Tom's Eightieth Birthday Celebration...4 Months Early

After my big surprise birthday party, I began thinking about Tom's next birthday.  It will be his eightieth and he will again be as old as I am.  

Since he was born in January and we live in Ohio, we didn't think it would be easy to have a big party like he had for mine.  My sisters told us not to expect them to come.  Nobody who lives in Florida is likely to chose to come to Ohio in January.

Finally, Tom said, "I'd like to go to a Reds baseball game."  

Now that is something he can't do in January.  But he can do it now.  I told him to order the tickets and I would pay for the day's expenses.   

Years ago we would go to a game or two every year. but the games are expensive now.  We haven't gone to a game for eight years or more. I paid for the expenses out of my savings account.  That way he could forget about the cost and enjoy the day.

Tom was able to get tickets for his favorite seats, the handicapped accessible seats on the street level so we were close to food, the restrooms, and under a roof to protect us from the sun.

We got to see one of our favorite Reds, Joey Votto.

Billy Hamilton made one of his astounding catches out in right field.

By and by it became clear that the Reds were not going to win.  That was disappointing but the day was beautiful...sunny, a light breeze, sweater weather.  We even saw a Monarch butterfly flitting over the heads of the fans seated in front of us.

We watch the Reds regularly on TV but it was fun to actually be part of the crowd and see things not usually seen on TV like this truck with a revolving shooter on the back end that shot favors into the crowd.

This man had an air gun that shot off  favors.

In the last few innings, by the magic of computers, catcher's masks covered fan's faces caught by the Great American Stadium's cameras.  The "K"s (for Kroger) were turned to celebrate strikeouts by the Reds' pitchers.  If only the batters had hit in a few more runs!

Afterward, Tom said wistfully, "Do you think you have enough money to eat at the Hofbrauhaus in Newport?"  He is a lover of German food.

I decided that I did.

Part of the brewing system is on display behind the bar and the entire process is pictured on this diagram between the men's and women's restrooms.

It took Tom a while to decide on his meal.

Saurbrauten with spatzle and red cabbage. (I chose Salmon.)

Happy birthday, Tom (four months early)

Egad! The Lady in White, a play by Tim Kelly...The First Play of the 2018-2019 Season of The Drama Workshop at The Glenmore Playhouse

Tom, Steve and I went to the last of the nine performances of Egad, The Lady in White, a play by Tim Kelly.  The title of the play comes from a mystery written by Wilkie Collins in 1859.  Collins' book is considered one of the first modern mystery novels.

 

The cast of Egad! The Lady in White. If you click on the photo you will get a larger view of the cast members.  Or you can look at the two photos below.

.  Front row...Ann Barfels as Miss Peach, Peggy Allen as Countess Fosco, Larry Mills as Lawyer Gilmore, Marcha Hunley who was the Director of the play.

   Back row...Linda Abbott asMaestro Lillian Buchanan, Kent Smith as Professor Smyth, Joe Ward as Sir Percival Glyde, and Victoria Kirby-Schwarber as Laura.

 Front row...Gretchen Stommel as Amelia, Victoria Covarrubias as Mrs. Catherick,  and Elizabeth Hickerson as Marian.
  Back row...Stephanie Klein as Dora, Alan Kootsher as Frederic Fairlee, Aaron Ellis as Walter Hartright, and Stefanie Adams as Madame Evan-Mills.

If I have made errors in the identification of the cast members, please let me know.

Below is the cast plus a few of the other people who made this play possible.  On the left, Greg Schaper who was one of the master carpenters as well as an usher and an official host during the intermission on Sunday when Tom, Steve and I attended.On the right are the co-producers, Valeria Amburgey, Dennis Murphy, and Elaine Volker.  They also helped in other ways.  Many other people were involved as well.  I took this photo quickly as the cast and technicians were rearranging themselves for more photos.

It is always interesting to me to see how the stage area and the audience seats are set up for the various plays. For this play, they was set up to accommodate a thrust stage. What I think of as the normal stage area was the luxurious library of Sir Percival Glyde, Baronet, played by Joe Ward.  In scene 7 of the second act, it became, with a change of props, a room in the parish church.

The forward thrust area was the Limmerage House, the home of Frederick Fairlie, a wealthy hypochondriac land-owner.  In the second act, for one scene, it became a cell in Countess Fosco's asylum for the insane.

Between the two "homes" is an area which served as a path and as a corridor.  I've pointed to this area with the arrow.

I know there must be technical names for all these sections of the performance area but  I don't know them.  

In this photo you can see the piano.  The piano player, Linda Abbott, by playing the appropriate music, created an old-fashioned melodramatic atmosphere.

One of the traditions of The Drama Workshop since 1968 has been to have a Sword on the stage during every performance as a symbol of the continuous unity of performers and technicians.  Some times it is easy to spot, sometimes its is hard to spot.  Steve found it quickly.  Do you see it?  He had to tell Tom and me where it was.  Hint:  Only the hilt is easily visible.

As in many melodramas, the acts of the play were separated by musical interludes or "Olios".  The Drama Workshop players developed their own Olios. We were treated to duets and solos by Stefani Adams (Madame Evan-Mills) and Kent Smith (Professor Smith).  The songs were great fun, partly because the audience was invited to join in on some of them.  It has been years since I have sung the chorus to Daisy, Daisy, (Bicycle Built for Two) and The Man on the Flying Trapeze.  The Words for the choruses of When the Roll is Called Up Yonder and Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight were printed in the playbill.

The audience was encouraged to participate in other ways as well.  We hissed and booed the villians and ahhed when we were touched by touching romantic scenes.

But, for Steve, the best part of the afternoon for Steve was visiting with his theater friends. They greeted one another with joy. He hugged them and they hugged him.

Usually we spend time talking with our son, Ray and his wife,Gretchen, but since Ray is on a three year assignment to London, UK we didn't do that.  They are still active with the theater.  He plans to design sets and she is on the Marketing Committee. They will communicate via the Internet.  It is a wonderful world that we live in.

Locomotive 765, A Trip to Fort Wayne,Indiana

Steve thought we were going to the New York Central Museum in Fort Wayne.  I don't know where he got the idea.    But as we drove into the entrance of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society site at New Haven, Indiana he forgot everything except ..." The 765!  The 765!"

Eventually he calmed down and Tom took his photo in front of the locomotive.

The 765, a Berkshire-type locomotive, was built in Lima, Ohio.  The Nickel Plate Road became an effective, high-speed freight line with the addition of 80 Berkshires to its system.  These locomotives were used in the 1940s and 1950s.

The 765 on the left, the Jedda Coal Company Locomotive on the right.  The 765 backed up, then moved forward at regular intervals.  To experience a train ride, visitors rode in the cabooses attached to the Jedda.

The Jedda locomotive was a small one.  It pulled two cabooses, one of the original style with a cupola above the center section and one of the later style which had extended side sections so the train employees riding in it could check out the track on both sides of the track and alert the engineer of any problems.

Here Steve is boarding the original style caboose.  My arm is barely visible as I lead the way.

The ladder in front of Steve's face goes up to the cupola.  It was already full of passengers.  But that was OK.  Steve was sitting directly across from our guide for the trip.  Behind the guide was a window.  Every time Steve saw something interesting, he asked about it.  I remember that he saw some passenger cars acquired by the group.

The guide told Steve that when the Locomotive went to other venues, it pulled extra tenders filled with coal for running it.  It also pulled cars filled with water.

Tom couldn't ride the train because he was in his power chair but there was plenty to see so he was happy.  It was fascinating just to watch the Berkshire 765 and see the steam rolling out as it traveled its length backing down the track and then moving forward.  There were train enthusiasts to talk to...visitors and volunteers.  There was the next locomotive the group is planning to restore.

There was an HO model railroad layout.

The 765 Berkshire's schedule was posted inside the building.

It was going to Joliet, Illinois soon.

Toward the end of September, the locomotive is pulling four Zephyr railcars to Cleveland and will deliver them to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  The 765 will take people on excursions weekends of September 21 and September 28.   They will be riding through the park.

Amtrak is pulling the cars from California to the midwest where the 765 will take over.  Two of the cars are sleek stainless-steel passenger railcars that offer scenic 360-degree views from a dome.  One is the Silver Lariat and the other is the Silver Solarium.  The other cars are a sleeper car and a baggage car.  The volunteers at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society are excited that their locomotive is part of this historical event.

Steve wearing his 765 cap.

More From Nellie and George's Backyard...July 11, 2018

George and Nellie change their garden from year to year as they come up with new ideas.  Their garden is mostly a shady one. Much of the area is low so water stands in it after rains or snow melts.  They have dug shallow drainage paths for the water to follow and created interesting garden features in the process.

In the last blog about their garden,  I showed you the bridge Twilly Troll lives under.

Here is a new paver path they put in earlier this year.  In the upper part of the photo you can see their kitchen window.  This path is midway down their garden which is about two hundred feet long.

Nellie told me the names of some of her many lilies.  This one is called Priscilla's Rainbow.

Creature of the Night is this lily's name.  Nellie and George think it must have been named by someone thinking of the song, "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera.

Nellie found this lily's name on a list of lilies she and George have bought from Blanchard's in Applecreek, Ohio.  It is called Lady Stephanie.

I didn't ask Nellie the names of the three different lilies in the photos below.  I sent her copies of the photos so perhaps she will identify them for me the next time she sends me a letter.

Nellie and George's garden also has wild flowers for the bees and butterflies. If  you look closely, you will see a honeybee gathering the nectar on this milkweed.

Earlier this year Nellie snapped this photo of a red-shouldered hawk perched on a tree in the backyard.  I suppose it was stopping by on its trip back north.

Nellie and George found this fawn  half hidden in the grasses and trees toward the back of their garden one morning  It was gone the next day so its mother must have returned to it sometime late in the day or evening.

"Lose yourself in Nature and find Peace."

Bon Voyage, Ray and Gretchen

The entire family gathered to celebrate Ray's assignment to the UK for the next three years.

It is the first time in seventeen years that everyone has been able to come to a family get together.  In 2001 the youngest grandson was only a few months old.  Kyle will be 17 this year.

Back then there were eighteen of us.  Now there are twenty-three.

Kyle in 2001

Kyle in 2018

We have had three marriages.

Ray, our son, and Gretchen...

Abby and grandson, Barry...

John, our grandson, and Jacquie...


Some of the other grandchildren have significant others in their lives.

  Here are Eric, grandson, and Katie...

Ashley and Ted, grandson...

Victor and Samantha, granddaughter...

Here is the whole group.

We talked...

And ate...

And talked and ate and played...

Abby...

Samantha...

Our children, David, Ray, and Sonja.