Sunday, September 18, 2016

Another 'Day in Dunedin'

A few directions...

I've posted here before about how much Duane, Linda, and I enjoy shopping in small towns nearby and Dunedin is a favorite.  We decided it was time to head back over there and have a nice relaxing day of shopping and eating.  Of course, the heat was scalding but you wait forever in Florida for truly 'nice' (i.e., cool) days, so we sucked it up and ventured out.

Naturally, we had to have coffee and treats before starting the day, so we stopped at the Dunedin Coffee & Bakery Company just off of Main Street.  Charming bakery and coffee shop with delicious treats and decorated with artwork by locals that you can buy.  In the building next to the one with the bakery is a set of shops with some interesting sculpture climbing up the front.  Had to get a pic of that.

'Climbing' sculpture on shopfront.
 

Although the shops on Main Street in the center of downtown are very nice, we thought it would be fun to search out some of the shops a little farther out.  I particularly wanted to visit a shop called Roadside Attraction that my nephew Jeff used as one of the venues to take his tintypes last July.  Jeff said it was a cool shop and we weren't disappointed.  Great vintage furniture, decor, vinyl, jewelry -- you name it.  I bought a carved white Bakelite bracelet and Linda purchased a set of pretty pink glassware.  It was nice meeting the owner, Carol, who wanted to know when Jeff was coming back!  I told her I hoped it would be soon.  The only pic I took of this shop that turned out (still not used to using the camera on my phone) was this one of the front of the store.  It was originally a pretty large old house and meanders to the sides and way back with tons of rooms all filled with goodies.  

Front of Roadside Attraction.

Some of the other stores we shopped were Lafayette & Rushford Home -- always a nice stop, Linda purchased some beautiful notecards, The Feathered Nest Design Studio, The Twice as Nice Ladies Consignment Boutique, The Key West Express Boutique -- Duane found a cute long-sleeve tee there -- great selection of clothing & accessories -- must return, Sleeperwoods -- a shop that sells goods from Africa -- Linda bought a beautiful box with lid made from a gourd and Duane purchased a turquoise pendant, and  Waterside Furnishings -- another place we loved -- I bought an authentic sea urchin shell and Linda purchased a card and left her info regarding a glass cabinet that she's interested in.

Consignment shop and art gallery side-by-side.

We took a break for lunch and ate at the Downtown Dunedin Deli & Grill and couldn't leave town without stopping at Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream for a 'to-go' dessert.  Their ice cream, fudge, and cakes and pies are to-die-for.  I had some ice cream but bought a small tub of their chocolate fudge for George.

We were pretty pooped (mostly from the heat) but had a great time.  We'll definitely be returning to Dunedin.

My purchases.

Duane's buys.
Linda's new stuff.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

My first role with The Online Stage


I was thrilled to be invited by Denis Daly, the director of The Online Stage, to become a part of the company a few months ago.  Today my first performance with TOS went live on Audible.  This is a short piece by Russian author Alexander Ostrovsky and is basically a comedy.  I play Serafima Karpovna.


Incompatibility of Temper: Three Pictures of Moscow Life by Alexander Ostrovsky
Translated by Ethel Voynich
Presented by the Online Stage
Alexander Ostrovsky was the premier Russian dramatist before Chekov, and a true master of realistic satire. His Incompatibility of Temper consists of three sections or "Pictures of Moscow life."
Despite its patina of humor, the work is a merciless exposé of the commercial middle class dishonesty, and the convenient immorality hiding behind social conventions, which are characteristic of a developing urban society. The most noble character, Serafima, is a compelling mixture of naïveté, whimsicality, sentimentality, and obstinate practicality - one of the finest character portraits in Russian drama.

I was very happy to work with a full cast in this production.  If live theater is your thing, please check out the sample and/or purchase the play here.