Return from San Antonio

We are home from San Antonio. Do I have pictures? Not a one, I'm afraid.  The battery charger for my point and shoot camera is still MIA, and the camera is out of juice.  Very frustrating, because there were many photographs I could have taken.

First: warmth and sunshine. It did us a world of good to be able to walk around outside, no jacket, soaking up the vitamin D.

Second: a reunion with a childhood friend whom I haven't seen since 1973(!). I loved getting to know her again, getting to meet her husband, and just spending time with her. Sometimes you meet up with people from your past and you quickly realize that you no longer have anything in common.  Sometimes you meet up with people from your past and you fall very easily into relationship again.  This was one of those latter situations, and it was very lovely.

Third: we got to see the Broadway touring production of the musical South Pacific. It was wonderful! I've seen the two movie productions that were made over the years (Mitzi Gaynor in the 1950s movie version and Glenn Close's recent TV production).  Neither holds a candle to the actual stage show. This was the first time that the relationship between Nellie Forbush and Emil De Becque made sense to me -- the first time I could see the chemistry and the attraction.  Bonus: the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, where the musical was staged, is a work of art in its own right. It is a historic theatre and has been lovingly restored down to the nth detail. And there is a lot of detail since it is the old Spanish style.  Beautiful.

Fourth: my childhood friend, on the night that we had dinner in San Antonio, invited us to stay overnight in their new vacation home in Corpus Christi. So on Saturday Tim and I drove down to Corpus, toured the USS Lexington museum (a WWII era aircraft carrier), and then relaxed on Kathy's deck overlooking the water.  I even got a tiny bit of sunburn!

Fifth: I'd gone to San Antonio to attend a conference, which turned out to be very interesting and informative -- I'm always happy when the time and money spent on professional development is not wasted.

All in all, it was a great week!

- Catherine

I'm walkin' in sunshine!

It's Tuesday and I am in San Antonio for a professional development conference.

And it's sunny!

So I went out in that glorious Texas sunshine and walked.

I walked right over to the Majestic Theatre where I scored two Mezzanine tickets to the Broadway touring company production of the musical South Pacific.

I'm so excited!!! 

I've seen the two movie productions, of course, but the original Broadway show is supposed to be much, much better -- and I have always, always, ALWAYS wanted to see it. The musical score has been one of my all time favorites since I was a kid and I truly loved the Reba McIntyre concert production that was shown on PBS a few years ago (she made a great Nellie Forbush).

I am a South Pacific enthusiast, to put it mildly.

The show was revived on Broadway in 2008 but there was no way that I could get to New York to see it -- so I was absolutely thrilled to find that the touring company has brought the show to San Antonio at the same time that I am in town!

When purchasing the tickets today I smiled so wide and was so excited that the nice lady at the box office got all enthusiastic, too. 

Between the anticipation of seeing South Pacific this coming Friday and the glorious sunshine today, I spent the entire afternoon smiling.

And then I went shopping for new jeans.

Color me happy!!!

- Catherine