Typical Day on the Road

February 2005

<- January 05 - February 05 - March 05 ->

Feb. 1

Another sloppy, steel-grey day in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. And then we drove up to Laurel for an evening performance at the library. We did our story about how the ice cream cone was apparently invented at the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis. Afterward, a woman came up and said that her father had attended that fair as a child, and he ate his first ice cream cone there. (See slide show of the Ice Cream story)

Feb. 2

Covington, Louisiana. We decided that since this would be the closest we get to New Orleans this time around, we would have our traditional beignets and New Orleans-style coffee at a café here called The French Quarter. They were excellent, although the beignets were absolutely choked with powdered sugar. We got the beignets in a to-go bag, and after we ate them, there was - no exaggeration - half a pound of sugar left in the bag.

Thus properly fortified, we drove on to Houston.

Feb. 3

Three performances at a school in Humble, Texas -just north of Houston. Read an interesting article in the local paper about the singer known as The Big Bopper, who died in 1959 in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. He was a native of Beaumont, not far from here, and he apparently was working on the idea of developing music videos!

Feb. 4

Returned to the school in Humble for a full day of teaching writing workshops to fourth-graders. A fun and productive day. Started driving toward New Mexico. It's 900 miles to our next scheduled stop, and much of it will be along the infamous I-10 route across Texas. But we have 6 days to do it, so we plan to divide it up and make some tourist stops along the way.

Feb. 5

San Antonio. Our first layover of our long drive to New Mexico. Spent some time at a Kinko's, which may be the last one we see for a few days.

Feb. 6

Despite sleeping in rather late after staying up working until about 2:00 a.m., we took the van in to a Goodyear shop to have them investigate a noise in a rear wheel. After spending most of the afternoon there, we were informed that the bearings were bad, and we would need to bring it back tomorrow. So looks like we'll be sticking around San Antonio longer than expected. It was Super Bowl Sunday, so the TV was blaring in the waiting room - it was still hours before game time, but the commentators were doing their pre-analysis from every possible angle. Too bad we weren't there at halftime - we hear Paul McCartney was scheduled to perform.

This evening we watched a DVD of the 1987 film "Five Corners", with Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro, and script by playwright John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck"). An odd mixture of fine ingredients that never quite came together.

Feb. 7

Back to the shop at 8:00 a.m., and ended up staying TEN HOURS. Not only the bearings, but also the axle and a drum had to be replaced. Hey, we were itching to get rid of $784. Every time some new customer would enter the waiting room, they would turn on the infernal TV (which we kept turning off after they left). This was a weekday, so we were served from a menu of soap operas, game shows, makeovers and half-hour infomercials. If there's anything more entertaining than the pre-game commentary for a football game, it's watching someone get their hair styled or extol the virtues of Hair Club for Men. At least we brought in plenty of work to keep us busy, even if concentration was difficult.

After finally getting our van back well after 6:00, we went to a YMCA, then back to Kinko's for a while before hitting the road.

Feb. 8

Finally leaving San Antonio behind, without doing any of the tourist activities we'd intended to do. Our van had other plans for us.

Did grocery shopping in Bourne, Texas, where we saw a great deal of quaint houses with stone fences around them. One of them - actually an old homestead consisting of several building - appeared to be a historic site in the state of pre- or post-preservation, but no signs were visible stating what it was or used to be; only several signs that said "Private Property, Keep Out". And with good reason: the complex was situated right next to a brand-spanking new Wal-Mart Supercenter, quite a jarring juxtaposition.

Headed out on I-10, the monotonous drive across Texas that is enlivened only by an occasional small town and an occasional flock of sheep grazing in a ravine. Today, there was a heavy fog, which made the landscape a bit more interesting.

At the junction of 285, our next route, we stopped at a little truck stop in Fort Stockton for gas and to heat up dinner in a microwave. There were tables with phones on them and Internet connections, so Kimberly took her laptop in to catch up on some email. Seated at a table next to her was a man who appeared to be schizophrenic. He was quite articulate, but he made numerous calls on the telephone at his table, leaving long rambling messages on the voicemail of various government officials. The thrust of his messages was that he was under surveillance and his life was in danger, and his calls to the 700 Club were being routed to the FBI. (Well, actually, maybe that last one isn't so far-fetched.)

Feb. 9

Carlsbad, New Mexico - Had considered touring the caverns again, as we did five years ago, but decided for various reasons to bypass it this time. Stopped in town to do our laundry and check our email at the library, where we said hello to the librarian who booked us previously.

Feb. 10

Roswell, New Mexico - Naturally, we visited the UFO Museum, as we did five years ago. Quite a fascinating place, with various documents exhibited on the walls that present a pretty strong case for the claim that a UFO really did crash in 1947. Of course, there are also plenty of inconsistencies and reasons to doubt, but there are too many things that can't be explained away. One room in the museum showed films continuously, and one of them (which we watched) was " Roswell", the Showtime movie of a few years ago.

Across the street was a music store where Dennis found, finally, a method book for the flute he bought on ebay a couple of months ago. He used to play the flute years ago, but has forgotten a great deal, and now he's trying to renew his skill on that instrument.

Tonight we happened upon a movie theatre and decided to see "Coach Carter", which turned out to be far better than we expected. It's a very moving tale based on a true story about a basketball coach a few years ago in an impoverished neighborhood of Richmond, Ca. - just outside our old stomping grounds of San Francisco. Outstanding performances all around.

Feb. 11

Ruidoso, New Mexico - A ski resort town in the mountains, near Ruidoso Downs racetrack and the Billy the Kid Casino. (Perhaps an appropriate name for an establishment that takes the public's money on such a large scale.) We picked up mail at the post office, went grocery shopping, then checked into a resort where we'll be staying for the next week, courtesy of some relatives who own a time-share. Sitting in the office during check-in, Dennis was reading a newspaper near a candle on the counter, when the paper dipped into the flame and ignited. Later, in our suite, he set off the fire alarm by igniting a log in the fireplace and thinking that the damper was open when it was closed. Yes, the unit has a fireplace, as well as a separate bedroom, a fully equipped kitchen, and an elegant Southwestern décor. Looks like an excellent place to cool our heels for the next week.

Feb. 12

Ruidoso, N.M. Still enjoying our "vacation" digs (where we're actually holed up getting a great deal of work done). The name Billy the Kid crops up quite a bit in this community - isn't it sad how often the bad guys get the press? Nearby is Dowlin's Mill, which was a hideout of the notorious outlaw, and where he allegedly once hid in a barrel of flour while pursued by a posse. We are in Lincoln County, site of the infamous Lincoln County War, which earned The Kid much of his fame. Sheriff Pat Garrett, who ended the young outlaw's life, was also a visitor to the mill, which apparently was a tourist magnet even in the old days, hosting suppers and dances.

Feb. 13

Still at the Pinecliff Village in Ruidoso, NM. Watched "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", another brilliant film from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich"). It has an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay, but it should have been nominated for best picture as well.

Feb. 14

Still in our digs in Ruidoso on Valentine's Day. Dennis surprised Kimberly by playing a videotape he recently ordered of old TV commercials; actually, he didn't play the whole thing - just the part with the Borateem commercial that she made when she was three years old. he'd been trying secretly to obtain a copy for years, and finally succeeded. It was the first time either of them had seen it in decades, and the first time Zephyr had seen it at all. Later, we watched "Sophie's Choice" which seemed like an appropriate choice for Valentine's Day, even though - or perhaps because - it's such a tear-jerker.

Feb. 15

Ruidoso, NM, where we're acquiring some habits we may regret later - like staying up late and sleeping in accordingly. And watching television, and movies on the VCR. And in general basking in a vacationer's lifestyle that is rather luxurious by our usual standards. But it's certainly not all play - we're getting a great deal of business work done during this week with no performances and nowhere we have to drive. Tonight's movie offering was "Sunday in the Park with George", a taped live performance of the original cast (including Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, and the future Data of "Star Trek", Brent Spiner). What a Sondheim masterpiece! (But that's redundant, isn't it?) We saw the touring Broadway production in San Francisco many years ago, and we still love it just as much as we did then. "Stop wondering where you're going - move on! If you could know where you're going, you've gone." Is that us, or what? (NOTE: Even if you're completely unfamiliar with the show, you still may have heard one of the songs: "Putting It Together" was used in a Xerox commercial a few years back. Sad, but true.)

Feb. 16

Day 6 in Ruidoso. We received a rather bizarre email today, from the Hollywood producers of the TV reality show "Trading Spouses", and they want to consider putting us on the show. They've apparently looked over our web site and are quite familiar with what we do, and still think we would be interesting candidates. No, this is not a joke, although we certainly laughed it off at first. And then, of course, we started speculating about what it really would be like, and what could we learn from it, and maybe we could finally take that trip to Japan with the money. Isn't it just disgusting enough to be intriguing? Tonight's Blockbuster Theatre screened "The Pianist", which won an Oscar for one of our favorite actors, Adrien Brody. The holocaust seems to be the featured subject this week.

Feb. 17

Last full day in Ruidoso. Our evening movie was "Adaptation", which won a long-overdue Oscar for another of our favorite actors, Chris Cooper. Charlie Kaufman seems to be the featured screenwriter this week. And Meryl Streep seems to be the featured leading lady.

Feb. 18

Said goodbye to Pinecliff Village in Ruidoso, and drove north to Albuquerque, arriving just in time for dinner.

Feb. 19

A rainy day in Albuquerque, but we managed to find a dry spot to rehearse for our new show.

Feb. 20

Still in Albuquerque. Went to see the film "Million Dollar Baby", with which we were quite impressed on all counts. We see the potential for several Oscars. Also went to the YMCA, where we got in a good swim. It was just about the first time we can recall actually witnessing lifeguards going into the water. A young girl was in trouble of some kind, and both guards were in the pool in half a wink.

Feb. 21

Albuquerque, NM. Found a Wild Oats store and stocked up on some groceries. Today is a holiday, so some businesses are closed, but not the ones we need. Across the street was a Kinko's, so of course we spent several hours at the office.

Feb. 22

Still in Albuquerque. Took a stroll through the Petroglyph Monument area to view some of the stone inscriptions left by inhabitants of the region many centuries ago. Unfortunately, they've been somewhat marred by stone inscriptions left by inhabitants of just a few years ago. Stopped by the library where we've performed a couple of times in nearby Rio Rancho, to say howdy to the librarians. And then we started driving to our next gig, stopping for the night in Grants, NM.

Feb. 23

Finished driving to Farmington, site of our next performances.

Feb. 24

Two performances for the Farmington Library - one in the morning and one in the evening. So we were able to spend the entire day in our favorite library building in the whole country. What a fabulous facility! Zephyr brought in copies of his book to make them available for sale, and sold seven copies! Patrons of the Farmington Library will also be able to check out one of our Know Fooling CDs. After the show, we started driving west, spending the night in a little town in Colorado.

Feb. 25

Woke up this morning to find that it was snowing, and a little had accumulated during the night. Also the temperature was quite chilly. Had intended to tour Mesa Verde in Colorado, but decided to postpone it for a less wintry day. So on we drove, past the Ute Casino with a campground next to it. We spent a July 4th there a few years ago, camping in a genuine teepee. (After Dennis shoveled dirt around the bottom edge to make certain it was well-sealed against snakes, scorpions and tarantulas.) We witnessed a wonderful fireworks display, right in our "back yard" - as well as a number of other festivities, including a memorable tug-of-war tournament. But now, alas, our teepee is gone. Onward to Four Corners, the only place in the country where four states come together (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona). As always when we go there, we each did a back-bend with a different limb in each state.

It's also our custom to purchase some of the delicious fried bread sold by Native Americans (Navajo?) peddling their wares at the site. But on this chilly day, only a couple of craftsmen were on hand selling their jewelry - mostly staying in their pickup trucks to stay warm. To our huge disappointment, the concession stands all were closed. Continued driving into Utah, hoping to pass through Zion National Park, even if it was after dark. But when we got to the fork in the road leading into it, we saw a sign stating that SR-9 was closed (because of a rockslide, we later learned). So we had to turn around and retrace our route a bit before resuming our trip toward Las Vegas.

Feb. 26

Pulled into Mesquite, Nevada about noon (after a time zone change) hoping to get a room for a couple of nights before continuing to Las Vegas for our next series of performances. But for some reason, the hotels were all sold out or charging outrageous rates for the weekend. So we just headed on into Vegas.

Feb. 27

Las Vegas. Spent the afternoon prospecting for a new trailer, but without much success. Tonight was Oscar night, and we were pleased to see the awards that "Million Dollar Baby" won. In fact, for once we were in agreement with almost all the awards (except of course it's a disappointment that "Fahrenheit 911" was ineligible). The one notable exception is that we would have preferred to have "Series of Unfortunate Events" win for best musical score; but "Finding Neverland" was not a bad alternative.

Feb. 28

More trailer shopping in Las Vegas, and a trip to Trader Joe's - the first one we've seen in months. Hallelujah! Dennis took Zephyr to indulge in a couple of tourist activities on the North end of The Strip. First, there was Circus Circus, where they watched a unique juggler who bounced tennis balls off a keyboard on the floor, playing tunes quite adroitly. They also played a couple of games on the Midway, and Zephyr bagged yet another stuffed animal to add to his teeming collection. The next stop was the Hilton, home of Star Trek: The Experience. We'd already done this attraction a few years ago, shortly after it opened. But now, in addition to the "Klingon Encounter" ride originally featured, there is a "Borg Invasion" in "4D". Both attractions are quite fun, but the price tag is a bit steep. (The ticket is good for all day, however, and Zephyr went through each one twice. He would have done them even more, but the wait in line was rather long, and we had to get on to our business elsewhere.)

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