A cool breeze on the lush lawn was a welcome relief from our last concert at Cottonwood Canyon State Park, one year ago, where temperatures reached 114 degrees. Set on the banks of the John Day River - one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the continental United States and the longest undammed tributary of the Columbia. Oregon’s newest state park is certainly one to celebrate, 100 years after Oregon's first state park was established. Here, guest artists @dannileep sang wondrous original songs while strumming her happy ukulele. Both concerts came to an exalted finish with Thomas Lauderdale and Hunter's 4-hand arrangement of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, an outdoor practice session for their upcoming July performances with both the National Symphony Orchestra (at Wolf Trap), and with the San Francisco Symphony. Friends came to camp, fish, and cook as the sunset painted the basalt cliffs orange against the blue sky. Thank you to Cottonwood Canyon’s resident snakes, swallows, bats, and bugs as well as the park rangers, Camp Hosts, and Park Manager David Spangler for hosting us in this wild country. Photos by @arthurhitchcock . . . . . . #inalandscape #hunternoack #heinzrecords #thomaslauderdale #dannilee #johndayriver #traveloregon #condon #classical #classicalmusic #steinway #cottonwoodcanyon #pnw #pianoduet #rhapsodyinblue