Pixelated

Today was Marina’s first day of summer vacation. I decided to take the day off and we went to the Botanic Gardens. We both slept in and left in the late morning. The weather was very warm today and the Gardens were popular. We were very happy to get a parking spot in the garage and out of the sun!

Once we got inside the gardens, Marina was ready for lunch. So we stopped at the café and ate sandwiches before looking around. They have a collection of sculptures called “Pixelated” on display this summer and Marina was particularly interested in seeing those, so she used the map to make sure we saw them all.

We headed toward the lilac garden in hopes that they were still in bloom. A few of the flowers remained, but not as many as we have seen in the past. We also took some paths around we haven’t used as often. We saw columbines and irises in many different colors all over.

Marina really enjoyed the Pixelated sculptures – she was especially excited about the “Cat Head” one. After we went through the garden we went to the children’s garden. After seeing the sailboat sculpture Marina spent a bit of time playing in the wading stream before we decided to go home.

A Hymn to the Goddess

This evening we went to one of our favorite theaters presenting A Hymn to the Goddess based on the Egyptian myths of Isis. Marina decided to wear her t-shirt from Egypt to the show.

We ran into some crazy traffic on the way, but we were still the first to arrive. Our friend the theater manager met us at the door. I gave her the photos I took when we came to see Jotunheim. She said she would add it to the others from the shows we have given her.

The theater was warm and eventually filled to capacity. (All the shows sold out before the run even began!) It was a bit uncomfortable. We all liked the show. Afterwards we made sure we got Marina’s photos with the cast – it’s tradition now! Most of them had seen the collection by now and were happy to be a part of the photo. It was a fun way to end the night.

Pinball Wizard

We had tickets to see The Who’s Tommy this evening. We left with plenty of time but ran into traffic and road closures on our way. We ended up arriving about ten minutes before the show started. We managed to get a few photos in the lobby before taking our seats.

Our seats were in the front row, where we have sat many times before. For this show, unfortunately, our view was obstructed by set pieces and actors standing in front of us. Marina eventually moved to the empty seat on the other side of me where she could see a bit better.

The show was entertaining. Marina seemed to be engaged for the first half although the second part seemed to drag a bit. We both were impressed with the music, the set and the actress playing The Acid Queen.

When the show was over, Marina said she liked it. The running time was ninety minutes with no intermission, so we were home fairly early.

Tiaras and Tea

Today was the wedding day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. To celebrate we went to a Royal Wedding Tea. We invited friends to join us. We dressed up for the occasion with jewelry and tiaras. The weather was rainy, so I let Marina use by fancy raincoat, which she loved.

When we arrived, our friends were already there. We were seated at a pretty table right away. Our server remembered us from previous tea parties there. We had choices between Royal Wedding Tea and White Wedding Tea.

We were all hungry, so when the food arrived we all dug in. The sandwiches were wonderful, as usual, and we all enjoyed our scones. The sweets featured a lemon cake, which was amazing!

As we enjoyed our tea, the owner came by our table. She said she was happy to see us again. She did a few drawings for prizes. She had trouble reading the numbers on the tickets, so she had Marina help her on some of them.

After we finished our tea we said goodbye to everyone and went home.

Mother's Day Baseball

This year for Mother’s Day, Marina and I decided to go to the Rockies game. We slept in a bit and I made breakfast. We left a few hours before the game.

When we arrived at the stadium, we got into the line for the parking lot. As we waited, the man in the car next to us got our attention. He handed us a parking pass for the front lot and wished us a Happy Mother’s Day. We were both amazed at the gift. The pass allowed us to park within a very short walk of the stadium.

Once we got inside the stadium, we were each give a Rockies bracelet as a giveaway. We were hoping to arrive in time to get them! Our seats were on the upper level. It took us a while to get there but once we found our seats we found that our view of the field was great! We had about an hour wait before the game began. We watched videos and participated in the national anthem. We talked with some the people sitting around us while we waited.

We were happy when the game finally started. It was chillier than we expected and we wished we had brought a blanket with us. After the first inning, we went to wait in line to have our picture with Dinger. We were pretty early, so we were close to the front of the line. Dinger showed up with his mom!

After our picture, we picked up hot dogs before going back to our seats. By then, the Rockies were down 4-0. We spent the rest of the game in our seats. The Brewers pitcher has a no hitter into the sixth inning. We cheered when the Rockies finally broke that up. They hit two homeruns before the end of the game, but they still lost 7-3.

We had a quick walk to the car thanks to the parking pass and we arrived home around dinner time. I made us a nice meal and we relaxed for the rest of the day.

Aida

Over the years, Marina and I have seen quits a few operas and she appeared to like them all. Angie is also interested in opera. So we all decided to see Aida.

The show was not close to home. So we met up with Angie and we all made the drive there. We ran into some traffic issues, but we still arrived with plenty of time to find our seats and settle in for the show.

Aida was presented in concert format, so while the performers appeared in costume there were no sets and the staging was simple. The performers were very talented and they were accompanied by a full chorale. Despite that, Marina seemed to have a hard time getting into the show. I think she would have preferred to see a fully staged production.

After one of the intermissions, Angie brought water for us and she handed Marina a candy bar. That perked her up a bit. Once the show was over, we went back to Angie’s car for the long drive home.

Pirates of the Symphony Seas

We saw two episodes of Siren Song earlier this year. The actors from those shows put together this performance with the symphony called Pirates of the Symphony Seas. Marina was excited to see it.

We were both pleased to see our favorite conductor. The concert began with music from The Pirates of the Caribbean, which made Marina happy. Then the actors from Siren Song started their show. It was silly and Marina enjoyed watching it.

The performance was about an hour long. When it was over, we made our way to the stage to chat with the actors. They remembered us and posed for photos with Marina.

We went home after the concert and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Party with Princesses

Last year, we attended the Princess ParTEA. When I got an announcement that they were having another one this year, Marina wanted to go. We just got an Elsa coronation dress last week and she wanted to wear that. We decided not to use the cape because it was so long we worried it would get stepped on and damaged.

There was a line when we arrived and we went through that only to get in another line to get in. When we finally made it into the ballroom. We headed to the back of the meet and greet area and saw our friend as Mary Poppins. She didn’t have a line, so we went over to see her. Then we found  Rapunzel. Her line was short, so we visited her as well. By then most of the lines were so long that we went into the tea party room. We got a photo with Belle and then got a snack.

After we ate, most of the other attendees were also in the tea party, so we went back to see princesses. By now, the liens had gotten much shorter. We saw Cinderella and Aurora. We also got photos with Merida, Elena, Moana, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. Before tackling the huge line for Anna and Elsa, we saw Ariel and browsed the vendor tables.

The line for Anna and Elsa was long and slow.  Marina was tired by then. Fortunately, the line sped up after a while and we were able to get through it.a. Of course, Else had to make a fuss over Marina’s dress.

Once we finished with Anna and Elsa, we said goodbye to all our friends before heading out.

Star Wars Celebration

Marina has been very interested in Star Wars the past few years. So we wanted to check out the Star Wars at the Hanger event. Marina decided to wear her Rey costume from the most recent movie.

We wanted to leave early, but we didn’t arrive as early as we’d hoped. There was a huge line to get into the museum, but it moved quickly and we made it inside after a short wait.

The centerpiece of the museum is a large model of an X-Wing fighter. We were fortunate to receive a spot to get in it for pictures. Marian was very excited. We got into that line first. It took a while to get checked in and then we had to get into another line for our turn. Fortunately, we got friendly with the families around us and we took turns checking out other exhibits while we waited. When it was finally her turn she thought the experience was “really cool!”

Of course, Marina wanted her picture taken with as many cosplayers as possible. So we got photos with Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, stormtroopers, bounty hunters, a Sandperson with a Bantha, a Jawa and Sith Lords. A few people even wanted their picture with her. I was really excited to see Muppets characters in Star Wars costumes and insisted we get photos with them.

Marina posed for photos in front of two green screens and made some crafts. We bought barbecue “porg” sandwiches for lunch. We decided to try out one of the simulators since there wasn’t much of a wait. After that, we headed home.

Jurassic Park in Concert

We have enjoyed going to the symphony for years. They often screen movies in the concert hall with the music being played live. When Marina heard they were screening Jurassic Park, she immediately wanted to go. I love the music from the film, so I got the tickets.

As usual, Marina wanted to cosplay. She wore her red Jurassic Park t-shirt, khaki shorts and hiking boots – very similar to Laura Dern’s outfit in the movie. She even put her hair in a ponytail.

We picked up drinks before the show and settled in to our seats. We both wished we had popcorn to much on as well! Once the conductor walked onstage, Marina was excited for the movie to start. She paid close attention to the movie and had very strong reactions to the action. We both agreed it was much scarier than when we watch it at home.