Weekend I - Friday Night, Under the Gaslight (with Olios)

It was a busy, busy weekend. Even if I don't include starting to pack for RAGBRAI or going to the new Ghost Busters remake.  Which we enjoyed.  I didn't like it as much as the first one, but they did a great job.  The scene where Kate McKinnon (Jillian Holtzmann) fights the ghosts with two pistol proton packs was inspired and her character was excellent.  A lot of the action took place in Times Square and I saw my orange and white company logo, even if the corporate name was nowhere to be seen.

Friday night after dinner with my wife's folks at the Red Cow (so much food - the egg + peanut butter burger was overload) we all went to Under the Gaslight at the University of Minnesota Showboat.  We've been there before and it's wonderful.  They do a melodrama coupled with a lot of little skits.  All performed by U of MN students.  The skits, or olios, are superb.  They reused one about a girl for every month with over the top costumes, but finished it up with a twist that wasn't there the last time we saw it (I won't spoiler it).  And the olio about the bugs with the fireflies and ladybugs and oh-so-put-upon flowers...brilliant.  Supposedly it's their last year after being flooded out last year and that's a real disappointment  One of my favorite performances.

The boat at the riverside in St. Paul.  

And just looking out over the river...the night shot, later, is better.


Pooteewheet right before the performance.


The stage.  The scenery was great - they seem to keep all their sets from previous years and reuse, as well as costumes.  The end olio involved costumes from many different years including sashes with the years Under the Gaslight was performed.


Pooteewheet and Eryn braving the spiders.


After the play we walked back to the car through the park.  Getting off the boat, there were dozens of Pokemon Go players lounging next to the water trying to catch water Pokemon.  Others were scattered through the park at 11:00 p.m.  Quite the craze.  Eryn and Pooteewheet are playing in this picture.


Time to confer on a pidgey or something.


During the intermission I lounged at the front of the boat and enjoyed the Mississippi River.  A much more serene view than two years ago when it was flooding and large trees were bouncing off the side of the boat and being sucked under.