Friday the thirteenth’ did not live up to it’s reputation this year.  In fact – it was a propitious day – for having dinner with Do & Jack Wagner, and chatting with Bob & Wanda Eisenach  and Dr. Allen & Barbara Cline, and waving to Dr. Sergio & Lynn Alejandrino.  

Dayton Country Club’s Manger, Walter Schaller came by the table and was beset with questions about his running in the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16th.  “My daughter, Heidi, is running with me…she lives in New York City and will meet me in Boston.  I’m flying out Sunday morning… and worried about the Dayton’s weather and hope they don’t cancel my flight.  The weather report for Monday (race day) isn’t good – rain and temperatures in the 40’s, - and 25 mph winds!  Well, that’ll be better than the 85 degrees we had several years ago!  The Marathon is never cancelled because of weather.

“Heidi and I are staying at the Winthrope Arms Lodge…it’s east of Boston on the sea. Monday morning we will be taken to down town Boston by bus and then all participants are transported to the race’s start by school bus.  Boston’s committee is very well organized.

“The First Flight goes of at 10:00 AM, and the Second Flight, my flight, goes off at 10:30.  I generally run a nine minute mile - so we should cross the Finish Line around two thirty PM….”  (Remember from your Anc. Hist. course – the distance from Marathon to Athens is 26….miles – straight up hill.  And when the original Marathon runner arrived in Athens to report their victory over Persia in 490 BC – he dropped dead!)

“Walter when you cross the finish line – could you call the ‘Oakwood Register’…we’ll hold a box on the front page ‘til we hear from you.”

“Sure,  I’ll call.  I’ll have my cell phone with me!”  Now that’s pure 21st century  technology!

“Well, it almost happened again!” gasped Elana Bolling.  “Remember Vanguard had to cancel March 17th’s Juilliard concert – because the players couldn’t get to Dayton thanx to the weather? So our star, Vassily Primakov, was due into Cox airport on Thursday afternoon.  He phoned about three PM…’Oh, you go in early!”  “No, I’m still in New York!  My flight was cancelled…they have no back-up…I’ll get back to you…”

“Vassily was scheduled to play at Oakwood High School on Friday morning…after four hours of sleep and a two hour delay in Washington – he did make it to Oakwood.  The young people loved him.  “How do you like playing so many different pianos? Asked one student.  “Well, most are OK….well this one is not pleasant!”

Vassily was taken to the Café Monet for lunch at the Dayton Art Institute Friday noon – so he could test the DAI’s piano.  He reported it was great – and he certainly gave it a work-out on Saturday evening. This attractive young man was born in Moscow in l979 and began his fabulous concert career at age eleven.  At age seventeen he came to Juilliard and has lived in the USA for ten years…his English is perfect.

Supper in the Café Monet followed the concert.  The café’s walls have recently been hung with  repros of Monte’s paintings and this addition has certainly enhanced the drama of the room.  Ginny & Bill Cuthbertson enjoyed chatting with Alice & Bert Saidel, Carol & Duncan Powell, the Bob Siebenthalers, and of course, Vassily Primakov.

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