Russ and I went to Portland over the weekend to See Bekah perform with the Portland Girl’s Rock N Roll Camp. Didn’t take the motorhome as it seemed easier to stay at the Marriott for just one night.
The Good: Poppy went with us and was just as good as gold. We left her at our son’s house while we went to the performance. John has two cats and they were both still alive and kicking when we got back two hours later. I thought maybe the animals had all had a fight in Bekah’s room but her parents assured me the room always looks like that – I think she gets it from me. Hate housework!!
More good - Bekah did excellent on the drums. She gained some confidence and learned a few fills and wrote the drum part for her band’s performance.
The Bad: The venue for this performance was McMenemin’s historic Bagdad Theater in Downtown Portland. UGH!! A huge facility and NO PARKING. We were lucky enough to get a spot on the street only about half block away so it was okay. Then we stood in a long line in direct sunshine and it was hotter than – well, use your imagination.
The theater was dark and crowded and the noise level was about to drive me to distraction. Trying to find a place to sit and trying to find Russ, who had stayed behind in the restaurant to finish his meal. Mass confusion, hoards of closely packed strangers, some of them TOUCHING me(!) – not my cup of tea.
Then the performances started. This Rock N Roll camp is for girls only and it takes all comers. No musical experience required! On the first day they turn the girls loose to make their own groups and no one knows anyone else or what they can do. Bekah was lucky in that she got a girl who played some on the keyboard and one who could carry a tune. I give these girls a lot of credit. From complete strangers of all skill levels, they had one week to WRITE THEIR OWN SONG and learn it well enough to perform in front of about 500 people on a live stage. They all had fun and they all did their best.
I have to admit some(most) of it was pretty painful but like I said, ya gotta give 'em credit for trying. I have to show off Bekah laying down some pretty good licks on the drums. I edited most of the singing out so there are some skips. Bekah only had about 6 months of drum lessons about two years ago so I thought she did great, Here’s a short clip. Her drum “solo” is a little more than halfway (52 seconds) through. Bekah wrote the drum part and taught herself the beats.
Now, THE UGLY: I think that would be me. I had a really bad weekend. Besides sitting through two hours of “music” that only a parent (or grandparent!) could love, I spent the weekend on an emotional roller –coaster. Maybe it was just the stress of the weekend but I just could not control my emotions. It seems like I have been getting better and then this weekend I just crashed. Don’t know why. I haven’t been able to read blogs or comment or write for several days. Have no interest in much of anything. Maybe it’s normal, I don’t know. I’ve never lived through anything quite like this double whammy before.
I felt physically ill all weekend, and got so dizzy in the theater I thought I was going to black out. This is NOT normal for me. The hotel bed was like sleeping on a sheet of plywood and then I fell and bruised my hand coming out the hotel door. Luckily Russ was there to keep me from going all the way down or it could have been much worse. I really hate staying in hotels!!!
Tomorrow, we are going with Laila and Brian over to the coast. They want to buy us an early anniversary dinner. The real date is the 21st but they want to celebrate with us before they leave on a little trip. Perhaps the beauty of the coast will somehow temper the “ugly” that I am feeling inside right now. I certainly hope so.
Russ at Yachats on the Oregon Coast, July 21, 2010, Our 37th Anniversary.
If you are a regular reader, you know the ongoing saga of my aging dog, Rusty, and his increasing lack of mobility. Poor guy, he does his best but his hind legs just keep getting crossed up and tangled then he falls and he cannot keep up. There are spots on the top of his rear feet where the hair has been rubbed off and the top of his nails are all worn down. This is from dragging his feet and not being able to always walk on his pads. It’s something like walking on your knuckles. I bought him some booties but they just cause his feet to tangle more than they already do and make it harder for him to get around.
When I had my little Chihuahua years ago, she used to love to ride in a stroller. I had thought about it for Rusty but he is so fiercely independent and also over 40lbs. so I didn’t think it would work for him.
Yesterday we went to the lake and, after letting him out to sniff and pee for a bit and get his feet wet, I hoisted him into the stroller. I expected a big struggle from him but to my surprise, he sat there like a good dog and seemed to enjoy the ride. So here’s a picture of Rusty in his new-to-him wheels.
I kept him on a short leash in case he got any ideas but he never tried to jump out or acted like he didn’t like it. Those red things hanging off the stroller handle are his booties. He wore them in the water and was just barely managing to stay upright. I took them off and hung them on the stroller to dry. Miss Poppy, who is a tad lazy, was eyeing the stroller like, “Geez, mom, how does he rate?”!!! So finally, we were able to take a good walk along the lake, rather than the few yards that we have been walking lately.
Last time I posted pictures of the sailboats in the marina Judy mentioned that all the sail covers were blue and thought a red one would be nice. Well, here ya go Judy, Russ found one!!
There were also some guys out on paddle boards. It was a great day for it as the lake was smooth and the weather warm and sunny. I just don’t get the fun of standing on a board paddling around in the water though!!
Russ was also lucky enough to spot another Oregon alligator. This species is not as rare as one might imagine, but you do have to look carefully to see them.
We also made a return visit to Hendricks Park. This is a beautiful rhododendron and azalea garden and we wanted one last look before all the blooms had faded. Most of the blossoms are already spent but we did find a few blooms left, along with some other flowers.
This is a beautiful place to walk but, unfortunately, no dogs are allowed in the garden area. The paths and the dappled sunlight in this park make it a perfect place to take a stroll or just relax on the grass with a good book.
Our granddaughter, Bekah, came to visit this weekend and I spent some time with her making a new summer top. I only did a small portion of the work. I would say she completed 90% of it on her own. She was feeling pretty comfortable with the sewing machine by the time she was done and she did an excellent job. Unfortunately, Bekah had a cold and all that working together allowed her germs to jump all over me. Used to be, I would never get sick but it seems my immune system just isn’t what is once was. Now I am putting all my chores on hold and trying desperately to get better quickly. We have two blogger couples that we are scheduled to meet with – one on Saturday and another on Monday and I don’t want to mess that up. Vitamin C, zinc, Echinacea, cold capsules, hot tea with lemon and honey – it’s all on board. All I am missing is the chicken soup and I don’t have enough energy to make a pot. Maybe later cuz I gotta be well by Saturday. Wish me luck!!
Before I go any further, WARNING!!!! This is an unabashed Grandma's Brag Book post but one I definitely want in my next blog book. Besides, I am proud of my grands and I want them to know it!
Yesterday Russ and I went to Gresham, OR to see one of our 12 year old granddaughters perform in her middle school talent show. Other than a couple of lines at a choir concert earlier this year, this was Bekah’s first public solo performance. She was terrified but she overcame her fear and did an outstanding job with her selection.
Regarding her song selection; while other kids went with the modern tunes familiar to the teen age set, Bekah went with her heart and sang a show tune. Her parents (bless them) have exposed her to live performances from time to time and Bekah has recently discovered a passion for live musical theater. She even knows who Rodgers and Hammerstein are lol!! That’s a pretty good passion to have at her age.
"Wicked" is a Broadway musical set in the time before Dorothy arrived in the Land of Oz, when the witches were still young girls and good friends. Glinda, the Good Witch is preparing to give Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, a makeover in this song. There was no coaching from the teachers. You have to imagine that Elphaba is present, as this was simply a solo and not a scene from the play. Pardon the acoustics, this was in the gym! The background is not so great either tee-hee. I was so proud of Bekah for doing something out of the ordinary and not just a song from popular teenage music. Great job Bekah! (I added the words in post-production as the echoes made it hard to hear her words.)
And that, my friends, is what we did yesterday…and it did my heart good. There were lots of other talented kids in the program too and I am so thankful that there is still a school that places importance on things like music and art.
