"O Shannondell, I Long To Hear You............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                        "A weekend in the country. How amusing, how delightfully droll."                                                                     --Stephen Sondheim, "A Little Night Music"

                                  I mean......not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Don't get me wrong, it was great seeing my sister, niece, nephews and their spouses.  I was quite surprised how aged my sister has become; she is still vital, but walks slower, slightly bent from rheumatoid arthritis, and uses a cane.  This came as a shock to me.

                                     As for Shannondell, from the pic I am sure many will think it lovely.  But inside it seems oversized in a way that did not make me feel comfortable.  The library was impressive, the people friendly, but David and I were also scoping this out as a possible retirement place for us, and I can tell you that is not the case.  It is not just the way my sister's apartment is designed with too much open concept, but the feeling of institutionalization that permeates the whole place.

                                      And the Home Suites Hotel, where we stayed.  Would you believe this?  And no one told us--that when you leave your room for the day, you have to tell staff that you want the room cleaned.  Are you kidding me, darlings?????????  Where I come from, I EXPECT the room to be cleaned!!!!!!!!!!!!  When we returned, and it wasn't, well, I just about lost it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        This is the trouble when one ventures outside of New York.  Nothing in sight across the streets, just strip malls with Targets and such.  And not a Barnes And Noble within walking distance.  Not to mention ANY bookstore at all.  How am I supposed to exist in a place like this??????????   Get me to the Pierre or the Chateau Marmont quick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Nevertheless, a great visit was had by all, and we even went to the movies.  We saw "Oppenheimer."   The best movie of the year, so far, not necessarily because it is an artistic masterpiece, but because it is the first genuinely serious, thinking person's film I have seen in a long time.  Great performances by Cillian Murphy in the title role, Robert Downey, Jr. in a career making turn as Lewis Strauss--a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor--Florence Pugh as the suicidal mistress, Jean Tatlock, Emily Blunt as wife Kitty Oppenheimer, and, in a scene stealing turn, Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.  The three hours length works on my spine at my age, especially with no intermission, but the cinematography and Christopher Nolan's direction make this a must for those who crave something beyond "Barbie" or the Marvel Universe!

                                             Like the song says, for David and myself, "Somewhere, there is a place for us."  I just do not think it is Shannon Dell.   But, as Doris said, "The future's not ours to see."

                                               Though really, girls, is an available bookstore too much to ask?????????????