Pumpkins, 2012 versions (year seventeen of the tradition):

Mer’s pumpkin was based on something scary – it is an abstract but recognizable outline of her bag-of-doom – the bag in which she carries her school papers that need to be graded. Mine was a celebration, or at least recognition, of the fact that we now have six cats.

Saturday was Mer’s day, and she started it out with work (kind of). Mer is the coach to for the junior high Academic Challenge team, which is sort of like teams playing Jeopardy!, with the kids having to answer questions in various rounds on various subjects. She tries to take her team to two or three tournaments a year, and this one fit well in the schedule. It was at Hawken, an affluent private school fairly nearby (about thirty minutes away).

Since I always seem to get pressed into reading questions, Mer just went ahead and volunteered me for the job. I like it pretty well, although my voice starts to give out later in the tournament since I am not used to talking that much. This tournament was being run by a Hawken alum who had started a non-profit group to encourage learning and education, and a couple features this group brought were computerized scoring and questions. I was comfortable with that, although I had to switch rooms at the last minute, and it took about twenty minutes to get the technology ready in the new room; also, the external screen with the score and timing clock went out on me in the middle of one round, but that was fixed pretty quickly by a suggestion or two from a helpful audience member who reminded me to check a computer setting when I was focused on the various cables. He was right.

One amusing aspect of being a reader – in the brief training we received, we were assured that there were not many foreign words and names to stumble over. That was a boldfaced lie – I had foreign words and names in every round, and many of them were from Asian languages. I managed as best I could, and I only messed up a couple of times on the scoring or on answers, which is not bad over fifteen rounds during the day.

Hawken fed us, which was very kind, and we wrapped up around 2:00. Our two junior high teams did not fare too well on the score sheet, but they were competitive in most rounds.

In the evening, Mer took me up to Playhouse Square, to a small theater to which we had not yet been. The theater only held about seventy-five people, and was set up as a thrust stage (with seats on three sides). We got good seats in the front row in the center. Mer had gotten us tickets to see a translation of the French play The Misanthrope.

It is a very interesting play about social norms. The main character is a blunt young man who thinks people should be completely honest all the time, and not worry about being polite. He hangs out in rarefied social circles where politeness is the norm, and the play explores the pros and cons of each view, while managing to be quite funny along the way.

In a nod to how strong the main actor was, I did not realize the play was in rhymed couplets until another character spoke. People do not rhyme in normal conversation, and it amazed me that the man playing the main role could speak so seemingly naturally, while speaking in a very artificial way.

The acting was quite good, although the lead actor was the one who stood out to me. There was one character who felt rushed to me – he seemed to feel the need to get to the rhyme at the ends of lines as quickly as possible. His acting was fine, but his line delivery needed a little work.

The set was simple, as sets tend to be when on a thrust stage. The stage was set up as one of two rooms, with chairs and a sofa and other small furniture.

The biggest negative of the play came from the audience. A man in the front row of one of the sides of the stage actually checked his cell phone while the lights were down, and continued to do so even after the actors came out and started speaking. The man’s whole face was lit up in the light of his screen. It makes me frustrated and worried that people are becoming socially stupid because of technology. I think he missed the irony of being rude while watching The Misanthrope.

Still, other than that incident, the evening was pretty great. The play was thought-provoking and well done, and I got to see one of the new theaters at Playhouse Square.

On Friday (the 19th), while Mer stayed home to grade, I went to another cold and rainy CVCA football game – it seems to be a theme this year (after the first game, which was beautiful). I stuck around for the halftime band show, and a couple of CVCA alums visited with me – Sarah and Katie (and Katie’s boyfriend, Obie). I told them to swing by the house if the light was still on and if they wanted to.

Happily, they did. They left the cold and rainy game early, and came over and visited with us. We got to talk with Obie a little, and heard about how he and Katie ran into each other at a gas station after having not seen each other since fifth grade, and that is how they started dating. Fun story. Sarah was fun and funny, as always, and explained to us the difference between an emo club and a rave club. They only stayed for about twenty minutes, but we were happy they felt comfortable enough to swing by.

Saturday (the 20th) was my day, and I confused Mer by heading down to Canton, to the McKinley Museum. We had joined as members there during the summer, mostly to get the reciprocal admission to other museums. We had covered the McKinley Museum pretty well back during summer, so Mer was confused as to why we would go back so soon (although she was game to try).

The reason we were there was to see a new exhibit on miniatures, which were essentially dollhouses. Mer loves dollhouses, so I knew she would like the exhibit. There were about twenty houses on display. They varied quite a bit, from 1970s plastic Playmobil houses to hand-built ones that took six months to construct and included hand-stained wooden floors. There was a haunted witch house that was creepy, and a library, and a Scottish castle with Queen Victoria on hand. There were several mansions and a few period houses from the United States. It was a pretty cool display, especially for free (as members).

After the museum, we headed to Mer’s old neighborhood to go to Taggart’s ice cream shop. We got ice cream as a mid-afternoon snack, and then headed across town to the second-run theater, where I wanted to see The Dark Knight Returns, the latest Batman movie. I found the scale of it a bit large to believe, but taking the premise on faith, I found it to be a very entertaining movie, and I was mad that I did not see the end coming before it happened. I should have known enough Batman lore to know what was going to happen.

Making it a movie night, we went home and I finally got around to showing Mer a borrowed copy of The Bridge on the River Kwai. Mer has had very little exposure to war films, and Bridge is one of the best. It turned out to be much longer than I’d remembered, so it was pushing midnight when we finished, but it was a great film.

Last Sunday (the 14th) was a first for me – our usual pastor was on vacation, and I had offered to preach in his place, and was accepted. So, I got to preach to my own congregation. I have preached twice at CVCA, but it made me nervous to preach to a congregation that was made up of people from one to ninety-one.

A couple of years ago, I gave a talk at CVCA on the concept of “joy stomping” – the idea that people tend to “stomp” on things that make other people have joy and be happy. That can be taste in movies and music, sports teams, hobbies, etc. In the church itself, it can take the form of telling people to slow down lest they be “too excited.” It can be in the form of putting down styles of worship as a matter of opinion. My thesis was that God created us for joys, both big joys that come from God directly, as well as small joys of daily living. As such, we as Christians should be about encouraging any joy (as long as it is not sinful) and should avoid “joy stomping.”

Anyway, the sermon was an expanded version of the CVCA talk, and it seemed to go well, and I have had multiple people comment positively on it. I was pleased that I was able to get the point across.

Mer’s parents and Aunt Mary came out to support me, so the five of us, along with old family friends, Ray and Sara, went to North Canton to Grinders for brunch and for a chance to visit. We lingered a fair while and had a good time catching up.

Last Saturday evening, after we dropped Rafael off at the airport, we went over to CVCA and jumped on a bus with about fifteen other students and adults to head up to Cleveland, to Playhouse Square, to see the stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Mer and I are very fond of both the book and the play, and this was the third time we were to see the play.

I’m not sure what was going on in Clevleand, but the Playhouse Square area was a madhouse – we got off the bus on the next block and walked because traffic was so dense. We did make it in time for the play; in fact, the production got started late. We had seats in the way-up, way-back, but we still had a good sight-line. We saw several other CVCA folks there, which made for a cozy feel.

The play was very good, as usual. There were some odd issues with sound – there were occasional moments of feedback and popping from the speakers. It was not too distracting, and they got it straightened out in the first half, but it surprised me because Playhouse Square is usually so good at these things.

Because the play had started late, we had to duck out during the actor talk-back. Mer and I both love to hear actors talk about their craft, but we had to get the students back. The traffic issue was gone when we left the theater, and so we got back to CVCA without any issues.

While Mer and I both love travel, we had never before hosted a visitor to the United States. That all changed with the rather wonderful visit of Rafael. Rafael is an English teacher in a school near Sao Paolo in Brazil, and he was one of two chaperons for a group of eleven Brazilian students who were spending thirteen days at CVCA. They had come via a week in Orlando, so they were excited to see “normal” America.

I have to admit I had a few reservations about hosting someone – I am a creature of habit, and I was worried the interruption to my schedule would be irksome. Quite the opposite happened. Rafael was a gracious guest, and was joyous over many things I have taken for granted in Ohio. Rafael gave us many gifts from Brazil, including candies and clothing and small figurines and more, but by far the greatest gift he gave me was wonder:  I got to see the beauty of my area anew with his eyes. That was pretty exciting. Rather than being excited to get back to my routine after Rafael left, I found that the house felt a little empty.

Here, in brief, are the things we tried to share with Rafael to show off America:

– Sunday the 30th – Rafael arrived, and we squeezed in a quick visit to the Ledges park.
– Monday – We hiked the Gorge Trail next to the Cuyahoga River.
– Tuesday – We showed off Brandywine Falls and went over to Mer’s parents’ place to have cake with Carlene, whose birthday it was.
– Wednesday – We went to a swanky bonfire roast hosted by a CVCA parent who wanted to welcome our Brazilian and Norwegian guests.
– Thursday – We hiked the other side of the Ledges and tried to get to the overlook for sunset, missing it by less than five minutes. We made up for that gaffe by taking Rafael to the Cheesecake Factory for supper and dessert.
– Friday – We got ice cream at Handel’s, and then went to a CVCA alumni Homecoming dinner (hot dogs and such fare), and then watched a little over half of the Homecoming football game.
– Saturday – Rafael had to chaperon some of his students, so Mer and I went to the Howe Meadows farmers’ market to buy maple syrup for waffles for Sunday. In the evening, we all went to the CVCA Homecoming banquet, where Rafael cut loose in trying just about every line dance done that evening.
– Sunday the 7th – Rafael went to church with us, and Pastor Ken was impressed at Rafael’s comprehension of the sermon and asked Rafael to pray for New Baltimore Community Church. Back home, I made chocolate chip waffles for brunch.
– Monday – We had a mellow evening.
– Tuesday – We had supper at Friday’s (the restaurant).
– Wednesday – Mer and I went to a former colleague’s calling hours, but then went home and took Rafael to supper at Hudson’s Restaurant (in Hudson), and then we had dessert at Cold Stone Creamery.
– Thursday – Mer went to the choir concert at CVCA; I think Rafael went to a Brazilian dinner for the whole group of visiting Brazilians. I was preaching in church on Sunday, so I worked on my sermon.
– Friday – Mer and I had CVCA’s Community Open House event, but we got out in time to swoop Rafael to the Hartville Kitchen for some excellent Mennonite cooking.
– Saturday – We took a brief walk in the neighborhood, and then took Rafael to the airport.

We had a busy couple of weeks, and it was grand. I’m already hoping that Rafael will come back next year, and maybe we can figure out how to get down to Brazil.

Last Saturday was Mer’s day, and she had us drive south again, this time to the home of Kenyon College. We got to the very pretty campus a little before noon, and we found a very pleasant bench to sit on to await the arrival of Sarah, one of Mer’s former students. Mer and Sarah had stayed in touch, and we were having lunch together and touring the campus with Sarah as our tour guide.

Sarah was a few minutes late, so we got to sit in the shade on a perfect day, and people watch. Mer and I are now at an age where all college kids look really young, and it was fun to see young people being young – tromping around campus and biking and hanging out.

Sarah met us and we headed toward south campus, which is also where the one street of small businesses are. We decided to get lunch at a local deli, but it was mobbed, so I suggested we come back after 1:00, and Mer and Sarah agreed. Sarah showed us around the southern, mostly residential, area of Kenyon. There are lots of trees, and the trend is toward smaller and more apartment-like dorm living (although the do have a seven-story dorm there as well). It is a lovely spot.

We got back to the deli after 1:00 and ordered lunch. We tried to sit outside since it was so pretty out, but we had to move from our table because bees found us. Then they found us at our new table. Then they found us on a bench. And again on a second bench. We finally lost them on a third bench and were able to finish our food in relative peace.

After lunch, Sarah took us on the tour of the northern, mostly academic, part of campus. The buildings are all older looking and feeling, and the campus has a classic feel to it. We were able to go into several buildings, and it looks like Kenyon has quality facilities. It was a great visit. The only disappointment for us is that Sarah is having a hard time finding any Christians on campus to hang out with. I don’t expect a secular college to be dominated by Christians, but I usually assume there will be some, especially when Kenyon was founded by Methodists. Sarah is a quality young woman, so I hope she can get connected soon.

After we said goodbye to Sarah, Mer had me drive down the hill and across the street to a paved waling trail that ran next to a stream. We walked that path for about twenty minutes before turning around and heading back to the car. It was a great path, and I was surprised that we only saw four or five groups of people while we were on it. We headed back home having had a rather grand day on campus.

Last Friday was a day long in coming – I finally got to see the play Noises Off. Mer and I drove the two hours or so down to Otterbein Collge with our friend Brandon, who is a driving force behind CVCA’s theater program. Brandon and Mer had seen Noises Off before, but I never had, and I had been trying to see it for several years.

Noises Off is largely considered one of the finest farces in theater. It tells the story of a small acting troupe trying to put on a play when nothing is going well. We, the audience, see the last rehearsal of the fictional play, which is very funny and sets up the astonishing second act where the set spins around and we get to see what is going on behind the scenes while the play is going on. It is one of the funniest things I have ever seen, with split-second timing and physical comedy galore. There is a good third act as well, but the gem is the second act.

I had never heard of Otterbein College, and I did not get to see too much of it since we were there just to see the play. The campus is pretty, with lots of brick buildings. The theater was spacious and professional-looking, with a large stage and good sight-lines and good lighting. The student actors did a magnificent job to the point where I forgot that a couple of the older characters in the play were actually only in their twenties. It came as a bit of a shock to see the actors break character for the curtain call and to realize they were young.

The play was amazing and well worth the three-plus-hour round-trip. It was great to get to visit with Brandon as well, since he is a busy man and we do not get to chat too often. It was a good evening to laugh through.

Last Friday (the 21st), Mer and I braved a rainy evening to head over to Kent again to hear some music. This time it was a free outdoor concert to hear Bethesda, the band of which our friends Eric and Shanna are lead members. The rain let up just as we got to Acorn Alley, a newer-building area in Kent across from the Kent Stage, and the venue for the evening. Bethesda was scrambling to get set back up under the cover of an alcove. They had been set up outside and ready to go when the rain moved through, and so they had to relocate at the last second. Happily, from my perspective, the new venue was right next to the Arctic Squirrel ice cream shop, so I got sundaes for me and Mer while we waited. (For those wondering, the ice cream was decent, but not so good as Handel’s, in my opinion).

Bethesda finally got underway, and they rocked in all of the meanings of the word. I think it had been well over a year since we had gotten to see them in concert, and so the experience was fresh for us. Also, we were getting to see them in a venue that was not a bar, so we did not have to strain to hear them over the shouted conversation of semi-drunk people. There were still some people talking around us (why do people come to concerts to talk?), but it was more sporadic than the usual bar noise.

Bethesda sounded great this night, and they played for over two hours. They even had to go back to the start of their playlist at the end of the show because they played out the songs that their two newest members know. The crowd was okay with that since most had not been there form the start. Poor Shanna, who REALLY gets into singing, skinned her knees during one song when she dropped to them onto the brick floor. She finished several more songs while gently bleeding, poor thing.

On Saturday, Mer and I slept late, and then I took her to hike the southern part of the Furnace Run Trail, which we had not done before. The hike was pretty, with the requisite trees and stream, but the walk was made more exciting by hearing a thunderstorm rolling in while we were still an unknown-to-us distance from the car. We made it back to the car while the rain was still in the gentle stage, but withing a minute or two of our regaining the car, it poured. It was still a good hike.

On Sunday, we headed over to the Churchills’ house. Zach knows I am a Buffalo Bills fan, and the Browns were playing the Bills, and so would be on TV. Zach kindly invited me and Mer over to watch the game. I feel bad about this, but I am not a great guest when football is on – I can’t keep track of the game and of conversations, so I usually give up on conversation, which I have trouble hearing over the TV. Mer filled in for me nicely. We ate a good lunch, and Londa made her wonderful chocolate chip cookies, which she served warm. I think I had about ten. The Bills won the game, but did not embarrass the Browns, so I think it was a successful visit.

In another shocking school-night outing, Mer and I got together with our colleague Liz Wides and went out to supper on Thursday. We went to the Olive Garden, where we ate too much and had a great time visiting and talking and laughing. Liz is a funny person with an understated sense of humor, and is a great dining companion. We also saw a CVCA student, and so we verified student suspicions that teachers have no lives apart from school. That is important to reinforce.

After supper, we headed back over to Kent, to the Kent Stage again, this time to see John Gorka and Tracy Grammer. We were there to see John Gorka, of whom Mer and I are big fans, and Liz had been to a concert or two with us to see him in the past as well. None of us knew anything about Tracy Grammer.

We had excellent seats up front, and the concert went over two hours (including intermission). We had a good time. Gorka put on his usual excellent concert, with his quirky, absent-minded-professor persona and his amazing baritone voice. Gorka’s songs are often deep, and always playful with language use and plays on words. Tracy Grammer was solid – she had a pretty voice and could play the guitar quite well, but she did not quite click for me for some reason. I’m not sure what it was, since she was a fine musician, but I found that my mind wandered some during her songs. It was still an entertaining evening, and we got back home after 11:00, and on a school night. Wild us!