You know when you have overextended yourself when you hit the wall, or in some cases, the floor. My grand plan to attend the first BAC show, Drums Along the Rockies in Fort Collins, Colorado, was interrupted by such an overextension. At seventy, all of those seven-mile runs, Peak-a-Week hikes, and long ski days in the Green Mountains have begun to catch up with me in the form of a fluttery heart. This A-fib condition is also enhanced by anxiety, such as traveling and being away from the Mill Brook, and an important project that has been in the works for almost five years. Such was the condition when I decided to pull the plug on the Colorado portion of my 2025 DCI tour. Wisely, all of my accommodations were refundable. I donated my two tickets to the show to Kate, the BAC uniform angel, and another volunteer.
Aside from the overwhelming need to return home on Tuesday, the Michigan trip was very successful, as I visited good friends and attended the North Country Trail Association’s in-person board meeting. It was too much to expect that I could keep on going west for the Colorado show under the circumstances. The return trip was complicated when Mother Nature conspired to make me miss my connecting flight to Burlington out of Chicago, forcing an unexpected overnight stay in a budget hotel. The flight was delayed 30 minutes to avoid a storm. We taxied all around the airport for about 30 minutes after landing. I was in the back of the plane. The arrival gate was at the end of terminal B, and I had to run to the end of terminal C only to find the door had closed. Note to self: avoid ORD from now on.
Fortunately, I was able to catch a standby in the morning. While sitting at the gate for the flight to Burlington, I began to unwind steadily, surrounded by fellow Vermonters. Daughter number three picked me up at the airport, and we had a nice lunch at the Prohibition Pig in Waterbury, VT, on the way home. This is the original home of the Alchemist Brewery, maker of the nationally-famous Heady Topper double IPA. I prefer Focal Banger, its cousin. Upon arriving home, I unpacked and sat on the deck overlooking the Mill Brook. As the rhythm of life returned to normal, I realized my body was telling me to come home. Thinking that I could close the deal on purchasing a historic two-room schoolhouse to convert to a music school while on the road with DCI was a bridge too far. Perhaps you read my blog, ‘A Tale of Two Schoolhouses,’ where I attempted to blend two stories into one blog. Perhaps not a sound literary strategy. In addition to extolling the value of our current elementary school up the road, it tells the story of the Fayston Number Nine Schoolhouse, which served as the school for 60 years. It then became the home of the Burley Partnership, a well-respected architectural firm, for another 60 years. Now the neighbors are planning to continue the building’s utility into the next 60 years for community arts and cultural activities.
Yesterday, I signed the purchase and sale agreement on behalf of the non-profit Friends of the Number Nine Schoolhouse, Inc., which two other neighbors and I founded to conserve, restore, and repurpose this iconic 1903 building along the Mill Brook. Our goal is to utilize the space for music lessons, rehearsals, small performances, and music recording. We will be collaborating with our local school system, which has an amazing music department, and the many local music professionals who reside and perform in our resort community. We also have a goal of investing in remote learning technologies so that students can take lessons from professionals anywhere in the world, in a comfortable and well-equipped setting. However, first, we must secure the building in our care. To that end, I humbly ask you to consider donating to our project by sending a tax-deductible contribution to: Friends of the Number Nine Schoolhouse, Inc., 831 Mill Brook Road, Waitsfield, Vermont 05673. Thank you!
Coming home was the right thing to do for the schoolhouse, but I have not abandoned my 2025 DCI quest. Yesterday, I signed up for FloMarching and purchased a large-screen TV that will temporarily reside in my living room before I donate it and hang it in the schoolhouse. I have invited my friends who are clueless about drum corps and scratch their heads in concern when I begin to describe it, to come by for a Drums Along the Rockies watch party tonight. Fortunately, I will have some backup as Dottie, another BAC fan and Vermonter, will be joining us. I resume my DCI tour on July 5th to attend three shows in California. It should be a BLAST! I’ll keep you posted.