joshuaSEGRAVES

Joshua Tree: Octillo Cactus

Sun, 26 May 2013 00:29:00 -0400

Joshua Tree: Octillo Cactus

Day 2 of Joshua Tree. Stopped by the ranger’s station in...

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:33:20 -0400

Day 2 of Joshua Tree. Stopped by the ranger’s station in the morning and asked for a recommendation for a good day hike. They suggested Boy Scout to Wonder Land Wash, Leading to the Wonder Land of Rocks. It was about 8 miles in and back.

We started in a Joshua Tree forest, then snaked our way through a wash area, before finally getting to the Wonderland of Rocks. We were beginning to think that we were there already while we were in the wash section, but luckily a group of hikers coming back urged us on. The pictures don’t do it justice. We scrambled up a few boulders in the wash section, then all of a sudden, boulders as far as the eye could see. It was pretty incredible.

On a side note, the desert is flippin’ HOT! When we got back to the car, we were expecting the temp to be in the 90s. Turned out it was only 75!! The sun was really intense.

Final dress rehearsal for John Williams #SoNA concert. :D

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:03:00 -0400

Final dress rehearsal for John Williams #SoNA concert. :D

Actually, we were across the street from Jumbo Rocks to avoid...

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:01:00 -0400

Actually, we were across the street from Jumbo Rocks to avoid the crush of people, but it still counts. I think it was my favorite part of Joshua Tree. Find a rock, and climb it.

Ryan Mountain at Joshua Tree National Park on our recent SoCal...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:39:00 -0400

Ryan Mountain at Joshua Tree National Park on our recent SoCal vacation. Joshua Tree may not be as grandiose as some of the other National Parks, but it’s very special in it’s own right. I’d love to be there now climbing on boulders. :)

Amboy, CA. Mojave Desert, on the way to Joshua Tree for the...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0400

Amboy, CA. Mojave Desert, on the way to Joshua Tree for the first leg of our Spring Break 2013 vacation.

Photo

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 12:16:24 -0400

Rehearsing for the Verdi Requiem on Sat. Not a bad way to spend...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:41:11 -0500

Rehearsing for the Verdi Requiem on Sat. Not a bad way to spend the evening. :)

Snow!!

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:33:35 -0500

Snow!!

SoNA rehearsal

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:24:54 -0500

SoNA rehearsal

"The vibrations on the air are the breath of God speaking to man’s soul. Music is the language..."

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:42:02 -0400

“The vibrations on the air are the breath of God speaking to man’s soul. Music is the language of God. We musicians are as close to God as man can be. We hear his voice, we read his lips, we give birth to the children of God, who sing his praise. That’s what musicians are.”

- Ludwig von Beethoven

I had the incredible joy a couple of weeks ago to preform with...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:41:54 -0400

I had the incredible joy a couple of weeks ago to preform with Vocalis, which is a local audition group under the direction of Terry Hicks.

I was very moved during the concert that God would bless such selfish, dirty, sinful creatures with the gift of making music. How our savior is more beautiful, complete, and harmonious than anything we could fathom. How my absolute best could do nothing but sully the complete righteousness of God without the atonement of Christ’s blood.

I don’t know what the voice of God will sound like, but I imagine it will be like a beautiful mass choir, singing in perfect harmony, or a gigantic pipe organ that you not only hear, but feel the reverberations in your being.

It was a gift, and I am grateful for it.

My favorite song from the evening was “What Wonderous Love” , arranged by Fissinger. You can hear it by clicking on the link above.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb Who is the great ‘I am’;
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on.

We hiked the Emerald Pools trail after hiking the amazing Angels...

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:48:00 -0400

We hiked the Emerald Pools trail after hiking the amazing Angels Landing at Zion National Park. It consisted of a series of ponds that fed to one another from a series of waterfalls. Quite impressive.

Follow me on Twitter

I’ll be playing Amos Hart in the Rogers Little Theater...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:03:00 -0400

I’ll be playing Amos Hart in the Rogers Little Theater (RLT) production of Chicago! Amos has always been on my short list of roles I wanted to play since I saw a traveling show of Chicago back in college. Chicago is a great show, and RLT is a wonderful community theater. Our cast is incredible!! Needless to say, I’m very excited.

The performances are July 27-29, August 2-5 and 9-12. If you have any interest in going, I’d suggest getting tickets sooner rather than later as the shows will likely sell out. You can get tickets at the Rogers Little Theater website.

These are pictures from our first dress rehearsal on the 15th. Hope you all enjoy them.

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Ben Sollee rocks! A little soundtrack for your Monday morning.

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:55:09 -0400

Ben Sollee rocks! A little soundtrack for your Monday morning.

From the National Park Service, “The route to Angels...

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 07:59:58 -0400

From the National Park Service,

“The route to Angels Landing involves travel along a steep, narrow ridge with support chains anchored intermittently along the route. Footing can be slippery even when the rock is dry. Unevenly surfaced steps are cut into the rock with major cliff dropoffs adjacent. Keep off when it is wet, icy or thunderstorms are in the area. Plan to be off before dark. Younger children should skip this trail; older children must be closely supervised.”

Angels Landing was AWESOME. 2.5 miles to the summit (5 miles round trip), 1488ft elevation gain. The last half mile is a traverse on a narrow ridge and scramble to the summit. There’s chains installed in the rock to both guide the route and to give you something to hold onto. You do not want to fall.

Meg was a little apprehensive about the finish going into the trip, but canyoneering earlier in the week really raised her confidence level. Once we got to the final section, she though it was no big deal. :D

If you go to Zion, you have to check it out. It was worth the plane ticket.

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

A few shots of Zion National Park at sunset. I think these are...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:58:00 -0400

A few shots of Zion National Park at sunset. I think these are my favorite pictures from the trip.

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

After our canyoneering adventure, we decided to take it easy the...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:36:54 -0400

After our canyoneering adventure, we decided to take it easy the next day and drive to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce is famous for the huge formations of hoodoos, which are a tall, thin, spire of rock formed through frost and water erosion.

We had planned to walk the Navaho Loop trail, which is a short (3 miles) loop around the amphitheater section, but it was too muddy. Bryce had gotten more snow than Zion earlier in the week, and it was just starting to melt off. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to hike, but we were able to see quite a bit of the park from pull off points on the road. This also freed us up to do quite a bit of exploring through southern Utah later in the day.

The first three black and whites are from Zion, the color pics are Bryce.

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

"Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and..."

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:10:00 -0400

“Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure.
~ Irving Wallace”

Find me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:09:00 -0400

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter