A Spooky Salute As We Adapt our Next Musical

 

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As my director, Sarina Condello, musical director, Sheila Philcox, and I start to craft the script for our next musical, La Neige, I am grinning thinking about the crazy fun we had mounting The Bopping Dead, our production of this past April.

We had an incredible reception from our combined audiences of roughly 2,400. Note that they are mostly family and friends! We definitely tickled some ‘funny bones’ with this zombie adaptation of a 50s classic.

Here are some lovely remarks for my fellow amateur actors from both casts who poured their hearts into this production to raise money for our charity, The Big Little Caravan of Joy:

“My cheeks were sore from smiling.”

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“Loved, loved, loved the show. So funny!”

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“That was ridiculous. I loved the show — very funny.”

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“I laughed so hard I almost fell out of the balcony.”

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“That was the best entertainment I’ve had in a long time.”

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“A very heartwarming and fun night.”

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“We had great belly laughs. Loved the show. Such fun.”

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“A remarkable musical. Love the raw talent.”

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“We had the best time, and stories to tell, and laughed so much my stomach hurt.”

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“What a fantastic show. I was lucky enough to see it twice. Loved every minute. Never a dull moment. A fantastic, unique, and original script! It was so pro I could not believe it! And the dancing was amazing…”

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ME AS RIZZZ, THE BOPPING DEAD 2017

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Our fearless director, Sarina

Canyoneering Hog Canyon, AZ

IMG_0893At the beginning of October, four friends and I went canyoneering for the day with 360 Adventures (www.360) in Hog Canyon, Tonto National Forest, Sierra Ancha Mountains, near Lake Roosevelt and the town of Globe, Arizona.

IMG_0880“Canyoneering is a technical adventure sport of traveling down steep and narrow canyons using a variety of techniques that may include hiking, scrambling, boulder hopping, rock climbing, jumping, wading, swimming, sometimes packrafting and always rappelling — often over waterfalls.”

IMG_0340Since the water is too cold in October (read: hypothermia), we opted for the dry slot canyon, rated 3A-1. Two hours outside of Phoenix, you lose the traffic and and enter into an incredible red quartzite landscape. Slot canyons are created by the wear of water rushing through sandstone and limestone; in this case, watershed from the mountains finding its way over the dry desert and down to Lake Roosevelt. A slot canyon is much deeper than it is wide. At times, you can only fit one person at a time through it, and then it will bust open wide into incredible natural amphitheatres.

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IMG_0895IMG_0888You must be very careful before entering a slot canyon and check the weather. If it’s raining even 40 km away, you could be the victim of a deadly flash flood.

IMG_0904Luckily, we had two amazing guides, the lead being Matt Kalina. Our trip was around 4.5 hours, 2 miles, and had an accumulated elevation of 1,100 feet. None of it was particularly physically taxing but the rappels are a sure shot of endorphins and get the heart beating quickly. The first is the biggest rush.

Rappels:

Rap 1: 22 feet. Anchor: Juniper tree on canyon left.

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Rap 2: 80 feet. Anchor: Ponderosa Pine tree to the left. (90 ft from where we anchored). This one is a bit more intimidating as you cannot see the bottom.

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Rap 3: 25 feet. Anchor: Two bolts on the right.

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Rap 4: 30 feet. Anchor: Tree on the left.

IMG_0905Climbs:

Climb 1: 5.2-class climb of about 20 feet from top belay from two bolts.

IMG_0898Climb 2: 5.3-class climb of about 30 feet from top belay from two bolts.

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IMG_0412Yeah, we did it! IMG_5192

IMG_5203After canyoneering, we stopped in the “ghost town” of Superior. This was once a vibrant copper mining town of 23,000 which now has only 1,200. Many of the stores were boarded and the rest of the town was like walking back in time 50 years. The coolest shops were a refurbished antiques store and soda parlour. It’s worth a visit if you are passing through…

 

The Bopping Dead Comes to Life!

bedford_bopping_save-the-dateI’m nervously excited about our community theatre production this year called THE BOPPING DEAD. Singing, dancing, and acting in front of a combined audience of over 1000 people is always intimidating but this fundraiser is a little more nerve-wracking. Why? Because I had the opportunity to co-adapt, plus co-write the original B and C storylines, for this 1950s teenage romantic musical with a zombie-lite twist. 

It took our director, Sarina, and I three months to craft the Bopping Dead. We then collaborated with our brilliant musical director, Sheila, to add the right mix of classic and contemporary songs. I think what was most challenging was to do read-throughs and find out a few scenes fell flat and required re-writing or a musical lift.  It’s tough to start afresh when you feel like something should sizzle but doesn’t translate or flow. Sarina has a sixth sense, though, and inspired us to be intrepid.

Following this, Sarina choreographed 10 original, visually striking dances, from the opening number to the big finale. As our cast ages (but is still young at heart), it’s so good for our neuroplasticity to learn many series of new movements, not just in our brains but our bodies. Plus, the best workouts are when you are so fixated on the steps that you don’t realize you are sweating! 

Gail Leger is masterminding our costumes for the 9th year in a row, and Mike Evans is ingeniously designing our props. Both are volunteers and put countless hours in to their creations. We are grateful!

So, now our script is in the hands of two amazing casts: The Bedford Park Players and the Summerhill Players. The former group, my cast, is first out of the gate to workshop the show. This is when the magic happens: when people interpret the characters their own way, putting flesh on our skeleton in hilarious ways you never imagined. We’ve had so many belly laughs watching their creations come alive (or die!) 

So, will the musical work? Can we bring THE BOPPING DEAD to life? Come see (and cheer us on as we love having friendly faces in the audience). We present The Bopping Dead from April 27-29, 2017 at the Randolph Academy in Toronto. All proceeds go directly to The Big Little Caravan of Joy, in Africa, and Painted Turtle Camps, in our Native Ontario reserves, two critically important arts initiatives in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Ticket info to follow! 

Gros Morne National Park, Here We Come!

Celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday this summer, 15 of my fellow sistas and I will hike Gros Morne National Park, on the west coast of Newfoundland, Canada, for five days, with a half day of kayaking Bonne Bay (8 km) for good measure. Hopefully, we’ll see our share of minke whales, eagles, terns, mink, mergansers and kingfishers.

Sea kayaking on Bonne Bay, near Norris Point, Gros Morne National Park, west coast of Newfoundland, Canada
Sea Kayak Bonne Bay; Credit: Blaine Harrington

We’ll also take a boat ride up Western Brook Pond fjord.

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In total, we’ll hike and kayak 68 km (42.5 miles).

Gros Morne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Raves Parks Canada, “Gros Morne’s soaring fjords and moody mountains tower above a diverse panorama of beaches and bogs, forest and barren cliffs. [It is] shaped by colliding continents and grinding glaciers.”

We are using www.grosmorneadventurers.com as our outfitters/guides. I’m happy that I’ll be able to use my West Coast Trail gear again soon. We’ll be sleeping in cabins each night at our home base of Norris Point, so this will be an easier trip as compared to last summer and we’ll be assured no gastrointestinal parasites from drinking river water. Argh…that’s one way to lose weight!

On the itinerary are:

The Tablelands (14 km) which look like a moonscape

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Gros Morne Mountain (16 km), the most challenging day

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Green Gardens (15 km), so verdant…

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and the sheer beauty of Lookout Hills (15 km)

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Remember, this year you can use all of Canada’s national parks for free! Explore this physically and culturally diverse and amazing country. Get your free permit at www.parkscanada.ca 

Hike in the Berkshires around Kripalu Center between workshops

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View from my bedroom

I was lucky enough to visit the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health (www.kripalu.org) in Stockbridge, Massachusetts this month for five days by myself. I attended a brilliant three-day workshop, led by James S. Gordon, M.D., the founder of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (www.cmbm.org). It was called Transforming Trauma. We learned about the psychological and neurological impacts of stress on the body, and then five different ways of mitigating it, from guided imagery and soft-belly breathing to drawing, plus shaking/dancing to Kundalini music (so liberating). Gordon is the author of an inspiring and transformational book called Unstuck and has run trauma relief workshops across the world in places such as Gaza and Kosovo.

After, I attended yoga classes and seminars like Intro to The Foundations of Ayurvedic Medicine, participated in a yoga dance to the music of eight drummers, soaked up some Healing Arts like crania-sacral therapy, and ate gorgeous healthy food.

The grounds surrounding the Kripalu are equally as beautiful and offer some great day hiking. Here are some pics from my solo trek on the trails of Tanglewood one sunny afternoon, in the Berkshires north of the Center, on Old Baldhead Road to Monk’s Pond, and on the Burbank Trail.

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Snowstorm on my last day

Paintings/ Drawings

 

This is kinda cool. Somehow, someone bought my sketch, entitled Chechen Women, at a thrift shop or sale in Picton, Ontario, and tagged it on Instagram. I’ve not a clue how it ended up there but I’m pleased this charcoal piece found a happy home. Thank you.

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Hiking and Family Fun in Loreto, Baja Sur

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We had a three-generation Christmas vacation this year to Loreto Bay, Baja, in our quest for high-season affordable housing, mountains, ocean-life, golf, tennis, culture, and a bit of adventure. While the weather was the coolest in 20 years, Loreto didn’t disappoint.

Loreto Bay is a quaint, safe community outside of Loreto, a sweet Mexican town of 14, 000, founded by missionaries in 1697 and the oldest permanent settlement in Baja.  We rented three gorgeous homes through Loreto Paradise Properties.

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Views from our 3rd floor and backyard hike

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Hike in your Backyard (golf course in background)

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You can book activities through Maria at Vive Loreto  (www.viveloreto.mx): she will bend over backwards to ensure that your hiking, ATV-ing, and other excursions are well-guided and outfitted.

Hiking Tabor Canyon

5 km, 6 hours, challenging

Liv and Ryan, our two teens, and I took a guided hike into Tabor Canyon. It’s about 10 km south of Loreto and is a big watershed for the Sierra de la Giganta. It is strewn with monstrous boulders and loose, crumbling volcanic rock and requires free climbing, ropes work, steady feet, a few leaps of faith and crossing water pools. The payoffs are stunning views of the mountainous desert canyon and ocean, from 1000 ft in elevation.

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Hiking near Puerto Escondido

5 km, moderate terrain

Our big family hike took us up the Hart Trail on a small mountain beside Puerto Escondido that showcased not only Sierra de la Giganta but the stunning volcanic islands of del Carmen and Danzante.

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Coronado Island Day Trip

Loreto is part of the larger Loreto Bay National Park, a nearly 800-square-mile stretch of islands, wetlands and lagoons that house more than 80 percent of all aquatic animals found in the Pacific Ocean. We took a drizzly but fun day trip with our 3-year-old niece and nephew to Coronado Island via a small panga to see the sea-lions and dolphins, and play on the beach. We were too early for whale season!

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Overall, the trip was great. If you’re coming from eastern North America, it’s a long way to travel and tough to access. You can fly directly on West Jet from Calgary, or take one of two weekly flights on Alaskan Airlines from Los Angeles, as we did. I’d recommend visiting in late January to March, so you can whale watch, possibly swim with the whale sharks, and catch some warmer weather!

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Hitting the Trails in Sedona, Arizona

If you’re thinking about hiking the red rock trails of Sedona, Arizona, in the Coconino National Forest, I highly recommend it. In May 2016, my husband Dave, our friends Linda and Todd, and I explored the countryside for a few days to celebrate Todd’s 50th birthday.

Here’s the view of our house. Check out Sedona Cliff House on VRBO: https://www.vrbo.com/230013. It’s way cheaper than a hotel, modern, spacious, immaculate, and so truly stunning, with a outdoor soaker tub on the deck adjacent to the red rock face. Honestly, you don’t want the day to end because Mother Nature has dipped her paintbrush in vibrant ochre. P.S.: rent a convertible, like every other tourist, and blast country tunes with the wind in your hair — it’s worth it.

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You can get all your trail info at www.greatsedonahikes.com. Make sure you take some protein bars and a lot of water as it is very arid and hot; you can dehyrdate easily. I packed 4 litres in my Cambelbak and drank all of it, each hike.

Here’s what we loved:

Broken Arrow Trail Hike, 7.2 km, moderate level

The views of the red mountains, especially at Chicken Point, are spectacular. There are more hikers, and even a jeep or two, out there because it is such a draw.

Jordan Trail, Devil’s Kitchen, & Soldier’s Pass Trail, 6.4 km, moderate level

This hike is close to town and affords you some great vistas. Make sure you have sturdy hiking boots as there is a lot of loose rock and ankle-twisting terrain at the beginning.

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Boynton Canyon, 9.6 km, moderate level

Most of this hike is in the much welcomed, cooler forest; the trail culminates in a spectacular canyon and vortex site. You can hit Enchantment Resort on the way back for lunch. Don’t miss their delicious guacamole, prepared at your table.

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Okay, when in Rome… We spent a few hours in what I’d consider the Niagara Falls of the West: the town of Sedona.

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CENTENNIAL RIDGES AND TRACK & TOWER TRAIL, ALGONQUIN

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With our lead guide

In prep for our big Gros Morne National Park adventure next June, my friend Deb had a few friends north to her cottage on Lake of Bays, which we used as a home base to hike Algonquin Park for two days.

We had a couple of very rare, warm Northern Ontario November days with highs of 16C and a gorgeous breeze. The leaves had fallen, the tourists were gone, and we didn’t see another soul the whole time. Amazing…

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My dog Hailey kept us company the whole 27.2 km and scared me senseless when she sauntered casually along the cliff edges.

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If you’re going, make sure you pick up a trail-specific route guide at the West or East Algonquin Park gate as the booklets detail interesting history about the area — from rocks dating back a billion years to fur trapping and the building of the railroad.

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CENTENNIAL RIDGES TRAIL

14 km (it says 10 km, but my Fitbit argued it was 4 km more, 21,000 steps and 134 flights of stairs); 4 hours (the trail map says it takes 6 hrs). This is a fairly strenuous hike but worth it for the incredible views from the ridges and golden ponds.

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TRACK AND TOWER TRAIL

7.7 km + 5.5 km side loop for a total of 13.2 km; 3 hours (or 4 hours as per the trail map). With gorgeous vistas, this hike is much easier than Centennial.

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Day 2 start: Kathy, Pat, Jody and Deb

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Cache Lake, ‘found’ in 1826 by Lieutenant Briscoe of the Royal Engineers (although I’m sure our First Nations people had paddled it well before then).
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Pat and Kathy crossing the Madawaska

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Madawaska River

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The last kilometre of the Track & Tower is an easy woods walk

In 1921, an anonymous writer opined on the beauty of Grant Lake, aka the Gem-of-the-Woods. With the US election today, and all the chaos and violence in the world, their words rang very true:

 The sense of solemnity is deep and all pervasive. The woods constitute a temple, and the heart is uplifted at the thought of the immanence of Deity in this vast and silent world, breathing of beauty and peace. The cares of life recede… All the sordid things of life are forgotten. The things that meant so much in the chaffering market-place of life have no longer any meaning. The woods are an eloquent rebuke to hurry and strife and petty pre-occupations…

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No one around so a selfie will have to do! Deb, Me, Kathy, Pat

Annual Paddle Up Eel’s Creek to High Falls

If you’re ever on Stony Lake in the Kawarthas, Ontario, you must kayak or canoe up Eel’s Creek. This is our little backyard secret: it’s not really a creek, more  a stunning river that winds its way up to High Falls. You can also put in at Haultain on Highway 28 and run the creek down, portaging the falls, but my annual foursome of friends prefer to paddle up.

Total trip time: 4 hours    Distance: 8 km    Level: Intermediate

You need to portage the 1st, 2nd and 4th set of rapids, and then it’s a quick kayak up to the falls. There, you can hike to the ‘chute,’ which is a voluminous tributary of the falls. At the beginning of the season, some crazy camper or kayaker strings a rope across the chute. You can shimmy out on the rocks and jump into the falls, hanging onto the rope. Make sure you wear your lifejacket! It is a thunderous, pummelling, fantastic massage on your body.

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Have a picnic, and then turn back and shoot all the short rapids down, with the exception of the 2nd last one. I foolishly tried the 2nd one year with a short kayak and my bike helmet: I cut my thumb open badly and could have really hurt myself.

Enjoy!