A mean little Missy

It’s 6 pm Gordon, Nebraska time (7 pm Lincoln time) and I’m sitting here twiddling my thumbs until it’s time to leave for the Methodist church where my next “show” will take place.  Heath and I have now been on the road for 3 days and    it feels like 3 weeks.  In that time, Heath has unloaded and loaded my 1000 pound piano six times in sunshine, pouring rain and 35 mph winds.  Nothing like springtime in northwestern Nebraska. Heath and I left Lincoln on Monday and drove to Ainsworth, Nebraska (255 miles).  We were supposed to leave mid-afternoon but Heath had class and work so we didn’t actually hit the road until 7:30 pm.  By the time we pulled out onto I-80, I was a blob of anxiety–here we were hauling a huge trailer with my precious piano in a rented van headed for parts unknown.   Heath wasn’t bothered at all by my audacious plan to unload and load the piano multiple times.  He also didn’t think it was outrageous that I scheduled myself to play 6 performances in 4 days…I finally started to relax somewhere along Highway 183 when we  were forced to stop while a beautiful herd of deer crossed the road.  That gave me the opportunity to gaze at the night sky which without city lights was ablaze with stars.  I felt reassured by that sight.   Furthermore, we found a radio station that was playing some great seventies southern rock so Heath and I rocked out.  We rolled into Ainsworth at exactly 1 am.  I was relieved to see that the hotel had internet access and a sauna.  (Little did I know that these amenities were going to be short-lived.) The next morning, Heath and I drove the short distance to Ainsworth High School where I was scheduled to play at 12:15pm.  I had alerted all of my contacts that we would need several STRONG men to help Heath unload/load the piano.  I guess there are many different definitions of strong because on several occasions, Heath had to do most of the lifting himself.  Heath’s assistants

We got the piano unloaded into a nice little auditorium and then I waited for the students to file in.  I was a little apprehensive because this was my first presentation since I had revamped the show.  Turns out, I had nothing to fear because the middle school students were enthusiastic, engaged and attentive.

After the show, Heath and I grabbed some lunch at Big John’s family restaurant.   A specialty of the area is cauliflower salad. Enjoying some of Big John’s cauliflower salad

Heath still talks about it to this day.   After lunch, I went back to my room and crashed for several hours.  It isn’t easy staying up until 3a.m. and then getting up for a show at noon!  The evening concert took place in the same auditorium as the noontime gig–this time, members of the community came and were very enthusiastic.  They asked a lot of questions about my piano, about the music, about hauling the instrument and one woman even asked me if I would sight-read some four-hand music with her!  After I did that, she offered to hem my pants leg because the hem had come out completely.  We decided to meet at her shop the next morning.  Her fabric and notions store is called In Stitches and it is the only quilt and fabric store for at least 100 miles in any direction! A modified “Stitch and Bitch”

Next stop was Cody, Nebraska, population of 149 according to the 2000 census.  If you blink while traveling along Highway 20, you might miss it!  But, whatever Cody doesn’t have in size or population, it makes up for in a welcoming spirit.   The students and staff at the Cody/Kilgore High School were all enthusiastic about the show, the piano and the camera crew.   Megan with her boom

My Vanna White imitation

Groupies Toby and Charlie

From the very beginning of “Piano-in-Tow”, I talked about catching an interview with a stray dog.  Although not strays, Toby and Charlie did like to hang out at the high school during the weekday. The other thing remarkable about Cody was the wind.  Not only did it NEVER stop blowing but it would give drivers on the Salt Flats a thrill.

The next day, Heath and I drove to Gordon, NE, an even more remote town along Highway 20.   I was scheduled to play at the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in the evening so that gave us some time to check-in at our five-star hotel accomodations and have some tacos at the restaurant next door. Nebraska’s answer to Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotel

Since it was considerably colder in that part of the state, I found it necessary to warm-up in my jacket…Where are my hand warmers?

And, because all of the restaurants in Gordon close at 9pm, my “PiT” contact kindly arranged for the Italian Inn to feed us after closing! The weather the next morning proved to be just as miserable as the day before. Dr NAN runnin’ on fumes

In order to get to Bassett in time for the afternoon gig, Heath and I had to leave Gordon very early.  We were basically re-tracing our miles (153 of them), leaving the northwest corner of the state and returning to north central Nebraska.  The weather could not have been more uncooperative and there certainly weren’t any classic rock stations in the vicinity.  Those 3 hours were pretty miserable! When we finally pulled into Basseet, we immediately went to the Bassett High School in order for Heath to unload the piano.  By now, Heath’s back was complaining steadily so he was glad to find that the unload was pretty easy because the gym was on the same level as the main entrance to the high school.  Heath was also provided with some very strong students which made the job even easier.

A side story

Before leaving Lincoln, I had called around trying to find a piano tuner to tune the Yamaha at least once during the trip.  My first contact was fully-booked for the week but he suggested a woman-tuner who lived in Verdigre.  I found her phone number and called her up.  When I mentioned my name, she said, “Is this the same Nicole who used to live in Colorado Springs?”   I said, “Well, yes it is.  Why do you ask?”  She said, “My father and your father used to work together at Peterson Air Force Base outside of C. Springs, Colorado…”  Whoa.  Very small world department.  Katie agreed to meet us in Bassett and said she would bring her parents with her.  We had a very nice reunion and Katie aptly tuned my piano before the two shows. After the final concert, Heath and I wandered around downtown looking for something to eat.  Someone had told us that the Corral Bar served dinner so we decided to stop in.  When we walked in, the jukebox was blaring some great tunes–I knew I had arrived!  Bassett’s PR machine

The next morning, I woke up wondering where my next stop was–I had to remind myself that we had reached the end of the “Piano-in-Tow” road at least for this season.  I think the tour was a huge success but I was happy to be going home!”Dr NAN’s post-”PiT” breakfast snooze

OUTAKES

Not now, please.

No more carrots, please.

Lose the camera before I lose you

Punch-drunk

So here I am again, spending hours practicing, talking on the phone, promising baked goods to anybody who will lend me a hand and anything else I can think of to make sure that all of the details are taken care of  for”PiT”, Part Deux.  This tour is going to be different from the last one in several  ways.   I am traveling to even more remote towns in north-central and western Nebraska (Cody being the farthest town, population 137, about 394 miles from Lincoln).  But, before you say, “Why would you want to play for such a small audience?”, keep in mind that the people of those rural areas are what “Piano-in-Tow” is all about.  Bringing live, classical music to people who don’t have regular access to it.  Second, I will be hauling my Yamaha C-7 grand piano with the help of Heath and a 2000 lb enclosed trailer named “

“Lovely”".  ”Lovely” is a very large trailer that was built by a friend of mine.  This friend is an avid hunter/outdoorsman so naturally, “Lovely”  has been outfitted with a camo-theme paint job.

Heath and I will leave Lincoln on April 13th headed to Ainsworth, Nebraska (approximately 290 miles).  I will give both a school  presentation/performance as well as an evening concert at the Ainsworth High School.

On Wednesday, we will load up the piano and drive to Cody, NE which is very near the South Dakota border.  Now, I was very careful NOT to schedule this second tour in January or February (or even March) in order to avoid inclement weather but I learned just today that Cody got hit with 16 inches of snow over the weekend.  I can just see me and Heath pulled off by the side of the road, huddled together in “Lovely”, listening to the howling wind and hoping the storm passes us by without burying us in snow!

Assuming we are able to leave Cody, we will drive to Gordon on Thursday for an evening performance at the Methodist Fellowship Hall.  Our last stop will be Bassett, Nebraska where I will give two performances at the Rock County High School on Friday.

Remind me again why I decided to drag my piano all over the state?

A view of a High Atlas Mountain, Imlil, Morocco

I certainly had no intention of meeting and falling in love with a man on my first trip to Morocco.  Visiting the country was just  supposed to be a nice extension to my trip to Paris last May.  Little did I know that a Berber man from the High Atlas Mountains would walk into my life, grab my heart and refuse to let go.  I have written about Mohamed in previous blog entries but felt it was important to temper my words because I didn’t know what our future held.  That has since changed…

I bought a plane ticket to Casablanca back in September.  I told myself that if our relationship didn’t turn out as I hoped, I would just have a nice visit to a beautiful country and come home.

Mohamed was at the Casablanca airport to meet me just as he promised.  It turns out that he had to move heaven and earth to get there because several people failed to keep their promise to drive him from Asni to Casablanca.  (He doesn’t have much experience driving on the interstate so wanted to hire a driver.  He had rented a car for the week so that we could both drive it and it would allow us to travel around easily.)  He finally found a driver to get him to the airport (with 20 minutes to spare) and then to drive us back to Asni.  I appreciated having Aziz drive us home because I didn’t want to have to navigate a Moroccan highway fresh off the plane and suffering from jetlag.

Mohamed greeted me with open arms as I stumbled outside of customs.  He had on a brand new pinstripe suit, very uncomfortable looking dress shoes and  a million-watt smile.  (I, on the other hand, was completely disheveled having sat in the back of the plane for way too many hours.)

The Sheep Herder and her sharp-dressed assistant

The drive back to Asni was uneventful–it takes almost 3 1/2 hours to go from the Casablanca airport to Marrakech and Aziz the driver wanted to stop twice for a smoke and a coffee.  It was during one of these stops that I discovered nuss-nuss, a wonderful combination of hot milk, coffee and lots of sugar.

When we finally arrived back in Asni, the hotel “patron” had dinner waiting for us both.  The first course was typical  Berber–multiple small dishes of vegetables, olives and a chutney-like concoction plus fresh bread.  Following this, the owner brought out a very hot tagine (with its cover on) filled with potatoes, peas, carrots and chicken that had a topping of olive tapenade and other spices unlike anything I have ever tasted.  Along with this, we drank steaming hot mint tea that was sweetened with plenty of sugar.  For dessert, we ate locally grown clementines.  Little did I know that this meal would be the beginning of a week spent eating some of the most wonderful food I have ever had.

We spent our days wandering the countryside, shopping in the Medina and Sook of Marrakech, exploring an ancient Mosque and so many other wonderful things.  I learned how to drive in Morocco, both in the city (where nobody pays attention to international driving laws) and through mountain passes.  I learned that Moroccan people are generous to a fault and that if you are invited to someone’s house, expect to eat.  I also learned that it is ok to eat with your hands and to pick-up hitchhikers!  Meet Karim, a trail guide for tourists who want to explore the Atlas Mountains:

Karim, a mountain trail guide for brave tourists

I had the opportunity to meet many of Mohamed’s friends as well as most of his extended family.  Mohamed’s parents, sisters, nieces and nephew

They all welcomed me into their homes and made me feel as if we had been friends for years.  Mohamed’s family hugged and kissed (“Hammish, hammish”) me, begged for pictures and hand-holding, fussed over my every need, pestered me to keep eating (“Isch, isch…”), taught me how to thank God in Arabic (“Alham de lilah” (a poor attempt at spelling)) and to ask for God’s willingness–”incha ALLAH”.

Mohamed’s aunt in Marrakech

At one point, Mohamed announced that he wanted to have me fit for a djellaba.  A djellaba is a “coat” worn over clothing when going out into public.  It is easy to recognize because it always has a hood.  (Just think of it as a Moroccan hoodie…)  It is worn by both men and women.  He and his aunt took me to a tailor in Marrakech to choose a fabric and to be fitted.   I eagerly await my peri-winkle blue djellaba.

Measurements for a djellaba

My last day with Mohamed was very difficult.  I knew I would be returning to the states without him and that it would be several months before I would see him again.  Since my flight out of Casablanca left very early, we decided to take the late train from Marrakech to Casablanca and just stay up all night before going to the airport.  Mohamed called yet another friend (he is very popular!) who picked us up at the train station and drove us around.  At one point, we stopped at a bar to pass some time. (I was reminded of the scene from the first Star Wars movie where several characters are smoking a hooka.)  We finally ended up at the Mohamed V Airport where Mohamed kept me company until it was time for me to board my flight back to Paris.  I can’t remember a more difficult experience–to leave Mohamed, his wonderful family and his beautiful country.  I cried throughout the 9 hour flight back to Detroit.

Fast forward to late January–I keep asking myself how I get into these situations.  Why couldn’t I fall in love with someone who lives down the street or even in another state?  I still haven’t found an answer but I do know that I wouldn’t trade my Moroccan experiences or my Berber Sheep Herder’s assistant for the world.

Today was a truly wonderful day.  I didn’t think it was going be so good at 3a.m. this morning when I woke up with a pounding headache and realized that I had to be at the clinic at 7a.m.  Nothing good ever comes from a headache in the middle of the night!

But my luck changed as the day went on.  A few things that made today memorable:  one of my cats who has a tumor in his sinuses ate on his own and expressed continued interest in life.  You have to realize that he has been battling this cancer since February and the fact that he is still living is a minor miracle.  I count my blessings when I think of him because he is so special.  He is my cat hero.

My father turns 85 years young tomorrow.  He had a medical test today and the doctor exclaimed that not only was my father healthy but that the doctor wishes his health would be so good at 85.  I count my blessings that he is my father.  He is my human hero.

Me and my Daddy

I continue to receive positive feedback for the presentation that Daniel Bernard Roumain and I gave at Sul Ross Middle School (San Antonio, TX) as well as the lectures I presented at UT Austin and the recital we gave for the 180 Group of Texas Public Radio, also in San Antonio.  These responses make me realize that I am actually doing something worthwhile with my music.

Last but certainly not least, I was able to chat today with a very special man who lives in Morocco. Talking with him makes me so happy. At the Sook

I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me?

Ahhhhhh, back in the land of warmth and margaritas.  I love coming home.  For me, home is peaceful and warm–year round.  Home means really fresh tortillas, balmy temperatures, the world’s best salsa and the reassuring sound of my parents’ old clocks.

On this visit, I am really busy.  I am meeting with music students at the University of Texas at Austin to share with them my “Piano-in-Tow” experiences, giving an evening performance with Daniel Bernard Roumain for the 180 Group as well as a mid-day presentation at Sul Ross Middle School.  All of this activity will probably interfere with my visit to my favorite nursery–Hill Country African Violets.  HCAV has one of the biggest selections of African Violets that I have ever seen.  They have dedicated a very large greenhouse entirely to violets.  And, then of course, there are the rooms in another building where the proprietor propagates new plants…I will also miss the opportunity to visit the gravesite of a former colleague of my father’s.  Many years ago, we started a tradition of visiting this gentleman’s grave whenever I am in San Antonio.  Part of the tradition is to drive the old green Mercedes out to a cemetery just east of Boerne, TX.  Better than ketchup

I have promised several Nebraska friends that I will bring back jars of La Fogata’s Roasted Salsa.  As far as we are concerned, it is the best salsa available!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it…

My stalwart road manager having a moment...

When I submitted my application for the Layman Fund Grant, I included in my project description a list of benefits that could come of “Piano-in-Tow”.  This list included blogging, media coverage and the possibility of an interview with a stray dog.  Well, I didn’t meet any stray dogs during the tour but I did meet some wonderful folk that I would like to mention.  The first person is Heath.

Heath and Penny hawking “Piano-in-Tow” memorabilia

He was the muscle behind Dietz’s Music House piano moving services.  A little background–Heath is a musician by trade who loves cats, physics, books and is currently building a car in his living room.  Heath provided a great deal of comic relief throughout the tour including teaching us about spaghettification.  Who would have thunk?

Then there was Paul H. and his wife Lori and their children–they were the main organizers of my presentations in both Petersburg and Albion and all of them contributed to a very well-organized event.  I will not forget their hospitality nor their enthusiastic commitment to the arts!

And then there is Janet R.

who has been studying with me for over 10 years, driving the 100+ miles from Albion to Lincoln once-a-month.  She met us at Boone Central Middle School in Petersburg (12 miles north of Albion) to attend “PiT” and introduced me to the students.  Her introduction included little-known facts about me such as my love for cats, cycling and reading!  Janet’s words meant a great deal to me.

This is what it's all about.

Last but not least there were the kids.  Wow!

Students at Columbus Middle School

So many of them enthusiastic about the piano, the music and me.  Two questions they asked at every stop (and sometimes more than once at each stop!) were–”How many hours a day do you practice?”  And, the ubiquitous question, “How old are you?”  I narrowly skirted this last one…

More students at Columbus Middle School

Finally back home where the follow-up details never seem to end.  And, then of course, there is the spring “Piano-in-Tow” tour to start planning.  Sigh.

One of my best moments...

Having had a couple of days to reflect on my performances at the Hevelone Performing Arts Center at the Beatrice High School, I’ve come to the following conclusion:  10th-12th graders are a challenging audience with whom to connect but there is still hope for the future of classical music.  After my performance for band members and other interested parties, I invited students to come up and take a closer look at the piano.

What it's all about

I was approached by a young man who started asking me questions.  I was immediately impressed with his ability to articulate his thoughts.  I was also impressed with his awareness of the world around him.  I think this young man’s future is bright and I know now that there will be at least one supporter of the arts in the future!

My evening performance at the Hevelone Center was well-attended, mostly by community members.   They were an enthusiastic crowd, perhaps because the first entry on their iPod wasn’t NineInchNails?  Following the performance, I spoke with several people, all of whom were musicians.  I was honored that they shared their personal stories with me–one of the many reasons public performance is so important to me.

Havin' fun

I get to meet interesting people from all walks of life whose experiences are fascinating and even touching.  Kind of like a “small eye on America”!

This “Piano-in-Tow” double presentation received a nice write-up in the Beatrice Daily Sun.

And finally, in Penny’s and my never-ending quest for a good cup of Joe, we discovered a nice coffee shop near downtown Beatrice!

It it’s Monday, it will be Columbus Middle School in Columbus, Nebraska.

Boy, am I’m pooped.  First, Rafaella insisted on waking me up at 6a.m. because she wanted to crawl under the sheets and she always asks by repeatedly tapping me with her paw.  I eventually got out of bed because I knew sleep wouldn’t be forthcoming until tonight…

A piano needs at least 3 legs to remain upright...

Fast forward to 10a.m. and Penny and I are standing outside of my studio watching the piano movers making quick business out of disassembling my Yamaha in preparation for its trip to Schuyler, Nebraska.  It took some time to convince the movers that the piano had to go on the elevator without a piano board because it won’t fit any other way.  We’re finally on the road around 11:15.  We arrive at Schuyler Grade School just as lunch is being served.  (They didn’t offer us any…)

Ready to go...

Fast forward to 1:30pm and the piano is upright in the school gymnasium, the speakers are setup, the risers are in place and I’m just waiting for the first bunch of kids to arrive.

Hi! My name is Dr NAN.

They start to show up at 2pm and I start engaging them in conversation, hoping to make a connection with some of them so that they will stay focused on my presentation.  (I think I was somewhat successful!)  My presentation begins and they are active participants, clapping after every piece as well as asking lots of questions.  The microphone that I was given chose to work only intermittently so Penny kept handing me a different one until we found one that worked.

Playing the piano is the easy part...

At one point during the show, a little girl asked me why I tapped my foot during Jam! I explained that I thought the empty measure needed something.  Somehow, the kids took that to mean they could all bang their feet on the risers so we had about 70 kids tapping their feet at the same time.  Mix that in a gymnasium and you can only imagine the noise.  After the show, I invited students to come look at the piano and they literally descended on the instrument and me.  They were poking around, playing notes, looking inside and causing general mayhem.  This moment might have bothered their teachers but I loved it.  I felt like the Pied Piper.  It was great to be surrounded by so much positive energy.  As the children were filing out, we handed each one of them a “PiT” temporary tattoo.  The tattoos will probably end up everywhere but on their arms…

Before I realized it, the gym was empty, the piano was already on the truck and it was just me and Penny, reliving the past hour.

Me and my wonderful road manager

I offered to find some good coffee for P but we couldn’t find anything resembling a coffee house so had to settle for a convenience store.  We got back on the road and drove through a torrential downpour to Lincoln.  As soon as I got home, I took a nap.  Whew–keeping up with 6th graders isn’t easy!

If my watch is correct, 19 hours from now I will be in the middle of my first presentation of “Piano-in-Tow“. I have been preparing for these two weeks for the past 6 months.  I can’t believe it’s almost here.  The car is packed, the movers are scheduled, the “Piano-in-Tow” t-shirts are folded, my notes are printed and hopefully, my fingers are ready to move.  Now all I have to do is get there.  Thankfully, Penny will be by my side the entire time.  As I have mentioned in this column before, Penny is my steadfast friend and road manager!

As part of the continuing promotion of “PiT”, William Stibor (NET-Radio, host of Friday Live) interviewed me on Friday.  As always, he made me laugh and hopefully, I convinced a few more folks on the importance of “Piano-in-Tow”.  I have another interview on KFOR-1240 (a local AM station ) next Thursday morning.  I’ve been told they have an electric piano in the studio so I might share with their listeners my rendition of “Turkey in the Straw”.  (That is if the keyboard

What were you saying about me????

has enough notes on it!)

I would like to give special thanks to another person who has been instrumental in my successful promotion of “PiT”.  His name is Mike and he is on the staff at the School of Music.  He was the cameraperson for the attached photos.  (When Mike isn’t hard at work for the school, he can be found drawing cartoons, cariactures and various other funny things…)

I’ll be checking in on this blogsite tomorrow after my first go.  Stay tuned for some memorable experiences!

Another "PiT" convert

I don’t remember what 8 hours of sleep feels like anymore.  ”Why?” you ask?  It’s called “Piano-in-Tow“.  I have spent more time on the phone, writing emails, practicing, making lists and whatever else I can think of in preparation for “PiT”.   In10 days, 1hour, 57 minutes and 1 second Penny (my trusted adviser, road manager and confidante) and I will hit the road.  First stop, Schuyler, NE where a group of 6th graders will be anticipating my arrival with a large grand piano.

Penny and I spent some time today decorating the backside of cardboard that will support my music–a couple of girls with magic markers, a box cutter, several feline assistants and lots of coffee.  A potentially very scary scene.

Then there is my father who comes into my parents’ kitchen yesterday sporting a “Piano-in-Tow” t-shirt.  May I say adorable?

I am going to play a run-through for a handful of piano students at UNL next Thursday.  It will be much easier to keep their attention than a roomful of teenagers…

I finally cleaned the grime off of the Yamaha’s keys today.  At least 10 years’ worth of it…

So, everyone, keep your fingers crossed that I don’t break a piano string between here and Petersburg, NE…

Penny and Rafaella working together on "PiT"