How to...

...dress like they did in the 1960s.

Here's Sarah receiving applause after the finale of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  While not one of the leads, she made the most of her lines and time on stage, dancing up a storm.

It was a fine production that was very nicely done before a full house.  Afterward, everyone had cake in the lobby to celebrate.

For some of us who actually remember the 1960s, it was cute to see our kids dressed like our parents did then.

In the Santa mood

Santa came to the circle last night, and Janine got in the spirit!

For the past...well just about forever, our neighbors have brought in the local volunteer fire department to drive over an emergency vehicle and dress up as Santa. Well just ONE guy dresses up as Santa.

This year we had a nice new truck with portable overhead lighting. So I was finally able to see who is there.

This year's Santa was much more engaging as he asked the kids to gather round for a photo and to sing Christmas songs. Too bad no one knew the words!

Amerigo, Amerigo...

"...where for art thou? Amerigo"  Well that mixes things up doesn't it?.

Recently John played various parts including Amerigo Vespuci in the Saltworks production of An Abbreviated History of the United States.  It is a fairly clever play that presents a fairly crazy compacted and irreverent story of our country.  Naturally this photo is from the beginning. 

They took this show on the road, performing in the gyms of nearby elementary schools.

Good job John. 

The trio that is the Reduced Shakespeare Company wrote the script.  Oh, and here's their take on Macbeth as a two-minute drill.

Horses are nice...

...but cars will get you farther.

This morning Sarah passed her driver's test.

This evening she drove to work.

I have waited for this day to come, looking forward to it with mixed feelings.

Tonight the driveway is empty and I'm feeling... perhaps a bit lonely.

How's that again???

Here's the shipping label from the table pads for the dining room table at Nana's house.

Now I am not sure if they actually contained asbestos, but the company was quite intent on advertising that fact.  Just for an idea of when these table mats were purchased, look at the addresses.  They use the zone method that was replaced by zip codes in 1965.

So light up another smoke and if you don't have an ash tray, put it out on the table mat!

Birthday cake

I

It was Janine's birthday this week.  We all had a nice dinner at Christo's Greek restaurant last night so she could have her favorites, gyros for dinner then Jackie O cake for dessert.  Legend has it that Christo was a cabin boy on the Onassis yacht and that this cake was one of the former first lady's favorites.

We would have all had dinner together on her birthday but yours truly was recovering from a root canal earlier in the day and Sarah was scheduled to work at the Inn.  After I retired early, the rest of the crew went up to the Inn for dessert.'

But, Sarah wanted to do something more, and when she does, don't stand in her way.  She baked Janine the cake shown above.  Because of all her activities it took two days, one for the cake, the next for the icing, all made from scratch...very good work.  

Psst, the password is...

I'm here at Dunkin Donuts which has the closest WiFi to the ballet studio.  We are back on the fall schedule.  Janine now has three ballet classes a week, but this is the first time I have taken her yet this fall.

Since I have some time to kill, I decided to kill it over here.  The coffee is good (even if it's too late in the day for donuts) and the sign says Free WiFi.

But when I tried to sign on, I found it was password protected.  So I asked the guy at the cash register what's up with the WiFi.  He glanced furtively both ways and said in a low voice, "name of place, lower case, no spaces."  To which I replied out loud, "Oh yeah, the password!"

Oh Drat I'm giving it away!

More Midsummer

It's hard to believe it's been a week since Midsummer. The weather was great Saturday night so the show went outdoors as originally planned. Here's Bottom as Pyramus controlling the lines of Snug as the Lion.

Anyone who thinks Shakespeare is stuffy has not seen a good production of Midsummer. Everything the Rude Mechanicals say are a real hoot.

The Saturday performance in the woods was wonderful. The performance perfectly fit the space and we were blessed with great weather. Beforehand Sarah used a can and a half of yard fogger to keep away the bugs. Some of us still got bit anyway, but I guess that's to be expected.

Fair Thisbe!

Here's the Rude Mechanicals performing the play within a play within a Midsummer Night's Dream. This is the Second Taunt Theatre's production of Shakepeare's comedy. The two performance run ends tonight.

Never heard of the Second Taunt Theatre Company? Well they are an outgrowth of Saltworks. Since there is no summer production this year, Sarah and her friends decided to put on their own and here is the result.

They have been rehearsing for three weeks and came up with a good show. The performance was planned for the outdoor chapel at our church, but a storm came through an hour before the curtain. This crew was not going to let a little rain get in the way so they planned ahead and prepared the sanctuary of the church for the performance.

Everyone had a great time and is looking forward to tonight. Oh, that's John on the right as Thisby. Janine plays most of the supporting Faire roles and Sarah is Helena.

Cascading failures - Part Two

It's been a while and you need an update.

There it is. It's People's Exhibit Number One. "It has my mark on it" as Lt. Tragg used to say on Perry Mason.

What you have here is a GE Washer motor and my wonderful wife not only got GE to send us a new one for half price, but also install it for free. Never mess with a former customer service person!

Bobbie called GE after their traveling ambassador of service (harumph!) left us stunned after he implied we were to blame for a washer that broke after only four and a half years of service. "The instructions under the lid tell ya not to open the lid while the washer is running." Huh?

After some reflection and thought, Bobbie came to the conclusion that he described a design flaw in the product. She quoted his very words to the GE call center person. We had done everything GE asked us to do, so it was time for her to ask in return. Negotiations ensued and soon Bobbie had a deal.

The motor arrived a few days later, and a new repairman a few days after that on July fifth. But don't think it was as good as new. The next week, the washer started make dreadful noises during a large load of towels. The problem abated once we took some towels out, but it now has us cautious. NOT AGAIN! Updates as they occur.

All Hail the Fluidmaster!

...or the latest thing to break around here.

The toilet in the kid's bathroom started running yesterday afternoon. After we caught it (insert groan here), I determined that the fill valve was broken and would not shut off. So I just turned off the water feed, turning it back on occasionally to flush and fill.

I delayed the project to this afternoon so we could all have dinner before everyone else left for the Harry Potter movie last night. This morning I needed to get some work done.

Thankfully I found the broken fill valve was the ubiquitous Fluidmaster 400A. The web is replete with how-to videos detailed everything about it, except what you need to know. After a lunchtime trip to Home Depot and $7.50, I was ready to plumb.

Naturally not everything works out neatly. I had to replace the feed tube. Our old plumber liked to custom cut, fit and flare his feed tubes. It was a craftsman's touch in a place where no one could see it. This piece of Y2K era customization was just a bit too long for the new Fluidmaster 400A. So I checked my box of old plumbing parts and voila! there was an old flex tube. But I don't like the way it fits, so it will be back to Home Depot this weekend for a new one. In the meantime, the fluids have been mastered.

Final Installment

Tonight is the end of an era...the final Harry Potter movie starts at midnight. Here's Sarah as Beatrix LeStrange and Janine as Luna Lovegood.

Earlier today I heard a piece on NPR about tonight's premiere. The twenty-somethings they interviewed said tonight will be sad because it is the end of the Harry Potter movies. But they quickly added that we all know how it will end. The movie is a visualization. The real ending was four years ago when the last book came out. Only at that time did we learn how Harry defeats Voldemort with a little help from his friends.

While all the magic world is great, but the real impact of the novels was getting kids to read. Let's hope that continues. It made a difference for Sarah, click here.

Brotherhood of Man

Janine did the musical theater section this past week. Here she is centering The Brotherhood of Man from How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.

It was a pretty good dance number. Getting the shot was a bit of a challenge. The entire back wall of the set were window facing west, so the afternoon sun was intense and made everything backlite.

On the set

No, make that IN the set.

Here's Sarah spying out from under the set during last week's Saltworks rehearsals.

This year's summer session was in the student union at a college just a few miles from our house. It was a new venue, but everyone did very well getting up on time, fixing their lunches and getting out the door.

Janine and...

...just about everyone...

(Sorry about the framing. Picasa slideshows are not designed for vertical photos.)

Beach Puzzle...Done!

Here it is in its final form...this year's beach puzzle in all its glory.

Biz and Grace stayed up until 1:30 the night before we left determined to finish it.

As you can see we gave them a pass on the bottom border. But that's OK. Great job girls!

Red Hot Poker - 2011

We didn't miss the red hot pokers in the garden this year despite being out of town last week. When we returned they were at their peak.

These are one of my favorite flowers in our front garden. They are colorful and remind me of fireworks, two weeks before the Fourth of July.

Bobbie has done a great job of arranging the garden to bloom in stages. Those are shasta daisies in the background. As the red hot poker looses it bloom, the daisies will come out spectacularly for about four weeks or more.

Beach Puzzle

Cascading Failures Part 2 will have to wait because we just got back from a week on the Outer Banks with the extended family. It was great to just spend time together on the beach or at the pool.

Because most of the group was new to the area, we introduced them to one of our traditions, the beach puzzle. It is not necessarily a picture of a beach, but instead a puzzle we start when we arrive and finish by when we leave.

Here's Biz, Grace and Janine just starting the beach puzzle. It is a roughly two and a half foot square puzzle collage of various Vincent VanGogh paintings. Everyone got their turn at the puzzle, but the kids worked on it the most.

Cascading failures - Part One

If our house was a space ship we would be in "Houston, we have a problem" mode. Two weeks ago our high-end washing machine failed after only five years of service. Then last Monday our hot water heater pilot light would not relight. So I was off to the nearby YMCA for a shower.

"YOUNG MAN...you can get yourself clean... It's fun to stay a the Y M C A..."

Tuesday morning the GE repairman arrived and pronounced the washer motor dead. "It's $275 for the part and you already have $80 for the service call, but I can give you a $100 coupon to buy a new one online. I recommend taking that $100 it's pretty good."

"No. That's really only $20 isn't it?" I replied. He didn't like that one. He went on to tell us that the motor failed because "People don't read the instructions. You shouldn't leave the lid open when it's running."

"Where does it say that in the instructions?" I asked, getting more irritated by the moment. "Everybody opens the lid on a washer. If I had known that in the store, I wouldn't have bought it!"

"Naah, they are right under the lid. Where does it say to open the lid when it's running?" was his riposte. Clever one, that yinzer.

"Well, it doesn't say NOT to and besides, if the washer is running with the lid down, I can't exactly see that can I?" More scowls.

He went on to belittle stainless steel tubs as "extra cost you don't really need." Oh did I say we have one? Clearly he didn't care.

GE...hmmm, as we think about replacements, we can forget about that brand. What we really need are a bunch of guys in white short-sleeve shirts with skinny ties and pocket protectors. Especially when you read the next installment.

We are a little late in posting, but here's a very elegantly dressed Janine at the piano recital two weeks ago. She played Music Box Dancer, albeit at a slower rate than the recording.

Nonetheless she practiced hard and did well. There's the real point of it all.

High Steppin'

The dance gala for Sarah's musical theatre school was this past Sunday afternoon. The little auditorium was filled with proud families watching their children perform.

Here's Sarah in the turquoise top dancing up a storm in the ensemble number. Most of the performances were contemporary dance or tap, but the ensemble pieces were pure Broadway. We all had a great time.

Mr. Beveridge's Maggot

That is the odd name of the music you hear on both of these videos. Apparently it is an old English word for a fancy or whimsical idea. Mr. Beveridge was a dance master of the early 19th century during the English Regency period. Here's Janine and John dancing to it. (Please pardon the dark video.)

Now you may ask why would a group of 21st century homeschoolers put on an English Country dance set in the Regency? Jane Austen of course. As her novels are filmed and refilmed, one production has stayed on top, the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. You may just recognize the actor playing Mr. Darcy. (He doesn't stammer this time around.)

Netherfield Ball 1

Last night was the fourth annual Netherfield Ball. It's an
English Country Dance the homeschooling moms put on each spring. Bobbie is on the planning team.

This year was the first for Janine who looks smashing in her period costume at left. If it looks familiar, Sarah wore it in the past. (Sarah had another commitment and was not able to attend.) She was very self-sufficient doing her own hair and make-up...and she had a wonderful time. She told Bobbie that she made four new friends and enjoyed all of the dancing.

This is a two night event: a practice on Friday and the full costume dance on Saturday. In the past both nights were held in the Fellowship Hall at our church, but this year the Saturday event was at a very nice golf club.

As an aspiring sound tech, John was also very pleased with the sound quality at the practice dance Friday night. You see last summer John and I were part of a team that installed acoustic panels on the ceiling of the Fellowship Hall. The callers, who usually labor in fire halls and church basements, gave the sound quality rave reviews.

John also has a great time. He could tell which dances were new and which from the past we did not dance. He is very good about asking ladies to dance. and did not sit out a single one. He also did a pretty good job as you will see in the next post.

John's Confirmation

Today John was confirmed at the 10 AM service at our church. Here he as his sponsor introduces him

While grace through faith is free, John worked hard at his confirmation lessons. He wrote a concise but complete statement of faith that really impressed me. Clearly he has learned the precepts of the Christian faith and can apply them. I am so proud and happy.

Fiber Arts Show

Last Friday night we went to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside for a fiber arts gallery opening. It was a juried exhibition with over 80 entries but only 29 on exhibit. Our friend Susan created the hand-dyed, individually stitched piece seen her with John and Janine. (We took this photo while no one was looking because while not prohibited, photos were frowned upon.)

It was an interesting show and very crowded. While most of the fiber arts pieces were abstract like this one, a few depicted actual scenes. One of my favorites was the interpretation of Gramps on Vacation. This piece was inspired by a photo of a man in his early '60 standing next to a 1963 Ford Galaxie on the edge of Monument Valley. I liked it because it reminded me of vacationing with my family in Colorado and Wyoming in the 1960s. So much for my artistic taste. After 30 minutes or more, we finally found Susan and showed our support. She was a good teacher about the tools and techniques required to make such pieces.

New American Girl

Here's Janine earlier this week opening her new American Girl doll, Elizabeth. Janine worked hard for this moment. She earned the doll by performing odd jobs around the house.

Young Lizzie is Felicity's friend in Colonial Williamsburg. While Felicity's family are Patriots, Elizabeth's are Loyalists. I am not exactly sure how the story ends, but Janine and her friend Abagail have great fun playing with these dolls.

The American Girl series has been changing lately however. The company's view of history is now foreshortened as Felicity of Colonial Williamsburg are replaced by dolls like Moonbeam of Marin County in the 1960s.

The company was acquired by Mattel recently, who has every right to do what they see as best. However these decisions seem to be eroding the long-term educational value of the brand. There also seems to be some political correctness creeping in as well.

Contrary to some thinking, history did not begin when we Baby Boomers were born. (Pardon my crankiness.)

Nana's Birthday

Last Friday was Nana's birthday, so we went over to celebrate with her and her friends.

It's funny how people treat you so nicely when you arrive with a sheet cake. Someone held the door. Everyone got out of the way. I am lucky no one followed me from the bakery.

It was a grand celebration. We sang Happy Birthday, and everyone had a piece of cake for dessert after lunch. Then, one by one they all went back to their rooms for a nap.

Now, while Nana does not hold the current record for the facility, we know she is close. What record you say? Let's just say the magic number is 96. (and still looking good!)

We few...we happy few...

...we band of brothers."

We had so many things going on in February, we have yet to post about the Shakespeare Competition at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre.

Yes, here's John as Good King Hal reciting the St. Crispin's Day speech. Eat your heart out Kenneth Brannagh! John did a good job. We could hear him in the back and he was appropriately animated using the bench to address his men at one point. Although I am not sure if King Hal wore Chuck Taylors.

Either way it was great to see and hear John giving the mother of all pep talks. So here's King Harry and friends just about to slaughter the French at the Battle of Agincourt. Something about horses, heavy armor, mud and longbowmen on a hill.

Alice in Wonderland - 2

Did I say that Sarah played the Red Queen? Here she is with AJ as the king about to start the croquet match with Alice and the White Rabbit. The poor flamingos were the mallets.

Her performance was almost frightening, but thankfully Alice did not loose her head in the end.

Alice in Wonderland - 1

Here's Janine and John from last night's performance of Alice in Wonderland. Janine played the duck and John the Gryphon. Sarah was the Red Queen.

This was one Saltworks production that happened quickly. Rehearsals started in late January, performances this past weekend. Like last year's The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, the performance was in the undercroft of Church of the Ascension. The creative geniuses at Saltworks transform a plain fellowship hall into a true performance space with a stage, lighting and sound.

Today is the day after so everyone is suffering from post production let down. As Janine said, "what will we do now for three days a week?" Well I can think of many things, thank you very much!

12th Night - Malvolio

Sarah had a great time playing Malvolio in her friend Mathilda's production of 12th Night as a school project. Like most of Shakespeare's plays it featured cross-dressing, mistaken identity, and saucy humor. Who needs a car chase when you can laugh while an arrogant charter gets cut down to size.

The cast and crew included many Saltworks friends and regulars. Rehearsals started in the fall and the production fell in-between the Kennedy Center ballet performance, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre's Shakespeare Competition, and Saltworks' Alice in Wonderland. But these kids pulled it off with aplomb.

That's a ukulele?

JS Bach on Guitar and Ukulele by Daniel Estrem

Listen to at least the first track to the melody played on the ukulele. It's where Bach meets Elvis and Blue Hawaii!

This is one of my favorite music download sites. It's called Magnatune. I like it because one can get higher quality music files. On most conventional MP3s much of the richness of the performance has been squeezed out of the digital file.

Les Sylphides

Here's the cast of our performance last week at the Kennedy Center. We weren't allowed to take photos, but one of the girls took this with her mobile phone. Shhhh!

Everyone Loves Elise!

Here's Sarah and Janine with Elise after last Sunday's performance at the Kennedy Center. Elise is my cousin Laura's youngest daughter. We had dinner together the night before. Elise was shy at first, but after a few minutes she was everyone's best friend.

White board message

Here is Janine's Christmas white board message to me. She likes to leave these every so often on the edges of the white board in my office.

What a great day brightener!

For young eyes only

This is one of the cutest decks of cards I have ever seen. What they lack in size, they make up in convenience. Note the pen to compare relative size.

Janine set up this game of solitaire on the living room floor next to her homework last week. Now if she only had a black nine...

She's acting

Last week Sarah was in a production called 13 at her evening musical theater academy. Given the fact that the entire class were Senior Highs, it was 17 year olds playing 13 year olds.

Singing! Dancing! Life Lessons! Fun!

Here's Sarah in her role as one of the cheerleaders. Her ballet training served her well for the kicks and jumps. I teased her saying I now know she is a good actress because a cheerleader is an unlikely role for her. But she played it very well.

However I am most proud of two things. First, she went on despite having a sore throat and cold. Then after the show, she worked the hardest of the entire cast striking the set and putting away the chairs.

Bravo!