Back in Action

July 6

I’m trying to elevate small talk to medium talk. ~ Larry David

The Super and I had been away to college for 10 days. Upon returning home, we were ready to get in the swing of things again. I awoke with a dry cough, which I thought nothing of. Nevertheless, the Super dragged out the COVID test kits. Mine was positive, hers negative (until a couple days letter). Back into the protocols for another 10 days. Neither one of us ever felt sick or in anyway incapacitated. We both had had all four of the Pfizer shots. Protocols complete, we were ready to rock and roll again. We missed plenty but were fortunate the first play of the season at Theatre L’Homme Dieu, Glensheen, was scheduled for a two-week run. Those on the early “shifts” reported back to us:

You were missed last night. Glensheen was one of the best things I’ve ever seen at TLD! Full house! And the patio is wonderful! ~ Mary Pohl

Thought the play was fantastic with perhaps one of the strongest casts of any play I’d seen there.  Not one weak link.  Had to listen carefully because some of the best lines little more than “asides.”  ~ Jim Pohl

Full house and fantastic! ~ Tom Mulder

June 30

Glensheen

Elisabeth Congdon and Velma Pietila were murdered at Glensheen
mansion in 1977.
By Christa Lawler (https://www.startribune.com/christa-lawler/8761943/) Star Tribune
JUNE 26, 2022 — 3:25PM

DULUTH — Monday marks 45 years since an elderly heiress from one of the region’s
most high-profile families and a retired night nurse who was working a pick-up shift
were found slain in the Congdon mansion — a story that remains one of the city’s most
buzzed about murders.
On June 27, 1977, Elisabeth Congdon — at 83, the last living child of Northern Minnesota
mining magnate Chester Congdon and his wife, Clara — was found smothered in her bed
in the family’s 39-room Jacobean mansion on the shore of Lake Superior. Nurse Velma
Pietila, 66, who had recently retired but was subbing for a former colleague, was found
on the staircase — beaten to death with a candlestick.

[The Super enters the theatre, stage right . . . ]

The energy of live theater is indescribable. You are just in the moment for an hour and a half. ~ Adrianne Palicki

I want to do stage again, because there just aren’t words for how great it is. People say that all the time, ‘There’s nothing like live theater, blah blah,’ but it’s really true. I see a show and I know how they feel, and it feels great. ~ Anna Kendrick

[A terrific set to replicate the Duluth mansion . . . ]

Unlike film, live theater is an anti-naturalistic medium in which character is mainly illuminated through speech and movement. ~ Terry Teachout

[The theatre audience begins to wander in. For two weeks “Glensheen” all but sold out every performance as forecast by our executive director. It was every bit as terrific as all the reviews claimed . . . ]

July 1

Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache. ~ Mae West

[A beautiful morning – the babies could hardly wait for Mom to let them go outside to play . . . ]

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. ~ Lily Tomlin

I’m sick of following my dreams, man. I’m just going to ask where they’re going and hook up with ’em later. ~ Mitch Hedberg

Every time something pops in my head, I think twice about it and I do it anyway. ~ Gilbert Gottfried

[A country that does not know its past (even in the form of a novel from 36 years ago) is doomed to repeat it . . . ]

[Thunder, lightning, very very frightening . . . ]

Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man – there’s your diamond in the rough. ~ Larry David

[And yes it was a beautiful day. Late in the afternoon the Super decided we needed to go on a road trip in the convertible. We passed the Lowry water tower mid-route . . . ]

[After Lowry comes Starbuck . . . ]

[With all thirteen hundred of its citizens . . . ]

[Driving through Starbuck one passes by the West Coast of Lake Minnewaska, flush with boaters and bathers . . . ]

[And the Waters Edge, where the Boys of ’65 have dined . . . ]

I’m not for everyone. I’m barely for me. ~ Marc Maron

[Arriving at our destination on the south side of Lake Minnewaska. To avoid construction detours, the trip was 36 miles from home . . . ]

[Rolling Forks Vineyards . . . ]

[The from our table on the patio looking north across three fields of grape vines and Lake Minnewaska . . . ]

Peel me a grape . . .

[From their own Marquette grapes – Carlos Creek Winery 25 miles north of here couldn’t sustain Marquette grapes any longer because it’s too cold. I guess 25 miles can make a difference . . . ]

[Why yes, ‘The Joe’ pizza was just fine . . . ]

[Lake Minnewaska, through a telephoto lens . . . ]

[To me, there seemed to be a dearth of boats on the lake. The Super thought maybe everybody was preparing for the holiday weekend . . . ]

[Kind of a walk out peninsula for a better view . . . ]

[On the way back home . . . ]

[One mile down the hill to the shores of Lake Minnewaska . . . ]

[‘Natural Preservation’ is good . . . ]

[Minnewaska is a BIG lake. ‘Minnewaska’ in Ojibway means “less real estate taxes than Alexandria” . . . ]

[I didn’t realize at the time of the photo, another shot of the Lowry water tower, that a pteradactyl was flying overhead . . . ]

[So, if you thought Starbuck was small . . . ]

June 2

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers. ~ Matt Groening

[The first concert of the season at Theatre L’Homme Dieu – Quinn Sullivan . . . ]

[The regular (and irregular) crowd shuffles in . . . ]

[From the band’s POV . . . ]

[The couple sitting behind us. They were kind enough to advise me that I spilled my wine . . . ]

[With apologies to the theatre’s executive director, Nicole Mulder, my camera, on its own, decided to focus on the people standing behind her because they had better lighting . . . ]

[And here’s Quinn with his band . . . ]

Trouble knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away. ~ Benjamin Franklin

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened. ~ Douglas Adams

I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact. ~ Elon Musk

Life begins at 40 – but so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times. ~ Helen Rowland

[Quinn is 23 and has been performing since the age of 6 . . . ]

[Our next door neighbors . . . ]

[Got up to cut the asphalt . . . ]

[I commended their impersonations of Fred and Ginger . . . ]

Facebook just sounds like a drag, in my day seeing pictures of peoples vacations was considered a punishment. ~ Betty White

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. ~ Mark Twain

The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby. ~ Natalie Wood

The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it’s unfamiliar territory. ~ Paul Fix

[Putting the wraps on this puppy . . . ]

[After the show I, as a person of lots of age, had to thank Quinn personally for playing a song I could recognize in . . . three notes – “Dear Prudence”! You can find a video of him performing that song on YouTube. He’s an amazing guitar player . . . ]

[A standing ovation from the assembled masses . . . ]

You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn’t that long ago we were swept away by the Macarena. ~ Jon Stewart

I believe that in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, a great theatre is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture. ~ Laurence Olivier

[This is Sidney, operations manager for the theatre, which consists of the theatre, an old main lodge and four cottages, and 22 acres. Hang in there, Sidney!]

[My phone camera was fighting me the night of Glensheen. The new patio was full of happy customers that night. Well, at least this a view of our beautiful outdoor setting . . . ]

[The concert is over – it was quite a performance . . . ]

There is no such thing as fun for the whole family. ~ Jerry Seinfeld

Everyone has a purpose in life. Perhaps yours is watching television. ~ David Letterman

[The concession stand from which one can enjoy an adult beverage on the patio pre- and post-performance . . . ]

[My chauffeur impatiently awaits completion of my cub reporter duties . . . ]

[Passing a crowded Zorbaz on the way home. The Lure was similarly overflowing . . . ]

It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person’s plate. ~ Dave Barry

July 3

Folks, I don’t trust children. They’re here to replace us. ~ Stephen Colbert

[An afternoon at Carlos Creek Winery with the Cropdusters . . . ]

[They’re from Fargo and accordingly close personal friends with one of our favorite groups, Tucker’d Out . . . ]

The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. ~ Oscar Wilde

[I heard the keyboard player was 19. That’s really young, right?]

According to a new survey, 90% of men say their lover is also their best friend. Which is really kind of disturbing when you consider man’s best friend is his dog. ~ Jay Leno

The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius. ~ Sid Caesar

Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded. ~ Yogi Berra

July 5

If your parents never had children, chances are… neither will you. ~ Dick Cavett

[A new feature at Gathered Oaks . . . ]

[The night was for Josie, who announced she was getting married on the weekend. They grow up so fast! And she’ll be heading into her second year of medical school . . . ]

Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

[The Gathered Oaks property as seen from the patio with Lake Charlie in the background . . . ]

All men are equal before fish. ~ Herbert Hoover

I’m in shape. Round is a shape. ~ George Carlin

[The Bergs got us (I was just trying to get my camera to work) . . . ]

[So, we got them back . . . ]

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. ~ George Carlin

People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. ~ Isaac Asimov

Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it. ~ Laurence J. Peter

[Enroute to a new CD of original songs some time this summer. May I suggest you check out her “Season of Not Knowing” on YouTube . . . ]

[Gathered Oaks has received national media coverage for its uniqueness. New, upscale rooms inside repurposed old grain bins; generous views and natural light make these rooms so special! 8 separate hotel-style rooms, each offering: queen bed, bathroom + shower, television,1 comes as a suite that also offers a small kitchenette and seating area (from their website) . . . ]

What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left. ~ Oscar Levant

[Where the Super parked her VW convertible, outside Bulter bin 2 . . . ]

I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that! ~ Tom Lehrer

[The Bergs are leaving as well after a loverly evening . . . ]

[Until next time . . . ]

I don’t really believe that all theater needs to be filmed – for some things, the special part of live theater is that it exists and then it’s gone. ~ Marielle Heller

I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. ~ Oscar Wilde

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