on the road...
this may be Snake River Gorge.

Mom & me

Dad & Mom

just me...we enjoyed such beautiful
scenery the whole way to Phoenix

we couldn't resist stopping for some
Hot! Fresh Fry Bread

it was delicious!

Dad's cousin Corby with Mom

me & Uncle Chuck

Dad, Uncle Chuck, and Dad's cousin Chuck

me & Terry (in the courtyard at my hotel)

Falcon Marching Band & Drumline

The fall is full of marching band performances, from the Rally on Main (a collaboration between BGSU and the City of BG in August) to football games and the upcoming Sounds of the Stadium concert. 

I've missed a couple of the football games, but I've really enjoyed seeing the band perform this season. It's another transition year with the new director, but things are going so well. The shows have had interesting themes, and we're getting to see the new director's signature style of marching drill. Several of my first year writing students are also in the band, so it's been fun to run into them at the games and get to say hello. 

drumline getting ready for the Rally
on Main performance downtown

our mascot Frieda stopped by

drumline rehearsing before the performance

drumline playing with the rest of the band

one of the drum majors conducting
during preflight

a selfie in the stadium before pregame

during the space-themed halftime show

Mark working with the drumline in the stands

drumline and brass playing in the stands

another moment from a halftime show

Mark brought me with him on the field for 
the drumline feature (between 3rd & 4th quarter)

drumline playing the feature
(in front of the student section)

another pregame selfie

halftime show

here, the band is lined up,
stretching from end zone to end zone

drumline feature

For tons of high-quality pictures of the band, check out their Facebook page. They're also posting videos on their YouTube channel.

Lima Symphony Orchestra

Mark was excited to perform again with the Lima Symphony Orchestra on their "Folklore & Fusion" concert in October. He had an intense week of rehearsals, then the group performed two concerts for local school kids (to a totally full auditorium!). On the day of the public performance, I tagged along with Mark, hanging out on my own in downtown Lima while he was at the dress rehearsal. Then we had dinner together before the performance. 

It was such a great concert! The program included two pieces: the first showcased a soloist on the Indian tabla drums; the second was Scheherazade (one of Mark's favorites--he played the tambourine part). I was mesmerized by the soloist, whose hands seemed to move at a super-human speed. I had forgotten, but this conductor always talks a bit before/between pieces, so we got a nice intro to the soloist's background and instrument at the beginning, which really helps the audience to appreciate what's happening! 

the full house in one of the children's concerts 
(photo from LSO Facebook page)

reading in a gazebo downtown

selfie in the shade--it was a beautiful day!

a photo of the orchestra warming up 
(Mark is on the far left somewhere)

Check out the LSO Facebook page to learn more about the ensemble. If you scroll back to October, you can find some video clips related to this performance. 

Amy at Work

Going back to class in the fall always feels pretty intense--it's such a big change of pace from the summer! I think the contrast was even harder after having been on FIL in the spring. Of course, I've really enjoyed getting back to the classroom, and my students have been doing a great job. At this point in the semester, we're all getting a bit tired. For better or worse, though, these last four weeks will fly by! 

one of my classrooms this semester

another classroom

my view in the home office

my ESOL students collaborating on a photo essay

Just this week, the English Department and T/ESOL Program brought in a guest speaker to give some presentations and meet with our faculty and students. Paul Matsuda is one of the most well-known and respected scholars in second language writing, and it was so wonderful to have him here! My favorite thing was that we got to have some opportunities to interact in smaller settings, not just attend presentations. This whole thing came together in about a month, after a suggestion from a colleague, and the two program directors who coordinated everything did a great job. Several of the pics below are from Paul's Facebook page.

Paul, Ana, me, and Lucinda at dinner

one of Paul's presentations

a group photo after the presentation

Paul's group selfie :-)

a few colleagues with Paul and the BGSU sign

Paul's selfie with the BGSU sign

Other Outings

We've kept our season tickets for Broadway in Toledo. So far this fall, we've seen Hamilton and Jesus Christ Superstar. We have seen Hamilton on Disney Plus, so we were familiar with the music and story (very helpful because the lyrics are so fast!). It's not a show we love, but it was really fun to see live, and to notice totally different features of the show in person vs. on video. I've got some nostalgic attachment to Jesus Christ Superstar, so it was fun for me to see that one, but, in the end, it wasn't one of my favorites (or Mark's :-). The songs from both of these are still popping up in my head from time to time (along with snippets of FMB music, too!). 

Hamilton program and stage

Jesus Christ Superstar curtain

We also made a trip up to the Zoo. We happened to be there just after they set up a bunch of lovely fall decorations. 

fall pumpkins, cabbage, and mums

these wolves are some of our
favorite animals at the zoo

me with a fall display

another fall display

an owl sculpture made of pumpkins

Mark in the aquarium--we had it nearly to ourselves!

elephant!

an elephant having a snack

Just last night, I went to our public library downtown for their event with Raúl the Third, a children's book author and illustrator. I've read several of his books with my Mock Caldecott group, which is one of the reasons I wanted to go. It was definitely fun to learn more about how he got started and what he's working on now. He did a drawing demo with the audience, then stayed for over an hour afterwards to sign books and posters. He personalized every single one! Some of my friends from BGSU were also there, so we enjoyed chatting before and after.  

Raúl's presentation

the character he taught us to draw

my drawing of the character (not bad!)

Raúl with me and friends from the English department

Fall Foliage

Another highlight of fall in BG is, of course, the beautiful fall color! I really enjoy watching the leaves gradually change, then fall. Here are a few pics from around campus and the neighborhood:

this tree was just starting to get colorful

bright yellow leaves on the tree and on the ground
on a rainy day on campus

the view from the patio at
the dining hall on campus

the big black walnut in our neighbor's
yard with most leaves gone

Well...that's it for now! Mark is in Indianapolis this weekend at PASIC, an annual convention for percussionists, plus attending the BOA competition to keep up-to-date on marching percussion. I've got a bit of downtime this weekend before a big batch of grading comes at the end of next week. Then it'll be Thanksgiving, one week of classes, and finals. Then winter break--woohoo! I'll have a lot of work to do to get ready for spring, but I'm still looking forward to some real time off around Christmas and a change of pace for a few weeks. 

Thanks for reading!