The One Hundred and Twelfth...

Number One Hundred and Twelve:

Rivers at Watergate, Dinner, Roast Cider-Marinated Chicken

Lisa's folks went to New York and offered us their tickets to go see Madama Butterfly in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center. We made a day of it. Thrifting quickly in Ashland, then going to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Dinner HAD to be at the Watergate hotel because there is nothing like eating where Tricky Dick had crimes committed. Although, we honestly tried for reservations at another place first, but they were booked solid for the time we needed to eat before curtain. The food was okay enough, we had the Pre-theater option, which was a three course meal of salad, entrée, dessert. We were the youngest there, by the way, by twenty years. When I overheard a couple near us say it was the gentlemen's birthday tonight, I half jokingly said the waitstaff were going to sing to him like it was a Chi-Chi's. It turns out they did AND he got the free dessert! Hilarious! We snuck this photo in when we could, that is the Kennedy Center to the left outside the window. So, a fun meal then across the street to the opera.

Madama Butterfly is a fairly straightforward story, one that has culturally stood the test of time for various reasons, maybe that is why it is so popular, and the Kennedy Center was packed. Behind us there was an old guy who name dropped who he knew in the production and where he was going in the next few weeks to a younger Italian guy who also had some bragging to do. Lights dimmed, then the silence your cells announcement. We were in the THIRD row, in the middle, we could see and hear the conductor, Philippe Auguin, breathe heavily during the intense moments. The production was stunning. The lead played by Catherine Naglestad was intense and by the end of the third act, you really got her sense of Butterfly's undoneness. I swear during some segments of the performance, and being so close to the stage, she was looking right at me belting the lines. Such a strong character. A great performance and a real visual treat!

So what to call the stash? I still have to go with the Watergate theme and:

Scandalstache.

or

Break-Instache!