PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS ~ OH WHAT A NIGHT!

I was so lucky last night. Friends of ours had wonderful tickets to Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach and gave them to us to us.

Tickets for this show run upwards of $80 a ticket and sell out rather quickly. Some selling out a year in advance.

Thank you to James and Renee for allowing us this wonderful night.



There were four tickets. Two were in the front row smack dab in the center. The other two were four rows back.

The location is a wonderful location. Nestled in the hills of Laguna Beach is a carved out outdoor amphitheater.

Parking can sometimes be a pain and often you will have to park a bit away and take a shuttle into town.

We were so lucky because one of the girls that went with us lives just a few blocks away and so we were able to park at her house and walk to the Pageant.

We went to dinner first then strolled on over to the show.

A large stage up front is where the magic is. The curtain will open and a large beautiful painting by some of the most famous artist will showcased.

Also, the side areas open up at times and tucked in between the trees what appears to be historic old statutes will be shown.

However, what you think you see is not what you actually see.

Every piece of art work is a recreation of a masterpiece. Only these are actual living pictures and statutes.



Cameras are not allowed into the show. However, you know me. I will always do my best to get that camera in and take some photos to share with you.

The quality are not good as I had to hide the camera in my jacket and snap the photo without being able to see what the actual picture would be. I also couldn't use any flash as I didn't want anyone to know I was taking photos.

Here is one of the "paintings" we saw. Beautiful isn't it?

Can you tell that the people in the painting are actually humans? No? Well that's good because they work hard and trying to fool your eye.

Trust me though, they are real. As they pulling away the pieces the actors come to life and it is amazing how odd it is to see what you thought was just a painting comes to life.

Another "painting" with a real man in it.

If you look very close you can sometimes see one of the people slightly move or blink. But with the way the lighting is, the make up and everything, most of the time you wouldn't know it was anything other then a large painting.

The ones that really got to me were the ones with children in them. How do they get them to stand so still?

The Pageant of the Masters has been a yearly production since 1930 and is only able to be done with the love and dedication of hundreds of volunteers.

There is a professional orchestra, sophisticated lighting, intricate sets and life narration.

Each year there is a new theme to the Pageant. This year was Eat, Drink and be Merry.

However, no matter what the theme is, every year the Grand Finale is always The Last Supper.

It is just breathtaking.

The next several photos are not taken by me. I got them off the Internet to help give you a better understanding to what the Pageant is all about.

Here you can see how the live volunteer is placed on the background of the painting and the makeup person makes sure she is placed perfect.

The makeup is applied to blend in the actor to make them appear to be a part of the painting. Often makeup is applied over the whole body. Making the person appear to be like bronze or marble statute.

Wigs and hats are used and some appear to be blowing in the wind a certain direction depending on how the painting looks.

Back stage is very organized, fast pace and professional. With some spending hours getting painted up and in costume for what will only be a minute or so on stage.

Here you can see one of the volunteers getting make up applied to their arms. Often the make up appears strange in regular lighting but once they are on stage and the special lights go on, the make up provides the perfect shading to blend in the actor with the rest of the background.

Several children are involved and they are every bit as wonderful as the adults. Standing perfectly still, not losing the expression on their face or relaxing their pose until the lights dim down.

I don't have any idea who was the master mind behind this back in 1930 but I do know that I'm very thankful someone came up with this idea.

It is so lovely to see in person and is really something that can not be explained well with words or even pictures.

It is an experience like no other. One that should be enjoyed by everyone at least once in their lifetime.

The volunteers come from all over to be a part of this piece of history. When it first started it was only volunteers from Laguna Beach.

However, as it grew bigger and bigger they opened it up to anyone who had the talent and the look they needed.

One must try out for a spot of the actual performers. Yet, anyone who wants could volunteer to fill one of the many spots with the rest of the show. From ticket takers, to make up artists to stage clean up. It takes hundreds of people to put on this show.

I hope one day, you will all get a chance to see this magical show. I'm sure if you do, you will be in awe like the rest of us have.

SUMMER IS HERE! LET'S GO TO THE BEACH!

Well school is out and the hot days are here! That's right, it's summer! With summer comes the heat and crowds.

My sister, Maureen, my great niece, Trinity, and I went to Laguna Beach to start the summer off with some fun in the sun.

I noticed there were tons of pretty umbrellas at the beach. Looks like people are trying to stay out the sun and avoid the wrinkles down the line.

Well, if you don't have your own pretty umbrella, you can rent one for the day. Along with boogie boards, chairs and other beach items.

We didn't need anything as we were going to walk around and shop. Not to lay out or go in the water.

At least I didn't think we were. Then Trinity asked if we could go and just get our feet wet. It was so hot out that it sounded good to me. So down to the water we went.

I kept getting pulled out a bit further and further by Trinity. She was having so much fun that there was no way I could say no to her. Oh no! A wave came in and got us. I had Capri pants on and pulled them up so they wouldn't get wet and she had shorts on. But the splash of the wave got us a little wet anyway.

We were laughing so hard. Then a bigger wave came and crashed right one us. We were soaked!

So we went up to the boardwalk and sat there to dry off. Everyone was so friendly and talkative. People were walking with there dogs. Having picnics and just enjoying the day.

I love this old life guard stand. It's the first one that was built way back when.
People watching is so fun at the beach.

There was a lot of seaweed in the water and of course it would wash up on the shore. See the little girl pulling it out of the water.

This is the boardwalk. I love walking along there. It reminds me of the olden days.

We also went in the cute shops there.

In one of the shops we went in this darling dog was there. She was so sweet and loving. Laguna welcomes dogs in a lot of places. This one was the owners dog. She came to work with him. What a fun job to be able to bring your dog with you!

The shop was also as cute as the dog. With tons of different signs.

Look at all these signs that greet you when you first walk in.

Even some fun vintage looking signs with funny sayings.

Also, there were lots of shells and items made with shells. Like this pretty box.

Trinity wanted these two little shell turtles. She went to go pay for them and the wonderful man said he was going to give them to her! Wow! How often do you go to pay for something and you are told you can have the items for free..........NEVER! How nice was that.

We will be back to that store again. Also, if you are ever in Laguna Beach you need to go in and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

We also stopped at one of the art museums. I love love love this bird bath! It's so fun but also very expensive.

Look at this piece! This is blown glass that looks like a jelly fish in water.

If I was rich I would have bought this darling lady to go in my back yard. I don't know why but I fell in love with her.

Aren't these tea pots cute!

Down a way further is this little walkway with more shops. Let's take a peek at what they have down there.

Oh, a chocolate shop. Let's see what they have.

YUMMM!

But if you were not in the mood for chocolate maybe you would like to have a nice dish of gelato? Tons of wonderful flavors to pick from. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Laguna Beach is known for being an art town. Even the drains in the road look cute with these hand painted signs.

Aren't they cute?

Look at this. Just like they used to have, a big news stand full of magazines and news papers. But Trinity was more interested in the pay phone. I don't think she has ever seen one before. They are few and far between now that everyone has cell phones.

A great way to get out of the heat is to go to the movies. They have a darling old time movie theater that has been there for years and years. It's like a step back in time.

We were hot and tired and decided to go home and get in the pool. But first I had to admire this statute we passed on the way to our car.

On the way home we stopped at the Sea Life Rescue so we could visit the seals. This is a place were injured seals are taken and nursed back to heath before being released back to the ocean.

I volunteered there a few years ago and got to go on a release. It is sort of sad to say good bye to the seals but when you see them going into the water and being greeted by the other seals it can't help but warm your heart. You know that is where they belong.

Just on the other side of the fence, Trinity, spotted this bird. Isn't he pretty! He let me get really close and didn't even move. He wasn't scared of us at all.

Well, it's time to say so long to the seals.

It's back to home for us.

Hope you enjoyed our little trip to Laguna Beach. We are so lucky to be so close to the beach. It's only about 15-20 mins. from where we live.

Hugs,

Joanne