Quoth the raven....

"Nevermore" was quite enjoyable. The drive down was not. I haven't seen rain come down that heavily in YEARS -- not even in the time I spent in Belgium. The rain was so heavy that at times there was just a huge cloud of mist in front of us. We knew there were cars or trucks creating that mist, but they were lost in it. Tom and I both mentioned that 'fog lights' that had been required to be added to the backs of our cars in Belgium. They would have been useful during this storm! There was a break in the downpour just as we hit a rest stop, so I am grateful for the timing there, and it had almost stopped when Tom pulled up in front of Woodcraft. I shopped at Tuesday Morning while he was in the wood store. I found some small Christmas items to bring home and he got some cherry and some walnut. The rain was starting to come down more heavily as we left and we also realized we only had an hour until the play started, so we went straight to the theater where Tom dropped me off in front then went to park the car. I picked up our tickets at 'Will Call' then looked at the 'artwork' on display. I enjoyed the blend of colors and textures, but seriously, charging hundreds to thousands of dollars for that stuff because someone calls himself an 'artist' is just sinful. I truly wonder who gives away their hard-earned money for it. Enough ranting...

We found our seats about ten minutes before the show started. Tom got into a conversation with the folks behind us, so the time went by quickly. Everything about the show itself was a treat. The show is set during the mysterious five days between Edgar Allen Poe's boarding a ship bound for New York and his being found delirious on the streets of Baltimore five days later, followed by his death three days after that without his ever becoming lucid again. The set was very simple -- just a raised, slanted floor accented with several 'psychlorama' curtains. I am not 100% sure of that term, but the curtains were used to evoke different feelings and scenes by projecting light, colors, and shadows onto them from either in front or behind, as needed. It was the most extensive and skillful use of the effect I have ever witnessed. The show was well written and well acted, and we thoroughly enjoyed the story.

After the performance, we were privileged to take part in a 'talkback.' Both the play's author and a Poe biographer were available to answer questions and give opinions. We stayed and listened, just for the fun of it. I think we even learned a few things. For instance, the 'Edgar Allen Poe' name was sort of foisted upon the man after his death. In life, he referred to himself as 'Edgar Poe' or 'Edgar A. Poe.' The Allen name was the name of the family that adopted him at the age of three after the death of his mother. He didn't get along with his 'stepfather' and never really considered himself an 'Allen.'

We decided to have dinner in Charleston. After choosing a closed Pub for a meal, we ended up at 'The Noisy Oyster.' I had the lobster and shrimp spring rolls. Yummy. Tom had blackened salmon that wasn't blackened enough for him. He did eat it all, though. The ride home was easier with a lack of rain, thank goodness. We were home by 9:00 and watched soome TV and got together the contents of a gift we are mailing off Monday.

I'm giving blood later today and shopping for a pot for our Mayan Pepper plant. We need to bring it inside before the frost we are expecting this evening.