Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for music

The CD Release Party

October 18, 2015 at 9:24 am by Claudia

Last night’s CD Release Party was simply incredible.

Magical. That’s the word I kept using. Magical. I couldn’t find a better one.

The restaurant was full of friends and supporters and singers and songwriters. The Hudson Valley has a thriving music scene and the level of talent continues to amaze and delight me.

Don had set up the evening to include performances by his fellow musicians. First up, was Montgomery Delaney, then Dave Kearney and Elly Wininger (Small Engine), then Open Book (Rick and Michele Gedney), then Marji Zintz – all of them sang two songs and all of them had completely different styles. Extraordinary. Don introduced each of the acts, telling a little story about his connection to them, how they have influenced his musical journey.

Then, I got up and introduced Don and Dan and they performed all ten cuts from their album, plus, after a standing ovation, an encore.

10-18 open book

Rick and Michele Gedney, known as Open Book. Simply exquisite. Rick was also intimately involved in this CD as it was recorded and mixed in his studio. He is so talented! And to add to all of his skills, he is a gifted landscape painter and I would love nothing more than to own one of his paintings.

10-18 marji zintz

Our extraordinarily talented friend, Marji Zintz. She is a chanteuse, singing intricate, sexy, jazzy songs that cast a spell on you.

10-18 donanddan

The stars of the night: Don and Dan.

And yes, he is  hot.

10-18 donanddanandrick

Don, Rick and Dan.

I’ve witnessed many moments of joy and delight in the years I’ve been with Don. But last night might be one of the most joy-filled evenings I’ve ever been a part of. He was so moved by the support of his friends, by the performances of his fellow musicians, by, as he said, ‘a dream fulfilled.’

The entire evening, from start to finish, was magical. I am so, so happy for my husband. And for Dan. But seeing my husband so moved, with tears in his eyes? I’ll never forget it.

We’ll be talking about it for days to come, that I know.

Hard freeze last night. I’m just about to go take the sheets off. I almost resigned to the fact that my plants might be done. The catalpa is shedding hundreds of leaves as I write this.

That, my friends, is not making me happy.

The zinnias didn’t make it, and I don’t think the morning glories did, either. We’ll wait and see. But the geraniums in the barrels are hanging in there. And all of the porch plants are safely inside the house, making it look like a jungle.

Thank goodness I have memories of last night to balance everything out.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: Don, friends, music, Ready for the Radio 38 Comments

A Walk, A Butterfly, and a New CD!

October 11, 2015 at 6:40 am by Claudia

Saturday was another gorgeous fall day. Heavens, it was beautiful.

A trail walk:

10-11 trail walk

We stopped by the Vet’s to get Scout’s dog food and saw this:

10-11 monarch 1

10-11 monarch 2

He was loving that butterfly bush so much that I was able to get quite a few pictures. Sweet Monarch Butterfly….a little Saturday miracle.

Good news! Don’s CD is now available to order online. He’s done so much work getting it ready. He designed the cover and the inside of the CD. He arranged for the recording session. He sent it in to be mastered. He’s listened and listened and listened to it, making sure everything is A-OK. All that and that doesn’t include writing the words and music for each song.

Very, very proud of my talented husband.

readyfortheradio

The inside of it is also very cool!

Some of you have mentioned wanting to order it, and of course that makes us very happy, so here’s the information. It’s on a site called CD Baby – they are great, by the way – and you can order it as a digital download or as a CD in the packaging you see above.

To buy it, sample the tracks, or just see the site, click here. I’ll eventually have something on my sidebar, as well.

We’re very excited here at the Hill-Sparks household. This is something Don has wanted to do for literally (and you know I use that word ‘literally’) years: to make a professionally recorded and mastered CD.

On a personal note, to watch Don doggedly pursue this and make it happen has been a joy.

Yay Don!

Next Saturday is the CD Release Party at our local eatery. That will be a lot of fun. Don and Dan are performing, along with several of their musician friends.

They’re very, very good, you know.

I’m off to the city today.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Tagged With: CD, Don Sparks, Ready for the RadioFiled Under: butterfly, Don, music 32 Comments

Back at the Ranch

October 6, 2015 at 9:12 am by Claudia

I’m back at the ranch after a long day in NYC yesterday. No, I didn’t go to the book signing – for a couple of reasons. My morning bus was an hour late getting to our local station. We have no idea why and the reason was never given. This resulted in a couple of panicked phone calls from me to the Stage Manager explaining the problem. I knew yesterday was the only day available for individual sessions and they were to be held in a room that had been rented from 12 – 5 – allowing for 10 straight sessions of 30 minutes each. There was no wiggle room.

By the time I got in the city, I did another 14 block speed walk and, incredibly, I somehow managed to get to the building (with a full bladder), up the stairs, stop in the bathroom, and then alert the stage manager to my arrival by 11:59. I was exhausted already and the day had barely begun.

After my sessions were over, I was tired and I knew that even if I caught the 5:30 bus I wouldn’t get home until 7:30. If I had stayed for the book signing, I wouldn’t have arrived home until at least 11:00. I also knew how excited Don was about the arrival yesterday morning of a box containing his new CD and I felt I should get home in time to celebrate that event. When something like that happens, you can’t wait for your loved one to get home to tell them about it. So I speed walked another 14 blocks and headed home.

And when I walked in the door, what do you suppose was propped up on my table in the den?

10-6 CD

It’s so exciting! I’ll unveil more of it at a later date, but trust me, it’s equally as cool when the sleeve is opened. And the mastered tracks sound fantastic. Huzzah!

(I’m so glad I decided to come home early.)

4-16 doc egg cup

 

4-16 dopey egg cup 2

Do you remember these guys? There’s a whole set of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs egg cups that were made for Disney Enterprises in 1937. I’ve always said I wanted to collect them all. Recently, I saw two separate auctions on eBay for Sleepy and for Snow White herself. I bid on both of them, but kept my bid low because, let’s face it, I’m not comfortable spending too much money on anything at the moment. In each case, I was the high bidder for a while, but eventually was outbid. I was sort of heartsick over the whole thing, because they don’t come up for auction that often – especially Snow White – and it just wasn’t a good time for me to do anything but put in a low bid. Sigh. In the end, they went for what I consider a reasonable price…which makes it all the more frustrating! Ah, well. I hope whoever won them appreciates them. (I know they would have been happier in my cottage. I just know it.)

I’ve learned it’s always a good idea to set a limit on an auction and I always do. It’s too easy to get caught up in the excitement of the bidding and you can end up paying far more than you wanted to!

I just finished X  by Sue Grafton this morning. I forgot how much I like the Kinsey Millhone series. I’ll write a review tomorrow. Now I have to decide what to read next.

Oh, reading…you keep me sane. You really do.

What are you reading at the moment, dear friends?

Happy Tuesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Don, egg cups, music, New York City, reading 36 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • …
  • 15
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT