Here are notes on two beach reads, my thoughts on a difficult play, and a great restaurant find for birthdays or anniversaries.
LEISURE READING
Karen White’s Flight Patterns is an absorbing novel about family secrets and the tortured relationship between two sisters and a good candidate to take to the beach. Set in New Orleans and Apalachicola, Florida, a coastal town on the panhandle, it’s multi-layered with twists and turns as the complicated relationships between Georgia and her sister, Maisy, and their mentally ill mother, Birdie, play out against Georgia’s return after 10 years away and the hunt for a missing piece of china. Birdie was distant and in her own world when Georgia and her sister were children so they were raised primarily by their grandfather and by their grandmother when she was still alive. Grandpa is a beekeeper and Georgia is a fine china expert who comes back with a client to research china he has that is similar to a piece she thinks she has seen before. I enjoyed the characters and also learning about Haviland Limoges china.
Footnote: Character Georgia’s research prompted me to search online for more information about my great (or great great) grandmother’s Limoges china which I inherited from my mother. Based on the markings on the back of the pieces, I was able to determine that it was probably made in 1887, but so far I haven’t located any images of the pattern.
Georgia by Dawn Tripp is a well-researched novel about Georgia O’Keeffe’s early career and her relationship with photographer and artist promoter, Alfred Stieglitz. Decades older than O’Keeffe, Stieglitz gave her flower paintings wide exposure with an exhibit in the gallery he owned. Seductive, passionate, and domineering, he was mentor, lover, husband, and philanderer who too often tried to control her and her art. Tripp’s prose is evocative and sensual and portrays Georgia’s struggle to be seen as an artist (not a female artist) and how her appreciation for what Stieglitz could offer becomes warped over time. This was the book for the April meeting of our island book club, and most everyone liked it.
THEATER
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Our local repertory company, Asolo, deserves much credit for presenting this challenging play. Written by Kristoffer Diaz and first presented in 2009, it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for drama and winner of an Obie Award for Best New American Play. It’s an exaggerated comedy about professional wrestling, as shown on TV, and we had ringside seats. Literally! In the small theater, we were in the first row on the floor (no stage) and right at the edge of the ring when it was pushed out for the second act. The actors rushed by us carefully, never stepping on our toes!
The main character, Mace, is not a star, but a wrestler paid to lose to the big names like Chad Deity. Mace and an Indian-American friend convince their bosses to let them fight each other, but they are then marketed as “terrorists.” With undercurrents of racism and the overriding theme of money, this is a loud play with a strong message. I found the first act tedious and too long, while the second act had lots of action and revived my interest somewhat. Overall, not my favorite of the season.
SPECIAL OCCASION DINING
To celebrate my birthday, we tried Maison Blanche on Longboat Key. It’s located in the Four Winds resort. The dining room is understated with floor to ceiling white drapes lining the walls, a glass tower topped with a large floral display, and tables with comfortable round back chairs. 
With both a 3-course prix fixe menu for $65 and a la carte selections, there is something to appeal to every palate. I enjoyed the tomato tart to start followed by the sautéed halibut special over pureed spinach with scattered chanterelle mushrooms and then the cheese course. Actually we shared the cheese course and my spouse’s apple tart dessert. He had the octopus salad and the red snapper. This was the best food we’ve eaten in this area and the service was impeccable!
Credits: Georgia O’Keeffe photo by Bella Orr (ThingLink); all other photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
