Breckenridge, not good enough…

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Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge, Colorado. I tried to like it here, but the magic was missing. It is pretty, the town is quaint, but somehow I felt like I stumbled onto the location for “Girls Gone Wild” or some place for a Spring Break binge. Now some of you may be taking notes going, “I want to go there!” But it is not my kind of atmosphere and when a 40-year-old man hit on me and said he wanted to “bang” me, I was not impressed. Does this approach appeal to other women? He was a hot, rich guy, GQ with a backpack, but his raunchy language and his bragging and accusing me of having something wrong with me because I wouldn’t go to his hotel room was not attractive. Continue reading →

The Caterpillars that cultivate my life…

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Near Macomb, Illinois
Macomb, Illinois

I’m in Illinois passing through little towns with bowling alleys and wildflowers growing along the roads. Unexpectedly I went to the Caterpillar Visitors Center where I learned that the company started making equipment in Peoria in 1914 and is now making the largest truck out there that carries 400 tons, has 14 ft. tires and is driven 70 percent of the time by women, because they are easier on the apparatus. My mom’s first job was as a secretary in the Napa Caterpillar office and to this day she speaks of it fondly. Continue reading →

Feeling like tinsel on a tree…

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In my last post I was welcomed to Chautauqua Institute with the bang of the gate descending on my windshield. In Chicago, it was a parking ticket, minus the bang, but still on the windshield. I had parked in what I thought was an unrestricted space, but the next day I had a $60 fine to contend with. I am going to contest it as the spot was not clearly marked. If they expect me to obey the rules, they need to have some sign of visual notification.

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How you look in the glow of evening…

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Welcome to Chautauqua Institute, “THWACK!” That is the sound I heard as the gate came down on the windshield of my car. Ugh. My first stop on my second journey west started with a bang.

Chautauqua Welcome Gate
Check point for gate access

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Forget-me-not Berkshires, I’ll be back…

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At The Mount

At The Mount

It has been a magical last week in the Berkshires. We have had hot, humid, firefly-twinkling weather interspersed with drenching rainfall, thunder and lightning. I have a renewed sense of purpose, an excitement building inside, new dreams and goals blossoming, and a firm conviction that I am meant to be here even as I leave for a few months. Continue reading →

Warming up my engines…

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IMG_7343I am getting everything tuned up to take off for a few months. I had my car checked out, washed her inside and out and talked to her like a beloved pet. She seems as eager as I am to be on the road. We have been partners in this great trek for the last year and a half, and she has been a reliable and constant trooper so I want to give her extra care. I am one of those nutty people who talk to their animals and since I don’t have any of my own right now, my car has gained the status of a pet. I pat her on the console, when I am especially pleased, like I would on the beloved neck of a horse, I give her high-octane gas for a treat, and today I diligently groomed her like my friend de-ticking her dog. Continue reading →

Meet Ali…

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Ali

Ali

It’s so nice to know my habit of meeting interesting people is still alive and well here in Lenox. Last week I was having lunch in one of my favorite cafe’s when the chef came out and sat at the table next to mine and had his lunch. We started chatting, as you know I do, and he told me about how he has dinner parties and cooks authentic West African food from his home country of Cote d’Ivoire, and how he plans to make enough money to build an orphanage there. I ran out of time to hear the whole story so I gave him my card and we texted and made plans to meet for tea later. Continue reading →

Couch trekking…

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I’ve been sick for almost two weeks so I have been home in bed more than I have in years. I’ve read three books, given to me in various places along the road that I have not previously had time to read. One of them is wild, Cheryl Strayed’s book about her hike along the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Oregon. It was a great read, especially for an adventurer like me, that is stuck on the couch. I’ve also resorted to watching Ken Burn’s National Parks series on Netflix. Since I can’t get out and hike I’ll watch great film of my favorite places.

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Doubling back…

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The Berkshires of MA

The Berkshires of MA

I am so relieved. I just made the decision to take to the road again this summer. I had the choice to stay in Lenox, MA and work in the Shakespeare & Co box office but I decided that would take up all of my summer and not further my goals at all. I am proud of my decision, though it was very stressful to walk away from a paycheck, however small, to do what my heart and intuition tells me. Continue reading →

Been a long time coming…

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IMG_7123This has been the longest stretch of silence since I started blogging over a year ago. I have been directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a middle and high school residency for the last 7 weeks. It was intense, driving 45 minutes each way, auditioning, directing, planning, costuming, teaching, making mistakes, studying, caring deeply, always trying to improve and control 50 rambunctious and varied-aged kids. It was probably some of the toughest teaching I will ever do. My directing partner has had many years of experience directing here at Shakespeare & Company and he said it was the hardest group he has had to deal with. Continue reading →