Bus Rides and Evensong

Tuesday, 22 February, Tallahassee Greyhound Station

The obliterating fog is rapidly clearing, showing a clear sky and sunshine.  The forecast high temperature toddy is 78F, too nice a day to spend five hours on a bus.

We are on our way to Montgomery, AL.  We have only two night reservations there, so the stay is short.  On brief stops like this, we do an extended walk, realizing this is the only day we have.  We will do justice to Alabama after we complete the capital walks at Frankfort when we return to Birmingham.

Tallahassee is a spread-out city with a bus system that is difficult to access.  Fortunately, we had a room at the Holiday Inn at which the Florida Capital Walk began.  Following the walk map helped orient us, even though our directions were reversed.  We walked through Myers Park and through the capital complex.  The last part of the walk included too far a distance down Magnolia, a busily traveled four lane road.  The directions were funnily written and at times hard to decipher, but we made it through without getting lost.

Sunday, after perusing several maps, we walked via Lafayette downtown to wander the area.  On Monroe, we found St. John Church-Episcopal and learned of an organ recital and Evensong to began at 15:00.  We were there and it was all marvelous.  The choir filled the balcony and the organ threatened to bring it all down with thundering pipes rattling pacemakers and other implants.

The focus of the service was on American composers and ranged from modern to classical to gospel.The church was full and the singing, both choir and congregation, was strong and inspiring.  Psalm 145 was sung with a melodic chant by Charles B. Fisk who, in addition to his composing skills, was also an organ builder.  The organ at St. John is one of his works.

The bus ride here was amazingly uneventful and boring, as bus rides should be.  When I add up the distances between the capitals, I get 1500 or so miles of uneventful boredom.  Whole different picture.