Typical Day on the Road
July 2006
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July 1
Dennis and Kimberly are kidless at the moment, with Zephyr visiting friends in L.A. So we returned to Panera in Lakewood, spending most of the day doing computer work. We were next an Air Force base, so military personnel, in and out of uniform, also frequented the place.
Capped off the day with a visit to the local YMCA where we saw something we don't see every day: a man getting his workout by pulling a van through the parking lot with a rope. There was another man inside the van to guide it, and a third one ahead of the puller to keep the rope straight. Interesting concept - let's all try it!
July 2
Still in Lakewood, this time spending most of this hot Sunday at Barnes & Noble. Wanted to go to a movie - either "Prairie Home Companion" or "An Inconvenient Truth" - but neither was playing anywhere close to us.
July 3
Spent most of the day at the library in Federal Way, where we've performed in the past a couple of times.
July 4
Drove back to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport to pick up Zephyr, flying in from L.A., where he's been spending the past few days visiting friends.
Then we headed down the coast to a campground a few miles away from our first show tomorrow. In the evening, there were fireworks displays surrounding us in just about every direction.
July 5
Back to work after having a few days off from performing. Had two shows today, in the small towns of Oakville and Salkum. The latter library was in a building that formerly housed a service station. The glorious cool weather of the Pacific Northwest has returned, at least for the time being.
July 6
Two shows at the library in Olympia, where we met up with Carrie, the librarian who recommended us for these summer shows. She's still amused by the last time we were here, and had to perform on a stage without lights. We think it's funny too, now.
July 7
Had a day off from performing, so we finally were able to catch the film "An Inconvenient Truth", which has been disappointingly difficult to find in the theatres. As you probably know, it's a documentary that follows "recovering politician" Al Gore's campaign to inform the public about global warming -- a campaign that actually predates his political career, and a cause to which he's returned with a passion now that he's retired from politics. As he relates in the film, he tried to get Congress interested in addressing the problem when he first came to Washington, but his warnings were met with yawns and snickers. Unfortunately, there is a widespread human tendency to ignore the writing on the wall until faced with dire consequences. It's comparable to what happened with the link between smoking and lung cancer, a parallel that strikes especially close to home for Mr. Gore, since his family did not stop farming tobacco until his sister died from lung cancer -- an inconvenient truth that he fully fesses up to.
The film is mostly quite entertaining as it informs, and it deflates a number of common misconceptions about global warming, such as
(A) "The reality of the threat is doubtful".
While the media may try to convince you otherwise -- the film notes that 53 percent of the news stories on the issue have cast doubt on its validity -- it's virtually impossible to find a competent scientist who will dispute the data, which is hard and quite extensive.
(B) "Carbon levels in the atmosphere are caused by natural rather than human processes."
It's not multiple choice. Layers of arctic ice that gauge both the temperatures and the atmospheric composition for the past 650, 000 years confirm that fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels, which are invariably followed by fluctuations in temperature, do occur naturally. But current levels are more than twice as high as they've ever been before -- and climbing rapidly.
(C) "The danger is minimal and has been greatly exaggerated."
Nope. Quite the opposite. If the present course continues, some of the world's most populous regions, including large parts of China and India, will be forced to evacuate. And don't think the U.S. is immune, either. Most of Manhattan, for example, will end up under water.
(D) "There's nothing we can do about it."
In fact, there are a number of measures, some as simple as planting trees and keeping your car tuned properly, that would eliminate the threat entirely. As Mr. Gore states in perhaps the movie's most memorable line, "We have everything we need to solve the problem, save perhaps for the political will. But you know what -- in America, political will is a renewable resource.
(E) "Correcting the problem would be too great an economic burden."
This isn't even a legitimate argument, since wealth is hardly much good if you don't survive to use it. But it's also false. Assuming greater ecological responsibility actually would open new economic avenues. There is the prospect, for example, of marketing American automobiles to a number of countries where they currently can't be sold because they don't meet strict enough emissions standards.
Kites,
kites,
and more Kites!
Parachuting Teddy Bears
A teddy bear finds a good home with a girl from Norway.
We urge everyone to see this important film if possible. Or at least visit climatecrisis.net. You don't even have to like Al Gore in order to be impressed.
End of sermon.
July 8
We made our way back to Westport, where we attended a kite festival, and saw more kites assembled in one place than we'd ever seen before. There was quite a variety, including some that actually were balloons instead of kites. But nobody complained. One of the most fun activities was a teddy bear drop, wherein kids (up to age 9, unfortunately, so Zephyr couldn't participate) tried to catch a teddy bear "parachuting" from a kite. And they got to keep the bear, whether they caught it or not. Good thing, because none of them actually did catch their bear -- although some might have if the teenage boys "helping" hadn't gotten in their way and caught it for them.
Dennis and Zephyr tried to take a dip in the ocean, but it turned out to be much colder than any water they'd swum in before -- even in Massachusetts!
July 9
After Zephyr's insistent prodding for the past few days, we finally went to see the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. It was quite a disappointment, especially since we enjoyed the first one so much. But this one had very little to recommend it -- the whole thing was just a setup for the next sequel, which we hope will be much better. Even Johnny Depp was flatter than balsa wood, after a performance in the first film that REALLY should have won the Oscar.
July 10
Performed at Mary Knight School near Matlock for the Timberland Library System. The audience consisted mostly of summer students at the school. It's a small school (consisting apparently of lower grades as well as high school) and a very old one, with class pictures on the walls going back to the Twenties, and a couple of graduating classes had only two students each. The mascot of Knight School, by the way, is… the OWLS! (Get it?)
July 11
Another performance at a school, this time Lake Quinault School in Amanda Park. It's reservation territory, but this is one instance in which the Native Americans ended up surrounded by gorgeous scenery instead of on harsh land that nobody else could use for anything. After our performance (which we presented in the school gym flanked by a giant moose head mounted on the wall on either side of us -- another first) we decided to spend the afternoon communing with nature.
The area around Lake Quinault receives up to 12 feet of rain per year, which might be annoying to many people, but it contributes to some lush vegetation. In fact, there is an honest-to-goodness rain forest here, and we couldn't resist taking a hike through it. We encountered very few critters -- not even many birds -- but a botanist's paradise in the midst of streams and cataracts. It was quite refreshing, and we ended the hike with a big hug for the world's largest spruce tree.
July 12
Two more Timberland performances. The first was in Hoodsport, a cozy little town on the waterfront, apparently a favorite day trip destination for Seattle residents who crave a breath of non-city air. The second show was in Shelton.
Later in the day, we drove on into Winlock, site of the first performance tomorrow. A rather small town, but we wanted to scout out the library and the parking situation. Across the street from the library was a business, still open even though it was nearly ten o'clock, that can only be characterized as unique. Apparently, it's a dance hall of sorts, and a rather roomy one, but the front of the building is also an antique/curiosity shop. A number of old guitars and other musical instruments were on display (Zephyr bought a new set of strings for his guitar) as well as LP records. And various collectibles and oddities are placed throughout the building, which reminds us of some movie set for a movie that perhaps hasn't been filmed yet.
July 13
Winlock and Tenino libraries -- two more notches on our Timberland belt.
July 14
After picking up our mail in Olympia (Huzzah!) we went to the Tumwater Library, for the first of our two performances there. (The second will be next week.) And then, after stocking up at Trader Joe's in Federal Way, we made our way into Seattle, where we'll be performing at the Main Library tomorrow.
Tonight, we attended a show at the library by Harry and the Potters, a pair of rockers from Massachusetts who dress like (and do songs about) you know who. While we're rather ambivalent about the whole concept of piggybacking, there's no doubt it works; these lads drew a huge audience of teens (a difficult demographic to reach), many of them dressed in wizard hats, Hogwarts capes, etc. In fact, they've inspired spinoff groups; their opening act was another duo called Draco and the Malfoys. And we seem to have heard of other groups cashing in on the trend as well.
Hey, is it too late to change our name to Voldemort and the Death Eaters? Or maybe Cornelius and the Fudge?
July 15
Although we appeared at several branches of the Seattle Library 5 years ago, today was the first time we've ever performed at the Central Library. And we're happy to report that it went capitally. A very large audience was in attendance, and they were quite responsive. We were in an enormous auditorium (Microsoft Auditorium, it's called, and coincidentally Mr. Gates is a resident of the area.) with a very steeply sloping bank of seats, but it worked out fine.
The audience included some relatives of ours -- the ones from Wenatchee whom we visited a few weeks ago, and cousin Steve, a Seattle resident whom we hadn't seen in a few years. Ten-year-old McKenzie was our special guest star, speaking lines in the show that we normally distribute among several kid volunteers, and she handled it with gusto.
Afterward, a woman from the audience came up and introduced herself, and were we ever shocked -- she was a cast member in the first production we ever mounted -- 18 years ago in San Francisco! (In our pre-Zephyr days, we would hire another man and another woman to round out the cast in our shows. And in that first production, several of them came and went during the one-year run.) And she came today with her husband and daughter, not even realizing that it was us she was coming to see!
Off to Bellevue, where our folks are staying in a hotel suite. And where we all put in some time at the pool and the not-so-hot tub.
July 16
The first order of business today was to tackle an RV problem. Yesterday, the "house" battery suddenly went dead. (Not the one that starts the engine, but the one that runs the refrigerator, water pump, water heater, interior lights, etc.) So, with a refrigerator freshly stocked with the results of a record-setting shopping spree at Trader Joe's, our refrigerator was inoperative.
We went to an auto parts store, and had them test the battery; it was indeed dead, but not incapable of resurrection. So it was recharged, and in the meantime, we cleaned some corrosion off the terminal cables and hoped that would do the trick.
Then we headed back into Seattle with our extended clan to attend the Pacific Science Museum with the kids. There was an exhibit of video game technology, with a number of games from the entire history of the medium, and Zephyr got very involved in playing them. He also was impressed by the world's largest electric guitar, about 30 feet long.
The science museum is part of Seattle Center, a complex that includes theatres, the Experience Music Project (which we're saving for a lengthier visit), Fun Forest Amusement Park, and The Space Needle. It was all the more festive today because there was a French Festival going on in honor of Bastille Day (two days ago). The activities included an exhibit of a quaint collection of classic French automobiles.
July 17
Back down to the Long Beach area, where we found a campground in Ocean Park, just a couple of blocks from tomorrow's first library. It's also just a short bike ride from the ocean. We spent most of the day catching up on laundry, which has been piling up since the last Ice Age.
July 18
Two more Timberland performances: Ocean Park and Naselle. (That's not pronounced like "nasal", but has the accent on the second syllable.) Then we headed to Aberdeen, and ensconced ourselves in the mall where saw the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film. The food court has wireless access, so we were able to do some computer work while Zephyr went to see the new "Superman" movie. On the wall nearby is a display of photographs from Tom Cruise Day, which was held here on May 6 to promote the opening of "Mission Impossible III". Yep, Cruise was actually here, turning this sleepy little mall into a beehive of fans, media and a marching band or two.
July 19
Afternoon performance at the Aberdeen Library, and then an evening performance at the Tumwater Library, our second appearance here in as many weeks. We had some kids who attended last week's show return so they could learn a part and be in tonight's show.
July 20
Had the day "off", as it were, so we holed up at Uncommon Ground, a wireless coffee house in Tumwater. The manager also owns a recording studio, and so Dennis and Zephyr talked shop with him a bit about the music business.
Spent the evening in Barnes & Noble in Olympia, then headed north a few miles for tomorrow's show.
July 21
Had a show at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds near Elma, for the Elma and McCleary libraries combined. The audience consisted mostly of a local youth group, and they were rather responsive despite the oppressive heat. This is the first truly tropical day we've had this summer, and we've considered ourselves fortunate when we've been hearing about the record-shattering heat, and flooding, that are occurring in the places where we normally perform during the summer. (But global warming is just an alarmist myth, eh?) Today, we performed inside a large pavilion without air conditioning and fans, and even though we had air circulating through a loading door, the temperature probably broke triple digits even on the inside. It certainly did on the outside.
This is one of those quaint old fairground facilities that take you back to another era, and judging by some old photos on a wall, it's had a rich history indeed. There's a racetrack where horses galloped at one time, and there are stables still standing, but apparently that's in the past, as the track has been "modernized" to accommodate races by horseless carriages instead. Indeed, there's going to be an auto event this very weekend, and the grounds crew is readying for it.
We noticed that there were a number of camping spots for RVs, and only one was occupied, so we inquired in the office and learned that the cost is only 15 dollars per night, which is very reasonable these days. So we opted to stay here for the night, parking our rig in the one shady spot we could find, under some trees just between the dairy barn and goat shed. We were also near a small stage, so Zephyr couldn't resist dragging out his electric guitar, amp and fog machine, and putting on a dress rehearsal for a rock show.
July 22
More record heat. Ouch. Made our way back to Olympia, where we spent much of the day cooling our heels in a cozy air-conditioned coffee shop, doing computer work.
July 23
Ditto yesterday. Thank heavens there are so many coffee shops out there willing to tolerate us all day.
Zephyr finished reading "The Da Vinci Code" aloud to us (he'd already read it himself), and we were quite impressed with this masterpiece of a novel, featuring more twists and turns than a corkscrew factory, as well as touching characterization - you actually end up feeling sorry for the killer. It reminded us of how enriching an experience it is for families to read to each other, an old fashioned activity that alas has fallen out of favor in this high-tech age.
Mexican Gray Wolf 
July 24
Back to Tenino to visit Wolf Haven, a sanctuary for wolves. About 3 years ago, we toured Wolf Park in Indiana, but this facility is rather different. With about 40 wolves, plus a few coyotes, Wolf Haven helps preserve endangered wolf species (including the Mexican Gray Wolf, an extremely rare variety, with only about 30 left in the wild and about 300 in captivity - and we saw one of them). It also provides a haven for particular wolves that have had too much contact with humans, and can't be reintroduced into their natural habitat. Some of them have been abused/neglected by previous owners. One animal (which apparently wasn't even a wolf but a dog) was left tied to the gate of Wolf Haven with a note asking them to take care of it.
Which brings us to another objective of this operation: to educate the public about these critters. Wolves have been given a very bad reputation that they rarely deserve. Just think about the folklore: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, werewolf legends, and rumors of lupine meals of livestock. Can you think of a single bit of folklore that casts them in a favorable light?
There are many possible reasons for this. It could have something to do with the wolf's predatory nature, or its tendency to live in packs. It could have stemmed from an occasional encounter with a rabid specimen. Or the wolf could have been used as a scapegoat (scapewolf?) to blame for savage attacks by humans on other humans.
Whatever the root of the misconceptions, wolves are almost never a nuisance, but are almost always depicted as such; and facilities like Wolf Haven perform a valuable service in getting the public better acquainted with them.
July 25
Visited the sculpture park just outside Tenino, somewhat like the one in St. Louis. (For such a small community, Tenino seems to have a great deal going for it.) Except this one seems to be an artists' colony as well. We especially enjoyed playing with the musical sculptures, including a couple of giant wooden "ladders" that actually were xylophones.
On into Yelm, site of tomorrow's performances. Discovered The Blue Bottle, a charming little coffee shop with wi-fi. Zephyr attended not one, but two movies today.
July 26
Two performances at the Yelm Library, and had a pretty good turnout for both. One daycare group that attended the first show voted unanimously to return to the second. Indeed, we are quite pleased with the fact that at each of the 5 venues this summer at which we've done repeat performances, we've had repeat audience members! And now we are done with the Timberland Libraries, so we started heading south into the nice warm weather. Our destination for tonight was Eugene, where we stopped in to visit Kimberly's grandmother. Dennis picked up his "backpacker" style guitar that he had shipped there - it was for sale dirt cheap at the Fremont Fair in Seattle, and he couldn't resist. (They were sold out at the fair, so that's why it had to be shipped.) So now father and son can have dueling guitars!
July 27
Said goodbye to Kimberly's grandma and headed out toward the coast, after stocking up at Trader Joe's in Eugene. We also went downtown hoping to find a place to get online, but were unsuccessful. Dennis and Zephyr went into one of their favorite music stores for a few minutes and drooled over the extensive collection of used instruments, some of them rather exotic and rare. (Need a good deal on a sitar or harmonium? We know where to send you!)
We reached Highway 101 along the coast and started south hoping to get to Brookings tonight, but we started running out of gas, and upon learning that we had at least 50 miles to the next station that would be open at night, we elected to pull over for the night in a little town along the way.
July 28
Filled our gas tank and our propane tank at the same station, and continued along 101. We were glad that we were able to do this drive in the daytime, because the view along the coast is just splendid.
We arrived at the library in Brookings hours ahead of schedule (it was a 4:00 show) and so we had time to catch up on some computer work. We received the royal treatment from the librarian, who really knows how to run events like ours, and we had an excellent turnout, with a very responsive audience. We also got ourselves booked to come back here in October!
We just had to do our Japanese story today, because there is an interesting Japanese connection here. During World War II , Brookings actually was bombed by a Japanese pilot. Twenty years later, he returned to visit the community, one of several visits he'd make in friendship. He also hosted three students from the area in his home in Japan. And he donated and dedicated to the city his treasured 400-year-old samurai sword, which now rests in a display case in this library.
The weather was quite cool most of the day - this is the way summer should be!
July 29
Crescent City, California. This town was hit by a tsunami in 1964, following an earthquake in ALASKA. We dropped into the visitors' center for the National Park Service to plan our route to see the incomparable California redwoods.
But the day began rather disturbingly, at the 101 Laundromat. It wasn't that doing laundry itself was so bad, but this establishment made us feel most unwelcome. First, after we'd been washing our clothes for a while, a policeman came and asked us how much longer we'd be there. It seems the owner of the place was concerned about us taking up too many parking spaces. Actually, we were occupying three spaces, and we were situated in such a way that other vehicles could share at least one of those by parking beside us - indeed, a couple of vehicles had done just that. But the real issue is that the owner would call the police instead of just speaking to us. Anyway, the policeman indicated that we should be okay the way we were for the hour or so that it would take us to complete our laundry; and then he left. But shortly thereafter, a lady working in the Laundromat yelled at us that we needed to move our vehicle, because a handicapped customer was unable to access a parking spot, and had to park across the street. We, of course, were nowhere near the handicapped zone; but other people had parked there, and she apparently decided that we, somehow, were to blame. Trying to be accommodating, we moved around to the back of the building (after which there were a total of NINE consecutive empty spaces) but in the process - and under the guidance of another laundromat worker - scraped the side of our RV against a railing, causing at least 200 dollars in damage to our vehicle. Needless to say, this is not a business that we intend to patronize in the future.
After catching up on some wi-fi work at a coffee shop, we continued down the coast, looking for a place to get some bike riding done. And we found one, not a very long trail, but a bit of a strenuous workout, part of it on a cliff overlooking the ocean. We also pursued a steep trail down to the beach itself, a beautiful beach that was practically deserted (Shh!! Don't tell anyone it's there.) Nearby was one of the best places to watch a sunset that we've ever stumbled upon, up on a grassy knoll above the ocean. Kimberly tried to fly the kite we purchased at the festival in Westport, but the breezes just wouldn't cooperate. We did, however, spot some whales, even though it wasn't really whale-watching season. But they evidently didn't know they weren't supposed to be there, and put on quite a show, thrashing about and thrusting their tails - and sometimes even most of their bodies - above the water.
Continuing down the coast, we found a pleasant place to spend the night, parked by the beach with the surf lulling us to sleep.
July 30
Blessed be, we have a respite from the merciless heat, driving along the coast - and even more so because we're heavily canopied by the humongous trees. In fact, we took a 32-mile drive along the Avenue of the Giants, the stretch of towering redwoods in Humboldt County. We stopped a couple of times to explore brief hiking trails, and to climb on top of a fallen giant, about 10 feet in diameter and heaven knows how long - it probably still had some tufts of cloud caught in its branches. We also stopped at the famous drive-through tree, although we were unable to drive through ourselves, because the opening is not made to accommodate anything bigger than a Toyota. This tree, though hollow, is still standing after 5000 years. It got its start not long after human civilization did. (And from the looks of the graffiti on it - not only written but carved - the tree has made more progress than civilization has.)
Hiking through a redwood forest is a profound spiritual experience that one cannot help being moved by - and which one hardly has the words to describe. Just ask anyone who's spent a good deal of time doing it:
"I feel most emphatically that we should not turn a tree which was old when the first Egyptian conqueror penetrated to the valley of the Euphrates…into shingles."
--Theodore Roosevelt
"The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always…from them comes silence and awe. The most irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect."
--John Steinbeck
And thanks to an allusion in a brochure describing ranger programs, we were reminded of someone who almost certainly didn't:
"If you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all."
--Ronald Reagan
July 31
Having explored the prime territory for Bigfoot sightings without glimpsing a single hair of the critter, we settled for the day in Ukiah, camping at the RV park at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. Farther into town, we encountered a very interesting sight: an old gas station that had been fashioned out of the enormous trunk of a redwood. It's now a mini-museum.
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