Ken Burns in the Amphitheater (again)!!

John and I skipped the devotional hour and went to the Hall of Christ to hear a talk titled “Cancer: why good cells go bad.” It was very complicated but the nugget that got me was that they theorize that it is the stem cell that is the start of the cells going haywire. I Googled the subject and found that theory since 2006. I want to talk to John’s oncologist about that since an autologous (your own) stem cell transplant is a standard therapy for Multiple Myeloma. Other blood diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma use matching donors for transplants. You’d think by now I’d have more understanding of this whole thing.

Reba and I have talked the men into 3 weeks next year—4, 5, and 6. I left two more messages regarding units advertised in the “Daily” and Reba’s had no return call from yesterday’s message. The Ashland condo is available, but it only has one bathroom and the photos make John feel claustrophobic. We can’t see it in person because someone is in there until the end of the season. We made do with one bathroom in the Landmark Trust properties we rented in England and Scotland – but 2 baths are better.

We checked with a couple of real estate agencies here on the grounds. One has a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit available for weeks 5 and 6 only. Location is good, but it’s a second floor unit with no elevator. Reba’s knees give her problems so it’s not the best solution.

Let’s see – we want 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, wi-fi, washer/dryer, air conditioning, porch with a view of Bestor Plaza, ground floor, the weeks we specify, and inexpensive. Hmmm!! Have to remember when people started coming to Chautauqua in the 1880’s they stayed in tents.

We have tickets to see "Macbeth" next week. Opening night is Friday. There was an announcement in The Daily that we could peek in on the technical rehearsal this afternoon. John and I did for about 30 minutes. They were setting the lighting, entrances and other interesting things. There is a behind the scenes tour on Monday that we will try and make, too.

Highlight of the day has to be Ken Burns speaking about battlefields and cemeteries as Sacred Space. He showed clips from his Civil War and World War II documentaries.