And to top that off

Grab your coat and get your hat...

The sun finally emerged for two days, and Jessica and I made the most of it. Yesterday and today we sat on our homestay's front lawn with knitting, crochet, and a few good books and munchies. It was perfect. Except I think I may have a sunburned face...

Trying week

Saturday we pulled into the town of Brentwood for a packed show only to discover that they were in the midst of a city-wide power outage. Being the stalwart, determined, and up-for-a-challenge team we are, we began setting up in the hopes that the power would soon be restored. Natural light is a wonderful thing. They assured us that the power company had promised light 'by 10pm.'

So we cooked, set up the house, and a general contractor brought us three generators to run the sound and lights. And we did the show. With the constant beeping of something electrical telling us that there was no power. In case we hadn't got the memo. Two somethings actually, which beeped in and out of synch with each other all day. It was very distracting onstage to be in the middle of a narration and hear *beep beep* *beep beep beep beep* *beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep* Add to that a hearing aid that whistled and all my emotional monologues were out the window. Otherwise, it was a great show and a very receptive audience. The general dismay backstage was - how on earth are we going to tear down everything and wash dishes once we take down the lighting equipment.

By flashlight and Coleman lantern. The bathrooms had two candles apiece, and stage crew kept the lights up as long as possible. Then, 15 minutes before we loaded the trailers the power returned. And the people rejoiced...

The best part of the evening was finding out that enough money had been raised not only to cover our cost, but to help the missionaries of the evening refurbish a boat they will be taking to provide transportation of medical personnel and Bibles to a set of islands that are difficult to navigate.

Old Shadows

Vanessa: "The lower half of my body is trying to secede from the union."



Vicky: "Today for some reason my skin is extra soft. It doesn't want to do it's thing."



Rachel: "May I have a wedgie?"



Chris: "You've already proved you can laugh at nothing."



Tasha: "Did you ever hear the blonde joke about the one who gets fired for throwing out all the w's? Jessica!"



Vicky: "Did you know that South Africa has the highest population of penguin poop export in the world?"



Jonathan: "Hi, I'm Jonathan. And I'm a raging alcoholic. Wait, I'm in the wrong room."



Jessica: "That's an instrument I'd really like to play is the drums. Of course I'd think I'd have to get rhythm first."



Adam: "I look like a girl with sideburns."



Aaron: "Is that patuski with one 'u' or two?"



Chris: "Acute Paranoia. I'm picturing something small and fuzzy, about three feet tall, this big, cuddly little... (indistinct baby noises)"



Chris: "If you Thai food is too spicy you risk catching Thai Food Fever."



Angie: "Jessica is vacuuming my armpits."

Vanessa: "Is it shag or pile?"

Tri tip

Tri tip!

Last night, when I didn't think I could eat adobo one more time, Tasha came with tri tip steak and salad with red wine vinaigrette. We sat banquet style and had a real feast. Around a table and everything. With silverware and napkins. We tend to eat on the go. And the sandwiches and adobo are as constant as the rising and setting of the sun. It was wonderful. And for dessert, I had several more of my sister's Pfefferneuse cookies. Or as we call them, "the-best-cookies-in-the-world."

Where are we again?

Where are we again?

We've hit that inevitable point in tour. When homestays ask us where we've been, and where we're off to next, we just look at each other and snicker.

Yesterday was long. Highway 160 closed down for no apparent reason, and making a U-turn with trailers is a challenge. The drivers won't admit that. So we detoured and added an hour to our drive time. Grusha wouldn't reroute, so we winged it. But we made it finally, and found out the church had scheduled our show to start at 7 instead of 6:30. So all was well.

One interesting thing about tour. If you say 'emergency rest room stop only' every girl will pile out of the vehicles as if California has a bathroom shortage. The guys scoff and hold it until, half an hour down the road, they have to pull over and find a bush.

Another day

I think I may have narrowed down where my purse may be. More phone calls to follow...

Drea, Jason and his friend Shane came to the show last night. It was a good show despite three days off. Except for a brief moment where the lights went up and I jumped on at least two lines in my hurry to start the narrative...

So today we head to Stockton.

The house is empty

The house is empty, and we're all alone.

Oh what a relief it is to have one's house to oneself again. Only, it isn't our house, it's someone else's. But no one is watching us eat... What else can they do really, if they're eating at the same time. But one does feel a bit like a hamster in a cage sometimes. (Oh look, they're eating! Would you take just a bit more? Would you take something else if I make it for you? My, you don't eat very much, do you? I guess if you're that small it doesn't take much, does it....) Some days I need a "Please do not tap on glass" sign. Or, like the police horses in Old Sacramento, a post-it stuck to my forehead saying "Please do not pet."

Vanessa and I stayed up far too late last night talking about everything and nothing. And this morning we presume to go to downtown Davis and walk around the shops for a bit. Then, off to set up, act, tear down, repeat 4X.

Tired of people

Today, I'm tired of people. I'm tired of being on display, and I'm tired of staying up and talking when I'd rather hide out in my room and be alone. It's part of being on tour, especially if you're an introvert. That is one thing that I've done better with than I'd expected back in August. Most days the lack of alone time doesn't bother me. In fact last tour I made it to three weeks from the end before I needed a day to myself. But today I'm tired.

We woke up this morning and drove to Sacramento (My team lost rock-paper-scissors, so we didn't get to drive. I was really looking forward to that -- it's been so pretty driving through the farmland of Northern California. More trees are in blossom every day), where we killed five hours in Old Town. Drea met us there and we went shopping. A big thanks to my brother in law, who saw my sister buying yet more patches for my jeans and told her when I came into town to buy me a new pair. So my needs were met yet again! I actually got a jean skirt for church so that my "good" pair of jeans can move down a notch.

And I've lost my purse. I'm pretty sure I've tracked it down to two churches ago. I can remember spending my last couple of dollars on a Pepsi, and I think I remember telling myself to put my purse back in my bag before I forget where I set it and lose it. But I think I set it with my stuff, which got moved three times without me there. So my wallet is gone. And why didn't I notice it sooner? Well, who needs a wallet when you don't have money to spend, eh?

Tonight Vanessa and I are staying with a woman, her son, and their college boarder. We found a Broadway Hits anthology and The Little Mermaid songbook, so we had a sing-a-long. We butchered "Kiss the Girl." We don't have enough rhythm for it. Or rather, we don't have enough for one of us to play the on beats, and one the off. And sing at the same time. I needed my dad's congas or something. Les Poissons was pretty good. Our best song of the night was Edelweiss. We got harmony going and everything.

Old Shadows

Chris: "Start with: 'We're always sick' and Julie's cross."



Johnny: "We should have a real baby."

Rachel: "Yeah, we'll get working on that."



Veteran Cast & Vanessa: "The baby's arms are missing. They've been sacrificing to the spirits a little at a time."



Vicky: "I have inzombia."



Jessica: "You can't even say, 'Where's your family?' in a group of Christans because they say, 'here.'"



Chris: "They're whoopie Christians. You sit on them and they pray."



Vicky: "Jesus, we know you healed the ten leopards..."



Adam (telling his testimony): "...And I said, screw it, and I raised my hand."



Chris: "Tomorrow? Yeah. Act."



Angie: "God is stretching us now so we'll be flexible later."



Vicky: "I speak very well English."



Aaron: "You wash your puff?"



Aaron: "My favorite was shoving the C-4 in the cram hole."



Vicky: "Alright, I'm going to go sit with people who don't give me the idiot look."

Julie: "Good Luck."



Austen: "Your scowl could kill a full grown moose."



Adam: "I need to scratch my benito."



Angie: "I'm thinking on her face."

Julie: "I can feel the words."

Flora, Myrtle, and Martha

Flora, Myrtle and Martha

My homestay for our days off was a retired widow in a trailer park. I was the only one staying with her, and it was a lot of fun. For one thing, she let me nap all day Monday. Then the sun came out briefly, and we went for a walk around the complex. It was named the nicest trailer park in the US, and I could see why. It even had a plot of land for people who wanted to plant a few tomatoes and cucumbers.

She was from Missour-a, and her sister Myrtle lived down the way. We stopped by her house to say hi on our walk, and to invite her to dinner. Their parents had 14 children, 9 girls and 5 boys, and they were all raised on a farm.

Myrtle and Martha came over for pot roast. While Flora carved the roast, the other ladies discussed a man in their small group that won't take off his hat except to pray. It seems he's self conscious about his receding hair, but "he has a wooden leg, and that doesn't seem to bother him." I pitched in and mentioned several bald actors who were quite attractive, and Martha and I had quite a discussion about Patrick Stewart.

After dinner we played Mexican Train. I was in second place by the end.

It was refreshing to be around such great older women. What our society misses by hiding away our aging population because we don't want to look mortality in the face. Plus, I got lots of tips on Medicare (which they love) and social security ("don't count on it honey. It's ok for us, but it won't help you none...").