FROM BIRTHDAYS TO BROADWAY - CHICAGO TO DALLAS - WHAT A RIDE!

This has been quite a month at our place. Even though our family is small, there have been a LOT of birthdays in it this month. My only cousin's widow, Marian Collins started off the month of celebrationfollowed by one of our favorite cousins on the Salazar side of the family, Elmeree Oliver. She and my mother shared the same birthday and Mom would have been 101 on the 20th! Here she is as a young flapper.My Grandmother was born on the 18th of February and would have been 131 this year. I can't imagine! She was so special to me and always thought I was perfect. How can you possibly not adore anyone who thinks you're perfect. She was my guardian angel!The next day was Rachel and Nicholas' father and my son-in-law, Bill Cowley's birthday, two days later Nick's wife, Dayna, celebrated her 29th, then on the 25th Rachel and her son Ethan (our Great-grandson) shared a birthday. It's hard to believe that he turned 13 and is now a teenager! I can't possibly be old enough to have a teenage great grandchild!The very next day the latest addition to the Salazar clan, Baby Jack, had his first birthday. Here is the card that I designed for him. Two days later his Mom, Stacie had another birthday. I just wish I had a better photograph of her because she's SO adorable. Ian had a mad crush on her for a long time several years ago. SOOO... as you can see, it's a wonderful time for celebrations in our family! What a bonus for me since I'm an only child. When I was young I had no idea that I would be connected to so many special people. Praise God for family!

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved dance in any form. One of my favorite styles of dance as an adult is that of Choreographer, Bob Fosse. To me it is the most sensual, suggestive form of dance that I have ever seen and I LOVE his style. It's very minimalistic but each move is so important. I am a real movie buff and I have a lot of favorite movies, but one of my favorites is "All That Jazz". The storyline is based on the life and death of Fosse. The entertainment world lost a real treasure when he succumbed to a heart attack at a young age. As a choreographer, Bob Fosse changed the course of Broadway musicals with his distinctively slinky, sexy style of dancing. Then he developed into a multimedia triple threat: in 1973 he won an Academy Award for directing the movie Cabaret (which also won a best actress Oscar for Liza Minnelli), three Emmy awards for directing, producing and choreographing Minelli's TV special Liza With a Z, and two Tony Awards for directing and choreographing the Broadway show Pippin. That feat is, so far, unmatched. Fosse's other hit Broadway shows included Sweet Charity (1965), Chicago (1975) - this is the original showbill

and Dancin' (1978). We have had the pleasure of seeing each of his productions. Fosse was married three times, most famously to his dance partner Gwen Verdon, and was also famous for his extramarital womanizing and freewheeling lifestyle. He told his own story in the semi-autobiographical movie All That Jazz (1979). A 1998 revue, Fosse, collected his most famous dance works into one show. Fosse died of a heart attack in Washington D.C. during the run of a revival of his 1965 show Sweet Charity... A 2002 film version of Chicago won the Academy Award as the year's best picture; it was directed by Rob Marshall and starred Renee Zellweger as Roxie Hart, the role originated by Verdon.

On Tuesday evening we went to Bass Hall to see the revival of "Chicago" which is another segment of the Broadway at the Bass series. It was wonderful.

I had a perpetual grin on my face for two and a half hours. It runs for another week and I would suggest that if you have ANY interest in good music and superb dancing, you'd better run right out and get your tickets. The staging is minimal but the voices, story-line and dancing are beyond criticism. It was a real feast for the eyes and when the overture started, my heart was pounding so that I thought it would burst. There is nothing like a live performance with an orchestra backing it to make me swoon. That may sound old fashioned, but that's how I feel about live performances. They're unmatched in my opinion.

To quote the Fort Worth Star Telegram: There's no business like show business -- or criminal justice. Both are brilliantly treated as one in Fred Ebb's, John Kander's and Bob Fosse's satirical Chicago.
The tour that opened in Fort Worth Tuesday is an unforgettable theater experience. You might even forget the terrific 2002 movie version.
Based on a play that journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins wrote after covering murder trials in 1920s Chicago, the musical sets up the story as if it's a circus attraction. Two murder suspects, scheming Velma and the even more calculating Roxie vie for the attention of corrupt-but-irresistible lawyer Billy Flynn so that they can be cleared -- and become famous in the meantime. Satellite roles include Roxie's ignored husband Amos prison matron "Mama" Morton , and pushover reporter Mary Sunshine.
The two leading ladies are fantastic, especially when together. And, as should be for a show with Fosse choreography, the dancing is impeccable throughout.

We met friends in Dallas last night at the Park Cities Club for dinner. We had a wonderful time as it was the first time that the six of us had gotten together since my 70th birthday party in Santa Fe.

Both couples live in Dallas, but did not know one another until they met at my birthday party. We met the Waldies on a Mediterranean cruise 2 years ago and we met the Cook's on a cruise to the Panama Canal two years before. Little did we know at the time that we had so much in common (besides loving to cruise!) The Cooks have a place in Crested Butte and so did we, the Waldies have a place in Santa Fe ... and so do we ... and we also discovered that Walter and Ray went to the same schools in Dallas. Talk about a small world! We had a great time comparing travel experiences and all the good times we have shared over the past few years. I'm sure that we'll continue to make it a habit of getting together frequently as a six-some since we enjoy each other's company so much.

I have a lunch date, so I'd better get ready. Frank will be going to the Stars game tonight and I'll stay home and watch the next chapter in the lives of the hopefuls on American Idol.

More to come later. XOXO, Pcasso

LANDSCAPES, DIFFA AND SKATEPARKS

This has been a very busy weekend. I started it off by going to my studio and trying to paint something that is my own work. I took the instruction that I was given in my lesson last week and this is what I came up with.

The painting that I did with Vern is much more subdued and I love the coloration in it, but once I got started on this landscape, I got really involved with bright colors and I think I like the end result.

I painted from early morning until late afternoon when the boys arrived with skateboards in hand. They wanted their Boompa to take them to a Skatepark so they could improve their skills on their boards. Needless to say, they aren't as skilled as this "boarder" and I hope they never are!

I opted to stay here and start dinner preparations instead. The park is in Kennedale, Texas, so off they went. It took them forever to find it since the driving directions on the Internet were inaccurate and the people there don't always answer their phone. Boompa is much more patient than I am. I think I would have given up and come back home!

They had a good time and when they returned, they jumped into the Jacuzzi while Frank and I finished preparing dinner for them. We had steak, corn on the cob, artichokes, biscuits and chocolate sundae's for dessert. They had worked up a hearty appetite, so it was well worth the effort to prepare this meal for them.

The reason we have the boys this weekend is because their folks are at a very worthwhile benefit at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas called DIFFA which stands for Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. It is one of the country’s largest supporters of direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS and preventive education for those at risk. Merging care and commerce, supporters of DIFFA come from all fields of fine design and the visual arts, including: architecture, fashion design, interior design, photography and consumer product design.
With fundraising efforts bolstered by strategic partnerships and unique events showcasing innovation and creativity, DIFFA has mobilized the immense resources of the design communities and granted over $35 million to hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide.
The 2008 gala, dubbed Cinéma de la vie, took place last night(one month earlier than usual) at the Hilton Anatole Hotel with Neale Jones serving his second time as event chairman. On the block: More than 100 redesigned Arizona jean jackets by returning favorites such as Geoffrey Henning and Nicolas Villalba, as well as national names such as Nicole Miller, Kenneth Cole and Badgley Mischka.

Franklin and Beth both looked wonderful for the big event and I can't wait for their return so I can hear all about it. They go for the weekend every year and always really enjoy themselves. It's great fun to get all dolled up for a weekend in Dallas and this was one of those special times.

Poor little Harry spends most of his time at the window just waiting for his folks to come back. It's been a long wait. We gave him some steak to help pass the time and so how I don't think he really cares when they return if he keeps getting special food!

I'm going to fix breakfast for the boys and then get ready for church. I hope that you have a great rest of the weekend and a good week ahead of you.

XOXO, Pcasso

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

I've had several inquiries the past day or two asking me "Where in the world are you, are you all right?" and all I can say is that I'm here, relatively healthy and just haven't been "computerizing" as much lately! When I was still affiliated with Canvas by Canvas, I spent the majority of my time on the computer and had little time left for anything else. Now that that burden has been lifted, I have other things to fill my days (not to mention my nights ;-) but I'm not sure what all I'm accomplishing!

Monday of last week we went to a party that our travel agent hosted in Fort Worth. She was celebrating 30 years in the travel business and it was a lovely gathering. Her name is Ruth Turpin, her company is Cruises, Etc., and I would highly recommend her if you need any assistance with your travels. She's the best of the best.

The next night we went to see the stage play "Steel Magnolias" which is part of the Broadway at the Bass series this year. We ate at our favorite restaurant, Caro's, on Bluebonnet Circle. Frank and I have been eating there for 52 years and it's as good as it was way back when. It's always a special occasion for us to eat there because we like it so much. The place still looks the same and the Mexican food is wonderful.

We purchased season tickets for this Broadway series and so far we have not been disappointed. For those of you not from Fort Worth, Bass Hall is a wonderful place and as residents of the Metroplex, we are so blessed to have this wonderful facility. The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall complex is the crown jewel of Fort Worth which boasts the nation's third largest cultural district.

Built entirely with private funds, Bass Performance Hall is permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Cliburn Concerts. It also hosts special productions of Casa Manana Musicals and presents Performing Arts Fort Worth's "Hall Series," a popular array of eclectic entertainment.

The 2,056-seat multipurpose Hall is characteristic of the classic European opera house form. The Hall itself is renowned for its superb acoustics, exceptional sight lines and ambience on level with the great halls of the world.

It is, however, a very difficult structure to photograph. Because of the fact that it is located downtown and surrounded by tall buildings you can never get a good enough camera angle on it to due justice to the magnificent angels who are blowing gold trumpets that are on the front facade of the building. I have included a painting that a friend of mine painted. His interpretation of these angels is very dramatic and I like it very much.

This performance that we attended however, was not held at the Bass, but at Casa Manana, which is another theatre here in Fort Worth.

Steel Magnolias is actually a very sad play. What has made it so popular is the best collection of one-liners since Neil Simon in his prime. "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion," one character says and there's a lot of this in this play.

Casa Mañana assembled a stellar cast for its new production of this clouds-and-sunshine warhorse. Most of the performers have at least as much movie or TV as stage experience, but that doesn't mean close-up-to-the-camera subtlety. Most of the acting was stagy in the old-fashioned Broadway way.
The setting is the beauty shop that Truvy (Sally Struthers)

runs as a kind of clubhouse for the wealthy ladies of a small Louisiana city. The bighearted and buxom Truvy takes care of her new assistant, Annelle, as if she were a member of the family.
As the first client in the door, the late mayor's wife Clairee, played by a Fort Worth favorite, Ruta Lee, broke character immediately to acknowledge the audience's applause – as if she were back in the saddle as Mame or Mama Rose yet again. Fort Worth has always been her home away from home and she's delightful to watch.

With that purring baritone croak of hers, she delivers every speech as if it were the punch line of a stand-up joke, which most of them might just as well be. It was a delightful play but I think it would have worked better at the Bass as the acoustics are much better there.

Valentine's Day came and went and Frank and I got a new video camera to celebrate the occasion. It's no bigger than a package of cigarettes and takes marvelous images. It will come in very handy when we travel and it doesn't weigh much. That's the beauty of it! We're nearly half way through Lent now, and I have been busy studying, reading and doing a little painting.Unfortunately I had to miss my Bible/Book Study group last Monday as I have a cold and felt like the dickens. I have read my assignment, however, so I'm caught up. It's difficult for me to not move ahead as the book is so interesting and I want to keep going with the story line, but I'm trying to stay with the group and not get ahead.

We had a special presentation last Sunday afternoon at St. Alban's and I attended that. It was interesting, but not as informative as I had hoped it would be. We will have another presentation this coming Sunday by The Rev. Canon Charles Hough, the Canon to the Ordinary and assistant to the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth and I'm really looking forward to it. He and Father Tom Hightower will explain the changes that are taking place in the Episcopal Church in the United States and how this effects the churches within the Anglican Communion.
Last night I attended Evening Prayer and the Holy Eucharist which was followed by a meatless Lenten supper. We had a guest speaker, the Rev'd Chuck Hough, Jr. who spoke on the road that led to the crucifixion. The topic was "Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me". Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all provide witness to the crucifixion, but each does so in a unique way that when put together provide a multifaceted view. First, Matthew's account of the time from when Pontius Pilate delivered Christ to the Roman troops, to the time that they cast lots for His clothing. Matthew's account of Simon, "this man they compelled to carry His cross" is direct and plain.

"Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe upon Him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him they mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry His cross. Father Hough's presentation was excellent and well attended. We are having these meditations every Wednesday night during Lent. If you have anything like this at your churches, I would urge you to attend. These meditations help put the season of Lent into the proper perspective in our busy lives. I'm looking forward to the study next week.

I started taking private instruction today with a really good art teacher and I'm trying to stretch myself in a different direction. I've always been interested in landscapes and I'm attempting to paint in a more impressionistic style rather than painting with so much realism. We'll see what happens. Here's what I have painted in the last 24 hours. It was very interesting to work on. It's a copy of a painting that my teacher had done and I love it. I think I'll entitle mine "Reflections on a Golden Shore". It's a fairly large painting, 16 x 20 without a frame, so that in itself is a stretch for me!

This weekend will be a busy one. We will be keeping the boys and Harry overnight Saturday and then have a full day at church on Sunday. I'll try to get back to you soon and will hopefully have lots of interesting anticdotes to share.

Our evenings have been filled with American Idol and tonight we get to find out who gets eliminated this week. The voices this year seem to be much better than usual. The young man pictured is our favorite so far. His name is David Archuleta, he's 17 years old (I think) and is from Utah. He is adorable and he has a very strong voice. In my humble opinion, he has the best personality of the lot and he's so adorable looking.

Frank and I both love this show. We plan our evenings and meals around the television set during AI season. If you aren't a fan, stay tuned and I'll bring you up to date. If you are ... vote for David. We have and will :-)

XOXO, Pcasso

U2, ELVIS, CASH, MADONNA, OPERA AND MULTICULTURAL DAY

We had a very unexpected surprise today. After we got back from exercising this morning, we had a phone call from our son, Franklin. Today was Multicultural day at Key Elementry School where Ian and Connor attend and he needed to borrow one of my tripods in order to video the program.

Franklin and Beth have been working for several weeks on a project for this special day at the boys school and it was a huge success. Everyone always feels welcome when they go to Key Elementary in South Arlington. It's a wonderful school.

I'll have to be perfectly honest. I hadn't planned on attending this particular event as it was not necessarily open to everyone like it is on Grandparents Day, but when Frank went to the school to deliver the tripod when I was at church and saw what was going on, he thought we should go to one of the performances. I had Bible/Book study at church this morning that lasts until noon, so right after lunch we headed for the school.

Franklin has put in over 100 hours on this project and I have no idea how much time Beth has spent on it. They built a sound stage and reinacted the TV show, American Idol. The main theme of the "show" was the history of music, from Opera to Blues, to Rock and Roll and Rap. They even threw in a little Country Western! The kids had a great time. Franklin researched all of the information and then put it on film and coordinated it with the music of that era. It was extremely time consuming but he enjoyed doing it since that's what he does at his company, Reel FX. Don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but he's an Audio Engineer and he loves his work. He's also very good at it (nothing like a proud Mama talking about her son ;-)

At the beginning of the show when they introduced "Randy" and Simon" as two of the judges,

they made the announcement that Paula couldn't be there due to a previous engagement. It was at that time that they flashed this photograph of her with Franklin on the screen.

If you remember from my China blog, Franklin used to work with her in California, so he had this photograph of the two of them together. Some of the older kids got the message but it flew over the little one's heads :-)

They transformed the room they let them use into a set for American Idol and then the show began.

One of the first acts was a Diva singing an aria from a well known opera

and that was followed by Joan Baez and her accompanist.

A musical history presentation wouldn't be complete without "The King" himself, Elvis Presley,

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash,

and none other than the Beatles and their fans. There was audience participation on this number and some of the younger students got to dance to some Rock and Roll with two screaming fans even though they really weren't sure who The Beatles were. They did, however, enjoy the dancing!

Once John Travolta appeared in that famous white suit from Saturday Night Fever as the Bee Gees sang "Stayin' Alive",

Randy and Simon had a big discussion as to which act had been the best so far and which ones didn't quite measure up to par.

That was when The Material Girl, Madonna, appeared on the scene and she had a great performance. I think she might be in a close race for the lead.

Her act was followed by rappers Run - DMC

and a surprise guest also came ... Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin!

No musical history show would be complete without U2 and Bono. U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar) and Larry Mullen Jr. Only Bono and The Edge were there today. When we were in the Mediterranean last year we saw Bono's house. It was unbelieveable. It was so large that it looked like an entire shopping center!

I would love to have The Edge's black hat! Since he is my son, do you think he might let me borrow it for a while? It would look great on our next trip to Santa Fe!

Since the early 1980s, the members of U2—as a band and individually—have collaborated with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and social injustice. I think Beth looks great as Bono and I'd like to borrow her hat as well.

The people on Beth's committee put this wonderful presentation together with her as the Chairperson, and the youngsters as well as we old folks loved every minute of it. There were 7 shows throughout the day, consisting of 12 skits and 16 costume changes. They are all to be given a standing ovation for their successful endeavor and their hard work.

They all took a curtain call when the production was over and the producer had a big grin on his face. This has been a labor of love and everyone had a wonderful time.

Thank you for going on surprise this adventure with me. My talented little family "did good" and I'm SOOO very proud of them both.

XOXO, Pcasso