Typical Day on the Road
March 2005
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Mar. 1
Picked up our mail today in North Las Vegas. Had an evening performance at a school celebrating Nevada Reading Week. To our astonishment, Zephyr sold 9 copies of his book. We decided we'd have to order more immediately, because his stock is dwindling fast.
Mar. 2
Our first time ever to perform for the Clark County (Las Vegas) Library System. Began with a morning show at the West Sahara branch, followed by an afternoon show at the Rainbow branch, and then an evening show at the main library. (This is the birthday of the late Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.) Zephyr continues to be the best-selling author in the family.
Mar. 3
Finished up our Las Vegas engagement with three more library performances: Whitney, Summerlin and Sunrise branches. The first two had actual theatres, complete with lighting technicians; it's not often that we have this kind of luxury! We took advantage of these setups to do some videotaping.
Mar. 4
Our last day in Las Vegas, so we decided to play tourist a bit more. On our way to The Strip, we took an exit off the freeway where we spotted a side of Vegas that few people see: a rather extensive homeless encampment, one of the most extensive we've seen in any city. An entire block of a dead-end street was lined along the sides with small tents, sleeping bags and other gear. It must be an especially miserable place to be during the scorching summer months.
Finding parking near The Strip can be a bit problematic these days, especially if you're in a van pulling a trailer. We pulled into the lot for Bellagio, and followed the signs to what was supposed to be the oversize vehicle section. But we were met by an employee who told us that we were actually in a restricted lot where they were doing some construction, and the oversize lot was a bit trickier to get to. She said she would have a security guard escort us there, so we waited a few minutes for that assistant to arrive; meanwhile, this lady copied down our license number! The security guard then conducted us to the proper lot, via a most circuitous route, where we were met by another guard who ALSO copied down our license number - and then he asked to see a driver's license. At this point, we decided that the parking experience Bellagio had to offer couldn't possibly be exquisite enough to be worth all the hassle, so we bid adieu and went to park elsewhere. We previously had considered attending an exhibit of French Impressionist paintings in Bellagio's art gallery. It would have been particularly appropriate since Zephyr has been reading up on Monet, and we recently re-viewed "Sunday in the Park With George". But we didn't want to deal with the problem of parking there, and possibly having to leave a DNA sample at the door.
Excalibur still has, as of this writing, a public-friendly lot, so we settled there. Inside Excalibur, we watched a marionette show at the upstairs stage where we've been taking Zephyr to free performances since he was about four years old. (We have a videotape of him onstage as a volunteer "assistant" for a magician.) Then we walked the rounds to Luxor and New York, New York. Zephyr, a rollercoaster fanatic, had talked about riding the Manhattan Express, the extreme coaster that begins in the casino, then zooms outside to make some steep drops and wild loops above The Strip before ending back inside; but when he saw the $12.50 price tag, he decided to reserve his funds for other uses. (When the ride first opened not so long ago, a ticket was $5.)
A stroll through MGM revealed that management still is not satisfied with the layout and décor; there is yet ANOTHER major construction project going on. A few doors down from this is the half-price ticket booth, which we decided to investigate for future reference. (You can't miss it; the building is in the recognizable shape of a well-known soft drink bottle.) Much to our chagrin, we found that tickets to "Star Trek" were available for half of what we paid! Nearby was a little booth fronting The Strip in which former baseball great Pete Rose was seated autographing photos for a mere 50 bucks a whack.
We decided to return to the Summerlin Library in the evening to attend a free performance - on the same stage where we had performed yesterday - by local high students of some skits they had written themselves. We were quite entertained; not only were some of the kids talented performers, but they also wrote some pretty good material - actually, about half the skits were written by one student (who also acted) and we think she has a real future ahead of her.
We started driving toward Los Angeles about 9:00 p.m., but decided we didn't want to go very far, so we stopped to spend the night at Primm, on the state line. Kimberly went to sleep immediately, but Dennis and Zephyr decided they were hungry, so they went for a midnight breakfast at a coffee shop in Buffalo Bill's casino-hotel. The eggs were not bad, but the potatoes seemed to have been fried in Vaseline.
Mar. 5
Headed out from Buffalo Bill's in Primm. The lobby has a display featuring the actual car in which Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed (looking somewhat like a Swiss cheese with all the bullet holes). The exhibit also features the actual shirt Clyde Barrow was wearing at the time of his death, and several items he'd made while in jail - a belt and some beadwork, for instance. He had an artistic side, and might have done something constructive with his life had he not fallen into crime.
Arrived in the Los Angeles area in the evening. (Great to be back in "blue" country again, and especially in California.) Managed to hold out on buying gas until Barstow - it was as high as 2.68 for regular between Las Vegas and L.A.
Mar. 6
Visited some of Kimberly's relatives in the Los Angeles area that we had not seen in some time.
Mar. 7
Performed at a school in El Monte, Ca. in the afternoon, then drove to an evening performance at a school in Moreno Valley - about 40 miles. When we arrived, we were informed that the performance had been rescheduled for Thursday the 10th, because we had mistakenly put that date on the paperwork that we sent back; and rather than contacting us about the discrepancy, the school just rescheduled! So then we drove some 40 miles back to square one.
Mar. 8
Visited Kimberly's aunt and uncle, two more relatives that we haven't seen in a while. He has been diagnosed with cancer, but seems to be doing quite well.
After leaving there, we stopped in our official "home", Burbank, to pick up mail. We were there for a total of about one hour, and then we were off until this time next year.
Stopped to visit some friends in the San Fernando Valley (whom, we must admit, we haven't seen in some time) who have a daughter Zephyr's age. She's still plying the film and TV trade, just as he did once upon a time.
Mar. 9
Anaheim, California. The smog is thick enough to knit a vest with. The parents dropped Zephyr off at Disneyland (his obsession) while they holed up at Kinko's.
Mar. 10
Afternoon performance at a school in Buena Park, then we drove back to the school in Moreno Valley that was rescheduled from Monday (another drive of about 50 miles). Turned out to be an excellent evening event, with a very responsive audience. Then we drove back up to the Sunland-Tujunga area of Los Angeles (about 75 miles) for tomorrow's appointment visiting some old friends.
Mar. 11
Took a morning dip in the pool at the YMCA in Tujunga, then went to visit our friends who live not far away. Spent all afternoon and part of the evening catching up - during which time we went to lunch at an excellent Middle Eastern restaurant. Then we hit the road again, after an all too brief stay in L.A., and headed toward our next engagement in Oregon. Since we plan to stop in Reno, we took the scenic route up highway 395 and spent the night in Lone Pine.
Mar. 12
The first order of the day was to return to Manzanar, the site of an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II. (See story about our previous visit.) we've been eager to see the place again, because the new visitors' center is now open. This structure is a replica of the auditorium that served the internees during the period, and was the scene of dances, concerts and high school graduations. The modern replica houses exhibits of photographs and objects from this shameful chapter in American history, as well as film clips that we'd never seen anywhere else - many of them culled from home movies. One thing that impressed us about watching this footage was what a radical transformation of the compound was carried out by the internees between its opening and its closing. In the beginning, the landscape was barren and hostile-looking, despite its proximity to the beautiful scenery of the Sierras. By the time it was over, there were trees, gardens and fountains that constituted what one former inhabitant called "a beautiful place to live". But aside from being surrounded by a fence and armed guards, one major drawback was the incessant wind, which deposited sand constantly in clothing and bedding, on floors, in food, and in eyes and lungs. Among the residents whose photos and stories are exhibited is a young Mexican American who was assumed to be of Japanese extraction, but who actually just came along for the ride to be with his Japanese-American friends. We recommend that everyone tour this facility at some time or other. It's a very saddening experience, but also a rather uplifting one. The ensuing reconciliation that has taken place between the U.S. and Japan gives one hope that maybe someday the offspring of radical Islamic fundamentalists and the offspring of radical Christian fundamentalists will be breaking bread together.
Speaking of bread, our next stop was just up the road in Bishop, home of Erik Schat's Bakkery (yes, that's how they spell it) which we also wrote about previously. We stocked up on loaves not only for ourselves, but for Kimberly's parents, whom we'll be seeing later today. This has to be the first time in our lives that we've ever spent 25 dollars just for bread. (And we consider it a bargain!)
Arrived in Reno in late afternoon, and spent the night with Kimberly's parents. We showed them the video of Kimberly's Borateem commercial, and they of course had their jaws drop to the floor. We also watched a video of their recent trip to Japan, which made us all the more eager to get over there ourselves.
Mar. 13
Still visiting Kimberly's parents. Went to our storage facility to pick up a few things, the first time we'd been there since it was burglarized last fall while we were in Massachusetts. Fortunately, nothing is missing except Zephyr's bike (which he is still indignant about, even though he never even rode the thing anymore), and we now have a much stronger lock on the door. Kimberly's great-grandmother, who lives in a retirement home not far away, came by her parents' house for a visit.
Mar. 14
After taking care of a few loose ends in Reno, we continued north on 395 to our next performance site in Bend, Oregon. But we only made it as far as Klamath Falls (which has no falls) for the night. Mar. 15
Took a detour to Crater Lake in Oregon. The south shore is open, but the north one is closed. It was easy to see why - the snow was about five feet deep in places. And the lake was spectacular in winter, as in any other season. The tip of the former volcano juts imposingly out of the water, which can reach a depth of over 1500 feet. We learned that on the weekends during the winter, there are ranger-led snowshoe walks, and we regretted that we will not be around this weekend. On into Bend for the night.
Mar. 16
Up bright and early to do two shows at a school in Bend. Just as we were leaving, the town was hit by a ferocious sandstorm, unlike anything we'd ever seen in this part of the country - it looked more like Texas or Oklahoma. At one point we hardly could see 50 feet in front of us. But it cleared up as we drove through the hills toward Eugene, although the winds still were forceful, and an occasional rock came tumbling down the hillside. In fact, one vehicle was stopped on the shoulder after apparently catching a rock through its windshield. But we made it through the pass intact.
Mar. 17
St. Patrick's Day in Eugene, one of our favorite cities. It's been our tradition ever since Zephyr was a toddler to give him a St. Paddy's Day treasure hunt, with a series of clues in verse left by "The Leprechaun". But this year, the wee little fellow left some clues that were a bit obscure, so Zephyr didn't find the goodies until after midnight.
Mar. 18
Eugene, Oregon and we're staying with Kimberly's grandmother, who's still quite spry, even though she's about to turn 88. Dennis took the van to get the transmission oil changed, and ended up going to Oil Can Henry's, a franchise apparently found only in this part of the country. It represents a colorful and quaint approach to doing business - the technicians all wear pinstripe shirts and black bow ties, with caps such as were popular during the Thirties. While he was out, Dennis also did some prospecting for a new trailer, which we really must have soon. We were hoping to buy one in Oregon because there is no sales tax here. But we're discovering that even without sales tax, the prices here are higher than the price of trailers including tax in Las Vegas. If only we'd known!
Mar. 19
Still visiting relatives in Eugene. We stayed up rather late watching comedy programs on TV - including "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?" and "Saturday Night Live". There were some very funny sketches, and we all (including Kimberly's grandmother) had aching sides by the time we went to bed.
Mar. 20
Went out to breakfast with some relatives, then pitched in to buy a new VCR for Granny's upcoming birthday. The reason we thought of this particular gift was that her old one is inoperative, and we wanted all the folks visiting to be able to watch Kimberly's childhood commercial, which they got quite a kick out of. In late afternoon, we said our goodbyes and headed up to Albany. Had a rendezvous with Kimberly's cousin, who is a truck driver and happened to be passing through. We met him at a Mexican restaurant for dinner (can't remember the last time we'd eaten out twice in one day), and then we took him back to the truck stop where he and his rig were spending the night, and where we sat talking for a couple of hours. He filled us in about the truckers' subculture, which really turned out to be rather fascinating.
Mar. 21
After sleeping in entirely too late, we performed at the Albany Main Library (for the fourth or fifth time). Afterward, we had the rare honor of being invited to dinner at the home of a family who came to the performance. Well, actually, the mother and child came while the papa was at work. Wonderful people, and they served a creative and tasty vegetarian meal. Afterward, we drove about seven miles to Corvallis (home of Oregon State University) so we could ensconce ourselves at Kinko's (which we now call Fedinko's) until closing time.
Mar. 22
Another sleep-in-late-on-a-rainy-morning in Albany. Then we performed at the downtown branch of the Albany Library, and had a pretty good turnout for such a small facility, thanks to a number of repeaters from yesterday's show. (We did different stories today.) Then we started heading still farther north, toward our next gig in Olympia, Washington.
On our way out of town, we stopped at Spray Foam, Inc. which we had noticed last night. It's a place that creates some rather imaginative structures and artwork out of foam. Zephyr was intrigued because of his obsession with haunted houses and theme parks, for which this kind of material and skill would come in quite handy. We even purchased for a dollar a chunk of scrap foam from which Zephyr (with Dad's assistance) intends to carve a skull. On to Portland, where we spent the evening in our "office", i.e., another Fedinko's. HAPPY 75 TH BIRTHDAY TO STEPHEN SONDHEIM, who surely will we be remembered as the greatest Broadway songwriter of all time.
Mar. 23
WE BOUGHT A NEW TRAILER! We'd been looking for one for quite some time, and the best deal we found was Bulldog Trailers in Chehalis, Washington. So we spent most of the day moving our possessions from the old one into the new.
Mar. 24
Olympia, Washington. After a visit to the YMCA and Kinko's, and some time rehearsing our new show, we did an evening performance for the Olympia area libraries. The show was held at a high school in Tumwater with a spacious and well-equipped theatre. The one problem was that the stage lights had been turned off, and were controlled by computer, so nobody around had access to them. We had to bring in a couple of our own clip-on lights, and one had a bad bulb, which we were unable to replace. The end result was that we ended up doing the show with only the auditorium lights on, so there was less light on the stage than anywhere. But it presented an opportunity for a couple of well-received ad libs.
Mar. 25
Arrived in Seattle, another one of our favorite places in the whole world. Stocked up on groceries at Trader Joe's, and then after a wild goose chase (which unexpectedly took us downtown, right by Pike Place Market, and may have provided us with our only real tourist view of the city on this trip) we finally found our hotel and checked in for 6 nights - a rare luxury for us.
Mar. 26
Staying at our hotel in Seattle, on a day providing the kind of heavy rain for which Seattle has a reputation, even though the actual occurrence is not that frequent. Dennis spent most of the day inside the van, giving it a long-overdue tune-up.
Mar. 27
A very rainy Easter Sunday in Seattle. We did nothing exceptional except hard-boil and hand-paint and consume some eggs. Otherwise, we spent the day mostly taking care of business. Kimberly is hard at work at her sewing machine, readying costumes for the new show.
Mar. 28
Two performances at a school in Snohomish, just north of Seattle. We did our stories at the first show and the poetry at the second show, then Dennis taught a workshop to one class. And we still made it back to our hotel by about 1:00.
Mar. 29
Two more performances - this time on the south side of town, in Puyallup. There were quite a few hearing-impaired students in the student body. On the way back, we stopped to buy more fabric for Kimberly to manufacture costumes.
Mar. 30
Back to the north side of Seattle to perform, doing a show at a school in Bothell. This time we made it back to the hotel by noon, and buckled down to our last day of staying there and getting caught up on some business. Kimberly cranked up the sewing machine into high gear.
Mar. 31
Checked out of the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle and headed up to the suburban city of Kirkland to take care of errands before our little jaunt across the border. Everything we needed - Trader Joe's, our bank, an office supply store, a Guitar Center (to take in a malfunctioning recording studio) and, of course, Peet's Coffee and Tea - are found within an area of a couple of blocks here. In the parking lot at Trader Joe's, we had a little mishap when our shopping cart rolled into someone's car, making a small dent. The owner of the car, who works in one of the stores in the shopping center, was just leaving for lunch, and so we gave her our contact information and told her to call us about the damages. Just what we need - another bill to pay! We drove on up to the vicinity of Everett, where we left our trailer with an acquaintance who has booked us a couple of times at her children's school, and was kind enough to offer her yard to deposit the trailer while we visit Canada.
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