Bay Theatre Company Goes to New York!

Perhaps you read my review of “The Goat or Who is Sylvia?” in the Entertainment Blog posted on www.WhatsUpMag.com in May 2008 and/or saw the wonderful production of Edward Albee’s Tony Award winning play, performed here in Annapolis. If not you have another opportunity, but you’ll have to make the trip to New York City. The show is being performed at The Players Theatre at 115 MacDougal Street, Monday evening on September 15th.
In “The Goat,” Edward Albee the same playwright who wrote the play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf “ (first performed on Broadway in 1962) brings the portrayal of a dysfunctional family to a new level, as he challenges the audience to rethink the concept of what is love? To read the entire review go to
http://www.whatsupmag.com/blogs/entertainment-blog/08-05-12/_The_Goat_or_Who_is_Sylvia_–2002_Tony_Award_Winning_Play_Currently_at_the_Bay_Theatre_in_Annapolis.aspx
Tickets to the Off Broadway production directed by Lucinda Merry-Browne are $30. You can buy tickets on line at Theatermania.com. This tour staring Tom Gregory, Janet Luby, Bret Jaspers, and Lee Ordeman is for one night only.

Annapolis or Marco Island? Which is Hotter?

It’s prettier in a picture.

We’ve been experiencing quite a heat wave here in Annapolis, Maryland. Hot sticky days and warm damp evenings make most of us seek out the comfort of air conditioned buildings. But my recent visit to Southern Florida has had the affect of making me think Annapolis in summer is not so bad, following the old adage it could always be worse!

Not that I didn’t have fun in Florida. I was on vacation, accompanyinig my husband Peter on a business trip, but for the very first time in my life I used up an entire tube of sunblock in less than a week. That’s how intense the sun was, pretty scary.

To avoid too much sun I did my beachcombing and swimming in the morning before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. The ocean water was downright, warm, like bathwater.

One of my favorite places I visited on this trip was the summer home of Thomas Alva Edison, located right next to the summer home of Henry Ford in Fr. Myers.

It was actually a revisit, as I spent quite some time there 21 years ago while researching information for my first book on antique lamps, “American Lighting 1840-1940.”  One of my favorite stories I remember from my last visit was the guide telling us how Edison would sit at the end of his very long pier pretending to fish, just to have some time to himself.  This visit I heard  the story of how Edison was so obsessed with his research on developing a form of synthetic rubber that he’d work straight through the night and into the next day, falling asleep in his lab. Now that’s being obsessed with your work!

Edison had so many different ideas, from the toaster and waffle iron to the electric pen, phonograph, and movie camera. And now his idea for a rechargeable battery for the automobile just might be part of the solution towards energy conservation.

Air conditioning was not one of his inventions, I don’t think? What did they do in Florida at the end of the 19th century without it?

At any rate, Annapolis is refreshingly cool at least in the early morning. It’s good to be home.

There are some wonderful activities and fun things to do on the Southwestern Florida coast. As soon as I recover the photos off my camera, I’ll be posting a story on the www.WhatsUpMag.com website. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for the latest complete calendar of events for Annapolis and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, www.WhatsUpMag.com is the place to visit!

July 4th Parade Celebrates Freedom

The Fife and Drum kicks off the Annapolis July 4th Parade

                       

                                                                           

 

 

Despite cloudy skies and intermittent raindrops, Annapolitans gathered downtown, umbrellas in hand to watch the annual July 4^th

 

parade. “The regulars” brought folding chairs and staked out prime locations, that provided some shelter such as building overhangs and bus stop waiting shelters. Their children brought bags to gather all the candy that was sure to be thrown from passing floats and small flags to wave.

 

There were the usual display of antique cars, fire engines, and politicians. Mayor Moyer, Governor O’Malley, members of the State Senate and Congress as well as campaign representatives for presidential hopefuls Senator McCain and Senator Obama all handed out flyers. Paws Pet Boutique had organized a march of dogs and their owners. Children rode in wagons, the fife and drummers played patriotic tunes all donned in the traditional red, white and blue.

 

But none could compare with a new display in a different color, the color of deep yellow gold. A large yellow banner imprinted in red with Falu Dafa and the words truthfulness, compassion, tolerance grabbed my attention. A float with individuals dressed in yellow gold and red jackets and trousers doing meditation exercises and a colorful dragon carried by similarly dressed marchers made an impressive display.

Falun Dafa Banner made an impact at the parade.

 July 4th, the birthday of our country, celebrates liberty and freedom.

 

 

 

 

Followers of Falun Gong, founded in 1992 and based on Buddhist teachings, seek to achieve a state of selflessness, greater insight and awareness, inner purity and balance.  There are between 70 and 100 million people in China who practice Falun Gong. But in 1999, the Chinese government banned the religion.

 

 

Evidently those seeking to publicize the plight of Falun Gong,  chose our July 4th Annapolis Parade to make us aware that while we celebrate our freedom, other nations are not so fortunate.

 Like many religions banned in China, followers of Falun Gong are subject to persecution and torture.

 

At the time I was watching the parade I admired the flowing movements and burst of color not knowing what Falu Dafa really meant or why they were marching. It wasn’t until today, researching on the Internet that I learned their purpose in joining the festivities.  And I was reminded to take nothing for granted and be thankful for my freedom to believe what I want to believe.

 

 

 

Bermuda and Vacations on the Mind

This morning, when I arrived at City Dock 7:00 a.m. sharp, owner Steve Duffy already had my coffee ready when I strolled through the door. He’d spied me tying Grace up to one of the iron chairs outside.
Today my only walking companion was Grace. Peter was already on his way to an early morning meeting.
Walking back up Main Street I tried to count the proportion of shops that are now empty, waiting for new occupants when the weather gets warm. This seems to be the cycle I’ve observed over the years. There is always a certain amount of attrition after the winter holidays, economic downturn or not. Tiffany’s Epiphany is now empty. Did the larger store beside them, Paradigm, that recently opened chase them away? I can only speculate the variety of reasons why a store may choose to close it doors.
At the top of the hill Barbara Cooper (wife of Orlando Rideout) and a friend are on their way down the stairs to grab a coffee in Starbucks, in the basement of Maryland Inn. I see Barbara walking almost every morning, going down Main Street as we are walking up. She has a nice smile.
“I’m enjoying that article about you and your husband in the magazine,” she calls out.
Article about me and my husband? I’m puzzled.
“The beautiful island. Your vacation.”
“Oh Bermuda!” I now realize she’s talking about the travel article I wrote on Bermuda in the February magazine. Once again the idea that people love looking at scenic pictures and reading about places they think they might want to visit is reinforced. Last year’s travel story on Costa Rica (February 07) elicited more personal feedback from acquaintances and friends then anything else I published last year. We all like to dream of where we’d rather be. Wouldn’t it be great to be in Costa Rica right now? I look at the window and see it’s started to rain, a cold damp rain.