Typical Day on the Road

August 2005

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Aug. 1

Newington, Ct., a suburb of Hartford. We had a repeat engagement at the library in the evening, and we arrived very early in the afternoon so we could set up our computers and catch up on some work. We also decided it would be a good idea to put the set together ahead of schedule so we could do a final run-through of "Alias Don Quixote", which premieres tomorrow.

Aug. 2

Rocky Hill, Ct. Had two performances at the library - the first was "Daring to Dream", as usual, and the second was our premiere of "Alias Don Quixote". We arrived at the library quite early to set up and make last-minute preparations for the latter show. But our anxieties were quite unfounded; the premiere went off capitally, with hardly a hitch, and evoked a very favorable response from the librarians and the teens who had come especially for this program. (Teens, in case you didn't know, are just about the most challenging of audiences.) After grabbing one of the "subs" they had catered for the event and chowing down, we packed up and headed toward some real subs - our performance tomorrow at the submarine base in Groton. This show was arranged by a fan who's been attending our shows with her two kids all over Connecticut for the past few years. And she's invited us to spend the night at the farm where she grew up, and where her parents still live. What hospitality! (Her husband, by the way, is stationed on a submarine and is currently out on tour for several months - a difficult situation, especially given current circumstances.) We arrived at about 8:00, after a long day. And Dennis took the opportunity to show everyone the video of Kimberly's TV commercial she made when she was 3.

Aug. 3

After breakfast supplied by our generous hosts, the kids gave us a tour of the farm, where horses are boarded. There are about 20 of them at present--including some miniatures, one of which is no bigger than an average dog. On then to the submarine base, the oldest in the U.S. (But which, nonetheless, appears fated for closure.) Our performance was in a theatre built in 1915, and a grand old theatre it was, but it presented some special challenges for our intimate-scale performances - including an orchestra pit separating us from the audience. But we projected as well as we could, and got a good response from the audience. After saying goodbye to Laurie and family, we headed back toward Hartford. But first we stopped to see the Mohegan Sun Casino, which was right on our way. We were curious about it because it MAY be the world's largest casino. (The nearby Foxwoods formerly claimed that distinction, but we understand that the Mohegan Sun has a rivalry going with them, and each keeps building, so that which one is the largest depends on which day you go.) It didn't really seem all that large, but the décor was quite impressive, featuring wood carvings on the walls depicting Native American folklore. The service, however, (at least in our limited exposure to it) seems to leave something to be desired. Dennis stopped into a coffee shop and ordered a cup of coffee, but waited about 10 minutes to pay for it while the cashiers fumbled about over a transaction involving a gift card. Finally, he decided he didn't really need it that badly, and just gave up and left.

Aug. 4

Today is the 213th birthday of the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, for those who care about such things.

We were back in the Hartford area, at the Southington Library this afternoon. Then we had to hustle up to Springfield, Mass. for an evening show. Hit some horrendous traffic on the freeway, so we took a side road, and even that was as congested as Bill Clinton's arteries. So we called the librarian on our cell phone and advised her of the situation, and made certain our directions were valid. But as it turns out, we needn't have fretted. We arrived exactly on time, and the show went up without a hitch.

Aug. 5

Two more performances in Springfield. The first was at the Indian Orchard Library, which we were told has very sparse attendance at programs; The librarian told us we'd be doing well to draw 6 people; but we had twice that many, so I guess we drew a packed house!

Then we went to the Main Library, and saw quite a number of people loitering outside. Turns out there was a good reason: the library was closed because of the oppressive heat. There was apparently no air conditioning in the library itself, but the program room where we were to perform was nice and frosty, so the show went on as scheduled. We were concerned about having an audience with the library being closed, but there were at least 100 people who showed up.

By the time the show was over, the searing heat had been magically transformed into a thunderstorm. It was nice that things were cooling off, but this delayed our plans a bit. Because afterward, we were hoping to walk next door and see the Dr. Seuss memorial park, which opened only recently. (We'd been contacted about the possibility of performing at the dedication ceremony, but it was in the dead of winter and we were touring in a toastier climate.) Well, we didn't know when we'd be getting back this way, so we decided to just take a stroll in the rain and view the tributes any. We ended up getting drenched to the bone - we expected to see oobleck falling at any moment - but it was well worth it. There were some really beautifully executed sculptures depicting characters from just about all the books, plus the Good Doctor himself.

Aug. 6

Laying over in Worcester (the locals pronounce it to rhyme with "rooster"), Massachusetts taking care of business.

Aug. 7

Still in Worcester. Passed through places that brought back memories (as does almost every place we go), such as the auto repair facility where the mechanics didn't know how to remove the engine cover from our van. And the hair cutting place where Zephyr received the shortest haircut of his life.

Aug. 8

A return engagement at the Milford Library. After the show, Zephyr stuck around to watch the movie "Sandlot 2", which was being screened in the same room.

Aug. 9

In the suburbs south of Boston, we went looking for a laundromat, but eventually came to the conclusion that we were in another one of those communities where folks never seem to do laundry. We did stumble upon something else, though - the birthplaces of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. These two historic houses are side by side; and the one in which the father was born is actually the newer of the two, even though it appears to be the older.

We toured these two restored homes, and learned that women had it rough in those days - it was not uncommon for their dresses to catch fire as they tended the meals over the fireplace. (Burning was the second leading cause of death among women, after complications of childbirth.) But they learned to prevent this disaster by getting their skirts wet before cooking. Also learned that the young John Adams set up his law practice here, and that here was drafted the constitution of the state of Massachusetts, which was a model for the U.S. Constitution, and which is now the oldest active constitution in the world. We also learned that lobster was so plentiful in the region that it was considered a "poor man's food". In fact there was a law passed (and still on the books, if we understand correctly) stating that if a prisoner should be fed lobster more than two consecutive days, it would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

These homes were not, as one might expect, in Quincy, but in nearby Braintree. We did, however, make our way to Quincy for a return to the fabulous Crane Library, where we performed for (as we recall) the fourth time.

Aug. 10

Continued our tour of this fantabulous state of Massachusetts, where we regretfully have been having to inform people that they won't be seeing us again for 2 years. we've had to revamp our itinerary due to gas prices, among other things. Today we returned to Acushnet (accent on the second syllable) to perform at the library - actually, it wasn't at the library this time, but at a community center, as we were reminded when we arrived at the library by mistake. (We still made it to the correct venue in plenty of time.)

Aug. 11

Two performances at libraries: East Bridgewater and Wareham. At the first, a journalist came and interviewed all three of us, then stayed and watched the entire performance. All too often, reporters and photographers just plan on making an appearance at the beginning of the events they cover, and then cutting out. (Although we're pleased to note that more often than not these days, once they see the beginning of our performances they seem to be hooked, and stay for the whole thing.) Yesterday's show was attended by a photographer who also stuck around for the whole shebang.

Aug. 12

Rolled into the bewitching city of Salem, Mass. Dennis and Kimberly set up an office for the day at Front Street Coffee House, which has wireless Internet access. Zephyr took a stroll in the neighborhood, admiring and touring the haunted house attractions. After touring one of them once, he came back a second time, and chatted with the operators about his own haunted house ambitions, and they let him go through again for free.

A new addition to the sights of Salem is a sculpture depicting Elizabeth Montgomery portraying Samantha on the TV show "Bewitched". It has the community divided, we hear; some think it's a welcome addition to the city's many noteworthy features, and others feel that it trivializes the tragic historical events that made the town famous - or infamous. We don't want to take sides in the controversy, but we do consider it a finely executed piece of sculpture.

We decided, rather at the last minute, to take a "ghost walk" tour, as we did on our last visit. But this time, we went with a different tour company to get a different perspective. We arrived at the departure point a few minutes late, after the group already had left, but fortunately the owner of the company was still there, and so we paid her and she told us where to catch up with them in a nearby cemetery.

The guide on our tour was a very articulate and knowledgeable young man who was quite serious about the science of tracking ghosts. At the end, he showed us some photos that seemed definitely to depict spirit phenomena, especially one featuring the very distinct image of an allegedly unidentified woman.

A tour of this type is the perfect tourist activity for a town like Salem. (But of course, there is only one town like Salem.)

Aug. 13

After starting out in Salem, we spent most of the day in Beverly, just north of there. Dennis and Kimberly stayed out of the miserable heat by setting up office in Panera (which has wireless) with their laptops. Zephyr went to a movie next door.

Aug. 14

Gloucester, Massachusetts - where we went whale-watching last year. Toured the Hammond Castle, an absolutely incredible structure that is designed like a medieval castle. And it was built to be someone's home!

John Hays Hammond Jr. (1888-1965) was born in San Francisco, but lived mostly in Massachusetts when he wasn't traveling the world and collecting artifacts. He was the most prolific inventor after Thomas Edison, holding over 400 patents and being involved in the development of over 800 inventions.

Hammond began construction of his castle, a present to his wife, in 1926. The project was completed in 1929, after many delays brought about by his constant revision of plans - often to incorporate items such as medieval doorways and windows that he'd brought back from Europe. The oldest object we saw was the tombstone of a Roman officer dating from the Second Century. The guest bedroom includes a section of floor that belonged to the son of Christopher Columbus. ( Hammond was rather obsessed with Columbus, and acquired a skull - now on display in the castle - from a member of his crew.)

Dr. Hammond loved to entertain guests, and many of the luminaries of his time visited him in his home which was also his castle. Guests loved his courtyard swimming pool, which features an optical illusion that makes the ends appear shallower, even though the depth is uniform. The host always insisted that overnight guests spend one night sleeping on an authentic medieval bed with straw stuffing, because he believed that everyone "deserved" such an experience at least once. (Incidentally, on one wall is a rather elaborate and lengthy family tree, which traces the Hammonds all the way back to Charlemagne.)

Dr. Hammond not only lived, but worked in the castle, and one room still houses displays pertaining to his inventions and designs. Mostly he dabbled in electronics (you can blame the existence of the remote control on him), but he also attempted unsuccessfully to develop a hair-loss tonic; he tried it on himself, but it only turned his hair bright green.

The castle is often the site of special events (a tent was being set up in the yard while we were present) including a Haunted Castle every Halloween. Zephyr's ears really perked up at this news, and he obtained contact information so that he might be able to volunteer at the event. If he does, he just might encounter the ghost of the host; it wasn't publicized on our tour, but we later learned that Hammond in fact is buried somewhere at the castle.

Later in the day, the thunderstorms returned - but not before we went down to a nearby beach, and waded in the icy water.

Aug. 15

Performed for two libraries we'd never been to before. In the morning we were at Manchester-by-the-Sea, where we actually performed in the church next to the library. In the evening, we were at Billerica. This library wanted us to perform our Chinese story, "Song Of Mu Lan" and our Japanese story, "Following the Buzz". We were a bit apprehensive about this combination, which we'd never done before. But it worked out beautifully, and got an enthusiastic audience response.

Aug. 16

Returned to two libraries we've performed at before: Thayer Library in Braintree and Pratt Library in Cohasset. The latter had moved to a new location since the last time, and we showed up initially at the old site to discover that it's now a museum. But we had plenty of time to track down the new facility.

Aug. 17

After zipping from the north side of Boston to the south side, we're back up on the north side for a return engagement at the Wilmington Library. And what an occasion! The audience featured 15 people we know (met at past shows): two families from Connecticut, one family from the other side of Boston, and one family from New Hampshire. Afterward, we went out to pizza before driving down to Cape Cod.

On the Cape, we checked into the campground at Nickerson State Park, where we stayed last year.

Aug. 18

Left the campground this morning to do our show, and we received quite a shock. Remember that building at the entrance to the park where campers register? Maybe you don't, because you weren't there. Well, neither is the building anymore. What we saw upon exiting was a pile of charred rubble; the office had burned completely to the ground during the night - it wasn't even smoldering anymore. We later learned that an electric space heater was responsible. (Why on earth was it left on at this time of year??) We understand that someone was on duty around the clock, and presumably could have called the fire department immediately; thus, the flames must have spread very quickly to have gutted the building so thoroughly. What a shame - it was a quaint 50-year-old structure that had been refurbished only about a year ago.

On to our return engagement at the Brewster Ladies Library - which, despite its name, is not just for females. And after the performance, we received another shock, although this one was a bit more pleasant. In the audience were two young ladies from California: Kim (whom we knew) and her friend Kristin. Kim used to be a volunteer at the Rancho Cordova Library in Sacramento, where we've performed many times. Upon graduating high school, she went to college in southern California, majoring in English (she's obsessed with Huckleberry Finn in particular) and she's stayed in touch with Zephyr. Now she's on her way to graduate school in Buffalo; she and Kristin were planning to drop in to visit a friend in Boston, and when they found out we were performing in Massachusetts, they took a detour to see us. We were quite honored.

We invited our California guests to stay the night in our campsite. We put up a tent for them, and roasted shish kabob and vegetarian wieners over a fire, and Zephyr read them excerpts from his new book-in-progress, and a great time was had by all.

Aug. 19

We rented bicycles, along with Kim and Kristin, and rode the trail along the Cape - one of the most splendid and pleasant bike trails we've ever encountered. It's mostly shaded, winds though a variety of terrain (including parts of various towns, in case you need to stop for refreshments or band-aids) and has enough hills to keep the ride interesting without wearing you out.

Unfortunately, Kim and Kristin couldn't stay with us for the entire trek, because they had to get on to Boston. So we said goodbye to them at the Salt Pond Visitors Center, and we continued down to the beach. And a fine beach it was, with some powerful waves. although on this occasion (being a Saturday in summer) it was inhumanly crowded. Still, we couldn't resist wading in the chilly water. In fact, Zephyr couldn't resist doing more than wading. Stripping off his shirt, he plunged into the surf, trusting that he would be air-dried during the remainder of the bike ride.

On the way back, we made the mandatory stop at an ice cream stand to reward ourselves for undertaking such a workout.

When we were at Salt Pond, we made reservations for a canoe tour tomorrow morning. (We'd preferred the moonlight edition, but it was all booked up.) So it turns out we'll be on Cape Cod one day longer than expected. No complaints here. We decided to take a drive all the way to the end of the Cape, not knowing quite what to expect. But the drive was well worth it, for we discovered Provincetown, a gem of a little city at land's end.

The first thing that caught our eye was what we from a distance took to be an enormous lighthouse. But it was actually the Pilgrim Monument, an imposing monolith resembling an elongated castle that stretches 255 feet into the air, from the top of the highest hill around. It was dedicated in 1910 to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrims, who dropped into the neighborhood not long after they hit Plymouth. There is no elevator in the tower, but you can pay a few bucks to climb all the way to the top by stairs. The view surely must be worth it, but we arrived after the museum already had closed, so we were spared the temptation to put any more stress on our leg muscles today.

We did, however, park our van in the lot along with a number of other sightseers (Shh!! It's a top secret parking spot in this town in which parking spots are as rare as a raw steak.) We then walked down the hill to take a lengthy stroll.

We were immediately happy that we didn't try to drive, because the main thoroughfare was so clogged with pedestrians, that it was virtually impossible to wedge an automobile down the midst of them. But that didn't prevent a few drivers from trying, inching along at the pace of bureaucratic process. But they probably didn't mind, as they had all the more time to take in the sights.

With its blend of bohemians, artisans, partygoers, vacationers and gawkers, Provincetown reminded us of a miniature San Francisco - more specifically of Castro Street, given the large gay presence. But Provincetown was considerably more crowded than we've ever seen Castro Street, and also more varied in the types of individuals present. Quite an assortment of colorful shops, restaurants and street performers, including something we've never seen before - an opera singer performing on the street. A lanky baritone delivered such a stirring rendition of an aria from "Don Giovanni" that he caused the creeping cars to come to a complete halt, and prompted us to pony up some green paper into his hat.

The most arresting sight of all, however, had nothing to do with the city itself, although it did appear to be somehow enhanced by it: the moon, a full or approximately full moon that sat a few feet above the ocean, which was only a block away. We caught a glimpse of it through an alleyway that suddenly appeared between the densely packed buildings, and we halted in our tracks to marvel. In fact, we felt compelled to walk down to the beach and admire it at closer range. We stood and/or sat on the sand until we lost track of time, and were amazed that virtually no one else was there, when there was such a crowd only a short block away. We did note, however, that a number of other people also stopped when they reached the alley and took a moment to gaze.

There were numerous boats anchored by the beach, and we soon became aware that a man was in the water, pulling one of them in. He commented to another man waiting on shore that he had to go out up to his neck, and had to hold his phone up high to keep it dry. He then asked us if we had a cigarette, apparently thinking that such a small flame would warm him up. We regretfully (or gladly, as far as we were concerned) informed him that we were a tobacco-free family, and we asked him why he'd had to venture out into the water. He explained that the boat was in shallow water when they'd anchored it, but the water deepened quickly, and so they felt they should retrieve their craft before the task became much more problematic.

"I hope you have some dry clothes handy", Kimberly told him. "Aw, I'll be all right, he replied."

On our way back to our van (after pausing a couple of times so Dennis could take in the enticing aroma of gourmet coffee, which he feared actually drinking at such a late hour), we passed by the library, which apparently had just moved to larger quarters. We noticed a poster on the door advertising a grand opening gala that had been held last weekend. Featured guests included Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Barney Frank!

As we made our way back up the hill to our top secret parking lot, we had yet another shock: one of the back doors on our van was standing wide open! And it just happens that on this occasion, we'd been careless enough to leave some of our few valuable possessions right there by that very door! Dennis sprinted to the van and quickly inventoried things while Kimberly and Zephyr held their breath. But everything was still there! Apparently, Kimberly had not closed the door securely when she retrieved some water before we went on our walk some two hours earlier, and it had swung open. After our pulses had calmed down enough to think about anything at all, we thanked our lucky stars (or moon) that the folks who came into this parking lot tonight were so honest.

Aug. 20

Up early and back to the Salt Pond Visitors' Center for our canoe trip. It got underway about half an hour late, because one of the two rangers scheduled to be guides evidently called in sick, and it took a while to round up a substitute. But finally we were off, with a group of about 20 divided among 6 canoes. Typically, we learned, there are 3 per canoe (although sometimes 4 will be tolerated if they're not too bulky): the front and back members of the team do the paddling, and the middle member (who sits down on the deck rather than up on a seat) may also paddle if desired; otherwise, he or she just provides ballast and moral support.

So our arrangement was to have Kimberly in front, Zephyr in the center, and the other guy bringing up the rear and doing the really tough steering work. Despite some heated debates about proper paddle strokes, we managed to work quite well together; in fact, we generally were more or less leading the pack. And fortunately, the sky was mostly overcast, so we didn't get too hot. And the mosquitoes and flies we'd feared (and which our guides informed us were abundant the week before) never materialized.

On we paddled, past the lobster traps set out by local residents who have access to the beach. The salt pond is full of water and marine life flowing through an inlet from the ocean, and the daily canoe trips are scheduled when the tide is high enough to navigate around the sand bars - and even at that, we had a few hang-ups. At one point, we parked our canoes on a sandbar and got out to do some wading and some exploring for ocean life. A few people brought along little rakes, or whatever they're called, to dig for clams. And the rangers identified and talked about various other critters we found. We soon had to move the canoes to another spot because the sandbar they'd been anchored on was all underwater.

On the way back, our canoe and one holding a British family were leading the way; and as we neared the landing, the two groups launched into an undeclared race to the finish. We'd have to call it a draw; they touched the bank a couple of seconds sooner, but were a little off course, whereas we glided right onto the ramp.

Aug. 21

Spent the day in Hyannis: laundry, shopping at Trader Joe's, and research at Border's. Dennis is working on a piano arrangement of his music for "Mu Lan" to enter in a musical theatre festival in Los Angeles. Reluctantly, we said our goodbyes to Cape Cod, which (barring a side trip sometime this fall) we won't see again for two years.

Aug. 22

Plymouth, Mass. We contemplated returning to Plimouth Plantation, which we've already toured twice in the past, but which is well worth a return visit. But we decided we didn't really have time to do it justice - especially since we needed to drop back by the Cohasset Library, where we'd performed a few days ago, to pick up a set of our posters that we'd mailed there, which arrived late (We generally send laminated posters to public venues where we perform to help promote the event. But these posters are so expensive to make that we recycle them, attaching a piece of paper with information about the specific performance.) Then on to Mendon, where we had yet another return engagement.

Aug. 23

Hampstead, N.H. Visited our friends who live near a lake with a public beach. The whole neighborhood has a quaint feel to it that reminds one of the illustrations in the old Dick and Jane books. Zephyr and the other kids went swimming in the lake for a couple of hours.

Aug. 24

Still visiting our friends in New Hampshire.

Aug. 25

Drove back into Massachusetts for a return engagement at the Medford Library - the last of our 63 summer performances this year. When we came into town, we noticed heavy traffic and police substituting for traffic lights, which weren't functioning. We soon realized that in fact, electricity was out in the whole neighborhood. And that included the library. We pulled up to find the building closed, with a sign on the door saying that our performance was cancelled! Fortunately, we saw the librarian leaving, and after conferring with her, we decided to reschedule for a week later. The librarian put a new sign up notifying the public of this change, and hopefully everyone who shows up to see us tonight will return next Thursday!

Aug. 26

An attempt to do some sightseeing (or, in this case, soundhearing), with some less than spectacular results. We found out online about a curiosity called Singing Beach, near the town of Manchester-by-the Sea, where we performed recently. The report goes that the sand on this particular beach…well, SINGS, in a manner of speaking. That is, it supposedly makes a sound like a high-pitched hum. After considerable effort and driving, and getting directions from the locals, we finally found the heavily attended beach, but were still clueless about exactly where and how we were supposed to hear its song. So we asked a young man seated on a rock near the parking lot, and he explained that if you dig your heel into the sand just about anywhere, and then put your ear down to the indentation, you should be able to hear the sound. Well sir, we had a go at it, in several locations, and we began to wonder if maybe this wasn't just an urban legend or an ongoing practical joke the community plays on outsiders. (Did all the people who saw us sticking our ears to the ground go home and snicker about it?) Actually, Dennis thought at one point that he did hear something. But then, he has a bit of a problem with tinnitus.

The big shame about these fine beaches in Massachusetts is that it's often practically impossible to find parking in the lots or anywhere nearby without a resident permit. So, as much as we would have liked to reward ourselves with a dip after our lengthy and fruitless expedition, we had to drive on.

Aug. 27

Back to our friends' house in New Hampshire. Our bicycle trek on Cape Cod caused us (especially Kimberly) to be bitten by the bike bug again, and we've been shopping around to buy our own. We're interested in doing some more frequent, and more heavy-duty biking now that Zephyr's older. Found a well-equipped shop with a very helpful and informative salesman, who helped us narrow the choices down to what's right for us. But we still are hesitant to actually make the purchase, as we're also in the market for a new van.

Aug. 28

Still at our friends' house. Although we also spent some time visiting another of Zephyr's friends, who lives another 20 miles or so farther.

Aug. 29

Spent the day in Salem, New Hampshire, mostly taking care of business at Kinko's. we've been hearing about the horrible aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And we've noticed, of course, that gas prices, which already were cosmic, are shooting up even higher. Across the street from Kinko's was a gas station with a price of $2.80 for unleaded, which was the lowest price we'd seen in town. Only a couple of days ago, it was $2.56. We thought about filling up when we pulled in, even though our tank was half full (as optimists put it) but decided it could wait until later. But two hours later, as we were laboring at Kinko's, we glanced across the street, and saw that the price was now $3.06. Don't think we'll be taking any more pleasure drives anytime soon.

Aug. 30

Still hearing about the unbelievable damage from Katrina. Our nephew, a dental student in the New Orleans area, lost everything he owned - but at least he's safe, having evacuated in time.

Aug. 31

Back at Kinko's in Salem. (New Hampshire, that is; there is, alas, no Kinko's in Salem, Mass.) The price at the station across the street is now $3.16. And we've seen it much higher in other places. We only intended to spend a little time here, but ended up staying all day. Dennis was racing the clock, and encountering setback after setback after glitch, in his effort to get a packet in the mail with his music for "Mu Lan" - today is the postmark deadline for the festival he is submitting it to. Finally, he had everything ready at about 4:30, and made a mad dash to the post office - where he arrived with about 7 minutes to spare. Huzzah!

During the evening, we cooled our heels at the Barnes & Noble in Salem.

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