An Evening Listening to Joseph Gaines Sing!

On Friday, 02 March 07, we had the great opportunity to hear our old friend, Joseph Gaines, sing as part of the Choir of St. Thomas Church of New York City. They were performing here in Ft. Worth, as part of a national tour. Here is more about Joseph:

Joseph Gaines, tenor

Joe Gaines ('96) graduated from the University of Houston in 2001 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. He then studied singing for a year at the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Drama in Leipzig, Germany under the auspices of a Rotary Foundation fellowship. This season Joe is singing as an apprentice artist at Sarasota Opera (Florida) and Central City Opera (Colorado), and is a featured soloist in Houston with the Mercury Baroque Ensemble, the Houston Chamber Choir, the Houston Bach Society, and in Washington, D.C. with the Washington Bach Consort. This past fall in New York City he was singing with the choirs of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. He is also the founder of a gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender outreach program of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Houston.

The Water Gardens Reopen

Mary Lynne and I took AJ down to the Fort Worth Water Gardens, which officially reopened today with a special ceremony. A plaque was unveiled commemorating the four Chicago visitors who drowned in 2004 and two men killed in a 1991 accident. Mayor Mike Moncrief spoke, along with Bob Pence, president of the engineering firm that designed the changes.

"This park was designed by Phillip Johnson from New York. It was constructed by Thos. S. Byrne General Contractors in Fort Worth. The water park is an oasis in the concrete jungle of the center of town. The park features three pools of water: the aerating pool, the quiet pool, and the active pool with water tumbling down a series of terraces down to a small pit. Recently, the gardens have been modified to allow direct access from the Convention Center expansion. This includes a new north entrance to the park and restoration of the multiple sprays in the aerating pool. Portions of the movie Logan's Run were filmed at the active pool."

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/water.htm

The Conference of Marianist Boards in Dallas

The Conference of Marianist Boards met 15-18 February 2007 in Dallas. Although we are no longer serving on a board, Mary Lynne and I are past members of the Mission and Ministry Board, so we decided to visit some old friends during their lunch and dinner breaks on Saturday, 17 February 07.

The Marianist Family On-line described the event this way: "Bro. Jack Ventura and Tony Fitzgerald chaired a task force that made the conference a reality – bringing together those who serve on Marianist boards and the presidents/directors of more than 30 Marianist institutions. Approximately 100 participants represented universities, secondary and middle schools and retreat centers as well as NACMS, Marianist LIFE, the Marianist Volunteer Program (MVP), the Marianist Mission, and the Center for Marianist Spirituality and Communities (CMSC). Provincial Stephen Glodek gave the keynote address, “Sharpening Blunt Intentions: Reflections on the Stewardship of Marianist Boards.” Read the address."

For more photos of the event, see the Marianist Family On-line.

Cowboys: Feeding Time with Cousin Eddie and Aunt Susan!

Feeding the cows on the farm!

Cowboys: Riding the Range with Mama!

The closeup shots are from our horse barn; but the bottom two photos are pictures of our neighbor's horses - he has a few! The photos are thumbnails, so click on them to see a bigger version.

Cowboys: Riding the Range with Daddy!

Looking Back at the Old Days....St. Mary's University

Just missing our friends and colleagues at St. Mary's... we miss you!

A New Season at the Globe! ... "Renaissance and Revolution"

Tickets for this season at The Globe Theatre go on sale in less than two weeks!

Public booking opens on 12 February; priority booking is available from January to Friends of Shakespeare's Globe.

Booking methods:

Online:

Book online 24 hours a day with See.

In person:

The Box Office is located in the main foyer at Shakespeare's Globe. Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 10am – 6pm (8pm on performance days) Sundays from May 5 onwards 10am – 5pm (7pm on performance days).

Telephone or Fax:

For reservations and credit card bookings contact the Box Office, Monday to Saturday 10am – 6pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm Telephone: 020 7401 9919 Fax: 020 7902 1475 Minicom: 020 7902 1476

Post For postal booking, cheques should be made payable to The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Please leave the amount open, stating an upper limit, and send to:
Shakespeare’s Globe Box Office 21 New Globe Walk Bankside London SE1 9DT

Shakespeare’s Globe regrets that it cannot accept Eurocheques, cheques drawn on non-UK banks or in foreign currencies.

All mailed tickets are subject to a postal charge (£1.50 or £2.50 overseas/groups of 15+)
Credit cards The following are accepted: American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Switch. Please give the billing name and address of the card holder, the card number, expiry date, and (if applicable) the start date and issue number.

Educational group bookings School, college and university group bookings should be made through the Box Office, tel 020 7401 9919, fax 020 7902 1475 (please quote the reference ‘Educational Group Bookings’ whenever contacting the Box Office). For groups consisting of students aged 18 years or under, please note that a ratio of 1 adult per 10 students is required. Adults must remain with the group throughout the performance.Exchanges and refunds

Shakespeare’s Globe regrets that it cannot give exchanges or refunds on any tickets sold.

Happy New Year! + Happy 19th Wedding Anniversary!

Over the New Year Holiday, we enjoyed a visit from Michael & Dena, and their great kids! Mike, I enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks for coming. As a special Anniversary Treat (Mary Lynne and I were married 19 years ago tomorrow!), here is a picture of me and my Best Man - Mike! I also have to include one from the actual ceremony, so our friends can see Kurt Weber standing three feet away as we make our vows!

We also had a great visit at the start of the holiday season from Migdalia Garcia, who came to visit the farm on the night of the Winter Solstice! Unfortunately, Mig was sick during her stay with us, and spent most of the time in bed trying to get over a bad cold before pushing on to visit her family in El Paso. I have also put in a photo of her from our days back at St. Mary's University.