thirteen ways

There are SO MANY of those in Wyoming. Right out my east-facing Hampton Inn window: a mountain-esque ridge that served as a perfect backdrop for sunrises on the mornings when insomnia got the best of me. Running around Laramie, gasping for breath in the oxygen-deprived air: a view for miles right around a street corner, with gently sloping hills and birds wheeling in the sky. The drive to and from Denver: beautiful, even from the window of our stopped car having been pulled over for being a wee bit above the speed limit in a superintendent speed zone.

Sorry, Mr. Superintendent.

Thanks to Annie, the other faculty, and the extremely enthusiastic students of the UW music department — you really made us feel appreciated and welcome. And you provided Michael with the opportunity for yet another brilliant one-liner in a master class, which I think might be his new specialty. Told to an undergraduate clarinetist whose breath support he found less than ideal:

“You just opened up your mouth and some air fell in.”