Don — Page 190

East or West….

July 9, 2013 at 7:30 am by Claudia

Before I forget, I did a post about the Hummingbird Moth last year, which you might want to visit if you want to see a couple more pictures of these intriguing creatures.

Speaking of moths and/or butterflies, I spied this beauty through the kitchen window and managed to snap a few pictures. Again, I used my older camera with the zoom lens, which was handily nearby on the kitchen table.

butterfly1

He’s enjoying the milkweed.

butterfly3

Identified as the Great Spangled Fritillary. And, according to the description, they love milkweed.

The heat and humidity slogs onward here. Unrelenting. Temps in the nineties with 90% humidity make for a tropical rainforest-like atmosphere. I am mostly staying inside but I try to grab a few minutes here and there to pull some weeds, fill the birdbath and water my seedlings. The seedlings I am now thinking won’t turn into anything pretty until after I leave for Hartford.

I can’t go there. Away from home again? Leaving the day after my husband returns from being away from home?

And frankly, Hartford is nice but there’s not a lot to blog about and this will be my third go-round there. I’ll have to resort to pictures of my navel.

Rest assured, I kid. Sort of.

hensandchicks

I plopped this Hens and Chicks in the ground last year. It consisted of one hen and one chick. When I checked it out after a long winter, I was pretty sure it would wither away. Things were not looking good. But look! It has revived and there are a lot of chicks growing alongside their mama. Succulents are fascinating to me.

Today is a driving day. We leave early to transport Don back to Williamstown. This is when I wish I could blink my eyes and magically transport myself to another place. Or, in this case, transport Don to another town in another state – all without my having to drive in this awful weather. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just plop ourselves down in another place? No gasoline, no tolls, no long, long drive. We’d arrive refreshed and restored and everyone would be happy.

cottage

East or west, home is best.

Happy Tuesday.

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Nineteen Years Ago

July 4, 2013 at 8:02 am by Claudia

Nineteen years ago today, I was in the midst of my first full summer in San Diego. I was working at the University of San Diego and the Old Globe Theater. In those days, the Globe employees and actors were like a big family. One of the actresses had a home in Ocean Beach and she always had a big party on the Fourth that everyone was invited to.

That morning, I stood in the kitchen in my wonderful apartment (a kitchen with all the original circa 1930 tile counters and backsplash and fabulous wooden cupboards) and I whipped up a batch of guacamole. My dear friend Rick picked me up and out we drove to the beach. The atmosphere was festive and fun and many of the actors I was currently working with were there. Lots of laughter and good food.

There was this guy there. He was an actor. I had seen him in a production the previous summer when I flew out to San Diego for my job interview. I remembered him and I remembered how good he was. He had just been made an Associate Artist a few weeks earlier and was cast in a show that I wasn’t coaching. Anyway, I knew who he was. He didn’t know who I was.

As the afternoon went on, I noticed that every time I came inside the house, he was watching me. Catching my eye. And smiling. This went on for a few hours. Hmmmm. I was intrigued. Finally, though I am pretty shy, I decided to bite the bullet and I walked up to him and introduced myself. We had a lovely chat. Rick was right there, as well. There’s a picture of the three of us on the sofa that was taken by another actor. He sent it to me many years ago. It captures that first meeting, that first talk.

I guess we were flirting. Slightly.

Later that evening as all of us sat on the beach watching fireworks, I looked in his direction and his eyes met mine and we smiled at each other. I was glad that Rick drove, because as we made our way home, I was able to sit back in my seat and think about this interesting guy I had just met. And think I did. I was just a wee bit smitten.

Four years later, to the day, that guy asked me to marry him.

So, yes, it’s the Fourth of July but what we celebrate around here is the anniversary of the day we met.

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart.

busriders

Happy Fourth of July.

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Adventures While Driving

June 25, 2013 at 9:14 am by Claudia

crownvetch

Oh lord. It’s in the nineties with lots of humidity – for the whole week.

I’m not the type of girl who thrives in a humid climate. Oh no. I wilt, I get testy, my brain turns to mush. Yesterday’s drive to Williamstown and back was smack dab in the midst of high temps and humidity. On the way back, the temperature gauge on our 12 year old car kept moving towards HOT. This same thing happened to us last year, mostly in the summer. Our mechanic could never figure out what was causing it, at least not enough to charge us a lot of money for something he was unsure of. When this happens, I have to add coolant. Fortunately, I always carry some with me. So there I was, on a country road, searching for a place to pull over. I ended up in the parking lot of a motel, where I then had to wait thirty minutes for the car to cool down. Hot sun. Sweat. Not a pretty picture. Eventually I added the coolant and it was smooth sailing.

Until I ran into a severe thunderstorm as I drove through the Berkshires. Lightning strikes everywhere, rain so heavy I could barely see the car in front of me, hail, you name it. A precarious Hudson River bridge crossing where I could barely see the side of the bridge. Cars slowing to a crawl. Cars pulled over on the side of the road. This went on for quite a long time.

I was more than ready to see my driveway awaiting me at the end of this journey.

beebalm

The bee balm is starting to blossom.

Williamstown is charming. I’ve been there before, but the last time I saw something at that theater was in the mid-eighties and a whole new complex has been erected in the meantime. I didn’t have time to do anything other than help Don get settled. He’s staying in student housing; sort of like a dorm, but nicer. He’s in a house that has individual rooms, a common room and a nice kitchen. The dorm room I lived in never had a hardwood floor or tall, beautiful windows. I distinctly remember tile floors and cinderblock walls. There is no air conditioning, however. We brought along a fan and the theater provided him with two more. I hope he had some cool air during the night.

As he slept on his twin bed. 6 foot 4 inch Don on a dorm-room-sized bed. Oh boy.

coneflower

Coneflower

He shares a bathroom with another actor. Fortunately, that actor is an old friend of ours who is also in Pygmalion. She is a wonderful actress and her partner of many years is also an old friend of Don’s. When I spoke to him last night, he said that it was so nice having both of them there and it helped make his birthday a little more special.

Because I did drop him off and leave smack dab in the middle of his birthday.

The Williamstown Theater Festival is a major force in the theater and well respected and lots of well known, even famous, actors work there. Don’s already spotted several. When I went there in the mid-eighties, I saw a play directed by Joanne Woodward. It was opening night and I spotted Paul Newman in the audience. Afterward, I saw them walk away from the theater, hand-in-hand. That image is still vivid in my mind, all these many years later.

hydrangea

Hydrangeas have bloomed

I have to get going and water my moisture-starved plants. There’s a chance of a thunderstorm or two almost every day this week. Good. The garden could use a good rain.

Happy Tuesday.

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East or West….

Nineteen Years Ago

Adventures While Driving

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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