from cool Lewes to sweltering Iowa

Hey All! I'm writing to you this evening from my remarkably hot and humid home state. Over the past few weeks I've been hearing about how hot the weather was in the midwest, but I had a tough time relating as I walked around Lewes in a sweater. Well, I understand now, and I'm sorry you all had to suffer through this heat without me. I'm here now to share your pain, and I've already begun cursing the weather as I've moved boxes and furniture into our new apartment in Iowa.

Brenda has had two performances since I wrote to you last. There was some excitement at the show yesterday because of some transportation issues. Apparently a water main broke at a train station between London and Lewes which caused train delays. Some of Brenda's cast members live in London and commute to Glyndebourne on performance days. All of the performers did eventually make it, although one of the main soloists arrived 15 minutes after the show began. For those first 15 minutes his cover, well, covered for him and the show went on. You just never know what's going to happen in live theater.

And speaking of live theater, Brenda and I went to the Lion King in London last week. We were both way over dressed - I was wearing a suit and Brenda looked gorgeous in a new brown dress - as the vast majority of the audience was in jeans. The musical was quite the spectacle and we both enjoyed it. Afterwards we went to a surprisingly satisfying Italian restaurant nearby that had opera playing in the background. Believe me when I tell you, it is very difficult for two opera singers to have an uninterrupted conversation when there are opera arias playing in the background. Every time a new aria would come on we would stop what we were doing and start trying to figure out which aria it was and who was singing it.

This week, Brenda is spending much of her non-performance time learning music for upcoming performances. I am spending the week getting things ready for classes which will begin in less than two weeks. I am also still getting over a little jet-lag, so I should end this here and go to bed. I hope you all have a great week and I'll talk to you next Tuesday!

Hey All! Since I wrote to you last, our lovely friends, Barb and Michael, have come and gone. Our bed & breakfast in Lewes is officially closed for the season. Unless of course you were planning on visiting at which point we'd be happy to wash the sheets again.

Barb and Michael's visit was short but action-packed. They stayed for two nights and we managed to squeeze in the Seven Sisters, Brighton, a tour of Glyndebourne, a jog up and down the downs, two pubs, and a hedgehog (see below). We had a great time with them, and Brenda and I were very impressed by how easily Michael maneuvered their rental car on the wrong left side of the road.

Barb and Michael at the Seven Sisters

a picture taken from the top of one of the sisters

the hedgehog

(that's a hedgehog, right?)

Brenda is currently enjoying her largest break between performances (her next show isn't until Friday). We're celebrating her time off by spending some quality time together. Today we walked to Glyndebourne (it was Brenda's first time walking there) and tomorrow we plan on going to London to see a musical. It has been years since we've seen a musical; it should be a lot of fun.

I'm assuming that many of you (my beloved dozen or so blog followers) are aware that I will be starting law school at the University of Iowa in August. For those of you that aren't aware: I will be starting law school at the University of Iowa in August. I think we're all on the same page now.

I've been considering going to law school for several years but figuring out the right time has been a challenge. Brenda and I decided that this fall would be as good a time as any. The unfortunate thing is that Brenda and I will have to be apart quite a bit in the coming years. As it stands, Brenda is contracted with Oper Frankfurt for the next 2 years. Therefore, Chenda in Germany will, for the next two years at least, be mostly CH in Iowa and ENDA in Germany. I guess we could rename the blog Chenda on Planet Earth but then we'd lose all of our name recognition.

The blog will continue. I am going to harass Brenda into writing more entries so you'll still get your updates from Germany. I will also be writing about my law school experience, which is probably going to be like living in a foreign country anyway. Basically, we'll keep churning out stories about our lives and we hope you continue to enjoy reading them.

Until next time have a great week!

porting perky parents

Hey All! After a busy and fun-filled week, Brenda's parents left for the US this morning. In one week we were able to squeeze in 3 performances at Glyndebourne, a day in Brighton, a trip to the Seven Sisters, and a whole bunch of laughs. Brenda had two performances this past week (6 down, 10 to go) and her parents were able to go to both of them. On one of her off nights Brenda was able to get us all tickets to the final dress rehearsal of Rusalka. Glyndebourne's production of Rusalka is beautiful - as is the opera itself - and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

I'm sad to say that Jim and Joanne didn't experience Lewes at its best; the weather was crummy for pretty much the whole week. Of course, compared to the heat the midwest has been seeing lately, rainy with temperatures in the 60s isn't so bad.

I have Jim to thank for the photos this week.

A view from High Street in Lewes

A picnic table Glyndebourne style

the diva and her proud parents

Brenda and Joanne enjoying the beach by the Seven Sisters

Once again our empty nest will not remain empty for long. On Sunday our friends Barb and Michael will be coming to stay with us for a couple of days. I guess we'll have to take them to our favorite coffee shops and pubs in Lewes, too. Darn. Such is the burden of a host.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll talk to you next week!

check back later this week

Hey All! Brenda and I have been having a great time with her parents since they arrived last Friday. Unfortunately, I ran out of time today and am not able to write the blog entry you deserve. I'm planning on writing a longer post on Thursday or Friday. Until then, have a great week!

cloudy with a chance of pajamas

Hey All! As you might imagine, not a lot has happened since I wrote to you on Saturday. My parents have left the country and last I talked to them they were in the US. Thanks to a 2-hour delayed take-off from Gatwick, they missed their connecting flight in Atlanta. Assuming they caught the next flight to Des Moines they should have made it home late last night.

Things are once again quiet around our garden flat in Lewes. Today has been overcast and rainy; a perfect day for staying indoors - which we have. Brenda has a performance tomorrow (#4) and I may take a trip to the grocery store. We have returned to our normal routine. Brenda's parents arrive on Friday and we're really looking forward to seeing them.

As promised, here is the picture of all of us with Ron and Marilyn. We had a great meal that night; you can even see the remnants of Brenda's panna cotta. Don't worry, I didn't force her to eat the whole thing by herself.

I hope you all have a great week and I'll talk to you next Tuesday!

Cheerio!

Hey All! With my parents being in town and Brenda opening her opera, these past two weeks have flown by. Most of the first week was spent showing my parents around Lewes and getting ready for (and going to) the opera. My parents and I went to both the final dress rehearsal and first performance of Rinaldo. As I mentioned in the last post, Brenda was fantastic in the opera and she looked great in her rubber costume. If you care to see some of the pictures from the production you can do so here (just click on the "images and audio" tab once you're on Glyndebourne's website).

One of Rinaldo's two intermissions is 85 minutes long. During that intermission audience members enjoy picnics on the lawn or eat at one of Glyndebourne's restaurants. My dad and I are not in formal attire in the picture above because we were at the dress rehearsal.

Due to the chilly weather, we decided to enjoy our picnic inside at the premiere.

Brenda was outstanding at the Rinaldo premiere. (I know I've told you that a couple of times already but it's my blog and I'll talk about how awesome my wife is if I want to). She sang beautifully, looked gorgeous, and commanded the stage as usual. She was greeted at the end of the performance with well-deserved, thunderous applause. You might be interested to know that one of those audience members applauding for Brenda was actor Alan Rickman. Brenda got very excited when she heard that Professor Snape saw her perform. Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of Brenda with Alan, so we'll just have to hope that we bump into him again someday.

One day last week we took a trip to London. We saw many of the sights: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, Big Ben, among others. I had never been to London before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a protest going on while we were there. It had something to do with The Man taking away people's retirement funds. In any event, there were cops everywhere and helicopters were flying over the city the whole day.

Brenda and I posing in front of Royal Albert Hall

While in London we took a trip to Royal Albert Hall; a concert hall Brenda will be singing in on August 25th as a part of the BBC Proms. To learn more about the performance click here.

On Wednesday, my parents and I went to Windsor Castle. According to the Windsor Castle website, Windsor Castle "is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen." We asked one of her staff (or should I say one of her subjects?) if the Queen was at Winsdor, and he informed us that she wasn't there at the moment, but she does come to the castle most weekends. According to the Wikipedia page, "more than five hundred people live and work in Windsor". And it's her weekend place. I should have been royalty.

The Windsor Castle Quadrangle

All-in-all it has been a great two weeks. In addition to going to the opera and kicking around England, we have made an effort to sample the local cuisine (with special emphasis on the ales and lagers). It has been great having my parents here and we will be sad to see them go. Luckily, our empty nest will be filled again when Brenda's parents arrive on Friday. At that point the opera and pub tour can begin anew.

The four of us enjoying a pint at a pub in Lewes.

I almost forgot, Ron and Marilyn, Brenda's aunt and uncle, visited us in Lewes on Thursday. We gave them the grand Lewes tour and did our best to keep them awake (they were still fighting a little jet-lag). We took a picture of all of us but I can't seem to find our camera at the moment. I'll post the picture on Tuesday. Until then, have a great weekend!

taking in the sights

Hey All! It's been a very busy week. You'll be happy to know that things have been going great. Unfortunately, I'm too tired to write a full blog entry tonight, but I have posted a few pictures that hint at what we've been up to. I'll write a longer post later this week (hopefully tomorrow).

Brenda trying to enter the Ministry of Magic

(Big Ben is in the background)

Dad, Mom, Brenda, and the Seven Sisters

Brenda and I after her opera (she was truly magnificent)

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday!