Flying with Shakespeare.

The first day of really being in my 40’s sets in the way it should, with a hangover. I have eased into this stage of life by looking at being 40 as the start of a trip towards being an adult. Now with 41, I will start to contemplate the need to consider growing up. Nothing too drastic this morning, just acknowledging that I need to ponder it sometime later. With coffee comes the yearning to get out and about since Saturdays are made for this. First thought is I need to go to the folks and also take my other BMW motorcycle staying there for a spin. I need to make sure it still runs.

The RT fires right up and I take the boxer out for a spin around the neighborhood. My Mom is in love with it and loves to show her friends that she has a BMW Moto in the garage. To be safe I document the mileage. Not that I don’t trust my Mom to leave it in the garage or anything.


I make my way back over and we decide that we will have breakfast at the Good Egg. After this I am off to meet Chris O at the Radio Control Airplane expo. I don’t know the first thing about them but it sounds interesting. Nick Purzer has also expressed interest so I tell him to meet me there.


After all this fun, I see that I still have some time to kill before heading over to the stadium. What do I do? "Tennis Balls My Liege" which means I decide to go to the Tempe Market Place to see how the Shakespeare Marathon is doing. I have read that the Southwest Shakespeare Company is doing the complete works of Shakespeare without interruption this weekend. To me that sounds crazy enough for me to check out. Their goal is the Guinness Book of World Records.


I am in the right place.

After parking I get there just as they are in between plays. Next up is Henry IV Part One but I have a few minutes to wander the outdoor mall. Turning the corner I see two little guys playing in the fountain as their parents watch them. This again proves that anyone can have fun almost anywhere!




Man O Man this scene tells me that I need to put off this growing up gig for at least a few more days. Being a big kid is too much fun still.


This is actually pretty amazing when you think of all the works of Shakespeare…and they aren’t skipping the Sonnets!



As Henry the IV starts you see Henry on the right and Falstaff on the left foreshadowing the bad things to come in Henry the V. At first I am disappointed since they are really more reading the play then acting. Soon though I determine that this is a lot like what a radio play would be like back in the 30’s. So I sit and listen rather then focus on the visual. The play opens up to me then and the players do an amazing job inflecting the prose. Bravo.


Reading aloud is not easy when at 10am the temp is already around 90. Thank goodness there is a PowerAide event here today too!


It is amazing how fast birds near public places forget to fear humans. This little guy is working the tables like a pro.


Think he found some bubble gum.

From here I leave the mall (but manage to get some sneakers) and take off towards the West Side of Phoenix to meet Nick and Chris.


This event is inside the UofPhoenix Stadium which looks like a big space ship to me. The cool thing is the grass is on a big tray and slides out to the left here to get sunlight. Pretty darn worthy.


Wandering down into the stadium I come upon the world of electric flight. The planes are way cool. Chris is there and he is really into this hobby. Nick joins us and before you know it we are talking about Milliwatts, KV ratios, and all sorts of things I haven’t a clue about.


The Brain Trust talking amperages to Propeller size like something out of the Lockheed Skunkworks. Me, I am looking for war bird planes that shoot paintballs.


Getting Closer to my level of sophistication!


They are actually racing the planes around the stadium which is fun to see. The thrill of victory


The Agony of Defeat

Most of the people you see here can’t be put into a bucket. There are some engineering types. Kids, adults, I find the Sun Lakes Model Airplane Club, and the US Air force recruiting. I start to see where the next generation of UAV pilots will come from.


In my mind this guy is some old crop duster who flew Huey’s in Nam. He had such a cool look.

As I wander the hall I see a number of sparrows flying around. I then hear a slight screech. Up ahead is the AZ Game and Fish Department with the oldest “controlled remote Flyer's in the world”.


There is nothing cooler then a bird of prey.


So Majestic yet they creep me out with the way they turn their head.


I know he is eying the kids dropping those French fries by the snack bar.

I need to get back to the house to do some things and I tell Nick and Chris goodbye. We do come upon these cool robots though which I think are the highlight of the show.

You can see in the montage the range of motion. This little guy would be fun to have just to chase the cats around with.

A nice way to spend the day.