Women Are Like That

It may not be an exact translation…but it will likely increase the number of google hits on this issue of the blog.

Friday night we travelled to Cambridge to meet up with the Morris and Manz adults (I guess we are all getting to be adults...so the senior adults)—along with Laura Nassau (also a senior adult)—to see Thomas Morris (a less senior adult) perform in the Commonwealth Opera Companies' production of Mozart’s  Cosi Fan Tutte.  During the show the super-titles—opposite of sub-titles—showed ‘Women Are Like That’ as a loose translation of the title. Robert Morris (ibid on the whole less senior adult thing) also met us at the theater.

The basic premise of the opera is that Thomas (in the blue shirt) and his friend—to his right in this photo—are convinced that their fiancées will remain faithful to them should they be tempted.  The actor to Thomas’ furthest right bets that the women will not last a day.

Obviously a farcical comedy,there were twists and turns with many sexual innuendos, all brought to a more modern setting.  It was fun to watch and having the super-titles made it easy to follow the plot and just enjoy the music.  Thomas was, as usual, great.

Following the performance we all piled into our vehicles and headed for the Morris Estate in Standish, ME.  It was fairly late when we arrive, but that didn’t stop us from standing around the kitchen visiting.  Also, since James has a milestone  birthday in the offing, Dan and I—his partners in crime—went together to bring him an 18 year old scotch.

Since we had the bottle and some glasses in the cupboard, we did try a wee dram each to make sure it was passable as a birthday gift.  We guys commented on the smokiness, the buttery smell and the caramel finish…our wives made comments about the odor, but no where near as complimentary.

Below you can see James explaining the fineries of the scotch and Liz’s reaction to him; Dan’s studious and contemplative pose as he enjoyed a pre-scotch ale; Laura’s bemusement with the goings-on; and Stephanie having nothing to do with it.  Our normal type of get-together.

Although we didn’t arise as early as usual the next morning—James surprisingly beat us all and had a nice fire going as well as outdoor gear laid out for the morning—it was still a reasonable hour.  Our plans included the men heading out for some snow-shoeing while Cheri and Liz  did a nice run around the neighborhood.

There were no pictures of the ladies in their running attire, but suffice it to say they did get in a 2 mile run while we were out playing with Angus, the dog, in the snow.  We did arrive back at the house to find fresh brewed coffee and Stephanie had prepared a huge waffle and maple bacon breakfast for us. 

Following breakfast the ladies positioned themselves between the fire and the fireplace screen.  Effectively absorbing all of the excess heat before it leaked into the room and overwhelmed the rest of us.  Cheri also took the time to show off the sweater she just finished for Jess’ Christmas present (Jess did see it in major pieces on Christmas).

Too soon the Vermont contingency needed to pack up and get on the road back to the Northwest Shore of New England. Dan was scheduled to work Rescue Service Saturday evening, so they needed to be back in time for him to head to the station.

Cheri and I had already decided to maximize our time spent with friends Down East so we ran some errands and then met James and Stephanie at a local movie theater to see Avatar in 3D—if you have not done this, you should...a little over the top with the portrayal of the Marine Colonel, but a good story and amazing effects.

We made it back to the Morris Estate in time to have some of Stephanie’s home-made pizza and watch a little football.  If we didn’t have commitments to do the flowers in church and greet—Cheri in both cases—or sing in the choir—guess who—then we would probably have stayed another evening.  Even still it was only a 2 hour 45 minute jaunt back to Woodstock, CT (don’t bother doing the math; suffice it to say I was over the speed limit on some portions of the Interstate).

Cheri and I agreed several times on the trip home that this was an outstanding weekend and another great Adventure.