Yesterday was a day off, so Jim, Julia and and their one-year-old son Alex spent the day with Jim's family.  Barbara and I had a great afternoon with a student of mine, Miaki, who is now a grad student in seismology at Harvard.  She took us on a tour of her labs and also of the natural history museum where we saw the famous "glass flowers", created over 100 years ago, and used originally for scientific study because in the 19th century there wasn't the technology to preserve actual specimens; now, of course, they are viewed as exquisite works of art.

The concert this afternoon took place in the Maliotis Cultural Center, which is part of the Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline.   The pianos had been moved over from Belmont Hill yesterday, and had to sit here overnight.  They had originally been driven up from New York, because there were none available in Boston; as a result, the crew spent the weekend here.  After the concert, they immediately started loading them back on the truck for the drive back to New York.  I should say for the record that the fellows in the moving crew were efficient, polite, and friendly, and that the whole operation came off very smoothly.

Because of Jim's Greek heritage, he is closely connected to many of the people in the college, and in honour of this connection, they dedicated the concert to the memory of Jim's mother, Ann Chakalis Anagnoson.  Archbishop Iakovos, who is Jim's godfather, was going to give the opening address, but he could not make it up from New York.  The grounds of the college are stunningly beautiful, an extended acreage with dramatic hills and large forests.  Next to the hall, they are building a new library named after the archbishop, and presidents Carter and Bush are scheduled to be at the dedication.

The hall itself is an all-purpose facility, and the acoustics are a bit dry, but the sound is warm, and the small size allowed us to project the sound pretty well.  After the concert, we attended a reception in the foyer; it was Alex's first birthday, so he was there, and they had a cake with a single candle in his honour.

(Monday, November 2)

Jim and I were both sorry to leave Boston, partly, of course, because of the people we met, but also because it has been one of the few trips where we were able to bring our families.  Touring is a great way to see the world, and you meet so many wonderful people, but essentially, you travel, play, sleep, travel, play, sleep, etc., so most of the time, having your family along is out of the question in fairness to them.