Wizard Of Oz On Ice

On Sunday, April 12th, Frank and I took Alex to see The Wizard of Oz on Ice playing at our local Bankhead theater. On ice... really? Would the Bankhead risk having some sort of container for the frozen water on their hardwood stage? Our decision to go was based largely on curiosity. The only way to learn was to attend. Other questions: would the show be like an Ice Capades, like the original Wizard of Oz movie, like the recent movie Wicked, or like the musical The Wiz? Answers? Yes, a blend of all four. Read on.

We had seats near the top but, being next to the the angled aisle, we had a clear, unobstructed view. Our distance from the stage was great for getting an overview of the show.

I included a photo of Alex and Frank at Row H on their way climbing their way up to our seats at Row N. Once seated, Alex loved paging through his program. That is something he looks forward to at any show.

There were few to no three-dimensional props on the "ice" surface where the performers would be skating; I assume this arrangement was to give them unhampered gliding movement. The performers really were ice skating on blades, not roller skating on wheels. They did jumps (Axel, Lutz, Salchow), spins (Camel, Sit, Layback), and flips as seen in the Olympics. I was curious about the "frozen water" onstage which I learned was synthetic ice. The skating surface was installed on the wooden stage in abutted 70 lb panels of a solid high-density polyethylene or other polymer. Synthetic ice gives a gliding surface to skaters, but requires about 10% more effort, thus providing a more intense workout such as running in sand or jogging along the wave waterline at a beach would do. The joy of an effortless glide is somewhat reduced; hockey players reportedly like the extra strengthening workout they gain.

How did the Wizard of Oz on Ice compare to other productions of the same theme?

• The show was somewhat like the Ice Capades because of the skating and a loose impossible-to-follow background story played over speakers. Conversations were lip synched by the actors.
• It was like the original Wizard of Oz movie in that it started out in Kansas, but at the end there was no tieback to the farmhands in a their roles at Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow.
• It had some resemblance to the modern movie Wicked in some of the flamboyant colors of costuming, even a blacklight lit sequence in neon colored outfits. 
• The songs were completely unfamiliar and the lyrics undecipherable similar to what Frank and I found when we saw the musical The Wiz. Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz was an exception but this song was not in The Wizard of Oz on Ice. 
• I am used to actors facing each other and taking a certain pose during conversational exchanges. Skaters had to keep moving in constant motion which sat awkwardly with me during dialog exchanges.
• Any concept of a set was portrayed by an image or set of images projected on a screen at the back of the stage. The enjoyment of marveling at set creativity or being fascinated with rapid changes in set was absent; however, the projected depiction of a tornado was very well done.
• There was no singing of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The music for the show was more upbeat and not as solemn as a ballad would be. I still missed it though. The final curtain did give tribute to a rainbow however.

Put all these lack luster traits together, and you have an equivalent of an enjoyable B movie. The novelty was worth the effort and it was inexpensive. I do not regret at all going. Alex stayed engaged and even clapped a bit during the peppy parts. I think his favorite part was his program. We paused for a few pictures afterward in the lobby. With his program... of course.

Easter 2026 in Livermore

Easter Pasts
I remember spending hours making coordinated clothes for the kids and even a matching matching dress for myself. I was very active in the church choir, spending evenings and afternoons in the numerous rehearsals for Holy Week, not to mention the special, lengthy, ceremonies themselves on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Frank and I would write clues for treasure hunts for the kids to locate hidden gifts. Wherever did I find the time and the energy? This Easter was much more laid back. Maybe it was not as religious but isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest?

Easter Present
Frank and I usually spend our Sundays with Alex, so I am trying to arrange for us to do something fun, just the two of us, on Saturdays. I signed us up to take a class at our local Alden Lane Nursery on the Saturday before Easter. The original sign up link advertised the class as 2-4 pm. I prepped us beforehand, making sure we both had water bottles and gloves and a hat for shade, anticipating two hours, sweating away outdoors. 

First the class was indoors at tables. Second the mini-pots were 2" in size, a data point in the ad I had overlooked. I can't find the original ad so it is even possible the 2" detail qualifying the "mini" was not there.  Frank and I had a good laugh. I think the entire creation took us 20 minutes or less. We glued the pom pom on his butt and glued his feet on the butt below the tail. We were provided paint brushes and pink paint to dot on for soles and toes. My bunny feet sported four toes each paw, just like the instructions. We put the plant in the pot, added dirt and moss, then topped it off with the bunny butt and chocolate eggs. I finished mine before Frank finished his. 

Upon researching when reaching home, I learned four toes is the realistic print for real bunnies but that Easter bunny paw prints have three toes. Do not take this observation too seriously. I found this ad on Amazon with a glaring — well, somewhat glaring — opposing discrepancy.

Frank worked meticulously and even added his own creative details, like cotton balls growing in the tree. Frank's bunny had five toes in his paw print. Does that make for a faster getaway?

I had decorated the hearth with bunnies from Alex's room but had not fetched my other decorations from the attic. On the couch was Alex's bunny quilt, a gift from Robin and Jeremy in Oklahoma.

The dining table had a bunny tablecloth. Yes, it is round and the table is rectangular but I could not pass up such a cute print. A closeup of two ceramic items are worthy of note. The Easter egg was painted by my sister Maxine in 1972. It holds Hershey Kisses or Jelly Beans every year. The lamb on the right is the florist's container that held a bouquet of flowers congratulating us on Robin's birth in 1980. It also comes out every Easter.

On Easter Sunday we spent a quiet day at home with Alex doing jigsaw puzzles, Connect Four, watching Disney VHS tapes and overdosing on chocolate. We had a ham and pierogi dinner. Alex enjoyed his new Connect Four, puzzles, and his iPad movies concurrent with his VHS Disney tapes. He chowed down on the ham and pierogis, too!

To top off the day was a FaceTime call from Robin, Jeremy, Autumn, and Isaiah. They are holding four bunnies I had custom embroidered for each family member on a bunnies ear. I'd sent a custom-embroidered bunny clan of six to Dan and his Colorado family as well. Wow — ten in one year! Bunnies really do multiply!

New Livermore "Hot" Spot

Livermore has a new place to chill outdoors and enjoy a tall, soft-serve ice cream cone. The nostalgic part about this announcement is that the location is in what used to be the Bank of the West building on the corner of Second Street and South Livermore Avenue. Frank and I had banked here since our arrival in Livermore in 1976. The building, which is diagonally across from the Livermore Post Office, is now the site of the Meadowlark Dairy - Livermore.

Friday afternoon, April 3rd, after a visit to our tax service to complete that annual ritual, we stopped to get a soft-serve cone and check out the Meadowlark Dairy. A silhouette of a cow wearing shades greeted us at the entrance. Frank ordered a large coffee cone and I ordered a medium chocolate cone. Both were very generously sized. I struggled, but managed to finish all of mine, but Frank had to forgo the last bit of his. Next time we will wisely order a medium and a small. There will be a next time. The ice cream was very good and the prices quite reasonable.

To the left as you enter are freezer cases with an extensive array of grocery goods for purchase. While waiting in the serpentine line in front of the glass refrigerator doors, we enjoyed the murals on the far right wall.

Here is Frank gazing through the exit door just before our departure. Our outing (after the taxes... groan) made for a fun informal date. We sat a a small table on the side as we licked our cones and watched the local folk of Livermore pass by. Loard's is still our favorite place for sundaes with its indoor pink and white decor, but Meadowlark Dairy certainly merits a return visit for taste and ambience and al fresco dining pleasure.

Jelly Belly

On Sunday March 15th,  Frank and I took Alex to a visit of the Jelly Belly® factory in Fairfield, CA. The ride is about 43 minutes north of Alex's home. It being a weekend, there would be no formal factory tours, but we were OK with that, allowing us to go at our own pace and stop at whatever struck our fancy.  Upon arrival we first noticed the brightly decorated Jelly Belly® company car.

Upon entering the building we gazed up at Jelly Belly® jelly bean replicas suspended from the high ceiling. We bought our entry tickets and followed the signs for a self-guided tour.

We all had to don official Jelly Belly® paper hats for health reasons since it is a food production plant. Along the well defined path of the tour were stations with videos to watch about the packing operations and jelly bean production itself. Some of the packing and sorting machines were extremely complicated and consequently repeatedly accurate. The huge rotating drums for mixing the jelly bean ingredients reminded me of the kind on cement mixers. The mixing drums were not as complex as the packing equipment. At this stage the cooking process relied more on the skill of the operators knowing precisely when to add sugar, or flavoring, or other appropriate ingredients. It was enlightening to learn of the care taken to create a gooey center and exactly how and when to add the outer hard coating and buff it to a special sheen. 

One lane of the tour had stations to sniff and discern the flavor of a jelly bean by its scent. I sampled a few of those and was impressed. But sniffing a few a few were enough. It was quite warm along that corridor and the smells were starting to nauseate me. I was very grateful we were not touring when the plant was in production. Other aspects of the tour were historical in the roles Jelly Bellys played in the various halls of government. Jelly Belly® jelly beans were a fixture in the White House and a common snack in many cabinet meetings. When debates got tense, a jar of Jelly Belly® jelly beans was passed along during a short break to lighten the mood. They got their start when Ronald Reagan, as California Governor, ate them to break a pipe smoking habit. 

There were many other anecdotal signs along the route. I found them interesting but they did not hold much allure for Alex. Bits of trivia by year touched such topics as the introduction of mint wafers during sugar rationing (1940), the first shipment across the sea to Europe (1982), being the first jelly bean in space (1983), and the introduction of Harry Potter inspired weird flavors (2000).

There were also many, many, many, murals and samples of artwork with Jelly Belly Beams as pixels in a mosaic from presidential, to animated cartoon characters or from famous Hollywood personalities (e.g., Marylin Monroe) to well-known paintings (e.g. Starry Night).

The end of the tour had murals paying tribute to those beans that did not make the exacting standards. These are sold with the delightful name "Belly Flops". After the tour we went for a bite to eat in the snack bar. In keeping with the theme, I had a pizza that was shaped as a jelly bean. I enjoyed it; it was very tasty. I did learn this tidbit however. Jelly Belly® does not currently sell a pizza flavor, but their infamous "Vomit" flavored bean (featured in Harry Potter Bertie Bott's and BeanBoozled lines) was created from a failed attempt at a cheese-pizza flavor. Taste testers found the pizza attempt so unpalatable that the recipe was rebranded as a bad flavor instead. Both these goofs are prime examples of "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade".

After eating, we browsed the store. I bought a sample of the Jelly Belly BeanBoozled Fiery Five collection which features five progressively hotter, pepper-inspired flavors made with real purée: Sriracha, Jalapeño, Cayenne, Habanero, and Carolina Reaper. Ranging from mild to scorching (up to 2 million Scoville units for the Reaper), these are designed as a tasting challenge rather than typical sweet candy.

We then went outdoors for the train ride to the museum. The museum is just a few yards across the parking lot from the factory/store, but why not enjoy a free train ride as well? The red brick building is visible in the background of the second photo. The third photo is from the museum perspective looking back on the factory/store. Yes, the two are an embarrassingly close walking distance away, but we climbed aboard anyway for the fun of it.

Since it was close to Easter on April 5th, there were several springtime displays. I thought the first one with flower sprays and bunnies was artsy and pretty.

I wanted Alex to pose in one of the chairs, flanked by rabbits. Based on his facial expression, he was definitely reluctant at first. He did cheer up shortly, though.

The museum had other artwork to admire. This decoupaged bunny caught my eye. I also liked the jelly bean 3-D renditions of animals of the Chinese zodiac, the rooster and the pig. Notice the detail in the feather colors of the rooster. The pig even has splotches of mud plastered to his side and snout.

Most of the museum was a collection of antiquated or outmoded equipment that had been used in making Jelly Belly Beans in the past. We did a cursory walk by. It was toward the end of the outing and we were tiring. Alex and I took one last train ride back to the front of the factory where our car was parked. Alex seemed thoughtful. We headed home. We were glad we had explored something different for this Sunday's outing.