Algy Theater (New Orleans, LA)

 

Located in the Algiers Point neighborhood, this classic 1940s neighborhood house did not have air-conditioning. As such, it probably made watching a movie in the Algy during the summer the equivalent of a steam bath. Today, the Algy is astudio and gallery for a local glassblower.

Address: 446 Vallette Street

 

Cats on Vacation (Rehoboth Beach 2024 version)

Coco enjoy "her" new ottoman in room 119.

From their perspective, the cats think that Delaware is a room at the Residence Inn at Rehoboth Beach. While the car ride is scary, being in a new place is, at first, exciting. There are new places to explore and hide, a cubby hole beneath the sink for example. In fact, Coco got caught behind a dresser drawer and was trapped there for several hours. Our mistake was that we left the drawer wide open, there was not enough room for her to jump into the drawer and then out of drawer onto the floor. She was getting a little panicky, and I even went and asked the manager if he knew how to remove the drawers from the dressers. Although we are not engineers, Angie and Coco eventually figured it out.

At first, Pip was at peace. The territory that is a hotel room is much easier to monitor than the territory at home. There was no prompting him to use the litterbox, and he slept soundly in bed with us. He was gregarious and cuddly. But as the week went along, he let us know that he was ready to go home. He is a sensitive cat, who likes his routine. And he is not shy about reminding us of that.

Pip on the comfortable bed that, from his perspective, can only be found in Delaware.

Snow Geese in Rehoboth Beach

Sometimes we are just lucky. After driving four hours, we three cats who are all reluctant travelers, I was unpacking the car when I noticed a huge flock of geese, descending not too far away. I paused to watch for a few minutes, noticing that there were flashes of white as birds descended and ascended – they were migrating snow geese. The birds were on their spring migration north to their breeding grounds in the Arctic.

With the roof bag unloaded and stored, the cats were relatively happy in Room 119, their temporary home for the week, I got in the car to go for a walk on the trail. In Rehoboth, walking any distance other than on trails can be difficult. As I waited at the light at the hotel, I noticed geese flying a few feet in the air from time to time and decided to investigate. Less than a quarter of a mile from the hotel, a multitude of snow geese were gathered in an empty field between medical buildings. Cars were slowing down or stopped to observe the spectacle, many people made eye contact and we knowingly returned smiles and grins with one another. Worried that I would frighten the birds if I got out, I pulled the car over watched the birds and took a few photographs. While there were a few stray snow geese for the remainder of the week, I did not see any large gatherings. It was just fortunate timing. 

A Provocative Quote

Bertrand Russell (c. 1950): “One of the painful things of our time is those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision.”[1]

Russell, the eminent sociologist and philosopher who gave thought-provoking lectures via the BBC in 1950, worried about the balance between passion and reason when it came to the future of humanity. His concern about willful ignorance is a concern for any age and remains a source of consternation today.  

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[1] Living in the Atomic Age (1950) by Andrew G. Bone. The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, Volume 26.

Waiting for the Trolleys

 

I suppose I look like I know what I am doing. Waiting for a trolley at St. Charles and Martin Luther King Boulevard in New Orleans, two couples were milling around the stop. It was an odd place for a group of older tourists to be. I suspect they were not in the area to see the location of the 1900 Race Riots. One of the men, after some quiet conversations among the four, got up the courage to ask him for if I were local. The other man stood a couple of steps back, as if backup. “I am not,” I confessed, “but if I…”. I did not finish the sentence. They wanted help figuring out how to ride the trolley. I explained how on the app you could buy a pass for unlimited rides for $3, versus $2 per trip. He wanted to know if he could buy passes from the conductor; he could not. They are only available on the app. His response: “I’m old, I don’t like to put apps on my phone.” One could always delete the app as soon as you leave town. He acknowledged that was a possibility, “but still…”  he drifted off, and I meandered away. When I boarded my trolley, going the opposite direction, the four stood remained in the middle of St. Charles Avenue debating what to do.

Kansas Theaters

Fox Theatre / Star Lanes (Carthage, MO) [tmo014]

Opened as the Crane Theatre on 15 July 1922; remodeled and renamed as the Fox Theatre in 1955. Closed as a theater in 1960 and converted to a bowling alley (Star Lanes). An article in the 27 January 1922 issue of Joplin Globe about an event that took place on 21 November 1921. March 4, 1922, Moving Picture World, Theater “to be erected on East Third Street to cost $50,000.”

Address: 219 E. 3rd Street, Carthage, MO.

Gillioz Theatre (Springfield, MO) [tmo015]

Opened 11 October 1926. Continued as a motion picture theater until 1979. Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust bought the theater in 1991. Renovation and restoration; reopened in October 2006.

Theater opening: Springfield Leader and Press (Springfield, MO), 10 October 1926.  

Address: 325 Park Central East, Springfield, MO.

 

Fox Theatre (Springfield, MO) [tmo016]

Originally known as the Electric Theatre, the theater opened on 8 October 1916 with Her Double Life, starring Theda Bara. Renovated and renamed as the Fox on 4 December 1947, but five days later the Fox was severely damaged by a fire. Reopened 23 June 1949 (Let’s Live a Little with Hedy Lamarr) and closed as a theater on 2 December 1984.

Address: 157 Park Central Square, Springfield, MO.

Landers Theater (Springfield, MO) [tmo017]

Opened with a stage production of “Golden Girl,” on 18 September 1909. It began showing films in 1915, including D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Sustained major damage during a fire on 17 December1920. Wired for sound in 1927 and became the thirty-fifth facility in the world to screen a sound film when The Jazz Singer was shown.

Address: 311 East Walnut Street, Springfield, MO.

 

 

Sugar Maples

 

The most spectacular fall colors come from sugar maples; the red and yellows, sometimes mixed with the diminishing green leaves, proved the ideal of what fall in the northeast United States is supposed to look like. In Shippensburg, there are two sugar maples, side by side along South Queen Street that I pass every morning on the way to campus. On a sunny autumn morning, coming over the rise of the bridge over the railroad tracks, the sun is at just the right angle to make the two trees stand out, highlighting the changing foliage for a few precious weeks. The trees are so compelling that even in the dead of winter, or the height of summer, I glance over to make sure they are thriving so that I can await the return of the annual display.