All The World's A Stage

...And all the men and women merely players"*

~ As You Like It ~ William Shakespeare ~

Yes, I'm back from yet another awesome experience in Southern Utah at the Shakespearean Festival. It was a long drive, which I spent editing photos, reading and taking pictures of this wild fire that we passed. Scary!

Yes, that orangy-red bright spot is the sun. Freaky stuff! Listen to Smokey the Bear, he knows what he's talking about. Unfortunately, I believe this was just a natural disaster.

We went straight to the Greenshow when we got there to set out our blankets. The Greenshow is basically a pre-show, to the play of the evening, that involves acting, singing, dancing and humor.

Oh my, if you go the Utah Shakespearean Festival, get a creamcheese tart! Actors and actresses with well-practiced British or Irish accents sell them to the crowds. They are delectable!

{The young man doing the cool, dancy jump on the left reminded me so much of the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter movies. Can you see it?}

After the Greenshow (and buying another tart, raspberry this time) we found our seats in the outdoor theatre, built to look and feel like the original Globe Theatre in London. The play was Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare's first comedy. It was hilarious! The actors and actresses did such a great job! Read the synopsis here. I may or may not have formed an attraction with Quinn Mattfeld (click it, you know you want to), who played Antipholus of Syracuse. He's a master of comedy and made the audience roar with laughter...not to mention, I just found him frankly dreamy. Such a fun night! Honestly, put it on your list of things to do before you die. You won't regret it!

{Illustration by Philip W. Hermansen}

The next day: gotta love complimentary breakfasts eh?

Abbey Inn, where we have stayed nearly every year since I was 11 or 12. Yes, we've been coming for almost 10 years now! It's no four star hotel, but the memories made here far exceed that rating. Good times with Abbey!

Then, Madre and I dropped Dad off at Dixie State College for some meeting he had and we went to...(betcha can't guess)...the mall. We went to Barnes and Noble and then Madre's favorite clothing store ever, Coldwater Creek.

After shopping, we went back to DSC to hear Dad give a presentation to the faculty on IT Security. That was the first time, in all of these business trips, that I had ever heard one of Dad's presentations. I am so proud of him, he's worked hard and come such a long way for his family...and he loves it, which always helps.

After Dad's presentation we went back to Cedar City to see the musical, The Secret Garden (where we purchased more tarts). They did a wonderful job, synopsis here! The beautiful music gets to me every time, the message is so hopeful. I can't say that the musical as a whole is on my top 10 favorites, but there are absolutely some tear-jerking moments as characters learn beautiful lessons from their loves ones who have passed on.

{Illustration by Philip W. Hermansen}

On our way home we stopped at the hospital to visit Grandpa Hess. His heart has been giving him a hard time, poor guy. He's 94 years-old and misses Grandma a lot. She's been gone for about 10 years now. My heart aches for him when he speaks about her or shows us, once again, her beautiful picture. It makes me grateful to know that their love is eternal and that they will meet again, someday, in God's timing. My uncle (his doctor) says that he should be back home by week's end.

While walking on the campus of DSC, I found a pillar of these pretty, marbley red rocks. Awesome no? Ok, maybe I'm weird, but some people would have this as their desktop wallpaper and you know it.

The Utah Shakespearean Festival rocks(pun intended, unfortunately)