A Diplomatic Event

I was invited to eat dinner with the US Ambassador at her residence yesterday night. It was my first visit to the compound, so I of course accepted the invitation.

Her husband is in town from Japan, and he's a huge fan of Sacred Harp singing, so he wanted to have me over to talk music.

He knows a lot more about Sacred Harp then I do, so it was very interesting to hear about what it is, how it is performed, it's origins and to listen to some samples.

When I arrived at the residence I was greeted by a gun-wielding guard who escorted me into the compound.

The Ambassador's Residence is on cliff overlooking Sokehs Island with a vast panorama of the ocean and the sky. The sunset was absolutely riveting.

The house is huge and beautiful, too. They have a real piano!

Their maid served us a gorgeous meal on the deck. Most of the food came from the residence garden - cucumbers, spinach, lemon grass and egg plant - with reef fish from the market. Amazing!

It was an honor to be there and the conversation with the Ambassador and her husband was great. Although it was a more formal setting that I am accustomed to, it was comfortable and fun.

I am going back on Thursday to "jam" on some Sacred Harp music with as many people as we can get to join in.
By the way, I also had my stitches removed yesterday morning, but my pinky still hurts.