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A notable quote by Leonard Bernstein about classical music defines “classical” by its lasting emotional impact, stating, “A great composer's music will always last and last, perhaps forever, because people keep on feeling emotion whenever they hear it. And that lasting quality is perhaps the most important meaning of the word ‘classical.’ A classic is something that lasts forever.”  This is what I have rediscovered over the past year – the ability of beautiful music to arouse the senses and bring joy.  It started with classical music.  A couple of visits to the San Francisco Symphony,…

It’s cherry blossom time in Washington D.C.’s Tidal Basin.  As weather patterns world-wide become warmer, the trees have been blooming earlier each year.  But once again, despite my hopes to see the peak bloom, my departure from Washington was five days before that happened.  The annual Cherry Blossom Festival attracts over one million visitors each year.  This is one aspect of tourism that I did not mind missing.  The drive around the Tidal Basin was slow and laborious, and the pathways were equally crowded. According to the National Park Service (NPS), over 3,000 Japanese Yoshino cherry…