The Haasienda on Shroyer…

I listen to many podcasts and YouTube documentaries or interviews. Nearly all my selections are about US History, Presidents and First Ladies, The White House, The Wright Brothers, Dayton history, and The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. To be honest, unless the presentations are by American Presidents: Totalus Rankium, History That Doesn’t Suck, Ken Burns, or David McCullough, I tend to get bored easily.

One of my favorite interviews has been David McCullough’s Library of Congress’ “David McCullough on John Adams” where Mr. McCullough describes his research and writing on John Adams. What I find most intriguing about this interview is not so much about his work on his biography for Mr. Adams, but where Mr. McCullough inserts a hint of his new work on The Wright Brothers. In this brief discussion of the Wright Brothers, McCullough focuses on their younger sister, Katharine. This moment, to me, is so invigorating and you can feel his passion for the Wright family. He also demonstrated his passion when he visited Dayton for research and for the eventual book signing in 2016.

Today, I listened to a podcast featuring Alex Heckman, vice-president of museum operations at Carillon Historical Park, that eclipsed my enchantment with David McCullough’s assessment of the Wright Brothers. Alex’s enthusiasm and passion for Wright Brothers’ history and Dayton’s legacy shine and his excitement to share their story was infectious enough for me to listen to it a second time.

I am also impressed with the interviewer who knew and shared her own research but without fanfare to interfere with what Alex presented. In fact, she allowed him ample time to invest more into telling the Wright Brothers’ story.

Please take time to listen to the interview with Alex Heckman on this historical day in aviation history.

ABOUT THIS DATE: October 5, 1905, was a monumental day in the history of aviation history. While their Thursday morning “skips” at Kitty Hawk, December 17, 1903, were crucial to man releasing his bonds to earth, it was that afternoon at Huffman Prairie, seven miles east of Dayton, Ohio, on October 5th that Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved practical flight where they flew for nearly forty minutes and over twenty-four miles. Their average speed was thirty-eight miles an hour. This day’s accomplishment would be longer than the total of all their 1903 and 1904 flights which totaled 109 flights.

The last day of September… my! It seemed as though the month was just getting under way. Yet, here we are, ready to dive into a fun-filled month of marching band, fall sports, Christmas displays sprouting up in stores, and Halloween.

Normally, Fun Day Fridays are spent exploring something with my camera but, today I will be at The Park exploring fun. Tomorrow, Saturday, will be my last complete day free without teaching or being at The Park for the next twenty-six days. I will either be teaching, hanging at The Park, or doing both on the same day. But I do love what I do because I get to share my passions of music, theatre, and history with others.

I have no solid plans for my Saturday, but it will be on the cooler side and there’s a 64% chance of precipitation; this puts a pal on the day as I am concerned how my legs will react to the conditions.

Thursday evening, I picked up my No. 11 bus next to The (former) Heritage House on Schantz Avenue which winds around Kettering Hospital’s campus on Southern Blvd before turning east onto Stroop Road to Town & Country where I pick up No. 17 to home. Yesterday, I saw there was a twenty-minute hold up with No. 17 so I dove into Chick-fil-A to grab supper. No. 17 was not to come and the next bus would be arriving at 7:04 PM. Argh… I grabbed a Lyft ride home as I didn’t want to keep the dogs waiting for potty and food any longer, and I had no eagerness to wait any longer. My eight-hour days at The Park are a total of ten hours involved with busing for an hour, coming and going, and my four hour shifts total six hours. I arrived home to be greeted by four of the most wonderful dogs, took care of all our needs, worked on research for an hour and was in my bed by 8:00 PM with severe leg discomfort.

Now, it’s time to repeat the previous day by getting ready, packing lunch, and grabbing No. 17 to downtown at 8:10 AM.

So, with that, make it a great day!

Yesterday, we barely got to 60 degrees and today we’re expected to make it to the mid-sixties. Right now, we’re balancing at 43 degrees. The ten-day forecast has us between the mid and upper sixties.

Yesterday afternoon, my friend, Chuck Johnson, made a surprise visit to The Park to visit a friend who was involved in a documentary filming in the future athletic exhibit, focusing on the first NFL game ever played. Chuck normally volunteers at The Park on Tuesday afternoons and it was a great treat to see him since I didn’t work Tuesday.

There’s really not much to report for this morning.

I have a full day at The Park. Yesterday’s shift was for the afternoon and I returned home by 6:15 PM to feed the dogs and myself. After working an hour or so at my study desk, I moved to the bedroom where I read and watched some television, trying to calm my restless legs and feet that are taking a beating with the temperature changes and dampness. 9:40 PM was the last time I remember seeing the actual time before falling asleep.

Last night’s sleep was restful and I woke several times hoping it was nearing the time my alarm would sound, but I was always far off. I woke at 12:30 AM thinking it might be close to 4:00 AM.

Several more birthday cards arrived, one being from my friend, Jeff Carter, a fellow dog dad from St. Louis.

It’s time to shower, dress, and pack my lunch so I can grab No. 17 to downtown without a repeat of Monday morning’s No. 18 bus leaving the downtown terminal earlier than scheduled.

Make it a great day!

PHOTO: birthday card sent by Jeff Carter.

I have continually mentioned, over this past week, that it is either cold or chilly, and I need to give up that description as the chillier weather is here to stay until Spring returns.

Friday was a remarkable day of meeting Guests from all over the country who came to visit The Park. We had a sizable number from St. Louis, Missouri, as well as California, Florida, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Mount Clare (New Jersey), Norfolk (Virginia), West Virginia, Washington, and Texas.

One gentleman from Seatle, Washington, recently took a new job here in Dayton and was excited to explore his great-grandfather’s roots. His great-grandfather grew up in Dayton and was one of the original employees of DELCO (Dayton Electronics Laboratory Company) and he knew Charles Kettering and Edward Deeds, often assisting each DELCO founder with projects or repairs at their respective homes. The Guest was almost in tears as I walked him through The Heritage Center where the original Deeds Barn stands as a crown jewel to so many automobile advancements sparked by The Barn Gang.

That was such a neat moment to observe and be a part of.

It is a bit after 8:00 AM and I am off to breakfast where I can spread out some of my work and simply graze and write.

Make it a great day!

ADDENDUM: after completing this blog entry, I hopped on the bus only to realize, several blocks into the journey, that I’d left my wallet at home. I was so outraged with myself as I walked home, knowing this is the last type of breakfast and work morning I shall have like this until November. I may attempt a second stab with the 9:00 AM bus but I’ve already lost an entire hour.

I am loving these nights of complete sleep and fewer trips to the bathroom throughout the night. I sleep soundly and feel refreshed. The best part is that I am not using any sleep aids.

It’s 43 degrees and we’re expected to climb up to 67 degrees. The remainder of the week will be in the upper 60s, even climbing to the mid-70s by Wednesday and Thursday before falling back to 57 degrees on Friday and Saturday.

Sunday’s teaching kicked the week off with some fine work by all the students. Several students had some great successes with marching band contests, auditions and making callbacks, and productions. I love hearing students reclaim their moments and what they learned from these moments.

I am at The Park for a half shift and shall return home to teach until late. Tuesday is a repeat of Monday. I am glad I will be at The Park tomorrow so I can share a few moments with my friend, Chuck Johnson before he moves out to his volunteer station in the Deeds’ Barn replica.

I am now on a music kick of listening to a number of different arrangements of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” A student was working on the solo for an ensemble audition and though I have heard the song many times, it finally grabbed me.

And, now it is off to shower, dress, and prep for The Park.

Make it a great day!

PHOTO: Last night, my student, Patrick, brought me a birthday gift of historical socks! They are so fun and I cannot wait to wear them.

I bragged far too much about how well I was sleeping through the night as last night was not one of those super nights. While Harrigan and Bailey snuggled against me, sleeping peacefully, I was blinking awake or getting up to use the bathroom every hour. My clock math was in constant use as I quickly calculated my remaining winks. And today is my longest day of the week with a shift at the park and teaching from 4:00 PM until 11:45 PM.

We dipped down to 39 degrees this morning and intend to make it to 68 degrees this afternoon. I am still in shorts and will remain so for as long as I can.

While I am not a fan of the seasonal darkness, dreary skies, and chillier weather, I do love capturing the fall colors brimming with reds and oranges. There are a few trees that change to apricot, or the same color as peach jello. I love those trees and look forward to seeing their brief visit.

With my schedule between teaching and the park having no free days until October 29th, I fear I am going to miss trips to Woodland Cemetery to take photos of the fall foliage. Most of my photos will be relegated to The Park which is always one of my camera’s targets each fall.

My friend, Linda Utt, mother of my former student, Ian, now a music composition major at The Ohio State University, lost her mother yesterday. It has been a journey with her mother’s health and now the good soul can rest.

Several friends, the Lade and Brooks families have bid farewell to their furry pals while a few other friends are in that transition phase. These break my heart with four senior dogs at home.

I am feeling a drag on my energy and I hope that slides away as the morning progresses.

It’s time to shower, dress, and prep for my trek across the street to catch No. 17.

Make it a great day!

Joshua Lockwood Logan was a director for both stage and screen, a producer, a playwright, a coach, an actor, and an all around terrific man who loved seeing others succeed and grow.

Every year, this date reminds me, even more, what an incredible mentor I was blessed with. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him or relate something he shared or taught me those four dynamic years I knew him.

Continue to rest in productions, Mr. Logan. Please lean over and give Mrs. Logan a kiss on the cheek from me.

JOSHUA LOCKWOOD LOGAN 5 October 1908 – 12 July 1988

Know you are loved, Good Sir…

From THE CARILLON HISTORICAL PARK Facebook page.

Happy October 5th! On this date in 1905, practical flight was achieved when Wilbur Wright flew above Huffman Prairie for over 24 miles on a single flight of close to 40 minutes, at an average speed of 38 miles an hour. This flight was not only the longest the Wrights had made to date, it was also longer that the combined total of all 109 flights they had made in 1903 and 1904. The aircraft completing that flight was the 1905 Wright Flyer III, which is displayed at Carillon Historical Park’s Wright Brothers National Museum and is recognized as the world’s first practical airplane.

Just in time for this anniversary, a new free podcast about the Wright brothers, featuring our own V.P. of Museum Operations, Alex Heckman, has been released.

Listen here: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bp3c4-12d7d72?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share

Let me begin this post by stating that my fall was NOT MS-related.

It was ERMA-related.

Erma is always terrifically eager to see students arrive. She’s excited to see anyone arrive.

Tuesday afternoon, my 4:00 PM student arrived and Erma was vigilantly standing at the tall dog gate leading from the hallway to the front room where students wait. She attempted to pass me to rush into the front room but I held her back with my right leg. As I passed through the gate, Erma made an advance to come through but instead, closed the gate on my ankle causing me to lose complete balance, unsuccessfully grab hold of the standing floor fan, and finish the rest of the fall to the floor.

That was all. Fortunately, my student’s mom opened the gate to release my ankle since I was pinned entirely to the floor.

Erma, my fanatically excited Ambassador of The Haasienda.

Within a few hours I was feeling the results in my muscles and back from my twisted dance to the floor and they continue this morning. However, I think I recaptured all my lost sleep from Monday night and after feeding and pottying the dogs this morning at 7:30 AM, I returned to bed until 10:15 AM. I did release my afternoon shift at The Park to accomplish more rest.

So, we have a gorgeous Wednesday with incredible weather and sunshine. I may get some deck time in this afternoon or more napping.

Make it a great day!

Sunday was a day filled with much love from written text messages, emails, social media, surprises left at the door, a birthday lunch with Laura (we’re now the same age for nine months) and Mama Kay, and my traditional 6:03 PM hug and kiss from Mama Kay, a tradition she continues behalf of Mother.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the birthday love! It was a fine day and even the weather seemed to celebrate right along with everyone else.

The teaching day included two new students and they fit right into the studio. I am glad to have them in The Studio.

It’s almost time to get ready to head into The Park, and then it will soon be time to return home to teach the remainder of the day.

Make it a great day!

PHOTO: My new miniature lighthouse collection from Jenny Davis.

PHOTO: Erma and Chief at my side while teaching a student in Wyoming via Zoom.

PHOTO: 2009, a day at Carillon Historical Park with The Pollocks.

It’s in the forties and very chilly. There is also dampness in the air. I have an afternoon shift at The Park and am eager to check in with some folks on some items regarding Dayton’s history.

I had always wondered about the “homes” that bordered the southeast campus of Kettering Hospital. While conducting research on Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering during the 1913 Dayton Flood, I discovered the two founders of DELCO (Dayton Electronics Laboratory Company) ordered twenty-five pre-fab homes from Chicago to “pop up” along Delco Dell Road for company executives without homes, or with badly flood-damaged homes.

For many years, I have passed a number of homes near the intersection of Stroop Road and Southern Boulevard, on the Kettering Hospital campus, below Charles Kettering’s Ridgeleigh Terrace home and just east of Moraine Farm that was once the expansive property of Edward & Edith Deeds. The homes DELCO constructed were along Delco Dell Road, now sandwiched between The Moraine Country Club and The NCR Country Club. Delco Dell Road begins at the northern end of Southern Boulevard after it crosses Stroop Road heading south. It only seemed possible these structures, within a stone’s throw, were some of the Sears pre-fab homes ordered and constructed by DELCO during the flood so that the fairly new company could continue its manufacturing needs.

Lou Eckert, a Carillon Historical Park Volunteer who is incredibly knowledgeable about The Wright Brothers and also a volunteer for Moraine Farm concluded that these were, indeed, homes ordered for the 1913 Dayton Flood.

Mystery solved.

I love these historical mysteries that keep me hoping for more information. Lou wants to help me visit Moraine Farm, again, and head over to the country club to see some of the historical photographs. This is so exciting.

I know the homes constructed along Delco Dell Road will have nothing to do with my project but that’s not how I work. I always utilize the iceberg effect: readers or the audience will only see the tip of the iceberg. What remains unseen beneath keeps the iceberg afloat. Or, it is like spreading out a great buffet and I can select what I need for my project’s plate.

Onward to make it a great day!

Last night I turned the electric heater on in my study while I taught and another one in my bedroom to take off some of the chill. I set the timer on for my bedroom heater as I knew it would not be long before Bailey and Harrigan would increase the warmth.

Yesterday was my “stumble day” to begin my morning.

The No. 17 bus delivered me to the downtown stop but as I stepped off that bus, No. 18 that takes me to The Park was already pulling away. Normally I have a 5-7 minute wait for No. 18. I walked over to the northwest corner for Main and Fourth to call Lyft.

At The Park, I found The Atrium station an absolute mess from having been moved for an event. The master electric strip had not been plugged in so I had to get down on the floor to unscrew the floor plate, etc. The ticket scanner was missing but fortunately a fellow associate delivered it to me after he found it in The Museum Store.

The rest of the morning and day was smooth sailing as I laughed off the earlier stumbles. It also helped having some Great Guests visiting The Park that brightened my day. We had visitors from Minnesota, Georgia, Alabama, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois (Kankakee), and a number of locals who claimed they’d lived in Dayton or the surrounding area all their lives but had never visited The Park. I love those folks!

I’m not at The Park, today, but teach from 4:00-11:30 PM. I’ll do Taco Tuesday with Mama Kay and The Ladies and might be able to grab a nap before the start of teaching.

Make it a great day!

This means so much to me that Mama Kay continues Mother’s tradition of connecting with me at 6:03 PM on my birthday.

I had hoped to watch a few documentaries last evening after arriving home at 6:15 PM and making a pot of soup. I finished the soup and began feeling the familiar tightness and achiness enter my body as it often does before approaching rain. I checked the weather app on my phone and there was no indication of impending rain. By 7:45 PM, I had crawled into bed and immediately went into a deep sleep. I woke at several intervals prior to midnight but immediately fell back into a deep sleep. By 5:00 AM I heard rain tapping on the deck and immediately knew why the body went into that protective shut-down the previous evening.

I am very refreshed and well-rested this morning as I near time to prepare for my departure to The Park.

We’re told by the weather gods that it is to at least make it to 70 degrees today and I suspect they are correct. Rain has ceased for a small stretch but is to return by 7:45 AM and last until 9 AM; as long as it is not hanging around The Park to interfere with Guests’ visits.

It is time to get ready for my day at The Park, hoping for the sunshine to burst out to brighten the day.

Make it a great day!

Every September 25th when Mother and I could not be together at 6:03 PM, she would call me. Sometimes, I was in a place to take the call, or she’d leave an official birthday greeting and I’d return the call as soon as I could.

Sometimes, I would take the call in a rehearsal where others would listen in. There were several 6:03 PM birthday calls I still cherish.

This recording is one of them as it was the last recording I have from Mother at 6:03 PM, September 25, 2018, eleven months before Mother passed away.

On my first birthday without Mother, Mama Kay picked up the tradition and has come over to give me a birthday hug and kiss at 6:03 PM.

AUDIO: Mother’s last birthday greeting, September 25, 2018.

I don’t recall the exact year I began communicating with local historian and Wright Brothers, Betty Darst, but I do vividly remember meeting her for the first time at the foot of the Wright brothers graves where we gathered to celebrate the conclusion of Dayton’s celebration for the centennial a flight.

It was Sunday afternoon, July 20, 2003 and Sen. John Glenn introduced the guest speaker, Neil Armstrong. I felt honored to be surrounded by greatness that day. The Wright Brothers. John Glenn. Neil Armstrong. Wright family members. And, Betty Darst.

I was only a few years in to my research of The Wright Brothers for my musical and Betty was the expert to whom everyone directed me. “She’s the expert on Katharine Wright and does presentations on Katharine,” was the general comment I received when discussing or interviewing area historians.

A connection was made via email and several phone calls but it was several years before we were to finally meet. Nineteen years after our first meeting, I am still entirely smitten with Betty Darst.

A week ago, Betty came to Carillon Historical Park with some friends and yesterday, I looked up to see Betty strolling into The Atrium. She’d made a special trip to bring me a “care package.” And what a care package it was! Two books on First Ladies, a Wilbur & Orville Wright mug, and a note card with a gorgeous painting of Katharine Wright’s first visit to her brothers at Huffman Prairie where the brothers conducted their flying experiments after their 1903 success at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The gifts are wonderful and I love them all the more because Betty shared them with me.

Thank you, Betty Darst! Know you are loved…

I don’t recall the exact year I began communicating with local historian and Wright Brothers expert, Betty Darst, but I do vividly remember meeting her for the first time at the foot of the Wright Brothers’ graves where we gathered to celebrate the conclusion of Dayton’s celebration for the centennial a flight.

It was Sunday afternoon, July 20, 2003 and Sen. John Glenn introduced the guest speaker, Neil Armstrong. I felt honored to be surrounded by greatness that day. The Wright Brothers. John Glenn. Neil Armstrong. Wright family members. And, Betty Darst.

I was only a few years in to my research of The Wright Brothers for my musical and Betty was the expert to whom everyone directed me. “She’s the expert on Katharine Wright and does presentations on Katharine,” was the general comment I received when discussing or interviewing area historians.

A connection was made via email and several phone calls but it was several years before we were to finally meet. Nineteen years after our first meeting, I am still entirely smitten with Betty Darst.

A week ago, Betty came to Carillon Historical Park with some friends and yesterday, I looked up to see Betty strolling into The Atrium. She’d made a special trip to bring me a “care package.” And what a care package it was! Two books on First Ladies, a Wilbur & Orville Wright mug, and a note card with a gorgeous painting of Katharine Wright’s first visit to her brothers at Huffman Prairie where the brothers conducted their flying experiments after their 1903 success at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The gifts are wonderful and I love them all the more because Betty shared them with me.

Thank you, Betty Darst! Know you are loved…

The milder, cooler temperatures of the past several weeks have temporarily abandoned us as warmer weather returns. Today the lower eighties will be with us and bouncing all over the place the remainder of the week from mid-eighties to the low sixties.

I am at The Park every day the rest of the week with a half shift, three full shifts, and a half shift to complete. The weather is great to allow Guests to explore The Park in full without battling the weather. We also have a good deal of school groups visiting and I am especially glad their visits will have nice weather.

I have been sleeping wonderfully for the past several weeks. I don’t always wake refreshed due to MS issues but I am at least enjoying my sleep. When I go to bed, sleep has been almost immediate.

It’s time to get ready for my day and I am ready for it.

Make it a great day!

I woke at 7:00 AM from a great night’s sleep. I am thoroughly loving these deep nights of sleep that refresh my body and soul. I don’t know what I am doing that is different, but it is working.

Today is a full day at The Park. I am eager to start this day knowing there will be some Guests from different states, Guests with some nifty stories about why they are visiting The Park, and Guests who are fascinated to learn about, or more of Dayton’s rich history.

The temperature and breeze are perfect but it is to climb to 91 degrees. I’ve asked my one high school student who comes over around 1:00 PM to turn on the air conditioner so the dogs are comfortable. I am hoping the higher temperature isn’t a deterrent for Guests wanting to visit The Park. The humidity, thankfully, will be around 50%.

And it is time to shower, dress, pack my lunch bag, and head to The Park.

Make it a great day! Make it an epic day!

It was a slow day during The Park’s first four hours. We had some invigorating Guests from California, Upstate New York, and Wisconsin, and two different sets of Guests from Minnesota, and Alabama. I really enjoyed getting to meet some of the visitors to Dayton.

Around Noon I began feeling discomfort in the kidney region. I rescheduled lessons because the discomfort was growing worse. It occurred to me that I had probably taken too much guaifenesin for my sinus drainage and I had not been diligent in drinking pure water. By 7:00 PM, I was feeling much better after down several liters of water and resting.

The flowers in the front yard are watered, my lunches for the next three days are prepped, and I am considering an earlier turn-in, tonight. In fact, I am not considering it, it’s been decided I shall turn in by 10:00 PM.

This Sunday I shall enter my 59th year by celebrating my 58th birthday. I know many consider fifty-eight to be in the late 50s but I consider it to be in my mid-50s. My 59th birthday will be in my late 50s!

I am currently researching the 1913 Dayton Flood. I have known about many of the details for years but continue to find it all so compelling. While Dayton was the key area for disaster, there were many areas hit hard throughout several states, including my area of central Indiana.

History sets my soul on fire.

PHOTOS: Flowers at Carillon Historical Park; Erma and Chief

It’s another full day at The Park and I don’t know how today could ever hope to top yesterday. We had Guests from Nevada. Wisconsin, Chicago, two sets from Kansas, Texas, Maryland, and two college-age fellows from France who wanted to travel all the distance to see The National Museum of the United States Air Force, Carillon Park, and the graves of The Wright Brothers. A large group came in on a bus and spent several hours with us. Scavenger hunts are quite popular at The Park and we had a group of contractors from the base swallowing up all the details and information throughout the campus and interior museum which is called The Heritage Center. I received a lot more questions for historical information, as well, and that made the day glide along faster and with more fun. I was still working with Guests on questions twenty minutes past my shift’s end.

I also managed to squeeze in much research on the 1913 Dayton Flood. Unbelievable. It’s one thing to study the natural disaster that overtook the region but it’s even more unbelievable to learn how the resilience of the people conquered and moved forward with optimism and courage. The Miami Valley Conservancy is a marvel!

Today promises to be much cooler at 66 degrees than yesterday’s high of 91 degrees. We have a few days of temperatures in the 70s but it seems we will be hanging out in the upper 60s for most of the weekend and coming week. By this time next week, we shall be greeting October.

Last night was kind of a dismal routine of not doing much. I purchased a new biography on John H. Patterson, founder of The National Cash Register Company, NCR, and I spent a good deal of time reading through it. Mostly, I just relaxed and watched classic television on Pluto.

It’s time to shower, dress, pack my prepped lunch, and head to The Park.

Make it a great day!

I focus on having fun no matter what I am doing. I practice happiness and joy so that it’s simply a part of who I am. One Volunteer and I were discussing how there seems to be little effort in focus and in so many areas. It was a most interesting conversation.

I will be at The Park all day and I intend to make it a fun day, as usual. I had the best time at The Park yesterday and got to meet Guests from Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Illinois. One couple, who had joined other couples from around Chicago, was from Bartlett, Illinois where my friend and Lincoln colleague, Valerie Gugala, and her husband, Brian, live. I love the Guests’ stories about Dayton that they freely share and how proud they are of what their families brought to Dayton’s story.

It’s cold this morning. 42 degrees is chilly and we’re only to climb 22 more degrees to top off this day.

I am loving the long days at The Park because I am enjoying The Guests, getting to have lunch with Deanna who is well known as the School Marm in the schoolhouse, and plowing through the memories of Volunteers who offer so much of their own story and passion to what they share, Some of the Volunteers worked at McCall’s, NCR, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and so many other legendary businesses.

The downside is being away from The Quartet for such large chunks of time. Right now, Erma, Bailey, and Harrigan are near me in the study and Chief is lounging on the deck, unbothered by the cooler temperature. I’m also trying to find my groove of balancing home life needs and tasks. I do the very basics and fall asleep. I use so much energy working with The Guests, much like I once did in the classroom or on stage. The Park is it’s own stage and since I’m in The Atrium, the heart of it all, I’m constantly on stage. Sometimes, while eating my lunch outside The Atrium doors to look out over the bowling green, I find myself still on stage as Guests pass by, often stopping to chat.

It’s time to shower, dress, pack my prepped lunch, and move across the street to the bus stop so I can make it a great day!

My morning began at 5:00 AM. I woke and made some coffee before joining Joshua and David on Zoom to observe Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral. By 6:00 AM, Dave’s parents, Anne and Phil, had logged on.

I was struck by hearing a lyric change for the first time in my lifetime. “God save The King.” I loved watching the royal family sing this anthem and wondering what they must be thinking with this change.

The funeral offered so much tradition, plus some new offerings. Seeing the queen’s corgis waiting for her arrival was a bit of a heartstring tug. Then, there was the ever impressive music I’ve come to expect from The British. They do seem to have this market solidly cornered.

By 9:00 AM I was mowing the yard and getting much trimming completed. I returned inside to watch some of the Windsor service but decided I wanted a Mexican lunch. Upon my return I finished watching a recording of the end of the service in St. George Chapel… moving. the removal of the scepter, orb, and crown… the breaking of the baton… and then, the lowering of her majesty’s coffin into the crypt, soon to be joined with Prince Philip, her parents, and the cremains of her sister.

My morning was spent with loved ones, albeit via Zoom, pageantry, lawn care, more pageantry, Mexican lunch, and a tender farewell to a magnanimous lady.

By 2:00 PM, I’d made it a great day.

My teaching schedule was very light. I had my first five lessons and was done by 7:30 PM, four hours early. An adult student was on vacation, and the remaining students in Colorado, Nevada, and California had homecoming events. This could not have been more perfectly timed with my early start to the day, exercise, and watching an end to an era.

So, I am pleased with today’s opportunities and observances. It was a great day.

Neon Movies of Dayton, Ohio has another top dog on one of their two screens, the hilarious “who done it” murder mystery comedy, SEE HOW THEY RUN. I really would like to see it again. There was so much happening and in this romp based around the famous Agatha Christie murder mystery, THE MOUSETRAP.

Along with this, Wright State University Theatre, Dance & Motion Pictures is nearing the opening of its own production, THE MOUSETRAP, beginning September 23rd and running through October 2nd.

To order tickets online for Wright State University’s, THE MOUSETRAP, please visit the box office site.

So you have a movie at Neon Movies and a play at Wright State University you will not be wanting to miss!