Pic(k) of the Week: A duet requires careful coordination

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

DeKalb Symphony Orchestra cellist Rachel Seong (with fellow cellist Andrew Choi) performs the Cello Duet 1, op. 22 of German composer Friedrich Kummer (1797 – 1879). Theirs was the only classical music performance throughout...

Oakhurst Porchfest
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
11 October 2025.

***************

About

First held in 2015, Oakhurst Porchfest is

a grassroots community music festival where front porches become stages, yards become venues, and radical generosity and goodwill rule the day.

Established in 1964, the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra

presents concerts of traditional and contemporary symphonic repertoire primarily in DeKalb County, Georgia, venues. The orchestra is composed of qualified volunteer musicians from the community as well as a cohort of paid professional musicians serving in principal roles. The orchestra is a member of the League of American Orchestras.

***************

Friedrich August Kummer:
Duet for 2 cellos, No. 1, Op.22 (3rd movement: Allegro Scherzoso)
Album: Friedrich Kummer: Cello Duets
(Label: Avie, 2007)

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: Light & shadow in the wood

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Eerie wraiths, deep in a winter woodland.

Mason Mill Park
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
12 February 2026.

***************

Eric Dolphy: Something Sweet, Something Tender
Album: Out To Lunch (Label: Blue Note, 1964)

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: Winter speedwell

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

In deep winter, a tiny birdseye speedwell (Veronica persica) blooms during a 'false' (22 °C!) spring.

East Decatur Greenway
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
9 January 2026.

This is a close-up. The blossom — maybe 0.4 inches wide (1 cm) — appears much larger in the image than it did in 'real' life.

***************

Walter Piston:
The Incredible Flutist (Tango of the Merchant's Daughters)
Album:
Piston: Symphony No. 6, The Incredible Flutist, 3 New England Sketches
(Label: RCA Victor Red Seal, 1991)

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: A Sunday kind of hawk

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

A red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) perched in a tree: a wonderful find for a winter's Sunday stroll.

When I first noticed this handsome fellow, he was sitting in a marsh, far from my position and partially hidden from sight. I found a fallen bough to sit on and waited, hoping he might move closer for a 'cleaner' shot. Forty-five minutes later, he obliged.

And, for a moment, I felt like a 'birder.'

Decatur Legacy Park
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
11 January 2026.

***************

Barry Harris: Ornithology
Album: Breakin' It Up (Label: Argo, 1959)

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: Ice in the Deep South

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

In January 2026, a large winter ice storm swept the U.S., from southwest Texas to northeast Maine. In north-central Georgia, the temperature fell to -10 °C (14 °F).

Hawthorne Nature Trail
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
25 January 2026.

***************

Art Ensemble of Chicago: Dreaming of the Master
Album: Nice Guys (Label: ECM, 1979)

-----more-----