June 2022 in Pictures

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” — Al Bernstein

Currently • June 2022

"One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” — Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

Fun Fact for June: Fun fact: Windhover Hall turns into a sundial the morning of the summer solstice. Because Earth is at its maximum tilt toward the sun on that day, we see the rare occurrence of sunlight streaming through the central skylights of the Quadracci Pavilion and creating a sundial effect. (This photo was taken on June 17th at 1:00 pm.)

READING:

• The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White — “a novel of money and secrets set among the famous summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, spanning over a century from the Gilded Age to the present day” (Goodreads).

• And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis by Stephanie Marie Thornton — “Few of us can claim to be the authors of our fate. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy knows no other choice. With the eyes of the world watching, Jackie uses her effortless charm and keen intelligence to carve a place for herself among the men of history and weave a fairy tale for the American people, embodying a senator’s wife, a devoted mother, a First Lady—a queen in her own right” (Goodreads).

• Better Learning Through Structured Teaching by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey — “the definitive guide to the gradual release of responsibility--an instructional framework any teacher can use to help students to be more successful and self-directed learners” (Goodreads). I’m re-reading this book with the Instructional Leadership Team at the middle school.

WATCHING:

• Top Gun: Maverick — I loved the first movie in 1986, and I think I liked this one even better than the original.

• Elvis — Baz Luhrmann’s film is spectacular especially the authentic footage of Elvis’ final performance at the end that left me weeping. It brought back so many memories of listening to Elvis records with my mom. Growing up in the 1950s, Elvis was my mom’s teen idol and throughout her life, she continued to enjoy his music. Earlier this year at my Auntie Darlene’s funeral, my cousin, Dawn, told a funny story about our moms and their antics at an Elvis concert in the 1970s. Elvis died in the summer of 1977 — the same year that my own teen idol, Shaun Cassidy, released his first hit, Da Doo Ron Ron. This past Sunday, Eric took me to see Shaun Cassidy — for the second time; my mom first took me in 1978 when I was eleven and I was starstruck. This time, the theatre was filled with women in their fifties and a few very supportive husbands. I have to agree with Shaun when he said that “You have this special connection with someone if you're their first record or their first concert or their first poster or whatever it is… A [grown] women will walk up to me and I see the little girl in her eyes. I have nothing but gratitude to you for sharing that experience with me because it is a communion.”

LISTENING TO:

• Shaun Cassidy in concert — It’s been 44 years since the last time I saw him at Alpine Valley with my mom in 1978. You never quite get over your first crush! Here are my photos and videos.

ENJOYING:

• A summer routine — It’s so nice to linger over coffee in the morning, a good book in the afternoon, and a glass of wine on the deck in the evening — all with a sweet beagle on my lap.

• Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret — The Milwaukee Art Museum outdid themselves with this exhibit.

LOOKING FORWARD TO:

• Universal Studios with the Larsons — It’s special when your teenaged nephews ask you to go along on a family trip. It seems fitting to discover The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with them since we read the books and watched the movies together. We even made our own episode of Slytherin vs. Griffyndor which we shot "on location" at St. John's Military Academy and Cushing Park in Delafield in 2014 as their homework for Apple Camp.

Links I Love • June 2022

“Oh my luve's like a red, red white, white rose that's newly sprung in June” — Robert Burns, paraphrased

• 30 Bottles of Rosé to Try This Summer — A lofty goal!

• What Your Dog Wants - Piper is good at letting me know!

• Everything You Need to Know About the French Villa in Downton Abbey: A New Era

• Shaun Cassidy: The Hardly Idle Idol — So grateful to have seen Shaun in 1978 and again in 2022.

• What’s New in Paris in 2022

• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Final Season

• Julie Andrews Spills the Tea on Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and The Princess Diaries

A Very Nice Day

“I have nothing but gratitude to you for sharing that experience with me because it is a communion…You have this special connection with someone if you're their first record or their first concert or their first poster or whatever it is… A [grown] women will walk up to me and I see the little girl in her eyes.” — Shaun Cassidy

Sunday, June 19th could have been a sad day. Father’s Day makes me miss my dad even more and, this year, June 19th is the fifth anniversary of my mom’s passing. Instead of dwelling in sadness, we spent the day doing wonderful things. We started the day watching E boat races and enjoying lunch on the deck of the beautiful Lake Geneva Yacht Club.

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In the evening, we had a cocktail at the Gatsby Speakeasy of the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois before Shaun Cassidy’s Magic of a Midnight Sky concert. My mom first took me to see Shaun Cassidy in 1978 at Alpine Valley. I was eleven and completely starstruck. This time, the theatre was filled with women in their fifties and a few very supportive husbands (Thank you, Eric) who all thoroughly enjoyed the stories and the songs that Shaun performed. It was a lovely day. I think Mom and Dad (who called Shaun Cassidy “that whippersnapper”) would approve.

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Click here for my videos of Shaun Cassidy’s Magic of a Midnight Sky Tour on June 19, 2022 at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois.

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Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret

“Designing posters is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.” ― Fang Chen

“Posters by the French artist Jules Chéret (1836–1932) caused a sensation in 19th-century Paris. Known as the father of the poster, Chéret was one of the first artists to bring colorful, large-scale advertisements to Paris streets, creating what critics called a “museum in the open air.” People strolling down the boulevards were captivated not only by Chéret’s vibrant images, but also by how frequently his new designs appeared. Chéret had developed new printing methods that allowed him to meet the fast pace that advertisers demanded to promote their latest entertainments and products. The ephemeral nature of these posters contributed to the popular idea that rapid change was central to modern life.

Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret presents 109 posters, prints, and drawings by Chéret that reflect the French interest in novelty at the end of the 19th century. Drawn from James and Susee Wiechmanns’ gift to the Museum of more than 600 works by the artist, the exhibition is organized into five sections that highlight the various pleasures his posters publicized: performances, fashion, the press, real and imagined travel, and consumer products. Always New brings Chéret into focus as a master of his medium and demonstrates how these posters reflect larger societal issues in their depictions of everyday Parisian life” (mam.org).

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May 2022 in Pictures

"I think it annoys God if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it." — Alice Walker, The Color Purple