They’re family whether you know them or not.

My mom came to Florida to visit. This was a bigger deal than you can imagine. She didn’t really want to come. Oh, its not that she doesn’t love me or anything but rather that she’s always disliked Florida. The older she gets, the greater the dislike. I think she thought for a minute that there was a scheme or ruse afoot. Maybe she would get here and we would kidnap her, drive her to Miami Beach and leave her there to fend for herself. When asked why she didn’t like Miami she said “there are too many old people there.” Now who can argue with that?

But visit she did, whether by choice or coercion I got her here. I flew down with her which was nice for both of us. We finally decided that she hadn’t been on an airplane since about 1993. When I first asked her when she last flew, she told me the 1950s. An you all wonder where I got my flair for the dramatic?! Anyway... After my stay in DC for the reopening of Ford’s Theatre, I went to Philadelphia and we came down together on Monday. Mom agreed to get wheelchair assistance – not because she couldn’t make it on her own, but because that way we could conserve her energy for more fun stuff. Wow, that wheelchair thing is a good deal. I want it! They meet you right at the counter and whisk you through from there. You cut right to the front of the security line, no one rushes you or is breathing down your neck to get your shoes on, get your stuff and keep moving. After we got through security in Philly, Mom turns to me and says “that wasn’t so bad, why does everyone complain?” Oh, if she only knew how the other half lives.... On both legs we were very early since you cut so much time out of the whole process. Keep that in mind if you are using that “service.”

Anyway we get to Miami and we were met by an entire welcoming committee! Nancy, Janet and Patricia had all piled into the car to meet us. Nancy told me later that everyone wanted to show Mom that I was loved and well taken care of down here. They are very sweet and do take good care of me.

I can’t say that we had too much excitement but we toured around, drove through the old and very cool parts of Coconut Grove, ate breakfast on my balcony every morning and just had a lovely laid back visit. One of the highlights was a visit with a cousin named Gerri Hoffman. Gerri’s father Isadore and my father’s father Jack, were brothers. Its a side of the family I know next to nothing about. Why you might wonder? Oh, let’s just say my dad was a storyteller but only the stories he found interesting. Clearly he “just wasn’t that into” his family or we might know more. That is Mom and Gerri to the right.

Jack, married to Granny Rose, who we did know, died when my dad was in his 20s. turns out that Jack had a number of siblings. Here they are in what we think is the right order:

Fanny, Isadore, Elizabeth, Hyman, Jack, Zelig and Max

For pete’s sake this means there should be just tons of cousins out there! Isadore was father to Gerri and her two siblings. As we were talking, Gerri was funny about Uncle Jack and her cousin Dick. When I started asking questions and said my dad never talked about this stuff, she asked me if I ever asked. At first I was put off and feeling kind of bad... wow, was it all there just for the asking? but them my senses came back and I knew, no, not it wasn’t. I asked her last time she saw and actually talked to my dad. Somehow he didn’t end up the way she remembered him starting out. But I digress.

On a different day we went to the beach. I thought it important that Mom put her toes in the water on what would be a very cold day in February in Philadelphia. So we did. On the left below is Mom arriving on South Beach. On the right is her reaction to the water. It was a tad cold for her. There were tons of people in the water but there were probably tourist hell bent on being in the ocean. I dunno... if I had my bathing suit, I probably could have been persuaded....

And finally...

She's happily settled in her chair, toes in the sand.

On a different night, Chef Ellie made dinner. I found out tonight that she made the whole dinner without salt, in honor of Mom.

That was nice. She's such a good kid. Here's Mom with Patricia. And yes, we ate dinner outside by the pool. Life is good in Miami! Here's the chef, Ellie, to the left (holding candle) with her friend Claudia.

All in all...we toddled through Coconut Grove, we cruised through Miami Beach, we watched The View and we hung out.

Life is good.

Spending a week with just me and Mom was fun. I'm glad she came and got to see where I'm living and who I hang with. I know she feels I'm far away... hopefully this helped just a little. Now I know where she is and she knows where I am. That's only fair.

So no matter if its family that you love more than life itself... or someone new you just learn about like long lost great aunts and uncles. Family is what we've got whether we know them or not. I think I'll keep mine. After all, I've finally got them all broken in all...

They say you can never go home again...

While I'm not sure its true that you can never go home again, I will admit its hard. I came up to DC to attend the Grand Re-opening celebration of Ford's Theatre and it was an interesting experience. There's a delicate balance to be achieved. Totally possible, but just hard to do. I was exhilarated by the show and what they accomplished. Having been part of the team back in the summer who decided to do the undoable --open a world premiere, open a new facility, stage a monster one night show and do two open houses in one week -- I was amazed (though not surprised) at the quality and excellence of the production. I will see the world premiere on Friday so I can attest to that one later, but it got a good review from the Washington Post and that alone says something (they are notoriously hard on Ford's.) Anyway, the evening was spectacular. I took some photos but forgot to bring my cable with me to download to the computer. I'll post my photos later. I was going to try and upload some from someone else's Facebook but that wasn't destined to be.



The production included Richard Thomas as Emcee, Jessye Norman, Audra MacDonald, Joshua Bell (violinist), Jeffrey Wright, Ben Vereen, James Earl Jones, and Katie Couric to present the two Lincoln Medals. One went to George Lucas but the second one, oh, to be in the same room with Sidney Poitier was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I wasn't anywhere close, didn't get to meet him, but wow. He has been someone I've admired for many years and I was delighted he received the medal. He truly embodies integrity, strength, principle. I've been lucky enough to meet a few celebrities in my time at Ford's so I don't usually go weak in the knees, but I wouldn't have a clue what to say to Sidney Poitier except the very un-eloquent "thank you." "Thank you for sharing part of your life with us."

Oh, and I almost forgot. President and Michelle Obama attended as well. I was seriously impressed by that but got distracted by Sidney Poitier. Kudos to Ford's for making that happen. Its a testament to their skill, talents and relationships. Imagine getting on the calendar of a president who has been in office less than a month. Trust me, its not an easy task.

As usual, the dinner after was lovely. Ford's and their special events person Jennifer, do know how to throw a kick-ass party. It was held at the National Portrait Gallery in the new atrium -- it was a courtyard until recently when they put a beautiful glass roof over the area. It was lit wonderfully and the food was great.

But at the same time, it was odd to not be needed. To not have jobs to do. To truly be a guest. I think part of it was that this was a project I was involved in before I left. To come back at some future time when I have no connection, other than institutionally, may be different. I wanted to be so supportive, to let them know I understood even more than others, and hopefully they got that. Many people were kind and welcoming of me. Others seemed surprised that I would come. More than anything I don't want to be one of those people who can't leave.

So the celebration at Ford's had many meanings. It begins a new chapter for the theatre and its programming. Its a whole new way of doing business for them. And for me, it was a celebration of all that and more. It was a true delineation of a new chapter for me as well. I loved my work at Ford's. In so many ways I grew up there. I worked there for 18 years. Some years were long and arduous. Others flew by. But all of them gave me the opportunity to do work I loved. To be inspired by the acts of creation and imagination even during the most uninspired plays. To work with people over the years who gave so much to that little theatre and all that it embodies. To grow as a person and a manager, an organizer and public speaker, a dissident and a diplomat. To develop and grow my lifelong love of theatre and the arts in general and to find that there is truly nothing I can't do.

When I attend an event like last night's performance, I miss the glitz and glamour. But my time had come to move on. The time had come for new challenge and new experiences and to step out of my comfort zone. All of you around me knew -- but oddly enough, I didn't-- that I am the original "stayer." There aren't many of us left these days. - especially when it comes to jobs -- imagine, 18 years at one employer. For me, the only answer was monster change. And I did it. I doubt there are fewer places as different as Miami and DC. But change is good. It shakes up those pathways in the brain and demands your attention.

So no matter if I stay in Miami or move to Philly or DC someday, what I've learned is that you can move to new places or start new adventures in old places but you really don't want to go home again.