Shadowy Figures

CLEVER KITTY: It's July and the Seattle Public Libraries' Summer Reading Program is in full swing. That means every day of the week we have our pick from musical performances, plays, arts and crafts activities and more.

Today we chose to attend a performance of Puss in Boots at the Central Library. The library's promo described it this way: "The ethnic diversity and rich musical traditions of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayous are the background for Oregon Shadow Theatre's version of the classic French fairy tale."

We got there a little early because I wanted to make sure the kids had a great view of the action. The library is not a bad place to wait in line because there are around a bazillion books nearby that can help you pass the time! As luck would have it, I was even able to find a couple of versions of "Puss in Boots" for the kids to look at while waiting.

The show was most definitely worth waiting for. On stage was a one man band (he must have had at least 20 instruments - all kinds of whistles, percussion instruments and an accordion. He also provided the voice of Puss and several other characters.

Behind the partition was a woman who operated all of the shadow puppets and provided the rest of the voices. Between the two of them, they put on one heckuva show. Here are a few scenes. ...
There was action, drama, comedy and good lessons about being resourceful and the power of positive thinking.

After the show, the performers brought some of the puppets to the front of the performance area and talked a little bit about their construction and operation.
Before we left, the kids even got to touch a few of them. Pretty neat! (I was proud of CJ & Annabelle - they both thanked the performers for the show. I didn't hear any other kids doing that.)

If you get a chance to see Oregon Shadow Theatre, you should. They have several performances in the Pacific Northwest on their calendar.

STATE OF MIND: This evening during dinner, I turned on the History Channel as the program guide said a show called "The States" would be profiling Florida and Washington.

The Florida segment was a flashback to our vacation. Many of the elements they mentioned (everything from swamps to thunderstorms to Disney World) were things we experienced firsthand.

Man, that was SUCH a good time. I think about it every day, I swear.

During the segment on Washington, we learned that the area's shipbuilders were key to Boeing's success in the early years. Boat builders constructed the airplanes' fuselages, and sail makers worked on the wings.

We also learned that though Seattle, Washington is synonymous with rain, that in reality New York, NY has 10 more inches of rain a year. The rub is, Seattle has 200 cloudy days a year. So, not as wet but not as sunny.