Handbell Weekend 2010

On Friday, Feb. 19, eleven of our handbell ringers and I loaded up the cars and headed for Lutheridge, an ELCA-affiliated conference and retreat center in the mountains near Arden, North Carolina. We had registered for the Intermediate Track and were looking forward to ringing under the direction of clinician Michael Joy.

The schedule was a grueling one that included 10.5 hours of rehearsal time before our concert Sunday morning.

In addition to rehearsals, workshops, and lots of eating (Lutheridge does great meals!), we spent a very pleasant evening with Pastor Bill and Karla Trexler in their beautiful new home. Pastor Trexler served St. Mark's as Pastor from 1979 until 1995 when he was elected Bishop of the Florida-Bahamas synod.

And yes. . .there was SNOW! Pastor Tim explained that most of the snow we were seeing had actually been on the ground since before Christmas. We arrived during a warming spell so it was beginning to melt and make things muddy. (A good thing too. Some of us were nervous about the possibility of having to drive on ice.)

Exhausted but musically refreshed, we started our trek down the mountain on Sunday afternoon at about 2:00. We met for dinner at a Cracker Barrell in Pooler, GA before beginning the final leg of our journey home.

Thanks to everyone who went and drove. Special thanks to Rose and Larry for obtaining the trailer, loading it, and pulling all of our equipment up the mountain! Thank you to Pastor and Karla Trexler for a delicious dinner and wonderful evening!