Runner Up, Again

It's that time of year again, when all small communities honor their hokey traditions and celebrate the birth of our nation. In our neck of the woods, we have an annual boat parade. Ironically, this year our boat was the "Long Lake Royal Family." I know, we were actually declaring independence from the royals, but we cruised with gusto anyway. We gave it the ole college try, but yet again, we were the runners up. Maybe next year...

The Visitor

We had a rainy day today, so we decided to go to lunch in Traverse City and then see The Visitor at the State Theatre. We ate at a fabulous place called Amical. If you are ever in the area, you must give it a try. The menu reminded me of a French Bistro and was every bit as quaint. I could easily become a regular there.

The State Theatre has been beautifully restored thanks to a very large investment from Michael Moore and many, many volunteers in the community. They have 25 cent movies three days a week for the kids, they host the Traverse City Film Festival, they show the current season of the Metropolitan Opera live in the winter on the big screen. It is such a boon to the community.

The Visitor was a great movie. It was very human and touching; another story about how the United States has unjustly treated it's immigrants. I highly recommend seeing it.

Wine Country, MI

We have been thoroughly enjoying our trip to Michigan wine country! Seems odd, but we drove up to the 45th parallel – the same one that runs through the Washington/Oregon wine region as well as Bordeaux in France. I was surprised at the quality of the wine. They had some really lovely cabernet francs, as well as a couple of nice dry whites. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the dry wines, but I was pleasantly surprised.

We stayed at a beautiful B&B: Chateau Chantal with our incredible cousins. And we couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather! It was a most beautiful respite in the midst of a very busy week. Thanks you two for inviting us!

Toy Recommendation

I am always on the lookout for travel toys; things to keep us busy on the 7 hour trip to the lake. My most recent favorite is the Find It. If you’ve ever been in an independent toy store, you’ve probably seen one. It’s a plastic tube filled with plastic confetti and small objects. On the top of the tube is a list of all the things hidden in the tube. You have to shake it up and roll it around to find all the items. It kept us busy for a full hour. I plan to keep it in the van for just this reason. It was a bit pricey, but if we use it as much as I think we will, it will be well worth it.

Dirty Little Secret

So, here’s my dirty little secret that many of you may not know: I am addicted to television. I have several shows that I have set to record weekly, most of which are mindless, purposeless and not very good at storytelling. But I like stories and TV has them in tidy little 60-minute packages. It fits into my life, and, well, I’m willing to settle.

The writer’s strike really put a damper on things this spring. Just as shows were getting started, bam! we’re back to reruns. And then, in several of my favorite crime dramas they cleared the decks of my favorite characters. In CSI Warrick is gone – I loved the complexity they gave his character. In CSI: Miami, the medical examiner, Alexx, left the show. I loved how she loved her dead bodies. And lastly, in Law & Order: Special Victims, they inferred the leaving of Casey (the lawyer), Lake (the detective), and Iced T’s character, Tutualla (the detective). Can this all be related to the writer’s strike? One has to assume the two are somehow related. And then there is the end of Battlestar Galactica, one of THE BEST shows on television. I am sad to see it go, and sorry that they took the tack they did on Earth. If you follow the show, you’ll know what I’m talking about. There are still a few episodes left for the show to redeem itself.

So it’s no surprise that I am delighted to finally have the start of the summer series at hand. I am a big fan of The Closer. I love to go around imitating Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson. I think the characters on the show are super and I especially love how Brenda is a smart, fast-talking dame who always gets her man. And I’ll be giving Saving Grace another shot this summer too. I love Holly Hunter’s inhibitions. And the premise of the show is promising. I just don’t think they took the spiritual angle far enough last season. I’m hoping for a bit more daring in that department this time around.

I’ve been looking for something to fill my crime-drama yen. I’ve seen all the Law & Order episodes, ditto with the spin-offs Special Victims and Criminal Intent (the joy of the DVR). I’ve also tapped out CSI (I’m working on the CSI: Miami series). I’ve even seen all the Without a Trace Episodes. Of course we record the new episodes, but like I said, I’m addicted. I’ve tried Cold Case and it’s just not satisfying. Love to hear your recommendations.

Fun Link

Here's a fun little link I discovered through my friend Amy's blog. This is a representation of all my blog entries over the last 2 months.

My Girls

I just couldn't resist posting this one!

Night Out

We have been trying to get together with some friends of ours for what seems like months. Our schedules just weren't working out. But this weekend we finally made it to see The Fantasticks at a local theatre.

I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was a really nice show. It seems like it was probably a major influence for Steven Sondheim and Into The Woods (which is one of my favorites). The girl who played Luisa was so over the top, our friend said she was a bit too Disney-princess. I agree. I was also surprised that I didn't recognize but one song from the show. After all, it is the longest running Broadway production ever. I just assumed I would have heard more of the tunes. 

I'm not sure this is a show I would rush to see again, but if Jerry Orbach came back from the dead to reprise his roll as El Gallo, I'd be the first in line! All in all, it was a great night out -- thanks guys for the invite. Let's do it again.