Amanda in Matilda

Matilda was played by 14 year old Genevieve Cooper.  She has a beautiful voice and did an excellent job in her lead role.  She definitely has a bright theatrical future ahead.

Matilda The Musical is very dark story about a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers.  She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey.  Over the course of her first term at school, Matilda an d Miss Honey have a profound effect on each other's lives, as Miss Honey begins not only to recognize but also appreciate Matilda's extraordinary personality.  Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however, - the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules.  But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupil's saving grace.

Amanda, played by our Ava Grace is one of the unfortunate, revolting school children who often incurs Miss Trunchbull's wrath.

These are the many expressions of Amanda.

 In Ava Grace's cast, the part of Miss Trunchbull was played by 15 year old Gavin Campbell.

Gavin did an amazing job of keeping what could have been a very scary and tragic story, by keeping us the audience in stitches.

Here Amanda is getting in big trouble for wearing her hair in braids.

This is a scene from the really nice song, "When I Grow Up."

This is how Miss Trunchbull conducts Phys-Ed Class and every scene was hilarious.

Amanda is still receiving the wrath of the headmistress for her braids.

 

And that's a wrap for this summer performance by the North Texas Performing Arts Dallas Troupe.

Ava Grace and her whole cast did an amazing job.

The Year Was 1969

The summer of 1969 was a significant one for our nation. Senator Ted Kennedy was involved in a car accident on Chappaquiddick Island in which a young woman by the name of Mary Jo Kopechne died.  Neil Armstrong declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” as Apollo landed on the moon. That same summer, nearly half a million fans converged on a dairy farm in upstate New York for a three-day rock concert known as Woodstock. 

The summer of 1969 was a significant season for our family as well. On June 18 Dick and his 7 month pregnant wife moved from Orange, Texas to Bastrop, Louisiana. I was very heavy with child!

We moved into a brand new house - the first house we had ever bought - and settled in with our meager belongings with the help of some very patient and helpful Bastrop folks. 

On August 22nd, church youth music took on new meaning in our little town with a major production of the folk musical "Tell It Like It Is," directed by my husband.

Early on that same morning, our beautiful first-born son came into the world and set our feet firmly on a new path of parenthood.  John’s birth brought untold joy to our family.

Those were also stressful, scary days of having no clue what we were doing and yet too afraid to admit our weaknesses.  We all three learned together and our little papoose thrived. 

The summer of 1969 also brought integration to our state and public schools. Out of fear of the unknown and perhaps what they did know, the school in the small rural community where my youngest sister was to be a senior, closed its doors.  When John was six weeks old, we also became the sister and brother caregivers to a 17 year old who needed to finish high school. 

Although we loved having Sarah with us and John absolutely loved her to death, it was an added responsibility we weren’t sure what to do with.  We wanted her and were thrilled to have her, but scared at the same time. 

Thankfully, she was easy and a joy to have in our home and was such a big help with John.  It was not an easy time for her either. She had to leave home for the first time. She had to take on responsibilities and obligations she wasn’t accustomed to. She had to make all new friends in a strange new place, knowing it was only for a few months. She had to be a sister while under the authority of that sister.  It was hard.

On the other hand, It also meant that our parents came more often which was nice.  It also gave Sarah and me an opportunity to build our sister relationship in a way that would not have happened otherwise because of the age difference of seven years.  I even got to help make her prom dress and see her grow and develop into a beautiful outgoing, independent young lady, ready to embark on college life.  I would not change a thing about 1969 for us. 

I even benefited from that same prom dress a couple years later after Christy was born.

As I reflect on that momentous time in our lives, I am filled with gratitude that God led us to a place where Sarah could finish school, where our children were born and loved by a community of supportive friends and church members.  I am grateful for  that time in our lives that laid the foundation for where we find ourselves today, fifty years later. 

Yes, 1969 was a very interesting and eventful year!

Light and Color

While visiting with at our daughter's home this past weekend, I became fascinated with the play of color, movement, and shadow in her swimming pool.

I hope you find it as captivating as I did.

 

Wednesday Medley: Lighthouses & Matilda

Since it's Wednesday, it must be time for the Medley.

Terri asks the questions based on a National Day and we provide our answers.

Join us at Your Friend From Florida for all the other Meddlers.

NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY – August 7

  

1.  Let's start with a number! How many lighthouses have you visited?

I think I have actually visited only three lighthouses.  I've seen others from a distance.

St. Simon Lighthouse on St Simon Island, Georgia

Lighthouse on Lake Michigan at South Haven

  

Mackinac Point Light, Mackinaw City, Michigan

2.  Have you been inside a lighthouse and did you walk to the top?

We went inside the lighthouse in Mackinaw City and climbed to the very top as these pictures testify.

Looking east toward Lake Huron

From the very tip-top porthole looking northwest toward the Mackinac Bridge and Lake Michigan.

3.  Do you seek them out when you are traveling the coastlines or are you not that big a fan?

We do not necessarily seek them out, but do enjoy seeing lighthouses

4.  Do you have a favorite scripture or another reference to share with us concerning a guiding light in your life?

John 8:12  "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 5:16  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

5.  If you don't collect lighthouses when you travel, is there something tangible that you tend to collect as a souvenir when you are on vacation or a road trip?

Nothing tangible only memories

6.  Please share something with us about your week.

Monday, I had some errands to run and decided to take my camera along.  Did you know that the largest building mural in America is found in our city?  Yes it is!  We are also known for our building art which I will be happy to show you in a blog next week.  This is a preview.

Tuesday morning after my gym workout, I joined a group of neighborhood ladies for a water aerobic class at the club house.  It was fun and compliments what I'm already doing.

Thursday morning we will be driving to Dallas for a couple nights in order to see our Ava Grace perform in the play "Matilda" with the North Dallas Performing Arts.

She made the billboard!

Our littlest one isn't little any more.  I can't believe she will be a 7th grader this year and in October will be an official teenager.  We just could not be more proud of this lovely, talented, sweet young lady.

In's & Out's and Focuses

First, a bit of housekeeping for bloggers I follow who happen to also read my blog.

If you haven't converted your URL into "SAFE" mode according to Google's standards and requirements, please do so.  It is only a matter of changing your http to a https.  This makes your site safe and trustworthy for not only you but all your readers as well.

Please be nice to your followers and make yours a secure site.  Thank you!

If you need help, I got the following quote of a quote from a blogger I trust and who offers tons of helps and suggestions: Bluesky at Home

If you are one of those holdouts who has not updated your site to https, here’s an article that hopefully will push you to comply: Why HPPTS Matters. It’s straight from the horse’s Google’s mouth. 

FLASHING WARNING: Jeff said that you should not embed photos from a website that is not secure and NEVER EVER leave a CC# or personal information if it is not secure.

So check yours now to make sure is doesn't say "Not Secure" or only has "http" in the address.

Now, fun stuff!

Our local amazing R.W. Norton Art Gallery (no link because it isn't secure and I won't do that to you) hosts "Twilight Talkies" events on the first Friday of each month from April through October.

To be honest, I just learned of this and thought it would be fun to do.  And it was!

Saturday night's "Talkie" was Grease.  We invited friends to meet us there along with folding chairs and cans of bug spray.  (I'll tell you something about that later.)

There were several food trucks and I had my first hot dog in years.  Also long-time friends from another town were there with their Kettle Corn.  Delicious!  Next month's show will be "The Greatest Showman" so we already have a date night planned. 

We got there early so we could walk the beautiful gardens for a minute.

Now, that matter of bug spray.

Several months ago I ordered a bottle of "Bug Away" from Rocky Mountain Essential Oils.  All of their oils are great by the way and all I use.  Mosquitoes are terrible here and I get huge itchy welps from every bite. 

So before going out to the Talkies, I literally bathed in the oil by adding several drops to Epson Salts and putting it in my bath water.  Afterward I coated any to-be-exposed body parts with fractionated oil and again a couple drops of the "Bug Off."  I did not even hear a buzz the whole night, much less a bite.  So folks, it works!

Through My Lens

Saturday morning, Dick and I ate breakfast on the back porch and these are scenes my camera captured of life from our porch.

They were taken through the screen thus the filter affect.

Hoping you enjoy your day as you contemplate and enjoy God's wonderful world where you are.