On The Road — Page 32

Flowers, Reading & Run-Throughs

January 6, 2017 at 9:54 am by Claudia

The afternoon sunlight was casting its glow on the flowers yesterday. Very photo-worthy. The flowers, by the way, that were purchased nearly three weeks ago and are still going strong. Alstroemeria: more bang for your buck, and very little in terms of bucks if you buy them at Trader Joe’s, than any other cut flower I can think of.

I woke up with a very stuffy head this morning. I’m not sure why. It did start to snow overnight, but very little has fallen. At 5:30 am some sort of heavy machinery woke me up (one of the drawbacks when you live downtown) and because I can’t always tell what time it is by the light that enters the apartment, I got up, looked at the clock in the kitchen, and promptly climbed back in bed. It took about an hour, but I finally went back to sleep, whereupon I was jolted from sleep at 8 am by a police siren. Ah, the joys of urban living!

Today is the very last day in the rehearsal room. We had a run-through yesterday and will have another one today. The Bollywood number is simply delightful. I was laughing and clapping and completely under its spell. My friend Peggy is the choreographer and she is simply amazing. So: another run-through today and then everyone and everything moves to the theater. Tomorrow will be what is called a spacing rehearsal, where the director goes through each scene and adjusts the positions of the actors on the set. This set, as do most, has levels – and buildings and doorways and docks and boats…so all of that has to be dealt with. On Sunday, tech will start.

Since I’m not needed tomorrow or even Sunday, I’ll go home tomorrow morning for a couple of days. I’ll return for Tuesday’s rehearsal, which will be a continuation of Sunday’s tech, starting wherever they left off on Sunday.

I’ve reached the halfway point in Believing the Lie. That means I’m 300 pages in. It’s quite engrossing and I’m most definitely hooked. She’s a very, very good writer. I also pre-ordered (something I never do) the upcoming new release from Deborah Crombie, Garden of Lamentations, which comes out next month. I had a very modest credit with Amazon, so I applied it to the book and I only had to pay half of the hardcover price.

It’s Friday. My head is stuffy. I’m drinking my second cup of coffee. I’m writing to you. Soon, some oatmeal and then a shower, where I’m hoping the steam will clear out my congestion. Fingers crossed.

Happy Friday.

Kisses

January 5, 2017 at 9:24 am by Claudia

The sun is out.

It came out at the very end of the day yesterday and is shining today. Of course, it’s colder. I guess that’s the price we have to pay.

I was so desperate to post some photos other than the many I’ve taken of this apartment, that I ran outside yesterday after rehearsal and went to the park. I came up with these. Goodness, it was gloomy out there.

The city sets up an ice skating rink that lasts through the holidays and a bit beyond.

As I walked back toward the apartment, I saw the grassy areas where Scout loved to go when she stayed with me here in the apartment in the autumn of 2014. I must admit, I got very, very sad and that feeling stayed with me the rest of the day. I miss her. I wrote about it on Facebook and Instagram, so I won’t repeat myself here. Hartford is full of memories for me, and many of them – in the apartments, the hotel and the park – revolve around my girl.

The sun came out late in the day (after I’d taken these pictures, of course) and we were treated to a lovely sunset.

That’s the gold dome of the Capitol in the distance and the pond that’s in the park.

I saw two birds flying toward the sunset:

If you look closely, you can see them.

My little nephew, Z, called last night. He cannot figure out why I am here and not at home with Don. So he always says “Hi!” and then immediately follows with “Is Uncle Don there?” I explain that Uncle Don is back home and this statement is greeted with “Why?” And then another “Why?”

Meredith has Z alternating his nightly calls between his Uncle Don and Aunt Claudia. He is fascinated with other languages at the moment. He said “Talk to me.” So I started yammering on about my day and he quickly interrupted with “No. Talk to me in a language.” So I said a few words in French, which he repeated and he offered some words in Spanish that he’d learned in school and we discussed how to say hello in Italian.

He is very smart.

Then, the best part of the call. He gave me butterfly kisses on the phone. He even took off his glasses to make it easier. Mere said he’s never done that before. Can you tell this Aunt was positively glowing? Yep. I sent some butterfly kisses his way, as well.

Hearing that voice on the phone makes my day.

Happy Thursday.

And So It Continues

January 4, 2017 at 8:20 am by Claudia

Yes, I know. Another shot of the apartment. That’s all I’ve got for you, my friends. It is gray, cold, rainy, cold, gray – and getting outdoor shots of Hartford is decidedly unappealing. After rehearsal, I quickly walk back to the apartment building and disappear inside. I emerge again in the morning to go to – you guessed it – rehearsal. And the cycle continues.

We had our first complete run-through yesterday. The choreographer has arrived, as well, so the actors are having a great time dancing up a storm – especially in the ‘Bollywood’ number, which I can’t wait to see. The last day of rehearsals in the rehearsal room is Friday. Then it’s on to the theater. Boy, this rehearsal process has been fast!

Between the stage manager’s puppy and my friend Noble’s dog, Petey, I’ve been getting some quality time with adorable animals. Last night I got to meet Huckleberry, the stage manager’s dog. Both Huckleberry and Petey are adorable and understandably doted upon. Tina (Noble’s wife) took Petey back home on Monday. He will be missed! (Tina and Noble are neighbors of ours back home and Tina is a frequent commenter on this blog.) This apartment building always has a lot of dogs and seeing Huckleberry and Petey brings back memories of my time here with Scout. Good memories, but bittersweet, as well.

More flowers from Trader Joe’s. The flowers in the vase on the coffee table have been going strong for two and a half weeks, but a petal or two has been dropping to the floor, so I had to have backups on hand.

I’m in the midst of Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George – 200 pages into a 600 page mystery. It’s excellent – George is brilliant with plot and her character studies are incredibly detailed and rich.

Since what I’m up to is more of the same, tell me what you’re up to now that the new year is here.

Happy Wednesday.

Flowers, Reading & Run-Throughs

Kisses

And So It Continues

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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