World of Languages Now Among School Offerings

This appeared in the October 23, 2009 edition of the Carrboro Citizen. (click through for a more readable size.)

We're so proud of our son, Tristan Roty for having is picture in this fine publication

A B C D E F G H I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo

OK, technically, I do not have a gal in Kalamazoo, my brother-in-law Jonas does, and technically, she's not in Kalamazoo but rather in Mount Pleasant, a Michigan town that there are not two catchy pop songs about. But Jonas is going to marry that gal in Mount Pleasant on Saturday, and The Traveling Roths are going there to see it happen, and maybe help out a little if we can.

Jennifer (sister of the groom) is a bridesmaid. Maybe the oldest one!

Tristan (nephew of the groom) is the ring bearer, and possibly a groomsman (TBD)

Zoe (niece of the groom) is a flower girl.

Dave (brother-in-law of the groom) will be holding a box that captures light.

So it's going to be a crazy busy few days coming up, but hopefully we'll return with a few good pictures, a few great memories, and a few magnetic states to add to the kids' US map.

We're goin' to Michigan to see the sweetest gal in Kalamazoo Mount Pleasant

My Photography Bucket List

While perusing Zooomr one day recently, and appreciating all the great photography that is being posted there and elsewhere, I found myself thinking about all the things I was seeing, and how I would like to get some of the same shots. As you can see from this snippet of the best photography on Zooomr in the past year, there's a wide variety of subjects there; wildlife, architecture, landscapes, macros, etc. The more I thought about what I'd like to shoot, the more I realized that I was building an unwritten list in my mind. My photography "bucket list," as it were.

So I got out a pen and some paper, and started brainstorming all the things I'd like to photograph in my lifetime. Here's what I came up with, grouped into a few categories.

ACTS OF GOD

• Tornado
• Lightning
• Snowflake macro
• Volcano eruption
• Glacier calving
• Northern Lights

ARCHITECTURE

• Eiffel Tower (again, now that I know what I'm doing, somewhat)
• Taj Mahal
• Sydney Harbor
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Pyramids/Sphynx
• Mohammed's Tomb
• Great Wall of China
• Acropolis/Parthenon (again, see Eiffel Tower)

GEOGRAPHY

• North Pole/South Pole
• Redwoods
• Mt. Fuji
• Matterhorn (again, it was cloudy the only time I've been to Zermatt)
• Niagara Falls

Historical/Other

• Shark
• Blue Band, in Beaver Stadium, at field level
• Auschwitz-Birkenau/Bergen-Belsen
• Space Shuttle Launch
• My Great-Grandchildren

So that's my first draft, and it's a living document. I'm sure I have glaring omissions, and that's okay.

What's on your bucket list?

Yet Another Fifteen Minutes

Just saw this on Fark.com today.


Turns out Zoe's picture of her picture is now a part a photoshop contest.

Check out the thread here

http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=4474874



And in the meantime, enjoy some more photos.



Needless to say, Zoe is moderately amused.

Apt Chorister

Sunday came, and with it the annual spring concert of the North Carolina Boys Choir at Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University. This is one of two concerts a year that feature all three choirs; the Concert Choir (the main touring group), the Chamber Choir (tenors and basses), and the Training Choir, which is like the minor leagues for the Concert Choir. Tristan has been in the Training Choir since his successful audition last fall, and has been practicing about 90 minutes a week with the group in preparation for this concert as well as the Christmas concert back in December.

All the choirs did an amazing job. They are very professional and well-rehearsed, and not hindering their performance is the fact that Duke Chapel is an incredible live space for performance. The choir(s), combined with the tremendous pipe organ in the Chapel put out sound and power that I can't even describe. It was simply amazing. I literally had goosebumps, and highly recommend the NCBC concerts there if you ever get the chance to attend.



Tristan did an excellent job himself. Not only was his singing spot-on (which I wasn't worried about) but he also seemed to take his lessons in stagecraft and performance seriously. He kept his eyes on the director, hands behind him, didn't fidget or look around, and sung with a lot of heart. We, along with Jeff and Katie Smith, and Jeff Overstreet from church could not have been more pleased with his performance.

Then Monday came, and with it a letter in the mail from the NCBC:

"Dear Tristan,

I am so pleased to write this letter to you extending an invitation to become a part of the outstanding Concert Choir. . ."

Tristan got promoted! This is a huge honor and we are all very excited for him.


So what does being in the Concert Choir mean? First, he'll start the year-long season by attending camp in July. Once school starts, rehearsals are twice a week for two hours each. Concerts run nearly every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as the big Christmas Concert in Duke Chapel (make your plans now --we have 10 tickets to sell.) There'll be a mini-tour in May, followed by a "major" (7-10 day) tour in June. In addition to that, there may be other concerts and the occasional wedding or funeral.

Tristan is very excited, and we're very proud and wonder where he got his singing skills from. . .

A Reunion of Sorts

Saturday was the first (annual?) Owen J. Roberts multi-class reunion of sorts. It was held at the Inn at Saint Peters Village (that I previously wrote about here) out on the covered patio, overlooking the creek and the rocks.

The organizers weren't forthcoming with the guest list, so other than a few verbal commitments, I don't know that anyone really knew who all would be there. Maybe that was part of the intrigue. Maybe not. I think more people would have been there had they known who else was coming.

Regardless, I started recognizing people right away, from my own class as well as nearby classes that I shared a school with at one time or another, as well as people I didn't know, but who knew one or more of my brothers.

But before I get to the pictures, I just want to say that I didn't take nearly as many as I should have, especially seeing as how nice the scenery is at Saint Peters Village. I blame the Class of '88 reunion for that. I took a ton of pictures there, and from the very moment I entered the bar. I was so busy with the camera that I never got around to eating, and only had one beer the entire night. So this time I went straight to the open bar for a Yuengling, and another, and another, and appetizers, and eventually diner. My camera hand was completely occupied with food and drink for the first 90 minutes at least.

But then the camera came out, and I started to document the event and my old friends and classmates.














And in what was was an awesome surprise for me, Charlie Degenhart, a former classmate and current pro musician was there and did a few songs. How cool!



So in summary, it was a lot of fun and definitely worth it.

But my plan for the next one is to walk in with my camera in my right hand, and do shots with the left hand. That sounds like a winner.

My Peanut and I Fly Southwest

Southwest Airlines: The official domestic Airline of The Traveling Roths.

( http://www.blogsouthwest.com/trackback/2176 )

The Traveling Roths' Pig Pickin' 4: 我不明白你疯了白人。

(FYI, The Evite invitation is experiencing technical difficulties at the moment. So if you can't reply, you're not alone.)

In the wake 2006's "Traveling Roths' First Annual Pig Pickin'"
2007's Pig Pickin' 2: A Public Evening of Enjoyment , and last year's Pig Pickin' 3: Triple Figures, we've decided to do it yet again. You and your family (children are always welcome) are invited to join us. . . for

Pig Pickin' 4: 我不明白你疯了白人。

We'll supply the barbecue (eastern NC-style), plates cups & silverware, and some all-ages and adult beverages. Feel free to bring a side dish or a dessert to share (put what you're bringing in the comments), a place to sit, anything else you'd like to drink, and a portable table if you have one, and your cameras. We will have a traditional charcoal grill (pork-free) and a deep-fryer available, if someone volunteers to manage them. We'll probably have our hands full with the pig.

Please RSVP via the eVite invite process either way by Sunday, May 17th so we can get an accurate count, and get our pig order into Satriale's Pork Store by Monday the 18th.

Hope to see you here!

Dave, Jennifer, Tristan, and Zoe

Swine Flu

Racer Z

Just in time for the ridiculously hot weather we've been having lately came another opportunity for Zoe to run in a 5K race. This time it was the Mebane Dogwood Festival 5K, within walking distance of our house.



Zoe and her friend Deanna were right at the front of the starting line.


And at the 8:30 gun, they were off.


Around 35 minutes later, Zoe crossed the finish line by herself.


She thinks she could've done it maybe five minutes faster, had she not walked back to catch up with her friend, who wasn't quite as fast.

Unfortunately, the youngest age group was 0-19, and as a nine-year-old competing against 19-year-olds, she didn't stand much of a chance to win a medal. There was one young girl who finished before her, but she probably wasn't under 10.

But she'll get another chance next weekend when she runs another 5K in Chapel Hill.

Soccer Saturday

Though I haven't said much about it, Tristan is playing soccer. . . when it isn't raining, which it has been most weekends of the season so far. There have been three games, Tristan's played in two of them, and the Terminators have won all three.

I just wanted to mention this shot. Unfortunately, in two games, this is the second time he's lost his shoe. What really made me proud is that as the sole fullback (the other team was missing players) and despite losing his shoe, he kept that ball away from the goal. He didn't even think twice about the right thing to do.

Next time though, I think I'll tie that for him.

OJR "GET TOGETHER" ALL Graduating Classes

(I'm posting this just for more visibility and SEO. It's not actually me writing this, though I think it's a great idea, and I'm probably going to go. -DR)

(UPDATE 13-April: I've sent my check and confirmed my attendance. Hope to see many of you there. -DR)

(photo used without permission of Duck Brown)

OJR "GET TOGETHER" - ALL Graduating Classes

When: MAY 16th, 2009

Where: THE INN AT ST. PETERS, POTTSTOWN, PA

Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Cost: $45.00 per person

*Includes - 4 hours Open Bar (beer Only), Hor d'oeuvres, pretzels, chips etc, tortellini dish,

potato salad, pasta salad, carved meats, salad, fruit, deserts, coffee, tea, etc.

Need to have RSVP's no later than April 24th to Shelly Davidson at
shellydavidson@comcast.net
or Lynn Bradford at fleckers@hotmail.com

Checks payable to Shelly Davidson or Lynn Bradford (memo - THE INN AT ST. PETERS),

MAIL CHECKS along with graduation year & guest(s) name

TO:

713 Wendy Dr., Pottstown, PA 19464 - no later than April 24th.

Anyone needing room Reservations please let me know Immediately so I can make arrangements for you and know how many rooms we will need to block.

Any questions please contact:

Shelly Hunt-Davidson Class of '87 - 484-433-9050

Lynn Bradford Class of '85 - 484-252-4548

Thank you.
See you on the 16th :)

PSA: The Fresh Air Fund

The Fresh Air Fund asked me to help get the word out that host families are needed to "open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, so that children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods can experience the joys of Fresh Air vacations."

Host families are needed in the states (and province) pictured below.


I don't know what summer in the city's like, but I do know that summer in the country is pretty awesome, and if you can help a kid experience that, it'll be worth your while.

So check out the Fresh Air fund, and maybe make a donation.

A Shooting in the Winery

Our local theater company, The Mebane Acting Company, knows that I like to take pictures, so with their current show, Murdered by the Mob, opening soon, they invited me to the dress rehearsals to get some shots for their scrapbook.

Unlike the work I did for Steel Magnolias, and another adventure with Stuart Little (that went so badly I didn't even write about it, let alone share the pictures) this time I had the proper gear and state of mind to get some decent shots.

This play was a dinner theater, and being performed at the Benjamin Vineyards and Winery near Graham, NC. The space was, I guess where they do the grape pressing and maybe fermenting and bottling. The light was a little weird, as were some of the paint colors of the wall. Thanks to a new control card I just got, I was able to correct for the light color pretty well, I think. It was a tight space with all the tables, but there wasn't much scenery, and no audience, so there was still some room to move.

Here's the synopsis:

Welcome to D'Angelo's, the hottest speakeasy around. If you think the '20's are roaring, you ain't heard nothin' 'til you've been to this joint. The jazz is hot and the gin is cold. Our master of ceremonies, Johnny Biscotti has his best show yet, featuring the ever popular Lydia LaJoy, and introducing a couple of cute chorines sure to turn the head of even the toughest mobster. The boss himself, Danny D'Angelo is sure to make an appearance, along with several of his, uh, "business associates." So sit back, order yourself an "ice tea," and enjoy the show. But be careful, and watch your back...this gangster murder mystery will have you "swimming with the fishes!" from James Daab

Some shots of the production
























And the official cast photos

Danny D’Angelo: Thomas Drago


Johnny Biscotti: Andrew Porterfield


Sally: Lysandra Penn-Bartoo


Lydia Lajoy: Stacey Thomann


Betty: Veronica Penn-Bartoo


Butch: James Bailey


Pretty Boy Percelli: Christian Moore


Officer Mulroony: Walter Boyd