A to Z Theme 2016

For my 2016 A to Z theme I used a meme that I ran across on the blog of Bridget Straub who first saw it on the blog of Paula Acton. This meme is a natural for me to use on my memoir blog. It's an A to Z concept and it's about me. No research and nothing complicated. I'm given twenty six questions or topics to discuss that are about me.

In April I kept my posts short and uncomplicated. In the midst of it all you might learn a few things about me that you didn't previously know.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

New Jersey Memories


   

        New Jersey never figured into my past in any big way.  Now ironically New Jersey is a big part of my more recent past, my present, and undoubtedly will be a major part of my future since three of my daughters now live in this Atlantic coast state along with four of my grandchildren.  I don't see any of them moving from here anytime soon so I guess New Jersey is now a big part of me.

       Prior to my touring show career starting in the late 1970's, I'd only been to New Jersey twice for brief visits.  The state flew low below my radar most of my life.  My mother used to tell me stories when I was very young about her visit to Atlantic City when she was still in high school.  I longed to see the amusements at the Steel Pier and ride the rides.

        Then in the mid-1950's--I forget exactly when--our family took a vacation trip to the Big Apple and then to Atlantic City.  I don't remember too much about either place other than having been there.  Snippets of memories of visiting Coney Island, going to the top of the Empire State Building, and riding the Staten Island ferry vaguely reside in some dusty corner of my brain.  Only a hazy remembrance of visiting my mother's cousin at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he worked.

         The Atlantic City memories are even less vivid.  One that stands out most is my ride on the Bathysphere or Diving Bell as it was most commonly known.  My search on the internet found little about this attraction though I did find some confirmation of what I remember.

         The Diving Bell (my parents called it The Bathysphere which is a term that was apparently more well known back then) was a small vessel that dropped to the depths at the pier giving riders the experience of being under the ocean for a brief period.  I still recall the stuffy cramped interior that now would probably give me feelings of claustrophobia, but at that time didn't bother me much.  It was more than an amusement ride for me.  It was an adventure.

        As we dropped into the depths I gazed out the porthole before me in wonderment.  The murky greenish waters were mysterious and foreboding.   I had expected to see fish and other undersea life--maybe even an octopus.   All I saw was the algae encrusted pilings of the pier and unknown particles floating in the water, but to me even that was exciting.  I felt the pressure change in my ears as we descended to the sandy ocean bottom.

        Then suddenly the small capsule that we were in rushed to the surface with riders squealing with delight or maybe terror--I couldn't tell quite which.  For me it was a thrill, but I was glad that we were back out of the water.  The ocean bottom was a fascinating place to visit, but I wasn't too keen on staying there for long.

        Though my internet research gleaned little knowledge about the Atlantic City Diving Bell, I did find an informative little article at The Atlantic City Free Public Library website. There is also a very brief video (embedded at the top of this post) that shows the Diving Bell submerging and then reappearing on the water surface.  Apparently the Diving Bell can still be seen on display in Atlantic City.  Maybe after my wife arrives to rejoin me in New Jersey we'll take a trip down to Atlantic City to see what it's like now.

        Have you been to Atlantic City?   Do you have any memories of Atlantic City in the pre-casino days?    Does a brief dunk into the ocean depths interest you or does the thought make you uncomfortable?




Saturday, July 18, 2015

Trip Log: Danville, Virginia

Innkeeper Motel North in Danville, Virginia

   
       As I write this I sit in a dingy motel in Danville, Virginia.  It's Friday night and most of the motels in town are filled because of the NASCAR races as well as college students coming with their families to get ready for the upcoming school year.  This is a small town with quite a few motels.   Few of the hotel chains where I'd normally stay are located here and the ones that are have no vacancies for this weekend.  Thankfully I'm only here for one night before I move on toward my next destination--New Jersey.

       It's been a long time since I've stayed in a place such as this.  We used to stay in similar or even worse places sometimes when I was touring with the roadshow on which I worked.  Eventually after I started managing the show we upgraded to better places like Marriott Hotels which made touring much more of a pleasure.  Tonight I feel like those old days when we tried to keep expenses down by staying in the cheap places.  This dingy Innkeeper Motel is like those except that it is not all that cheap.  

       The temperatures today have been in the humid 90's.  It was a good day for driving though I only had a rather short 150 mile trip.  After a period of a few weeks of staying up late night after night I'm pretty beat.  A good night's sleep would be welcome.   Hopefully I'll get an okay sleep to get me ready for what could be a long day tomorrow.

        Then to beat all, for dinner I had this really dumb craving for Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The absurdity of my visit to that fast food establishment might be worthy of an entire blog post, but I won't do that.  After bringing my meal back to my motel room I ate maybe half of it.   I don't think I'll be going to KFC again for a while.  At least not this one in Danville and not this motel either.  Let's face it, so far this Danville stay is nothing to write home about or a blog post for that matter, yet that's what I've been doing so far.

       On Thursday I had a great day.  Even though I was dragging after a late night and an early start, my trip was pleasant.  There was only one traffic delay as I drove I-40 through the mountains on the way to Asheville, North Carolina, but after that it was a very nice drive.  I arrived at my destination for that day, Charlotte, North Carolina at about 1:30 PM.

       My first stop was the headquarters of Morris Costumes Wholesale, the company I used to work for.  It was good to see old friends who work at that location as well as members of the Morris family.  Philip and Amy Morris, founders of the costume company, took me to dinner and then we visited the Morris retail store.  This is one of the finest, cleanest, and most organized costume stores in the United States.  If you live in the Charlotte area you probably know about this store, but be sure to visit if you've never been there.

        Later, Phil and Amy took me to their son Scott's mansion where I'd be spending the night.  What a fantastic place he has!   The massive home sits on a prime location overlooking Lake Norman.  The home was constructed from high quality materials delivered from all over the world.  It was almost like staying in a museum or some historic chateau in Europe except that it was a homey and welcoming place.  Too bad I was only there for the night.   Scott and his charming wife Denise were tremendous hosts.

        Also visiting for the night were some other gentlemen in the costume business.  These were guys whom I had already known from associating with them at Halloween trade shows in the past.   We had a great visit that evening even though we'd all been traveling and welcomed our beds when it was time to turn in.

        Now that visit seems like a fantastical dream as I sit in this darker nightmare of a motel room.  Really, I guess it's not all that bad.  I've stayed in worse.   I doubt that I'll ever stay here again.  I'd rather be at the Morris Mansion on Lake Norman.


Saturday, July 11, 2015

Putting the Past Behind Me


     It's been over a week since I arrived at my mother's house in Maryville, Tennessee.  I've spent a lot of time just staying at the house, sometimes reflecting on memories while at others just basking in the aura of this place that's been in our family for nearly 50 years.  And now we're trying to sell this place.

     Since I've been here we've spent most of our evenings just sitting on the deck that overlooks the expansive back yard.  With the approach of evening comes a hypnotic chorus of cicadas soon joined by a myriad of crickets and other critters whose names I don't know.  The insect soundtrack provides a steady background for our discussions of stories dredged from the past and the uncertain plans for the future.

       Getting rid of this house is the main thing on all of our minds while being the topic we hope might disappear as it becomes resolved in the simplest manner.  I'd be happy if the house just stayed with the family and we could have summer evenings like these recent ones from now until...

        Then again, maybe we need to let go of this past.  Leave it to our memories.

         My time here is running out.  I need to leave this coming Thursday and I haven't gotten anywhere near what I had hoped to have done.  I've got some boxes packed up to take with me but there are so many things to do here.  Once I leave, I may not be coming back unless I absolutely have to.

      I want to come back.  This is part of the story of my past.   This house is like part of my life museum.  No one else knows all of the stories here.  Not the stories I do.  And I don't even know all of the stories.  This is a house full of stories.

      This week I will be leaving, but I will never truly be gone.  Or should I say I will take pieces of this house in my heart.   The crickets chirp into the the night as I drift into sleep.  Those crickets.  They know something.  Perhaps they know everything.

         I know nothing at all.


Saturday, July 4, 2015

July 4th Maryville Tennessee


Happy July 4th!

English: The New York City fireworks over the ...
The New York City fireworks over the East Village of New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      It's been two weeks since I left Los Angeles to start out on a prolonged vacation.  Time passes so quickly and I never seem to be getting as much done as I had hoped.   I can use the argument that I'm on vacation, but still there is much to be done while I'm away.

      We had a wonderful trip across the country on our first leg to Houston, Texas.  After getting on the road at 5:30 in the morning of Saturday June 20th, we had smooth sailing throughout the day.   For me a highlight of that first day came about 60 miles before we got to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

        It was about 5:30 PM Mountain Time when I happened to tune into a classical radio station at the moment they started playing the Third Symphony of Camille Saint-Saens which is one of my top three favorite symphonies.  For the next 40 minutes my drive was invigorated by some of the most wonderful music to be found.   This is truly one of the best symphonies ever composed.

       My stay in Houston was very restful as I took many naps throughout the week.  My wife noted that my nighttime sleeping habits had vastly improved.  After that week of personal recharge I was ready for my next adventure--a two day drive by myself to Tennessee.  My wife will be staying in Houston until August 5th.  I'll be on my own visiting my family members while she stays to help her daughter.

       So far I've been in East Tennessee for almost a week.   With my brother and sisters we're still working on settling up my mother's estate.  There's lots of housecleaning and touch-up repairs to get her house ready to put on the market.  We all hate to see the property leave the family, but selling it seems to be the most practical solution since none of us wants to live there--or in my case I don't live in this town.

       I'll be here another week and a half or so before I begin wending my way to New Jersey.   There's still plenty to be done in Tennessee and it's not going to all get done while I'm here, but I'll hopefully help make some progress during my stay.  And then there's trying to make it to see some old friends.  Time will be kind to me I can only hope.

        Have a great 4th or whatever day you read this.   May your every day be the best one yet.

        How do you feel about traveling long distances alone?   What music inspires you most when you are on the road?   What did you do for the holidays?