The Goose Family

The goose family was eating at the edge of the pond. Two young men were annoying them and the daddy goose went after them a couple of times.

Nebraska Nellie

Geese at Pioneers Park

OK, I'm back in Nebraska. These geese were at Pioneers Park in Lincoln, Nebraska this week. I loved how the clouds and the trees were in the reflections in the pond. Interesting to have the trees at the top of the picture.

Nebraska Nellie

More cherries.....

I'm not sure what this one looks like but I think it's interesting.

Nebraska Nellie

A study in cherries....

After leaving the birthday bash, I saw a stand selling cherries. They were delicious but some of them were double cherries. I thought they were interesting. When I got back to my aunt and uncle's house, I started taking pictures of the deformed cherries. This was not what they were expecting to do. We all laughed and ate cherries.

To me this one looks like a person with a big nose--reminds me of Jimmy Durante.

Nebraska Nellie

Raymond Burr Vineyard

The Raymond Burr Vineyard was the host of the Birthday Bash for its namesake. It is near Healdsburg, California. The wine country was beautiful and the party was very nice. I would have loved to have met Mr. Burr, but we have so much we can still see to appreciate his talent.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy belated birthday, Raymond Burr

True, he's not a famous Nebraskan, but he's one of my heroes. I remember watching him when I was very young in Perry Mason. When I was in junior high, the reruns were on after school. Ella, a woman who was like a grandmother in our family, also loved the show. I often visited her after school and we watched it together. I have such good memories of spending afternoons with her. And who wouldn't want a Della Street or Paul Drake to assist you on the difficult cases. There are few real Perry Mason moments in life when you get the guilty one to confess--but wouldn't it be great?

Raymond Burr was born on May 21, 1917 in Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. Please check out his biographies online. Before becoming Perry Mason, he was in a number of B movies. He also starred in some of the movie classics, such as Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. It's truly one of my favorites. It shows Burr's ability to play such an evil man verses the Perry Mason we all know and love. And no one was happier than I, when Perry Mason came back for his television movies in the 80's and 90's. Loved them. Barbara Hale's son, William Katt, played Paul Drake, Jr.

Raymond Burr died of cancer in 1993, but his legacy goes on. He and his partner, Robert Benevides, owned a winery. Every year on the weekend near his birthday, Mr. Benevides hosts a birthday bash in Burr's honor. They serve chili, Portuguese cornbread, and chocolate cake. This is where I was this last Saturday. What a treat! It is so beautiful. Please visit his website at raymondburrwinery.com. I've got some photos to show very soon. I hope to go again next year.

Last May, I went to Santa Rosa to a Raymond Burr film festival. Barbara Hale and Robert Benevides, among others were there for panels. Some of his personal items were raffled off. I bought 100 tickets but didn't win. However, Ms. Hale brought one of her personal scripts to auction off. From the minute I learned that, the script was mine! It was so fun to go to this event. I was even a small celebrity in my own right. Everyone wanted to meet the woman who came 1500 miles for this film festival. I'd only found out about it 6 days earlier and had to jump through lots of hoops to get to go, but I was there.

I appreciate your fine acting and love Perry Mason.

Nebraska Nellie

I'm back............

I took a quick trip this last weekend and I'm way behind on my blogging. I'm going to try to catch up.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday Malcolm X

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a difficult time in racial relations and he learned self reliance and black pride from his father. His father died before he was thirteen and his mother was committed to a mental hospital. He lived in foster homes and became involved in criminal activities in Boston and New York. In 1946, Malcolm X went to prison for eight to ten years, where he became a member of the Nation of Islam.


Some see him as a criminal and some see him as a hero. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in New York.

Nebraska Nellie

Two Twins Cafe

This weekend I had the opportunity to eat at the Two Twins Cafe in Lincoln, Nebraska. I had a reuben sandwich for lunch on Friday and an egg casserole for breakfast on Sunday. The cafe is in a strip mall on North Cotner. The waitstaff were friendly and attentive. The food was good and fresh. They have a bakery section that looks delicious. I want to try the carmel bread pudding in the near future. It looked great. The prices were reasonable. The atmosphere was bright and cheery.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday to Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda was born on May 16, 1905 in Grand Island, Nebraska. He died at age 77 in 1982. He is indeed one of our most famous Nebraskans. The American Film Institute named him as the sixth greatest male star of all time. What an honor! And isn't he a handsome man?

He grew up in Nebraska and is early training in acting was by Dorothy Brando--mother of Marlon Brando. His acting debut was at the Omaha Community Playhouse. He moved to New York in 1928. He had a brief marriage to Margaret Sullavan. He was a roommate of Jimmie Stewart as they honed their craft in the theater.

The internet movie database lists 115 movies and television programs he was in. Among the most famous were some of the classics such as: Jezebel, 12 Angry Men, Young Mr. Lincoln, The Lady Eve, and The Grapes of Wrath. A personal favorite of mine is Lillian Russell starring Alice Faye.

Fonda won a best actor Oscar for for On Golden Pond in 1981 and a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1980. He was nominated in 12 Angry Men. He also won Tony awards and BAFTA.

I think Fonda's acting is very straight forward. That may be from his midwest upbringing.

Fonda is the father of Peter Fonda and Jane Fonda. He has several grandchildren who also are in show business.

Happy 105th birthday, Mr. Fonda. We'll be thinking of you today.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday, Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire was born Fred Austerlitz on May 10, 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska. His first dance partner was his older sister, Adele. He appeared on stage on Broadway and in London. We all know him from his movies where he danced beautifully. He was a perfectionist who practiced each dance until he thought it was perfect. Most of us think of Ginger Rogers as his dance partner, but he had a number of partners in the movies.

I am so glad we get to see his dancing in the classic movies.

Happy Birthday,Fred.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Mother's Day

How fortunate are those of us with both of our parents. Today is mother's day and I could not have done better if I had chosen who my mother is. Today I spent with my parents. We spoke of my grandmothers as well. What strong, good women they all are. I hope I can live up to the standards they have in their lives.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday, Alice Faye

Alice Faye has no connection to Nebraska for which I am aware, other than she worked at 20th Century Fox for Darryl F. Zanuck. He was the head of the studio for years and he mistreated her so badly that she left acting for years and refused his gifts, including a car. He hacked up her part in Fallen Angel. Zanuck is from Wahoo, Nebraska and is one of our famous Nebraskans.

Alice Faye was in many films, mostly musicals, for Fox in the 1930's and 40's. I fell in love with her voice in the films. The plot was often quite simple. She would fall in love with some guy. He was too stupid to appreciate her and fell for some brunette bimbo. Faye would go off on her own and make it big time in show business. The bimbo would ruin the guy. Faye would return to save the guy from himself. John Payne was often the guy. However, she starred with Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Don Ameche, Tyrone Powers and many others. Although the stories were far simpler than what we see today, they were lovely.

Alice Faye was born on May 5, 1915 in Hell's Kitchen, New York. She started her career in Rudy Valee's band and he helped her get a role in George White's Scandals (1934). My personal favorite is Hello Frisco Hello. Please visit her website at www.alicefaye.com. There are some CDs available with her songs.

She was married twice--first to Tony Martin, then to Phil Harris. She had two daughters with Harris. She and Harris lived in Rancho Mirage, California. Faye was a big part of the community and lived there for many years. She was a very kind and generous person. She and her husband helped raise thousands of dollars for the Arthritis Foundation by sponsoring golf tournaments in the Palm Desert area. Faye died in 1998. I would have enjoyed meeting her.

Nebraska Nellie

Kinja

Tonight my niece and I tried the new restaurant, Kinja, at 4141 Pioneer Woods Blvd. in Lincoln. Kinja just opened about 3 weeks ago and the atmosphere is lovely. The food, with the possible exception of the salad, was delicious. We ordered a combination dinner which consisted of a spider roll and 15 pieces of sushi. Soup and salad came with the meal. The soup was delicious. The roll came next and then a beautiful tray of sushi. We ate tuna, salmon, squid, red snapper, and several other delicious fish.

The prices were what one would expect for a nice dinner in a restaurant. We both enjoyed it and decided that it has the best atmosphere of any sushi restaurant in Lincoln. The food was delicious and the service was great. We are not experts so we asked about the types of fish. The staff was helpful and very friendly.

Because it is the grand opening, we were given a set of chopsticks to take home. We both look forward to going back in the near future.

Nebraska Nellie

Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway

This weekend the Oracle of Omaha had his annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha, Nebraska. Buffett has long been considered brilliant financially. Every year thousands of people descend on the city for the weekend from all over the world. Berkshire has two classes of stock and I feel confident that even in tough financial times, following Buffett's advice is a good idea.

Nebraska Nellie

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying

Friday night I went to a highschool play at Lincoln Lutheran. I have seen the 1967 movie and enjoyed it in the past. The play is very funny and the students did a nice job. The students worked hard in preparing for this play. The costumes were great. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy May Day!

Today I went to the Gage County Historical Society dinner. Guests can bring antiques to be appraised by experts. This was the 10th year for this event. It's so interesting to see the items the guests bring.

The dinner was at Valentino's in Beatrice and each of us were given a May basket. It was fun and interesting as usual. I attended with my parents and sat next to my 10th grade typing teacher, Miss Wilma Sawyer. She is now 90 years old. Beatrice High School is at a different location than when I attended and when Miss Sawyer retired, the school retired her room number. I learned a great deal from her and I'm glad I had the training. At that time, we had no idea how computers would take over our world and how valuable the typing would be for any line of work.

Nebraska Nellie