Typical Day on the Road
April 2003
<- March 03 - April 03- May 03 ->
4/1 Lodi, CA
April Fool's Day - Zephyr's personal holiday.
We performed at the Library in Lodi, CA today and at the end of the show Zephyr told the audience that the show was being broadcast live by HBO and to turn around and wave at the camera. April Fools!
Our "temporary" van also played an April Fool's Day joke on us - the sliding door came off its track, so now we can't open it. Ha! Ha! very funny van.
4/2 Modesto and Manteca, CA
Celebrating National Poetry Month with Act!vated Poetry shows at Sipherd School in Modesto (we were promptly invited back to perform next year!). Our next stop was the Manteca Library where we performed for a small but appreciative audience. One boy remembered that we had come to his school back in 1999 and one girl remembered being part of our cast last year at another library. We love to see repeat audience members.
4/3 Stockton, Ripon and Linden, CA
Did 3 shows at 3 libraries in Stockton, Ripon and Linden. Largely a pre-school crowd at Stockton - the parents are always pleased that their toddlers will sit and watch the show for 45 minutes straight. We did have one little fellow who ventured backstage. So, Dennis "rescued him" when he was pretending to be a policeman and made it look like it was part of the show. One fellow in the audience was a man we met last night at Kinko's---he brought his little boy to the show without realizing it was us he was coming to see!
We also got to check out 2 books today! A special treat for us.
4/4 en route to Pasadena, CA
During the 230-mile drive, Zephyr reread "Tom Sawyer" so he'll be ready for the Fence Painting Contest at National Tom Sawyer Days in Hannibal, MO this July.
We passed the raisin capital of the world - Selma. But no time to stop and add a wrinkle to our travels.
We did stop in Bakersfield to take care of business and met another traveling family from Germany at Kinkos. They are journalists touring America in an imported bus (of which we are very envious). They've been trying for 3 months to interview people who support the attack on Iraq---but they've had a very hard time finding anyone!
4/5 Bakersfield, CA
A day with electricity!! We checked into a campground for the day and are trying to catch up on work. The campground is at a tiny speck on the map called...something or other...which used to be a tourist spot because it used to have a water slide park, which appears to have been closed for about 10 years now. Zephyr is eyeing the abandoned property hungrily---perfect spot for an amusement park.
We are getting ready for the National Association of Elementary Principals Annual Convention (NAESP) coming up in Anaheim next week.
4/6 to Pasadena, CA
Completed our drive to Pasadena. It's always suspenseful to see whether we'll actually make it over the "grapevine" on I-5.
4/7 Pasadena, CA
4 shows at 4 libraries in Pasadena kept us a little busy today. Had a bit of a scare this morning when our one and only ignition key jumped off the key ring. We were scrambling around retracing our steps as the hundreds of kids were being seated for the show. Luckily we found it just before the show started.
4/8 Pasadena, CA.
(Relatively smog-free at the moment. That's a relief---this is where Kimberly developed asthma as a child.)
Three shows at 3 libraries in Pasadena for National Poetry Month and National Library Week.
We picked up our mail in person today. An annual event!
And we got to see our old friends the Meares, whom we met up with in Florida in January. We all went out to dinner and spent the night at their house. Zephyr talks about wanting to build a rollercoaster in their back yard; but they're already having enough of a nightmare with the swimming pool they're having installed. (Zephyr talks about building a rollercoaster in the back yard of everyone he visits, so be forewarned if you invite us over.)
4/9 Pasadena, CA
Last two of 9 shows this week for the Pasadena Library System. Then drove toward our next show in La Puente. Spent the evening tucked into books at Barnes and Noble.
4/10 La Puente, CA
Two shows at Rorimer School in La Puente to celebrate National Public School week. Spent the rest of the day making last-minute preparations for the NAESP Convention, which starts Saturday.
4/11 Anaheim, CA
Drooling over Disneyland but working like beavers. We found a motel across the street from Disneyland and literally next door to the convention center, so we loaded in by just carrying things in by hand. So we didn't have to pay 16 dollars for parking. Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!! Union rules prohibited us from standing on anything to install our signs and banners, so we did it by having Kimberly flip up onto Dennis's shoulders, as she has done hundreds of times during performances. The security chief was highly impressed. (And we weren't violating any rules!)
4/12 Anaheim, CA
Smiling and greeting hundreds of principals at the NAESP Convention. Some of them even booked shows on the spot! Our U.S. map, into which we've inserted pins showing where we've performed and where we'll be performing soon, is looking like a porcupine.
4/13 Anaheim, CA
Smiling and greeting hundreds more principals at the NAESP Convention. And more bookings!
4/14 Anaheim, CA
Smiling and greeting hundreds of principals at the NAESP Convention. But you knew that already. The busiest day yet. And this time, there were no muffins in the break room. After it was all over, the crew immediately started clearing out the hall as we all tore down our booths. Zephyr had to wait indignantly in the lobby, because the insurance regulations don't allow kids on the floor during setup or breakdown.
4/14 Anaheim, CA
Working real hard so we can take tomorrow off and go Disney.
4/15 Disneyland
Wondering why we came to Disney during Spring break. Lines, lines and more lines! There are even lines to get to the lines. Oh well. Managed to ride Indiana Jones twice, but we were bummed that Space Mountain was closed 'til 2005 for remodeling. Visited the Tiki Room, which was just as it used to be---not the ineptly revamped version they have in Orlando. Rode Matterhorn for the first time ever. Took a canoe ride---we actually paddled---and were going to do it again, but they suddenly closed the attraction because of technical difficulties. We wondered all day exactly how a canoe that one paddles can break down.
4/16
en route to Tracy, CA
4/17 Tracy and Walnut Creek, CA
Made it to our show in Tracy this time! (see March 2003) After the show Dennis taught a poetry writing workshop and then we rushed off to Walnut Creek to see "Ragtime" - directed by our longtime friend Sue Ellen Nelsen. We were afraid we wouldn't get there in time with the Bay Area traffic. But we were an hour early. And wow what a show! Let's say that again: WHAT A SHOW! As one critic said about the production "it's taken musical theatre in the Contra Costa County to a whole new level". It was over at 11:00, and we went looking for a place to eat with Sue Ellen. Finally found one restaurant open until 12:00, so we were there to turn into pumpkins.
4/18 Ashland, OR
Made it to Ashland to see our friends the Javnas. Only people we know who have pinball machines in their house!
4/19 Ashland, OR
Played at Science Works museum. We knew it would be good since the Javnas put it together and we've been hearing about the research (and helping out a bit with some of that research as we visited museums across the country) -- but had no idea it would be sooo good. We saw displays we'd never seen at other museums (and we get around). Highly recommended to anyone passing through Ashland - no matter what age. (But at the present, the museum is open only on Saturdays.)
4/20 Eugene, OR to Bellevue, WA
The Easter Bunny left Zephyr some toys (for those readers wondering if the Easter Bunny can find us on the road). Stopped in Eugene to visit Kimberly's Great Grandma. She's 86 but looks and acts 68. Then drove 6 hours to the Seattle Area. And would you believe it? It's raining.
4/21 King County, WA
Four Act!vated Poetry shows to celebrate National Poetry Month in King County. 3 at schools and one evening program at a library. Then we went to stay with the Halls - some friends we met online through our Families on the Road (FOTR) Yahoo! Group. The Hall Family lives here in Seattle Area - but travel all summer and whenever else they can get away.
4/22 Kirkland, WA
Performed 2 shows at Peter Kirk School in Kirkland. And we were entertained by two mothers from the PTA who were there to kick of the schools' Reading Event. They put on a little poetic skit to tell the kids about the event and brought in #24 from Seattle Storm to talk about reading. Got back to the Hall's house after stopping at an office supply store to make a bunch of copies. We all visited a bit and then we got back to work.
4/23 Kirkland and Muckleshoot, WA
Got a bit lost on the way to our show at the Muckleshoot Tribal School so we pulled in just a few minutes before show time. Managed to start on time anyway, but we don't like cutting it so close. People tell us there is a spectacular view of the Mount Rainer from here but we're not sure we can believe them since it's been rainy both times we've come to this school.
Yeah! the Halls will be coming to Hannibal, MO for Mark Twain Days with us and our friends from Massachusetts will be meeting us out there again this year. We even arranged to have our campsites near each other.
4/24 King County, WA
The weather man said "the rain would clear off later this morning with scattered showers this afternoon".
A three show day. Two Star-Spangled Stories shows at Issaquah Valley School. The Halls came to the last show at the library in Auburn. When we all got back "home" Kyra (8) and Zephyr put on shows with a glow-in-the-dark skeleton.
4/25 Mercer Island, WA
Another Act!vated Poetry show for the King County Library System. They took us to West Mercer Island School today to perform for the 4th and 5th grade. We were impressed by how much the students knew about poetry.
4/26 Seattle, WA
Took off to play tourists with our hosts Aleatha and Kyra. We all went on the underground tour of Seattle. It was quite fascinating to learn about how they built the streets 10 to 35 feet higher than the previous street level after the fire. People had to use ladders to get down to the stores. Many people died from falling down to the sidewalk or having something fall on top of them.
After the tour we all sat on the pier and ate corn on the cob. That night Zephyr and Kyra treated us to another "Fright Show" with glow-in-the-dark and other special effects. We all watched it 3 times.
4/27 King County, WA
Said good-bye to our hosts and took Zephyr to an animation workshop at the Federal Way Library. Then we hung out at Borders and Barnes and Noble with a bunch of books!
4/28 Seatac and Des Moines, WA
Performed for the students of Valley View Elementary this morning. The school put in extra effort to celebrate Poetry Month by holding a school-wide contest and decorating the cafeteria with huge POETRY banners.
After the show we went to Kinkos, before heading to the Library in Des Moines for our finale performance in King County. See you next year!
4/29 driving through Oregon
We use long drives to study. Today Zephyr and Kimberly are practicing their Japanese, Dennis is learning Chinese. We made one stop (other than getting gas) to say "hi" and "bye" to Kimberly's Grandma in Eugene. Made it to Medford, OR.
4/30 en route to Sacramento, CA
During today's long drive we worked on Scout Skills (knot tying etc.) to get ready for a Camporee - which we will be attending this weekend if it doesn't get rained out. Made it to Sacramento in time to hit rush hour.
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