Blue Lake...experience

Traveling with the inlaws of one of the performers has its advantages. First, you get instant recognition by the artist and second you have a chance to get inside their heads. Thus was last evening at Blue Lake.

The facility is huge. The bowl seats maybe 1000 and while not full, there were at least 600 campers and another 200 adults present. So there was a big audience in the rustic setting in the heart of the Manistee National Forest. Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp was home to over 5000 campers this summer and has a staff of artists that is phenominal. Philip Burkhead, husband of Jim and Nancy's daughter Kristen, was the Jazz Piano-Band artist/teacher. The program was a combo of the orchestra, concert band the faculty Jazz Sextet. They guys (all consumat pros) jamed for about 25 minutes. Whew...what a show.

Afterward, Philip went with us to a bowling alley/bar in Whitehall where the city was hosting a festival of some sort so parking was at a premium, but at 10:45 we were able to order pizza and drinks and kept the owners past their 11:30 closing time. During that time Philip was able to give us the inside scoop on Blue Lake (very positive) and his immediate plans (having been downsized out of his job of teaching for the last 13 years.) We got home at about 1:30...so we are moving slowly this morning.

Interest in Jeff's wedding is picking up steam dispite the fact that my email to three sent out about three weeks ago as a heads up only went to one (my fault) twice. J & N are planning to trek north again and sister Phyllis, her husband Bruce and one, two or three of her daughters are starting to sound like they could drive in from VA (which is where we are headed for their 50th anniversary over Labor Day.) Whew...family gatherings trump gas prices ($2.77 this week in Holland.) So Lake Arrowhead will be the spot to be the last weekend of September 2005.

So today we are laid back. Rose is champing at the door so I better get her outside for a potty break...