Departure

I woke with only two hours sleep. I had a decision to make. I was totally out of clean clothes, and either I had to do laundry or go home. So I packed up.

Rather than sleep in, I wanted to spend my last few hours there connecting with people one last time, and just making my farewells to the place. Very few of the musicians were around, small wonder given the previous night's excesses.

My roommate Ken Hoffman left before I had gotten up, as did several others. I had hoped to see some of the regular staff to say goodbye, but again many were not there. The was a subtle but significant change at the music and sound building as the next round of musicians were about to arrive. All of the signs and notices for our program were removed. I went to the studio that had been my home for the last two weeks and there was a sign on the door "Don's room". I was history.

I had hoped to run into some of the people who had worked in the studio recording program. They were on extended residencies up here. In previous years, these people seemed more like aloof tekkies to me, but this year was much different.

The recording engineers had become part of our extended team. We got to know each other fairly well and they were totally charged up by working with us, just as we were with them. I realized that the night Ken and Robin and I did that surround sound recording. They would ask us to do something and we would run with it. They were also totally pumped about our marathon orchestra recording session. I had hung out with them quit a bit during the final after party - it was just another indication how there had been a confluence of events during this program.

In the end, I saw mostly Vancouver musicians, all of whom were preparing to leave. I had been keeping an eye out for some of the arriving people, but didn't see anyone. I left a note on the bulletin board for Greg Sinibaldi, a great sax player from Seattle and a fellow member of Paul Rucker's Large Ensemble. I was also looking for Marilynn Crispell, who was part of the incoming faculty. I think I saw her arrive as I pulled away in the airport shuttle.

Every year I swear that next time, I'll stay a few extra days so I can connect with the next bunch of musicians, but it never happens.

The return to Calgary passed quickly as Jeremy Price and I talked a lot about what had happened. He was also a partcipant in the Maria Schneider and Kenney Wheeler programs, so we have share a lot of great experiences at Banff. He too had been blown away by Chucho.

As has been my habit in previous years, I spent a few hours visiting some dear friends in Calgary before departing for Vancouver. Visiting Angie Parkes and Rob Penner has always been an important part of my Banff time. Angie was my girlfriend in grade 11 (another fairly significant time in my life) and we have always been cherished friends, though we rarely get to meet any more. Her husband Rob is a violinist with the Calgary Philharmonic and has been on a long path of shamanistic spirituality. They have two lovely boys, Justin and Jonathan, who were startling in how much they had grown in the last two years. Visiting them gives me a chance to ease back into the real world. They have seen what I've gone through at Banff since 2002 and I value the short time we get to spend together. They are also just a few minutes from the airport, so everything dovetails nicely.

I scanned the airport for any musicians that I recognized, but found none. I did meet somebody I knew, and we flew home together. Rob is a good friend of Mia Weinberg, from whom I bought the laptop that I took to Banff and upon which I wrote most of this blog. Another non-coincidence in my books.

Homecoming was as it was meant to be. I love my family dearly and I missed them greatly.

But this blog is entitled 14 Days in May, and those days have now passed. I will probably add some pictures and a few supplemental entries as things happen that pertain to this experience.

Thanks for taking the time to share it with me.