Who needs sleep?

The days are all running together I can't keep them all straight. So much has happened since the last post! (this is not a bad thing)

The show is going really well. I can't believe there are only three more performances left. Last week, we had a bat in the theatre that really added to the ambiance of our little murder mystery. Normally when the sides are up, a bat can be seen in the beginning of a show, but then is able to fly out. Well, last Wednesday, the sides to the theatre were down and the bat could only get out through the back doors. Apparently it didn't get out until somewhere in Act 2, but he had already stolen the show. That was also one of our crazy thunderstorm nights and the real thunder trumped our canned thunder. It even came at times that could have been considered foreshadowing. One of the best places to be right before a thunderstorm hits is the beach here on campus. I sat and watched the storm roll in across the bay for a bit the other night. It was a spectacular view- each lightning strike outdoing the next. One even zapped our internet which spurred an impromptu game night in our lodge.

In terms of outdoorsy things, I have kayaked to an island, hiked throughout the state parks and swam some laps at the local YMCA. My favorite hike this week has been the Eagle Trail in Peninsula State Park. The trail is a two mile loop around the edge of the park that goes to the waters edge below some spectacular bluffs. This trail is labeled as a difficult trail due to the rocks that are everywhere along the path. And hey, this could happen too:

Self explanatory

Luckily, no rock managed to escape its lofty home while I was on the trail. I kept snapping picture after picture, but maybe this next one will give an idea of how small I felt next to these huge bluffs and this wasn't even the tallest view.

Look up!

I've also done a ton of dining out these last few days. And well, I've gone through two boxes of 60-count dairy pills in 65-ish days. You do the math. Some of my favorites have been the Gibraltar Grill where I had an opportunity to split two sandwiches with a friend. We tried the Stromboli (Italian sausage, marinara sauce and parmesan cheese) and the pulled pork, both on gluten free bread. We both agreed the pulled pork was the better choice of the two! I also went to Fred and Fuzzy's- a little outdoor bar and grill on a bay tucked away at a little resort in Sister Bay. That's where I had an adult grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar, provolone and swiss cheese along with tomato slices and pesto. YUM! With all of this eating out, I will definitely make it a point to do some Yelp! reviews for fellow gluten free eaters.

I've frequented a few wineries this week too, but the best tastings I did happened to be for cider and cheese. Island Orchard Cider has a tasting room and brews/bottles all of their cider on site. While there wasn't any activity in the brewing room while we were there, we learned about how this particular company only uses Door County apples to make their cider. The tastings were great despite not being able to have any of the Pear cider (they were out) and each of us that went bought a bottle to bring home. We also all decided not to enjoy any of the Door County beverages until we are home missing said Door County. We shall see how long that lasts. Today, a few of us went to Harbor Ridge Winery to taste wine and CHEESE! They had three cheese tastings available- a delicious gouda, a peppered parmesan/asiago and finally a smoked cheddar. Of the three, the gouda was my favorite. There were also about 30 more cheeses in the case and the lovely gal behind the bar let us sample whatever we wanted from there. Three words: Basil. Pesto. Gouda. It's like pizza without the dough. So I bought a little hunk of that and then we went over to the winery attached. As soon as I told the clerk what cheese I had, she brought out a red wine that pairs well with it. I wound up buying a bottle because she was right- it is the perfect marriage!

It is always a special treat when friends or family can come see shows. It is especially awesome when they make a trek to see a performance, like from Chicago to Door County for example. But here's an even better one: my high school drama teacher came to see The Game's Afoot earlier this week! She first cast me when I was six in The King and I at Bolingbrook High School. I played the littlest princess- imagine that- and when I bowed to the king, had to tug on his pant leg for him to see I was there. Brilliant, right? It made me so nervous to perform in front of someone who I have a great deal of respect for and who fostered the love for theatre in me from an early age. Thanks Ms B!

Finally, I hiked in Cave Point a second time. And while I had seen the sites, I was showing a friend around who had never been there before. This time, the lake was pretty calm and we were able to rock climb down to our own private cove for some beach and cider time. It was perfect. We didn't see or hear anyone the entire time we were there. We SWAM in Lake Michigan which is so very cold, but there was also a little section of rock we could sit in some warmer water. It felt like we were sitting on top of the water. What a cool view. Here was our spot:

Perfection

So I have three days left in this haven. Three more performances. Two more day time days off. One strike with some pizza after and then I am Chicago-bound. My time up here has been so refreshing and while I'm not ready to think about leaving just yet, I know I will be ready to go home come Monday. In order to make sure I do it, I am publicly dedicating tomorrow to cleaning and packing. It will also be raining, so I won't be missing out on too much outdoors-type stuff. Until the last post...

Highlights from week 2

What a week it has been up here in Door County. As one of our interns put it, 'I need a day off to recover from my day off'. Over the weekend, we celebrated Christmas in July complete with Secret Santas and shenanigans. The theme of the evening-Color and Light- matched the show I am currently rehearsing, Sunday in the Park with George. The show is about Georges Suerat, a French Post-Impressionist painter, and the creation of his most famous work A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte. Rather than blend colors to make different shades, he painted with dots of color.

Being the creative types that actors are, our decoration committee came up with the idea to put colored dots in the form of paper, theatre light gels, balloons, buttons, skittles, etc all around our lodge. It was beautiful! I didn't get a picture of the whole room, but the decorations on the table were also hanging in strands throughout the entire lodge in addition to what is pictured below.

Luminaries lighting the path to the lodge; Table decor; Christmas tree

The evening consisted of light snacks provided by the inner-chef members of the Pen Player company, an intern skit written by one of our resident actor/playwrights spoofing on A Christmas Carol, the opening of Christmas gifts and revealing of Secret Santas, the singing of the Peninsula Players anthem and finally dancing!

The wine rack my Secret Santa made for me by hand,

complete with the Pen Players double tree logo and

wood from the set of the first show this season

The next day, after sleeping in a tad, my roommate, one of the interns and I went down to the closest and cheapest laundromat around, about 40 minutes away. It was a day full of errands, maximizing shopping time while laundry was drying and finally Boxing Day with the company. We grilled out, swam at Nicolet Bay beach which is a part of Peninsula State Park and ended the evening with a very serious company volleyball game. I played in the last round and hit the ball approximately twice when I served. Go team!

One of the things we had to do Monday was pick up our projects from a local art studio called Hands On. You can paint ceramics, make glass tiles and artwork, make jewelry and do metal works, including learning the basics of welding. There's also a farm attached to this little property and we actually got to meet Henry the Rooster up close. He wanted to paint his own ceramics.

A few of us from the company went there last Friday on Adult Night. It means what it says. We brought some wine to sip and browsed the projects until we came up with what we all wanted to do: paint ceramics! I made a guac, salsa and cheese dip tray and a vase. 

The bursts of color on the vase, in the guac portion of the dip bowl as well as the outside of the entire dip bowl happened because I used a special kind of paint with glass crystals in it. When the ceramic is fired in the kiln, the glass explodes with color leaving what you see in the pictures. I can't wait to use both the vase and dip bowl AND to go back next Friday for Adult Night to do glass works. 

Oh and I'm rehearsing a play. :-) The show is coming along nicely. The entire thing is staged, so our rehearsals from here out will be focused on shaping and fine tuning and memorizing and fixing the brain farts. We start tech rehearsals next Monday, which means we add lights, costumes, sound and get to be on stage. While tech is the time we all dread going through, it is one of the most magical parts of the process.

On closing this post, I'll leave you with a recent and YUMMY discovery. I cheat with dairy as a lot of you know, but this actually tastes like the real deal without my stomach being angry with me. Until next time!