Dryness

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 65

Bernstein Pavilion, 6.42 p.m.

Two beautiful days in a row! I think the last time this happened was some time during the first two weeks here, near the beginning of June. For a change, it was actually pleasant to walk across the lawn by the Shed, instead of taking the “dry cut” around the paved/gravel pathways that skirt the grounds. No soggy feet – yippee!

I managed to squeeze in two tunings before 9.30 this morning, in a space where it appeared there was going to be a rehearsal using both at the same time. Got them tuned together, and reasonably well, only to discover later as I walked by that it wasn’t two pianos, but a piano four-hands part. Oh well – it never hurts a piano to put it in tune. After that Steve, John and I went for coffee, and I continued on with pianos in the Press Porch and the Chamber Music Hall, where I checked out the tuning I had done yesterday afternoon, and brought in a few unisons that had drifted, in preparation for a recital there early this evening. From there I headed to the East Barn, and touched up the tuning on the Boston there. That took me until about 2.30, at which point I couldn’t stand it anymore and headed back to Pittsfield for a run. I managed the long one again, third time in a row, but my legs were complaining by the end. In a good way, though. Stretched, showered, and hit Miss Hall’s for dinner before coming back here where I’ll attend the open dress rehearsal for the Mark Morris Dance Group.

There’s definitely a sense of “time to go” circulating around the grounds, and through the piano team. Unavoidable, I suppose, and I’m as susceptible as anyone, especially given what V’s been going through and my desire to be there to help her. In some ways, next weekend can’t come soon enough.