Wednesday, April 9, 2025

smf36: lakecia with the amazing grace

 

She told us today, after playing an incredible, jazz version of "Amazing Grace", that all of her sets include that song.
All of them, always.
A car wreck in the mountains in 2021 had not only nearly ended her career, but also nearly took her life.
Blessed she is to still be able to wield that saxophone and to God she gives the glory!
Amen!
The Metal Building became a church for those four minutes of song.
I don't know if that could be said at any of the other SMF36 events there, but it'll be the case again tonight when Lakecia Benjamin returns for her next set.
I'm so glad I was able to snag this shift!
 

In addition to the jazz concert on the saxophone, I was also treated to a choral presentation by the girls from New Hampstead K-8 that Jenny Woodruff brought!
I made sure to dance for them, too, as they gave us six songs, including two that I love: "A Million Dreams" and "A Thousand Years".
All that, and a bright blue sky, too!
 

Plus, the Gate Keeper gave me a huge hug after he'd escorted the gold-clad saxophonist and her guys to the side door entrance for the stage.
After they started performing their gig, he came back out to where I was performing mine, again as the Explorer Pass Chica.
(Yes, I think 'chica' works better than 'wench' for that one!)
He walked right up to me and gave me that hug, too!
Right place, right time!

Yes, as my final shift at this year's Savannah Music Festival, this was perfect.
I even left a scribble flower behind, in the pollen on the counter.
Maybe it will bring a smile to someone later!
(smile!)

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

smf36: cissoko and cyrille

 
Believe or not, those are both first names!
Ablaye Cissoko is the kora player from Senegal; he's wearing the blue robe.
Cyrille Brotto, of France, plays the diatonic accordion.
Together, they gave us music that... well, here's a few words on that effect on the body.
"When he [Cyrille] plays, it dances - inside, outside - but it always dances!"
I can vouch for that!
But these were not the same dancing motions as for the polskas!
No, today, I danced, but with softer, more flowing, movements.
As for the names of the songs, I only caught two of them.
The first was "Santo Cantata", or something like that.
Then, near the end of their noon30 engagement, they played "Mano Matela", prefacing it with a talk about the hand keeping them down cannot keep them from smiling.
Very interesting piece!
 

But before they performed that for the sparse crowd at the Metal Building, Cissoko had a long talk with us about people always being in a hurry and not knowing why.
It rather reminded me of the message in the Carol King song, "Beautiful", that I've known and loved since I was a teen.
Hard to believe it was almost 50 years ago that I turned 17 years old!
The message today was first spoken in French, then we were in luck: a man in the audience, John Gardner, was able to translate the singer's words to English!
I do hope the show tonight will also have a French-speaker in the house.
Maybe I should contact Axelle and have her go?
(smile!)
This was my penultimate volunteer shift for the 36th Savannah Music Festival.
The flag was still flying, though the bear-constant breeze left over from last night's storm kept trying to wrap it around the post.
The red-shirted folks are John and Cathryn, volunteers like myself, though they're just here through the spring; they fly north for summer.
The younger fellow is Quinn, who told me today that when he saw my name, he knew he could count on me to do whatever was needed.
How very nice of him!!!
He'll be House Manager again tomorrow, and I may well be Express Pass Chica again.
Right now, we, look to have the same crew for the Wednesday noon30 as we did today, so that will be quite nice to see so many familiar faces!
 

I'm hoping the Gate Keeper will be with us, too.
That's him on the right, looking straight at me as I snapped this quickie shot.
I was still standing in the breezeway, after the the front gate pic, when I noticed him standing there, chatting with the police officer.
Justthatfast I clicked the shutter, but Tony Clarke always, always, knows when a camera is pointed in his direction!
(smile!)
So why the Gate Keeper sobriquet?
Well, when I came up to the gate between Metal Building and The Pirate's House parking lot, that gate was locked... yikes!
Gwen was already on the wrong side of it with me, and she said someone was supposed to come and open it, but she'd waited a few minutes already.
That's when I saw Tony and waved and called his name!
Not even a minute later, he was coming up the sidewalk. 
With the short set of keys in his hand, he inserted one in the padlock... it fit!
However, when he turned the key, the lock didn't open.
So he had me give it a try from my side of the fence... ta dah!!!
I had pushed on the lock as I turned the key, as I have to do for my padlock at home.
(smile!)
Hooray!
Gwen said Tony should add that to his list of accomplishments and I immediately came up with the title for that new position: Gate Keeper!
"You know, like the guy in the "Ghostbusters" movie," I told him.
"Was he a good guy or a bad guy," he said, "because I'm ready to be a villain."
Laughing, I assured him that was most def a bad guy position.
"Being the Gate Keeper for the Destroyer of the Universe is certainly a bad guy!"
He liked that.
I wonder if that can be our inside joke?
(smile!)
 
 

Sunday, April 6, 2025

smf36: this one was for sheldon cooper

"You speak of the fictional TV character from "TBBT", right? I hadn't realized that he was a fan of classical music."
 
I honestly cannot say whether he was or wasn't, as I don't recall that topic ever being broached on the show. But, yes, I speak of the physicist, Sheldon. It was his unconditional love of all things to do with trains that inspired me to chose this shift.
 

"Seriously? You selected "Philip Dukes & Friends IV: The Locomotive Man" because of that character??? Wait, you're truly serious about that rationale?"
 
I am, I did, and I am. I'm not sure just how many times trains or the train museums appeared or were mentioned on the show, but it's enough to deserve some token of attention from me. And you know what? I'm glad I did come to hear this music by Antonin Dvořák! It was truly astonishing how many different trains were represented in the compositions I heard today. I just wish a train aficionado had been present to tell me which trains made those sounds!
 
"Are you sure that's what you heard? I mean, you already knew that the Czech was so captivated by those vehicles that it earned him that nickname. Perhaps it was a case of predisposition toward imagining you heard those sounds, like with the young Turk at the Jepson who was sure he smelled cardamom in that spice box."
 

Well,, it isn't like I haven't been around a few real trains, right? There was the commuter train in Great Lakes that took me down to Chicago on the weekends. Then, the one in Panama that went from Colon to Panama City, which I rode a few times. Plus, I took Amtrak up to Springfield, Massachusetts, to go with Russ to New York City, back in February of 1981. Those were certainly all quite different in their sound.
 
"All right, all right, I concede. I'm just glad you enjoyed yourself."
 
Thanks, I really did. And guess who else was there on the piano? I mean, besides Philip Dukes. It was Simon Mulligan!!! I really do like the way he plays. Dukes is pretty good, but Mulligan has such a light touch that it's as if the keys are playing themselves. I do appreciate that, especially after the heavy pounding of Sebastian Knauer. It's been quite noticeable, having heard all three of them in quick succession.
 
"There's that analytical brain, still active after 7 years of retirement. Good for you!"
 
Thanks, dearie! Just one of the benefits of being a volunteer at the Savannah Music Festival! That helps keep my head engaged and my toes dancing! And today I got to be the Upstairs Bouncer at the Church again! I do enjoy that!

grandpa would have loved this exhibit

 

Come to think of it, my stepdad would have, too, especially this map.
Don't be fooled into thinking it's static for this one year.
Oh, no.
It scrolled through centuries, showing the first appearance of the Venetian Republic, then continuing as it waxed and waned against the Ottoman Empire.
As soon as I saw it yesterday, I thought of Frank and wondered what he would make of it, and what discussion we might have had.
Grandpa, as a history buff on things gone by in Italy and Greece, would have been impressed with all the pieces concerned with trade in that region of the world.
 

I was glad to have been there at 2 PM for the daily docent tour.
Melissa was very informative and enjoyed fielding my questions for her fifteen-minute spell with me and a young Turkish couple.
I had noticed "The Battle Of Lepanto" yesterday, particularly the images of Jesus and Mary in the upper left, overseeing the naval warfare.
The docent told me that a lot of paintings around the mid-16th and 17th centuries included religious figures, signifying the strength of the Christian faith versus that of the Islamic or other faiths followed by the Ottomans.
 
The other couple liked the cookbooks on display, as well as the wooden boxes used for storing spices (specifically, those had once contained cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cumin, black pepper, and peppermint).
I couldn't smell any remnants of those herbs, but the man insisted he could.
Power of suggestion, I proposed to him, but he didn't accept that.
By then the tour was done, so I carried on with the Family Activity Guide for this "Venice And The Ottoman Empire" exhibit.
Near the cookbooks was this painting - Sign Of The Guild Of Chefs - of a kitchen and dining room, with a bevy of cherubic lounging above them.
The task was to list things that were visible, like the 9 men at the table, or the dog taking a drink of water from the cistern, or the kitchen boy plucking chickens.
I thought I might do that at home.
I preferred the two scavenger hunt games for the limited time I had today!
This first one had several items - shoes, a hat, a drum, and a porcelain bowl - to try to locate in the huge exhibit.
They all turned out to be from the mid-1600's to 1700, making them all far older than the United States of America.
That first item I knew from yesterday; it's a pair of wooden bath clogs.
They certainly didn't look comfortable, nor did that horn hat for Francesco Morosini, worn when he was the Doge (from 1688 to 1694).
That general had been all the rage, apparently!
There was even a marble bust and a painting of him in this collection!
Next is the percussion instrument, specifically called a naqqaro; I wonder what sound it made, with that metal base?
No way to know, as it was securely behind glass.
And that final item, with its lovely coloring, was a barber's bowl, to catch the hair from shaving the customers, perhaps.
(smile!)
The other scavenger hunt dealt with my specialty as a puzzle-solving analytical person: patterns!!!
There were four different floral motifs to locate, with no clues to location.
The middle two were found in paintings as part of clothing; the one with the red center to its golden flower was in the robe of Doge Cristoforo Moro (ruler from 1462 to 1471), whereas the golds on white dressed Sultan Mehmed II, in power just before that time.
Done and done!
However, the first and last florals took me quite a bit of searching.
The huge red-and-gold centered design was one I thought I'd seen earlier, so I retraced my steps from the tour... and there it was, part of the Persian rug adorning the table in the "Family Portrait" of the wealthy middle-class Venetians in the mid-1500's.
That left the orange flower... where could it be???
Ah, that's when I noticed that some of the shields mounted on the walls at the Jepson had decorations on their central portions!
Hooray! That's where it had been all that time, ever since the late 16th century!
By that time, my shift at the Trinity UMC for SMF36 was too near to complete the last portion of the activity page.
It was all about one-point perspective, a technique for making things appear smaller when farther away in a painting.
Do feel free to work on it... I must fly!

Saturday, April 5, 2025

smf36: like kinnear, but no in and with a u

"Dearie me, what are you talkin' 'bout now?"

The classical pianist who played music from the third Indiana Jones movie this afternoon, over at Trinity UMC. He was so excited to do that!!!

"Oh, I recognize him from last year, with Philip Dukes. He had an unusual last name... I'll think of it. However, you must be mistaken about that movie music being part of his set."

I most certainly am no! This concert was all about "Hollywood" and centered on music arranged by David Newman, a big name in movie music. Thanks for Newman, the pianist had an entire collection of musical scores that were for scenes shot in Venice, Italy, and that included that Harrison Ford flick as well as the one with Daniel Crag as 'James Bond'. Altogether there were eight films, but that one with the geologist and the one with Agent 007 were "living the dream" for him! The others were "A Little Romance", "Don't Look Now", "The Merchant Of Venice", " Casanova", "Casino Royale", "Le Guignola", and "The Tourist". I was so inspired that I bopped over to the Jepson Museum to catch "Venice And The Ottoman Empire" until they closed at 5 PM. I'll be going back there tomorrow to take my time with it! I just love that 'gondola ride' experience!!! It reminds me of going to the Venetian in Las Vegas with my BFF, back in 2010, and riding a gondola there. Most def something I want to do again in October!

"Oh, that will be such a good time of year to return to that shining, sleepless, city in the desert!"

For sure!

"So, are you going to tell me the pianist's name or what?"

Oops, my bad! He's Sebastian Knauer, but with a German pronunciation. So, that's why I said it's "like Kinnear", meaning the 'K' is sounded. I thought it was silent, like with 'knee', but, nope. So, no 'in' after the 'K', than throw in a 'u' and say it like 'now er' as in "now or later". That makes it 'K now er'. That means German is like Polish, with all consonants getting sounded, even if it means extra syllables.

"Okay, I hadn't heard that before, but it makes sense as both are from the same base. Who are the others on the stage?"

Let's start with the female on violin, Grace Park, and go counter clockwise, shall we? The other violinist is Benny Kim. The viola is played by Robin Ashwell, the cello by Brook Speltz, and the huge bass is wielded by Marc Chesanow. Speaking of him, I chatted with him before clocking in for my volunteer shift with SMF36. Guess what? He lives in midtown, too, and not far from me. We'd both been concerned about a possible lack of parking, due to the Publix 5K Races this morning, but neither of us had an issue. In fact, he left shortly after our talk to return home for his tripod and made it back just fine.

"Well, listen to you, g'friend! I'm so glad you got to meet one of the boys in the band!"

Aw, you know it wasn't like that... but it was nice to talk to him. That made the concert more personal for me, you know? When I signed up for this shift, I'd hoped to recognize much of the movie songs, but that wasn't the case. Most of the movies were ones I'd seen once, if at all, and there were no singable songs in these suites. Still, I did find myself dancing a bit, so that was definitely a win!

"I know it was! And where are you off to now, you busy, vibrant, woman?"

It's a Swap Party at Dawn's, to raise money for the Georgia Transplant Foundation. I haven't yet picked out some items to take with me, so I must go! Now! Bye!

Friday, April 4, 2025

smf36: plus, not ampersand

 
Many times during the Savannah Music Festival, this symbol [ & ] is used to denote two bands which will singly occupy the stage.
For this noon30, the billing used a different symbol [ + ] between the two names.
Plus, that is, not and.
Almost sounds like computer programming jargon!
Nope, Väsen + Hawktail have naught to do with that and everything to do with a variety of stringed instruments, playing everything from polskas to hymns.
Yes, the two groups were separate in the past, but the college students who adored the Swedes are now in the sweet position of performing with them!
 

In this photo, the Hawktail components are Brittany Haas (violin, far left, in a dress), Paul Kowert (middle, with cello), and Jordan Tice (standing on right with guitar).
That leaves the two older men -Olov Johansson with the nyckelharpa and Mikael Marin, sitting with the bass viola, who will be 60 next year - to round out the new band.
 

I missed the intro today, as I had two volunteer gigs at the Metal Building this time (Explorer Pass Wench and Front Welcome Wench). One nice note about that second position: the SMF flag is again flying high and in street view! JD, the House Manager, said that was thanks to my pointing out the ripped flag on Wednesday. How very kind of him!
Where was I?
Oh, I was going to talk about the first song I heard. It was the tune that Olov had written on a beach for the wedding of Mikael and Josephine a couple of years ago. Titled "Wallmarin", it only had the two Swedes playing, while the younger three sat. Very lovely piece! What a great way for me to start this concert!
They then played a toe-tapper, "Harpleken" (pronounced 'harp like kin'), that I very much liked, before being joined by the trio for "Hawk Ale". What a rousing Irish-like number it was, prompting me to dance - so I did!
 

After that, Olov and Mikael sat back to let Hawktail soar alone for a while.
They gave us "Ms. Pretzel", a song Kowert wrote for his music teacher from his youth, Rosemary Pestel. Say what? I had to wonder if my college chemistry teacher, Beverly Pestel, who moved to Oregon, might have been her mom. How cool would that be?! 
They followed that with two songs from their "Hawktail Trio Suite", the 1st and 4th ones. The 4th one was unnamed, but as soon as I heard it I thought: "Ocean, Tumultuous". I absolutely visualized the painting Bill gave me for my birthday years ago! I would have liked to suggest that title to Jordan Tice, as he put the image of a storm-tossed ship at sea into my mind with his intro to that piece.
Then all came together again for "Your Town Polska", written by Brittany. Swing your partner all around for the "Savannah" Polska! LOL!
So many lovely dance songs... and one hymn.
Johansson and Marin penned it on a bicycle trip, while overlooking "a lake full of moon glitter" on a summber night. How lovely is that image?! Titled "Hymn Till Sommarnätter", it's wrapped in tones of awe and gratitude and peace. Beautiful.
i thank You, God.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

smf36: two fiddlers, fiddlin' still

 

Truth to tell, only one of them stayed with the fiddle the whole time.
That would be Darol Anger, experienced during the pandemic when he performed with Hawktail, who I'll be seeing in a couple of days at this Savannah Music Festival.
He also once played with the Turtle Island Quartet, but not when I saw them.
No, the fiddller who played guitar was Bruce Molsky, and that's his instrument waiting patiently, against the wall, for him to strum it.
He didn't do so for the first two songs I heard.
I missed the title of the first, but the second was the folk song, "Abraham, Martin, and John", about true leaders dead too young.
 

However, when they started into the blues, the guitar came into action!
That's when my feet got to tapping, too, and I had to dance!
This song was written by Deford Bailey, not a name I knew but others there did, from his days at the Grand Ol' Opry.
Titled "Evening Prayer Blues", it had been recorded in 1981 by another bluegrass man, Bill Monroe, and made well known. 
Another guitar-enhanced tune the two men gave us was "The Bye Bye Baby Blues", written by Little Hat Jones.
Neither of those black bluesmen have been alive for three generations now.
 

Don't let me make it seem that all they performed for SMF36 were old tunes - oh, no!
Bruce Molsky brought us his "Lockdown Breakdown", written during the pandemic.
Then the two fiddlers tucked into a fun run, "Ain't That Trouble In Mind", after a song about the "Creaking Tree", complete with wind-tossed snaps!
Yes, I liked those!
They had just started a Billy Taylor tune, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", when I was called outside to help with another project.
I wore several hats today!
First, I was the Explorer Pass Wench, though no kids with that program came today.
There were two children there, but they were from out of town.
(They still gained free entry, as do all children under 12 years of age.)
Next, Quinn asked me to help find some missing flyers.
Then, Quinn placed me in charge of the donation box outside at show's end.
I do believe he remembers me from my days of being a volunteer usher at the Lucas and Trustees Theatres, when he was just a teen working the concessions!
Nice to see that he's up to House Manager now!
(smile!)
Speaking of now, I need to go.
Time to watch "Will Trent" with Christina!
I do so love watching this show 'with' her!
Usually, we do so after the girls have gone to bed, but I have a musical - one totally new to me called "Rice The Cyclone"!!! - with the Armstrong Masquers tonight.
Yes, busy, vibrant woman I am... still!!!
(smile!)

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

the road to hell is a railroad track, umm hmm

 
I knew right away that the Savannah JEA, for "Hadestown, Teen Edition", was where I was meant to be!
Just look at that WSAV weather song: up in the 80's for the days, lows of almost 70 at night - pure bliss!
Absolutely perfect for gallivanting at night without a jacket!
 

Plus, I found myself the best seat in the house by just walking up to it.
Yes, indeed, front row, slightly right of center, with no one to block the view.
i thank You, God!
I felt like I was part of the action as all those teens sang and danced!
This production by the Savannah Children's Theatre was from the Junior Company and encompassed high schoolers from all over town!
Austin Bradford, clad all in silver, starred as 'Hermes', the storyteller extraordinaire and our conductor for this tale of love gone wrong.
Who were to tragic lovers?
None other than 'Orpheus' and 'Eurydice', meeting aboveground of Hadestown, just as the train was pulling in to bring spring with 'Persephone'.
Josiah Williams had the clear, high voice of an angel and was perfect as the distracted boy who loved writing songs; Nikki DeCubellis was perfect as that girl who was looking for someone to keep her warm and well-fed during the cold winter months.
Then there's Carmen Titus, brightly clad in brilliant green, bringing excess and joy and making folks forget the hard winter just past... until her departure brings it back.
Sadly, her return this time to Hadestown was early, as her husband - played incredibly by Truman Nash - came to fetch her before the six months' time was up.
The 'Three Fates' - Maya Kendrick, Hanna Richmond, and Ella Rodgers - didn't help anyone with their sassy, Southern-belles-from-Hell, attitudes.
I was entranced the entire time with this age-old story from Greek mythology!
My hope had been something dark and tragic, like the tale of the berserk barber or the one about the ghost of the opera... and this was right up there with those!
Oh, I do wish I had some photos to share of this 21st century musical, I do.
No snapshots were allowed, though, as the show is still on Broadway.
I'm just grateful to have been able to experience all that energy here without having to travel to New York City!
Right place, right time!

smf36: it's a family affair, it's a family affair!

 
"There's one I haven't heard for a while! You're riffing on "Family Affair", right? The song that Sly & The Family Stone had as a hit when you were in middle school?"
 

You're right! That's a fitting descriptor, too, for the noon30 concert at the Metal Building today. I already knew that Edmar Castañeda would have his wife, Andrea Tierra, there, and that had been part of the draw for me: a married couple, performing together. I had no idea their children would also be onstage! But my absolute favorite part of this show today was how close Andrea would get to Edmar while he was playing, singing to him through the harp as he strummed the strings. That was love!!!
 
"That was very nice!!! Yes, she would start singing about 20 feet away, then gradually move closer and closer until she was right there. They've been together 21 years."
 

Did you hear how they met? He heard her singing and sought her out, telling her his name and that she was going to marry him and they would name their daughter "Zeudi". For real! Then, 20 days later, they were married!!! Isn't that incredible?
 
"And now it's been 21 years... wow!"
 

Guess what else came true from his prognostication? They had a daughter and named her Zeudi!!! She's 15 years old now. That's her, playing her dad's jazz harp and singing, while he holds the microphone.
 
"What was the song?"

I honestly don't know its name. They're from Colombia and all the songs had Spanish titles, some of which I caught, some I didn't. When I was relieved from Explorer Pass Wench duties by Benji and JD, he was playing "Cuarto de colores". He then did one of his own songs, "Entre Cuerdas", which means "between the chords". He was amazing to watch!!! It's as if he were shedding the notes from the strings just as one might brush off water droplets from a jacket - so energetic! And get this: he stood the entire time. The entire time!!! He only discovered the genre of jazz around 2001, so I can tell he's still quite enamored of it, but to stand and dance with that harp... wow! Good thing he's still young!
 
"Yeah, didn't she say his birthday had been March 31?"
 

That's correct. He's 47 years old now. Here he is with his 13-year-old son, Zamir, who has been playing percussion since he was 4. Wow. For this show, it was maracas and harp, a combination I'd wager no one has heard before!
 
"That's for sure!"
 
I think that song might have been "Hechos", a piece Edmar wrote during the pandemic. He was almost emotional when he talked about that dark time, and was truly grateful to God that his family had come through that period well and healthy. "Hechos" means "acts" or "deeds". I think for him it was about having your actions speak well of you.
 
"Very nice. I'm so glad you signed up for this very positive experience!"
 
Me, too, dear, me, too. Right place, right time.
i thank You, God.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

movie fun with friends, during the pandemic

I just got home from a cinematic double header - double feature, right - and when I checked on fb, I had a flashback waiting for me.
Sweet!!!
So, where better to share that than on my beach?
Nowhere!!!
(smile!

*****
Faustina Smith
April 1, 2020  · Shared with Your friends
What are 5 movies you have watched countless times and never get sick of?
1) Into The Night
 2) Beauty And The Beast (latest musical)
 3) Guardians of The Galaxy
 4) Monsters, Inc.
 5) Tomorrow I Will Wake Up And Scald Myself With Tea

-------------------
Matthew Smith
Tombstone
Roadhouse
John wick
Forest Gump
Avengers

Faustina Smith
All excellent!
--------------------------
Bunny Jones Roberts
I think I’ll copy this one! It’s a nice change!!
---------------------

Jim Casey
1. 2001
2. Three Faces of Eve.
3. Eight Men Out
4. Five on the Black Hand Side
5. Ocean's Eleven

Faustina Smith
Field of Dreams!

Jim Casey
I was riffing on the number thing.

Faustina Smith
Heard. Looking at all the movies posted by others, I realize the list needed to be at least ten items, not five.
--------------------------------
Jeff Secrest
1. Duck Soup
2. Month Python’s Holy Grail
3. Blue Velvet
4. Annie Hall
5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Faustina Smith
Monty Python's Life Of Brian!
---------------------------
Cheryl Ciucevich
1. The Sound of Music
2. Arsenic and Old Lace
3. The Princess Bride
4. Independence Day
5. Avengers (saw it 5 times in first 24 hours)
6. Dead Again

Faustina Smith
The hills are alive...!

Cheryl Ciucevich
Faustina Smith I know every line of dialogue and every lyric!

Faustina Smith
Me, too! I cannot tell you how many times I've seen that! Mama loved musicals and I got that from her.

Cheryl Ciucevich
Faustina Smith My father, grandfather and I always watched it at least once a year. If anyone wears a band-aid on their finger in our family, we always ask if it got caught in Friedrich's teeth! Other favorites: "The poor didn't want this one." "And I'… See more

Cheryl Ciucevich
We drive my mother and sister crazy!
-----------------------------------
Dave Hewitt
Yellow Submarine
Amadeus
Wizard of Oz
Back to the Future part 2
Gone with the Wind
I haven’t seen any of these for years but I’ve seen them each over 5 times. I usually watch movies only once.

Faustina Smith
I see Wizard of Oz almost every year, and have since I was a girl.

Yvonne Pizzo Roach
Faustina. It used to be a holiday tradition on TV way back in the day.

Faustina Smith
Plus, Mama loved musicals, so I have an affinity for them, too.
---------------------------
Jim Reed
Dawn of the Dead (1978 George A. Romero original, Theatrical Cut)
Rubin & Ed
Rock & Roll High School (the 1979 original)
John Carpernter's The Thing
Monty Python's Life of Brian

Faustina Smith
Always look on the bright side of life (whistled :do do dodododo do do)
-------------------------------
Christina Smith
1) Dirty Dancing
2) Wizard of Oz
3)Grease
4) 10 Things I hate about you
5) Annie (with Carol Burnett)

Faustina Smith
So many musicals, so little time!
--------------------------------

Sandra Cherise Karlin
Dirty Dancing, Grease, Field of Dreams, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Faustina Smith
Danke schoen, darling...
-------------------------------
Jackie Frant
1. Casablanca
2. Men in Black
3. The Secret Garden
4. Blazing Saddles
5. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Faustina Smith
Oh, yeah, love me some Humphrey Bogart! Especially The African Queen!
--------------------------------
Sheryl Petroski Pena
Gone with the Wind,Dr Zavaigo, Sophie’s choice, The way we were and Rocky

Faustina Smith
There's something about a man dancing on a staircase!
---------------------------

Morgan Cryer
1. pride and prejudice with Matthew Macfayden NOT Colin firth
2. Freaky Friday (Newer Version)
3. Mamma Mia
4. Ferris Buellers Day Off
5. Guardians of the Galaxy

Faustina Smith
Star Lord forever!!!
----------------------------
Rhonda Curby
1)Interstellar
2)Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
3)Men in Black
4)Star Trek:The Voyage Home
5)The Dark Crystal

Faustina Smith
Oh, yeah! Love that Dark Crystal!
-------------------------------

Wasn't that great fun???
(smile!)

smf36: there's a place for us

 

He added it as an encore, just for me. I saw him look at me as he was taking his bows. Then he walked to stage left, toward the stairs to exit, and paused. Then he returned to the piano to finish the story of Tony and Maria, adding a wistful tone to the song. It was so full of emotion that it made me cry. 

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry to hear that."
 

Oh, no, it was wonderful to be so moved by the music. Trinity UMC has acoustics that are perfect for classical music, and seeing the trees right outside the windows adds to the ambience. As I told Mary, one of the patrons, I can close my eyes and get into the groove of the music, then open them and feel almost like I'm on the plaza in Siena again.
 
"That's a lovely memory from that trip with the nurses. Hey, what did you mean about Simon Mulligan looking at you? What's that all about?"
 
That's for real. I was the Upstairs Bouncer at the Church, as I called my volunteer position, and during the show I sat in the back left corner of the house. However, once I realized that he was performing personal mash-ups of the Leonard Bernstein songs, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I thought of it as "piano with momentary lapses of staid", with more serious moments suddenly careening into kicky little jazz bits! Honestly, if I could have found an area to stand and twirl, I certainly would have done so! As it was, I made do with dancing in my seat. Well, until he would finish that particular stream of music, then I'd stand up and clap mightily!!! I'm sure that's what drew his focus toward me.
 
"I don't doubt that. Was anyone else rising to their feet after his songs?"
 
No, just me. I've noticed at the Savannah Music Festival concerts, especially the classical ones, that there are certain protocols. No one stands until the very end, no matter if the piece was especially moving or particularly well-played or whatever. I felt secure bucking that protocol as I was in the balcony, where few had cared to trod. Only the house left was open for seating and the sun streaming in made that area a bit toasty. Of course, that was just perfect for me!
 
"Of course! (smile!) What songs did he play, besides that one from "West Side Story"?"
 
Hear me now: it wasn't 'just' the one song from that musical. He truly played all the songs that were specific to the tragic romance between Tony and Maria. Moreover, he did so without any sheet music, whether on actual paper or an electronic gadget, as Assaf had used. For this SMF36 concert, I felt I was given a musical as a bonus. From the staccato rhythm of the gangs in the "Jet Song" - with Mulligan actually snapping his fingers and smacking the wood on the piano frame - to the girlish glee of "I Feel Pretty", the awestruck love Tony has for "Maria", then the hopeful joy of love "Tonight", followed by the back to the reality of life in "America". Wow!!!
 
"Wow!!!"
 
That's when he stood and went to leave the stage. I'm so glad he came back and gave us "Somewhere", to complete their love story.
 
"Even though it made you leave tear stains in your shirt sleeves?"
 
I think especially because it did that. (smile!) Right place, right time, you know?
 

"I do. Then you had Mama's amaryllis waiting to greet you with big, happy, smiles when you returned home. Yes, Sybil Faustina would have loved that piano man."
 
I have no doubt that she did love the show today. Those windows let the music float right out and entertain all the Earth and sky! I'm so glad I chose this show!

Sunday, March 30, 2025

words are just the final step...

That was always the line 'Thomas' used when 'Alvin' wanted him to get up and away from the blank piece of paper on the desk.
"Writing is a process. Words are just the final step.
 
I can attest to that.
Most of my posts are actually written a day, or two, or more, after the date on which they are published here on my beach.
Sometimes it's because I have too much going on, so the recording of the event and my thoughts on it have to wait for me to sit a spell.
More often, though, it's a matter of me waiting for my mind to let me know that it's processed what happened and is ready to set pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, so to speak.
That's the way I've always written, though.
No drafts, just straight into it.
I had nearly been late to this musical because I'd been writing, in fact.
That was yesterday evening, after a full day of no SMF36 volunteering.
I'd spent a few hours writing about the jazz performance, then launched into the pop-up pieces, first and second, having found the combining theme.
I do love a good theme.
(smile!)

I've actually watched all of "The Story Of My Life" twice now.
I'd been tagged by Heidi Hoffman to volunteer for the matinee performance today and I had agreed gratefully.
I've been trying to be more involved at Asbury Memorial Church and helping out with theatrical performances seems to be my niche.
My initial plan had been to stay for thirty minutes or so and then head over to Mickve Israel for "Freedom Song", a musical about drug addiction, performed by addicts.
I knew I'd be able to relate to that type of story.
My thought was that I would have plenty of time between that show and my evening gig at the Lucas to find a parking place in the middle.
 
However, that was before the rain came a day early.
Make that "rains", with a plural.
Once it began around 2:30 PM, it persisted until well after 7 PM, making for lots of soggy umbrellas all around.
So, rather than chance getting soaked and having to serve at the SMF36 in wet clothes, I stayed to see all of this musical again.
 

Last night, I sat with family, so that defused the emotional impact somewhat.
Jean and John Hester were there, with my niece Molly, who is living and working in Atlanta as an accountant, following in her Pop Frank's footsteps.
I had still cried at the end, but not like I did this afternoon.
Last night, the drifting away of the 'togetherness' of the two best friends had reminded me of Sam Johnson and Bob Wiley.
If not for 'Mom' Wiley, Sam would have taken his leave of Bob, as Sam believed he had outgrown that friendship years ago.
But he didn't want to lose that mother surrogate from his life, so he stayed.
Sam told me that the night he died.
Of course, I never, ever, told Bob.
He wears a Superman tattoo now, in Sam's memory, as do several others.
I wonder if Bob has gotten a tattoo for his mom as well.
The impact on me was different today.
 

My volunteer position had been in the sanctuary, so I remained in the narthex after the musical began, in view of Mark and Ray the whole time.
That meant they were in my view the whole time, too - my unobstructed view, with no heads in front of me, no one beside me.
The songs painted the picture of their friendship, starting with first-grade.
Their teacher had paired them up after the Halloween costume party, when 'Thomas' dressed as 'Clarence the angel' from "It's A Wonderful Life"... and 'Alvin' dressed as his dead mother's ghost, wearing her bathrobe, slippers, and hair curlers.
"It's A Wonderful Life" had been her favorite movie.
I admit to a definite fondness for that holiday story myself.
So, back to the play, where 'Thomas' becomes best friends with the boy whose father runs the local bookstore, a magical place that became even more so when it helped 'Alvin' select the Christmas present for 'Thomas' five years later, when they were 11 years old.
That book had been "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer", the very thing that the angel had been clutching in the holiday movie, the one thing missing from the Halloween costume 'Thomas' had wore when he and 'Alvin' first became friends.
Ah, such a touching moment!
That book would actually lead to the demise of their friendship.
After reading that, 'Thomas' determined he wanted to be an author, so his words could live on long after his death... but what to write?
So, he crafted a tale, "The Butterfly", out of fragments of an afternoon spent with 'Alvin' chasing a butterfly by the river, back when they were 14 years old, about to start high school, when 'Thomas' had discovered the allure of girls... and realized that his best friend was too odd to not get pummeled by older boys.
That tale got him accepted in college, and off he went, leaving 'Alvin' behind, running his dad's shop, just as 'George Bailey' had to do.
And, now, 'Thomas' had to give the eulogy for 'Alvin', who had died in the frozen river just a week after 'Alvin' had given the eulogy for his dad.
So much guilt 'Thomas' had, so many unanswered questions about 'Alvin's' death.
Was it suicide?
Had 'Thomas' cancellation of their plans in the city caused it?
How could he have not known his friend was in such distress?
So much guilt.
And I found myself crying for Christa and wondering how I hadn't known that she had become diabetic and needed medical help.
And I found myself crying for Barbara and wondering how I hadn't known that she had decided to stay with suicidal Kal, who she knew had a gun.
And I found myself crying for David, dead by suicide
And I found myself crying for Jean Marie, dead by suicide.
And I found myself crying for Laura, whose stepbrother, Chris, just died by suicide.
All dead by gunshot, except Christa.
And I found myself crying...
wiping my tears on my shirt sleeves...
with a hard rain falling outside.
Very appropriate.
Thanks, Candace and Randy, for hugs and looking out for me.
i thank You, God, I had other volunteer responsibilities after this show.