Shortly before I left on vacation, I sent a letter to my favorite Professor, Murph Swander. I knew he was getting up in years (he's in his 90s now), and I wanted to be sure to let him know the impact he made on my life.
I composed a letter, but realized that the blog post I had written a couple years ago was really a love letter to him, so I printed it out and sent it to him with my card. Remember my post? See it here.
I was thrilled to receive a card back from him last week.
It reads:
August 19, 2013
Dear Karen--
Thank you!! How thoughtful of you!!
I truly enjoyed your card and the "blog post." It is wonderful to know that the work we did together has remained important in your life. I do miss those good old days.
But my wife and I are living a pleasant, quiet life. We feel blessed that we've been together over 70 years.
Thanks again! With love,
Murph
P.S.-- The other actor in the picture with Patrick is Bernard Lloyd. The three of us have remained close friends. They are both splendid humans.
Yay! I was moved. I love that he honored our experience by calling it "the work we did together."
And I LOVE that he used multiple exclamation points!! A man after my own heart!!
In planning our itinerary, there was *no way* I was going to skip a visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare and home to the theater world's gift to the Universe, the Royal Shakespeare Company.
We arrived by train and made our way to the Grosvenor Hotel, just a couple blocks away from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Two nights: two plays. And in-between, time to enjoy this lovely town.
We arrived in time to enjoy a light dinner at the hotel and then walked to the Courtyard Theatre to see Much Ado About Nothing.
The theater experience started as soon as we passed through the doors. The lobby was filled with bicycles hanging from the ceiling, and goods and carts scattered around, with the sounds of a busy New Dehli street.
Here's my video, also taken from the upper level.
The play took place in contemporary India. It worked well! It was a fun, lively production. Enjoy these excerpts. First, the trailer:
and a couple of speeches:
Stratford sits upon the River Avon, which has a series of locks that were restored in the 1950s-1970s to aid navigation. We had just missed a boat passing through a lock when we walked to town:
There are plenty of swans on the river enjoying hand-outs.
The park along the river has a statue of Shakespeare and a few of his characters.
We took a river cruise and enjoyed the sights along the banks, including many lovely homes.
We did some shopping, too. The tudor buildings are so pretty!
After shopping, we enjoyed high tea at our hotel. Oh, my! So many delectable delights! It was fantastic!
This is just the second course! We had sandwiches before, and chocolate fondue after these delicious sweets!
We were fortunate to take some tours of the renovated theater, a gorgeous space with state-of-the-art technology to aid in their repertory.There were no photos allowed on the tour, and I forgot to go back and take pictures of the wonderful art deco features in the lobby, designed by Elizabeth Scott in 1932. You can get a glimpse--just a glimpse--of the theater in this short video:
I did get a picture of the floors in much of the public areas. These boards were from the original proceneum arch-style stage! I rubbed them with my hand. Can you imagine the actors that crossed these boards from 1932 'til 2007?!
After the tours, we had a quick dinner down the street and a Pimm's. We had seen signs about the "Quintessential English drink," and had no idea what it was. So we ordered one. Meh.
Then, a rush back to the main Theatre, where we enjoyed Twelfth Night. It was a terrific production. Malvolio, played wonderfully by Jonahan Sliner, was riotous and tragic.
Here is the trailer:
and a mini-documentary:
While on the tour, I saw this photograph of actor Roger Allam in a stairway.
Memories came flooding back. When I was last here in 1984, I stayed up all night drinking and talking with Roger Allam and my professor Murph Swander at the Arden Bar across the street. Mr. Allam had played Mercutio in the production of Romeo and Juliet that we saw. In my journal I wrote that he "brought Mercurtio to life. He was a fabulous Mercutio. Everything was true to the words. It was charming. I never thought Mercutio has ever been a memorable character." Ooops! Not so memorable...I wish I could remember it now! All I remember today is the horrible So-Cal surfer Romeo in that production! Ah, well, I remember the fun times at the Arden. I also penned a gushy fan letter to Mr. Allam that is in my journal. (Won't share that, ha!)
New memories from 2012 on top of old ones from 1984. Looking forward to more someday......
This Day in History: BobBIE was born! Yay! Happy Birthday! We helped her celebrate her (something)th birthday 20 years ago today.
This week also marks the 20th anniversary of the riots in Los Angeles, sparked by the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King. Fifty-four people died during the riots.
Today I'm thinking of the 54 families who lost loved ones during those days.
We were a young family then. Kevin was about 15 months old. Annette was just a gleam in her daddy's eye. We had planned a trip to Yuma, Arizona to meet up with BobBIE and Poss to celebrate BobBIE's birthday and to visit with our friends Bob and Linda. We were to drive first to the San Diego area before heading to Yuma. It must've been the second or third day of the rioting, Thursday April 30 or Friday, May 1, 1992.
Despite the riots happening, we made the decision to make the trip. Why we decided to go I do not know. I suppose family love trumps all! ❤ It was a scary, scary journey. Traffic was not moving. We were driving down the 405, just 3-4 miles west of the flashpoint at Florence and Normandie. I remember passing the exit for Florence Avenue and thinking, Holy Crap we're in it.
We had the radio on, and all we could do was listen as rioting was happening all around us in the city we were stuck in! Of course, by the time we were down there enmeshed in the traffic, there was no point in turning back. I was frightened.
I didn't write much, but here is my journal entry from a few days later:
May 4, 1992 Monday
We spent the weekend in Yuma, AZ. Going down was hellacious. Traffic in LA was unbelievable -- THE WORST -- because of the rioting in LA. It took us 8 hours (incl an-almost-one-hour dinner break) to get to Chuckie's, a normally 4-hour drive. Of course, Kevin had started an ear infection and he was a little feverish and fussy but we could not would not stop in LA. (except Mike had to pee REAL BAD , so we finally stopped.)
I remember that. We had made jokes about getting out to pee on the side of the road since cars were. not. moving. But we finally pulled off into a gas station (no rioting there!), taking care of business, and then jumping right back into the car, locking the doors, and getting back on our way. Scary times.
Of course you know we made it there and back safely. By Sunday the area had quieted down and there was no danger.
But while we're in the Way-Back Machine, let's take a look at what else was important to the Shoe family during those days, shall we? Happier memories, yes?
May 4, 1992 Monday
Kevin has begun talking! In the last couple weeks he has learned these words:
-- no (his first word) (14 1/2 months) -- he sometimes still does a raspberry for "no" & most of the time just shakes his head.
-- uh oh (though he just says the "uh" part)
-- hi (inconsistent)
-- dada (for both his father & me)
-- and, most recently, juice (used several times appropriately over the weekend)
-- outside (reported by Jovanna; he stands by the door and says /ɑʊsɑɪ/)
He's great! He's talking!
Tonight he was laughing in his sleep! It was right when Mike opened the front door and came home, so I think it's like he was when he was a fetus--excited when Dad comes home.
He has taken to carrying our lawn sheep around the house, in lieu of his sheepskin. It's not real sheepskin, but Kevin finds it perfectly acceptable.
Tonight he was so happy. I think he was happy to be home.
And life goes on......
Kevin at Bob & Linda's. The front of his shirt reads little and the back: terror
How 'bout a blast from the past? I unearthed our dorm floor photos. Can you find the baby Shoe (2)? Baby Squid (1)? Baby Carol (1)? Baby Alan (2)? Baby George (2)?
I had to do an errand at UCSB yesterday. I saw a sign pointing to "Orientation 2011." Thirty years ago today I was eagerly anticipating my own trip to Orientation and leaving home to attend this gem of a university.
The sun was shining and it was such a warm day! I thought it would be a great day to walk around campus and go down memory lane again. I took you on this walk before.
Pretty views from the bluffs.
Those buildings are dorms. How many universities have dorms with ocean views?
I walked past the dorms and the University Center to the Lagoon. We spent many hours walking the lagoon, feeding the coots, and sitting on the UCen lawn watching the water. I remember eating UCen burritos on the lawn! They were the best!
This beautiful bird was hunting in the Lagoon. Fish burritos, maybe?
And he was preening, too!
Back in the day, this store was inside the UCen building. My boyfriend and I used to take a walk after dinner to get candy in there. Once he got a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with a worm crawling from it! He wrote the Hershey's company and they sent a box full of goodies!
Storke Tower, the centerpiece of the University.
Oh, Storke Plaza! The place for dances, arts and crafts fairs, voter registration, demonstrations, and all the wondeful activities of college life! One of my best memories of Storke Plaza was a dance in the first days of my freshman year. This song was playing, and ever since, I just love this song and all the memories it evokes!
The pool in Storke Plaza had lily pads that were blooming really pretty!
A couple Koi in the pond.
This is a pretty staircase at Physics. I don't remember the it; I just thought it was really cool!
Today when I was filling up my tank the pump handle malfunctioned and fell out of the tank, spilling gas all over the truck and the ground! Of course, I tried to catch it and got gas on my hand. YUCK!
The smell immediately took me back to the 70s, when Poss and I were in a car accident. When I got a whiff of my gas-o-hand, I immediately --though transiently-- got nauseated from the gasoline aroma. Floods of memories came back. Ick!
It's times like these to reflect on what's good in life and how fortunate I have been!
Last year I told you about the sad tale of my hair. It has been a year since I cut it, and I'm happy to report that it is growing back well! It is getting thicker! I have a while to go before I gain some length (I trimmed it once or twice during the year), but it is getting back to nearly the same heft.
It is also curlier! It may be because of less weight, but the waves I've always had are wavier!
Here it was a year ago.
"Hair" is is today.
It is also lightening up a little, as the new growth gets sun-bleached. It feels so much better in my hands when I wash it and brush it and braid it! And no more gobs of hair to collect and put in the trash! By the new year, I expect to have a nice length and just about back to normal!
This Liō comic was in today's paper. Kevin had similar plans when he was a tot. His was fishing line and paper and staples and tape! I think Liō and Kevin would've been good friends!
