I am always happy to visit my sister, Shirley, and her family. Saturday saw six adults, three children and three dogs sit down to lunch. Well, the dogs didn’t. They continued to play. This photo is of Shirley with Casey, her Australian labradoodle – a love affair for sure.

A happy (Grand)Mother’s Day to all!

Saturday evening, Shirley and I went to Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. The Center seats almost 3,000 people (about the same as the QE Theatre in Vancouver). It has levels and levels, and boxes that look down on the stage.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was started by Alvin Ailey in 1958 for a group of primariily African American dancers. This photo from the Alvin Ailey website shows the current company together with the Artistic Director – standing mid-group, and the rehearsal director Ronni Favors – seated centre.

The program included four dances, the first to music by Duke Ellington, and the last you can view below. “Revelations” has multiple parts, so if you’re watching, don’t stop after the first dance. It is beautful and moving, and at the end joyful.

Today, for Mother’s Day, we treated ourselves to a wander around the Lambertville Iris Patch. Here are a few of the beautiful blossoms on display. As always, click on the small photos to see larger photos of these wonderful flowers.

We took Casey for a walk this afternoon on the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Studies. The Institute gives visiting scholars a year to work on their field without the responsibility of teaching. Sounds a lot like an ivory tower to me, a thought that makes me smile because the main building, Fuld Hall, indeed has an ivory tower.

The extensive grounds are wooded and open to the public. Today the sun was out, the light through the trees dappled and soft. A lovely day for a walk.

Next stop – NYC! See you there.