Hash browns done right

Since it's Thanksgiving Day, this morning I made bacon, eggs and hash browns just like I do on most Saturdays. This morning somehow I used the right combination of potatoes, heat and bacon fat to create the properly done hash browns pictured here.

Sorry to brag, but I was so pleased with my efforts I had to take a picture and post it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Skating has begun

The outdoor ice skating season has begun at North Park. Here's Sarah helping her friend Joey teach a class of seven year-olds. Well actually they were just taking a break.

The rink is refrigerated so it was about 60 degrees when this photo was taken. Of course it's much colder on the ice. Too bad the class wasn't earlier in the day. It was a spectacular sunny afternoon. The rink is surrounded by forested hills that have only a few leaves left. Still, it's quite a view.

The skating season lasts from now until March with a three week hiatus for Christmas and New Year's. Now if Dad will ever learn to skate...

Saltworks - John

John performed a monologue from Cheaper by the Dozen at last Thursday's Saltworks Fall Workshop performance. (While I stood by the PA speaker, the microphone on my camera is still lacking, so you may need to turn up the volume.)

John learned some good pointers that will help him with the next Shakespeare competition. He moved around, and he varied his voice in both volume and pitch. As always, he thrives on memorization. When he puts his mind to it, he can have a full minute memorized in only a few tries. Next time he says that he will do two monologues. We will look forward to that.

Saltworks - Sarah

This past Thursday was the workshop performance for the fall Saltworks classes. While John did monologues, Sarah did Greek theatre.

Both performed Thursday, but this post is about Sarah. Look for one later for John.

Her class and she learned a lot.

• All the ancient Greek plays that exist are by only four playwrights written over only 78 years.
• The role of the chorus is much greater than they imagined.
• All of the ancient Greek plays were performed outdoors.
• While the nature of the stories could be quite bloody, all dying took place offstage.
  
• Naturally, there are a lot of contemporary words, such as scene, traceable to ancient Greek theatre.
• All roles were performed by men in masks.
  

Sarah was in a scene from the play Agamemnon. (Agamemnon is the first play of Aeschylus’ trilogy, the Oresteia.) Once again she plays the "other woman" as Cassandra, Agamemnon's mistress. In the scene both are killed (offstage) by Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, who then returns with a bloody battle axe.

Hmm, first Ophelia, now Cassandra. Maybe someday Ado Annie?

Pumpkin time

Janine and Sarah chose the last minute pumpkins this year. We were able to buy this large one at a local farm market for a reduced price because it was October 30 this was the last one and we asked.

"Gee, do you have anything bigger than all these six inch pumpkins?"

"Sure, we have this one."

"Hmm, it seems a bit too big."

"What's the price? Fifteen dollars? I'll give it to you for 10."

"Well, OK."

Not wanting to waste my time or the people at the farm market, we paid and packed it in the car quickly. Soon thereafter we saw some friends from church drive up, and then leave soon thereafter.

Sarah recognized them. "You guys got the last one!" her friend yelled out the window as they pulled back out onto the road.

Yes...we did.