Summer Fun

Tisho, the eldest daughter of my sister Wendy, arranged for a truly bodacious birthday present for my mother. Many months ago, she bought tickets for excellent seats at a performance of "The Lion King" at the Kennedy Center. She bought four of them, one for Mom, one for herself, and one for each of Barbara's two children, Madison and Elizabeth.

But when the time came, Tisho had to be in Texas, where her other grandfather is in grave condition. I was called upon to take her place, use her ticket, and drive the others to and from the Kennedy Center.

So that's what I did yesterday.

I was at a distinct disadvantage from being unfamiliar with "The Lion King." That's right; I got this far in life without ever seeing the Disney film or reading the story. So I didn't know the plot or the characters or anything. Not that there was much of a plot.

The music (John Denver) was so loud that little Lizzie turned off both of her hearing aids. I didn't care for any of it. At all.

However, four outstanding things about this performance made it entertaining anyway, in spite of lousy music and thin plot. They were: the extrardinary, ingenious costumes, the staging and scenery effects, the puppetry (for some of the main characters were puppets), and the little boy who played the young Simba. He was only 11 years old, and already a wonderful actor, singer, dancer, and acrobat.

So, well, I wouldn't have found it worth paying as much for it as Tisho did, but it was still fun. And my opinion was definitely the minority one; the audience gave a thunderous, standing ovation. Lizzie (8) sat at rapt attention throughout, leaning forward, and remarked, as the applause was dying down, "That almost took my breath away!"

We got home at 11:45, having gotten lost on the way home. Had the lights out at 12:45, which is what time Mom and Juliet were ready (her cat).

Today, we visited Dad, who told us he had just arrived (at the nursing home) and was glad to be there after a morning of getting shot at. Asked whether he had fired back, he said he had; and when I wondered whether he had killed any of the enemy, he said yes, he expected he probably had. But he was very tired as a result.

"He must be remembering his days as a soldier and he thinks it's now," whispered Lizzie. Yup.

She fed him his dietary supplement mixed in with some chocolate pudding, and then she and Maddy and I came here, to Richmond. They are going to spend a couple of weeks with us. We're planning a day trip to Virginia Beach tomorrow, with friends. Then we'll go to North Carolina to be with their cousins for a few days. Then back here...

So I don't know how much I'll be posting for the next week or so. Ya'll have fun, and I'll be back whenever I can between now and August 19, which is when I hope to leave for Greece.