Shamrocks, corned beef, soda bread—it was a true St Patty’s Day (minus the Guinness and any Irish people). Our friend Marilyn, who brought last night’s dinner, saw to it 
that the meal was Celtic in every way—right down to the green cola. Elton enjoyed every bit of it and in this photo he shows us his favorite part.
After indulging in some Gaelic joy, our Mexican neighbors behind us invited me to play a 2v2 soccer match in their backyard. Feeling stuffed with corned beef and a tinge guilty about it, I agreed. Elton and my family sat in our yard to watch.
Whenever these neighbors play soccer it is all-out. My boys, Luke and Philip, cheered for my team exclaiming “Italia, Italia.” After a half-an-hour I wasn’t sure which was about to come first: passing out from exhaustion or hurling corned beef. Thankfully the game concluded before either occurred. To the consternation of my dear Mexican friends, Italia won both games.
Yesterday’s highlight began at 8:00pm when I took Elton to the performance of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Angela matched up his suit like a mother helping a son prepare for the prom. Elton looked like a GQ cover model, as you can see below. Neither of us were aware of how wonderful the concert would be. The following photos were taken at the intermission.
The music reached through our ears, grabbed our souls, and delivered us to a transcendent place. Joyce Yang, the 23 year old piano virtuoso from Juilliard, didn’t play the Steinway piano, she subdued it. Shoulders swaying, eyes tightly shut, fingers flirting with keys and the next moment pouncing upon them like a hungry lion. I looked at Elton. His facial expression indicated that he too had been transported.
