More trip pix

CoCo View's private Hawksbill Key














Jaime, our divemaster, coming up through the center of the boat.

Honduras Trip Notes

Thursday, May 18, 2006
We left shortly after work, headed for Sacramento. We had dinner along the way, someplace I’d never been and have already forgotten the name of. Will get it later. It’s in a little town between Stockton and Sacramento. Dinner was delicious – definitely someplace to visit again. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in north Sacramento, about 10 minutes from the airport.

Friday, May 19
Caught an early shuttle to the airport. Our flight was at “oh dark hundred” – 6:30-ish. Much easier to face a 10-minute ride than an hour drive, at that early hour! We flew on Continental, so we actually got a light breakfast (cereal, fruit and muffin) and a movie. Saw Casanova. Wouldn’t want to rent the DVD, but it was entertaining enough. We got into Houston midday and easily found our luggage and the Texas Shuttle counter, where we purchased a round-trip for our down-town hotel. Whadda ya know? Another Hilton Garden Inn, a few blocks from the Galleria. After freshening up, we rode the complementary shuttle over to the Galleria and had some lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We were outrageously hungry and the food was outrageously delicious! After wandering around for a few hours – it’s a HUGE mall – we got tired out and walked back to our hotel for a nap. The way we walked, it was at least a mile. I’m sure we could have found a shorter way, but only at risk of getting severely lost! After our rest, we shuttled back and had a lovely dinner at Daily Grill. The mall was closing around us as we left, and we saw a lot of young people in formal wear. Must have been prom night at the Westin Galleria!

Saturday, May 20
On to Coco View! We were hopeful that we’d get to see Goblet of Fire, but I guess our flight was too short (a little more than 2.5 hours) from Houston to Roatan. Everything went smoothly at the airport, and we arrived at Coco View in time for a late lunch. After getting our stuff settled in our room, we went to the Dockside Dive Center and got all our rental equipment, left our C-cards and picked up our weights. Next stop? Coco View’s famous front yard for some snorkeling. I’m really glad I spent months getting my “fake bake” tan – it really did provide extra protection against the sun. Between my tan and prodigious use of sun block, I got a teeny bit of pink on my face one day, and that’s it!

Sunday, May 21
Time to dive! We had a full day scheduled, because K was only four dives short of his 300th.

1. “Inside Outside” – 50’, 35 minutes
2. “Wreck of the Prince Albert” (drop off) – 50’, 23 minutes
3. “Iron Shore” – 56’, 34 minutes
4. “Coco View Wall” – 59’, 39 minutes

I think it was one of these dives – Iron Shore, maybe – where we saw a MONDO crab. It was about the size of a turkey platter. I’m serious!

We were both falling asleep in our dinner plates, so called it a night shortly after 7 p.m. and slept through until 7 a.m. Monday!

Monday, May 22

1. 40 Foot Wall – 62’, 36 minutes
2. Mary’s Place – 84’, 36 minutes

Mary’s Place didn’t live up to all the hype. Too many divers go through it, and the coral is pretty beaten up. It was my first crevice dive.

Tuesday, May 23
I skipped the first dive (French Cay – something like that) because it was a drift dive, and I was too chicken. Everyone said the dive was lovely, but getting up the ladder was very difficult. K scraped the heck out of his arm.

1. Pirate’s Point – ____________
2. Coco View Wall (drop off) – 58’, 43 minutes

Today was the barbecue out on the Key. The dancers couldn’t make it and rescheduled for Thursday. We coated ourselves in Skin So Soft and DEET, but it was pretty windy, so the only bugs in attendance were flies.

Wednesday, May 24
We rented an underwater digital camera for the day, so were determined to have a lot of photo opportunities. I don’t feel ready to be messing with a camera underwater, so the only photos I took were topside. For our morning dives we were assigned to another boat, because nearly everybody from the Red Boat was off doing the shark dive.

1. Half Moon Bay – 81’, 42 minutes. Saw a very cool eel on this one. Unfortunately, none of our eel photos turned out. One of those learning experiences one would rather not have.
2. Wreck of the Prince Albert (drop off) – 48’, 40 minutes.
3. Valley of the Kings – 92’, 35 minutes. The 92’ was a big oops on my part – Jaime sent us down a crevice (me first!), and I was very focused on keeping control of my buoyancy and not touching anything on the sides. In a few places, there was stuff growing across, so I had to be really careful to either go under or over it. When I came out at the bottom, I looked at my depth guage and realized I was too deep. I turned around to look for K – he was about a dozen feet above me and was gesturing emphatically for me to come higher. Which I did! We leveled out around 65’ and continued on to enjoy the wall. Valley of the Kings is gorgeous, glorious, beautiful and my favorite dive of the week. What a way to end our diving adventures for the week!

We went out to dinner with a group of others (Kathy & Bruce, Chris & Christine, Michelle, Jeff, and Doug) to a delightful place called The View (or was it The Vue?). I’ll always remember Heather, who served us. Very full of personality – definitely a kick in the pants!

Thursday, May 25
Happy 23rd Birthday, Alexandra! I really did remember – I took a picture of a shop named “Alejandra” in Copan Ruinas in your honor!



Today, we caught our boat to Roatan at 5:30 a.m. This was the start of a l-o-n-g journey to Copan to see the Mayan ruins. We took a plane from Roatan to La Ceiba, then took another plane to San Pedro Sula. Both were AT LEAST 30 minutes late (island time … but it was the mainland!). They were both smallish (<20 passengers) twin-engine numbers. We were met by our tour guide, Luis, at San Pedro Sula. I have his card somewhere, so will probably add his last name and company to this at some point! He took us to the hotel where his office is, and we had a delightful (and much needed) breakfast at the hotel while he waited for his apprentice tour guide to join us. It was around 10 or 10:30, I think, and we were famished. His sidekick never showed up – something about a wife in labor, or something (where are his priorities, I ask you?) – and we embarked on the land portion of our journey. Our wheels were a very nice air-conditioned Toyota tour van. Luis was an excellent driver, which is more than I can say for about 97% of those on the road. Luis did say, “If you can drive in Honduras, you can drive anywhere!” Very few places even had stripes on the road. It was just plain crazy. Everybody drove with one hand on the horn, including Luis. And it was necessary! Many people took their half of the road out of the middle!

The scenery was lovely, but it was sad to see how much jungle is gone. We saw areas that had been burnt quite recently to make more farmland. There’s also quite a bit of poverty – we saw rows and rows of makeshift shacks along the road as we left San Pedro Sula. Luis said that a lot of people come to the city because they’ve heard there are lots of jobs. Unfortunately, many of them come without job skills. It was very sad to see. There’s a deep divide in Honduras between the “haves” and the “have nots”.

We arrived in Copan Ruinas around 1 p.m. It’s a lovely city with narrow cobblestone streets – much as I imagine one might find in Spain or other old cities in Europe.

[stay tuned for more!]

Back from Coco View!

Yours truly!


Just took my mask off -- can you tell?


I think these are called Christmas Trees. They disappear back into their stems if they're disturbed.





The world-famous chain in Coco View's "frontyard."


Battlescars from the ladder...


Lovely world, isn't it?


Marc being "rescued" -- part of someone's Rescue Diver Course.

Almost outta here!

We're leaving for Sacramento right after work today. Our flight to Houston is at "oh-dark-hundred" tomorrow, then on to Honduras Saturday morning.

I'm in that "last day of work before vacation frenzy" even as we speak...

Really big news!

I've told lots of people already, 'cause we've known since last week.

Cat landed the role of Sally in Cabaret!

Performance Dates:
Thursday, 7/27/06 7:30PM PDT (Preview Night)
Friday, 7/28/06 8:00PM PDT
Saturday, 7/29/06 8:00PM PDT
Sunday, 7/30/06 2:30PM PDT
Friday, 8/4/06 8:00PM PDT
Saturday, 8/5/06 8:00PM PDT
Sunday, 8/6/06 2:30PM PDT

It'll be in the Warren Atherton Auditorium at Delta College.

25th Anniversary Flowers

We're going to see Urinetown again tonight. I love watching my girls perform!

Delta College stages funny, fast-paced trip to 'Urinetown'

Glenn Pillsbury
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, May 9, 2006

What is the state of the musical when one of its most triumphant recent examples succeeds largely by skewering its predecessors?

Far from reinventing the genre, "Urinetown" depicts the death of the musical as a progressive and relevant art form. Along the way, though, San Joaquin Delta College's current production invites audiences to a clever, funny and wickedly virtuosic funeral.

In creating "Urinetown," Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann borrowed Bertolt Brecht's distancing effect to rupture the separation between stage and audience. For instance, an explanatory placard labeled "Secret Hideout" hangs above the stage in Act Two, and two crew members not only change scenery but also participate in the onstage action.

The supposed plot of "Urinetown," a mash-up of pay-to-pee corruption, urban revolution and boy-meets-girl, isn't to be taken seriously. Its elements are all cardboard signposts to previous musicals. And although Jason Kell's capitalist villain Caldwell B. Cladwell was enjoyable, "Urinetown" says nothing worth remembering on the subject of greed.

It is the relationship between Officer Lockstock (Martin Lehman), who speaks to the audience as the narrator while also playing a central character in the drama, and Little Sally (Brittany Monroe), the poor street urchin with a rich heart, that drives the neo-Brechtian absurdity of "Urinetown."

Lehman's measured pacing merged Lockstock's two identities into a warm but authoritative father figure who explains to Little Sally (and the audience) that "this is not going to be a happy musical." Monroe's performance was likewise captivating, bringing just the right amount of over-the-top spunkiness and purposeful overacting to the role.

Leads Caleb Draper as Bobby Strong and Catherine Frye as the perky but naïve Hope Cladwell also gave enjoyable performances. Draper's vocals were particularly noteworthy.

The Delta show benefits from a true sense of ensemble virtuosity. Most of the 38-member cast play more than one role, and the production has them constantly in action, whether fighting a slow-motion brawl or singing in three-part harmony.

The technical details of "Urinetown" are especially complex and fast-paced, and under John White's direction, the ensemble largely succeeded at keeping things quick and sharp. The small orchestra, under Scott Bowen's baton, performed smoothly and did its best to stay below the singers' volume. Still, there were several times when singers wearing mics could have been mixed louder.

• When: Thursday through Sunday
• Where: Tillie Lewis Theatre, San Joaquin Delta College
• Admission: $12-$14
• Info: (209) 954-5110

South seas Shakespeare (old review)

South seas Shakespeare
Delta College takes the Bard to Polynesia with 'Twelfth Night'

Kate Macek
Special to The Record
Published Thursday, Oct 13, 2005

A love triangle set in 19th century Polynesia may sound like the premise for a steamy late-night movie, but San Joaquin Delta College has more on its mind.

That's where director Harvey Jordan has chosen to set Delta's new production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."

"The setting supports the themes of romance, merrymaking and even melancholy," Jordan said. "Twelfth Night" opens Friday at the Tillie Lewis Theatre.

The plot focuses on the nobleman Orsino, a Polynesian princess named Olivia, and Viola, a woman who disguises herself as a man, Cesario. While incognito, Viola falls in love with Orsino, who is already courting Olivia. When Viola as Cesario delivers Orsino's love notes, Olivia falls for what she thinks is a dashing young man. More mayhem ensues when Viola's brother, who looks just like Cesario, arrives.

In addition to the main story, there is mischievous cast of supporting characters in Olivia's household who add flavor through interwoven sub-plots involving practical jokes, disguises and mistaken identity.

For Jordan, the Polynesian landscape lends itself well to the play's wide range of emotions, including farcical humor, romance and darker moods. The play and setting also share such themes as free expression represented by the Polynesian island lifestyle vs. moral repression represented by European society.

He added that Shakespeare himself was prone to set his works in romantic locations, such as "The Tempest's" desert island.

"I'm convinced that if Shakespeare knew about Polynesia, he would have set a play there because his audiences loved exotic locations," Jordan said.

Jordan is no stranger to unorthodox adaptations of Shakespeare. He's directed "A Midsummer Night's Dream" set in the 1960s, "As You Like It" with a 1920s theme and even a Wild West "Taming of the Shrew."

This time out, his cast of 22 includes undergraduate and nontraditional students, as well as two Delta faculty members. Catherine Frye, the sophomore portraying Viola/Cesario, said she thinks the tropical setting helps make the play more accessible.

"It'll give it a sense of familiarity," Frye said. "It doesn't seem quite so alien to us as the Elizabethan era."

Serious boondoggle

I found out the hard way that my Accordion Works rehearsal had been cancelled. Three out of six of us showed up, so apparently word wasn't gotten out very effectively. Or at all, perhaps.

Rather annoying to make an unnecessary trip to Berkeley when gas costs $3.20 a gallon! And I sure don't need to be wasting time, either. Argh!

Toe calluses

Today was serious flip-flop weather. You know, those shoes we used to call “thongs” before the bathing suit and lingerie industries appropriated the term?! So, the flip-flop spaces between my toes are a bit sore.

We saw “Urinetown The Musical” this evening. Cat had to be at the theater at 6, but we didn’t need to be there until just before 8, so we had a couple of hours to kill. Lizzie, Jerm & I went to Kohl’s to shop after our early dinner with Cat. Kohl’s was having a pretty good sale. I got two pairs of flip-flops – one athletic, the other dressy – for less than $40.

The play was extremely well done. It’s very bizarre; however, we all enjoyed it enormously. Much fun! Cat has some really good bits. Really, really good. She's hilarious!

My old friend Agnes (from La Leche League days) was there. Some of us went out to Applebee’s after (Cat, Sean, Agnes & Steve, Christina, and me).

Started packing...

Those of you me are probably amazed. Really, I started packing. I've got my checklist and about half my stuff in my suitcase. I'll more or less finish up this weekend. All that will be left is the last minute stuff that I'll be using in the meantime.

We're leaving the evening of the 18th.

Guess who has been a good influence on me?

And no ... haven't packed at all for Mother's Day weekend.

'Urine' for something

'Urine' for something
Delta musical uses laughs to make serious points

BRIAN MCCOY
Record Entertainment Editor
Published Thursday, May 4, 2006

San Joaquin Delta College is staging the Tony Award- winning musical "Urinetown.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playwrights learned long ago that the best way to address a serious issue is through humor.

Audiences don't want a lecture, no matter how grave the subject. Entertain them as you deliver your message, however, and they're sure to embrace it.

At first glance, the show appears all silliness and satire. Set in a world where people must pay to use the bathroom, the musical features arch characters, star-crossed lovers right out of "Romeo and Juliet" and a score that goes out of its way to spoof such landmark musicals as "Sweeney Todd," "Chicago" and "Fiddler on the Roof." Even the title carries a pun.
Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann employed that concept in creating "Urinetown," the Tony Award-winning musical being presented this weekend and next at San Joaquin Delta College.

It's an "anti-musical," Delta director John White said. "It pokes fun at the American musical."

But beneath its comic exterior, "Urinetown" addresses compelling contemporary issues.

What human beings are doing to the environment is embodied in the 20-year drought that leads to the banning of private toilets. That all restrooms are in the hands of a single corporation (the Urine Good Co.) speaks to the hazards of the concentration of wealth and power in the world economy. That the politicians represent corporate interests over those of the public reflects the growing helplessness so many voters feel.

"It addresses these issues and yet keeps everybody laughing," White said.

The idea for the musical came when Kotis visited Paris in the mid-1990s. Finding himself pinching pennies in order to access the city's pay toilets, he imagined a show based on the economic politics of using the bathroom.

Kotis shared the idea with Hollmann, and together they produced a version of the show for the 1998 New York International Fringe Festival. Three years and several incarnations later, "Urinetown" reached Broadway. It went on to win three Tonys and spawn a national tour.

In the Delta production, Caleb Draper and Catherine Frye are cast as the star-crossed lovers. She is Hope Cladwell, daughter of Caldwell B. Cladwell, Urine Good's chief executive officer. He is Bobby Strong, a former employee who in time leads the rebellion against the company.

That "Urinetown" is neither a straight musical comedy nor drama presents challenges for the cast of 38.

The actors are required to strike just the right note in dialogue that moves between the serious and the satirical.

"Part of the humor of the show is how serious we all are," Draper said. "We have to go to the extreme with our emotions.

"But the show is so well constructed, it's all very obvious when we're supposed to be hamming it up and when we're supposed to be serious," he added. "It all kind of just fits."

For White, a larger task has been getting his cast to master the music. The "Urinetown" score is more intricate than many others, requiring technical expertise even as it embraces styles as divergent as Gilbert and Sullivan patter and "Les Miserables" rallying cries.

"They adopted a Brechtian approach," White said of Kotis and Hollmann. "And we spent probably more time than other shows on the singing. (The cast) really needed to work on multiple parts being sung at the same time."

Contact Record Entertainment Editor Brian McCoy at (209) 546-8293 or bmccoy@recordnet.com