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...and ended with wine, carpaccio, orecchiette with broccoli rabe and chicken, and Zuill Bailey !!! He knows his red wines...some how I knew he would for some reason...

Sorry to disappoint, but I left the bunny slippers at home. Something tells me we might not have done the social thing if he had seen me carrying those around at the masterclass.

(Alas...I am not an amazon woman <very sad> lol ! However Zuill did tell me that he is 5'11"...which is very tall in my books !)

What a whirlwind weekend, Gang ! Quite possibly the weekend of a lifetime for me. I arrived in DC on Friday night, and Julie greeted me with a big hug, took my bags from me, and then immediately showed me to her kitchen so that she could whip up some chocolate martinis that I'd found an interesting recipe for. They were *dreamy* ! Just vodka and white creme de cacao...but she garnished them with white chocolate chips and gave each glass rim a rub of cocoa powder..and as you drank in the boozy chocolately stuff...you were breathing in the delicious deep chocolate aromas from rim. Bliss ! We decided to call the concoction the Julie-'tini from here on in. : )

I met a few ICSers over the weekend - Kathleen and I chatted at the concert on Saturday evening, and she instantly made me feel very welcome. Bob managed to take time out from a very hectic weekend to escort me to the Museum of American History on Saturday, and to share a very pleasant outdoor lunch as well. Yep, we saw Kermit...Dorothy's shoes...Julia's kitchen...Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs, and so many pop culture tidbits that have always been very special to me; I even was able to take a very close look at two Stradivarius celli (Don't tell him I told you...but we saw the First Ladies' ball gowns exhibit too... ) And at the conclusion of the MasterClass yesterday, Matt Tifford came over and introduced both himself and his gorgeous little daughter - it was great to put such a friendly face to your posts, Matt.

The concert itself was breath taking, and the evening flew by! I am having a very difficult time deciding which piece was my favourite, but I think it was the Beethoven Triple. Here is a photo of Julie and I before we left for the concert:



And the masterclass was *amazing*!! Julie managed to snag us seats in the front row. I didn't realize it until we sat down, but our seats were immediately in front of where Zuill was playing, we were probably about 5 feet away from him. I asked Julie to remind me to keep breathing...she said she'd give me a poke in the ribs if I looked like I was turning blue. At one point, while I must have been watching/listening a bit too intently as Zuill was demonstrating for the student, I felt a sharp jab in my side. It was all I could do not to start laughing out loud. He is such a natural speaker, I learned so much just watching his bow arm - the participating students played so beautifully, and then even more so after he shared his thoughts and guidance.

Dinner and wine with Zuill after the masterclass was surreal. He is every bit as warm and gracious as I've heard others describe him. He answered so many of my beginner questions...and didn't bat an eye that they were beginner questions. Still pinching myself !!

Julie - that photo you took during dinner was fantastic (posted earlier in the thread) ! What a memory shot for me. I can't thank you enough for your hospitality. And it was so great getting to know you in person.

Speaking of Julie - here is a photo of her at work, playing the Elgar for me; she sounds great:





I'd better end this post before it gets too long...lots more to share, but it isn't main board material. I'll try to post more tales over on NCC over the next few days.

BettyLou was different in a way, because we yak on the phone frequently; DC was my first time meeting with ICSers cold turkey (a nice cold turkey though ). Although I did speak with Julie once on the phone before my big trip down.

Neat question - what about the others who have met ICSers in person? What was the experience like for you meeting a wonderfully familiar stranger for the first time? Any butterflies?

Gosh, I haven't had the chance to post your way in ages.

No, it definitely wasn't nerve wraking for me either. And the butterflies were pleasant little ones.