A Thanksgiving Odyssey: Bands, Buses, and Big Bad Balloons (Completed!!!)

[afwdwfan]

usa! usa! usa!

EDIT: Clearly, the DIS forbids typing "U" "S" and "A" in all caps right in a row. Yikes

Clearly, the DIS is run by the terrorists.

 

[cj9200]

Chapter 2: Rock This Town (Day 2 - Tuesday)

Part 3: From On High​

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Looking southeast… we get a better view of the East River (which is actually an inlet) Lower Manhattan, the Williamsburg Bridge and Brooklyn. Oh yah… there’s this other rather tall building there on the right as well.

Like the pictures. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate. Unfortunately something missing from this picture that was further downtown.

That is DD at the WTC less than a month before 9-11.

The Top reopened just before I left NY. Next trip up there.

Also suffer from unprotected heights syndrome. Queasy just looking at this...

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

usa! usa! usa!

EDIT: Clearly, the DIS forbids typing "U" "S" and "A" in all caps right in a row. Yikes

Test: CANADA!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

When do we get to the original content in this update?

Ok, there it is. That didn't take too long.

Impatient are we? You know that you really need to be ignoring my commentary in the first place…

Right?

I take it that you didn't lose any yet?

Not as of yet…


Actually we did rather well on that front.
There was one close call on Friday, but that was it.

How did you feel about this one?

Knowing there was no way to fall, it should have been a cinch. But playing along and trying to stay on the beam while looking down at their clever optical illusion still put a few butterflies in my belly. There were more then a few folks that walked around it altogether.

Hmmm... you leave an attraction and enter a theater... on par with World Showcase.
Sounds like Norway!

You’re closer then you know…

Are they wearing creepy looking bell hop uniforms?

Creepy is a matter of perception, but they were in uniform.

Mark would never go on it. How many times did it drop and shoot back up?

Oh... and techno sound track????

Only two or three, but the one thirty story drop was quite exciting.

Great pictures, both of the view and the family. Having never been to NYC myself, seeing Central Park from that vantage point kind of caught me a bit by surprise. I guess I never realized how big the park is. I didn't realize there was that much of NYC that wasn't covered by concrete or asphalt.

Thanks! The first time I encountered Central Park I was rather surprised as well. But if you weren’t near it or one of the other verdant squares, then there was a distinct lack of the color green to the place.

It's not the fall that concerns me - it's the sudden stop at the end.
or
Don't worry, I'm OK. The ground broke my fall.​

There is nothing theoretical about the physics involved here

Hey now, we're still in America. Don't be using that fancy-pants "metric system" Now, how high were you to those of us that still believe in American values? (And by "values" I mean thumbing our noses at a superior measuring system used by the rest of the world and using our antiquated, hard to understand system because we just don't feel like changing.)

You make a good point, but to be a purest, I really should have made that measurement in cubits.

Oooo...bombarded with radiation and then sent to the top of a tall building. This can't end well.

It’s all good. The mutations caused by the radiation gave us enough temporary superpowers to survive anything they might throw at us.

Similar to the SkyDeck at Willis Tower (Formerly "Sears Tower", currently "Big Willy") in Chicago. Only here, there is a way to fall through - however remote it is.

That’s a whole different critter. I’d like to tour that as well, but we’ll have to see whether or not I actually walk out onto the thing. I suspect that the answer is probably… but I ain’t takin’ bets on it.

THAT is cool! Sort of like how the Haunted Mansion's stretching room ceiling disappears, but without the hanging corpse.

The corpse may have been hanging from beneath the elevator, but from our vantage point, we’d never have known about it. Now if they put a “Big Willy” type transparent floor on the elevator…

I believe that there’d be a whole lot more folks loosing their mind on that particular ride once it changed from opaque to clear.

I tried this on the photograph, and it worked. Independent Verification!

Thanks professor.

With your backing, now I should be able to apply for that grant.

That's certainly one approach, but I see myself as being the type of parent that constantly hangs out with his children and their friends, for no other reason to embarrass the living daylights out of them. They can have their payback when they pick my nursing home.

And I assure you… they will.

Awesome pictures, Rob!

Thanks

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Why do I see ToT jokes in my future for some reason?

Unavoidable considering the company you keep.
Maybe it’s that last bit there which needs reviewing.

I'm actually ok with heights, and even have been ok in "unprotected" situations. It's the actual sensation of falling that I can't stand.

I’m with you on that one. This leads me to be a bit picky when it comes to roller coasters. I’m all about speed and force… airtime however… not so much.

Sounds like they need some interactive games along the queue.

Couldn’t hurt. Of course making a point to see this particular attraction at some time other then when there’s a 300 person tour group waiting in line may alleviate most of the issues.

Most of our wait times this week were directly related to the fact that we were the ones clogging up the works.

That does look cool!

It’s a neat effect.
I wasn’t expecting anything at all but an elevator ride to the top. Their little queue area was a surprise and a bonus at the same time.

The Pit of Despair...

There are probable a number of NY psychologists that send their patents with height issues to see that little exhibit as a method of acclimation.

So was the film made in 1974? Does it show lots of people with mullets?

Naaaa… They’ve updated it just a might.
Actually… the observation deck was closed to the public from about 1985 up to around 2005. The last time I was in NY prior to this trip, I couldn’t have gone up there.

You had to go there.
I don't mind going UP fairly quickly.

Sorry about that… but it does supply a proper frame of reference
(for most Disney readers anyway).

And the other building on the dock in front of Ellis Island is the departure point for the ferry to Ellis and Liberty Islands from Liberty State Park in NJ. (Sorry, that trip is still fresh in my mind)

Your good… It’s not as if I’ve never tossed a comment or extra detail into the middle of one of your TRs before (actually I believe I do that regularly).

Besides… you are correct sir. However I’ll wait and talk about our perspective of that spot on the horizon a bit later on in the trip.

Even with the bad weather, I think I need to get my family up there someday. We really haven't done much in NYC as yet.

We saw much, but we saw some of it rather quickly. I’ve already decided that I need to go back and re-see a couple of things and add a number of other things into the mix as well.

Delaware had a law on the books that we had to change to the metric system by a certain date. So, being the pro-active department that we are, we made a huge effort to change all of our policies, standards, design plans, even road signs over to metric. It was a herculean effort, but we pulled it off. Then the politicians decided they didn't like it and drafted a law sending us back to the old system.

I remember there being a huge focus on learning it w-a-y back when I was in elementary and middle school. But by the time I got into high school, the notion of switching had long since fallen out of favor. From then on it only showed up in Chemistry to simplify the math.

usa! usa! usa!

EDIT: Clearly, the DIS forbids typing "U" "S" and "A" in all caps right in a row. Yikes

Whoa…that’s an unfortunate choice on the part of our hosts.

Let’s try it again…

USA! USA! USA!



Hummm… It let me do it

Like the pictures. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate. Unfortunately something missing from this picture that was further downtown.

Yah… they should have been standing on the very right edge of that image.

That is DD at the WTC less than a month before 9-11.

Great photo! Thanks for sharing.

Since I know “Crash” from more recent pictures it’s nice to see how she has grown in that time.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Chapter 2: Rock This Town (Day 2 - Tuesday)

Part 4: A Change in Direction
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Plan B…

That common American phrase has its origins in the Civil War. From Ulysses Grant’s strategy planning sessions specifically. Grant liked options. Whenever his staff would discuss their next move, he expected them to have at least three or four alternatives for any proposal. When those alternatives were discussed they would be referred to as “Plan-A, Plan-B, Plan-C” and so on. The members of the press corps picked up on this nomenclature and wrote it into their accounts of the battles. In short order this synonym for “back up plan” worked its way into the vernacular. Which is a handy thing right about now as far as I’m concerned.

Why?

Because the onset of some considerably more persistent rain…

…was forcing us to quickly abandon our Plan-A of remaining out of doors and heading on up to the completely unprotected 70th floor observation deck.

Yah I know that picture ain’t from our visit or even from my lifetime… but it is of the 70th floor at The Rock and you get a look at the RMS Queen Mary being escorted along the Hudson River as a bonus. As such, I rather like the image, so I decided to inflict it upon everyone here.

My TR… My prerogative…​

Anyway… we first chose to retreat into the little 69th floor gift shop, but the operative word here is little. As such, it was a might crowded and didn’t take terribly long to rummage through. Another port in the storm up at The Top is a light and sound installation called “The Breezeway”.

This is part light show, part “modern art”, and part video game. There are sensors built into the room that identify individuals as they enter the space.

Once it has you locked in, you are assigned a color and that color will follow you around the room as you move from place to place. It also reacts to speed and type of motion. There is even a sign inviting you to “Walk, Move, Dance, be Part of the Experience”. Every so often it will reset itself by bathing the entire room in each of its main colors and then reassigning new hues to each person.

The kids were having a good bit of fun with this funky addition to an otherwise scenic attraction.

Here’s a small video I found out there on the “inter-webs” that will let you see and hear a bit of what’s going on…







The Breezeway also overlooks a sitting area on the 68th floor where a lot of the kids were waiting out the rainsquall

Of course, if you give a teenager that large an audience and that much glass to stand in front of…
they’re going to have to start showing off…

I mean…
this just goes without saying.



After a while it became clear that this time the rain just wasn’t going to stop as it had done the rest of the day. We’d gotten a few good pictures, bought us a trinket or two, played around in the breezeway a bit and watched the kids act like… well… kids. That’s about all we were going to accomplish for now, so it was decided that we might as well head back down to street level and poke around in a shop or two.
Besides, we’d be needin’ to meet up for dinner in a bit.

The trip back down from the summit to terra firma is pretty much the same as the assent. I found another little vid of this process (just in case you’re interested)







After a bit of mindless shopping my watch was telling me that we probably should head back to the plaza and queue up for the bus ride over toward dinner.

It was still raining pretty steady so we were all huddling as best as we could beneath the few umbrellas that made the trek into the city with us that day. I was able to keep the girls fairly dry, but by the time our coaches had made their way through the early evening traffic, my coat was just about completely soaked through. Oh well… I’d dry out across the rest of the evening, but for now, I just had to deal with it.



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Dinner tonight was going to be at a little spot off Times Square called “Dallas BBQ”

Did I say little? I meant to say cravenness. Our five busloads of folk didn’t even put a dent in the seating capacity of this eatery. They put the adults up on the third floor

And the kids down on the second and way off in an extra dining room that was over top of the business next door

This place was like much of what we encountered in New York. What it looked like on the outside was completely unrelated to what it was on the inside. Small entryways lead to vast spaces… massive expanses of glass and signage hide small establishments tucked into the corner of an otherwise vacant floor. Nothing is as it first appears. You have to go in and find out what’s really there before you know if it’s any good or not

Hummmm… this sounds a whole lot like the way we ought to be approaching life in the first place, now don’t it?


As for the food… it was good. Not “to die for”, but pretty good. I’ve no doubt that there are for more enticing offering within the confines of Old New Amsterdam, but these folks could accommodate out fairly hefty crowd with no trouble at all and they offered up some decent (and affordable) barbeque.

Now there are actually a couple of rather tender and smoky ribs buried underneath all those fries there (although the chicken wasn’t bad either), so I’m going to dig those bad boys out of there and gnaw on ‘em for a bit.



I’ll meet y’all down on 42nd Street right after dinner.

​

 

[afwdwfan]

Actually we did rather well on that front.
There was one close call on Friday, but that was it.

Well, that's not bad. If you had lost one on Friday, at least the parade was over, so you wouldn't have to worry about filling any gaps in the marching order.

That common American phrase has its origins in the Civil War. From Ulysses Grant’s strategy planning sessions specifically. Grant liked options. Whenever his staff would discuss their next move, he expected them to have at least three or four alternatives for any proposal. When those alternatives were discussed they would be referred to as “Plan-A, Plan-B, Plan-C” and so on. The members of the press corps picked up on this nomenclature and wrote it into their accounts of the battles. In short order this synonym for “back up plan” worked its way into the vernacular. Which is a handy thing right about now as far as I’m concerned.

You've never lost a game of Trivial Pursuit, have you?

…was forcing us to quickly abandon our Plan-A of remaining out of doors and heading on up to the completely unprotected 70th floor observation deck.

You mean you didn't want to stand outside on the 70th floor in the middle of a rain storm?

Once it has you locked in, you are assigned a color and that color will follow you around the room as you move form place to place. It also reacts to speed and type of motion. There is even a sign inviting you to “Walk, Move, Dance, be Part of the Experience”. Every so often it will reset itself by bathing the entire room in each of its main colors and then reassigning new hues to each person.

Looks kind of cool!

Oh well… I’d dry out across the rest of the evening, but for now, I just had to deal with it.

Drying out was probably not an easy task in NYC in November. At least you shouldn't have to deal with AC in the restaurant.

Dinner tonight was going to be at a little spot off Times Square called “Dallas BBQ”

Hmmm... A group from the southeast, goes to NYC and eats Dallas BBQ.

Did I say little? I meant to say cravenness. Our five busloads of folk didn’t even put a dent in the seating capacity of this eatery. They put the adults up on the third floor

Wow, that place is huge! I guess there are probably quite a few busloads of tourists in NYC everyday and they need to eat too. This place looks like it can handle a few of them.

Hummmm… this sounds a whole lot like the way we ought to be approaching life in the first place, now don’t it?

Trivia and philosophy. You're offering just about everything in this update.

Now there are actually a couple of rather tender and smoky ribs buried underneath all those fries there (although the chicken wasn’t bad either), so I’m going to dig those bad boys out of there and gnaw on ‘em for a bit.

MMMM... ribs. I might have to splurge and get some for lunch.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Well, that's not bad. If you had lost one on Friday, at least the parade was over, so you wouldn't have to worry about filling any gaps in the marching order.

Can’t argue that logic

The quick story is that some folks thought that one of their friends got left behind at a previous stop, but it turned out that the boy was just so tired that he was off in a corner snoozing and no one noticed him there.

Considering the amount of walking we did as a group though out the Manhattan area, it’s amazing that we did keep everyone together. There will be a coupe of stories on that topic as we roll on through the next couple of days.

You've never lost a game of Trivial Pursuit, have you?

Not many, but… it does matter what category and which addition you’re playing.
If the questions are heavy on recent pop-culture…
I’m pretty much up the creek.

You mean you didn't want to stand outside on the 70th floor in the middle of a rain storm?

Call me foolish

Looks kind of cool!

Kind’a cool is about right (for me). The kids like it a lot.

Drying out was probably not an easy task in NYC in November. At least you shouldn't have to deal with AC in the restaurant.

A/C would have been worse, but I really never dried out completely the rest of the evening.

Hmmm... A group from the southeast, goes to NYC and eats Dallas BBQ.


Wow, that place is huge! I guess there are probably quite a few busloads of tourists in NYC everyday and they need to eat too. This place looks like it can handle a few of them.

And that’s why we went. A true NY dinning experience would have been great, but we really had to stay with places that were a mix of affordable and spacious, so mostof our meals were good, but not spectacular.

Trivia and philosophy. You're offering just about everything in this update.

Just another service I offer.

MMMM... ribs. I might have to splurge and get some for lunch.

Yes… yes you should.
And were you down here I’d take you out to my favorite spot to gnaw on some ribs.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

When those alternatives were discussed they would be referred to as “Plan-A, Plan-B, Plan-C” and so on. The members of the press corps picked up on this nomenclature and wrote it into their accounts of the battles. In short order this synonym for “back up plan” worked its way into the vernacular.

Don't ever stop doing these little tangents. They're great.

Because the onset of some considerably more persistent rain…

NYC could have done a much better job scheduling these weather events. Couldn't the local weather union go on strike?

Once it has you locked in, you are assigned a color and that color will follow you around the room as you move form place to place. It also reacts to speed and type of motion. There is even a sign inviting you to “Walk, Move, Dance, be Part of the Experience”. Every so often it will reset itself by bathing the entire room in each of its main colors and then reassigning new hues to each person.

Um...ok.

Of course, if you give a teenager that large an audience and that much glass to stand in front of… their going to have to start showing off…

Note the male of the species, oddly comfortable in his natural habitat.

The trip back down from the summit to terra firma is pretty much the same as the assent. I found another little vid of this process (just incase you’re interested)

Cool...

I was able to keep the girls fairly dry, but by the time our coaches had made their way through the early evening traffic, my coat was just about completely soaked through. Oh well… I’d dry out across the rest of the evening, but for now, I just had to deal with it.

Very gentlemanly of you, sir.

Dinner tonight was going to be at a little spot off Times Square called “Dallas BBQ”

Because when you go to NYC, you think of Dallas. Actually, BBQ does sound good. As long as they don't have Cowboys paraphernalia around the restaurant.

Nothing is as it first appears. You have to go in and find out what’s really there before you know if it’s any good or not

Hummmm… this sounds a whole lot like the way we ought to be approaching life in the first place, now don’t it?

I like the way you think there.

Now there are actually a couple of rather tender and smoky ribs buried underneath all those fries there (although the chicken wasn’t bad either), so I’m going to dig those bad boys out of there and gnaw on ‘em for a bit.

That doesn't look too shabby.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Because the onset of some considerably more persistent rain…

I hate it when weather rolls in.

…was forcing us to quickly abandon our Plan-A of remaining out of doors and heading on up to the completely unprotected 70th floor observation deck.

Maybe you'd be above the rain up there? Did you even consider that?

Yah I know that picture ain’t from our visit or even from my lifetime… but it is of the 70th floor at The Rock and you get a look at the RMS Queen Mary being escorted along the Hudson River as a bonus. As such, I rather like the image, so I decided to inflict it upon everyone here.

My TR… My prerogative…

I like the picture.

This is part light show, part “modern art”, and part video game. There are sensors built into the room that identify individuals as they enter the space.

Sounds like fun!

Every so often it will reset itself by bathing the entire room in each of its main colors and then reassigning new hues to each person.

This must be the "Game Over" section of the "part video game" you mentioned.

Of course, if you give a teenager that large an audience and that much glass to stand in front of… their going to have to start showing off…

I just hope no cheeks were pressed to glass. You know what cheeks I'm referring to.

It was still raining pretty steady so we were all huddling as best as we could beneath the few umbrellas that made the trek into the city with us that day.

Ironic. You're all huddled around like a herd of cattle...and you're going to a BBQ place for dinner.

Did I say little? I meant to say cravenness. Our five busloads of folk didn’t even put a dent in the seating capacity of this eatery. They put the adults up on the third floor

And the kids down on the second and way off in an extra dinning room that was over top of the business next door

Good thinking. Separate the supervisors from their charges.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Well… life has been really mucking up my planned update time lately. I’m hopping that I’ll get a bit of breathing room in the next day or two. I do have updates in the works, but I just need to finish them up. In the mean time, I figured that the least I could do is answer back to those that have been following along.


So never let it be said that I didn’t do the least I could do.

Don't ever stop doing these little tangents. They're great.

It’d be easier to cut off an arm, but…
You should be careful what you ask for. I pretty sure that not all of them are (or will be) “great”.

NYC could have done a much better job scheduling these weather events. Couldn't the local weather union go on strike?

I think they were on strike, so there was nothing to stop the rain

Um...ok.

Yah… I’m with you here.
It was there, it was a major part of the installation, I described it and the kids thought it was a lot more interesting then I did.

It was a lot like lookin’ at “Modern Art”… it still leaves me lookin’ for something else to look at.

Note the male of the species, oddly comfortable in his natural habitat.

When I do the video documentary I’ll have to invite you over to play the part of the guest Anthropologist.

Very gentlemanly of you, sir.

“That’s what you do…”
(Hay, that’s the only Man Law that I actually coined… I tend to say it fairly often).

Because when you go to NYC, you think of Dallas. Actually, BBQ does sound good. As long as they don't have Cowboys paraphernalia around the restaurant.

Given the size of the group, we had to pick and chose on what we could really accomplish (and still keep the price in the realm of sanity). One of the delights of NY that we had to forgo was fine cuisine. Out of necessity, our watch words for dining establishments were: affordable, available, decent, and spacious (having a staff use to handling large groups was also a must).

I like the way you think there.

Thank you sir.

That doesn't look too shabby.

Actually… it was quite good. The chicken was a smidgen dry (but all chicken brests are dry these days… just the way we’ve reengineered an animal for commercial gains). The ribs were much better, and sine Tamara will only go after the easy pickin’s when it comet to food with an attached bone (ribs, chicken, pork chops, ect…) I got to gnaw all the goodness off those bones as well.

I hate it when weather rolls in.

Yet it always seems to make it’s self known at least once in any trip I take. I noted in a previous TR that I don’t believe I’ve ever driven over 400 miles at a crack without getting rained on at least once. But, this nonsense had been going on since Sunday and it was starting to get old.

Maybe you'd be above the rain up there? Did you even consider that?

I looked up for a moment or two… but since I could still see the top of the building, I figured that it was likely still below the clouds.

I like the picture.

Thanks… I’d like to have been the one to have actually taken it. Both Tamara and I are convinced that we were born in the wrong time period.

Sounds like fun!

Like I was tellin’ Mark… The kids rather liked it. To me… it was OK, but the most interesting part of the installation was the fact that it wasn’t raining in there.

This must be the "Game Over" section of the "part video game" you mentioned.

That’s about how I’d call it.

I just hope no cheeks were pressed to glass. You know what cheeks I'm referring to.

I’m sure it’s been done…
But not by our kids. They’d have found themselves very quickly on some type of conveyance that was heading south.

Ironic. You're all huddled around like a herd of cattle...and you're going to a BBQ place for dinner.

Excellent insight (and very correct)

Good thinking. Separate the supervisors from their charges.

No so. There were three distinct groups of adults along for the ride. The folks that were just sightseeing… the volunteers that were handling the gear and logistics (those two groups were upstairs)… and then there was the chaperone corps who traveled with the kids the whole time. Trust me… not one young’en was ever out of eyesight or earshot for more then a minute of two (or in a group smaller then four people) without having a whole lot of splainin’ to do.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Flash Back 2:





You want us to build what?​

(The 2010/2011 season – Prelude to Macy’s)
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​

Flash-Back time… I warned y’all that these would be arriving at random spots along the way, but there’s good news here. I’ve also posted the next part of the actual TR right below this post, so you can skip it if you want to. I really couldn’t stop you anyway, so you might as well just scroll on down.




Came back up here did ya’? OK, but I warned you. Now then, during our last encounter with the time travel aspects of this very un-Disney TR…

I took y’all back to the moment when it was reveled that the kids had been invited to be a part of the 2011 Macy’s Parade. I also noted that do to the way in which, selections are made and appearances are scheduled… the rising seniors from that year (who were instrumental in winning them that honor) would not be participating. Considering that fact, I though it would be good to note the hard work and accomplishments that they, and the rest of the kids put forth in the school year that lead up to the events that make up this TR. And so we begin in the summer of 2010.




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The Temple of the Sun

For the kids that are members of the Music Department at NaFo, one of the major events of each new school year is the unveiling of the name and theme of the competition marching show that they’ll be working on and performing the upcoming fall season. They were just coming off the heels of a great season during 2009/2010, but were looking forward to the next challenge. As such it was just before the summer break that the composer we work with showed up at school and presented a video that included some of the inspiration pieces of music, a few of the visual concepts and of course the name of the new show which would be…

The idea is that it would present a musical & visual representation of the sun and ancient sun cultures. It would be broken into five movements titled: Sun Rise, Sun Culture, Rays of the Sun, The Cycle Ends and Apocalyptic.


Now while school ends in early June and does not start back up in till late August… the kids in band start back to school in late July. They would meet for indoor music rehearsals of the new pieces four weekdays out of five for several weeks leading up to “Band Camp” (insert “American Pie” jokes here… you know you’re going to) at which point they’d spend ten days out in the Carolina summer heat learning the drill and motions that had to go with that now memorized music.

During this same time period the adult volunteers will start work on constructing props and building all manner of contraptions needed to move this circus from place to place and to add visual interest to support the work the kids were already doing. In my time as part of this group of volunteers
(known as “The Pit Crew”)…

…I’ve been called on to help construct a number of interesting things so far. Things like for instance: a 45-foot long representation of a steam locomotive…

A set of mobile railway crossing gates
(electrified no less and built onto hand-trucks to make them easier to move)…

…and a 50 foot likeness of a railway trestle bridge…

The locomotive ended up being just too heavy for the young girls in the guard to be able to handle successfully (so it was never used to its fullest potential), but the rest of these devices were wildly successful.


If we could pull that stuff off, we felt that we were ready for anything the directors could throw at us. We were nearly wrong. For Solaris, we only needed to build one main prop… a mobile facsimile of the Mayan Temple of the Sun. In plan English…

A Pyramid
(oh yah… and eight 14-foot long “brick walls” to go with it).



Whoa… What?



Well, we had our marching orders… so we set out to convert a busted up old trailer into a Sun Temple and fabricating the “walls” to go with it.

By the way… that’s Perry, Ronnie and Jeff up there testing the integrity of the thing (I’d have been there as well, but someone had to take the pictures). Dang fine fellows all of them… if they were into Disney, they all fit in real well around here
​

And here’s what it looked like when we had to haul all that gear to a competition…

Once at our destination we’d hook everything together and use a “Gator” to haul it all into the stadium
(our version of a “crazy train”).

Before each performance we officially had two minutes to set everything up

Oh yah… the sun. Forgot about that prop… but the kids made and were responsible for that one
(we only had to get it on and off the trailer each trip).


If we did it right… Here’s how it would look, as the show was about to get under way…

But as much work as that appears to be… it was nothing compared to the hours the kids put into it. Since you don’t generally think to take pictures at any of the regular rehearsals, and we’re all rather busy with concessions and such during the ball games, there just aren’t enough pictures to illustrate just how much work they do… but trust me it’s a lot. The net result od all this effort was a second consecutive State Championship (by 0.05 points over our cross town rivals, but a win none the less… truth is: they out marched us, but we out played them and that counts for more points… which it should… they’re bands for Pete’s Sake).

Here are a few more miscellaneous images from that amazing season.

And the best part of it from my personal point of view…
I managed to get through the whole fall and winter without landing in the hospital
(can’t say the same for the prior year, but that’s a whole-nother story).




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The Class of 2011




Once the marching season ends you’d think that they’re pretty much done for the year…



Wrong!


First there’s the town Christmas Parade…

And the winter Concert….

After the holiday break, there are actually more different things that go on in the late winter and spring then did in the fall. They just aren’t as much of a public spectacle and comprise smaller groups of kids working at each purpose. January brings Regional and All State auditions and February includes the actual performances of those honor bands.

The “Solo and Ensemble” competitions take pace in March and the school needs to have a certain number “superior rated” performances from the various members of the group to qualify for the end of year “Outstanding Performance Awards” (also known as the OPA). That honor is presented by the Directors Association to a school’s entire program and takes the entire year’s achievements into account. It’s the ultimate goal each year (and these kids are currently five for five in winning that one since the school opened).

There are smaller groups that still perform competitively during the time frame as well. The Color Guard sends two teams to an indoor competition series and the Percussion section also puts together a separate show as well.

The main horn line of band itself is divided into two groups and they begin working on the Spring Performance Festival. This is just as fierce a competition as the in the marching season, except that it’s entirely a musical performance. It’s a judged event and includes both a prepared piece competition and a site reading competition. As tough as the music they mach is… this stuff if vastly more difficult. The Wind Ensemble (mostly juniors and seniors, but you have to audition for a spot in this group) took three advanced collage level pieces into the festival and scored four superior ratings. Impressive but expected… as that group is made up of the best musicians from one of the better music schools. The better story is that the Concert Ensemble (similar in concept to a Junior-Varsity) took three collage entry-level pieces to the same contest. Few schools send two separate bands to Festival and almost none of these junior groups scores well. It’s pretty much looked on by the judges as nothing more then a stunt and they tend to be rather harsh of those groups. Our kids were the surprise exception to that assumption. They bought in tough music and nailed it scoring four more superior ratings. The work of the younger kids also ensured that the entire program would be awarded the OPA.


That’s a whole lot of work and a whole lot of excellent musicianship to accomplish before the end of April each year. The last event of the school year is the spring concert for the home folks in May.

During this last performance, the students are allowed to either dress formal or wear their marching uniform. There is no shame in either choice as not every one can afford to get a hold of either a tux or a formal black dress. But we found an out of the way spot that sells used tuxes and splurged a little bit so that Max could dress the part.

He cleans up rather well now don’t he?
And… now he owns a Tux. If he keeps he weight in check, it’ll never go out of style.




OK…one more picture

That there was the last image I thought to take that year. It was when we dropped him off early to begin warming up for that evening performance.

This is one of those pictures that says much without you realizing at first that it’s done so.

The easy read is that it shows how much my boy has grown over the years and just how much he’s now able to fend for himself. But it’s also a bittersweet foreshadowing of things to come. Specifically… the day that we will be on his own; the moment that he’ll walk calmly and confidently right out of our world in into a life of his own choosing. That though is a little hard to bear, but it also makes you more proud then you can possibly explain.



Especially to your own children.






OK before I go… here’s just one more thing that you now have the opportunity to utterly ignore (and who doesn’t enjoy that?) Below is a video of “Solaris” as kids from NaFo performed it at the 2010 3A State Finales at the end of October (this is that 0.05 point win I was talking about earlier). It was done with a hand held camera at a fairly decent angel but the sound is only so-so and crowd noise overpowers things in a couple of spots
(which is a shame because the thing they do best is play)






Give it about 15 seconds before the sound kicks in and watch the kids on those “walls” in the very back of formation right at the beginning of the performance (even before the Major start them off)


​

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Chapter 2: Rock This Town (Day 2 - Tuesday)

Part 5: Walking to Memphis
​

​

​

Time for a little walk.

Another interesting word, that last one there.
As the Vikings were hacking up everything in site on the British Isles a bit more than a millennium ago, they also managed to plant a few things that actually grew. No plants of course (I mean, what self-respecting plunderer would bother caring decorative greenery as cargo during an invasion).

No…
they planted words.

A fairly large number of them made it into the languages of those who were in the midst of being subjugated. A list that includes the Old Norse word: “vālka” which meant, “to toss” (and I’m sure that these conquerors got to “valka” more than a few craniums off to the side as they ripped through the unsuspecting populous like a hot iron through pig fat).

That word was one of those which stuck and would evolve into the Old English: “wealcan” and then the Middle English “walken” which both meant: “to roll or toss”. It wasn’t until the modern English era that the “en” got dropped (‘cause were lazy) and the meaning shifted to “travel on foot at a moderate pace” (and just why the meaning shifter from “roll” to “travel” is unclear). What’s more interesting (to me at least, as I’m assuming that y’all have already skipped this nonsense and moved on down to the actual TR part of this dissertation) is what we’ve done with the word since.

To “walk” could be: winning easily, being acquitted of heinous crimes, declaring a strike, quitting a job or abandoning something (or someone). You might take a walk or you could leave “the walk” (though the park rangers will caution you not to do so). One may walk the floors or walk the streets (but we’d think rather differently of you depending on which option you chose). You can walk someone to the door or down the aisle or through the steps. You might be forced to walk the plank…choose to walk the line… or have the strength of conviction required to walk the walk.

Walk on, walk off, walk in, walk out… walk all over someone, or just pick yourself up and walk it off. You can jaywalk, take the “perp-walk”, speak the “Jabber walk”, believe that you are the “**** of the walk” and then walk a mile (either in your own shoes or someone else’s). Ultimately you could decide to “walk away… just, walk away”.

Most of this walking has little to do with the concept of perambulation, but it does clearly illustrate just how nuanced and whimsical language can be. But the “walk” that best suits this TR at this particular time does convey a sense of motion. Actually it’s a “walking” phrase that is a well-known quote from a film.

This one:

“Gents… Take a walk.”



Of course we all know that Hector was merely urging his crew of cursed undead buccaneers to stroll out of site and beneath the waves in order to surprise the crew of a ship anchored out in the middle of the harbor (hay… it not like they were going to drown). But what it says to me is that we’re going to be traveling and were going to get mighty wet doing it.



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Forty-Second Street



After dinner we were given the opportunity to roam around 42nd for a little bit. This had two objectives. First it got us out of the restaurant so that the proprietors could turn the tables around, and second it allowed us to spread everyone out and get prepared for the trip to the last venue of the evening (I’ll explain this more in a minute). Once on the street we encountered a scene that looked a lot like this…

I didn’t take that picture (because my camera ain’t quite that good in these conditions), but it is the right spot on the map and that’s pretty much how it looked and felt… wet. If I had taken a picture, it would have looked like this:

Which it does, so now you know why I showed you someone else’s work first (but tell me… do you ever see a McDonald’s dressed up as showy as that one around your neck of the woods? I sure don’t). Now remember that we didn’t have but one umbrella, and my coat was still pretty much soaked through. Needless to say we didn’t stay out in that muck very long. A lot of folks ducked into the nearest Starbuck’s, but I didn’t feel much like spending eight dollars on a bad cup of coffee or waiting in a long line to do it. No… being Disney veterans we did what comes natural when a rainstorm opens up on what is basically a theme park… we ducked into a gift shop.

Turns out that my son and his group had done the same, but we decided to just let them be (nothing more frustrating to a teen then having mom and dad pop into the middle of the group and start asking questions). I believe that he was already out of money at this point, but looking don’t cost nothin’. Really we were just waiting for the clock to roll around to 6pm. Once that time arrived, all the folks who were riding on Bus-4 were to meet in front of the B. B King Blues Club just down the street. That spot over there on the left…

(a stock photo from a much prettier day)



You’ll notice right off that this location has an awning. Our group was lucky as this bit of structure gave us a reprieve from the steady rain for a bit. Each bus group was assigned a different spot along 42nd to congregate. This allowed the chaperones to get a clear head count of all the kids and hunt down any stragglers. Once that was accomplished… we started walking. We didn’t have all that far to go, we just had a lot of people to move.

Where were we going?

Here…

Why?

We had to get to Memphis.

So here we are in the middle of a good soaking rain… a veritable train of near three hundred people start hoofing it over to 8th Ave, then up toward 44th. Folks coming out of the shops along the way were both startled and perplexed to figure out what exactly was going on as they encounter this swarm of folks all heading like lemmings in the same general direction. One lady upon encountering the group hollered out “Oh what fun this looks like… where are we going” and started following along. Someone in the line answered her question and hollered back at her “Memphis”; at this she stopped in her tracks looking quite puzzled. We rounded the corner at 44th and found that we should have crossed first. Never mind, we just played the “dumb tourist” card and jaywalked across the middle of the block. Once across everyone squeezed as best we could under the awning in front of the Schubert Theater.

This is actually the point at which all the tickets were handed out and it took a little while to accomplish this task and get everyone in the door and up into the high seats.

But finally I was able to get back out of my coat and plop myself down into a comfy chair and try to dry out.



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The Sole of Schubert

If you’ve not heard of it, “Memphis” is an award winning musical. I was first produced in 2003 and opened in Broadway in 2009. At the 2010 Tony Awards it hauled in four statuettes in including “Best Musical”. It’s a fine show, but being as it has a little bit of age on it now (by Broadway standards), we were able to pick up tickets for the entire group at a reasonable rate.

The story line is based (very loosely) on the personage of Dewey "Daddy-O" Phillips (named: “Huey Calhoun” in the play) who was one of rock 'n' roll's pioneering disk jockeys, but there are also elements from the career of Alan Freed intertwined.

It starts off with a young Huey making is way across the tracks to hear the music being performed in a underground juke joint called Delray's in 1950's Memphis.

At first it’s a bit like releasing a polecat into the middle of a church social, but he convinces the regulars to stay, claiming he is just there for the music. Here he also encounters a young woman by the name of Felicia Farrell who was singing at the time he arrived.

He is smitten by her and particularly by her voice and vows to make her famous. From here he wangles his way into a DJ position at one of the local radio stations “right in the middle of the radio dial”.

Once there he hijacks the play list and captivates the town’s young folk with a manic and unpredictable style and of course some heavy doses of rhythm-n-blues and rock-n-roll that sets all the kids to dancing

(and their parent up in arms).

He promotes Felicia’s music in particular and professes his love to her as well.

As you might expect, from here things get complicated.
How will this forbidden affair progress?

What kind of obstacles will they have to overcome?

Can they even overcome them at all? I’ll be saving those details for now and say that as this play is about the hit the road, I’d recommend you try to catch it sometime in the future.

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Q & A



After the play rolled through its grand finally and received a well-deserved Standing-O, the bulk of the crowd made their way out of the theater. We, however, were told to stay put for just a bit. Once there was plenty of room down in front of the stage everyone made their way down out of the mezzanine for one extra performance that the rest of the audience would be missing out on this evening.

Once the stage had been cleared for the evening, and the actors had a chance to get cleaned up and into their street clothes, a number of the performers who had entertained us this night came back out on stage and spent a bit of time talking with the kids and answering questions form the group.

I wish I’d have thought to record this exchange because it was nearly as much fun as the play. The funniest moment came when nearly all of the folks on stage simultaneously answered one particular question.


The query posed?

“Eight or nine shows a week is a lot of work… what is the most important thing that you do to make sure that you are physically and mentally prepared for each performance?”


The response?


“Sleep!”


The adults in the room were pretty much on the floor laughing. So what of the rest of the folks in the room? Well, being teenagers… the suggestion that their teachers, or worse, their parents might be right to tell them that you didn’t need to be up till 4am on a nightly bases…


well…

let’s say that this just didn’t sit well with them. Truth is that since we arrived, this group had also been rolling their eyes at every admonishment from the directors and staff that they needed to get to bed at a rational hour each evening if they were expecting to do well on Thursday. One might just think that we’d bribed the cast to give that answer, and more than a few of the young’ens flat out stated as much. But… this was not the case. If we’d have wanted to, we couldn’t have planned it better than that.

After a few more exchanges, some more laughs and several knowing nods, the evening had come to an end.

Time to get the back to Jersey.

We endured the November rain once more and made our way to the coaches that had by now succeeded in lining up along 44th and ‘round the corner onto Eighth Ave.

A couple of lefts and strategic rights…
a little bit more time to contemplate the vast collage of neon, fluorescence and LEDs as seen through the abstract lenses of rain soaked bus windows…

…a subterranean traversal of the Hudson…
and we were back in our rooms for the night.


It had been a fine day, but sleep was going to be arriving for me sooner rather than later. Once all the coats, hats and scarves were hung over the tube to dry out and we’d scavenged up a couple of sodas to sip, I basically decided to call it a night. Tamara and Elaine were chatting a bit into the evening as sister are want to do, but I had abandoned consciousness long before their conversation had ceased.


I needed my beauty sleep…

we were getting an early start tomorrow.

​

 

[cj9200]

Great detour. Max looks pretty spiffy in that tux. It is amazing how much time and dedication kids put into their extra-curricular activities.

Know what you mean about soon starting their own life. Kind of exciting and sad at the same time.

 

[afwdwfan]

…I’ve been called on to help construct a number of interesting things so far. Things like for instance: a 45-foot long representation of a steam locomotive…

Interesting indeed.

A set of mobile railway crossing gates
(electrified no less and built onto hand-trucks to make them easier to move)…

Cool. You guys go all out on props.

…and a 50 foot likeness of a railway trestle bridge…

Even more impressive.

A Pyramid
(oh yah… and eight 14-foot long “brick walls” to go with it).

Good luck. They're all counting on you.

Well, we had our marching orders… so we set out to convert a busted up old trailer into a Sun Temple and fabricating the “walls” to go with it.

I won'der if the world would last beyond 2012 if the Mayans could have moved their temples on a trailer too?

By the way… that’s Perry, Ronnie and Jeff up there

Oh, there you are, Perry.

(our version of a “crazy train”).

I thought that's what the 45 foot steam engine was.

The net result od all this effort was a second consecutive State Championship (by 0.05 points over our cross town rivals, but a win none the less… truth is: they out marched us, but we out played them and that counts for more points… which it should… they’re bands for Pete’s Sake).

It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning's winning.

Congratulations to Max and the band!

He cleans up rather well now don’t he?
And… now he owns a Tux. If he keeps he weight in check, it’ll never go out of style.

Wow, the only tux I've ever owned has been printed on a T-shirt.

Good looking young man right there.

This is one of those pictures that says much without you realizing at first that it’s done so.

Time for a little walk.

And here we go again...

I can honestly say, I never knew this is how the world walk came about. And the whole roll or toss becoming walk doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me either.

We had to get to Memphis.

Long walk.

One lady upon encountering the group hollered out “Oh what fun this looks like… where are we going” and started following along. Someone in the line answered her question and hollered back at her “Memphis”; at this she stopped in her tracks looking quite puzzled.

Never mind, we just played the “dumb tourist” card and jaywalked across the middle of the block.

If you’ve not heard of it, “Memphis” is an award winning musical.

Looks like it must be a pretty good show. I'm sure the music that goes along with it is very good as well.

Once the stage had been cleared for the evening, and the actors had a chance to get cleaned up and into their street clothes, a number of the performers who had entertained us this night came back out on stage and spent a bit of time talking with the kids and answering questions form the group.

Wow, this is probably a pretty neat experience for high school kids who are active in the performing arts.

One might just think that we’d bribed the cast to give that answer, and more then a few of the young’ens flat out stated as much.

Surely they wouldn't accuse you of doing such a thing.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

To “walk” could be: winning easily, being acquitted of heinous crimes, declaring a strike, quiting a job or abandoning something (or someone). You might take a walk or you could leave “the walk” (though the park rangers will caution you not to do so). One may walk the floors or walk the streets (but we’d think rather differently of you depending on which option you chose). You can walk some one to the door or down the isle or through the steps. You might be forced to walk the plank…choose to walk the line… or have the strength of conviction required to walk the walk.

You forgot Walk of Shame. When you wake up in the morning, usually hung over, half clothed in the bed of someone you met at a local watering hole the night before. You gather up your stuff and quietly sneak out, trying not to be noticed, and have to walk home in the daylight dressed in whatever of your "going out partying" clothes you were able to find on the floor.

(but tell me… do you ever see a McDonald’s dressed up as showy as that one around your neck of the woods? I sure don’t).

There a very nice one in Wisconsin Dells all decked out in a Northwoods Lodge motif. Think Wilderness Lodge meets Mickey D's.

We rounded the corner at 44th and found that we should have crossed first. Never mind, we just played the “dumb tourist” card and jaywalked across the middle of the block.

A line of 300 people jaywalking must have been quite the site. And what is local law enforcement going to do, ticket all of you?

If you’ve not heard of it, “Memphis” is an award winning musical. I was first produced in 2003 and opened in Broadway in 2009. At the 2010 Tony Awards it hauled in four statuettes in including “Best Musical”. It’s a fine show, but being as it has a little bit of age on it now (by Broadway standards), we were able to pick up tickets for the entire group at a reasonable rate.

Sorry, I'm one of the uncultured slobs that can't tell Cats from Miss Siagon. I did see Rent when it came on tour through Milwaukee years ago. It was a good show.

We, however, were told to stay put for just a bit. Once there was plenty of room down in front of the stage everyone made their way down out of the mezzanine for one extra performance that the rest of the audience would be missing out on this evening.

Cool!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Flash-Back time…

(insert super-subwoofing LOST flashback noise)

It would be broken into five movements titled: Sun Rise, Sun Culture, Rays of the Sun, The Cycle Ends and Apocalyptic.

How do you do the Apocalypse? Do all the band members fall into a giant pit? Or do they play It's A Small World for 3 hours?

A set of mobile railway crossing gates
(electrified no less and built onto hand-trucks to make them easier to move)…

Those are awesome! Please tell me you have one on display in your home.

The locomotive ended up being just too heavy for the young girls in the guard to be able to handle successfully (so it was never used to its fullest potential), but the rest of these devices were wildly successful.

Before each performance we officially had two minutes to set everything up

You really are a pit crew.

The “Solo and Ensemble” competitions take pace in March and the school needs to have a certain number “superior rated” performances from the various members of the group to qualify for the end of year “Outstanding Performance Awards” (also known as the OPA). That honor is presented by the Directors Association to a school’s entire program and takes the entire year’s achievements into account. It’s the ultimate goal each year (and these kids are currently five for five in winning that one since the school opened).

I used to be a part of the choral competitions in my high school. Good times. Our men's choir had a lot of fun. Brought down the house once (and totally won over the judges) when we began a performance wearing our finest tuxedos...and finished, well, not wearing them anymore.

That there was the last image I thought to take that year. It was when we dropped him off early to begin warming up for that evening performance.

This is one of those pictures that says much without you realizing at first that it’s done so.

The easy read is that it shows how much my boy has grown over the years and just how much he’s now able to fend for himself. But it’s also a bittersweet foreshadowing of things to come. Specifically… the day that we will be on his own; the moment that he’ll walk calmly and confidently right out of our world in into a life of his own choosing. That though is a little hard to bear, but it also makes you more proud then you can possibly explain.

Nicely put. I was reading a book lately that defined manhood as accepting responsibility, for yourself and others. Thought that was as good a definition as I'd read. You won't be left behind, though. You'll walk alongside of him.

Part 5: Walking to Memphis

But do I really feel the way I feel?

Walk on, walk off, walk in, walk out… walk all over someone, or just pick yourself up and walk it off. You can jaywalk, take the “perp-walk”, speak the “Jabber walk”, believe that you are the “**** of the walk” and then walk a mile (either in you own shoes or someone else’s). Ultimately you could decide to “walk away… just, walk away”.

And none of this really explains Christopher Walken.

Which it does, so now you know why I showed you someone else’s work first (but tell me… do you ever see a McDonald’s dressed up as showy as that one around your neck of the woods? I sure don’t).

No, but the McDonald's around me doesn't sell cheeseburgers for $7, either.

A lot of folks ducked into the nearest Starbuck’s, but I didn’t feel much like spending eight dollars on a bad cup of coffee or waiting in a long line to do it.

That does, however, sound like every Starbucks I've seen.

One lady upon encountering the group hollered out “Oh what fun this looks like… where are we going” and started following along. Someone in the line answered her question and hollered back at her “Memphis”; at this she stopped in her tracks looking quite puzzled.

Once the stage had been cleared for the evening, and the actors had a chance to get cleaned up and into their street clothes, a number of the performers who had entertained us this night came back out on stage and spent a bit of time talking with the kids and answering questions form the group.

Cool!

“Eight or nine shows a week is a lot of work… what is the most important thing that you do to make sure that you are physically and mentally prepared for each performance?”

The response?


“Sleep!”

There a very nice one in Wisconsin Dells all decked out in a Northwoods Lodge motif. Think Wilderness Lodge meets Mickey D's.

ANOTHER reason to visit Wisconsin!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Know what you mean about soon starting their own life. Kind of exciting and sad at the same time.

It’s amazing how they grow and change… and need you to “interfere” less and less.

It bothers DW a bit more then me, but it should. We have different agendas. I’m sure I’ve said this somewhere before, but… She misses her little boy because that’s the time frame that was geared more toward her sensibilities and expertise (which is true of most women… **note I didn’t say all**). Dads generally have a completely different set of skills in relation to young’ens. I’ve been far more comfortable working with Max since about the time he turned 6 or 7 (basically once you could reason with him), which also makes sense as that’s when you start teaching the life skills and survival skills. The net result is that his growing independence makes Tamara a bit misty-eyed, while it makes me a bit more proud, so I deal with it a little better.

The grandkids will be a different story I assure you though.

Cool. You guys go all out on props.

Yah… you could say that. It’s our own fault. Our directors ask for things, and some how we figure out a way to do it. As such, the next time, they ask for a little bit more. Our Assistant Director is very creative when it comes to visual impact. He also works of the staff of one of the nations best Drum and Bugle Corps, and it’s those folks that drive a lot of the innovation in the arena of marching music.

Good luck. They're all counting on you.

We pulled it off too. This past years stuff was also interesting, but I’ll get to that latter on in a different flash-back. The real question in our house is: “I wonder what they’ll ask for this fall?”

I won'der if the world would last beyond 2012 if the Mayans could have moved their temples on a trailer too?

Good question. A better one might be why anyone puts any stock in their calendar at all. They saw themselves making it all the way to now, but somehow or other missed that Cortez would basically drive them into extinction in the 1500’s.

Telling the future doesn’t seem to have been their strong suite.

Oh, there you are, Perry.

Trust me… that gets said. Often.

I thought that's what the 45 foot steam engine was.

Naaaa… that one looked good, but it only churned out about 15-kid-power and was a bit low on torque. We need something with a few more horses to move that load.

It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning's winning.

Congratulations to Max and the band!

Thanks.
The 2011 season was interesting as well and lead up to a rematch with our local rivals (more to come on that).

Next year… our school gets moved up into the next class. That will make things tougher (but not imposable… we’ve meet and whooped some considerably larger schools in the past).

Wow, the only tux I've ever owned has been printed on a T-shirt.

Good looking young man right there.

Thanks again. He’s not a bad looker. Don’t know where he got that from… must have come from his momma. He wants’ to go into music performance and teaching so he’ll need one anyway. I played in a “wedding Band” when I was “much” younger, so a tux was considered work-clothes. As such, I know where to find them used. I’d never pay full price for one.

And here we go again...
I can honestly say, I never knew this is how the world walk came about. And the whole roll or toss becoming walk doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me either.

The way that words get to be what they are fascinates me. Language is always changing and oddly enough its not uncommon for a word to end up getting it’s meaning nearly reversed over time.

Looks like it must be a pretty good show. I'm sure the music that goes along with it is very good as well.

The music was awesome! It’s interesting but when we asked Max what his favorite thing was that we did during this expedition… it was seeing the play the rolled up to the top of the pile.

Wow, this is probably a pretty neat experience for high school kids who are active in the performing arts.

I was amazed that they even offered to do it. But then again… the future of all artistic endeavors resides in the schools, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised. I’ll certainly stop and talk to folks after I been playing out somewhere, why shouldn’t they do the same.

Surely they wouldn't accuse you of doing such a thing.

You’ve been around kids. What do you think?

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

You forgot Walk of Shame. When you wake up in the morning, usually hung over, half clothed in the bed of someone you met at a local watering hole the night before. You gather up your stuff and quietly sneak out, trying not to be noticed, and have to walk home in the daylight dressed in whatever of your "going out partying" clothes you were able to find on the floor.

Yes… I did leave that one out, but I was counting on someone else to toss it onto the pile for me there.

Ya’ done good

There a very nice one in Wisconsin Dells all decked out in a Northwoods Lodge motif. Think Wilderness Lodge meets Mickey D's.

So basically is a type of camouflage designed to make it fit in even though it’s still nothing more then McDonald’s

A line of 300 people jaywalking must have been quite the site. And what is local law enforcement going to do, ticket all of you?

They weren’t around at the moment. What the folks that were driving along the road did was lay on the horns and holler out a few entertaining synonyms for the words “Beverly” and “Peanutbutter”. We just smile and waved back.

Sorry, I'm one of the uncultured slobs that can't tell Cats from Miss Siagon. I did see Rent when it came on tour through Milwaukee years ago. It was a good show.

It’s not a mater of being uncultured. Most Broadway plays don’t get seen outside of NYC at all. Every once in a while a road-show version of one of the older shows will show up in Charlotte, but the chance to even catch a play of that caliber is rare.

Cool!

Yes… yes it was.

(insert super-subwoofing LOST flashback noise)

Or maybe the Scooby Doo Flashback effect
(that’s probable more befitting my mental abilities.

Actually, I’m trying to figure out how to work a sound track into my TRs (no clue how to do it, but I’m thinking about it).

How do you do the Apocalypse? Do all the band members fall into a giant pit? Or do they play It's A Small World for 3 hours?

Yah… IASW out’ta do it.

Actually… (and you open this door, so it’s your own fault), if you watch that video of the final performance linked at the bottom of the post, half the band actually “died” and fell off the pyramid. It was rather a cool visual.

Those are awesome! Please tell me you have one on display in your home.

Oh don’t I wish. We actually sold those.

Background story:
We work with a particular composer named Frank Sullivan (awesome fell’a). He works with our staff and they devise a theme for the next season and then Frank goes off and writes original music for our kids to perform. We debut and perform the piece, but it’s still his work so he can resell it to other schools after we’ve completed the season (and the better we do with it, the more valuable the charts are, so he write very good stuff for us). Anyway… After we performed that show (titled: “Fast Track”) and won our first state championship with it, Frank resold the charts to five other schools the next year (and more the year after that). One of them contacted us and offered to buy the crossing gates and several other bits of hardware. We actually made a small profit on them, which is good, because it helped finance the props for the next year.

And the moral of the story… Don’t give me the chance to add on any additional details. I’ll bore all y’all to tears before this is over with.

You really are a pit crew.

It’s quite the operation (and a whole lot of fun). Sometimes we actually have rehearsals to figure out how best to shave time off the process. That pyramid required a bit of planning and practice.

I used to be a part of the choral competitions in my high school. Good times. Our men's choir had a lot of fun. Brought down the house once (and totally won over the judges) when we began a performance wearing our finest tuxedos...and finished, well, not wearing them anymore.

Do tell…
No really… do tell.
I want to hear more of that story. It sounds like y’all had a lot of fun with your performances. I love when that happens.
Art Rocks.
Art in schools Rocks… Absolutly.

Nicely put. I was reading a book lately that defined manhood as accepting responsibility, for yourself and others. Thought that was as good a definition as I'd read. You won't be left behind, though. You'll walk alongside of him.

And you said that rather well yourself.
Who knew that silly-ol’ Dis TRs would be a proper spot for goofy parents to wax philosophic.

Maybe we’re not wasting our time at all.

But do I really feel the way I feel?

Depends… did you see the ghost of Elvis on Union Avenue?

+1

And none of this really explains Christopher Walken.

Nothing really explains Christopher Walken.
He’s a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma

No, but the McDonald's around me doesn't sell cheeseburgers for $7, either.

The ones in NYC do (and at 4am even, but that’s a story for later on).

That does, however, sound like every Starbucks I've seen.

ANOTHER reason to visit Wisconsin!

He does make it sound enticing, but…

again I say: “US-521 BBQ” (Ribs with possibly the best hushpuppies on earth), “Kings Mountain National Battle Field”, AAA Baseball, “Carowinds”; I have a spare room… It ain’t The Dells, but we have a few perks as well.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Do tell…
No really… do tell.
I want to hear more of that story. It sounds like y’all had a lot of fun with your performances. I love when that happens.

Yes, tell. Put please, no pictures. Well, maybe a "Before" picture, fully clothed.