And now it's over

No, nothing bad has happened, but I've thought of seeing "The Tempest" as the end of the summer vacation, and it really feels like it. Dammit.

The show was fantastic. I didn't sleep too well last night (I don't know why, but I've not been too successful sleeping in motels this trip), and I was out the door by 8:45 or so. I followed the GPS instructions to Stratford without incident (44 miles).

It turns out I was right, and there are nice shaded spots along the river--I'll remember that for next time (if there is a next time, although after looking at next season I'm tempted to spend more time here--or maybe volunteer!). I walked around Stratford, which has lots of older brick houses of two and a half stories that are just lovely. Also an old-fashioned downtown, and the park next to the river is beautiful--grass and trees and benches everywhere so you can look at the swans and ducks (very few geese, and no Canada geese, which seems odd). It appears to be the tradition to pack a big picnic lunch, eat it at this park, then go see a show. It even looks a little like Stratford-upon-Avon, although there's not nearly as much river current here, and instead of rowboats they rent pedal-boats.

The Festival theatre is huge, with a big thrust stage. I was in the orchestra, fifth row, all the way over on the side, but I could see most everything. The show was great, and Christopher Plummer is a god. But I kind of knew that before.

Due to my seat location, I got out and got to my car before most people had left the building. I know this because I had to drive through a bunch of people on the way out who needed to realize that while they had numbers, it's best to get out of the way of a 10,000-lb RV. I just went slowly and let them part around me, and got out before the worst of the traffic began. I do think some theatre-goers caught up with me on the way home, though, because there was a lot more traffic and I got passed a couple of times like I was standing still.

It's probably good that I got this room, as it is indeed hot out--84 with humidity to match. Not as hot as it is down south; I'm not looking forward to going back, for any number of reasons. Ah well. The next three days are long drives, and probably staying at motels due to the heat. I'll try to keep updated, but if you want to say hi remember that my phone will be working once I cross the border (about 10am tomorrow, I'd say).