Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, Marilyn and I spontaneously decided to go camping.  By camping I mean we stayed at a "kabin" at a KOA in Fillmore, about 150 miles south of where we live.  It is close enough to get to easily but far enough to feel like you have gone somewhere.  We have stayed here several times before and we really love it.

These cabins are great!  They have two beds (you bring your own pillow and linens or a sleeping bag), a desk and chair, a nightstand, and a mini refrigerator.  They have electricity and a heating and cooling unit so they are very comfortable.  There is a communal bathroom with showers a short walk away from the cabins so it is very convenient.  I really love the large porch and I have been known to sit there during the afternoon and read.  It rained most of the day when we were there so we stayed inside watching movies (we watched Young Victoria, Austenland, and Romeo and Juliet).  It was actually so much fun!  Then we ventured to the town of Fillmore for dinner and ate at a restaurant called the Garden of Eat'n.  What a hoot!

The rain stopped for a little while after we got back from dinner so we had to have a fire.  I think my favorite part of camping is spending the evening around the campfire.

Of course, no camping trip is complete without making s'mores and, as always, they were delicious!

This trip was so much fun!  It was the perfect little getaway from everyday life and it was so relaxing!  We laughed, almost non-stop, and ate way too many treats!  Even though the weather didn't cooperate, there is nothing better than the smell of a rain shower or the sound of raindrops on your roof as you sleep under a heavy quilt in a cabin!  I am really looking forward to many more camping trips this spring and summer.

Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3

Last Friday I went to another beautiful concert featuring the Utah Symphony.  In my opinion, listening to the music of Tchaikovsky is the perfect way to end the work week!  The evening began with the Russian Easter Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov (which I thought was appropriate in light of the recent Easter holiday).  I really enjoyed this piece because it reminded me of my visit to St. Petersburg (I'm going back to St. Petersburg this summer so listening to this piece really ignited my enthusiasm for the trip).  It sounded so quintessentially Russian to me.  Also, I like any piece that features the chimes!  After the intermission we heard Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3.  Tchaikovsky has become one of my favorite composers because I think his music is so romantic and emotional.  I had never heard this particular piece before but I absolutely loved it.  There is a theme in the third movement played by a solo oboe that was so haunting that it gave me goosebumps.  It was, literally, a night of Russians because the guest conductor, Andrey Boreyko, is Russian.  He was absolutely brilliant!  I think Russian music sounds so much better with a Russian conductor or soloist because they are always so passionate.  It was definitely a lovely evening with incredible music.

War Horse

Last week I was able to see the show War Horse at the Capitol Theatre.  It was absolutely incredible! It is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo (I haven't read the book but I absolutely loved the movie version), a touching story about the bond between a boy and a horse set against the backdrop of World War I (a particular interest of mine).  The play is every bit as powerful as the movie but with the greater intimacy that the theatre always provides. The horses are full-sized puppets, created by the Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa, and each are controlled by three puppeteers. They reminded me of the puppets used in the musical The Lion King.  The horses have their own personalities and they snort, whinny, and flick their ears just like real horses.  They were astonishing and, after a few minutes, I actually thought they were real and I couldn't see the puppeteers any more.  I thought the staging was exceptional.  The rural village of Devon and the battlefields of the Somme are portrayed with projections on a large screen with very few props and the minimalist style is very effective.  The performances of the actors were wonderful but I sometimes had a hard time understanding the accents.  However, I felt that the horses were the real stars of the show!  I really loved the musical score;  it reminded me of the music in a movie.  The war scenes were sometimes very hard to watch and I actually cried when the horse Topshorn died (I cried again when Albert and Joey were reunited).  My only complaint was that the second act seemed to drag on a bit but it was worth it to get to the heartwarming end.  I highly recommend seeing this wonderful show if you have the opportunity.

Batter Up!

Last week I was able to see one of my nephew Sean's baseball games.  His team is the Toronto Blue Jays, which just happens to be my favorite professional baseball team!  He was so excited to tell me!

If you have not been to a Little League baseball game recently, you are definitely missing out!  It was an absolute riot to watch (even though it was incredibly cold and windy).  The coach of the opposing team, the Cincinnati Reds, was obnoxiously intense!  He acted like he was coaching in the Major League and shouted instructions to every player throughout the whole game and called for multiple time outs to talk to his pitcher.  Some of his players were in tears after his instructions!  I found it incredibly amusing!

The Blue Jays, however, were not quite as intense!  Their coach kept encouraging them by calling out, "Be ready, Blue!  Be ready!"  This was a necessary instruction as I noticed Sean picking dandelions when he was playing right field!  Another Blue Jays player was turning somersaults throughout the game!  When Sean came up to bat, he immediately struck out but, man, is he powerful!  When he does actually connect with the ball, he will score a home run!  Needless to say, Sean's team did not win but I sure did love watching him!

Note:  Normally I really enjoy watching a red team beat a blue team!

Ballet West's The Rite of Spring

Last week I went to see a performance by Ballet West and it was absolutely wonderful!  The first ballet was called Forgotten Land and it was based on a painting by Edvard Munch, who is one of my favorites.  It featured music by Benjamin Britten which, to me, was almost reminiscent of howling wind.  There were several couples dressed monochromatically in red, white, gray, and black.  They danced in front of a large backdrop showing a stark landscape of ice, which I thought was very effective in evoking a mood of desolation.  The choreography was very innovative and this was definitely my favorite piece of the night.  The second ballet was called Divertimento No. 15 and it featured the music of Mozart.  It was a more traditional ballet with the dancers wearing tutus.  The choreography was very elegant.  The final ballet was a world premiere called The Rite of Spring featuring the music of Igor Stravinsky.  This piece was amazing!  The choreography was almost primitive and every movement embodied the music completely.  A large vessel above the stage slowly rotated to splash water on the dancers at the end of the piece.  It was very dramatic!  I really enjoyed the entire performance.