Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Morning News


Good Morning Friends,

On my way to Texas with my mom as she needs to visit an ill friend. For the moment, just click on Philip's blog! I have been writing for him since the hurricane.

What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been!

Will try and post photos and summary of the Fringe from wherever the wind blows tonight!

Lou Ann

Philip's Blog

Monday, August 29, 2011

Irene and the Fringe!


Dear Folks,

Wow,  what a week this has been! I spent the past 11 days in Indianapolis at the Fringe Festival with my new show! I loved it, although I can see there is always much work to do on a production. (More on that later!!)

Of course, Hurricane Irene came into play and when I was not Fringing, I was being updated on Ocracoke and writing Philip's blog to keep folks informed.

Thanks for your patience with my blog, perhaps you checked in on his.

So, I am back in Northern Indiana where the weather is stunning. The chores ahead of me are big, as always....the unpacking, the Studio work for new shows, gardening, and catching up with family and friends.

Here is this week's article. Enjoy. Tomorrow I will put photos in of the Fringe as well as my thoughts.

Lou Ann


Click on the site!!

This week's column!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Hurricane Irene

Hi Folks,

I have been asked by several people to keep them updated on Hurricane Irene. I decided to just post Philip's blog. He will keep everyone updated for as long as he can. Tourists left today and many local families with children will be leaving tomorrow. Philip will not be leaving. I am in the middle of the IndyFringe, but I am thinking of Philip and Ocracoke. I know this sounds strange, but I wish I could be there with him now. Thanks for all your thoughts. Please check his blog for the most current information.

Ocracoke has become a wonderful place for me and for my readers as well.

Thank you.

Lou Ann

Just click on here:  Philip's Blog for Hurricane Updates

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

IndyFringe...A Performer's Perspective


Dear Folks,

So we are halfway through the IndyFringe 2011. I am still in awe of the talent, the creativity of these performers and the gusto of which all are performed.

Mass Ave in Indianapolis is the spotlight for the performing arts this week. Within walking distance, one can go to seven venues for different shows. There are shows for children such as with Eric Wolf with his 'larger than life' stories. Could this be a modern day Paul Bunyon? I watched a youngster in his show last night  enjoy the show thoroughly!

I was also able to attend School House Wrong. Everyone is raving about this show, as well they should. It was hilarious and so politically incorrect. It is the perfect Fringe show. It was almost sold out last night, and it was Monday! Get your tickets early for this great show!  Don't miss it!

Mary Hamilton shares her story of Around the World with Cinderella. I was fascinated by all the story creation that is typical of Mary's work. Her husband, Charles, is her biggest fan standing out on street corners handing out her cards.

It is during those moments that I realize I have no #1 fan to do this for me.
So I hand out my own cards, see them displayed on the racks on the street, in the cafes, on tables. Sometimes I am taken back when I see my card sitting on a piano somewhere.

I am caught up in the glamour of this Fringe. I am caught up in the magic of performing, the magic of the audiences who come to sit a little on the edge of their chair. I love sharing a glass of wine or dinner after the show as well. Thanks to all who send me offers of dinner...Elton, Ken.

Don't worry about that in my show, I Was A Virgin Nudist, no one is naked! (But don't let that stop you from coming!!) I have loved working on this piece, making it a show that will delight you and take you into another world, if only for an hour.

I have three shows left: tonight at 6:00, tomorrow at 7:30 and closing show is Saturday at 3:00.  Would love to have you in the audience!!

Make sure you come for the evening on the weekend to catch the other shows. I reviewed a few others on the blog Sunday so check that out as well. Buy your button, support the arts, and let your hair down for the IndyFringe 2011.

Lou Ann

Monday, August 22, 2011

Becoming a Hoosier Gypsy!

This week's column! (Just click on the site!)

Enjoy this week's column published on Saturday by KPC publishing company!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Indy Fringe!



I drove down to Ellen's on Thursday for the opening evening. Each performer had two minutes on stage. My heart was actually in my throat, but it well despite.

Friday morning, we loaded Ellen's car with all of her supplies as well as mine. I had a tech rehearsal at 1:00 with a great young man by the name of Anthony. We spent an hour on theatre lights, and how I want to have the stage for entering and exiting.

I had forgotten my watch so Ellen and I walk up and down Mass. Avenue just looking for a watch. We finally found one in a kid's store.

The excitement was high around downtown Indy yesterday as the first performances began last night. The streets were full of musicians and magicians. The cafes were full of folks sharing stories, discussing shows and having a great time.

The Phoenix Theatre is a perfect place for my show....small, intimate.

I have five more performances and would love to see you there! Tonight at 6:00, tomorrow night at 9:00. I will post others as the week progresses. Well, as you can see the buzz continues...see you at the Fringe!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Studio



My mom spent the last three days with me here at White Picket Gardens. She was here for the 'retirement festival' and then spent the rest of the summer with my sister's family in Fort Wayne. I was glad to have her to myself for just a few days.


We were extremely busy gallavanting around to parties and get-togethers. It is nice to know that I can pick up exactly where I left off in the early summer.

I left the door to my studio closed, even though I have work to do. The truth is, with all the events of the spring, it became a catchall. The studio was full of well wishing cards, unpacked clothes from Ocracoke, supplies to take to the Fringe, Matthew and Jonah's last day of school papers! OK, you get the picture.
Wow, I thought, this is my new place of employment and I never let it get like this messy! I also thought it needed a quick, cheap make-over to start me off in my gypsy life. 

I brought over Lee's sister, Ellen, who gave me some advice. She is an artist and I really appreciated her thoughts. So, yesterday morning, my mom and I tore into the studio...moving furniture, sorting out stuff, changing curtains. My mom was really into this as she tied Mardi Gras beads on the new red satin curtains. Most of the items on the desks remain...a photo of my dad when he was an actor in Fort Wayne, a jar of marbles, a jar of sea glass, notebooks, baskets of pens and pencils. The walls are blue/gray, the art is all black and white. Bookshelves are brimming with poetry, references, Harry Potter, children's literature books, book club books...well you get the picture on that one.

The studio, with just a few hours of work, has been transformed into my new gypsy space. I am fortunate to have two spaces...one here and Mad Mag's on Ocracoke.

I, however, do not know what to name this space. The Scarlet Library, Ex Libris,
the Sacred Space, The Gypsy Room, The Studio.

I am hoping you bloggers and readers might have some ideas. You know me well by now, what ideas do you have? I think names are important and I want to get this one right.

So, be bold bloggers. Share some ideas!

Lou Ann

Monday, August 15, 2011

Hear the lonely call of the train whistle...going home.



Julie and I at the train station. I thought it would be fun to
smoke so my friend Jude, from Ocracoke, gave me
candy cigarettes. Don't we look like girls of the 30's?




Clock tower in Fredricksburg, Maryland, from my train window.



I love this photo outside the train station in Washington, D.C.
You can buy a newspaper from anywhere in the world here.




This is inside the train station in Washington, D.C.
The dome is painted with gold.



I believe this to be an old station in Pennsylvania. Also taken from my
window. It is so lonely and desolate, what stories it could tell!




This is a photo in the dining car. I love how the sun slants
on the table.

Here is the column from the trip, enjoy!!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Farewell to Ocracoke...


Yesterday I took my last early morning walk on the beach.
These photos were all taken before the sun rose .
This is a photo of the sea oats in the dawn.


When I was taking this photo of the beach there was no one, nothing
on any side of me. It was completely void of human life or human
misgivings. I am always in awe, but on this morning I was
humbled.


Some child must have left this on the beach the night before.
It was all alone, tipped as it appears. I couldn't resist
to capture this innocence of child's play.


This sand castle was still intact from the flowing of the
tide. My walk was at low tide yesterday something I
watch carefully here...the tides, the moon phases,
the joy of life.

I leave this afternoon and will board a train in Newport
News tomorrow taking me back to the Midwest where
work calls me home.

Until then, farewell to my beloved Island and a thank you
to Philip for making the summer enchanting as always.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Getting ready to say goodbye...

Click here for article.

The time has come to start saying goodbye and packing up, yet I am still enjoying each one of these last few days. The weekend was for reading and friends.

This morning was an early morning scud out in Philip's boat. It was beautiful in the harbor as the sun was coming up and still cool breezes before the heat of the day.
We had breakfast with Jude at the Castle as her guests and a tour as well. The history of the Castle is colorful built by an eccentric man, Sam Jones.


My studio finally looks like 'home'. There are books and notes and bracelets and electronic cords strung all over. I have loved working in Mad Mag's studio all summer...I think she is my muse, at least while I am here.

So my next two posts might be a bit sad as I pull away from my Ocracoke life to resume the other.

Enjoy the article and build community wherever you are.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Looking up!



Taking a shower outdoors is one of the many pleasures of living on Ocracoke. When I first visited years ago, I shared a rental house with several girlfriends. With the heat and the humidity, the bathroom was always steamy and damp. I found the outdoor shower a few days later and moved into it. I couldn't get anyone to do so, but that was great as I had it all to myself. There was a small shelf for shampoo and conditioner and a bar of soap.

Philip has the best outdoor shower of all. It is large and roomy with a stained glass window so showering at night is like being in a fairy land. The picture is the view looking up for the morning shower.

This is one of the hardest adjustments of moving back to Indiana. I do so miss this shower. However, building an outdoor shower in Indiana would probably be impractical with six months of snow!

I found this quote earlier this week in my readings and wanted to share it as well! In the meantime, happy showering!


Must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the mountains and the stars up above. Let them look at the beauty of the waters and the trees and flowers on earth. They will then begin to think, and to think is the beginning of a real education.
- David Polis

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Who are we really?

Dear Friends,

Early this morning a friend of mine from Indiana sent me a sampling of her new Blog. It is an inside look of her thoughts, activities and how she is moving through life.

I wrote back and told her that it really got me thinking about my Blog and where i go with it and how I want you, the reader, to experience it with me.

I don't think of my Blog as a diary, although I do think of my columns as such. My Blog is a brief glimpse into my soul or even my recipe book. I find it comforting, amusing, and quite bold on my part that folks want to read these inner thoughts. But then again, on Facebook, we share the minutest details of our daily life including grams of fiber for our breakfast (OK, really stretching on that one) to serious topics of illness and death.

I find that each day, when available, I need this daily fix of comedy, drama and soapbox material from Facebook.

I also think that sharing the color of life, in small pieces, is what my Blog is all about as well. I have the good fortune of traveling and living different life styles along the way. It is fun for me to share outdoor showers, biking through villages when on Ocracoke as well as snowstorms in Indiana or moonlight on the moors of England and Ireland.

So, I will continue to write about observing small vignettes of life, while once in a while trumpeting the views of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.

Thank you for listening, for reading, for finding my blog an integral part of your journey.

Lou Ann

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Happy Birthday, Philip

Birthdays are magical days and today I wish Philip a Happy Birthday. We stayed out late last night out in the yard on the sleeping bag watching for shooting stars. It was even cool enough for me to wrap the sleeping bag around me. The sky was crystal clear as we watched the Big Dipper take a bow for the evening and Cassiopeia rise to glory.

There is something so enchanting about just watching the stars late at night. It is humbling and magnificent all at the same time. We shared stories of birthdays come and gone. I love telling about my children's birthdays on the farm and watching the stars there as well for the summer birthdays of Adam and Aaron. We would all fall asleep out on the blankets as the shooting stars canopied our dreams.

Abe's birthday comes in the heart of winter for skating and sledding and playing cards into the wee hours of the morning.

So, happy birthday, Philip, may all your wishes come true.

Spring break in St. Pete...

  Adam and his pups! The late-night flight is full. Everyone is heading out for spring break. Students and teachers, moms and dads, kids and...