bright star on boomers in a bar!

How wonderful to see Jackie Frant again!

As I told her, I don't think we've seen each other since the Melaness was in town.

Sure, we keep in touch via fb posts...

but nothing beats a hug in person!

She had posted this Boomers Meetup event a few days ago, saying we could "piggyback on the Maritime After Hours gang again" as they would be at Cohen's Retreat.

As that's just down from me, I was sorely tempted to go there... but I had an event already at 7 pm on the 7th... so, I rsvp'd today!

I'm so glad I went!

There were just four of us, including Lisa and Dorothy, so that kept it lively, especially as Jackie was the greeter for the Savannah Maritime Association event.

I met so many people!!!

However, after about 75 minutes - i.e., about 6:30 - I had to head for the Savannah Children's Theatre, not for one of their plays but for an event brought by the 35th Annual Savannah Black Heritage Festival!

I had noticed that the Bright Star Touring Theatre was in town again, with their public show at my favorite midtown venue.

Yes, I definitely would be there!!!

The two-man production of "Black History Heroes, Soldiers, and Spies" was very lively, with lots of minimal costume changes - a hat here, an apron there, a wig next - that Savannah Stage Company would have been delighted by!

The audience may not have been large, but we were certainly vocal, and ran the gamut from grade-school age to septuagenarian or more.

The cast was one black man and one white man, each taking on multiple roles in skit after skit, as they raced from one to another.

"Chief" C. Alfred Anderson's flight with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1941 that led to the Tuskegee Airmen being allowed to fly during WWII!!!

Reverend Oliver Brown's court battle with the Topeka Board of Education in 1952 to allow his daughter to attend school with her non-black friends!

Charles Young, born as a slave but raised as a free man in Ohio, following his father to be a Buffalo Soldier - fierce and stubborn, with curly, kinky hair like bison, according Native Americans - who went to West Point and retired as the first black General!

Mary Elizabeth Bowser's work as a spy for the Union during the Civil War, while she served as a maid for the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis!

Plus, skits with Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and more!

Such an entertaining, and educational, hour of fun!

My thanks to the City of Savannah for this program!

hotdog + french fries + taco + ice cream

That sounds like just one meal, but it wasn't!

Those items were from three different meals of the four meals I've had with other people in the last five outings.

That's right, I've been out with others five times in the last four days!

And of those four meals, I've only paid for three of them.

Pretty good, eh?

(smile!)

 

The first meal was the slunch I had at Bowties Thursday, when I was there for trivia night with Savannah Locals.

Yes, french fries can be a meal, especially with lots of ketchup.

If a baked potato can be considered a meal, then why not fries topped with plenty of the tomato-based sauce?

We have all known since 1981 that ketchup is a vegetable, ever since Ronald Reagan declared it to be so.

Case closed!

(smile!)

The second meal was an actual dinner that can't be contested.

After all, it was eaten Friday at Jalapenos of Sandfly!

I opted for Combo Number Five, with the song "Mambo No. 5" running at full volume on my mental jukebox - LOL!

I stood - yes, STOOD, not sat - between my brothers.

As I told them, I was running an experiment to see if standing, instead of sitting on those high chairs, would prevent me from waking up with sciatica pain on Saturday morning.

The results?

No sciatica pain - hooray!!!

As I told them, sitting in those very high chairs at the high-top table was the only thing different I've been doing; I've never had the problem of sciatica before these dinners with them on Fridays.

Now, I know I won't have it again!

I'm so glad I listen to my body.

(smile!) 

Okay, on to the third meal, which was a slunch between trips to Greece and to India.

Hahahaha! Doubleheader at the cinema, y'all!

The first movie was with a meetup group, Boomers In Motion, as represented by Jackie and Virginia.

We saw the new Nia Vardalos flick, which truly was a travel ad for Greece - just gorgeous!

Then they came with me to Jason's Deli, where I can get double reward points on weekends - nice!

I had Shelley's Deli Chick, a sandwich I've been meaning to try, and it was so full of different textures!

Crispy, flaky croissant, moist chicken salad with grapes and almonds and pineapple, meaty slab of tomato topping it all off...

and good company, too!

Perfect!

(smile!)

That brings me to today, doesn't it?

The first of my two events with others was at Asbury Memorial Church, where we were celebrating the first Sunday of the church year.

"Celebrate" is certainly the right term!

Leopold's was there with its ice cream stand, and I made sure I was the very first in line.

You know, to make sure the scoop didn't get tainted with strawberry 'poison', right?

Yes, that's my story!

My ice cream was pistachio and it was divine and well worth the lactase pills I had to eat with it!

I also ate a delicious hotdog and drank cold lemonade, as well as enjoying good conversation with Linda Combs and Steve Johnson while I did so.

That was all so very nice!

(smile!)

Then, on I went to my fifth outing, the second of the day, again with the Savannah Locals meetup.

Does this place look familiar?

It should - I was at The Wyld for the pierogi fundraiser!

I meant to order something, but just never did.

I guess I was enjoying the conversations too much to miss something funny from Maura or Denise, or Erica's story of her daughter at UGA, or the other Denise talking of a recent band, or Rochelle making the next plans for the group... definitely fun!

Now, to call Michael for his 35th birthday, and maybe even have another social occasion this evening!

mel's vacay: a day with boomers

Today began like any other Sunday: "CBS Sunday Morning", "Teen Kids News", just to give my dear house guest a taste of my present-day life.

Very nice, and I even made breakfast for us!

We had a bit of time to relax and do whatever before the event of the day.

And just what was that?

A movie with Boomers In Action!

That meant more time with Jackie!

In fact, let me take a moment to say, "Thanks, Jackie, for the photo from Thursday!"

There were five of us to view "Oppenheimer", one of the most-hyped movies ever.

I'm sure I've been seeing previews for it ever since "Tenet" came out... and that was in September of 2020!!!

Seriously.

I didn't care for it.

Whoever was in charge of the music was convinced it was a horror show, and, I suppose, from a particular perspective, it certainly was.

A scientist so enthralled with the pursuit of theory that he agrees to head a project to build a nuclear bomb?

Sure, there's the rationale that some country was going to do that very thing, so why not let it be the United States of America that gets there first?

Seriously, that's not an appropriate reason to build a weapon of massive death.

Anyway, after the three-hour ordeal, we three, plus one, went to Rachael's Sports Bar, over in Georgetown, for dinner.

That was a great idea!

Melanie got to know Jackie better, and we all had a chance to get to know Regina.

Jackie brought up my Periodic Table For The Blind, and guess what?

Regina had an uncle, Harold Krents, who had become blind as a boy after a football injury. Because he was already nine when he went blind, he preferred to have readers rather than use braille... much like my student had!

Unlike my student, Krents had plenty of people willing to serve as readers and help him study. Ian had not even been able to get his family and friends to help him with my class, even though I made the Periodic Table specifically for him. I know he could have done so much better in class if he had more support! Krents went on to get a law degree from Harvard and was instrumental in getting rights for disabled people. There were even two movies - "Butterflies Are Free" and "To Race The Wind" - that were based on his short life!

What a marvelous conversation!

Plus, Melanie's pizza was so big that she brought part home. Dinner for tomorrow!

Once we returned home, and got settled in, the question arose: what now?

I had a 1-Dollar Weekend Movie reward still to rent, so we watched "The Incredibles", a movie she'd never seen. She liked it okay, but that's really not her speed.

Time to ramp things up with a blast from the past, I thought!

How about a little mid-1980's adventure?

"Romancing The Stone" was just what we both needed for sweet dreams!

Thanks, Tubi!

mel's vacay: a day with knights

That's right!

The Melaness is in the 'Vannah for a much needed vacation!

The girl hasn't been out of Pennsylvania since the pandemic came to the USA.

I told her that was too long to not "wake up somewhere different" and she agreed, bopping on down to see me!

Yes, even though I have no extra beds or centralized A/C, she came!

Even though I warned her that she would be going to some pre-planned events, she came!

She drove in last night, just after my night with my brothers - perfect timing!

Gotta love the Mel!

(smile!)

 

So what was she doing?

Well, while some folks have bats in their belfry, she has flying squirrels in her attic.

No, seriously!

And she was trying to find the photos of them for me.

She also has solitary bees - like 500 of them - in her basement.

No, seriously!

They don't have a queen, they don't make honey, and they don't live in hives.

Very different from the bees around here!

Then we were off to a former engagement with former soldier, and fellow Boomer In Motion, Jackie, for a 'new' Disney flick in the Big D.

It's not the first time they've remade a movie based on a theme park ride, and surely won't be the last!

(smile!)

This time, it was "Haunted Mansion", and, believe me, it was scarier than I expected.

But, as it turned out, it was a variation on a theme I enjoy: an ordinary guy - played for real by LaKeith Stanfield - having a very odd day.

Very nice!

And get this: there was even a knight!

He/She/It kept showing up right there behind folks, weapon raised, trying to scare them away.

Here's the thing, though: once you crossed the threshold, you had a ghost companion with you forever, even it you went back home to your apartment.

In the case of Ben, the astrophysicist, the ghost is an old mariner who leaves wet foot-sized puddles all over the place.

So, what do you do with a ghostly sailor?

Interesting - and fun - question!

(smile!)

 

Then the Melaness and I were off to another former engagement!

This one was at the Jepson Center For The Arts, so we had to fly from the southside AMC to downtown.

We were barely in time for "The Green Knight", missing the pre-movie talk and demo of the medieval way of life, but we were there!

And guess what?

I did, indeed, like it much better this second time!

Mel had never seen it, but she enjoyed it, too.

Then, we were off to home for a meal that wasn't popcorn.

I made it with Lime Cilantro Rice, plus her black beans and queso sauce, and it was quite satisfactory!

Then we needed to check on the weather.

I remembered that the forecast called for rain, and a pretty good chance of it, too.

Yes, when I listened to the WSAV weather song, that was it's refrain: rain, rain, rain.

Mel wanted to take some photographs of The Bird Girl, so she could translate them into a watercolor painting.

Yes, tomorrow would be perfect for that!

I have several umbrellas, too, should we need to break for cover.

At least we've had a cooling spell to welcome her here!

(smile!)

boomers in motion, party of one!

"You were with a meetup group, right?"

Yes, and I was the 'manager' for this event, too... as well as the only attendee!

"What the... I thought this was Jackie's group, right?"

Correct, but after she had listed the musical, she realized she had a schedule clash, so she had put me in charge of it, for real and on that site. She knew I was going anyway, and she had thought others were interested, too. 

"Maybe you should have just cancelled the event then."

Not hardly! I have been looking forward to "The Phantom Of The Opera" for months, so I was certainly going! 

"Isn't that a Savannah Children's Theatre production?"

It is, even though it's being performed at the Savannah Theatre, over on Bull Street. Very nice of them to have allowed use of their larger stage for this lavish production. There was even a boat that the Phantom used to ferry Christine to his haunts - that was so totally awesome!!! And of course there was a chandelier!

"What about your amigas? Did they come?"

Nope, nary a one of them. I had even invited Brenda, but she had pet-sitting duty. Never even heard back from Carolyn, Sandy, or Kaye about the play, and Barbara is still on the Left Coast until Tuesday.

"So how was it? Did it live up to your dream of it?"

Most assuredly, from the first moment of the auction to the scenes with the new theatre owners! The singing of Christine and the Phantom! Their boat ride to the foggy cavern and candle-lit organ! The rooftop with a sky full of stars! The falling of the chandelier! The masquerade ball scene in the Phantom's opera! All the way to the very last scene!!!

"And who is that crossing the street? Richard Wallace of Armstrong's Chemistry group?"

Yep, with his wife! Get this: they were sitting right beside me the entire first act and I didn't realize it! You know how I am with crowds, right? It takes me a moment of sitting still to start recognizing folks, and I was concentrating on the site and the stage at first, then the show, so not until intermission did I "see" him. Pretty funny, right?

"That really is funny! And isn't that Travis Cole of Bay Street Theatre in the black shirt in that crosswalk?"

Yes it is! I hadn't noticed him until he came up to hug me! I was concentrating on getting that photo! Hahaha! Bonnie Blue and husband Don were in the lobby and we talked a bit, so it turns out I knew several folks there. Plus, I had a delightful chat with the elderly woman behind me about our love of this musical. just as I had on the way to the theatre with a SCAD student who gave me directions. Oh, and the young man in Row 3 in front of me was the grandson of Johnny Harris! You know, the one who had the restaurant that featured my winnings from the Gala? All in all, an absolutely lovely time!

"Well done! Well done!"

And I talked with Vivian and Gloria, too, of SavChTh, there in the lobby. They had a table set up with promotional flyers and such. One of the things about having plays here is exposure to the tourist crowd, as well as relocated folks who don't think outside of downtown. The old lady I chatted with had no idea there was a theatre on Victory Drive, even though she has been here since 2000. She probably isn't aware of the one at Tybee, either.

"That's okay, she knows about them now. Maybe you'll see her again some time."

One never knows! What a fabulous day, with a fabulous musical!!!

lions with boomers in motion, oh, my!

For this visit to the Emerald City, on the final day of the musical's run, I would be treated to the antics of the Green Cast, with a different Dorothy and different Oz in conjunction with all the different citizens of Munchkin City - oh, joy!

But would I be able to get in???

The show was sold out!!!

 

Well, of course I got in!

I absolutely, positively, undeniably and reliably, wouldn't be writing this had I not gained entry!

So did Sherry Moore, and Travis Cole, and several others, with the play being delayed more than 15 minutes while extra chairs were brought in.

Hooray!!!

And how did I like this alternate version?

Hey, it was still very much "The Wizard Of Oz", and I loved every minute of it!

I not only mouthed the words to every song, I even found myself running lines as the story unfolded!

That made a real difference to these actors, as I was told after the show.

The Door Guard, Al Williams, was looking for me after the show, and, as soon as a he spotted me, justthatfast he grabbed Glenda the Good Witch and spun her to face me for a prime time photo op!

 

Nice to be appreciated, Al!!!

 

But he wasn't the only one looking for me after the show, hoping I'd waited for the meet and greet..

and that was Joel Altherr!

He was the man with the perfect accent, the perfect timing, even the perfect nervous chortles and roars as the Cowardly Lion!

He stood right there and talked with me for at least fifteen minutes, saying the nicest things...

compliments like how I kept his energy up (this was the 15th show)...

niceties like how my smiling face on the front row cheered him...

praises like how he could look at me and know that he was at the right place, at the right time...

wow.

Then a little girl came up for a photo...

followed by two little boys...

and I took my leave from his side.

I do hope to see him again some lovely day!

(smile!)

Jackie had patiently waited while I had my starstruck moment with Joel.

(smile!)

On my say-so, she had posted this matinee as a meetup for her Boomers In Motion group... 

and had five others there with her!

They all had purchased tickets online, so they all sat together about two rows back from me.

Yes, the SavChTh knows I love the front row, and the performers love having me there, so Vivian had saved a seat for me there - thanks so much!!!

(smile!)

After the musical, all scattered back to their regularly scheduled Sunday evenings.

Well, all save Jackie and me!

We popped down the street to Chipotle's for a quick and easy dinner, sitting outside on the patio to enjoy the cooling breeze and to catch up on each other's lives and to extend the celebration of my birthday.

Very nice for bday65!

Plus, she and I already have another musical lined up next month to enjoy!

Hooray!

(smile!)

boomers in motion!

Seriously, that's what the Meetup group is called!

I knew Jackie was using that name on fb, too, but had not realized she's branched out.

I totally get it.

The group that Karen had started years back has pretty well dispersed, what with interference from the pandemic and folks moving off to be closer to grandkids.

Anyway, I was bouncing around on fb earlier and she noticed I was on... and she messaged me about her group!

"We're going to see "Ticket To Paradise" at 3 PM on Shawnee. Please join us!"

So, of course I did!

It was her and two others, Leigh Anne and Brenda.

At least, I think that was their names.

(smile!)

We had the screening room all to ourselves so we took over the place!

(smile!)

Well, we took over the third row, alternating seats so we had plenty of room.

You know: sitting like fellows tend to sit at the cinema.

That way, we had plenty of room for purses and shawls and whatnots.

(smile!)

Fun flick, too, with George Clooney being so marvelous in a comedy role!

Julie Roberts was great, too, and they worked well off each other.

Plus, I loved the guy's dad... very funny, full of jokes!

I'm so glad I just happened to be on fb!

Right place, right time!

Thanks, Jackie!

Now, to call Tony back.

I'm petsitting their dog and cat and he wants to make sure my food favorites are stocked in the refrigerator and freezer. 

Hooray!

(smile!)

i am never alone

What a beautiful day
to be out in the sun,
exploring chalk art
and having much fun
with some new acquaintances -
maybe learning some new dances -
but assuredly not roaming
the park as only one!

"Every little thing
is gonna bee alright" -
hahaha haha!
Bob Marley would approve, I'm sure,
of this pun at the 37th Annual
SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival.
Yvonne, Diane, and Terri did,
as did I!

Oh, and look!
There's my dear Rogue!
(Joe is actually in town
and we have dinner plans!)

Blaxstone!
Good to have you here, man!
(Don't worry, Sam,
your identity is safe with me.
Nice visit at your grave, too.)

Why, Sandra Lynn!
What a nice surprise
to have you down from Atlanta!
(Any time, bff!)

Speaking of bf's,
the physicist was here, too,
cavorting with these
zany cats!

The bfe would have liked this one,
as we all know...
but French artist Axelle
already had this beauty
locked down!

Aunt Linda had flown in
from Tallahassee, I see...
and I bet those
hummingbird wings
were tired!
bah dumm dah!
(smile)

What a pleasant surprise!
Barbara and Sandy, too!
No plans for North Carolina
for this summer, though.
(smile)

Jayme! Brian! Wesley!
I see you there, waving that
"Red Badge of Courage"!
I recall that book from...
sixth grade? My teacher would
read aloud to us every afternoon.

Bird Girl!
What are you doing here?
Does the Jepson know
that you've taken a stroll
off their grounds?
You be careful, dear!

Sunflowers!
Oh, Melanie, they always
tell me you are near!
Ever since you painted
that mural in Tall'ee!

What a sweet surprise!
I knew you and Mark would be
joining the Rogue and I for dinner,
but I had no idea that
you would be here, JinHi!
(smile!))

Christina Ann, what a
marvelous new take on that
fairy tale
about Goldilocks and
those three bears!
hahaha haha!
I bet they were surprised!

Michael! Where are the twins?
They should see this one, too!
"May the fourth be with you",
my dear...
and I am so glad
I don't have to explain
that reference like I did
for the Boomers!

Ok, Kevin, I know that's you!
The only reason
"there's a leek
in the bathroom"
is because you put it in there!
hahahaha hahaha!

Is it a whale?
Is it a dolphin?
Is it a shark???
Of course that's what it is, Christa!
And probably it came from
one of your "Sharknado" movies!

Speaking of movies, is this
from a Bollywood film, Carolyn?
And how did that dark area
suddenly materialize
into an elephant?
Cool trick!

Now, who do we have
hiding behind this lone tree
out in the desert?
Paul and Cathy, that's who!
Y'all going to Vegas again with me?
That would be so very nice!

Okay, let me wave farewell to the ex!
He and I so loved Calvin and Hobbes!
We would give each other the books
for birthdays and such...
good times...
just like today has been!
Thanks for sharing it with me, y'all!
(smile)