Another Day in Utah

The next play we saw was To Kill a Mockingbird which is adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel.

The play today, To Kill a Mockingbird is familiar to most people. It is based on the book by the same name. It is a story with two interwoven threads. One, a single father is raising two children in an Alabama town in the middle of the Great Depression. The second thread is way African Americans were treated in the legal system during the same time. The play is actually a flashback by the daughter of the single father remembering her childhood. She narrates the play and keeps it moving throughout. The basic plot is that a black man is accused of rape of a white girl. The single father is an attorney and agrees to represent the black man at his trial. The children are swept up in the father’s work because most of the townspeople don’t want him representing the black man. During the trial, the father presents his case that it was not his client that is guilty, but the victim’s father. Indeed, it becomes clear that he is innocent, but the town is a place where public opinion is dominated by prejudice.

From the trial’s conclusion and the ensuing months, the children learn a lot from their father, the townspeople and a mysterious neighbor. The narrator ends the play looking back with gratitude, and recalling her Father’s advice that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”

Before we went to the play, we had the orientation and had to include a picture of the watch and rings!

The next morning, we walked, had breakfast and then went to  literary seminar and the actors seminar. We drove up to Parowan, which is called The Mother City of southern Utah.  It was the first settlement that Joseph Smith sent those who were “called” to go there.

We saw petrographs that were inscribed on the rocks by earlier civilizations.

We had a wonderful hamburger, onion rings and peach cobbler…sorry, no pictures.

Time for Our Annual Culture Fix

We are doing the “same song, 2^nd verse” again at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Our flight here had some interesting sights along the way…circular crops and the Grand Canyon.

Just being here in the mountains with the clear blue skies and puffy white clouds and refreshing air that is cool and dry is wonderful.

Our first stop of the evening was the orientation where Fred Adams, the founder, gave the overview of the evening’s play.

Our first play was Mary Stuart which is a historical play originally written by a 19^th century German play write, Freidrick Schiller. The costume designer is Bill Black who is at the University of Tennessee. This is only the 7^th non-Shakespeare play in 51 years of the festival to be presented on the outdoor stage which is a replica of the Globe Theater and built for Shakespeare plays. The story is about Elizabeth ,Queen of England (a protestant) and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland(a Catholic) who are cousins. They were two very powerful women operating in a man’s world . Also, During this historical period in England, the protestants and catholics were essentially at war with each other.{Think Northern Ireland in modern times} Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland, has been in prisoned in England for 18 years, officially because she caused the murder of her husband. Actually, she was imprisoned because she was the legitimate Queen of England. The play deals with the last two years of her imprisonment. During this time, some of Elizabeth’s advisors are divided on how to deal with Mary. Queen Elizabeth is scheming to somehow have Mary executed or murdered without the blame falling on her. Ultimately, Mary is executed, Elizabeth blames Mary’s execution on her advisors and banishes them all from her kingdom. This leaves her victorious and secure on the throne, but now utterly alone.

The next morning, we attended the literary seminar to talk with scholars and fellow play goes about the play we saw the night before. Then we went to a costume seminar where the costume director  told us how the costumes are designed and constructed from beginning to end.

We are trying something new this year and only going to one play a day so we had the afternoon to run errands…which means going to Walmart…taking a walk and resting.

For supper, we went to one  of our favorite places, Milt’s Steak House.  They have a wonderful salad bar along with delicious steaks.  The bread  is something we always look forward to eating as well.

More Golf

Tripp had the opportunity to play with his dad in a Parent/Child golf tournament recently. Should have known that if a Hall child was playing, there would be rain involved and sure enough on the first day of play, it rained and play had to be halted for a while! But they were able to resume after a time in the clubhouse.

The second day found T playing with another child in his bracket…there were 5 kids in the 11 and under age division. Actually, they were all from 6 to 9 years old.

After the round was over, there was a 3-way tie for first place. So they went back out for a sudden death play-off. The first player lost after 2 holes, but T and L lasted for 7 holes before a winner was determined. (T had said he wanted to play 18 holes and he nearly got his wish since they played 16!) He came in 2^nd, but he and his daddy had a great time.

The pictures are straight out of the camera and have not been cropped.  Sorry.

Recent Golf Outings

Rheagan played in the Jr. Club Championship which was a 2 day event.  The first day the play was shortened due to rain.

  They came back to the clubhouse while it rained and then they went back out to play before the bottom dropped out again.

This “pond” behind the tee box is not normally there!

The second day was better!

They look as if they are on the LPGA Tour!

 

R&R Part 1

We went to PCB for a few days to enjoy a little R&R.  All of the pictures have not been down loaded yet, but here is a sample of some of the things that we did.

The iconic picture that is taken by millions who visit and eat supper!

A trip to the beach is never complete without a round of Putt-Putt!

Those who shot a hole in one had to brag!!

Family pictures are another “necessity”. We chose red, white and blue colors in honor of the upcoming Olympics.

More pictures to come later.

Wet Wordless Wednesday

Dry, Dry, Dry

Here is what several days of triple digit temperatures and no rain will do to a lawn.  The little bit of green in the background is under a tree and in the shade and where we water the hydrangeas.