Blog Installment November 26, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving a Day Late. Time flies when you are having fun and we are certainly having a great time in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!! But let me take you back to Monday:

Monday we flew out of Huntsville, AL as we had to get to Ottawa for a show Tuesday night. Since there are so many of us, the group was divided up into two—one group left at 8:30am and my group left at 1pm for the airport. We had a 3:30 pm flight. Our first leg was to Chicago with a connecting flight to Ottawa. We sat on the tarmac for two hours. Chicago O’Hare was having difficulties because of Tornado Watches and Severe Thunderstorms. The pilot felt it was better to wait on the ground in Huntsville than to be circling for an undetermined time around Chicago. Our flight attendant, Doug, was not so sure this was the right answer. He was not happy to have our group on board. He constantly was checking our seat belt connections, if the overheads were closed, running down the aisle as if the furies were after him, tripping and falling over Frank’s big feet which were stuck out in the aisle, yelling at Birdie to take her rubber chicken off of the window!! The pilot brought us back to the gate to refuel. We were hoping to be able to disembark, but no --we went back out on the tarmac and waited another hour!! We finally were in the air: here comes Doug again, running back and forth, lifting people’s blankets and scaring them to death: “Are you seat belts fastened? Take that chicken off of the window!” “No drinks for you, we have to wait until we are in the air!” OY, he was certainly entertaining. We decided he had too nervous a disposition to be with our group!

At one point during our wait on the tarmac one of the flight officers walked the plane to make sure we were all okay. He stopped to talk to me and I of course asked about our connecting flight and told him we had a show in Ottawa on Tuesday evening. He was a lovely gentleman and announced later over the loud speaker that we would make our connection as it too had been delayed out of Chattanooga, TN into Chicago. Originally it would have left at 7:15pm, but was delayed to 8:35pm. We all applauded. (All of us felt some sort of intervention going on as we had started this journey in Chattanooga; someone or some other being was definitely looking out for us. Maybe Tevye was making sure all was well….. if we didn’t take off and make the connection, we would not make the show time.)

We landed safely in Chicago, grabbed something to eat for dinner as it was now after 6 pm. We go to the gate and see that our plane still has not arrived. We do board a little late, head out of the gate only to be told that we will be held on the tarmac as Ottawa is socked in with fog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least this flight attendant was pleasant and allowed us to have drinks while we waited. Now we got worried again as it didn’t seem like we were going to make it out of Chicago, but low and behold, the pilot announced we would take off. We were the last plane to make it out of Chicago!!! So we all felt we were under someone’s watchful eye…..we got to the hotel around 2am and everyone was extremely grateful. What a night/day/night….Ironically we all wanted our bus. In fact, at one point on the Huntsville Airport tarmac, we were asking to call Dave our bus driver and just drive to Ottawa!! Who knew we would want to get back on the bus more than anything??!!

Meanwhile, my husband Peter drove up to Ottawa with a car full of baking and cooking utensils and gadgets from my kitchen back in New York. Thanksgiving Dinner was planned for 2pm Thursday and the hotel was catering for us. Troika, our employer was giving us a feast!! However, since we wouldn’t be with our families, Nicole and Birdie and myself felt we could add some dishes to the mix and make it feel more like a ‘family celebration’.  We had sent out lists of inventory and menus and asked who would like to contribute.  It was lots of fun. Mixmasters and Cuisinarts and mixing bowls and spatulas were being taken to different rooms and apartments and used to create delicious desserts and side dishes!! When we gathered together in this lovely restaurant at the hotel, there was indeed a feast to be had!! Everything was absolutely delicious. Birdie had made a shrimp/avocado appetizer, a fabulous salad and a roastedcorn dish; Suzayn had made bread; Nicole made roasted garlic, coconut cream pies and bourbon chocolate pecan pies with whipped cream; Clay made frozen Oreo bites; I made stuffing, chocolate mousse and cheese cake. The hotel had made the rest: Butternut Squash Soup, Turkey, Salad, Two vegetables, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie. A veritable Feast!!!! Tom, our Rabbi in the show, gave the benediction before the meal. As he was delivering a lovely non-denominational prayer, “We thank You for having work in these difficult times, we thank You for family and friends and my phone is ringing”….certainly lightened the moment and of course, could only happen to us!! Everyone was dressed up, and everyone was there. Some of us also had family and boyfriends attending as well. It was a lovely day. Then of course we had a show that night. A perfect holiday.

Just to mention we are performing in the premier theater in Ottawa, the National Arts Centre. It is a large complex which is quite gorgeous and has several venues under one roof. We are in the Opera House, truly a magnificent theatre. We have had very full houses and the audiences have been wonderful. Standing ovations yet again folks. This show is just the best!!!

Well, I have to go exploring as I have been busy cooking and sleeping so I must see a little of Ottawa before we depart on Monday. There is a tea shop that is supposed to be grand! So once again, more later…..