When last heard from, I was going to the theater. And then, a few days later, I was back at the theater! There is a reasonably new theater group in Vancouvev, called The Fighting Chance Theater Company.. They are young, and enthusiastic, and very talented. so Tom and I like to support them (including throwing some money their way) from time to time. They were doing the musical Rent, and Tuesday, August 7th was the last night of the run, so back to the theater we went. As usual, they did a wonderful job, and I love the musical (la boheme, modern, what's no to like?).
And, the next day, off to Ashland. I did work all day on Wednesday, and drove only as far as Seattle on Wednesday night, stopping for dinner with Arlene. I don't remember if Arlene has previously made an appearance on these pages. She is a former colleague of sorts. She was working for a law firm and representing a bank in the old days, when I was representing Bank of American doing bond closings. With all the testosterone in those rooms, we were often the only voice of sanity, and have remained friends ever since, some 25+ years! We had a lovely dinner at a place called The Tamerind Tree, a Vietnamese place I have frequented before and really like.
After a good night's sleep at Arlene's, I was up at the crack of dawn for the remaining 8 hour drive to Ashland. It is an easy drive, and goes quickly with a good book on the IPod. Got to the Ashland Econolodge (an old standby where we have been going for years) in time for a refreshing swim (it is always hot in Ashland in August, and this year, as everywhere, it is hotter than usual) before changing, and meeting up with Hank and Andy (who had by now arrived) for dinner and the theater.
We have been going to Ashland for a lot of years (we decided that Hank started in 1982 - the rest of us joining up later), and any number of traditions have grown up. Our first meal is almost always at the cafe at the Ashland Springs Hotel - a very civilized way to start, I must say. And so it came to pass this time as well. This year, with only three of us (Hank, Andy and myself) timing and logistics are much easier to handle, and we had a leisurely meal, with plenty of time to get to the theater.
Our first (of six) Ashland theater experiences was in the Elizabethan theater, the Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa. Yes, you read that right. It was an adaptation, the kind of thing I usually loathe. But this was so true to the nature of the original, so smart, so funny, so topical (Falstaff was portrayed as a broke politician looking amazingly like Romney, who needed the money from the wives to jump start his campaign) - well, a great beginning!
The next day, another tradition. We always do the back stage tour (as members, we get free tickets!). It is always done by different people - sometimes actors, sometimes directors, sometimes people from props or costumes or staging), and there is always a different perspective. As this is the only time we are allowed to take pictures of the theater....
As some of you know, there are three theaters, the small theater (top) with variable seating from 160 to 340 or so), the medium theater (no photos allowed), and the Elizabethan theater (above). It was as always, a great tour, and our guide
....Tesso, a reasonably new actor, was a hoot!
And, a newer tradition, we scored reservations to Sammy's Cowboy Bistro, the closest thing to a foodie's restaurant in Ashland!
...and yes, that is really the colour! I must say, the food in my opinion was not up to par (indeed, I didn't eat my lunch, if you can believe that), but I would go again - even a foodie paradise is allowed a few slips! I did make the boys take me to Abbey's Pizza in Medford that night. David used to love the place, not only for the terrific pizza but for the cheap beer, so we always raise a glass to him when we are there!
The evening's theater offering was the only bummer of the trip. It was called Media Macbeth Cinderella - yes, you read that right. It was what they call a mishmash - apparently very popular now, but not with me, I can tell you - all three being played at the same time, lines often on top of one another - ugh! No more to be said!
On Saturday morning, another tradition, breakfast at the Breadboard. Now that never fails us....
And we needed the sustenance. Saturday was "War Day" for us, Troilus and Cressida in the afternoon, and Henry V in the evening. I had never seen Troilus before, and expected it to be only a "belt notch" in the almost ended quest to see all the Shakespeare plays. It was done in the small theater, and played in Iraq (or maybe Afghanistan), and, much to my surprise, quite terrific. As for the Henry, well, they have been grooming the Henry for years, and it showed (and yes, I will give you his name, but next time, I am in the MacDonald's in San Diego and doing this all from memory, so give me a break!), he was spectacular. I don't think I have ever heard a better St. Crispin's Day speech (no, not even from Brannagh)! I was completely gobsmacked!!
And just when you think it can't get any better, the next day was All the Way, part of the revolutionary series Ashland has been commissioning for a number of years. It was, of course, about Lyndon B. Johnson, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act. I laughed, I cried.... It was about the most spectacular piece of theater I have seen in a long time, acting, staging, everything. A more well deserved standing ovation I haven't seen for a long, long time.
And last but not least, the final play was Animal Crackers, a staging of the Marx Brothers classic. Vaudeville is never going to be my favorite bit of theater, but, as usual in Ashland, the costumes, singing, dancing, staging, were all great, and a pretty upbeat way to end the week!
You might think all that would have been enough, but in between the theater and the food, we also went to three lectures (about the plays, given by the directors and actors), went shopping, went swimming, and never felt rushed - time seems to stand still in Ashland! It was one of our more successful trips ever, and we are already planning 2013!
I did the 11 hour drive back on Monday, stopping again in Seattle, this time only for Mexican dinner with Mariah before heading to the border and Vancouver.
....and a busy, busy week. I worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but in between, I had drinks on Tuesday night over at colleague Susan's house (she has been wanting to show me her deck, and in Vancouver, who knows when the weather will turn), dinner and bridge with "the boys" at my place on Wednesday, bridge in White Rock on Thursday with Robin (and no, we didn't win any master points this time), and yet more theater on Thursday night - Buddy at the Stanley Theater. If you have a chance to see it, do! I had seen it in New York, and this was not New York (Vancouver never is), but the Buddy - and all the other musicians - was very talented, the music was grat, and a good time was had by all!
And Friday, off to San Diego, by way of Palm Springs. Friend Kelly and her husband Ron drove me to the Bellingham Airport (with a stop at Bob's Burgers for some sustenance - I am not a burger fan, but these were great!), and, after an uneventful trip, landed in Palm Springs. Neighbor Michael picked me up from the airport, having - bless him! - put the air conditioning on in my place (it was 99 degrees at 6:00 P.M. when we landed)! We had dinned at Manhattan in the Desert (as you would expect, deli), and by the time we got home, it was cool enough to sit on my patio and smoke (Michael) and drink, and catch up on the gossip.
(I love having two homes, ready and comfortable whenever I arrive!)
Next morning, again at the crack of dawn, I headed for San Diego for the much awaited house exchange. I had never been to San Diego before, in spite of being so close, and so jumped at the chance when Andrea contacted me for a one-week house exchange. It is only a two and a half hour drive from Palm Springs, and I was in SD in time to say hello to Andrea, get a quick tour of the house before she left for the airport, do some grocery shopping (Andrea, if you are reading this, one must leave toilet paper, and napkins, for a house exchange!), and head off to Old Town San Diego, one of the attractions even I have heard about.
As you can tell, early Spanish, Mexican and California history - as well as flora - very much in evidence, including an original Wells Fargo Bank (with cleverly disguised teller machine). It was a great way to start the trip.
But my goodness, it is hot in San Diego! Everyone said that because it is on the coast, San Diego is always temperate, but, at least this year, not so! The house (a lovely craftsman house in the process of restoration) is, of course, not air conditioned, but the fans manage to keep it cool enough, and I got a wonderful night's sleep (for a change!).
Ah, Sunday. Everyone said, if you go to San Diego, you must have Sunday brunch at the Hotel Del Coronado. And so it came to pass. The location is, indeed, lovely (apparently, The Wizard of Oz was written here, and Some Like it Hot with Jack Lemon and Marilyn Monroe was filmed here)....
.....and the food was spectacular. I have been to some high-end brunches in my time, but this took the cake, crab legs and oyters and shrimp and salmon in mounds, lamb and roast beef and turkey and short ribs, a breakfast bar (why would I have breakfast with all that other stuff available), a sandwich bar (ditto), a mexican bar (almost but not quite ditto), and a dessert bar (and no, I did not pass up on the dessert bar), not to mention all the mimosas you wanted to drink!
A huge room, perhaps 200 tables, all completely full (and, by the way, I was the only single person there - lots of families and couples, but no single people....). I stayed, unrushed and completely pampered, for three hours! Perhaps the most expensive breakfast I have ever had (be prepared to mortgage your first born!), but worth every penny.
Luckily, I had taken a two hour walk on the beach before breakfast, to work up an appetite. And after breakfast, I walked some more. After (with great difficulty), I found a parking place, I set out to explore Balboa Park on Sunday afternoon.
...and even managed to explore the San Diego Art Museum, located in the park. There was a special exhibit on the German Expressionists, a group which intrigues me, for some reason (possibly the timing - it is like watching an approaching train wreck), and quite a respectable permanent collection. I hooked up with a docent, just starting and excited to share her knowledge, so it was quite informative and fun.
And then, I gave up and headed home. By the way, I don't know where the San Diegans have gone (probably some place cooler), but the roads are empty, and easy to navigate (even without a GPS!), and I am getting around just fine.
No internet in the hourse (actually, there is, but Andrea was apparently too paranoid to leave me the password), so all this is taking place, as noted in the nearby MacDonald's, over one large coffee. Not only is the manager giving me dirty looks, I am running out of battery life. So, enough for now, I will meet you back in Balboa Park on Monday when I post again.
