Cache of the Day - Shakespeare in the Park

What a beautiful evening to bring a lawn chair and a picnic and to enjoy some theatre in the round. Taylor and I, and Taylor's boyfriend Tyler, had a chance to see a modern-day version of "Romeo and Juliet", performed by the Monroe County Civic Theatre on Saturday night. It was staged in a local park and was performed by Bloomington-area community members.

The play was updated for a modern audience, and actually adopted a sports theme by creating rivalries between Bloomington High School South and Bloomington High School North (two real rivals!).


Here are some shots of the actors, who relied on the setting sun for their stage lighting. There are shots here of the rumble and the [homecoming] dance.

Check out the pic of Taylor, Tyler, and I enjoying the show. You can also see a very disinterested Gracie!

Cache of the Day - High School Football Games

I'm actually not talking about high school football games. The football game is just the opening and closing to the marching band.

I heard that statement once before, but OF COURSE I never believed it! Football is king, as is any sport when you're in high school. But - being a former "band nerd" myself - I couldn't wait for football season to begin. There is nothing like having the best seats in the house (our band at Cortez High School in Phoenix always sat on the 50-yard line on the "Home" side). And the antics in the stands! Having an instrument close by, while viewing a football game, always carries a potential for mischief.

One of my favorite times was when I first started going to college and, as a "prequel" to going to Arizona State University, I enrolled at Phoenix College. Of course I was in the marching band, and that is where I met My Pal, Andy. Andy always was the Master of Mischief and he (percussion), along with buddy Dave Hoops (trumpet), would make me laugh hysterically. I remember a particular game where Andy would put a trumpet to his chest and someone would yell out, "Hey Andy, play it with HEART!!!". And Dave - unseen of course - would play the "CHAAAAARGE" fanfare, while Andy would act like he was "playing" that fanfare with his heart. And then someone would yell out, "Hey Andy, play it by EAR!!!!" and Andy would put the trumpet to his ear and, well....you get the picture.

Of course, all the other non-band fans were actually WATCHING the game, so they paid no attention to these antics whatsoever.

I learned practically everything I know about football - and developed a true appreciation for it as my favorite sport - as a result of going to every Home game and 90% of Away games. And I developed a true appreciation for the unique bond that musicians have for each other through the closeness and camaraderie that we shared in these tight quarters.

So, much to my delight, my daughter Taylor is now in marching band at Mitchell High School, where she plays the clarinet. I can see that she enjoys the band very much. I'm pretty sure that is because of the people she plays with and shares the stands with. Here are a few shots of her in her band uniform.

So, football season has begun and going to Taylor's games has brought back some great memories, and just one of the reminders of why music means so much to me today.

Cache of the Day - Theme Parks

Everyone's got to do at least one theme park over the summer, and we've had a chance to hang out at a couple this summer.

Here's Tyler and Taylor at Kings Island, north of Cincinnati, getting ready to ride The Italian Job. Even though we were waiting in lines the majority of the time, and spent lots of money on food and drink, we had lots of fun.

The best value around is a Holiday World, where they've got great wooden roller coasters. The best part, however, is that all the fountain drinks are FREE!!!! And sunscreen - if you're in the water park - is FREE!!!! And parking is FREE!!!! We like FREE!

While nothing compares to Disney, these local theme park are loads of fun.