Jersey Boys & Drag Queens: Pittsburg, PA

First let me say I can never remember if it is Pittsburgh or Pittsburg.  Let me also say, I don't really care and this is not one of my favorite destinations.

When I arrived in Pittisburg(h) back in early September, it became my second time in the city.  The first time was during my "don't leave the hotel after dark" days so in some ways, this is my first time all over again.

Because I try to be cost conscious with my company's money, I end up getting a hotel in Green Tree, just outside of the city.  Mapquest says the hotel is 3 miles from by customer's location.  The first morning I give myself 45 minutes knowing in a good size city like this one, it might take more time to get there, especially when you drive downtown.  I was 30 minutes late.  That's right...one hour and fifteen minutes to go 3 miles.  It wasn't a fluke either, that was the case all three days.

Fortunately my customer was understanding and it was good information to know since I bought tickets before I left Texas to see Jersey Boys the first night, also downtown.

But of course in the evening, it doesn't take nearly that long so I am VERY early and I prefer it that way.  As fortune would have it, there is an outdoor jazz concert going on right across from the theater.  I stand around listening and chatting with a very nice man named Dennis who happened by on his way home.  He told me a lot about what he thinks are interesting things to do in the city (none of which were things I ultimately did) and how the city has really undergone a great deal of revitalization since my last visit around 7 years ago.

I feel vaguely guilty about seeing Jersey Boys without David.  This is one we both talked about wanting to see.  When I saw that it was going to be in Pittsburg(h) while I was there, I checked to see if it would be in Dallas in 2013 but it isn't on the list.  It will be in Houston in March but now that I know I won't be living in Texas by March of next year, I am glad he was okay with me going on without him. 

As you can see from the image, I have a really good seat.  The only needing one seat thing works in my favor again.  Also in my favor is the woman to my left, Connie.  Connie and I enjoy talking before the show even though she is here with her husband.  Connie's husband didn't really want to come.  He isn't a jerk about it like some might be, he gives off more of a "I will probably sleep through this anyway" kind of vibe.  She lives a little far from the city so she rarely gets to do things like this and she is really excited.  Contagious excited.

The play is fantastic.  I really enjoy it but maybe not as much as Connie who grabs my arm as soon as the lights come on for intermission.  She is bouncing up and down, shaking me and squealing a little.  I think Jersey Boys is very similar to Million Dollar Quartet - the first one David and I saw together - and I would be surprised if I found out the same person(s) didn't write both.

On my second night I have plans to return downtown to another play, this time it is Dixie's Tupperware Party.  This is listed as an "interactive" play and from my experience with Bingo in Kansas City I know that means the cast will be interacting with some of the audience.  There is something I didn't realize about Dixie though.

Dixie is a man.

I think I might be the only one who didn't know this in advance and apparently Dixie isn't the only one of his/her kind.  I found some others also selling Tupperware in drag when I looked up Dixie Longate on the internet.  In fact, the top selling salesperson for several years in a row is a man who sells dressed in drag and Dixie has been quite successful in her own right.

This is a one-woman show and also a real Tupperware party.  We are given catalogs and order forms.  Dixie goes through the full sales pitch while talking about how she broke into Tupperware (at the suggestion of her parole officer).  There is, in my opinion, a motivational message here wrapped around her gushing about Brownie Wise who was a vice president of Tupperware in the 1950's (when women definitely weren't VPs at major corporations). 

Dixie's humor isn't for everyone though she is never directly inappropriate there is plenty of innuendo for those with a mind bent in that direction.  My family says I have no sense of humor and I definitely found her funny.  And she definitely interacted.  Four people (including the man and woman in the picture above) were seated on the stage and she spoke to them several times and had them do a relay race towards the end of the play.  She also gave out 3 door prizes which required the "winner" to come onstage.  This showcased Dixie's ability to continue to be funny, even when ad-libbing which she did again during a Q & A session.  And none of us there will ever forget Dirk, a man in the front row center that she picked on a lot and who was invited onstage to demonstrate how to use the can opener, something he had some difficulty doing.

This is a traveling show and if you get a chance to see it, go for it.  It was a fun show and a lot of laughs.  And girls, be sure to take your husband or significant other - especially if his name is Dirk.

My last night in town I am scheduled to go to an author's lecture at a community center.  Driving through and beyond downtown I find myself in a pretty rough neighborhood.  Normally I don't get nervous when I am out and about in a strange town but on this day I find myself feeling a little uneasy about my surroundings.  There are a lot of people milling around on the streets and there are a LOT of abandoned or apparently abandoned buildings.  Definitely some Criminal Minds opportunites here.  As I pull up to a red light, I look to my right and there is a church on the corner.  In the grass a sign:  Stop Shooting, We Love You.

There is no photo for two reasons.  First, the light changed and second, I was a little freaked out.  As I drive up to the community center I find there is no on-site parking.  I will be forced to park on the street and walk back to my white mini-van with New York license plates after dark.  After circling the block a couple of times and finding nothing even remotely close I decide I can't do it.  My mother's voice won't be quiet in my head.  David would freak out if he knew I was even remotely thinking about getting out of my car here. 

So, I drive back through downtown to return to my hotel for the night, disappointed.  Until...

That's right!  Jersey Boys...round 2!

My route to the hotel takes me past the theatre and now familiar parking garage I used for both plays.  I pull in on a whim, walk to the box office, ask what the best single seat they have is and get 6th row center 30 minutes before curtain.  Sold! 

So for the second time in two days, I sit through Jersey Boys.  I have to say, it was just as good the second time.  I only wish Connie could have been there with me.







Meet Me In Montana: Missoula, MT

I haven't posted in 3 weeks.  It honestly seems like longer.  I have struggled with whether I was done with this, at least for now, but today I find that I am not.  Not yet.  And a LOT has happened.  Some good, some bad. 

Relax, this isn't the bad.

There is a company in Missoula, Montana that David talked to about a job a few years back.  At that time, our daughter was preparing to move in with her daughter.  The job would be a slight step back in pay (but a step forward in a lot of other ways) and we just didn't feel we could do it while taking on two dependents and with no way of knowing how long they would be with us.  A year and a half turned out to the be answer. 

Then, the opportunity presented itself again.  I encouraged David to go up there this time and at least talk to them.  Then he could make a more informed decision.  Once he went to Wichita, Kansas to interview for a job and on the way home he called and said, "I don't want to live in Wichita."  Maybe that would happen again.  So he told them he would come up.

And they said, "Bring her too."

I think this is a totally smart move on their part.  What if he took the job and then I moved up there and said, "What the hell were you thinking?"  This way we both know what we are getting in to.

David already knows someone at the company he will be interviewing with.  Gerry worked with David where David works now before Gerry and his wife relocated to Montana a few years ago.  We are surprised when Gerry meets us at the airport.

But not as surprised as I am at the huge bear in the lobby or the various other animals stuffed and mounted on the walls and in other cases.  You definitely wouldn't see that at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.  This is also an "international airport".  I think they might have one flight a week to Canada.

Gerry wants to make sure David knows how to get to the office for the interview the next day.  The office is on the airport property.  Here in Dallas, that might require a tour and a map and a call saying you will be late the next day when you get lost.  I don't think that will be an issue here.  Gerry's wife is along for the trip and I like her immediately.  In fact, when we get to the parking lot, the boys go in one car and she and I go in another and we have known each other less than 15 minutes.

The next morning, David and I head to WalMart on the way to the office.

As an experienced packer it is somewhat unacceptable that neither of us managed to get here with a toothbrush.  At Walmart we buy a big pack of Swispers.  I will put the excess in my laptop bag for future packing lapses.

Once we arrive at the office, Gerry takes me on a tour of the facility and it is really interesting.  After that I leave David there and the plan is that I will come back around lunch and in the meantime I will go check out Missoula.  I have three things on my agenda:  look at some neighborhoods, go to the quilt store and go to the art museum.  I never made it to the art museum.

I find this pumpkin patch in the first neighborhood I go to.  The view is spectacular as it is most everywhere.  Even in the WalMart parking lot we had a great view of the mountains.

At the quilt store, I browse around and one of the ladies asks if she can help me.  We start talking and I mention that we are thinking of moving to the area and I just wanted to see what my choices were in town for quilting supplies and fabric.  She ends up giving me her HOME phone number so that if I move and have questions, I can feel free to call her.  Let me just say, that would NEVER happen at home and at home I would never do this myself.  The more we met people on this trip the more we realized that things here are just different.  More trusting.  Slower.

Even at Hooters, which David was happy to see they had because "the food is so good".  After one drink and some fried cheese we had to hunt the waitress down so we could leave for an appointment as we had been there about 45 minutes and no one had taken our food order.

I am starting to learn that people believe that nothing exists in Montana but Missoula isn't a tiny town.  They had a lot of the stores we have where we live now.  I saw an Old Navy, an Outback Steakhouse, a Lowe's.  The difference is that where we live now there are 2 Lowe's within 5 miles of our house and another that is about 8 miles away.  In Missoula, there is 1, the next closest one is in Helena, MT, 118 miles away.  I am pretty sure I can live with just 1.

Although I am not sure if David and I can handle all of this traffic. 

Especially during rush hour like it is now.

We met with a realtor who gave us some areas to explore based on our budget and what type of home we would want.  One thing David and I are in agreement are is that we want a VIEW.  Maybe in part due to what happened at dinner.

Diana & Gerry had us over.  While waiting on Gerry to arrive, Diana sat with us on their dock.  Ducks came by.  An eagle flew over.  I felt a little like Cinderella with all of the wildlife coming out to greet me.  I think if I move here maybe little mice will come make quilts with me.

After going inside, I looked out the front windows and see a group of deer grazing across the way, 6-7 of them.  I get excited and point it out to David.  He says, "huh".  Apparently David is unimpressed by a stand of deer hanging around the house because when he was "a kid" he "saw that all the time".  I have known David a LONG time and I know that he spent his entire school career in the Grand Prairie district - a suburb of Dallas.  Not a town known for the free roaming deer.  So at some point before he was 5 he was apparently surrounded by deer to the extent that he became desensitized to beauty of them roaming wild.

(Update:  After reading this David said there were only 2 deer.  I said there were 8 and he accused me of exaggerating since I said 6-7 above.  He also said they were just standing there but the way I remember it they were frolicking along the water's edge and the little ones were playing freeze tag.)

The next day when we saw a single deer standing between two houses? NOW he is impressed.

On that note, I think this is a good time for my favorite one liners, which I have noticed are always better when David is around (you cannot even imagine the ones I don't put on here because our mothers might read this):

 - I can both inspect it and work on it, like a gynecologist.

 - Watch out for the duck poop.

 - Oh, I thought you were talking about sex.

 - I bet bus people suck more than airplane people.

 - We are at Nebraska you stupid heifer!

David went back for a second round of interviews the next day but we still had time for a little exploring.

We stumbled on Saint Mary's Mission, the oldest mission in Montana established in 1841. 

This was an Indian mission until 1891 when the Indians were moved to a reservation.  It was an active church until 1954 when a new church was built and it became a historic site.



When we went to the airport to return to Dallas, the TSA agent looked at my driver's license and said, "Texas?  No one lives in Texas anymore, they all live up here."  I said we might too soon.  I am pretty sure that I would be on a first name basis with this guy if we do because the airport is so small.  A woman sat down next to us and asked me if there was a gate number on my boarding pass.  I said no.  What I didn't say is:  Why do you need one?  You can see all of the gates from right here where we are sitting.  DFW has 5 terminals with between 30-40 gates EACH.  I think there were 4 total gates at this airport.

And a gift shop where I considered the purchase of these Moose earmuffs.  I decided against since we came home with no decision.  David bought some huckleberry licorice and jam.  He is a little obsessed with huckleberry.

The waiting was agony.  Diana is posting pictures on Facebook (we were FB "friends" the day we met) of Blue Heron and Big Horn Sheep from her hiking trips and I can only assume her commute to work.  In the meantime I had to set off for Nashville and then Edwardsville, IL.  My phone was practically glued to my hand.

I called David on the way to the airport in St. Louis to check in and I didn't even ask.  If he knew, he would have told me.  Less than 30 minutes later I miss a call from him (damn you 80's station on satellite radio!).  Later, I check my phone and there is a text:  Looks like I need to go shopping for some winter boots.

So today, this is the view from my house because WE ARE MOVING TO MONTANA!  As of today my house is officially for sale.  Soon I hope to trade this view for this one:

Between now and then, I have some catching up to do here as I never wrote about Pittsburgh, Miami, a visit to the local corn maze and a trip to Baltimore with my mom to see my daughter and granddaughter.  Be patient with me and I will get to all that but get ready for some moving stories along the way.  There are bound to be some interesting stories when you decide to move from Texas to Montana in the winter, right?





Saratoga National Historic Park: Saratoga, NY

On our last half-day with Blake, we set out early for Saratoga National Historic Park.  Blake hasn't been there, it isn't far away and we can spend some time on photography, something we all enjoy.

People on sodium restricted diets take note...bring your own water because you can't drink out of the water fountain.

We pay inside at the gift shop and consider additional birthday presents for Blake.  

Ultimately, we passed on the hat.

Saratoga is an important battle in the Revolutionary war.  An American victory in 1777 forced a major British army to surrender here.  There are several displays inside, including a movie that we don't see because we have limited time and want to leave some to check out the park grounds which promise to be substantial.

We browse the inside fairly quickly - again due to our limited time.  There is quite a bit to see and we could have easily spent a whole day here.

This lighted miniature shows the movement of troops.

These dioramas make me want to go home and play in my art studio making miniature scenes.

Another miniature scene.  War seems a lot nicer at this scale.

For anyone out there that is a  Benedict Arnold fan - if there is such a thing - they have a sizable display dedicated to him here.

They have some period costumes for kids to try on so....

Of course we tried them on.

All of this is making me want to go home and watch The Patriot.

I will not share the inappropriate thing Blake did with this mannequin before I could recover from my shock,  close my mouth and take a picture.

Moving outside we find ourselves going in separate directions to take different photos.  Blake is interested in the cannon, David in the majestic landscape and me in the headstones behind the visitor center.

David has always liked to photograph landscapes and he is in luck here since there are some really pretty views.  We don't walk the grounds since they are very spread out and we are so limited on time but rather we move the car from major site to major site.  Each of these has a board with information and a button you can push to hear a narrated account of the importance of that particular site.

It is very quiet and peaceful here.  We see people walking, running and biking through the park and I can imagine if I lived here, this would be somewhere I would enjoy coming for the same reasons.  It is so serene that it is very hard to imagine that cannons and guns were fired and people died horrible deaths right on that field there behind the guy going by on his bike.

The white post with the blue top is one of many showing the American Line.

In other parts of the park there are red ones marking the British Line.  

This is the only building still standing in the park.  All of the homes and other buildings are gone now and simply have a sign telling you what was once there and why it was important.

This house was used as an officer's quarters during the war.  There is a park ranger outside and he seems happy enough to have someone to talk to, even if very briefly.  On a beautiful day like this one, I think he must have one of the best jobs in the world.  Sit on the porch alone and read your book until someone happens by.  Recite your script, answer questions.  Go back to your book.

My boys, shooting more pictures and watching for the huge bird overhead.  I say it is an eagle, David is skeptical.  I think he hopes to get a picture to prove me wrong.

At one time, I was on the only one in the family interested in photography.  Now both of the boys are.  Blake is getting creative here.  I feel so proud.

David's turn to get creative.

We had good last half-day with our boy.

Even if he is a big doofus.

On the way back, we have a beautiful sunset welcoming us.  This is a short turn-around for me.  We return on Sunday night and I will fly to Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon.

This is the only good part of flying.

The trip back to Dallas is uneventful until we get to the shuttle that will take us back to our car.  It is almost at capacity.  David, being a chivalrous type of guy, offers to stand so two women can get on the bus.  Only the shuttle driver can't allow you to stand.

So he has to sit in this "seat" which isn't actually a seat.  Everyone on the bus is laughing at him (you can't laugh with someone who is sticking their tongue out at you).  Still, I am proud of him for giving up his real seat and keeping the two ladies from having to wait.  I think they are grateful too.

Roadtripping with Blake: Malta to Cooperstown, NY

The day we go to Cooperstown is a rainy grey day.  My favorite, especially if it is also chilly out (it wasn't on this day).  I think these are good days for photography since the light and clouds can add interest to your photos.  Blake wanted a camera for his birthday so that's what we got him.

Normally we don't spend that kind of money for a birthday gift but we do more than usual for the 16th, 18th  and 21st for our kids.  (None of those birthday presents involved automobiles.)

After hanging around Saratoga Springs for a bit waiting for the bar that Blake left his debit card at to open, we finally get on the road to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame around lunch.  David and Blake think this is going to an all day thing - checking out the Hall.  But both are also feeling laid back and happy today so they indulge me when I want to pull over to shoot photos.

This happens really often, I see a lot of things I would like to take pictures of.  I try to temper my desire to stop every quarter mile.  David has gotten better over the years at not getting all whiney and impatient when i want to stop and sometimes even actively encourages me to stop.  Why not, he points out on this day?  We have the whole day.

So we stop both on the way there and on the way back.  We all get out and take pictures.  Blake tries to learn how to use his new toy and I try to show him some things about aperture and shutter speed.  Here are some of my photos from that day:

On the way back from Cooperstown we pass Glimmerglass State Park.  I comment that I would like to go through and see if there is anything interesting in there and David convinces me to turn around and go back.



Right away we find a covered bridge.  Not just any covered bridge, the Hyde Hall covered bridge.  This bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is the oldest existing covered bridge in the United States.  It was restored in 1967 by the state of New York.

There's David squatting to take a photo from the other side.  At least I hope that's what he is doing.

The bridge from another bridge.

In the very back of the park we find Hyde Hall, a National Historic Landmark.  Tours of this building are available but in the continuing story of my life, not while we are here.

We see wildlife in the park too.  As we leave the covered bridge and on the way out, there is a family of deer grazing near the playground and "beach" area.  I put beach in quotes because this is a lake, not the ocean so I think they use the term beach loosely.  The beach is also closed now for the winter.

We see a beaver, my first to ever see in person.  We actually see two, or maybe the same one twice, but they are too fast to photograph.  This started a whole thing about beavers, and not in a good way either. 

As usual when I travel with others, I write down (or make David type in my phone when I am driving) my favorite one-liners, most of these this time - but not all - are courtesy of Blake.

• That makes me want to flamenco dance.
• My farts smell like burning trash?
• We ain't old, I can't eat at 4 o'clock!
• Beaver are usually camera shy.
• Did y'all put deodorant in the car?
• BYOB:  Bring your own beaver
• I'm still immature, but in a different way.
• It's comfortable, yet stimulating.
• I just drooled on the table.
• If you do it, let me get my camera out first.
• Did you see that cow scratching itself on that tree?
• That was the Madonna, not an angel dumbass.
• I'd be a pretty hot English guy.
• You know what I've noticed has become a lot more mainstream lately?  Porn.

That last one came up when no one was even talking.  Blake just suddenly pops off with that from the backseat.  Maybe porn is mainstream for 21 year old boys in the Navy but it isn't mainstream for most 40-something grandmothers.  Blake's best comment came when we returned to the bar in Saratoga to retrieve his debit card.

We decided to stay and have something to eat - and more beer for the boys.  After this toast to their time together Blake said, "Can we kiss now, that was a pretty intimate moment right there."

Luckily David wasn't in the process of drinking his beer or he might have snorted it through his nose.  This happened before because of something inappropriate someone said while playing Catchphrase at home (I am sure it was Blake).  It is interesting to note that when you shoot beer out of your nose, it will foam.  A lot.  Me, Blake and Amanda (our oldest daughter who was also home when this happened) laughed so much we cried.  Rumor has it that I might have even wet myself a little but that can't be proven.  David didn't laugh.  He was sick the rest of the day. 

I made David spit iced tea all over our middle child Miranda during dinner once too.  I think he is getting smarter about refraining from actively drinking while Blake and I are talking.

The City Tavern offers a lot of different kinds of beer.

The boys try a couple they are unfamiliar with to varying degrees of success.  Once nice thing they do here is allow you to sample a small amount (about 2 oz) before you commit.

They also have a large variety of specialty pizzas, all served on a cutting board.  This is mine.  I asked for a cross between The Greek and The Big Fat Greek.  The Greek had only vegetables, the Big Fat Greek only meat.  I had them give me both.  This pizza has a garlic butter sauce instead of tomato sauce as the base and it was very good.  David's had BBQ sauce instead of tomato and he liked his as well.

We make it out of the bar this time with Blake's debit card and without him vomiting in the parking lot when we get to his apartment.  Tomorrow is our last day and we only have until about noon before we have to drive back to Connecticut to the airport.  We will spend it once again taking photos, this time at Saratoga National Historic Park.  That story next time.