DIANE'S CORNER ...

Celebrate Int'l Tuba Day

Image result for International Tuba Day gif

Do you all recall the least loved member of any marching band? That one sound that seemed to add so little to the overall musical experience that’s provided on the field? No, we’re not talking about the drummers, though we can’t blame you for making that assumption. This is also marching band, not a rock band, so the bassist is ALSO the wrong answer, thanks for playing. We’re talking about the powerful “oompah” instrument that is the Tuba, and International Tuba Day celebrates the depth and diversity of sound that this beautiful brass wind is capable of producing. So whether you know a Tuba Player, or are one today, International Tuba Day celebrates your underappreciated contribution to the arts.

report this ad

History of International Tuba Day

These amazing performers really are underappreciated, and International Tuba Day gives recognition to them and all the struggles they face in the pursuit of their art. What struggles you say? Well let’s start with the image that the world puts forth, the big heavy man with the big heavy instrument puffing away on it with cheeks like bellows. That’s typically the first vision, and it often underscores the sheer lung capacity necessary for playing such a bombastic instrument. They’re also seen as having little to no personality, which is just utterly untrue! Playing such a lumbering instrument requires a significant amount of personality to make the performance bright and interesting!

Thankfully, we have a champion to come forth and help turn this image around. Joel Day first established this holiday in 1979 while part of the Lower Merion High School Band. He and his fellow tuba player realized that their instruments simply failed to receive the respect and recognition they deserved. Little did he know that his efforts would result in a worldwide explosion of Tuba enthusiasm, with music being collected and performed that exalted the Tuba’s range and interest.

Related image

Word of the Day

macadamize

John Loudon McAdam (detail), 1830

MEANING:

verb tr.: To construct or pave a road with small, broken stones bound with asphalt or tar.

ETYMOLOGY:

After John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), civil engineer, who pioneered this method of building a road. Earliest documented use: 1823. McAdam also appears in the word tarmac. The word was originally a trademark, coined by combining tar + McAdam.

USAGE:

“[Mark] Twain himself was an early advocate for bicycle transport; for example, he’s quoted in an 1895 edition of Portland’s Oregonian suggesting the city macadamize its streets, purchase bicycles, and rent them out to citizens.”
Fletcher Moore Twain’s Bike Lessons; Poets & Writers (New York); Sep/Oct 2011.

Idiom of the Day

Blood, sweat and tears -

Meaning - Something that requires a lot of effort and hard work.

Example - Being on the Indian cricket team is not just a matter of luck for him, it is his blood, sweat and tears which has got him here.

This Day in History

1802 - Washington, DC, was incorporated as a city.

1855 - Macon B. Allen became the first African American to be admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts.

1921 - West Virginia imposed the first state sales tax.

1927 - Francis E.J. Wilde of Meadowmere Park, NY, patented the electric sign flasher.

1933 - The U.S. Mint was under the direction of a woman for the first time when Nellie Ross took the position.

1937 - Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for "Gone With The Wind."

1944 - Dr. Robert Woodward and Dr. William Doering produced the first synthetic quinine at Harvard University.

1952 - The first airplane landed at the geographic North Pole.

1960 - "The Fantasticks" opened. The show became the longest-running musical in theater history on May 13, 1984 with performance number 10,000.

I have listened to this radio station since it began .. and still do so (even at this very moment)! lol

1971 - National Public Radio broadcast for the first time.

1986 - Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park) opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

1988 - The White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule her husband's activities.

1998 - "The Sevres Road," by 18-century landscape painter Camille Corot, stolen from the Louvre in France.

2006 - In Alexandria, VA, Al-Quaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was given a sentence of life in prison for his role in the terrorist attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

2016 - Billboard reported that Prince became the first act to concurrently chart five albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 since the merging of their stereo and mono lists in 1963. In the first full tracking week since Prince's death he had 19 albums on the top 200 list.

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, May 3

Thoughtful and involved, you express yourself well, possess quiet charm, and easily endear yourself to others. You have an artistic bent that is undeniable, and your creative mind can help bring financial success. You are multi-talented and many of you spread yourself over multiple career paths and hobbies as a result. You expect a lot from yourself, and sometimes too much, which can lead to indecisiveness. Famous people born today:

1469 Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian politician and writer (Prince), born in Florence, Italy (d. 1527)

1898 Golda Meir [Mabovitch], Israeli teacher, stateswoman and 4th Prime Minister of Israel(1969-74) "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics, born in Kiev, Ukraine (d. 1978)

1903 Bing Crosby [Harry Lillis Crosby], American actor and singer (White Christmas, Going My Way), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 1977)

1906 Mary Astor, American actress (Maltese Falcon, Dinky), born in Quincy, Illinois (d. 1987)

1921 Sugar Ray Robinson [Walter Smith], American middle/welterweight boxer (1946-52, 55, 58), born in Ailey, Georgia (d. 1989)

1933 James Brown, American soul singer (Hot Pants, Living in America) and originator of funk music, born in Barnwell, South Carolina (d. 2006)

READERS INFO

1.

1944 -

--On May 3, 1944: The musical film Going My Way starring Bing Crosby (as Father Chuck O'Malley) and Barry Fitzgerald (as Father Fitzgibbon) was released. The successful film was the highest-grossing film of that year. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Leo McCarey), Best Actor (Crosby) and Best Supporting Actor (Fitzgerald). Going My Way featured many memorable songs, including Swinging on a Star, which topped the charts in 1944. Crosby again portrayed the character of Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1945 film The Bells of St. Mary's. That film also starred Ingrid Bergman as Sister Mary Benedict. The role of Father O'Malley was a rewarding role for Crosby who was again nominated in the Best Actor category -- the first actor to receive two Best Actor nominations for the same character.

2.

Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival 2019

May 1-5, 2019 | Buffalo, NY

Japanese Garden in Delaware Park|1 Museum Ct

Constant blizzard-like conditions renders Buffalo a colorless city, but once spring rolls around, the city shows its true colors. Hundreds of cherry blossom trees awaken in Delaware Park, giving Buffalo a glowing shade of pink that brings cheer to all residents and visitors. Take a walk through the alluring Japanese Garden and you’ll see what winter has hid from you all this time.

further information: BUFFALO CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL MAY 1-5, 2019

3.

Memphis in May International Festival 2019

May 1-25, 2019 | Memphis, TN

The Memphis in May International Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, is an all-encompassing celebration of a different country each year. The festival has multiple events taking place over the month of May.

further information: Memphis in May International Festival | Official Website

4.

Fort Worth Mayfest 2019

May 2-5, 2019 | Fort Worth, TX

Trinity Park|2401 University Dr

Tracing its roots all the way back to the 1973 Trinity River Festival, Mayfest has become one of the biggest family events of the year in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s a traditional town fair-style event with carnival games, rides, live music and other performances and, of course, food and drink available for sale.

further information: Mayfest

Pictures of the day

The Madonna of Loreto is an oil-on-panel painting by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael, completed around 1511. The painting shows the Christ Child with his mother, Mary, as well as her husband, Saint Joseph. Just awakened, Jesus is playing a game with his mother's veil. Joseph is shown on the right, looking in from the shadows. Scholars have determined through X-ray analysis that Joseph was added as an afterthought, his image being painted over a window that was previously visible over Mary's shoulder. Furthermore, the change in the position of Jesus's right foot was also revealed via X-ray. These changes align with Raphael's preliminary drawings for the painting. The painting is now in the collection of the Musée Condé in Chantilly, France.

Under The Wave

yourshot tpoy people 3rd bursiel The Winners of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

I recently traveled to Tavarua, Fiji to do some surf photography with pro surfer Donavon Frankenreiter at Cloudbreak. I’m always looking for new angles and perspectives. The usual surf shots have all been done so we decided to get a little creative. Makes you look twice.

knit, Mother's Day
thanks, Sarah

I ♥ Intarsia Washcloth

knit
thanks, Millie

Montavilla Market Tote

knit
SUMMER TOP with LACE PATTERN

https://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=1803&cid=19

knit

Easy Knitted Fish

knit

Little Garter Gerkin

Crochet Pattern of the Day: Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Great way to use up all that leftover yarn.

First row after the chain is all single crochet. Then ch 3, DC in second stitch from hook. Next, DC back in the stitch you skipped (X stitch). It's very easy and creates a nice texture.