friday night lights, 17 years ago

These are all photographs taken by me on August 28, 2009, as the Savannah Sand Gnats took on the Rome Braves at Grayson Stadium.

It was the final Friday game of the season. 

Good times, good times!

Here's Mister Willie Smith, in his seat in the bleachers! 

 

 

Here's the last man standing of the group he once sat with, Mister Arthur Crum. 

There were about ten of those guys when I started going in the mid-1990's.

 

 

My brother Smitty had joined me for this game, along with my sister-in-law Mary. 

 

 

Here's their younger son, Tyler, exhibiting teen spirit by sitting off to himself.

That's my 14-year-old nephew! 

 

 

These smiling faces belong to Sherry and Timmy Love.

He's the lead singer for the Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love! 

 

 

Here's one with the team's mascot, Gnate, aka Terri Foote.

Gnate is signing autographs for adoring fans! 

 

 

Then there's the beloved Beer Man, Frank Dinan, sitting and sharing a smile as he quaffs a brew. 

 

 

 

This woman taking a photo of Frank is his new wife, Kathy. They reconnected a year or so ago at their high school reunion and knew it was love!

 

 

What's going on here?

Gnate and the Gnaturals are taking advantage of the 2-minute break between innings to do a little dance out at second base!

Shake it up, y'all!

Here's another shot of that gorgeous baseball diamond, in one of my usual tilted views to get in all four bases.

It looks like the bags are loaded with Sand Gnats!!!

Nope, that's a line coach standing by third base.

Still, it was a great game, grand slam or not!

The Gnats beat the Braves, 6 - 2.

Game over!

My brother and his family had left around the 7th inning stretch.

But my friend, Betty 'Boop" as Willie called her, was still in the stadium!

 

That's me, with my hair short back then. 

I was sitting right there by Betty, in the best seats in the house, waiting...

 

... waiting for those last Friday night fireworks of the season!

I just loved those!

Win or lose, we still got fireworks! 

loss adjustment on the appalachian trail

Ryan McCurdy has graced us with another story based on his own life! This time, it's from back in 2010, when, newly divorced, he sought solace hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He'd started here in Georgia, then headed northward along its 2200-mile path. Along the way, he had a traumatic experience. He'd moved about to take a better photo of a waterfall... and fell. Fortunately for him, he didn't end up with a lifelong reminder, like a hitch in his giddy-up. But the memory of that trek, and stories heard about the Trail in the intervening years, stirred up his imagination. "Whiterock Cliff" is the result, first performed in 2019 as a 7-person show. A followup performance was scheduled for May of 2020, but the Universe threw the pandemic into the mix and postponed all that. Now, it's basically a one-man show, with a few guests thrown in. For this benefit performance at Asbury Memorial Church, he had the talents of locals - and long-time friends - in several of the scenes.

"Oh, wonderful! I had so enjoyed "Niagara" when he brought that for us!"

That's for sure! Here, he is talking on the phone with Valori Lavell. He is 'Reece', calling from Savannah, to speak with 'Emma', up in Maine. The world is going to hell and she just wanted to hear his voice before the electronics and electricity went out. The highways are trashed, so driving is not an option for travel. Just before the connection is lost, they make plans to meet on the Appalachian Trail. They'll meet in the middle, at Whiterock Cliff... then the phone died.

"Oh! So this is set during an apocalypse? That's funny, given that the COVID-19 pandemic was right around the corner."

Yeah, he mentioned something to that effect, too.

"So, did they catch up with each other? Were they lovers? What happened?"

Just hold up, okay? This was once a 2 1/2 hour production, the way he first envisioned it. Now, it's a lean 90-minute show, with him providing exposition to aid continuity. Some is spoken, most is via song. The next scene is with Justin Kent, real-life husband of Valori. He portrays a rebel in a reenactment of The Battle of Warm Springs. In the scene, 'Reece' has come to the bridge guarded by this 'rebel', and, much like in a fairytale in which a prince is halted by a troll, the gatekeeper wants bounty for passage. The rebel demands his backpack, the only thing of worth the hiker owns, but that would endanger his life. What to do, what to do?

"Well, give! What did he do??"

He gave us a side story of 'Reece' meeting up with 'Boheega', a Marine veteran who has been living on the Trail since his return from war. That encounter was at night and was a bit scary. However, 'Boheega' had a 'Golden Rule': to be nice to others even if they weren't nice to him. Still, he had a backup plan, his '3rd Rule': his knife would take care of anyone who threatened him. Yep, sounds like a Marine with PTSD to me!

"What a way to start Act 2!"

Indeed. Then he gave us a song about 'Emma' meeting up with a 'Trail Angel' on her trek down from Maine. That brought the storyline back to a more hopeful place. The next scene saw J. J. Collins on stage with Ryan. At this point, 'Emma' and 'Reece' are 300 miles from each other on the Appalachian Trail, so quite a bit of time has passed. Remember, the Trail is 2200 miles in length, and they are both on foot.

"Got it."

For the first time, there is  a duet on stage, "Walking it Back", as the two sing to each other, about each other, though they are not yet together. Quite nice! And by the way, they are very good friends, but not lovers.

"Okay. And yet they are making this great effort to see each other."

Hey, that's what family does, right? And best friends are the family you choose, not the ones you're born with. So 'Reece' and 'Emma' are just trying to see each other during this terrible time, using the only route possible. There's just one problem standing in their way.

"Earthquakes? Hurricane? Blizzard?"

Let me preface it this way. You know about the Savannah here in Georgia. Did you know there's a Savannah in Maine, too?

"Sure, I've heard that before... wait... oh, no..."

Oh, yes. He thought they were to meet in the two-word place in NC. She heard it as the three-word place in Virginia. I have to wonder how long they might have stayed in those locations, waiting in vain for the other to appear. There followed another duet, "I Did It All For You", with them off-stage at the piano, as an encore for us. I really loved this!

"Yes, I know you like your loss adjustment stories."

I do! What was nice was hanging out in Holliday Hall for cookies and friendship! Robin Eifler was there to talk with me about "SIX: The Musical", which she'd seen in New York - very nice! Heidi had welcomed me to the show earlier to try to get me to take Maureen's dog - thanks, but no thanks! Genie Lawson was so glad to see me, and glad to find a musical she could afford to attend - me, too! But the biggest surprise was seeing Linda Runge again! I called her last Sunday, to make sure she knew about Ryan's play. it had been a few months since I'd seen her, and I'd had no response to my 'friend' request on fb. So, I actually called her. And get this: she'd known Ryan since 2008, when he was a student at SCAD, where she worked. How happy they were to see each other again!

"Wow! That sounds like a most wonderful evening!!!"

Yes, it was! So glad to see so many I know, out to enjoy this shared experience! So glad I took a chance and called Linda so she could be there, too! She leaves on Sunday for a month in Germany with her church, and just returned last week from a month in Montana, so this was great timing. I've let her know about the things in the works in October, so I look forward to seeing her for more theatre. Right place, right time, tonight.

"Hallelujah!"

 

two zooms and an a*list (partial)

This morning, I'd had every intention of maxing out my A*list dance card, I did, but that's not how things went down.

I had known about one ZOOM meeting for several weeks, as the AARP-GA meeting is always on the last Thursday of the month.

So, there I was, right at 1 PM, ready to go!

And guess what?

My microphone on the laptop is working!!!

I don't know if it was because I was pushing the spacebar or what, but I'm glad that hitch is gone from my giddy-up.

Now, if I can only ditch that hitch in my right leg... but, back on track!

So, for this meeting of AARP volunteers, it was all about events coming up.

There's a training session on September 15, as well as an "Estate Planning Workshop" on October 21 that promises to be huge and hybrid, but in-between is the one that excites me!

That's the AARP 'Movies For Grownups' event, at the AMC, and I'll be the lead for that!!!

Yes, I even volunteered for it, too!

In fact, when I hadn't heard back from Gabrielle, I'd send the email to her twice!

I'll have six others to assist me, but, as I told her, I have the contacts at that cinema, so the event should be smoothest with me.

(smile!)

Now, if only the American Legion meetings for Two First Posts were as smooth and productive, that would be great.

Even though we just met on Tuesday, an "emergency" ZOOM meeting was called tonight, like none of us had better things to do.

Honestly, if I had not checked my email in time, I would have missed it.

The change was instigated by Eddie, who has actually missed the last few.

So what was it all about?

Money.

As per Sabrina Scales, the business account at NFCU must first be applied for online, then an appointment needs to be set for the actual opening of the account. 
So, that meant she and Joe Cetti were not yet on the signature card.

So, that meant all bill-paying was still squarely on Doug Andrew's shoulders.

Not good.

I was at the ZOOM at 7:30, as requested, as were Brenda and Eddie.

Sabrina joined us about 8 PM, as did Joe and Billy Cope by 8:20.

Note: the meeting was to have ended at 8:30 - yeah, as if.

As money was the topic, and paying delinquent bills was the emergency, I thought it vital that Doug be there, but it took me calling him to make that happen.

Then he had connection issues with his phone; by the time he had logged into the ZOOM at home, it was almost 9 PM and his microphone wasn't working.

So, my Alcatel to the rescue, once more.

Within 20 minutes, we had a game plan: Doug would meet Joe and Sabrina at Huntington Bank at 3 PM tomorrow, to settle up and give them check-signing responsibility for any future debts.

Seriously, this couldn't be handled with a couple of phone calls???

Apparently not.

That meant I missed the two movies I was going to see this evening to complete the foursome on my A*list dance card.

That wouldn't be so bad, but one of those will be gone tomorrow, so I will have to wait for it to come to TV.

At least the two movies I did get to see were both great!

"Coyote Vs. Acme" was a fabulous mingling of toons and humans, just as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" had been - hooray!!!

The Coyote stayed with his lines on signs, just as in the cartoons, and the Roadrunner stayed with his "meep meep"s, too - perfect!

That was a sneak preview screening on a Sunday morning, and the room was nearly full of people of all ages, laughing along with me - wow!!!

Will Forte was the lawyer for the Coyote, while John Cena was the hotshot defense for the corporation in the lawsuit.

Yes, lawsuit, and it was so much fun!!!

I can't wait to see it again next week!!!

I'd like to be able to catch "The End Of Oak Street" one more time, too, but that marvelous bit of science fiction is gone from AMC.

I had wondered what on Earth Anne Hathaway was doing in a horror flick, but I had misunderstood the genre, as have others.

The film is most def scfi, with her as a would-be writer, in a loveless marriage to Ewan McGregor, with two teenaged kids.

Then, at 11:07 PM one night, during a storm, their neighborhood gets whisked back in time to the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs roamed this planet.

Such an adventure they had... with so many frights, so many deaths... and an ending that took me by surprise.

Nope, it was not a dream, just to set the record straight.

 

Now, I'm going to unwind with a movie in memory of Dolly Parton.

Comcast has rewarded me with a $1 Movie Night, and I'm going to spend it at "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas".

That 1982 musical not only features her alive and well, but also Burt Reynolds, Jim Nabors, Charles Durning, and Dom DeLuise.

Except for Dom, they all made it to 80 or better before they died; Dom was 75 at his death in 2009, and the first of them to go.

Alrighty then, off to the Chicken Ranch I go!

I'll have to find another movie to see for Tim Curry, but not tonight.

wednesday with the physicist!

This was another movie outing, but one that was much better than the last!

As it happens, I had been interested in this movie about Anthony Bourdain's early years, so I was glad to see it on the marquee at NCG Cinema.

Of course, I would have preferred to have it at the AMC, so it could go onto my A*List, but that's okay.

I still treated him for "Tony", the movie.

(smile!) 

And we both very much enjoyed being privy to his youth!

What an impetuous teenager he had been, quick with his hands to find a fight, easily led astray by strong-willed coworkers. 

He even played hookie from college to chase down 'Nancy', a girl he had taken a fancy to in high school.

His saving grace had been 'Chef', the man who let the teen sleep on his porch, even giving him a job in his restaurant, and eventually teaching him the trade.

Afterward, when the bfe asked me where to dine, I knew at once: O.D.'s Seafood, just down the sidewalk!

The rain earlier had actually cooled things off, so we elected to walk.

Yes, the hitch in my giddy-up slowed us down, but that was fine, as it gave us more time to talk.

I think he was very pleased with the prices, and even more with the food.

I had the mixed platter with shrimp and chicken fingers; he had the same, but with catfish instead of the chicken.

We both ate every bit of them, too, as we chatted about the opera festival, Wendy, various TV programs, music... whatever came to mind!

Then he paid and we had a leisurely stroll back to our cars.

Very nice!

I wonder what movie he'll like next?

(smile!) 

what in the fudge is going on with TFP?

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. What's with this outpost of the American Legion? I thought things were moving along... right?"

Wrong. Moving the Two First Posts account to Navy Federal Credit Union has not yet occurred. I thought that was done at least a month ago, but, nope! Joe Cetti said tonight that he would set up the appointment to open the account, then let Doug and Sabrina know the time. Joe also said he'd opened the letter from Georgia Power to find TFP had been assessed a bounced check fee for the electric bill. Say what???

"You're kidding, right? I thought that bill was on auto-draft direct from the TFP bank account. Isn't that true?"

it is, but the TFP account didn't have enough in it. All the more reason to move the account from Huntington Bank to NFCU, so mistakes like that wouldn't happen. Money from savings would have been shifted to checking to handle it and prevent an overdraft. There are a lot of debts to be paid monthly. Kat Hancock brought up the laundry list tonight. As well as Georgia Power, there's Yates Astro (pest control), Republic Waste (trash disposal), DirectTV (sports for TVs), Comcast (wifi), and City of Savannah (water and sewer).

"I know all about overhead. I remember all the bills that came in for Smitty's Hardwood Floors, that I made sure got paid on time."

That's part and parcel of running a business! And tonight, Paul Lambert of Celestial Business Solutions, was there at the request of Billy Cope to talk to us about various options for the two business phones and for monitoring the six security cameras. Ring Central will be the plan for the phones. RING is for the cameras, which currently are sending their feeds to Billy's computer. However, it isn't like anyone is monitoring those. RING Multi, the lowest cost option, would provide 6-month continuous monitoring and data storage for $9.99/month, but no live monitoring. For that, we would need Virtual Security Guard, at a cost of $99/month, but that includes live monitoring, proactive-verified dispatch requests, and real-time intruder deterrence. I spoke up for that option, as we are going to have lots of cash around here, with that Queen of Hearts game and those Georgia Lottery games from Eagle Global. Even if TFP does invest in a safe, it will need some serious security measures.

"Let me guess: the others wanted just the Multi pack."

Yes, and, truth to tell, that's the one Lambert was pushing. As he said, TFP could always buy a larger package if it found that was needed. Of course, first TFP needs the business license to it can even open. Sabrina has called the chairperson for the City Council. Right now, we are on the docket for September 24, with Larry Jackson to speak on our behalf. Kat said she wants to script his speech and will talk to him tomorrow. Then the talk turned to issues with Wells Construction. Eric said that a diverter was not installed over the canteen's back door. With all the rain we have been having, the water pours off the roof and onto whoever is coming out, as well as splashing mud up from the ground.

"You have got to be kidding..."

Oh, it gets worse. Remember the walkway I took photos of two weeks ago? Yeah, well, no vapor barrier was installed under any of that, so it needs to be torn up and reinstalled properly. Apparently, it isn't level, either. Eric has talked to Justin about it, but needed the backing of the TFP's Board before he brought it up again. Joe recommended a letter be officially drafted to Justin about the problem. Then Kat spoke up about the concrete that was splashed up on the inside surface of that back door, as well as concrete handprints on the freezer. She also suggested that the air vents and filters should be cleaned, as they are likely full of sheetrock dust, and that would need to be done before the Health Inspection for the canteen. What the fresh hell is going on??? And Brenda said she would draft a letter to Justin about his responsibilities, but she needs a copy of the contract with him, to check out just what those responsibilities are.

"I thought Doug said a month or so ago that all papers were to be sent to Brenda so she could put them into the files for the business."

Oh, he did say that very thing. However, that has not yet come to pass. In fact, I was the one who sent her the insurance binder for TFP, with the addition of the required DRAM liability for anyone who gets drunk here. Doug emailed to all the signature paperwork he's received from Mount Vernon Fire Insurance Company, and I determined the two pieces needed for TFP records. Not that any of that is needed right yet. Kat reminded us that she is still awaiting the final draft of the contract between TFP and WTF.

"You have got to be kidding..."

Oh, if only I were. Yes, I had thought that was  done deal, but the changes decided on at the last minute have not yet been worked in. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot cannot get a business license until it has that final, signed, contract. So, that's been hanging fire since... well, since the Wednesday before I left on the cruise. That'll be six weeks, come tomorrow.

"You've got to be kidding..."

Nope. But has that stopped anyone from scheduling events here? Nope! Kat has scheduled a birthday party, with a jazz band, for September 24. Brenda has a class reunion for Johnson High School set for September 18. And Trey, of Post 500, has an event scheduled for September 5, to run from 9 AM until sometime that night. I brought up that events are limited to four-hour durations, so that needs to be set up as three events, each with a separate rental contract for $300, and each with its own security fee of $250. That brought a gasp, but also nods of agreement. I guess I will wait to see what happens.

"I bet Trey had something to say about that!"

Surprisingly, he was not there. That is probably because we switched the meetings to Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. (smile) I guess John may leave it up to Brenda to broach that topic with him. Here's what I know: the even cannot be placed on the calendar unless the contract is signed and the security deposit paid. So the membership recruitment, fish fry, and dance, just may have to be postponed if Trey cannot get those contracts signed and deposits paid. I do know that John stated tonight that Post 500 will not be getting 8 days of each month, so that's good. Also, at last night's Post 500 meeting, the Women's Auxiliary stated that they wanted their own meeting day, but that was shot down. They also seemed to believe that the conference room was theirs, but that was a misconception on their part. They had wanted a key for that space.

"Oh, really?"

Yes. What they don't know is those lockable doors are to be relocated. Remember that I have been pushing to get a lock on the interior door to the canteen? Right now, that has a sliding pocket door.  Now that the two Post Commanders have keys not only to their offices, but to the 5511 entrance, it's urgent that the leased space for Whiskey Tango Foxtrot be secured. No one, and I mean NO ONE, but Kat and Mike need to be using that area. That means a lockable door is required, just as the dry cleaners has and the church has.

"Does that mean new doors have to be ordered?"

Nope! Eric noticed that the doorway to the canteen and the doorway to the conference room are the same size. That double door can be shifted over to the canteen, and the pocket door can go on the conference room. Eric thought that would be an easy, and quick, fix, so I look forward to having that completed before that Labor Day event that the new Post 500 Commander wants. What a relief that would be!

"It certainly would be. No temptation for the fryers to get utilized by the wrong people, either. I am sure the insurance wouldn't allow that."

For sure. Okay, I'm done for the night. Later.

starz for cloudy skies

Yes, folks, that's right!

Comcast gave me free access to the streaming STARZ this week!

Hallelujah, as there was not much on TV to tempt me to stay home.

My STARZ Film Festival would have had more movies, but I didn't catch onto this freebie until Wednesday afternoon. 

Ten movies certainly qualifies as a Film Festival, n'est-ce pas?

(smile) 

"Love Jones" (1997)
'Nina' (Nia Long) is recently broken up, then meets 'Darius' (Larenz Tate), 
a poet determined to "change the blues in her left thigh into the funk in 
her right thigh", but that's a work in progress through the course of 
several years, mostly apart.

"Sing Street" (2016)
It's 1980's Dublin, Ireland, with music videos on the telly and 15-yo 'Conor'
(Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) at a new school - then he meets a would-be fashion model, 'Penny' (Maria Doyle Kennedy), who he convinces to be in the video for his band - so that meant he had to create a band, didn't he, and write some songs, too! 

Good thing his big brother, 'Brendan' (Jack Reynor), had all the best albums to give him some ideas!
Really great! Even recommended to Sandy and she loved it!

"Back To The Future" (1985)
So why this oldie? Because the last music video the kid's band shot was
based on the prom scene in this one! Marvelous!!! 
Great to see Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea
Thompson, and the gang again!

 

"Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood"

(1996)

I have my doubts that this Wayans Brothers flick ever came to the local

cinemas in this seaport. Featuring Shawn ('Ashtray'), Marion ('Loc Dog'), and Keenan (as a variety of side characters), it was modeled as an after-school special as filmed through the "In Living Color" lens. Just sayin'. (smile) 

"The Limey" (1999)

Terence Stamp is a dad recently released from prison, out to track down the

music producer (Peter Fonda) last seen with his daughter before she ended

up dead in a car. Luis Guzman and Lesley Ann Warren are the only leads he

has and he makes good use of them.

Hey, Terence always makes movies I enjoy!

 

"The Young And Prodigious T. S. Spivet" (2014)
This was a kid that even Sheldon Cooper might like! A 10-year-old scientist
(Kyle Catlett) that invents a magnetic wheel is invited to come from Montana to the Smithsonian Institute to receive an award, and so he goes, hopping onto a freight train that takes him as far as Chicago, than catching a ride with a truck driver who is into doing good deeds. Helena Bonham Carter is his scientist 'mom', but hers was the only name I knew. I didn't know his cowboy 'dad' at all.

 

"The Big Empty" (2003)
'John Person' (Jon Favreau) is an out-of-work actor, late on rent and about
to be evicted when he gets a job: deliver a blue suitcase to a man known as
"The Cowboy" (Sean Bean) in Baker, California. There follows a series of
misadventures as he keeps missing contact while one neighbor gets beheaded (Bud Cort), another gets kidnapped (Joey Lauren Adams), and an FBI man (Kelsey Grammer) comes sniffing around. At least the bartender (Daryl Hannah) seems friendly!

 

"Click" (2006)
I really like this Adam Sandler movie, about a man caught between a boss (David Hasselhoff) who just will not promote him for his hard work and a wife (Kate Beckinsale) and aging father (Henry Winkler) trying to get him to spend more time with the family. What he needed was a Universal Remote for his Life! Or so he thought until Christopher Walken - who truly puts the 'Beyond' in Bed, Bath, & Beyond - gives him that 'smart' tool.
Love this one about second chances.
Just what I needed after Wendy's funeral.

 

"Shelby" (2014)
Someone told Rob Schneider to apparently go wild voicing the dog in this
Christmas-themed movie, and so he did, nearly wrecking it. Good thing that 
Tom Arnold was there as the dogcatcher, Chevy Chase was the grandpa, and John Paul Ruttan was the magic-making boy, 'Jake', who truly loved the dog.

 

"H Is For Happiness" (2019)
Just as 'T. S. Spivet' had a broken family (caused by the accidental death 
by gunshot of his twin brother a few years earlier), so does 'Candice', 
whose family mourns her little sister who died of SIDS three years
earlier. Now, 'Candice' is part of a 7th-grade school project called 
"My Life Is An Alphabet" and she has been assigned the letter "H". 
Fortunately, there's a new boy in class, 'Douglas Benson From Another 
Dimension", whose autistic nature makes him an outcast at school. That 
makes him perfect for her! I really like Wesley Patten; he reminds me of 
what 'Will Trent' might have been like as a boy!
I'll be interested in what roles Daisy Axon takes on in the future.
This really seems like the kind of film that Cinema Savannah would have
brought to us, once upon a time. 

 

Now, I think I'll watch an old episode of "Will Trent" that I've been saving.

"It Was A Meat Cute" is full of puns about Meat Loaf and his songs, as an urn that supposedly contains his ashes is a hot ticket item.

Literally hot.

His girlfriend stole it from a guy that owed her money.

That should help the smile get up to my eyes again. 

(smile) 

as paul harvey would say...

Here's the rest of the story!

Honestly, I'm not a "history of royal families" fan.

I don't consciously seek out those kinds of stories on my seven local PBS channels, as I much prefer the travelogues, the cooking shows, Bill Ross, the mystery solvers, nature and science programs, bios of actors and dancers and musicians and artists... in other words, the plethora of other topics covered.

But those SIX ex-wives woke me up this morning, singing their songs, waving their microphones, and sashaying all over my mental stage.

Clearly, they wanted clarity.

However, while looking deeper into their lives, Henry emerged.

I won't say that he was an angel, because he certainly was not.

Whenever he could, he took the path of least resistance.

Finding a wife?

His first one had been betrothed to his older brother ever since 1488, when she was only three years old.

That was Catherine of Aragon, transported from Spain in 1501, not even knowing the language, to wed Arthur.

She was 16, he was 15, and he was dead within months from illness.

That left her as still a virgin, so Henry's family deemed her still as marriageable and engaged her to the 11-year-old Henry.

Fine.

That left her to hang fire until 1509, when they were wed.

Henry was 18 and she was 24 by then, so they set to trying to make an heir.

Within a year they had a daughter, but she died as an infant.

Three more miscarriages, including two sons, followed before they had a child that lived; that daughter was Mary, born in 1516, to a 30-year-old Catherine and 24-year-old Henry.

One more stillborn two years later marked the end of the possibility of him having a male heir from that source.... so he cast his eye around... and didn't even have to leave the palace.

By 1525, at the age of 34 years old, he was panting after Anne Boleyn, a lively and fashionable lady in waiting for his wife.

Anne's birth year is disputed, but one thing is clear: she was younger than Henry by at least a decade, if not more.

She insisted that he divorce Catherine and marry her, but the Catholic church did not agree... so Henry set about closing the monasteries and nunneries, shutting down their presence in England.

Catherine was sent to live in in a series of other castles, though without their daughter, Mary, who remained with Henry. 

Henry and Anne were secretly wed late in 1532, then formally wed early in 1533, and Henry was excommunicated from the Catholic church shortly after.

So, at 42 years old, he declared himself the head of the Church of England and settled that argument.

By early September of 1533, Anne had their daughter, Elizabeth, and not the son he had so long sought.

Then Anne had a series of three miscarriages... which, to Henry, signaled the end of her childbearing years... so he cast his eye around... and didn't even have to leave the palace.

Jane Seymour was right there, a lady in waiting for Anne Boleyn, after having served as lady in waiting for Catherine since the late 1520's.

There followed a series of unfortunate events.

First, in January of 1536, Catherine died and was buried.

Second, later that same month, Anne had her third miscarriage, which happened to be of a son.

Third, during that same month, Henry had begun wooing Jane with gifts.

Anne's days were numbered; by mid-May that year, she was accused and convicted of adultery (with four men) and treason (a plot to murder Henry), with the final judgement being beheading, which was conducted May 19, 1536.

The very next day, Henry wed Jane; he was 45, she was 28.

By January of 1537, Jane was pregnant and life was good for her and Henry.

She was not the party girl and remodeler that Anne had been, nor did she argue with Henry, preferring to be the quiet, supportive wife.

Yes, life was finally looking up for Henry!

Their son, Edward, was born in October of 1537 - their son!

But Jane died of complications of childbirth, about two weeks later.

Henry now had three children, and three dead wives, having lost all three of his wives within two years of each other.

He was 46 years old.

He took a break from rushing into another marriage.

After all, he had a male heir, so his royal line was secure.

Still, an alliance against France and the Holy Roman Empire would be good to have, so he sought a bride from Germany, depending on portraiture for his choice.

In January of 1540, his selection, Anne of Cleves, arrived and they wed.

However, they never quite clicked, the 25-year-old German-speaking woman and the 48-year-old English-speaking king... but he couldn't very well lop off her head if he wanted Germany to be o his side, could he?

Henry had the marriage annulled six months later, but still kept her in England, calling her  "the King's Beloved Sister" and setting her up quite nicely with her own castle and lands and money.

That left him still in need of a child-bearing prospect... so he cast his eye around... and found what he sought at her palace.

Catherine Howard was a 17-year-old lady in waiting for Anne of Cleves.

She was also the first cousin of Anne Boleyn, but apparently learned nothing from her cousin's fate.

By July of 1540, scarcely after the ink was dry on the annulment papers for his marriage to Anne of Cleves, the randy 49-year-old king was wed to the teenager.

Within a year, he'd discovered that not only was she not a virgin, but she'd had sex with multiple lovers, with no marriage to any of them!

The teen was accused of adultery and treason and locked away in November of 1541, with two of her lovers being killed (one by beheading, the other by hanging) in December of 1541, with their heads impaled on stakes on the bridge.

She, herself, was finally convicted and beheaded in February of 1542.

Alone again, Henry cast about for another wife, finding one at the abode of his 27-year-old daughter, Mary.

Ah, but Catherine Parr was no starry-eyed ingenue.

Already twice-wed and twice-widowed, the 31-year-old had another husband in mind, but canceled those plans when the 52-year-old Henry insisted she wed him.

That was in July of 1543.

No fool her, she was sure to install women she knew and trusted into her household with him, to grant him no new temptations.

It's doubtful he would have tried, as morbidly obese as he was, and with physical ailments that made him rather immobile.

He died in January of 1547, at 55 years old, leaving Catherine Parr a widow for the third time.

By then, she was 35 years old, but finally free to wed Thomas Seymour, the brother of Jane Seymour, when he again asked her.

They wed, in secret, four months after Henry's death.

That didn't do over very well with the royals!

Within a year, she was pregnant, which was a wonder, as she had been thought to be barren, having never been pregnant through her other three marriages.

On August 30, 1548, she gave birth to a daughter, Mary Seymour, then  Catherine died of childbirth complications within a week.

She was 36 years old.

So, by September of 1548, Henry VIII was dead, five of his six wives were dead, leaving only Anne of Cleves still living.

She did so for almost another ten years, outliving Henry's son (Edward VI died in 1553) and dying just one year before Henry's first daughter (Mary I died in 1558).

Anne of Cleves was only in her early 40's.

Only the second daughter, Elizabeth I, lived a full life, reaching 69 before her death in 1603, having served as the Queen of England and Ireland for 44 years. 

That's a longer reign than her father had, and certainly more than her mother - Anne Boleyn - ever dreamt possible.

Wow...

... and all of that led up to two seniors at Cambridge writing a musical to be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

Okay, history lesson over, let's resume our lives, shall we?

(smile!)