Hey there, Redhot!
I can't believe that the summer is coming to a close and retreat is less than a week away. Madness! In case you were wondering, I got back from Adam's house last night and I'm currently spending a few short hours on Long Island until I hit the road once again.
The past 9 weeks were pretty surreal. After globetrotting to Japan (woo!) and the Dominican Republic (where the Glee Club forded a river, was attacked by tarantulas, and acquired food poisoning from the inexhaustible supply of pineapples) I suddenly found myself in The Cherry Capital of the World
‒ Traverse City, MI. Adam picked me up at the airport in THE VOLVO 240, wearing his M37 shirt, smoking a tobacco pipe, and blasting Jim Croce. From then on, the world began to shed light on the previously inscrutable mind of Adam Begley.
For the first few days I lived with Papa Wills, the embodiment of manhood. During that time I slept with rifles above my head, the smell of pasties drifting in the air, and Yooper pride coursing through my veins. Then I moved into a gorgeous mansion in Neahtawanta, a private community near Adam's house on the Old Mission Peninsula. There I house sat, invited Papa over for my delicious pesto pasta dinners, listened to Edith Piaf on repeat, and took care of Dexter, a 12-year-old Golden Retriever. When my first two weeks were up and Adam's family was back from France, I finally moved into the Begley household. Even though I had only met them briefly one weekend in New Haven, the Begleys immediately accepted me as one of their own and added me to the frighteningly long chore list. Soon I was weeding the beach,
perfecting my panini‒making skills, swimming and sailing in the backyard (lakeside property is the best ever), camping on an island once owned by Henry Ford, playing guitar at bonfires, kayaking, and watching House with my wonderful surrogate family. Also preparing for Rush 2010, of course!
Oh yes,
in addition to this, I was concerting with Canticum Novum, singing alto (?) in the one room Old Mission Congregational Church, and rehearsing with Adam's choir, the Watermusic Chamber Singers.
This past Thursday and Friday Watermusic had our concert series, which went over really well! The group had a lot of fun together, and by the end we really were making music. I can't wait to start up again with Redhot! I don't want to give too many of my awesome stories away online, so I'm going to cut it short now. See you all in three days =)
Love,
Mary
