Covenant Shores, Mercer Island

Fifteen years after moving from Mercer Island to Edmonds, I returned to M.I. to do something I had neither dreamed of nor could have predicted when I lived there for 30 years (1973-2003)—i.e., perform a one-hour show on my trumpet! Oh, I still have my car serviced at Mercer Island Service Center, and I still use my same dentist, Lewis and Gibson, DDS, after all these years. But to play “Showtune Favorites: Hit Songs from Musicals and Movies” for about 50 residents of Covenant Shores (CS) Retirement Community—“Who’da thunk it?”

See? Here’s proof: some of my jokes are funny!

The CS Chaplain, Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos, longtime family friend, invited me to Fellowship Hall for the show on 17 May. That’s Norwegian Constitution Day—his mother, Star (91), is of Norwegian descent. The day commemorates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll 204 years ago on 17 May 1814. More about this later.

“Showtune Favorites” features 25 songs written during 1906 to 1992 which were sung in  South Pacific, Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, Show Boat, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, Hello Dolly, Gigi, Grease, Aladdin, and others. The audience sings along with me, as I play. I use two trumpets, one cornet, two mutes, and three mouthpieces.

“Showtune Favorites” trumpet show by Glenn Ledbetter

The finale was “You’re a Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan in 1906. It was sung by James Cagney in the movie, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942). I invited Chaplain Greg on stage with me to lead the singing, and Roxanne Helleren, CS’s Resident Life Director, accompanied us on the piano. Suddenly, Chaplain Greg vigorously waved the Norwegian flag! After the laughs, he brought out the American flag, and we burst into song. It was rousing, and the audience clapped in rhythm as they sang.

Covenant Shores opened in 1978, and today, it occupies 12 acres of land on Lake Washington waterfront with a private marina. There are 298 apartments for rent, as follows:

• Residential Living: 208
• Assisted Living: 32
• Memory Care: 15
• Skilled Nursing: 43

Floor Plans:

There are 12 different floor plans in the complex of buildings. Please see https://www.covenantshores.org/floor-plans.

• Adventurer: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 806 s.f.
• Tradewinds: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 633 s.f.
• Tradewinds: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 806 s.f.
• Islander: 2 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 955 s.f.
• Custom Islander: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,600 s.f.
• Tradewinds: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 955 s.f.
• Tradewinds Plus Den: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,300 s.f.
• Voyager: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,182 s.f.
• Lighthouse: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 1,086 s.f.
• Lighthouse Plus Den: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,753 s.f.
• Lighthouse Plus Den: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,504 s.f.
• Shoreview: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 955 s.f.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Photos by Greg Asimakoupoulos and Bob Bowen, Covenant Shores:

Roxanne Helleren accompanies Glenn Ledbetter and Chaplain Greg Asimakoupoulos on “You’re a Grand Old Flag”

Courtesy of Covenant Shores:

Photos by Glenn Ledbetter