Matinee Day

 

My most recent theater afternoon, Fallen Angels, with Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne

My love of the theater started early. We didn't go often. We lived in Connecticut and tickets were pricy, when it was possible my mother and I would go to local plays. I remember seeing Oklahoma in a local "summer stock" production when I was nine or ten and from then on, my dream was to see a show on Broadway. That didn't happen for years, but our family vacation was a week in New York City in 1965. 

Once I was in college I was making my way on the New Haven Railroad to see theater. Tickets were three and four dollars -- approximately a few hours of my wages at my college job -- and I saw as much as possible. Getting tickets ahead of time was cumbersome. There was no internet with seating charts and credit cards. I had to mail a check and hope for good seats. Two plays from that era stand out. One was a revival of Our Town with Henry Fonda and the other a revival of Harvey with Helen Hayes and Jimmy Stewart. They were both so worth the effort and still stand out as some of the best theater I've seen.   

Once I moved to New York theater has been one of my favorite activities. Some plays have been as memorable as Harvey and some much less so. Ticket prices have gone from a treat or a splurge to at times, astronomical. I've become a very smart ticket buyer, using discount websites and when there's no discount, choosing carefully. I've learned that I'd rather see one thing I really want than several things I don't particularly care about. 

My latest theater event was seeing a revival of Noel Cowards, Fallen Angels. The play was described as not one of Coward's best -- which I agree with -- but I wanted to see Kelli O'Hara, one of my favorite actors. The play itself was okay, but Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne were delights. I remember seeing Rose Byrne in Bridesmaids and she was fabulously funny on stage with terrific comic timing. These two performances are now part of my theater memories.  

Is anyone else in Buttercupland a theater fan? What are some of your favorite plays?

It's a beautiful day in New York City, sunny and no humidity. I've got a synagogue volunteer event tonight and a haircut scheduled for tomorrow. And on Sunday I'm going to a very off-Broadway theater event with friends.  

As ever, thanks for visitng and have a great weekend. 

Time Will Not Dim the Glory of Their Deeds

In May, 2023 I had the privilege of visiting the Cambridge (UK) American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, England. I came home soon after and did a post very similar to this one. Now three years have passed and it's once again Memorial Day and the memory of visiting the American Cemetery is at the center of my thoughts today. 

It's a beautiful place, calm and serene, a dignified resting place for 3800 members of the military, most of whom died in the Battle of the Atlantic or the air bombardments of Northwest Europe in World War II. It is beautifully maintained and it honors those who are buried here.    

There is also a Wall of the Missing, above. There are rosettes for some of the 5100 names here, whose bodies were recovered after the wall was constructed.  

On this day it's easy to think about  American service members who died in the far (and not so far) reaches of the world. This is the day to remember, but I want to ensure that my gratitude extends to the other 364 days of the year, when there are no commemorations.  

In grateful remembrance, today and every day, may their memories be for a blessing. 

What a Difference a Day Makes

 

Yesterday at Richard Tucker Park, near Lincoln Center

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day. It was a little breezy, but warm enough to sit outside and enjoy people watching, iced coffee and conversation. It was the perfect start to the Memorial Day weekend. I had plans for visiting an outdoor photography exhibit this afternoon and a barbecue with friends on Monday. 

 

One of the end frames of The Sheep Detectives 

Yesterday was  bright and sunny and today has been the exact opposite. This afternoon the temperature was in the low fifties and as the day progressed the rain got heavier. It was the perfect afternoon for a movie. I saw The Sheep Detectives and it was a wonderful rainy day movie. It was sweet, a little sad and, one of my favorite things, a good detective story, the end of which I didn't guess. It was a very old-fashioned way to spend a rainy afternoon, but still as satisfying as rainy day matinees were sixty years ago.

 

It was quite a movie weekend. Yesterday I was also at the movie theater for the opening day of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. I'm a fan of The Mandalorian series and an enormous fan of Grogu/Baby Yoda. Grogu was adorable, Mando (the Mandolorian) was fearless and the special effects were great. 

More rain is expected for tomorrow and I hope to work through a long list of at home to-dos. I'm going to go over my list for my England/Ireland/Scotland trip, and after booking the trip almost a year ago, I will be in Newcastle, England two weeks from tonight. 

Whether it's sunny or not where you are, I hope you're enjoying the weekend. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.  
   

Back to an Earlier Time

 

One of the beautiful historic homes in Salem, MA 

I had trouble choosing a title for this post. Though I was only in Salem for a very quick three days, it felt that I'd gone back to the Seventeenth and Nineteenth centuries. And as quickly as I'd gone back in time I was catapulted back to the present the moment I stepped off the train in New York City. 

I spent my time in the past via my college class mini-reunion. I attended two colleges and both have mini-reunions -- small off-campus get-togethers between the standard five year reunions. I've traveled to a half dozen different places, made new friends and caught up with friends from college days. It's been an extraordinary privilege and Salem was one of the best. 

The House of the Seven Gables

Before my visit Salem brought two ideas to mind. One was the Witch Trials of 1692 and the other was this beautiful Seventeenth Century house in the picture above that inspired a novel. I gained so much knowledge of both from tours, lectures and museum visits. I was delighted to find that that Salem was a treasure trove of beautiful colonial and Nineteenth Century architecture. I was also delighted that lilacs were everywhere in Salem and it was the perfect week for them to bloom. 

Lilacs on beautiful Chestnut Street, one of the loveliest streets in Salem

  

It wasn't all seminars and lectures, there was time to chat during our walks and leisurely meals. I especially enjoyed lunches with friends at Red's Sandwich Shop, which had the friendliest staff, great coffee and delicious omelets. I liked it so well that I went there for both lunches during my visit. 

 

Samantha, from Bewitched

Our group chose to visit Salem in the spring, before the crowds arrive in the fall for Halloween festivities. The streets and restaurants weren't crowded and the weather was beautiful. It's highly unlikely that I could have taken this photograph without dozens of people in the picture in October, when over a million visitors -- including 90,000+ on Halloween -- come to Salem.  

I returned home and back to this century with great memories, new friends, photographs and a miserable cold. My nose has been running and I've had a cough that sounded like a barking seal. I've taken it easy for few days -- 95 degrees and lots of pollen -- and I am barking a lot less. I'm still tired, but feeling better and am beginning to get organized for my trip to England in just a few weeks.  

As ever, thanks for visiting, and as our tour guide in Salem wished us, have a magical day.  

Return to Coffee Time

 

My new coffee discovery, Think Coffee

In 2016 I did a series for the A to Z Blogging Challenge about coffee. In the ten years that have followed I've often written about coffee. Sometimes it's the coffee I enjoy in New York and sometimes it's coffee I've enjoyed all around the world. But I noticed lately that my coffee posts have tapered off. I have done only one coffee post in 2026 and I think that needs to be rectified.

I took the cup's advice and thought good thoughts, both about the coffee and the play I saw at the Sheen Center around the corner. Last Saturday I enjoyed Miracle on South Division Street. It was a sweet, funny and touching play about a family in Buffalo, circa 2010. Today was the end of the run in New York City, but be on the lookout to see if it's coming close to you.

One of the treats of the afternoon was meeting George. He sat quietly near my feet and was a great addition to my latest coffee afternoon.   

I'm on the lookout for new coffee places in New York City and when my traveling. My next travel adventure begins tomorrow morning when I begin a quick trip to a college mini-reunion in Salem, MA. I'm looking forward to exploring Salem, spending time with classmates and finding a new coffee place, or two. 

I had planned to do this post and a separate Mother's Day post, but the day -- in a good way -- ran away from me. I spent lots of time outside and even made a trip to Times Square. I usually find the area too busy and noisy for me, but somehow today it just felt like fun. I sat outside and watched street performers and had a great time. I've got a lot of pictures from my excursion and hope to share them in a post. I hope that the rest of Buttercupland had as an enjoyable day as I did. 

Now it's off to finish getting organized and packing for Salem. I'm mostly done, but still figuring out my shirt selection. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and good wishes for the week ahead.    

  

May the Fourth Be With You

 

May the Fourth Be With You

We celebrated our first Star Wars Day/May 4th four years ago. It was totally new to me and I had to ask what it meant. I quickly learned that it was taken from the Star Wars saying, "May the Force be with you." I've had a quick and steep learning curve and from one Baby Yoda in 2022, there are now six that are part of the Butterland Crew. One was rescued from a TJ Maxx in Oklahoma City, but the other five were gifts and they fit right in with Pep Le Monkee -- looking spiffy in his Jedi outfit -- and the teddy bears that have long lived here. 

A number of years ago my dear friend Vivian, of blessed memory, gave me some advice. I met Vivian through our synagogue and we both belonged to a monthly study group. Vivian was closer to my parents' age and yet was as fun and lively as anyone I knew. I asked her what was her "secret." She told me  I needed to have younger friends. If I lived a long life many of my friends would pass away and I needed to keep up with people who had more energy and different interests. She was a wise woman and I took her at her word. 

I came to a group of younger, lively and fun friends via this Baby Yoda in the photograph. I somehow -- not even sure how it began -- started following the Baby Yoda community on Instagram and met the liveliest, most fun group all over the world.   Mail goes back and forth, meetups are planned and enjoyed and the chat groups are lots of fun. In the depth of the Pandemic I never could have dreamed it, but what a gift of friendship and laughter. 

A few weeks ago I traveled to meet up with some of the more local friends at a Tulip and Dinosaur festival. It was cold and windy, but we had a great time. Dinosaurs, tulips, friends and a visit to a favorite New Jersey diner. 

I'm not sure who put together the combination of tulips and dinosaurs, but it was fun. 

It's been a beautiful stretch of spring weather here. I made my way to the East Village on Sunday and discovered a great new coffee place and today's treat was seeing the flower festival at Rockefeller Center. I took lots of photographs of both and hope to do posts in the next few days. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and May the Fourth be with you. 

Z Is for Zimbabwe

 

Join me at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

We're finishing up the A to Z Challenge with a spectacular "Z." Last year at this time I was getting ready for a trip to Southern Africa. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime and while it's difficult to choose one high point -- so many great moments -- seeing this double rainbow over Victoria Falls stands out. I still look at this photograph and have trouble believing that I actually stood there and looked out and this was what I saw. But I did and there's no AI involved. 

I was so excited/inspired by the Falls that I did something the next day that I said I would never do. I took a helicopter trip over the Falls. It was much less scary than I imagined -- it wasn't scary actually at all -- and my reward, besides this amazing vista, was the rainbow on the left of the photograph. I have no desire for another helicopter trip, but I'm glad I took this one. 

Selfie at Almost Seventy-Five 

This isn't as spectacular, but it's one of my favorite photographs. My friend, Betsy, and I traveled together and we celebrated our mutual milestone birthdays with tea on the veranda of our hotel, the Victoria Falls Hotel. Built in 1904 and originally imagined for the workers on the Cairo to Capetown Railroad. It's a lovely, classic hotel and its distinguished by a view of the Falls from the hotel and veranda. If I turned to the left and took a photograph the Falls would be in the distance. We saw so many amazing natural sights -- animals in their natural setting, the sand dunes of Namibia and the view from the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa -- but the rainbows over Victoria Falls floats to the top of my mind when I think of this visit to Africa.  

Are there sights you've seen while traveling that hold a special place in your heart?

It's April 30th and we're wrapping up the A to Z Challenge. I appreciate everyone who has stopped by and commented. I will be visiting and commenting over the weekend and look forward to catching up on posts. Thanks so much, friends of a few weeks and friends of long standing. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and here's to a happy May.