Summertime Adventures

This summer I have had more time off then I have had in a very long time, a whole month. I finished working at Northeastern at the end of June and spent all of July working as the choreographer for Indian Hill Music's Summer Music production of The Wizard of Oz. I was able to work with a Mr. Andrew Rhodes who had directed me in the past and two of Indian Hill's wonderful music/vocal directors. The highlights though were of course the 33 budding young actors I was able to work with. Aged 8-16 these kids did a great job performing 4 shows of the entire original London cast version of this musical with just 4 weeks of rehearsal. Indian Hill also did an amazing job of finding a great set and lighting team to transform the concert hall into Oz.

Since the performances finished I have had some time to get myself ready for the 4 months of craziness I am about to embark on with student teaching, after-school coordinating, classes and wedding planning. I have also had some great opportunities to see friends, family and travel. The first journey of this summer came when Matt and I ventured in Kemo (the SAAB) up to Guelph in Ontario to see Matt's second cousin, David. We drove 90 through Buffalo and were able to see Niagara on both the US and the Canadian sides. Normally, I am biased towards the good ol' US of A, but Canada does a far better job of having the area around the Falls reflect, in at least some small fraction, the awesomeness which is Niagara. The New York side is pretty depressing actually except for the park immediately surrounding it. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend a trip there when on route to our neighbors to the north.

The next couple trips were one night deals, but very worth every minute. First, Matt and I ventured down to Halifax, MA for our friend Dean's birthday. Jet skis, lobster and dancing by the lake were how we celebrated and it was a blast. The next trips were solo ones for me. First, I headed to Cape Cod (Falmouth, MA) to my grandparents' house with my Mom. My Aunt Diane and her two little boys are staying there and my Uncle Mark, Aunt Nancy and their three children were staying at a hotel close by. Albeit brief, the time I got to spend with my extended family was great.

Next, I headed down to Southampton with my dear friend Marissa where we met our friends Aisling and Brianna at Aisling's uncle's house on the bay in Southampton. We were able to spend Friday night and all day Saturday on the beach enjoying the sun, the Magee boat and much needed together time. Saturday night we had dinner with Aisling's uncle, aunt, cousins and Pop Pop and Sunday we hung out by the pool. It was the first time in a long time we have gotten to spend that much time together and I am so grateful we got that chance. Thanks Ais!

The most recent and last trip of my "lady of leisure" days was out to the Bay Area in California. Matt was working for EKC on Thursday and Friday and we decided to make a little trip out of it. We left Wednesday morning for SFO and once we landed went and had a fun lunch of Dungeness crab at Fisherman's Wharf before we ventured to our hotel in San Ramon in the Tri Valley. On Thursday our friend Katy was able to make it out to our hotel and share an interesting meal at "The Brass Door" where Matt learned the hard way that prime rib is not ribs... I assumed that was general knowledge, but apparently an Oxford education only takes one so far. (jk)

Friday evening we ventured into Danville and had a great time meeting some locals at some great neighborhood haunts. Saturday we met Katy in Oakland at the Eat Real Fest (eatrealfest.com), a really fun and tasty collection of local growers, restaurateurs, brewers, bakers, etc. celebrating all that the Bay Area has to offer in consumable goods. Matt and I then took a hour or so to head over to the Golden Gate bridge for a our one photo shoot as we forgot our supposedly broken camera at home. My crappy phone turned out to be a much better camera then I gave it credit for and we at least got a few decent shots of the bridge from the park overlooking the bay.

Following our Mr. DeMille moment we headed for Castro to see Katy's new place which just so happens to be a former residence of the late, great Janis Joplin - too cool. Her former lover actually still lives across the street, Janis's that is. The house was a pretty amazing place full of old charm, nifty gadgets and a fancy Pottery Barn outdoor couch courtesy of Katy's roommate. It was first time I had been out to visit Miss Buckland since she moved to become a corps member for Teach for America in the Bay Area and I am so happy I got the opportunity to see her in her current home. It was a beautiful spot and both Matt and I became more and more tempted to perhaps make a move out there for awhile before we fully settle down. I guess once the next 4 months conclude we will know much more clearly how feasible that option is - we'll keep you posted.