[MickeyLumbo]

what a wonderful evening. while waiting to check in at Storytellers, i bumped into Zappop, ISM, GD and CP (reverse alphabetical order) and exchanged some pleasant greetings (great to see you guys again!) and introduced them to my dear friend Catherine.

Catherine and i had a terrific dinner (filet mignon, fresh veggies, awesome mashed potatoes and salad and corn chowder - a few cocktails...) while we were over the minimum amount needed, after the CM discount and my gift card it was a wash.

after the dinner, the waiter gave us our seating tickets for the 8:00pm performance. the line at Main Gate was smooth and by the time we got in, the line for the "Silver Seating" was very short. i thought this might mean being seated way in the back and on the side.

to my surprise we were escorted to the only two remaining seats, front row center - stage left, under the narrator platform. as soon as we took our seats, the lights dimmed and the conductor took the stage - as if they had been waiting for us. when dick van dyke took the stage, i was surprised at just how great he looked. and if he and i streched out our arms to each other, we could have touched finger tips. it was really cool being so close to hear his voice as he spoke before it was amplified.

to my right, a woman appeared on a shorter platform who would sign the narration and lyrics to the hearing impaired. her neckline and cleavage was a bit too much for such a digified show imho. the soloists were magificent and the spanish guitar and male soloist are such a treat to hear. the orchestra was just grand as usual, despite the winds occasionaly turning the music pages a few bars to soon. and the spine tingling fanfare trumpets are aways - simply amazing. sure miss seeing them lead the Fantasy On Parade and Very Merry Christmas Parade. at least we can still see them in candlelight.

the weather was not as cold as has been in past years, but there were occasional gusts of wind - that sometimes, as the wind swished past live microphones, created sounds of distant thunder. i did feel a bit concerned for the fanfare trumpeters atop the train station... there were some strong gusts while they were standing. but they sounded great! i saw several fellow cast members and friends in the audience and choir and even a couple family members on the opposite side of the audience.

as expected, fireworks were cancelled due to wind conditions, but it was especially fun to sip some hot belgian white cocoa as the snow fell on main street during white christmas.

i did an amzing shopping spree, grabbing everything that i wanted, and using my hundreds of dollars in gift cards i had accumulated from work incentives. what a fabulous birthday weekend this has been... and to top it off, the private cast party in the park tonight (monday) will be all i need to get "it" out of my system... as i expect capacity attendance pretty much the rest of the month. i will be in the park quite a bit this month, but not as a guest.

candelight is such an awesome tradition and i am so pleased that it is back in Town Square were it belongs. during silent night, i imagined for a moment how walt and lilly and the girls would watch it from their cozy rooftop patio between the apartment and city hall. it is almost too bad that it is limited to only two nights a year. but, as i left town square at 30 minutes after midnite, the crew was hard at work removing the stage and set... so in the morning, arriving guests will once again find a sparkling clean park... as if the event the night before was only a dream.

though the seats were a gift from work, they are worth every penny -- compared the the gruelling wait and standing i did last year.

sure put me in the christmas mood!

truly a magical evening.