Relics of the Past

So, I'm in Queens, NY, for the premiere of Relic, Or I Was Bubbie's Favorite by Joel Feinman at Queens Theatre in the Park. It was a quiet day today, simply working on lights and sound cues.

More interesting is the fact that the theatre is adjacent to the Unisphere, which was erected for the 1964 World's Fair.

The theatre is also located in a building from the World's Fair era.

Since I couldn't sleep, before rehearsal, I spent the morning at Mt. Zion Cemetery, visiting with relics of my family history. It feels like I'm here on a pilgrimage of sorts, revisiting familiar people and places and presenting a play about family, tradition and inheritance. 

The Simon section at Mt. Zion is part of the Empire City Benevolent Society, which funded the plots. My great grandfather Jacob Joseph Simon was on the Benevolent Society committee, so his name is listed on the above gate.

Jacob Simon also was an Indian War veteran.

Jacob Simon's brother George changed his last name to Simonds, perhaps because it sounded less Jewish. His son Leonard died in childhood and is buried nearby.

 

Annie Simon was my great grandmother.  She married Jacob and had four sons, including my grandfather Barney, also known as Benjamin.

After Annie died a the age of 42, Jacob married Ray Simon to help him care for his four young sons. A relative from England, Ray was Jacob's "spinster" cousin.

Barney and Rose Simon, my grandparents. 

Uncle Leroy Simon is the third generation of Simons buried here.

Life in Laguna

It's not every day in Laguna that we get to the beach or out on the water, but we did so this weekend, and had the most amazing experience seeing gray whales migrating north, as well as common dolphins swimming along with the boat.

One Foot

Idiom Theatre opened ONE FOOT tonight in rep with two Pinter one-acts.

This spare yet beautiful production features Shu-Ling Zhao as Dove and her real-life husband Glenn Hergenhahn as Finn.

Seattle to Bellingham

It was still dark outside the morning I hopped on the train to Bellingham.

Can't get enough of the passing freight trains...

...or water views thru rain-drenched windows.

Below is one of several huge wood chippers grinding up timber into sawdust or mulch.

The last leg of the trip took us past misty Bellingham Bay.

Coast Starlight

All aboard! I'm taking you on a ride from Los Angeles to Seattle on Amtrak's Coast Starlight.

We're departing from Los Angeles' Union Station at 10:10 AM on Saturday, March 9th.

Like all trains, the Coast Starlight brings us face-to-face with life along the rails. In the cities, life tends to be hidden from the public view and rough around the edges.

Oxnard, CA

Outside of cities, we see a lot more nature, wide-open skies, and on this ride, much of the coastline between LA and Goleta.

Seaside Wilderness Park, Ventura, CA

The recent rains have turned many of the waterways into rivers of mud and debris, that wash into the sea.

The rain also has made the ocean unusually turquoise.

Santa Barbara train Xing

Homeless encampment in Goleta, CA

Green hillsides in Goleta 

Ocean view, Goleta

Grass is growing everywhere, coloring normally brown cliffs a bright green...

... And making the hills come alive with spring blooms.

Pedestrians and bike-riders after the rain.

San Luis Obispo vineyard

Brown cows in green field

Fallow fields and road, King City, CA

Waiting for spring

The sun has gone down before we arrive in the Bay area, and we keep chugging along all night long, waking in the early morning in a snowy wonderland near Mount Shasta, CA

Photos don't begin to show how beautiful it was at 6:30 AM, with snow falling all around me. The snow continued all morning, from northern California into Oregon, from high in the mountains to the flat land below.

Dorris, CA

Chilquin, OR

While the weather changes, one constant along the north-south route is the rumble of freight trains. In northern California, Oregon and Washington, the timber industry predominates.

Klamath Falls, OR

Willamette National Forest, OR

Westfir, OR

Dexter Reservoir, Lowell, OR

Sheep grazing in Halsey, OR 

Fall Creek, OR

I promised you the Coast Starlight. I delivered much of its scenery, but as I headed toward Portland and into Washington, I started reading a really great novel and stopped taking photos...

 And now I'm in Seattle, then off to Bellingham in the morning. Happy rails, everyone!