The trip continues right on time (Tuesday morning, November 10th)

(Originally posted on Shook-isms on November 14, 2009)

I spent yesterday traveling across western Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. Each state had its own beauty in contrast to the Midwest. Very early Monday morning we had hour stop in St. Paul. It gave me an opportunity to take a quick walk around the neighborhood surrounding the train station then go back to bed. I woke up Monday in North Dakota, specifically Minot. For some reason, we had a number of passengers join us in Minot and Amtrak gave us a copy of the Minot daily newspaper. One of the interesting points I noticed in the newspaper was that instead of reporting the building permits issued during the week, it reported the number of oil mining permits issued.

The food and service in the dining car has been top notch. Perhaps similar to a cruise, each passenger(s) joins other passengers to fill a table of four. The food, wine and desserts have been delicious (large portions!) and the meals have been a nice way to meet people. As you may guess, most of the travelers on this leg of the journey are from Minnesota, North Dakota and Washington. I found the roomette in the sleeper car to be comfortable and a great place to sleep, but during the waking hours, it is a little desolate. So I’ve moved my papers and book to the lounge (club car with large sightseeing windows up and down both sides of the train). There have always been people to visit with. I’ve met a fellow from Bent Oregon, another guy from England, now living in Southfield MI, a couple from Minneapolis and a couple from Washington.

Just before I went to bed on Monday night, we stopped in Whitefish, Montana, a very upscale skiing community. I’m told by the fellow from Bent, OR that the resorts don’t open until early December (although I saw snow on the ground next to the tracks yesterday afternoon). In the middle of the night (Tuesday morning), we stopped in Spokane, WA for a service break (new crew and supplies for the train). I saw the city on and off while sleeping. In Spokane, the train was divided in two. Half the cars and a new engine went to Seattle and our half is on its way to Portland. My only disappointment is that we traveled through the Glacier l National Park at night. I’m told by most of the folks who live in the northwest that it the views are beautiful.Today, we travel into Oregon and arrive in Portland around 10:00.

I've attached a photo of people I met from MN and MI.

Portland to LA (Wednesday evening, November 11th)

(Originally posted on Shook-isms on November 14, 2009)

I had a short, but enjoyable visit on Tuesday morning in Portland, between trains (the Empire Builder between Chicago and Portland and the Coast Starlight between Portland and LA). I had four hours, so I bought a one day city train pass and traveled west out of the downtown area to a close suburb, then turned around and took another train back into downtown. I walked through an area called the Pearl District then headed back to the Amtrak station.

The train to LA was longer and more crowded than the Empire Builder. Whereas the Empire Builder was filled with a lot of riders organized by a travel club, mostly from Oregon and Washington, the Coast Starlight was FULL of young people from all over. Both experiences have been interesting. On the most recent leg of my travels, it’s been fun to watch the young folks, generally traveling by themselves, link up over coffee or cards. One fellow I’ve met is named Elliot. He goes to college in Toledo, Ohio and is taking a three week self crafted trip around the country on Amtrak. It is a class project and he is blogging as he travels. Here is the URL for his blog (amtrekkin2.mvstudents.org). Two others were cousins from Browning, Montana who were heading to LA to play in what sounds like an AAU basketball tournament. I also spent time with a husband and wife and their two young kids from Anchorage heading to Anaheim for Disneyland. It seemed like everybody had a story to tell and took the train to make the journey as much a part of the experience as the destination (which I guess was my story).

We saw a lot of Oregon scenery yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), but missed seeing most of the mountains after the sun set. When I woke up this morning (Wednesday), we were at an hour stop in downtown Sacramento. It was very early, but it still gave me a chance to walk around the area surrounding the train station. As the day progressed, I spent all my time in the lounge car. As I said earlier, it’s an easier place to visit with people. We traveled through Oakland/San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey and San Luis Obispo. We are currently approaching the coast and I’m told we will travel along the shore for about 100 miles until we reach Santa Barbara. It’s about 5:00 p.m., so we will lose daylight pretty quickly and miss much of the coastline.

I will arrive in LA around 9:00 this evening (Wednesday) and San Diego around 1:00 tomorrow morning (Thursday). My hotel is a short walk from the train station. If all goes as planned, I’ll be at the NAR convention tomorrow afternoon (Thursday).

The National Association of Realtors Annual Convention (Sunday, November 8, 2009)

(Originally posted on Shook-isms on 11/12/09)

I am on the Directors Council of our state Realtors’ Association and one of my duties is to attend two conferences a year. Trust me, other than the difficulty of keeping up with work while I’m gone (and who am I kidding, with Lu Ann’s support, the office runs just fine while I’m gone), fulfilling the duties of attending the meetings is no burden. They are both great opportunities to learn what’s new in the industry and meet a lot of peers from other parts of the state and country.

The 2009 conference is in San Diego, a four hour flight from Indiana. However, I’ve decide to take a different route. I’m taking the train. I left from Riehle Plaza this morning (Sunday) with Turgay and began the trip. After a few hour “lay over” (I don’t know if that’s what they call it with trains), I boarded the Empire Builder to Portland, OR. Turgay is heading back to WL later Sunday night on Amtrak to teach. I will arrive there on Tuesday morning, the board another train to Los Angles. From there, I’ll take a three hour train to San Diego.

My friends are sick of hearing about this trip, because I’ve been so excited as the trip has drawn closer. So, if you’ll bear with me, I’m going to use my blog as a way to periodically journal about my experiences. I don’t have internet access, so I’ll upload my entries and photos when I find a signal.

We’ve just arrived in Milwaukee, so I will sign off and step off the train to stretch my legs.

Thumbs up for "The King and I"

(Originally posted on Shook-isms on 7/13/09)

I offer a tip of my cap to Civic Theatre. I saw their production of Rogers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" at the Tippecanoe County Amphitheatre on Friday night and it was outstanding. There was not one element of the production that was lackluster.

Of particular note were the performances by Rob Spaulding, in the role of the King (Rob also directed the show), Jodie Schlatter as Anna, Shellie Johnson as Lady Thaing and Rashmi Joglekar as Tuptim. I would be remiss in not complimenting the full and rich orchestra under the direction of Andrew King and the beautiful ballet sequence choreographed by Lisa Hendrickson and Sandra Peticolas.

The production runs for another weekend. It well worth your time and the cost of admission.

(Originally posted on Shook-isms on 6/18/09)

Tippecanoe Arts Federation's major fund raiser, the Taste of Tippecanoe, is this Saturday in the Wabash Landing area, the John Meyers Pedestrian Bridge, the Depot and downtown Lafayette. The show opens at 4:00 and entertainment runs through midnight, including a large fireworks display.

Entertainment will be performed on nine stages and over 40 local restaurants will be offering some of their favorite recipes.Entrance tickets can be purchased at the event gates scattered around the perimeter of the show or in advance at the TAF office near the intersection of Sixth and North Streets, at any Payless Supermarket or online at the Taste website. Advance sale tickets cost $5.50 and can be purchased Thursday or Friday. Entrance tickets purchased at the gate are $10.00.

Join us on Saturday night for some great fun and support the Arts at the same time. After all , "it's the biggest party of the year."

2009 Tony Awards

(Originally posted on Shook-isms on 6/5/09)

The 2009 Tony Awards are on Sunday, June 7th at the Radio City Music Hall. One could argue that the competition in many categories is not particularly intense. However, regardless I will take a stab at offering my predictions in some of the larger categories.

1. Best Musical: Billy Elliot will be the walk away winner, not only in this category, but throughout the evening. A strong second place showing will go to Next to Normal, a contemporary musical that opened this spring to strong reviews. Rock of Ages will finish in a distant third (although it looks like a fun show to me). Although nominated for 8 awards, Shrek doesn't stand a chance; if it weren't for the muscle that comes from the movie's success, it would have closed months ago.

2. Best Play: This is a tougher one for me; I have not read as much about any of the production that are nominated. I will pick 33 Variations based on the strength of the play write (Moises Kaufman) and the leading actress (Jane Fonda).

3. Best Revival of a Musical. I believe this race will be between Hair, nominated for 8 Tony's, and West Side Story, nominated for 4 awards. My hope is that West Side Story will win, but my sense is that Hair will take the award. West Side Story has done an admirable job of weaving the Spanish language directly into the script and lyrics, not commonly done on the commercial stage. The reviews were punctuated with energy and emotion. Hair, on the other hand, is nominated for more awards and has received more press. The reviews I've seen are quite good, but they didn't wet my appetite as the WSS reviews did. I should note, the Purdue Theatre Division closed their 2007/2008 season with an outstanding production of Hair. A final thought, my friend Meri Preuss saw both shows in NY this spring and had great things to say about each of them. However, when she described the production of Hair, her face brightened with excitement. I could tell it blew her away. So, I predict Hair will win, but in my heart, I am rooting for WSS (it has always been one of my favorite musicals)

.4. Best Revival of a Play: This is another tough category. One could argue there were enough worthy productions this year to fill the category twice. The drama's that are nominated are difficult to compare and each in their own right achieved strong acclaim in their original productions. I am inclined to go with the Lincoln Center's production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone based on the strength of play write August Wilson and the phenomenal reviews.

So those are my picks. I'm obviously not giving much credit to many of the larger productions, Shrek and 9 to 5 and White Christmas in particular. We'll know on Sunday night how well I do. Thanks for reading.

Theatre at Purdue

(originally posted on Shook-isms on 4/24/09)

For those who have a free evening this weekend, I would highly recommend attending the Purdue University Theatre Division's production of "Much Ado About Nothing". The director, Gordon McCall, chose to tell the classic story in the Ybor City area in Tampa, Florida during the late 1800's. From what I can tell, the script was not changed, but the setting, design and mood have a calypso flavor.

I am not a theatre expert, but I know what I like. I did not find a weak performance in the cast. In fact just the opposite. The characters created by the actors and actresses were powerful and believable. Particularly strong were Joel Ebarb, playing Leonato, Rufus Burns, playing Claudio and Patrick Midgley as Benedick. For those of you who are regulars at the two theatres at Pao Hall, you will fondly recognize most of the cast from recent productions.

To the cast and company of "Much Ado About Nothing" and William Shakespeare, thanks for an enjoyable evening.

Erma Matson

(originally posted 3/6/09)

For those of you who know me, my good friend, Joy Matson's mother passed away early yesterday morning at George Davis Manor in West Lafayette. Erma Matson was 91 when she died and moved to West Lafayette about four years ago from Princeton, IL where she and her husband raised three children, Marion, Marvin and Joy.

Erma's husband, Delbert, and their eldest son, Marion, preceded her in death. Joy lives in West Lafayette and Marvin and his wife and two children live in Okemos, MI (outside East Lansing).
There will be a Memorial Service for Erma at George Davis Manor on Cumberland Avenue in WL, between Salisbury and Yeager Roads at 5:30 on Saturday March 7th. There will be a reception at my home after the Memorial Service.

Delbert and Erma lived a very simple and furgal life, but through their conservation, were able to accomplish much more than many who are wealthy. During these difficult economic times, let's learn from Delbert and Erma.