A wonderful trip

Hopefully our last three members will arrive home today, had a misstep in the Glasgow airport delaying them.

I had a great time and hope I was able to keep the parent's at home and other family member's apprised for what we have been up to on our trip. I so enjoyed all the kids and parents and while I felt at time we were running on empty (energy wise) I found it a wonderful memorable trip.

Raising hands ...paco paco paco to one and all

Last Day in Edinburgh

Rest of the photos are at http://nelsonphoto.smugmug.com/Theater/Edinburgh-fringe-Festival-2010/Last-day-in-Edinburgh/13350942_rZMay#970653581_W6aBH will be uploading over next couple hours.

We had a good last day. Everyone had lots of free time, our only "scheduled" events was a closing ceremony, lunch and our celebration dinner at Merchants. Everyone took in some last minute site seeing. Here are a few photos of what my group went to see, and the rest of mine will be uploading here in a minute.

We were also doing Taylor's senior photos, so we had a lot of fun running around.

We will be boarding buses at 5:30 am and driving to Glasgow. We are on BA1447 from Glasgow to London landing at 10:15 am. We have a lay over until 2:00 London time when we board BA 287 and head toward home. Its funny we leave London at 2 pm London time and are scheduled to arrive at 4:45 pm in San Francisco. We will be picked up my Emerald Charter at that time and will head north toward good old Oregon . We are all sad to leave Scotland but ready to return home.

Saturday in Edinburgh

We had a mostly free morning this am. Students did laundry, packed a bit, or took in a show, or ate breakfast and then took in a nap.

At 1 we took in the show "And Justice for All" from Broxville high school. It was actually two short plays, the I liked the first one much better than the second but thought the acting was very good.

A bus takes us to see the shows we are scheduled to see and we always get there a little early as we ride with the cast and they get some time to set up. In the bottom of the venue we perform at is a place called Looney Lorna's Tea House. Very good tea and a lot of us end up in there when we have time. I am a long time tea drinker, but I think some of the kids have taken to the English "Tea time" http://www.loopylornas.com/da/86375

Our last show was at 7 pm and while it was not a huge group there to see it (we are spoiled after yesterday's crowd) a middle aged woman sat alone in the seats and turned to me after the show and said "I have seen dozens of shows this week and that was by far the best I have seen" She could have been our only audience member that was so wonderful to hear.

We all then went back to the dorms and ordered pizza as we had been at our show during dinner time. We all sat around in the practice room and had a good old sharing session.

as Matthew said " No amount of words could explain what this experience has meant to each person who has been involved in it, but we have all be changed by it" We laughed together, we cried together, and we shared our feelings together.

Tomorrow we have a ending ceremony lunch, and then the casts out for a celebration dinner. The rest of our day will be pretty free for students to pack, do last minute shopping, or attend shows. We will all enjoy our last day in Scotland.

Monday we board the bus at 5:45 am to head for Glasgow and the plane home.

Great show today and the Tattoo was fabulous!

We had a large crowd at the show today and they had a wonderful reaction to it. I always enjoy sitting in the back and watching people's reactions. There were several moments where students who were watching turned and looked at each other with a reaction of knowledge.

They were very supportive after and gave a long stand ovation, followed by a second one as the actors left the studio. Was very wonderful.

We went as a group to the Military Tattoo and had such a good time. The photos above are a sampling from it and the rest will be uploading overnight. Please know that I was sitting in the stands, in the dark and with a slow lens, so they might not be crystal clear but more of an idea of what we saw.

The other photos in this group (which will upload) include some taken while waiting for shows, or on the bus. Two more days here, can't believe it went so fast! Our last show is tomorrow, Sunday is our closing ceremonies and Monday we fly home.

Ceilidh Dance and Royal Mile Performance

I am uploading photos from the Ceilidh dance on Tuesday night and the Royal Mile performance yesterday. http://nelsonphoto.smugmug.com/Theater/Edinburgh-fringe-Festival-2010

Sorry they took so long to get up, been a busy couple of days.

Tomorrow's performance is 3 pm to 5 then we will race back eat dinner and join the Q for the Military Tattoo.

2nd Show was wonderful!

We had our second show today to a pretty good sized audience. I would say twice the size of our audience for the first show. They laughed at all the right places and everyone seemed to enjoy the show.

We all went to see "Greater Tuna" today which was very funny. Seemed to be about Tuna Texas and the small town happenings. From the local radio show, to the lady who was killing all the dogs and accidental poisoned her husband's $2000 hunting dog.

A lot of kids stayed after our show tonight to see either "The Wiz" or another show.

Lots of rain today, with broken blue sky from time to time.

Tonight at 10 we are having "pizza tea" in the AHSTF office, not sure what that is but I am sure we will find out.

We may all be talking funny when we come home, between "bugger" and "wee bit" and french fries being "chips" a lot of us have picked up some the "Scot" language.

No Tatoo for us tonight

There was some sort of a mix up so we ended up with Military Tattoo Tickets for Friday night instead of tonight. Many of us were able to change our plans for things were were planning on doing Friday night for tonights instead.

Several students went to plays, a couple to the Ghosts and Ghoul's show inside the vaults under the city.

Samantha's cold has moved to Kevin, so he spent most of his day resting. He was feeling well enough to come out for dinner :)

We went this am and saw "A Western Guild to Theatre" which everyone really enjoyed. The actors were so happy with our groups laughing and carrying on during their show they asked if we could come every day. They also promised to come to ours one evening. They came out and talked with the students for some time and it was a good exchange.

We then ran down the road and around the corner and took in "An Adult evening of Shel Silversteen put on by Billerica Memorial High School in MA. We enjoyed that as well.

Tomarrow we take in "Greater Tuna" and perform again at 5:15.

First Show

Was a great success. Ankeny Ohio (best christmas story ever is their play) came to see it as well as Mrs Williams from Eagle Point. She saw our write up in the paper back home and was going to be here so brought her sisters to come see. We also had three Taiwanese students who saw the color creatures and came. They laughed, they cried, they stayed to talk to the actors after and said "we pierced" their hearts. They were very touched and loved it.

Well off to a day of watching shows and performing 20 minutes on the Royal Mile.

Tuesday in Edinburgh

This morning we all loaded a bus and went and saw Richland Washington's "Revenge of the Space Pandas" It was very well done and we all enjoyed it.

Some of the kids then walked into town from that venue (the plays and shows are all in different venue's all over town) and got some lunch or shopped. Lunch was on our own today so everyone sort of did their own thing

This afternoon right as the girls were heading out to practice, the fire alarm sounded in their building (girls are all in one dorm building, boys in a different one). It was an electrical problem, apparently someone did bring the right converter, or over loaded it so there wasn't a real fire, but the girls from that dorm were locked out for about an hour. Our girls were in the boy's dorm in the rehearsal so they were unaffected.

They then had some additional free time and will rehearse one more time at 7:30 pm before boarding a bus at 8:15 for their first show at 9 pm our time (it is about 7 pm here now) I will try and report back after the first show how it went.

Tomorrow we go to see Maryland's "An Adult evening of Shel Silversteen" and Virginia's "Sweeney Todd" in the afternoon and the evening we go to attend the Military Tatoo at Edinburgh Castle.

Have a good one

Another Great Day in Scotand

We went to breakfast this am and then boarded a tour bus and went out to Stirling Castle and then on to the Trossachs.

I could have spent all day the Castle alone! The kids had a great time exploring different parts and we all took lots of photos see a couple above, the rest will be uploaded as soon as I have time to upload then at http://nelsonphoto.smugmug.com/Theater/Edinburgh-fringe-Festival-2010 The kids will get most of these photos on a disk from us when were return.

Then we took off the winding roads up into highlands. What a beautiful area, We had such a good time.

We arrived back here at about 5 pm our time. Part of the group is heading out to try haggis while others and wandering down town to find something else to eat.

Tonight at 9 the kids will have their Ceilidh dance class which should be tons of fun. Me ...I am off to do laundry.

Photos will be up as soon as I return

Cavalcade parade, first run through in venue

We took the color creatures out to the cavelcade parade and there were thousands of people. the creatures were a great hit and very well received. People came running to get their photos taken with them, and they had a wonderful time. We did learn that once you get to bottom of the course, it is a long way up hill back to the campus!.

We had our first look though at our Venue, a great space with high ceilings and wonderful acoustics, Seats 75 and will be a great space for us. The tech people loved the performance and the kids seemed to be really excited.

Tomorrow we board busses bright and early and head out to Stirling Castle and the Trochants (highlands) We will be gone all day to there.

Photos have been updated and some videos put up. I need to remove a few videos as I see I was shooting the ground, however its 11 pm and we have a early day tomorrow. http://nelsonphoto.smugmug.com/Theater/Edinburgh-fringe-Festival-2010

More on first full day in Edinburgh

First off the food is wonderful here at Edinburgh University and I have not heard one complaint....other than the fact that here in the UK horseraddish is added to almost all condiments, except ketchup. There is also no Ranch.

Every day we get breakfast. There are lots of choices, fruit, yogurt, danish, huge crescents, free ranged eggs both fried and scrambled, sausage, bacon that is more like canadian bacon, and haggis.

All other days we either get lunch or dinner, we have only had dinner so far but both times there were lots of choices, both meat and well marked vegetarian ones.

We took the color creatures out for the first time to the Royal mile Some where completely amused, some were completely confused. Camera's came out in a hurry and people were taking videos, camera photos and phone photos. Had a couple "funny encounters" I was walking behind three Scottish boys and one said to a friend, "Bloody Hell we have been walking forever and these flipping green idiots are following us", some other Scottish lads who had been drinking for probably too long wondered if getting a necklace from a green thing meant if they were married. All in all it was a great first outting. Tomorrow we take them out to the Fringe Parade and have been asked to be part of the AHSTF entry.

Tonight after dinner we all took in a show called 2016 Was interesting and well done abet a bit confusing at times, but we enjoyed it. We walked back to campus and arrived about 11 and it was time for us to all turn in.

I am uploading more photos at my photo site, when I have a chance I will get the proof taken off as that is automatic and I havent had time.

Tomorrow is also tec rehersal

Color Creatures take on Edinburgh

We are in Edinburgh

I have internetwhich is better than in London, though must also be paid for. Tomarrow I will try and get some photos uploaded here to the blog, however some from our first day are uploading at http://nelsonphoto.smugmug.com/Theater/Edinburgh-fringe-Festival-2010 this will get you an idea.

We arrived in London on Day 1 at about 11 am London Time, and boarded a bus to tour the city. We saw many sights, stopped at a small market, and arrived at Bankside hostle at about 5 pm to check in. we ate a nice dinner and then went off to the London Eye that first night. It was very beautiful and we took many photos. (those will be next to upload)

Day to began with breakfast and the students, Matthew, Cil and Adrianne attended a Globe Theatre workshop and had a good time. Thursday afternoon was a free time and students used their all day tube pass to visit many places and to go shopping. Thursday evening we attended the Cambridge theatre and watched "Chicago" It was very good.

Friday morning at 4 am we all got up and got our luggage all packed onto trucks at about 5 am. we then boarded coaches and headed to London's train station and took a 6 hour train trip to Edinburgh. Once in Edinburgh we again boarded buses and enjoyed a tour of Edinburgh, including a walking tour through the London Mile, where we saw many acts.

The students ended the evening with a practice and will have a new a day of adventure tomorrow with the first showing of our color Creatures!. Photos will be uploading at above link as I can get to them

Safe in LONDON

Little to no internet.. you pretty much have to pay for it. So photos won't come until we reach Edinburgh (tomarrow), hopefully we have more access there and can do better updates.

We were all very tired yesterday after most of us got little to no sleep on the plane over night. Toured on a bus around London and then walked over and went to the London eye last night. Today the kids go to the Globe and then we have a mostly free day until we go see Chicago tonight

And off we go....

Day 1 - 4 am! 4am? PDT of course, which is approximately 11 am London time in case you were wondering. Are you kidding me? Dutch Bro's here I come. We are off to a bus ride brought to us by Emerald Charter to the San Francisco Airport where we will catch our flight to London.

So Crater Crew is about to be heading off! Stay tuned for updates along the way!