A Christmas Tea

As you might remember, S's mother, Cheryl's birthday was on Thanksgiving. S heard an ad on the radio for a "Holiday Tea" at the Dallas Arboretum. He thought this was something his mom might like to do. So, he signed me up to take her as her birthday present.

I suggested to S that he take his mother to the tea. Not that I wouldn't like to go, but I thought she might like to spend the time talking with him. I like teas too. This idea didn't fly. He wasn't into going at all. For the record, there were some men in the room.

It was very nice. Here are the highlights.

The table setting.

A place setting.

The centerpieces.

The centerpieces were not real. They were plastic flowers and ornaments. Normally, one wouldn't even notice this, but this is the Arboretum where flowers abound all year long. Apparently, some very helpful women had noticed, so a note was attached to the menu that explained they used those centerpieces, approved by the horticulturists as looking authentic, so they wouldn't have to cut down their "real" flowers with regularity just for a centerpiece for the tea.

The Menu.

Cheryl with the large nutcracker next to our table.

The china.

The first course was a tomato broth and cheddar biscuit. I didn't photograph it. I ate it up quickly. As you know, if you're one of my two regular readers, photographs around food are touch and go with me. I might remember to take it, I might not. A girl's gotta eat.

The second course were these little sandwiches.

Egg salad on onion bread, cream cheese on apple spice bread.

Turkey on cranberry bread, cucumbers on white bread.

The last course was dessert.

Scones and tarts and cookies.

Cheryl and I, taken by Nelson.

After a long, leisurely tea, we walked around the grounds for a bit. Even as winter approaches in Dallas, this place is beautiful.

A pond by the fern garden, with White Rock Lake off in the distance.

The sun coming through onto a walkway.

The view from behind the tea room.
Again, that's White Rock in the distance.

A blooming plant - what is it?
Can someone tell me?

Look at this beautiful little cove.

I could sit there all day.

Another type of bloom on another beautiful plant.

One of the covered walkways - a favorite with bride photographers.

Detail of gate near that walkway.

It's easy to photograph and look at.

I could stay here all day too.

Right after we walked through this trellised walkway, two guys on a golf cart came through with some cargo...

What's on the back of the cart?

A sofa!
Not what we were expecting to see.

At the tea, they gave you a coupon for 15% off at the Arboretum gift shop. So, we walked over there to see if there was anything we couldn't live without. There wasn't. It is a nice shop, nonetheless. On the way to the shop, we came across another one of those covered trellises.

Covered area near the gift shop.

And the view from under the trellis.
White Rock Lake and Downtown Dallas.

I would recommend the Arboretum tea to anyone looking for a special holiday outing. Make reservations well in advance - it's popular around these parts! Thanks, Cheryl, for going with me. I hope it was a nice birthday present!

I met Alan Spaulding

S and I cleaned up and went out to a Christmas concert last Friday night where Ron Raines, aka Alan Spaulding on the Guiding Light, was a featured performer. I like Christmas music, so I was glad to go to the concert. As I write this, my iPod is playing my Christmas playlist throughout the house. It could play for something like four days without repeating. So, I play it as much as possible in December. For the record, S is not as big a fan of the holiday music as I am. Right now, though, as I type this, he isn't home. So, it's turned up really loud. I'm bathing in it.Last night, we basked in the sounds of Christmas at the concert, too.

I've been a fan of the Guiding Light since my grandmother babysat me as a small child. She watched all the CBS soaps. So, I did too. When I was in high school, several of my friends and I used to rush home from school to the closest house (Kathy's) to catch the second half of the Guiding Light every day. These days, I get around to watching it every once in a while. Enough to still know what's going on in Springfield. For example, I'm very much looking forward to Phillip's return. And, I think the network was stupid for letting Harley and Gus move to All My Children. I'm that much of a Soap nerd.

I had never met someone I watch regularly on TV. And, I've never been a big enough fan of anyone to be really "in" to them, or a groupie or anything. Ok, maybe Harry Connick, Jr.. In college, maybe he would have qualified. I didn't have the pocketbook to become a stalker or anything like that, though. That said, generally, I don't get too hung up on celebrities. I don't read People Magazine unless in a doctor's waiting room. I don't watch Entertainment Tonight unless I just happen to channel surf into it for a few seconds. I don't visit TMZ. I don't care what Brad and Angelina and their twelve children are up to today. That said, I've had a few run-ins with what you would call celebrities.

Once Laura Innes was sitting behind me when I saw A Prairie Home Companion live at the Hollywood Bowl. But, I don' t watch her regularly on TV. And, I didn't really meet her. She was there as a patron the same as me, so I didn't see that it would be appropriate to interrupt her evening. Everyone there pretty much did the same. I guess L.A. people are so used to that sort of thing that they're down with it. I followed their lead. Now, though, since I brought it up, that was a cool night, completely separate from whether Ms. Innes was in attendance. I went by myself when I was in L.A. for a conference, before I headed home. The weather was perfect. The Hollywood Bowl is legendary. It was very memorable.

If you're familiar with the show, you know Garrison Keillor reads greetings audience members submit from the stage as part of the program. He read my greeting! I used a trick I learned from a "how to win a drawing" segment I saw once on daytime TV - I folded the piece of paper like an accordion so it stood out in the bowl of little pieces of paper. I don't know if that's how it got picked from the thousands of slips of paper, but I venture to say it had something to do with it. You can listen to that show here. My greeting is at the top of segment 3. It was so cool. And, sort of cool to experience something so cool "all by myself" in a sea of thousands of people. If you ever have the chance to go to the Hollywood Bowl, no matter what the show, go. And, if you ever have the chance to see the Prairie Home Companion live, do that too.

Also, I once saw Barry Williams, aka Greg Brady, at baggage claim when I landed in L.A. on that same trip, and I guess I used to watch him, but I was never really that into the Brady's. Of course, being in the performing arts industry, I've met lots of interesting and very talented people. But, never anyone, as I said, that I'd watched regularly on TV.

I should say as well that Mr. Raines' character, Alan Spaulding, is the villain, sort of, on the show. So, I wondered if he'd be friendly in person. He was enchanting on stage - he sang beautifully with a HUGE baritone voice, and narrated The Night Before Christmas better than I'd ever heard it be done. And, he helped lead two audience sing alongs - he was so into those that he was sort of dancing in place on stage. He definitely did not seem to be menacing or mean in person. I guess that's why they call it acting. ;)

Me and Ron Raines

I was thrilled to learn that Mr. Raines would greet patrons in the green room after the concert, where I got to meet him. He was very nice. Totally normal and un-mean. A cool cat.

I told him about how I started watching the show way back with my grandma. He said that's very common - that the soaps are passed down generationally - isn't that interesting? I thought it was anyway.

S took this photo of us. It's blurry. We only took one. It didn't look blurry on the 2 inch screen. I should have turned up the ISO. I didn't. So, this is what we got. I decided to trick it out using some of the settings in Photoshop Elements that I never really use. If you mess with it at all, that bit of blurriness becomes hardly noticeable. Not that the results make a good photo, however. Here are the results.

Here we are in fluorescent chalk.

And, using the "old photo" setting.

This one's called a "stamp".

That one gave me the idea to crop up the photo and rotate it a bit and see if it made it any better.

It's more interesting, but no less blurry.

So, I kept playing.

Here we are in a "blizzard." Brrr...

And, as a wood carving.
I could get you one for Christmas...

And, posterized.
(My spell checker wants to change that word to "pasteurized." Funny.)
Not sure I like face stubble...

The last two here in my opinion are the best efforts on the "strange transformation" front.

In conte crayon.
That's nice - if only the conte crayon artist had been on hand.

And, last, with a "hard light mix".
Sort of Andy Warhol-ish.
Whatever that means.

OK, so there you go. My one blurry photo with Mr. Raines is not the best indication that I had a nice time. But I did have a great time meeting the first celebrity I was interested in meeting. Thanks, S, for going out on the town with me. It was a nice little holiday evening!

Jessica, Ryon and Nathon

Ryon, Nathon and Jessica, Christmas 2005
(The year all the grandkids got pajamas.)

You've met my younger brother's kids on more than one occasion. And, you got to know my oldest brother's kids via his grandson. Also, we've covered S's side of the family and little Alexandra a few times. And, you've seen a bit of my other older brother's kids here and there, but you haven't been formally introduced.

Ryon, Nathon and Isaiah at the Indians game in August.
(Isaiah is an interloper in this post.
But isn't he cute?)

Today is Ryon's birthday. So, I thought it might be a good day to get this post up! Happy Birthday, Ryon. And, I should note that this photo montage is all "A.D" - after digital. I have "B.D." photos, but haven't gotten around to scanning them in yet.

My brother has a lovely step-daughter, Jessica.


She's in nursing school and working a lot.
(In this photo w/Nathon)


I'm so proud of her for accomplishing so much and sticking with it.
(Jessica and Nathon, spring 2003)

I know it's hard, but it'll be worth it, Jess, so hang in there.


Jessica and Rick circa 2006, I think.


Jessica and Ryon, same time as the last photo.

Jessica and her boyfriend Scott - Scott looked at the camera.

Jess will hate that I've included some of these photos. But, she's hard to get a photo of, and because she's so busy sometimes I miss seeing her when I'm home, so my choices were limited. And, Jessica, just for the record, I like them all.

Ryon, 2003, next to the dancing bunny, which he really liked.

Then, there is Ryon. Now, I hope I get this story right - someone will correct me when I visit at Christmas if I don't. Ryon's name is Ryon Donald. He has a grandpa name Ron and a grandpa named Don. They thought Ronald Donald was maybe not a good choice, so they went with Ryan spelled with an "O" to simulate Ron. It also gives him the same initials as both his "Ron" grandpa and his dad. My oldest brother Bob likes to really hone in on stuff to tease people about. He loves to get at Rick about this one. I don't think Rick cares. It's all in good fun.




My philosophy on children's names is this - once they're born, here and named, they become that name, and it's just part of who they are - so I like them all.



Ryon can give you any stat of any player on the Pacers, Colts, or NASCAR. Maybe even the NBA and the NFL. He's a huge sports fan. I'm not sure the reach of his statistics gathering.

And, he'll pose for me when I take photos, which I love.

He's such a "little Rick."
If you look at photos of Rick at Ryon's age, the resemblance is, well, amazing.

Those genes will get you every time!

Ryon with his cousins Veda and Cora last spring.
Cora looks none too happy about something.

And on Uncle Steve's swing.

He's growing up - heading into those "tween" years...

...I hope he'll still let me take his photo. He's just so, well, photogenic...

...especially when acting like a wrestler at Halloween! ;)

Nathon, 2003

Last but not least, there is Nathon. Nathon spells his name with an "O" too, because my brother Bob suggested they do so. So they did. As I understand the story.

Nathon is a little showman. He's got a big personality, and you never quite know what he's going to say next.




He's also a "little guy" in size. He's younger than Veda, but older than Deacon, but he's in size as small as Deacon is big. Deacon's going to be huge, Nathon's going to be not so huge. In size. Now, in personality, Nathon can outsize anyone.




When Steve and Rick were growing up, Steve (Deacon's dad) would give Rick (Nathon's dad) "hand me up" jeans as he outgrew them. I think maybe Deacon and Nathon can do the same thing.

Nathon is also very photogenic. I love this smile...

...and this one...

...and, well, all of them.

He fashioned a hat at the baseball game in August.
He was not ill in this photo - I don't know why he looks so pale.
Probably the flash. I hate the flash, as you know.

And he loves his big sister.
And french fries.

This was his wrestler costume from Halloween.
Don't ask me which one it was. I have no idea.

Ryon and Nathon at the game in May of 2007.

So, now you've met three more of my wonderful nieces and nephews.

Best wishes for your weekend. See you right here again next week.