The Byrne Diaspora

Santa Fe birthday

This year, Julie was in Santa Fe for her birthday, and she got to celebrate it with her lifelong friend Michelle! She wrote: hey monie love, here is a post of michelle's and my time in sf. michelle turned 40 on apr 23, me on may 27. the first night we were there, we visited jay at the highly recommended four star tattoo and michelle went under the needle. you can see the outline of the galloping horse on her lower back in one pic, and it turned out great. there were horses all over santa fe, including the sculpture of one we saw on our walk down canyon road, a mecca of galleries. we had a fancy dinner out one night; michelle was eating vegan and could do so in good style in santa fe. there was another restaurant called the cowgirl that was very "austin," plus had a bluegrass jam session going on while we were there. another highlight was a hike in an aspen forest up up up!!! santa fe is about 7000 feet above sea level, so driving to 8000 feet and climbing to 9000, we could barely suck enough oxygen. but it was beautiful up there. there were lots of "shiva" third eyes on the aspen trunks ... :-) 

See the pictures - including of the beautiful aspen forest - here. 

Guests of honor

Francie sent along this lovely account of her and Ellie's trip down to North Carolina...it was so nice to have them here!

Just a little report on the amazing trip Ellie and I took to the farm. The "southern boys" are thriving and Ellie couldnt believe how much progress, building and planting,  had been made since the fall. Being my first trip, I can only say the farm looks prosperous, lush, productive, and tidy! We had such a good time....both in town and out on the farm. We didnt really do much work (hey, were we supposed to  work?) but we got the full tour, had a couple of meals straight from Melleray/Bear Creek or the food co-op...Don made 2 marvelous loaves of bread, one whole grain, one white. We had a frittatta filled with good herbs and veggies and cheese and eggs just laid...sitting around the fine new sturdy picnic table made by them. We met all the chickens and the guinea hens too. The bees are doing well, and especially exciting was the discovery of a queen in the wild hive they captured in town. Success! The weather was just perfect, sunny with cool breezes. The ticks were jumping but we did better once we applied the deet. Light clothing would have worked better. Also we took a trip to visit the "green project" with Harvey Harman and spent an interesting morning on that beautiful, as yet undeveloped, site. I particularly loved the hour of silence and "permission" to do nothing Wednesday from 1-2. I found a shady spot, did some knitting, a little reading, a little dozing and gazing about. The new gated pergola/hen yard/star watching center is well underway. Clare, by the time you and Stefan get there, it should be completed. We also got a kick out of the water divining and gold pandling projects and newly ordered equipment; this may be the natural life but its far from the simple life! Both Dons seem giddy with all the possibilities.  :-)

We got to see Monica and the hunky Rajeev perform a full dress rehearsal (they decided to eliminate the nude scene) of A Fistful of Love. Monica has a song solo with that beautiful voice of hers...that girl knows how to take charge of a stage!

On our last day, Ellie and I toodled around Pittsboro, did some antique shopping, bought some trinkets and admired the crafts, and got a thick vanilla shake at S&T Soda. That was more than enough for lunch.  We loved staying at the Rosemary House b&b. Best of all was just spending time with the Dons---both seem healthy fit and happy. It was a special time.

Mawwage

Heylo everyone! Just a quick post: opening night went great! And we also have a fun new trailer up, in which you can see some of the incredibly cool people in this production, including Dana (above, who plays my big sister, and reminds me a lot of Clare); and of course Rajeev. See it here!

Production notes

Production on my play, Fistful of Love, is going full-steam ahead! Ellie and Francie, who were just in North Carolina for a visit, graciously drove to Durham to see a dress rehearsal. It was SO GOOD to see them and share all the kooky fun I've been up to.

We just came out with a fun new teaser trailer in anticipation of our opening next week. On Sunday, our cast spent the day at a beautiful park in Durham, where we filmed the climactic scene; I got a lot of great pictures here. Enjoy!

Busy bees

I went out to Melleray last weekend, and the place is just exploding with greenness. The sky was bright blue and the ticks were hoppin'. It's the full flush of spring! It made me very happy to think I might be returning there, this time next year, to write my novel.

Dad and Donald corralled a wild beehive from, of all places, a tree outside the Pittsboro Public Library; and installed it in one of their wooden arks. Dad planted a lemon tree and an orange tree inside the greenhouse, which looks bare in the photo above (taken in March) but is now teeming with lush things. And a fence has begun to go up around the central garden - big, eight-foot white posts.

Visitors are coming, too: first Aunt Francie and Aunt Ellie, then Dad's college friends the Kearneys, then Clare and Stefan! We will all be busy bees this May!

The Pacific Trail

Some INCREDIBLE news here, posted a week late because I think most of you know already - but I was awarded a 2008-2009 Mary Elvira Stevens Traveling Fellowship! That's a mouthful, so I'll break it down: it's a grant for Wellesley alumnae, who have to apply for a specific project, which can be anything from academic to artistic in nature. Last weekend I flew up to Wellesley for my interview, and just had a delightful time. (They put me up at the Newton Marriott. I think I had ten pillows on my bed.) The Committee was so warm, curious, and affirming - I loved talking with them. I found out I'd been awarded a fellowship only a couple of hours after I left the room!

So what does this mean? Basically, it means I'm going to be traveling for four months starting next January; spending a month in Ethiopia, two months in India, and a month in the South Pacific (specifically Fiji, Samoa and the Cook Islands). I'll be gathering notes for my first novel, working title The Pacific Trail. If you want to know more about the novel, please ask! - I love to talk about it. I'm just a little reluctant to post details on a public web site ;)

So, WOW. EXCITING!!!

Fistful of love

Right now I'm in rehearsals for an amazing new play, Fistful of Love, a fun musical mash-up of plays by the awesome Charles Mee. All of the show dates and information can be found on the theater's website, Manbites Dog. I play an avenging bride, and Rajeev plays my apoplectic groom. Whoever's in the area, or can make the trip, should come see it! I get to wear the most hideous bridal gown you've ever seen!

Manu's milk

Julie sent along some wonderful photos of the sisters' visit to Laura and Joel's farm up beautiful rural New York. Julie says:

mary and clare and i drove over to warwick for lunch with aunt laura and uncle joel. they are managing over 700 acres of the prized "black soil" of the county, which is irrigated and turned up to the sun and is truly so black it's startling. after a meal that included cheese and rice pudding made from farm milk, we went over to meet the cows! they are lakshmi the phenomenal milk-producer and manu her baby calf. manu's teat-yanking, milk-frothing feeding, lakshmi's spigot-like waste production, and laura's adventuresomeness in the pen made us all gape. most pictures are just of us gaping. but then again, there are pix of the sky, too ... the sky was an unreal color of blue. my new camera--same kind as monica's!--captured it well.

I wish I was there to see the pretty amminals! Photos here.