Spring Break

Wow…. Spring Break was good to us!  So much fun and so much to do.

The Madsen’s picked us up in the big 15 passenger van and we traveled down to Hurricane, Utah and stayed at a very cheap motel… The fun part is, that Shelbi Bentley came with us too, and shared our room and Laila’s bed.  It was good to have another girl with us.  Wayne regaled us with “bad” jokes every time we got in the van.  Laila would roll her eyes, I would grown and the Madsen boys would laugh.  

 We had two amazing hike days and were able to get into ZIONS and drive all the way in because of  Hunter’s  Deaf pass to all National parks.  We were feeling pretty lucky, since there were sooooo many people there waiting to take the shuttle in. 

Monday was all about Angel’s Landing.  This is a remarkable hike that includes atleast a 1/2 mile of bouldering type trails, where you have to scale rocks and hold onto chains and try not to fall.  I was so proud of all of our group for making it, particularly dizzy Wayne and little Nash.  We ate lunch up on top looking at amazing scenery and  enjoying the view.  It’s hard to really capture this in pictures. 

Laila looking off the cliff on top of Angel's Landing.  It was an amazing view

I have never done this hike, and now I have twice in three weeks.  We got off the mountain went swimming and had a great meal at a BBQ place then we all went to a movie—MacFarland USA.  

Tuesday we went into ZIONS again  to a lesser known  off the beaten track trail called Many Pools Hike.  It was fun being alone on this trail, since there were so many people on the Angel’s Landing one.   Because of our dry winter, there were not “many pools” on this hike, but only a few.  It was great never the less…as we got farther into the pools, we looked up at a  boulder type mountain and saw Hoodoo’s… nature made rock type pillars....up  on top.  So we hiked to the top of that mountain to climb the hoodoo’s and see the view.  We ate our lunch on top of this mountain.  It was pretty incredible.   Coming down is always the hardest part…it's so steep and we all hang on and try not to slip and fall.  

 When we got off the mountain, we drove out to Leeds, Utah and the Red Cliff Rec area…. We wanted to walk  and wade the river trail and jump and play in the swimming hole.  This place did not disappoint for the kids.    Swimming, Dinner and card games rounded out the evening.  Being with the Madsen’s and Shelbi was so much fun.  The only non fun part  for me was my achey legs and tired thigh muscles the next day… I literally was crippled.  I couldn’t believe how much pain my legs were in.  It was difficult to go up and down stairs….yikes….but I would do it again.

Wednesday, Wayne headed on an airplane to solve a work problem in Atlanta, GA and I stayed in St. George and waited for my theatre  girl friends- Maurie Tarbox, Jan Smith and Meghan Parrish -- to pick me up and head to LA California for our friends surprise 50^th birthday.   We sang our guts out and talked  and talked and laughed all of the way to LA.  I love these women! 

Surprising Alan Palmer on his birthday was a riot.  He was so shocked and teary and happy to see us all.  What a sweet guy.  It took place in an old theatre space with a court yard  area for dinner and hors deuvres and then a small theatre space were we gathered for a “this is your life” type of celebration.   We , Maurie, Jan and I went first and sang, “That’s Life” to kick the whole thing off then we shared funny Alan stories from when we did shows with him 30 years ago.  I talked about how he was Motel to my Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof…how when he sang Wonder of Wonders Miracle of Miracles he had to pick me up with excitement and twirl me around.  Well I always prayed this could happen, because he was a lot smaller than I was…and one final dress rehearsal night we actually spun and fell into the orchestra pit…yikes.  So funny though.  He did summer stock with me for 2 summers too.  Such happy memories.   The sweetest part of the festivities were when his husband, Dr. Jim Carter ( A radiologist at Mr. Sinai hospital)  Got out of his own chemo sick  bed to come and sing a love song to Alan.  It was an ugly cry moment for everyone.   Jim  doesn’t perform…he doesn’t sing and it was an amazing act of love to witness.    It was a night filled with happy people and great love toward Alan.  I was grateful to witness it and be a part of it. 

On Friday,went to Newsies , the Broadway show at the Pantages theatre in LA. I loved the dancing and the music and the set in this show.  The lead girl was pretty great too.    Every place we went Maurie would make friends and have to get pics taken.  She is just like that...it's funny to participate in this.  We went to a great restaurant called Off Vine prior to Newsies and had to have a pic with the Waiters....