We have been spending a good part of the day packing and cleaning, getting ready to take off tomorrow. How sad we’ll be to leave Sitka! We went down to the dock at Knight Park this morning. I looked up to the top of one of the spruce trees and saw a bald eagle perched on a branch. There weren’t too many other birds around that we could see, not surprisingly. We saw black-headed grosbeaks in the woods on the Nature Conservancy trail. I love their song.
We each had to hand in a written summary of our residency experience as part of our exit interview. Here’s what I wrote:
This was an amazing journey of self-discovery. Having the time, a beautiful resonant space, beautiful natural surroundings, and the friendly supportive staff of the Sitka Center all contributed to a deeper understanding of myself as a person and musician, and of my instrument, and the music I worked on. Since I don’t have any of this at home this residency was a gift that cannot be surpassed. (I have already vowed to keep the computer turned off until noon every day so my new morning routine comes first – exercise, journal, practicing.) I am very grateful for this experience. An extra plus we had not anticipated was the community of residents. Each of them added something wonderful to my time here. I know mostly other musicians at home so it was a treat to talk with artists and writers. Socializing with these particular people , observing/seeing/hearing their work and their working process was an important part of my residency. I loved spending time with all of them.