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Sharing
Number 35 Friday, March 2, 2007, 7:10 p.m. It’s
been a little while since we visited our friends Don and Cindy’s
charming wooded getaway Summit
Haven Retreat in the Hocking Hills of Ohio. We’ve always
had a wonderfully relaxing stay there. And the piece de resistance
is that we get to bring our French Boy Henri. So when we realized
the 35th anniversary of our first date was coming up (our personally
delayed Valentine’s Day) we could think of no more romantic
place to celebrate. So we booked the big cabin for three nights.
One of which we invited friends Joe and Anita to join us on. The drive south from Columbus used
to take more than an hour. But with the completion of the Lancaster
by-pass…and I have nothing against Lancaster really…it
took us less than an hour. Of course once you turn on to Wildcat
Road…an aptly named narrow country road…the adventure
begins. Wildcat (Are there REALLY wildcats in Ohio? I’ve
lived here all my life and found the only “wildness”
has to be of one’s own making.) Soon becomes a road only
in name. And once you see the sign for Summit Haven Retreat and
turn…let’s just say it’s best you have a 4-wheel
drive vehicle with plenty of clearance…especially this time
of year. Upon reaching the pinnacle of the
summit, Yvonne, Henri and I were confronted by a parked Chevy
Blazer obstructing our path to the cabin. Upon further gaze it
became obvious that a downed tree of considerable magnitude blocked
the lane. While today was a sunshine and fluffy clouds affair
with temps in the 50’s…the wind was…well March
like. Remember learning about kites in grade school…and
how March was the perfect month to fly them? While generally that
is pure unadulterated B.S. this day fit the stereotype perfectly.
Not long after cutting the engine
on our trusty Cherokee a figure emerged on the horizon. To our
glee it was none other than Don’s son and caretaker Scott
wielding a more than substantial chainsaw. And after friendly
salutations and some small talk he went to work clearing our path.
I had wanted to document his heroism with a picture of him and
his weapon of mass destruction. But since we bring everything
with us to keep from leaving this nirvana unless we have to, by
the time we got the car unloaded, he had vanished to his abode
over the rise. Already we have enjoyed the solitude, a fire, the view, and a dip in the hot tub. We’ve exchanged small gifts of love and toasted ourselves with cold Harp beer. On my final trip outdoors for firewood…with the eventual pleading with the dog to come inside (Hey! I miss my yard and the smells out here! Well…you wouldn’t understand.)…I noticed what seems to be a full moon in the late winter sky. Saturday, March 3, 2007, 1205 p.m. Drove into Logan for a New York Times and various other sundries late this morning. This is one of my favorite moments while staying at Summit Haven. It’s not so much I’m enamored by the town itself…it’s okay. It’s the quiet drive along rolling hills on seemingly dangerous roads that I relish. That…and the fact that while Ohio might not be wild…it is definitely friendly. People wave at you. At first I thought it was because I was yielding like a local on the narrow byways. But at the first crest of Wildcat Road Good Old Guy I Do Not Know waved enthusiastically my way while Dog I Have Yet To Pet wagged his tail exuberantly at the sight of me. Same for Another Guy I Do Not Know and Unfamiliar Three Legged Hound who was happily hobbling at his master’s side. Sunday, March 4, 2007 12.12 p.m. Anita and Joe arrived for a late
lunch about 1:30 yesterday. Along with their 40-pound Chocolate
Lab Minnie we relaxed in front of a blazing fire for a while.
Then it was off to take the dogs on a run. Up to this point Henri
and Minnie were staking out territory…working things out
so to speak. But once out in the woods both pooches bonded big
time. Henri seemed to be showing his young protégée
the ropes concerning “how far ahead” of her masters
might be acceptable. I’m always amazed how this little foofy
18-pound hound can hold his ground with bigger dogs…establish
himself as the Alpha even. And this afternoon was no exception.
Of course this being March both canines absorbed more than their
share of mud, sticks, and grime that comes with the joy of a dog
off the leash! Once both animals were clean enough
to go inside, all six of us kicked back and watched the Ohio State
men’s’ basketball game. Yes there is TV here on the
summit. Just enough…with good enough rabbit eared reception…to
let you watch what you want given the limited selection. During the game it began to get blustery
outside with sideways snow. March had come in like a lamb Friday
but immediately returned to its lion like posturing less than
24 hours later. What a fickle mistress March may be. No wonder
it’s when the Madness happens. Yvonne and I made a delightful Greek
styled pasta with shrimp (see Food and Drink for the recipe) after
which everyone vegged out. Monday, March 5, 2007, 12:04 p.m. Well…our celebration of number
35 is coming to a close. Minnie and Henri took the four humans
out for yet another walk yesterday afternoon. Another “Celebration
of Mud”…especially for puddle loving Minnie. But the
cabin owners are dog folks and have the foresight of providing
a lot of doggie towels. Anita and Joe…having many Labradors
through the years…had the wisdom to bring even more. And so after a late afternoon dinner of Yvonne’s scrumptious mushroom risotto we bid farewell to our friends and their pup. As expected Henri moved into his “I’m so glad to be the king again but…hey…where is that new friend of mine? The one who annoys me yet I want to be around…mostly…sort of…yes.” mood. Yvonne, Henri and I enjoyed a quiet Sunday evening of unspoken family. Without the rambunctious play of two dogs vying for attention, chew toys, et al…the company and conversation of good friends…I again notice what inevitably draws us back to this weekend utopia. The blessed silence. |
 
  Closed Eye by Llori Stein Montana by Alexi Vontsolos Now I'm maudlin driving from the airport. I notice things at this hour of the morning. A person in a robe. Is he going to buy the Sunday paper? I have the bustle of a new town in my eyes. There must have been a scramble back home, for drama's sake. I notice the easy corner people pushing carriages. I am the unpredictable element. We said good-bye again and I felt like Montana trout. Dogs
Bark in the Himalayan Night "Dogs
bark in the Himalayan night." Unowned
Sleep
By Cory Tressler Trying to capture a lucid dream, As I walk thru the streets of Baltimore, On a foggy, lazy September. Yesterdays glide past in golden Velour uniforms, Smiling, sad faces show secret contempt, For a world gone slightly estranged from reality. Our time is filled with black and red Van Gogh swooshes, Extinct reptiles and birds pace in our ever-unresponsive conscious, While a collective mass of humanity pushes their right big toe to the floor. ~ Body coughs, flips, and repeats breathing reflex ~ Motions, feelings, brightness, Impossible to stop spectacular unimaginable colors, Hypnotizing music swoops in from unknown sources. Unexplored life remains unexplainable as it passes by, But walls are destroyed and defined, As I tumble, cartwheel, and laugh inside lighting and thunder. Half-embarrassed I reach for love, She joyfully hugs my manic acts of self-realization, Melody shakes my hand while my feet tingle with pleasure. An
Ohioan Visits Shanghai, 2007
by
Wes Boomgaarden, Columbus, Ohio, USA Walking the streets of Shanghai in late January of this year, I searched for the words to describe this city to my octogenarian parents, who are still thriving in rural Minnesota. They were perplexed as to why I would leave a perfectly good home in comfortable Ohio to travel halfway across the world to a communist country. Besides, there are no other Boomgaardens to visit in China: visiting relatives is the primary motivation for travel when you’re from rural Minnesota. Dad had some reason to be skeptical of his second son going to Shanghai. Shanghai was a port of call for him when he served in the U.S. Navy during the WWII, in 1945, shortly after the Japanese Imperial Army had been removed from an ugly occupation of the city. He did not have particularly fond memories of liberated Shanghai. Mom sent me a snapshot dated 1945 of Dad and his buddy sitting in a Shanghainese rickshaw. Mom was never too sure about that rickshaw of its city. |
Cabaret Let me begin by coming clean. I have never been a big fan of musicals. And because of that I have been to very few. Yet when I learned Shadowbox was performing Cabaret I was more than a little intrigued. I have known these fine actors and musicians for some time now and have felt for quite a while that, although I enjoy their usual shtick, they have been sometimes limited in scope by their usual raucous "sketch comedy and rock n roll". The troupe was being held back by their own successful formula. I learned two very important lessons the night I witnessed this very ... very fine production. Number One - I was wrong about musicals. They can be powerfully entertaining in the right hands…hands such as these. And number Two - I was right about the depth and spectrum of Shadowbox Cabaret’s talent. Their performance of Cabaret is spectacular ... .breathtaking. The stage play is very dark at times. It celebrates sexuality ... bisexuality ... the party ... decadence ... all under the impending fog of Nazism closing in around everyone. Steve Guyer's superb staging and direction make this a history lesson we all need to learn ... again and again. The juxtaposing of actual newsreels projected on the video screens brings the horror and violence ... and hatred ... into sharp focus. And having a part of the Kit Kat Club physically in the audience makes the story all the more immediate.
Amy
Lay portrays the Emcee at the club. Her joyous camp and vamp persona
transcends the "is she a woman or is she a man or is she
a woman who wants to be a man?" introduction of the character.
I guarantee ... 10 minutes into the show you will not give a damn.
The enthusiasm Ms. Lay brings to the role shines throughout the
entire production. Her exhilarating opening number "Wilkomen"
... along with the singing and dancing of the full ensemble ...
grabs the audience immediately and never let’s go. Cabaret is performed every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. until May 13th. For more information go to http://www.shadowboxcabaret.com/ . |
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