As things start to reopen and we can connect again with friends, Karen and I met Robyn and Joe for lunch at Crazy Fish in Lake Wales. Afterwards we enjoyed the carillon concert and grounds of Bok Tower Gardens. Robyn and Joe are snowbirds who would normally have been back in Ohio by now, except the pandemic kept them in Ft. Myers a bit longer. Still, we caught up with them before Robyn’s planned July retreat back north.

The day was a sunny one, as we wandered the grounds. Lots of greenery, some huge leaves, a few flowers. I decided to try out my new walker; more so that I would have a place to sit when needed. It worked great for a ready seat. Not so much for the terrain in some areas. It definitely gave me a good workout as it was uphill on paved surfaces from the mansion to the carillon. The pathway near the carillon is marked for handicap access. However, there was large-grade mulch surrounding the carillon, making travel somewhat difficult. The quickest way to the bell tower is definitely not by way of the mansion! We left the bell tower at the end of our visit — 5 minutes down a paved pathway to the parking lot area. I was really happy to get to the car and a cold drink. The gift shop does have scooters for rent, as well as strollers. I thought my new walker would work just fine – but it was a workout on the gravel near the mansion and mulch by the tower. I noticed other guests on scooters had no problems traversing the mulch areas.

Karen took some great pictures, as usual. Please visit my next picture blog post of Lake Wales and the flora and fauna of the area and Bok Tower Gardens.

The gift shop is large. Restrooms are clean and near the welcome center and gift shop. There are many areas to visit within the grounds.

Pinewood Estate and Gardens – the mansion was closed but Karen and Joe wandered the grounds, while Robyn and I caught on the past and present. Bok Tower Gardens was welcomed as a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

WHAT IS A CARILLON?

A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells that are precisely tuned and arranged in chromatic progression so that music in any key can be played. Unlike other types of bells, carillon bells are fixed in a frame—the bells do not move. Instead, the clappers inside strike the bells to produce a considerable range of sounds up to five or six octaves. Because of its weight and size, the carillon is one of the largest of all instruments. A carillon is played from a keyboard on which the keys are depressed by the player’s closed hands and feet. The keys are connected to the clappers by vertical and horizontal wires.

THE SINGING TOWER CARILLON

The carillon at Bok Tower Gardens has 60 bells ranging in weight from 16 pounds to nearly 12 tons. The instrument was designed and built in 1928 by John Taylor Bellfoundry, Ltd. of Loughborough, England which still makes bells today. There are four carillons in Florida, approximately 200 in North America and 600 throughout the world. See a list created by Guild of Carillonneurs in North America of all North American carillons.

HOW IS CARILLON MUSIC WRITTEN AND PLAYED?

Although carillon music looks like piano music, the treble clef is usually played by the hands and the bass clef by the feet. The carillon’s action is mechanical, which allows the performer to control the dynamics (loud and soft) by the force of the strike. There is no mechanism to dampen the sound after a bell is struck. Because carillon bells are rich in overtones, the consonant and dissonant combinations are sometimes reversed in carillon music to account for the presence of a minor-third overtone in each bell.

HOW ARE THE BELLS TUNED?

Carillon bells are tuned just after they are cast and before they are installed. A bell is placed on a lathe and metal is carefully removed from various heights of the inside wall of the bell. If tuned correctly at this time, the bells never have to be re-tuned.

Thanks to the Bok Tower Gardens website, boktowergardens.org, for the above information.

Today is Flag Day. My daughter, Karen, was born on the Traditional Memorial Day, May 30th. Many years, she asked for a replacement American flag for her present. Our houses always displayed the flag, proudly. As we travel around the United States, we like to take pictures of our nation’s flag. We honor our flag, try our best to be good American citizens and gratefully thank those who protect our country every day.

I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America.
And to the republic for which it stands,
One nation, under God, indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.

When we lived in Las Vegas, we traveled around the area to many parks and beautiful sites. Here’s a few pictures from beautiful Bryce Canyon that were taken by me in May, 2010. It took us several attempts to get there but we finally were able to make the trip. Don’t let the blue skies and wispy clouds fool you! It was very windy and cold that day! If you haven’t ever seen what the wind can do, check out the photos when Ed and took a road trip to Bryce Canyon. Still some snow around. And check out the ice on the farm equipment! Brrr!

With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, Karen and I have had to cancel several of our travel plans. I decided to show some of the beautiful trips I’ve taken in the past with my husband, Ed, and/or with my daughter, Karen. Travel never gets old. It gets remembered for the sites you see and the memories you make with those you love and travel with.

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.”
–Hans Christian Andersen

Since there’s no traveling in the immediate future, I thought I’d share a group I participated in as a teen in my hometown of Rush, NY – The Rush Kaydettes, a color guard marching group sponsored by the Rush Volunteer Fire Department. During the summer months, we traveled to area towns to march in their fire department’s parades. During the winter months, we traveled to competitions. The ultimate goal was to win first place and bring home a trophy and/or a cash prize.

Our uniforms were mostly hand-made by our directors. Our white boots had red tassels and taps on the bottoms to accent our marching steps. No dragging of the feet as it would be heard. I started out carrying a flag but my goal was to carry a rifle. Flags didn’t do much in the way of routines back then. It was the rifle unit that had the drills and routines to razzle-dazzle the crowds as we marched along the parade route. Our technical director was a judge. He was scary! I remember him walking behind our line and you knew when he stopped behind you. He would ‘breathe’ on you trying to get you to flinch. Military discipline! No flinching, coughing or sneezing allowed! But, we were a good group and as such won many awards.

The highlight of the night was maybe catching a ride on the back of a fire truck to the beginning of the parade and the carnival afterwards. We weren’t allowed to wear our uniforms on the carnival grounds, so it was a quick change out of the car trunk, and off we went to have fun in groups of no less than 2-4 girls. The time when awards would be handed out was our meeting time. Our directors kept a pretty good eye on this group of teenage girls, for sure!

When I first joined, we practiced in the parking lot of the Rush Town Hall. Then later on, we moved down the road a bit to the local elementary school: summers outside in the parking lot; winters inside in the gym. Weekly practices were for learning routines and precision drills. Keeping in step with each other was key. The tallest girl in the group carried the American flag. It was my honor to walk beside her, essentially protecting our flag.

One of my favorite parades to march in was for the Naples Grape Festival in Naples, NY. The parade was held at night, after dark. We had flashlights taped to our flag poles and rifles to illuminate us. One of my least favorite parts about marching was doing so behind horses. We were not allowed to dodge the poop on the road. Just nasty! I always thought the horses should be at the end of the parade! Another favorite part was when there was a drum & bugle group either in front of or behind us. (Our fire department did not have a band as some did back then.) It was nice being able to hear the music and march to the beat of the drums. And yet another not so favorite part was being directly behind a diesel-engine fire truck and breathing the fumes! All in all, however, these were some of the best times of my teens – being a part of a sisterhood who shared the same goal. It helped mold me into who I am today.

Sadly, many fire departments have stopped sponsoring their annual Firemen’s Day parades and carnivals, as one after another have held their last hurrah. Times change. Priorities change. People change. Life goes on…

You never know what may help shape your life,
until you try it.

I have traveled for many years, worked in a garden center,
had flowers in my yard and home and worked at a florist,
I’ve always loved flowers.
Here are some great pictures taken by me as well as Karen.
I hope you enjoy this pictorial blog post.
In honor of Mothers everywhere, Happy Mother’s Day!

The beauty of flowers speaks many languages.

One of my favorite places is Las Vegas. Not necessarily to gamble, but to see the area and appreciate the history. Years ago, we located the green fabric-lined, fenced-in area where old casino and Vegas signs were kept by using our GPS as we Geocached the strip and surrounding areas in 2004. We had to park on an iffy side street and peek through the holes in the fabric. Wow! All that history, just sitting there piled up, one sign on top of another! The days of light-bulbed and neon signs with hinged moving parts. Nothing like today’s computer graphic signs!

Years later, the Neon Boneyard was created. Signs were refurbished and displayed both near Downtown Las Vegas as well as in the Boneyard. Signs from hotels, casinos, restaurants and more were everywhere! I didn’t know where to look first! Karen and I were also able to visit the Boneyard at night for a guided tour, where select signs that had been refurbished were illuminated once again. Loving Vegas, and visiting there for many years before moving there, I found all the signs fascinating. Below are some of my favorite signs. Travel vicariously with me through the maze of old Las Vegas signage.

“…The Neon Museum collection chronicles changes and trends in sign design and technology through pieces ranging from the 1930s to the present day.”

I hope you enjoyed this virtual private photo tour and information about this iconic site. For additional information on tickets and the Neon Museum and Boneyard, check out their website at neonmuseum.org.

As I often do, I created a Shutterfly book to showcase many of the pictures taken on several visits to “the Boneyard.”

Sometimes you have to just stop thinking so much,
and go where your heart takes you.
My heart takes me to Las Vegas.

During these days when we are sheltering at home, we’ve still been able to travel — through the eyes of others, such as Rick Steves. We’ve enjoyed several of his travel films about European cities, many that we have visited on our own travels. These ‘tour’ films have brought back many memories for us during a time when we cannot travel and have had to cancel our travel plans. Rick Steves “brings the world into people’s living room who couldn’t otherwise travel.”

Today, we traveled back to one of my favorite trips – Salzburg, Austria. My daughter, Karen, put together a grand Sound of Music vacation to help celebrate my 60th birthday, which started with a themed tea party stateside and ended visiting several of the actual movie sites in Austria. We also traveled to Hallstatt, Austria. A place we looked into purchasing and running a B&B at one time. A wrong turn took us through a quaint Bavarian town, where a shop keeper kept her store open for us as we shopped for just the right Christmas ornament to bring home. Mmm! The beer, the pretzels, the brats, the oompah music of the Hofbraushaus. We saw famous castles such as Neuschwanstein, which was beautiful, if a bit of a walk on a rainy day. We’ve visited churches with beautiful fresco paintings, gorgeous stained glass windows, huge organs with multiple pipes, and lots of golden gilt decorating. We cruised the Wachau Valley on a longboat, glimpsed art galleries and always heard a bit of history as we traveled with Rick.

Below are a few pictures that Karen has taken on our wonderful vacations abroad. It’s amazing the sites we’ve visited! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would see so much of the world outside my window…20 steps at a time.

Rick Steves is a great tour guide. He writes tour travel books that contain suggestions, a bit of educational history and humorous content. He knows the side streets and little known areas to visit that you might otherwise miss on an “organized” tour. His books are available to purchase and also to borrow from your library. If it’s your first time traveling across the pond, I recommend seeing his travel films and reading his books – ricksteves.com. You’ll be happy that you did!

Another trip down memory lane found us looking through our Shutterfly books, which were put together after many momentous trips such as,

In the Wake of Vikings – a transatlantic cruise
Iconic Western Mediterranean – Rome, Barcelona and more
Danube Waltz – for the Christmas markets
Empires of the Mediterranean – Venice, Athens and more
Christmas in New York City
Oceania Pacific Coast Christmas
Lighthouses of the East Coast
Las Vegas’ Neon Boneyard
and more

So, even though we are exercising restraint in all things during this pandemic, everyone can still travel, go to museums, visit historic places near and far, listen to music…whatever makes you happy to be home and have these wonderful opportunities available from your easy chair. Hopefully, once the crisis is passed, some of these virtual trips will incite you to get out there and experience them first hand, instead of vicariously! Travel is a wonderful experience!

“Until next time, keep on travellin'”
Rick Steves

Karen and I have had lots of time to talk about our canceled March cruise and all the things that our recent pandemic has brought to our door. We will be getting a voucher for a future cruise from Viking that we can use within the next 24 months. So, of course, we are also talking about where we want to go and what we want to see in 2021. In the meantime, however, once restrictions are lifted, we will begin to enjoy our resident season passes to Sea World Orlando and Disney World.

Up for consideration are:
Russia and the Baltic Sea (Ocean Cruise) – 11 days; 6 guided tours; 4 countries
Discover Stockholm’s maze of waterways as you explore its archipelago. Marvel at St. Petersburg’s art and architecture, and enjoy more during a three-day stay. Visit the charming medieval trading ports of Tallinn and Visby, see the exquisitely beautiful Bornholm and find out why so many visitors return to the island year after year. Embrace the relaxed atmosphere of Copenhagen and experience firsthand why the Danes are considered among the world’s happiest people.

Viking Homelands (Ocean Cruise) – 15 days; 11 guided tours; 8 countries
Sail the clear waters of Scandinavia and the Baltic on this 15-day cruise. Enjoy overnights in cosmopolitan Stockholm, majestic St. Petersburg and scenic Bergen, and explore charming historic city centers in Tallinn and Gdańsk. Visit Helsinki, Berlin and Copenhagen and witness breathtaking scenery from your ship as she glides through majestic Norwegian fjords in the legendary homelands of the Vikings.

Africa Serengeti – Four Seasons ‘road trip’ getaway on our own.

Russia – St. Petersburg to Moscow – Four Seasons ‘road and train trip’ getaway on our own.

So, once again, we are reaching out to all of you to ask for your opinion on which vacation to plan for 2021. The first person to correctly guess will receive a bit of encouragement from us to plan your own vacation, in the form of a Viking luggage tag! So, leave a comment with your best guess by April 30th for a chance to win this lovely new red leather luggage tag, which will be mailed to your home address once the virus is safely passed.

I travel because it makes me realize how much I haven’t seen,
how much I’m not going to see,
and how much I still need to see.”
– Carew Papritz

While living in Las Vegas, I was able to enjoy many live shows and performances with my daughter, Karen. I sure do miss those days! I enjoyed writing about these shows in my now closed Las Vegas Show Stoppers group page on Facebook. Between Karen’s ‘plus 1’ invitations and my Houseseats membership, we were very busy theater goers! I lived in Las Vegas from Fall 2005 to Summer 2013. That’s a lot of shows!!! Variety shows, concerts, musicals, comedy, outdoor theater – you name it, I probably saw it!

Gotta love technology! I had this post almost done and then poof! It disappeared! So, time to recreate it, maybe a bit differently this time. The theatrical shows and musicals I’ve seen are pretty much represented below in the Playbill listing. I’ve also pulled out the many musical performances that I enjoyed while living in Las Vegas (wonder who I missed on this list?).

Musical Performances (in no particular order):
Human Nature – Sands Showroom
Veronic Voices – Bally’s Las Vegas
Under the Streetlamp – Smith Center
Barry Manilow – Hilton Las Vegas
Boyz II Men – Mirage
Taylor Hicks – Paris Las Vegas
Michael Cavanaugh – Smith Center
Danny Wright – Smith Center
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill – Venetian
Garth Brooks – Wynn
Michael Grimm – Red Rock
Shania – The Colosseum
Mannheim Steamroller – Palazzo
Broadway Celebrations – NYNY
Foreigner, Journey and Night Rider – MGM
Society of Seven – Eastside Cannery
Phil Vassar – Eastside Cannery
ABBA – Eastside Cannery
Recycled Percussion – Tropicana
Gladys Knight – Tropicana
Wayne Newton – Tropicana
The Platters, Cornell Gunters Coaster and The Marvelettes – Rio
Rod Stewart – Caesars Palace
Greg London’s Icons – Riviera
Roy Rivers – Tribute To John Denver – Suncoast 
Cheap Trick & Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Paris 
Matt Goss – Caesars Palace
Bette Midler – Colosseum
Cher – Colosseum
Wes Winters
Wynonna’s Classic Christmas – LV Hilton
Jay White as Neil Diamond – Riviera
Donny & Marie – Flamingo
Elton John -Colosseum
Wayne Brady – Venetian
Gordi Brown – Venetian
Big Elvis – Barbary Coast
Celine Dion – Colosseum

Misc. tidbits posted on my original FB Show Stoppers page:
1. Autographed ticket from Earl Turner’s November 22, 2001 show at the Rio. I was his ‘towel girl’. 
2. Original Playbill for Menopause the Musical, playing at Playhouse 91 in NYC. 
3. Stage Magazine’s Starlight Express playbill AND my safety goggles; played at the Las Vegas Hilton mid 90’s. 
4. Ticket stub from EFX Alive, starring Rick Springfield, MGM, November 24, 2001 AND the show program including my 3D glasses!
5. Show flyer to Manilow’s Music and Passion, Las Vegas Hilton
and finally
6. Sigfried & Roy’s program, Mirage – never saw the show but found this discarded.

Phantom Phacts!
– There are 267 candles in the Phantom’s lair, more than in any other production worldwide.
– The Grand Staircase for “Masquerade” weighs 14,000 pounds!
– The dazzling 2000 pound chandelier is 15 feet tall and over 16 feet in diameter.
– The chandelier is strung with 29,444 individual crystal beads and 116 lighting globes in four sections. 
– The sculptural angels and various decorative ladies around the stage and opera boxes are wearing a total of 88 pieces of handmade custom jewelry all designed specifically for this production. 
– More than 3000 yards of fabric make up the set drapes, which are adorned with 1000 yards of fringe and hand-decorated with 15,000 small wooden balls. 
– There are more than 250 automated effects during the performance. WOW! I love knowing stuff like this! And now, hopefully so do you! (Info provided by Phantom Phacts sheet)

I’ve also been in the audience for a few Cirque du Soliel performances in Las Vegas, Orlando and Washington, D.C. area. Definitely a 3-ring circus trying to catch all the acts and watch all the actors do their amazing acrobatics.

I still have many of my original Playbills from the performances I’ve attended including: Hairspray, The Full Monty, Mama Mia, Phantom (again), West Side Story, Les Miserables, Lion King (Toronto), Blast, The Nutcracker, Kraft Country Tour Starring Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis and Carlese Carter, July 96; Crazy For You, Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, October 95; Showboat North York Performing Arts Centre, Toronto June 1994; Miss Saigon, Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, November 1993; Phantom of the Opera, Pantages Theatre, Toronto, March 1993 and Plaid Tidings, Gold Coast, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Rochester; Crowns; Wynonna, A Classic Christmas; Tom Stevens; Wayne Newton, Once Before I Go; Fame; America’s Got Talent Live; Phantom of the Opera, Las Vegas; Phantom of the Opera, Toronto; Phantom of the Opera, Rochester; Elton John, Red Piano; Cher, Las Vegas; Bette Midler, Las Vegas; Ka’; Mystere; Love; Gordie Brown; Nathan Burton; Wes Winters; Garth Brooks: Frank Marino’s Divas; Hats, The Musical, Las Vegas; Hats the Musical, New Orleans; The Nutcracker (again), Frank Caliendo; The Music Man; Blue Man Group; Donny & Marie; The King and I; Ultimate Manilow, The Hits; Thoroughly Modern Millie, Las Vegas; Hairspray; 42nd Street, Ford Centre; 42nd Street, Tuacahn; Menopause the Musical, Las Vegas; Shag with a Twist; Grease; Les Miserables;The Sound of Music; A Chorus Line; Jesus Christ Superstar; Movin Out; Voices; Cats; Terry Fator; The Producers; Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Rockettes; 42nd Street, Rochester; The King and I, Rochester; Jekyll & Hyde; The Lion King, NYC; Chicago; Jersey Boys. 

As soon as our COVID-19 restrictions are over, I hope you will go see a live performance and love it as much as I do! It’s been a bit of a dry spell for me, so I’m more than ready!

See also Loving Live Theater – Part I

“Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words…”
Keith Richards

From high school plays to Broadway and off-Broadway events, I enjoy going to watch these productions.

Years ago, while in high school, I was involved backstage in the makeup department for our productions. I remember the guys not wanting makeup! Ever try putting mascara on a guy? Good times! Especially when trying to assist them with their ‘coloring’ for West Side Story! I also remember going to Park Avenue with our advisor to purchase greasepaint for the shows. I never really wanted to be on stage, but loved being back stage!

Later on, I won tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto. That was exciting! And definitely got me hooked on ‘the big stage’ shows. I made a few trips to Toronto from Rochester, New York over the years to see shows, enjoying the experience of each of them. I’ve probably seen Phantom a dozen times since, in many different locations, loving each production.

A trip to NYC for my daughter’s audition for a regional theater production, offered the opportunity to purchase TKTS for Les Miserables. Great seats and a another great production, using a revolving stage. Again, I love the ‘workings’ of live theater. The revolving stage worked well for this performance. I’ve probably seen Les Mis at least a half dozen times in many locations from high school performers to traveling theater troupes.

A later trip to NYC with a co-worker had us looking for something to do besides work while we were there. I did some research and found an off-Broadway show, called Menopause the Musical. This show has since moved up to be an ON Broadway show as well as being shown in many cities. Love this show and have also seen it multiple times. You’ll laugh til ya leak!

My love of live theater found me purchasing season tickets for the Rochester Broadway Theater League, where I had an excellent seat and enjoyed many shows.

While living in Las Vegas, I was able to enjoy many live shows and performances with my daughter, Karen. I sure do miss those days! I enjoyed writing about those shows in my now closed Las Vegas Show Stoppers group page on Facebook. Between Karen’s ‘plus 1’ invitations and my HouseSeats membership, we were very busy theater goers! See my other blog post about Loving Live Theater Part II: Vegas Style (coming soon!).

I’ve also been in the audience for a few Cirque du Soliel performances in Las Vegas, Orlando and Washington, D.C. area. Definitely a 3-ring circus trying to catch all the acts and watch all the actors do their amazing acrobatics.

We even enjoy (usually) live theater when we are on a cruise. You can usually find us in the ship’s theater after dinner for their nightly show offering. Usually a small troupe consisting of a couple lead singers and a handful of dancers, they put on several types of shows from variety to iconic and more.

I still have many of my original Playbills from the performances I’ve attended; below is a sampling. You might wonder what Twilight Tattoo is. It’s not a stage production but an actual live re-enactment performed by soldiers in the U.S. Army. What a great experience! If ever in the Washington, D.C. area and you can attend a performance, you will not be sorry! It actually sent chills through me as they represented different eras of battle to music.

It’s been a bit of a dry spell, theater-wise lately. But I have great memories of all the wonderful shows I’ve been privileged to watch.

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.”
– Anna Quindlen