Friday, July 7, 2017

The Albany Symphony & the Syracuse Pops Chorus

The Albany Symphony & the Syracuse Pops Chorus
I'm slowly putting things together for the trip to Chilliwack to pick up my new Escape 21. I was kidding myself that everything would fit in the back of the truck - I rented a 4'X8' U Haul trailer. There is a U Haul dealer in Sumas, WA, just this side of the border and they will let me leave the trailer in their lot while I make the overnight trip to Escape.

So, as a break from packing, having the driveway widened to fit the new trailer, and various doctor & dentist visits, I went with friends to see the Albany Symphony at one of their stops on the Bicentennial Celebration of the building of the Erie Canal. For those that are not familiar with the canal, it is an uphill ditch running from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario & Lake Erie. Called Clinton's Big Ditch", it provided an important access to the West, and a valuable "road" for the movement of people & freight.

On the 200th anniversary of the start of the construction, the Albany Symphony put together a trip along the canal, stopping at many of the towns birthed by the canal. At each, a local composer wrote music for the visit. While originally planned to barge along the canal, the 7 MPH speed limit made that impractical, so it became a bus & truck tour.

I saw the July 6th stop in Baldwinsville, NY at the Paper Mill Island Amphitheater. Music included selections from Handel's Water Music, "The Current Home" by Ryan Chase, and American classics.

The evening was finished with a fireworks display. Unfortunately, I didn't have a tripod or a wide angle lens, so no fireworks photos, although I hope to add some from our Harborfest Festival at the end of July. I did manage to put together a panorama that really messed up Lightroom. A young man was walking across the pan in the direction I panned, duplicating him around 5 times. I attempted to clean it up in Photoshop, but if you look closely (well, not even that closely!) you will see many artifacts.  The panoramas &  few more photos at LakeshoreImages.

Anyhow, a pleasant way to spend a warm July evening. The orchestra is continuing west, ending the tour at Lockport, NY on the 8th.

Until Next Time - 

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