Teaching and playing in the American West
I had a great experience teaching and playing at this year's Portal Irish Music Week. What a great group of people, great classes and vibes, and in such a beautiful location! Other instructors included Brian Conway, Matt Heaton, Marla Fibish, Colin Lindsay, Brian Lanni, and co-organizer Pete Strickler, whom I must thank along with Susan Zazzali Mittelstadt for the great opportunity. Also, Burt Mittelstadt who brought us out on some amazing hikes around the area, an uncommonly lush desert environment which is absolutely teeming with wildlife in the very southeast corner of Arizona.
Before the festival, I had the pleasure of heading to Denver to play a lovely little house concert at Pete Strickler's beautiful home, after which we drove all the way to Portal, taking in some amazing views along the way. As a huge fan of all manner of spicy food, I was delighted to stop in Hatch, New Mexico, the green chile pepper capital of North America! Here are a few photos of the drive, and hiking around the Portal area, which will hopefully inspire viewers to attend this great annual teaching festival sometime!
