Last Friday (the 21st), Mer and I braved a rainy evening to head over to Kent again to hear some music. This time it was a free outdoor concert to hear Bethesda, the band of which our friends Eric and Shanna are lead members. The rain let up just as we got to Acorn Alley, a newer-building area in Kent across from the Kent Stage, and the venue for the evening. Bethesda was scrambling to get set back up under the cover of an alcove. They had been set up outside and ready to go when the rain moved through, and so they had to relocate at the last second. Happily, from my perspective, the new venue was right next to the Arctic Squirrel ice cream shop, so I got sundaes for me and Mer while we waited. (For those wondering, the ice cream was decent, but not so good as Handel’s, in my opinion).
Bethesda finally got underway, and they rocked in all of the meanings of the word. I think it had been well over a year since we had gotten to see them in concert, and so the experience was fresh for us. Also, we were getting to see them in a venue that was not a bar, so we did not have to strain to hear them over the shouted conversation of semi-drunk people. There were still some people talking around us (why do people come to concerts to talk?), but it was more sporadic than the usual bar noise.
Bethesda sounded great this night, and they played for over two hours. They even had to go back to the start of their playlist at the end of the show because they played out the songs that their two newest members know. The crowd was okay with that since most had not been there form the start. Poor Shanna, who REALLY gets into singing, skinned her knees during one song when she dropped to them onto the brick floor. She finished several more songs while gently bleeding, poor thing.
On Saturday, Mer and I slept late, and then I took her to hike the southern part of the Furnace Run Trail, which we had not done before. The hike was pretty, with the requisite trees and stream, but the walk was made more exciting by hearing a thunderstorm rolling in while we were still an unknown-to-us distance from the car. We made it back to the car while the rain was still in the gentle stage, but withing a minute or two of our regaining the car, it poured. It was still a good hike.
On Sunday, we headed over to the Churchills’ house. Zach knows I am a Buffalo Bills fan, and the Browns were playing the Bills, and so would be on TV. Zach kindly invited me and Mer over to watch the game. I feel bad about this, but I am not a great guest when football is on – I can’t keep track of the game and of conversations, so I usually give up on conversation, which I have trouble hearing over the TV. Mer filled in for me nicely. We ate a good lunch, and Londa made her wonderful chocolate chip cookies, which she served warm. I think I had about ten. The Bills won the game, but did not embarrass the Browns, so I think it was a successful visit.