|
Thu 27 August
We're back! And after a week of delightful hosts (Irene and Ken), delightful weather (mostly in the 60's and 70's) and beautiful
Northwest greenery, we note that our next three Northridge days will feature 108˚ temps and fire season already underway.
We had such fun with the Hardys celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and updating our 50+ year friendships. We also had
a fun evening with Mark and April and her parents, Janet and Noel, at a restaurant in Ballard. And we spent Friday on Vashon
Island running errands and visiting with the friends in our house and cabin. Wendy treated us to a fine dinner in the cabin
and we enjoyed getting better acquainted with her and her boyfriend, Brock.
Then the Hardys drove us up to a cute vacation rental on Discovery Bay near Port Townsend where we all spent Sunday and Monday
nights. Mark and April ran out Sunday afternoon, and we all roamed around the area until 7:30 when it was time for The Bobs,
an a cappella vocal quartet.
Tuesday night Ken and Irene hosted their Lion's Club picnic, so our final night there was packed with great food and new friends.
All our travel was uneventful, and we rolled in last night about 10:30, happy and ready to get back into the routine. Blessings
and good wishes to all.
Mon 17 August
Yesterday's party was delightful with five adult guests, a 5-year-old diva and two very young boys – one toddling and
the other trying his hardest to do so. There was talking, there was swimming and there was some serious eating, especially
after two yummy cakes were set out. One was white on the outside with strawberry shortcake inside. The other was a sheet cake
in a pie crust piled high with fresh glazed fruit. Some of us hurt ourselves badly, yet were spotted snitching even more.
The mild temps, a shady walnut tree and a nice breeze kept us seated comfortably outside all afternoon. Thank you so much
Pat; James, Amber & Trey; and Andrew, Heidi, Katie & Dylan. You all made our day truly special.
After a day to recover, we're gearing up for our Wednesday morning flight to SeaTac. Mac will come along, of course. At least
90% of all we know is hidden somewhere on his tiny hard drive. Besides, Jane must check her emails for auditions and such.
David checks stuff, too... for hours and hours. One of our techniques for staying married 50 years is this: Whoever gains
control of Mac loses control of the TV clicker. That's true win-win negotiation.
But we digress...
The point is that our notoriously sporadic blog is almost certain to get more sporadicker this next week. They have internets
in the Northwest, but we hope we'll be too busy with fun and frolic to have much time for that. Bye-bye, y'all.
Sat 15 August
Yesterday was exciting. We drove to [20th Century] Fox Studios so Jane could audition for the "House" TV show. She
was so excited to get this shot at a speaking part on a big national show. If chosen, she will play an elderly patient in
a hospital bed who, at the proper moment, screams:
"Oooh!"
We won't trouble you with the details except to say that it involves physician error.
We've whipped up a tiny party for tomorrow with a half-dozen friends coming over for anniversary cake and munchies. This meant
a return trip to Burbank for a cake from Porto's and then a Costco run for big food. Sometimes our tiny parties get out of
hand.
Wed 12 August
Well, it finally happened. Today we sadly report The End of the Internet.
Mon 10 August
Alas, no Goat Lady gig. No trip to Dallas. No big bucks for sweating in the Texas sun. Being put "on avail" usually means
that the field has been narrowed to two, pending some mystical tie-breaker. Jane would have bet money that her friend, Pat,
was the other candidate, so she called. Sure enough, Pat was also on avail. So they waited...
By Thursday Jane knew she'd missed out, so she called Pat to congratulate her. Pat was hoppin' mad. It wasn't her, either.
They cried on each other's shoulder for quite a while and decided the director must have finally found someone willing to
take out her teeth like the client wanted.
So Pat came over on Friday. We went to Weiler's Deli for lunch and then to a movie. Every so often, one of them would mutter
"Goat!" and a spate of hateful comments and aggressive body language would erupt. Could they be taking this too hard?
Jane later admitted this all took her back to age 14 and her Rainbow Girls initiation. Someone had warned her in advance
that she'd be forced to ride a goat. Of course it turned out to be a lie. Jane never got over that disappointment –
the goat ride was the only reason she had joined.
Note: If you've ever cursed Wal-Mart or wondered how Vashon people survive when it gets over 100˚ then check our
Favorite Guest Writers page.
Wed 5 August
Things have been popping for Jane this past week. Today she goes for the second day of the mystery shoot we mentioned last
Tuesday. Risking painful retaliation, we'll just say it's a limited role on a national TV comedy show. Now, don't ask any
more.
Yesterday she auditioned for a gig she had coveted since she saw the notice a week or so ago – the Goat Lady role in
a Thera-Gesic commercial. If she gets it, they will fly her to Dallas for the shoot. Aaah, Dallas, an exciting foreign location
in mid-August. So keep your fingers crossed. They called last night to say that she is "on avail."
We were not surprised. You would have loved her outfit, which was inspired by actual goat ladies we know on Vashon Island
– gray mid-calf cotton knit dress, plain white apron, brown sandals with tall black sox, a colorful kerchief for the
hair and no makeup. They wanted a middle-aged woman with missing teeth, but when they struck out there, they opened auditions
to all the gray panthers that Granny hangs with every week.
Sadly, she had to turn down the following audition this morning, due to today's shoot:
Project: Kellogg's Test Audition
Role: Joy
Wardrobe: Joy is utterly respectable, with not a hair out of place. Her clothes are starched and impeccable, just as
if she's on her way to a wedding or a meeting with President Obama. Knitwear and pleated skirts are filling her wardrobe;
perhaps the odd pair of freshly pressed trousers, too. Her top, whether it is a cardigan, a jacket, etc., needs to be Yellow.
Nothing too bright, but a color that nods towards the yellow of the Crunchy Nut box. It shouldn't be the same color as the
box though. To complement the yellow, we'd like to see a white shirt or blouse, or whatever, under her yellow top. Her skirt
or trousers shouldn't be too distracting. Perhaps black, or another solid color. Joy's shoes would be smart but comfortable,
something that compliments her outfit, and maybe low heels, maybe with a buckle, too. Joy is quite happy to flash a bit of
jewelry. She's not afraid of a pearl necklace and earrings, or perhaps some gold or a nice brooch.
This is odd. They usually want: "Grandmother. Casual dress."
Mon 3 August
We finally spoke to Laurie last night – face to face, in fact, thanks to the magic of Skype. [Look it up, it's free.]
They got home in the wee Sunday morning hours and were still struggling with their internal sleep/wake clocks. China is about
half a day away from there on the jet lag clock, and most of the time it's already tomorrow. Think about that for a while,
OK?
And remember: Even though the moon is smaller than the Earth, it is farther away.
Now cut that out!
If you saw Laurie's China photos last week on her blog, go back again for her grand closing flourish. Her ability to dash and click
and be amazing, all at the same time, simply baffles us. What a gal!
Sun 2 August
August has always been an exciting month. For 57 years it meant Back to School – new clothes and apprehension
when we were students; summer band, bulletin boards and hope for redemption once we became teachers. For David it always meant
Birthday, far less exciting now than it used to be. And for us it has always meant Anniversary... year after
year.
Now at last we celebrate 50 years of marriage this month. Sneaking up on it like we did, it just didn't feel like such a big
deal. But it's odd. Back when it was our grandparents and later our parents, a Golden Wedding seemed incredible. [Good
heavens! Do you realize how old they must be?]
We chose to do this quickly before we got old.
So on the 14th we'll celebrate our big day here in the wee hacienda, then fly to Seattle on the 19th to celebrate more big
days – David's birthday, the Hardys' anniversary, Ken's birthday, and a week in the coolest, greenest corner of America.
We chose this destination over more exotic ones for a number of reasons, like the number of dollars we'll need to survive
September.
We live and learn.
|
