away for the weekend

No rides this weekend. In another example of the triumph of hope over experience, I've been re- and re- and re-loading Laura OLPH's blog, in hopes that not only had she done a ride or two, but she had quickly posted about it, so I could get some vicarious pedalling in, but no such luck - Laura gets her blog posts up in her time, not in mine.

No riding this weekend, because The Excellent Wife (TEW) made other plans. These included the excellent lunch buffet at the Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, for which we left the house by 6:30 Saturday morning, and despite rain, construction, slow traffic, and detours,we made it on time (and haven't you ever driven six hours to attend an excellent lunch?). Following that, we strolled around downtown Charlottesville, full of university students, young families, and the occasional slightly creepy destitute older guy (and may whatever gods there be preserve me from the fate of becoming a creepy older guy), then off to check in at the hotel.

After the hotel, down to Staunton, to the American Shakespeare Center, to see their production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. Which rocked, as every one of their productions we've seen has done. TEW pointed out that in these productions, the funny parts are actually funny. Further, the audience member doesn't have to know a whole lot about Shakespeare to know what's going on in the play; the plays are produced and directed in such a way that, despite the Elizabethan language, a person could come in on the way home from CostCo and be able to catch up with what's happening on stage.

You don't need to know this, but the theater of the American Shakespeare Center is a re-creation of the Blackfriars theater, one of the Will's original staging places. It's my belief that this staging helps bring the play to life. Of course, they get good actors (some of whom have been with the company for several years), and directors who know what they're doing; that helps too. The outcome, though, is theater that is engaging.

Then back to the hotel. This morning, up for exercise and breakfast, then back in the car and home, to grilled steak and the responsibilities of the upcoming week. Life is good. (It would be better if I could read about people I know riding bikes, but it's nonetheless good.)