Laura-Jane Visits the USA

Birmingham Royal Ballet has a nice, long summer break which means Mathias is here in the USA for about a month. It also meant that there was time for Laura-Jane to visit without cheating her family out of time with her too. So, Laura-Jane came for about ten days. She flew into Dulles Airport, just outside Washington, DC. This allowed Mathias to take her to the Kirov Academy of Ballet, his old school, and introduce her to his Anatoli Kuchkeruk, his mentor and teacher. From there, Steve (the driver!) went further north....to Lenzelhof, my parent's lakeside cabin. Above is a view of beautiful Lake Linda. Below, Steve and my Dad have a motor...



....but Mathias and Laura-Jane has two oars. Everyone had a blast.

It was a whirlwind of a visit...just twenty-four hours! Then they headed to South Carolina via Foamhenge in Virginia. This hilarious tourist attraction is quite near Natural Bridge....but there's nothing natural about Foamhenge. Laura-Jane has never actually been to Stonehenge....do you think this is a good substitute?! (It is built to scale!)









There's also this strange Merlin sculpture at Foamhenge.

Not to be outdone by the natural beauty of Lake Linda, Mathias decided to show Laura-Jane the river near our house. They took the kayaks to Saluda Shoals park for a hot afternoon.







We forgot to take any photos when visiting the Pickens County Museum of Art and History. I was thrilled, however, to show off my solo exhibition "Blues Chapel" to the two. Then, the last full day Laura-Jane had was spent in Charleston. They enjoyed about twenty minutes on the beach before a storm blew in....but the winds made the boogie-boarding excellent....and they didn't have enough time to get sunburned.



(Above: Laura-Jane and Mathias at the battery in Charleston.)

On one of the days in Columbia, Mathias took Laura-Jane to the State Museum where they had fun posing with some of the displays.







We've heard from Laura-Jane. She arrived home safely. We hope the rest of her summer goes well....and we'll miss her.

Mathias' Year in England

(Click on any image to enlarge!)

Mathias recently finished his second year with Birmingham Royal Ballet. This year he didn't have his own flat (apartment) but rented a room from another couple dancing with the company. This allowed him to save money and travel. It also meant that he had no regular Internet access, no "permanent address", and existed mostly out of his suitcase while on tour.

Several wonderful things happened during the year. Mathias got the chance to dance several soloist roles...and even the principal part of Benno in Swan Lake. The photo above is Mathias as Benno. Dancing the prince was his friend Jamie Bond.

Steve and I were able to visit during the season....most recently while BRB was touring to Manchester with Giselle and a triple bill that included Card Game. These photos are from the "third" deal in Card Game. Mathias danced a solo as the two of hearts.

Manchester is also the home of Mathias' favorite soccer team....or, as they say in the UK, football club. Mathias went and toured Manchester United's stadium, trophy room, and lockers while there.

Yet, one of the most important things that happened during the year is LAURA-JANE...Mathias' girlfriend. Together they visited her family in Scotland. Below is a photo from this trip.



Above and below are images of Laura-Jane with her parents....and even the family dog!

Both Mathias and Laura-Jane turned twenty this spring. To celebrate, they flew for a long weekend to Paris! Below are some of the photos they took.























On there first evening in France, Mathias planned a reunion with a former Kirov classmate, Adrianna. Adrianna was from Mexico. She left the Kirov after Mathias' second year...that's something like six years ago. They kept in contact but hadn't seen each other until this reunion in Paris. Adrianna is no longer dancing but a student in Paris. Here are the two couples!

Unfortunately, Mathias forgot his other camera chip in England. Thus, I've got no photos to share from the trip the company took to Japan for a month....or anything else from the first part of the year! Yet, this is pretty good to get these photos from Mathias!

Steve is Twice as Nice

This afternoon Steve and I went to the American Red Cross to donate blood. I'm a regular donor...have been for years. Steve, however, isn't. Yet, it was his blood that was desparately needed. In fact, they convinced him to go on the ALYX machine to donate double the red blood cells...while putting back the platelets and plasma.

They gave him a "Twice as Nice Sticker" and a gift certificate for a free waffle from Waffle House. He was thrilled. My blood was donated....nothing special.....just regular old O positive...the universal donor! Below is Steve's blood in the special machine getting separated into red cells, plasma and whatever else!

Back in the USA

Steve and I returned from England on separate planes....to separate airports. Steve's flight was, of course, hours and hours late. His carefully planned agenda had to be altered. He actually flew through Atlanta. My return was suppose to be a problem but wasn't....it just took forever. I landed at Dulles....outside of Washington, DC....to the southwest. The hotel, however, was the Baltimore Airport Marriott....outside Washington, DC....to the northeast. It took four hours and ten minutes to take a shuttle bus, two metro rides, another shuttle bus, to the hotel bus. I was on time though!

Mathias flew in the next day....while we recuperated from our travels with a pitcher of sangria at Rosa Mexicano. It is next to the Smithsonian's dual museum: Portrait Gallery/American Art which we also visited.

Our Trip to England: Part Three

(Above: Laura-Jane and Mathias in Manchester.)

Steve and I were both thrilled to see Mathias dance the role of Peasant Pas in BRB's Giselle. It is so nice to be able to watch the ballet more than once....the first time to follow the story and dancing....the second just to watch Mathias and Laura-Jane. Both danced well. Of course, in typical "ballet" fashion, Mathias said his performance could have been better. Ballet dancers are always harder on themselves than anyone else.

Steve and I also got to visit two other museums. One was the art museum. The other was the large Museum of Science and Industry. These photos are from there. I couldn't get any decent shots in the section of the sewer that we were able to tour, but there was an excellent guide who explained every step of the textile industry from the combing of the raw cotton fibers (above) through the rovings (below)....

...to winding thousands of bobbins....

....on giant machines.....

...to the actual weaving of fabric.

In another building were examples of transportation, all attractively displayed.

This included early 20th century airplanes, cars, bicycles, jets, and even a Model T Ford.



(Below is a detail of an engine made by Rolls Royce.)

Our final night in England was spent in the luxurious Airport Marriott enjoying the pool, sauna, hot tub, steam room, and cold plunge!