2019 July 28: Linda's play in Seattle

The Butterfly Friends were in the Seattle area for a week. We planned the trip a year in advance and I planned to stay an extra day and a half and spend it with my goddaughter, L. You never know what will happen when you make plans that far out. L and her fiance, named I, were planning on getting married in summer 2020. That was confirmed at their engagement party in February 2019. Then in May, the Save-The-Date card came in the mail and the date was summer 2019--a full year earlier than planned and 6 days after my planned visit with L. Sad at first, I realized how special it would be to spend quality time with L just days before the big day because at the wedding, she would have so many other obligations, I wouldn't get that much time with her. And as it turned out, that time with her was precious.

As I usually do, while on the trip with the Butterfly Friends, I was posting a lot of pictures and stories on Facebook. My friend and UMF colleague Linda saw that I was in Seattle. She commented that she was coming out the next week for a production of her play/monologues titled “American Dreams: Immigration Stories”. I missed the performances in Maine last year because I was in Australia and was always sad to have missed it. Her plays are always fabulous.

And just my amazing good fortune: one of the two production nights in Seattle lined up with the one night I had in town with L. So I bought tickets, L drove, and we had a wonderful evening. I wrote on FB that night, "Ten of Linda’s monologues were combined with a one-act play, “The Act of Remembering,” along with a panel discussion and a performance art piece called “Letters” to create the production, “Sincerely, America.” Courthouse Square was the perfect venue. We sat in the jury box. One of the panelists is a naturalized citizen whose citizenship ceremony was in this very courtroom. The whole event was very compelling. Linda’s monologues were definitely the best part."

2019, May 25 Marcus Can Play This Game, Too

 Today’s “Five Degrees of Theresa Overall” story (although it’s really a 6 Degrees of Marcus Corey story): Mother and I are on a river cruise in France. The couple from the cabin across from ours walked out at the same time we did, so we strolled upstairs to the lounge together and sat together for the champagne celebration. We exchanged the obligatory, “Where are you from?”s. When I said, “Maine,” he asked, “Where in Maine?” I said, “Farmington,” and he said, “I go through Farmington on my way from Boston to Moose River Outpost.” He’s on the board of directors. We were both surprised that the other one knew MRO. After that, it was no surprise that we both knew Marcus.