Nogales

So yesterday we went to Nogales, Mexico. It was interesting. I bought an anklet (down from $6 each to 3 for $5) just to get the experience of bartering (although the acual haggling was expertly done by Walter and Nicole. I walked around trying not to get accosted, and Vicky took Walter's injunction to "not speak to anyone" seriously to a fault. But after a few minutes we got into the swing of things, and stood back and watched Nicole at work. She didn't want anything, she'd just pick something up, smile when they set a price, and walk away. She got a guy down from $34 to $12.50 in thirty seconds flat without even saying anything.

After that we crossed the train tracks and went to eat at La Roca. I had my first non-Taco Bell gordita. It was excellent, as was the tortilla soup with a mysterious spice in a dish on the side. That was good too. We finished it off with some cheesecake. How awesome, and another country to color in on my map.

Grand Canyon

We went to the Grand Canyon. Grand isn't a big enough word. It was so colossal it seemed stupid to take a picture of yourself pointing. How silly we are. Someone along the way told us the average person spends only 15 minutes staring into it. We spent four hours, and even got to see sunset. What an amazing range of colors. I've never liked southwestern architecture, except for the palates it produces. What awesome pinks and oranges.

The Colorado River (which we could only see a tiny bit of) isn't picturesque. A settler once said it was too thick to drink and too thin to plow. I bought postcards of scenic parts you can't see from the top -- beautiful waterfalls with rare plants around them -- hardly desert at all.

Following Aaron's example I climbed out on a rock that jutted over the precipice. I walked almost to the end, then crawled the last few feet. There was a hairline fracture at the tip I decided not to cross -- but I have a picture floating around of me out there.

The guys peed off the edge...

The aftermath

Thanksgiving was fun...I feel like I need to break out John Denver and the Muppets and pull out the trees this morning. We did sing Christmas carols after dinner.

Julie and I had a great time. We found a book of music that had all of our old favorites. No one else knew them, so they must have been "homeschool songs." We sang "Bullfrogs and Butterflies," "Rise and Shine," -- with motions, and a whole slew of others.

My favorite, though, was turning a page and finding "Horse and Riders." One of my earliest memories is of my Dad standing up with a guitar in front of Tieton Drive Bible Chapel leading that song. I've never seen in anywhere else, but I can still sing all three parts of the round. That was neat!

The show that almost wasn't...

The show that almost wasn't

Another long weekend. On the way to Saturday's show, the truck broke down 100 miles from the venue. Again, we piled into the remaining two leaving Tasha and Burt with the broken one. At the performance there was only enough power if we ran extension cords to upstairs offices and the men's bathroom. The kitchen crew helped set up the stage, since we coudln't cook without our kitchen trailer, hooked to the back of the truck. Tasha and Burt arrived just in time, with enought pizza for 200 people. The show started well, but then our stage manager began (literally) throwing up all over backstage. Two down. Everyone pitched in to get things done. Nick (one of Aaron's replacements for this weekend -- while he went to his sister's wedding) stayed late to help us tear down.

The next morning, Tasha, Burt and I got up at 5:30 to drive back to get our truck and trailer, while the rest of our team headed on to Flagstaff. We arrived by an alternate route just slightly behind them, just in time to watch them take the last of the planes out of the hanger we were performing in. Jessica was sent straight to someone's house. I took her walk on role, and Tasha stage managed. Nick came early to take over her jobs for set up, and stayed for tear down. The kitchen was very small, but we had to hold the show because so many people came. We had to set up extra tables! That was exciting!

So now we have four days off. Today we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, tomorrow we go to the Grand Canyon, then trive back to Phoenix. Wednesday we're off (but may go to Mexico) and Thursday we drive to Gilbert for another set of shows... We really needed the four days off!

Last Week's Quotes

Last Week's Quotes



"We prayed for each other, or rather, Aaron prayed for us, and we agreed with him." ~Walter



"I want to pray for my mangos. They're all sticky and perspiring." "Tha sounds like a personal problem." ~Vicky and Co.



Sign: Special Needs Vehicles. "What does that mean? Three wheels and a crutch?" ~Me



"It seems to me that they ought to put the eye on the children and leave the garage doors alone." ~Bert



"According to your reaview mirror, what direction are you facing?" ~Tasha

"Well, sunset's in front of us, did they move it?" ~WDT

"It wasn't the sarcasm, it was the grapes hitting the car they were mad about. Which I don't understand since they're not much bigger than the bugs around here." ~Nicole

"The funny thing about amputation..." ~Vicky

They need to translate the Bible into sign language." "They have, it's called braile." ~Aaron and Me, respectively

"They go alphabetical and by gender. That's why half of them are called him-icanes." ~Bert

Pool Party

Pool Party

We had rehearsal today with the two guys who will be taking over for Aaron when he goes away for two days. They are doing a great job. It is so weird to have new people joining us. On the plus side, Nick is virtually the same size as Aaron, so I won't have to fake new costumes on the road. Chuck is bringing his own priest costume and suit.

After this morning's rehearsal, we came back to our billet for hamburgers and pool time. I even played volleyball for an hour, and hit the ball back over the net once. New personal record for me. And I made margaritas for the two ladies making dinner. Can't let those bartending skills go to waste. They have one of the nicest private bars I've ever seen. They even had Malibu rum, but being good, I didn't partake. I will be back bartending for the month of December before rehearsals start up again in January.

So that's all the updates. Last night was a really good show. The church decided they couldn't think of a better place for an offering to go than supporting our ministry, so we received all of it (instead of just being reimbursed for the cost of the performance). What a blessing!

New Friends

I've been told some of my cast mates have visited my blog. Here's the drill. I write something. If you want to comment, look down....further(farther?) down to where it says comments. Double click and a screen will pop up that look very much like and IM screen. After you've written, hit post. That's how it goes!

Something New

Alright guys, I'm collecting so many good quotes on tour, I've created a spot for them on my sidebar. Enjoy!

The most beautiful house in the world

I am staying in Phoenix in the most beautiful house in the world. It just keeps going. Everytime I turn a corner we find another wing. And they have a putting green in their backyard.

This morning, before we left, we took a tour of the Wycliffe office in Tucson. Normally American offices do not have translating going on, just administration. During the 80's when Mexico closed its borders to the US, translators found themselves back in the States and unable to get a visa to return to their regional sites. So, this office was born. For over a decade translators brought individuals from various people groups up to aid them in translations out of that office. Now, it is the home of retired volunteers and the literacy offices.

The amazing thing about their center is how total it is. There is an upholstery house and an automotive shop. Missionaries on furlough use donated cars to get around, but people rarely donate new vehicles. The auto shop workers spend their time literally piecing vehicles back together again. (I saw one half of a van being rebuilt from bits and pieces)

The audio department takes recordings of sections of scripture, edits them, and converts the reels to tape and cd. One woman listens to every word of a recording in a language she doesn't speak, and makes sure it is correct. In one particular recording, the spaces between sentences were over edited, and the breaths were too loud, so she was lengthening pauses and cutting and pasting new breaths in. Tedious work there.

Missionaries on furlough also need clothes, so there was a boutique of donated articles. Unfortunatly, like the cars, many of the donations are from vintages that will never be revived. No one goes to Saks 5th Avenue to stock the missionary barrel. Do people even realise that there is such thing as a missionary barrel this century.

Something to think about, if you are donating items after spring cleaning. Call a Wycliffe office, or any missionary organization and see what their needs are.

Quote

Overheard yesterday:

They like dead people and posessed women..