Denver Colorado - Week Thirty Six

Oh My God.
I thought I had started this entry already, but it is Saturday and I haven't written a damn thing. Nice Fran. Very Very Nice.

Jeez. Where to start
That picture is of the statues just outside the theater. I call them the Dancing Aliens most of the time, but apparently the name changes with my mood. Yesterday they were the Dancing Naked People. Horny anyone? giggles.

Ok
My day off on Monday completely rocked.
Roy and I headed out of town to go to Winter Park. Elaine (from the hair department) and Steve (from Props) live there and invited the whole company up to see their beautiful homes and hang together. The drive up was crazy beautiful. One of those drives where the mountains are RIGHT THERE. I think I-40 between the I-70 exchange and Winter Park has usurped rte 205 to Mt. St. Helens as my favorite scenic drive. Check out the pics below.
On our way out to the party, Roy and I stopped off in Idaho Springs to check out this bead store that Eddie had suggested (and left directions too...thanks eddie!). This is a pictre of the main street in the town. Way cute, no? This bead shop was incredible! I got the show shopping out of the way first and then hit the aisles for some treasures of my own. It would be in poor taste to tell you how much I spent in this place, but I will tell you that it was almost double what I spent for the show. Oh. It is called Ornamental Resources. They had beads I have never seen anywhere. I was like a kid in a candy store, and I have already started making lots and lots of pretties with them. You should see my hotel room. What a mess.
So after that awesome stop, Roy and I headed out to Elaine's house. She lives in my dream home. Some day, when I grow up and get a house of my own, there are a few unshakeable requirements. One - it must be on property that is covered by trees and either moss or mossy rocks, because I hate mowing the lawn. Two - it must have a big front porch so that I can sit out with a cup of tea and watch the world. Three - it must be made of wood, not brick or siding or anything else. Lastly my neighbors can be close enough so I can see their house, so if someone tries to break in and kill me I don't have too far to run, but they can't be so close that I can hear them arguing with their loved ones, or they me. Elaine's has all of those requirements except the last one. Not that the close proximity of her neighbors is her fault. She told me when she built there, she was the only on there. Now the area is crazy with houses. Some of them are enormous. There are some very very rich people in Winter Park. Her house is the perfect size.
The Party itself was great. I would say about half the company drove the hour and half to come hang. Elaine made TONS of food and drinks (my personal favorite being the mango margharita) All the Spam Fam dogs were there, and amazingly enough The Dog Whisperer was not needed to break up any fights. It was a great, relaxing, beautiful day. One of those days, where everyone gets along and pettiness is put aside. Steve was running a shuttle down the block to go see his house - The Lone Pine. His place is also a log cabin home that he actually built himself. Just an adorable sweet little place. Things started to break up as the sun started going down. As it got colder, more wood was put on the fire and those of us left huddled around it and laughed. I love that the weather is turning colder. I stayed overnight and helped Elaine clean up. It was a big job made easier by total team work (Elaine, Steve and I) Soon enough we were back on the porch stoking the fire and sitting back. More pics below.
In the morning, I got up at the crack of crack, enjoyed a cup of tea with Elaine and Taza and hit the road. I had specific goals for my Tuesday. I wanted to drive the entire circle around Rocky Mountain National Park (about 50 miles) get out and take a hike in the woods, and then drive down through Estes Park back to Denver. Well, that was cut down by the 3 feet of snow the mountain passes got. They closed the highest points of the drive, making it impossible for me to do the whole circle. Still, I drove up as far as I could right to the Road Closed sign. What a great drive. Just the radio, the mountains, and me. I fell in love with the town of Grand Lake, which is about a mile outside the entrance of the park. This very small, sweet little town at the northern most point of the lake, is surrounded by huge glorious mountains. I saw a spot for my bead store, and even a spot for my house. Of course, I was visiting in late September. You know that place gets BURIED in snow, and while I love the cold and winter, I have a feeling that is the stuff of extremes. I will need to come back in January or Feb. and see what's going on. Who knows, by the time I get a house, global warming will have made it a temperate zone.
Rocky Mountain National Park is flat out stunning. I only got to go about fifteen miles in, but that allowed me to get out and enjoy some of the trails. Most of the paths on this side of the park open up onto meadows just below the Rockies. Just amazing. The ranger at the entrance told me to be on the look out for elk, but I saw nary an elk. However, I did get to see some antelope hop-running up a hill at the end of the fields. Other than that, and the random chipmunk or squirrel, I didn't see any other wildlife. After a 2 small hikes, it was time to make my way back. I arrived back at my hotel in Denver with just enough time to shower, change and get to work.
By the way, work has been going swimmingly. The crew here is friendly and hard working. I have been spending some time with them and they are just the best people. Craig, who is the union steward, made me a cribbage board! There is a beetle that is killing the pine trees by the thousands. As you look out over any view, you can see the brown pines sticking out among all the green. I at first thought this was just the way the leaves turn in the Fall out here, but no, these trees are dying by the thousands. It's sad. However, Craig uses the wood for various purposes and one of the things he does is make cribbage boards. He overheard me talking cribbage with someone so he made me one! These beetles do the craziest thing to the wood of the trees. It casts this blue or red hue over the grain. So the board that he made me is a wood blue color. Very cool. We have been playing in between shows in the crew break room. Currently the score is 5-0. I am spanking him. hee hee. I told Craig I thought he must have, when he was making it, created a board that would only let me win. He has since removed the board from the break room and it only lives on my desk. LOL.
Wednesday, Francesca and I hit some of the bead and yarn stores around town. After my wallet burning bead-fest in Idaho Springs, I took it easy and hardly spent a dime. Francesca however, dropped some cash at I Love Knitting, which was the cutest lil yarn store. She is quite a talented knitter. She just finished a skirt that is way cool. Her next project is a duster for herself, which required every skein of this particular green yarn at the shop. I can't wait to see what it looks like when she's done. We had ourselves a lovely Thai lunch and then drove around a cemetery - something we both enjoy doing, but most people don't. If you remember, back in Louisville, I stumbled on the mother of all Rural Cemeteries, where the rich and famous tried to out do each other. This was not that kind of resting place, however, it was pretty and peaceful. Thanks Francesca for a lovely day. I am so mad I forgot my camera battery! grrrrrrrr.
When Thursday finally rolled around, I still had all the beads from my Monday shopping spree laid out on my table, so I literally spent the entire day making jewlery. That, and I watched Season One of West Wing. Even after all these years, that show still makes me laugh at loud and makes me think a White House with integrity is possible. Then I turn on CNN, and am snapped back to reality. I prefer West Wing. I love Josh. (sighs)
This week brought some exciting cast changes. Robert was quite sick and Matt Allen made his debut as Robin. He did a fantastic job! Then on Saturday, Patrick was out and Nigel went on as Lancelot. I was actually really surprised at how well Nigel did, and can really see how, given the opportunity, he could really grow into the role. Robert made it through most of the week, but when Sunday rolled around, he just had to call out again, so Matt went back on as Robin. I am so happy for him. With the first show done, he was able to really flesh out a little with the two show Sunday. And not for nothin, they both looked great!
I literally just heard from a friend of mine from another tour, that rumor has it the entire tech staff of this show is a bunch of drunk, drug addicts. Now, I knew this tour had a reputation for being...hmmm...politically correct word... -turbulent, but drunk drug addicts? I wanna know where those drugs are cuz I haven't seen any. Don't get me wrong, there is some drinking going on, but it is NOTHING - in fact it is Betty Ford - compared with Hairspray. So while I will be honest and say there is some serious, childish bickering going on among the crew, and certainly some down right negative elements at work, it most certainly is not a drug addled group. In fact this is the first tour I have been on in awhile where you don't see the crew at the bar every night. That would imply that everyone got along and worked well together. LOL. That's funny. What do I know? I keep to myself pretty much, so for all I know there could be all kinds of things going on. Seriously though, I haven't seen any of that. Whatev.
In honor of that very rumor I give you the second Shot Nite hosted by Wardrobe. (oh Man that is funny) Our first one, in Dallas, was such a success, that we felt some pressure to deliver the goods. I personally am opposed to putting out any kind of shitty product, be it earrings, costume or, in this case, alcoholic beverage. Wayne did some research online and found a summery Watermelon concoction. So we got the ingredients and had a practice night in my room. We followed the instructions to the letter and I am so sorry, but it did not taste like watermelon AT ALL. So we fiddled and futzed with it, and came up with our own yummy variation, which I named Summer's End. I was apprehensive going into the evening, but everyone loved it! Last time we made waaaaaay too much, this time we ran out and had to improvise. I can honestly say that the last round everyone had, was not the original, but we figured all their taste buds were dead by then anyway so....
It is Sunday. Wonderful delicious end of the week Sunday. This morning I got up early and went in search of my Aunt Erin's (pronounced Ear-in not Eh-ren) gravesite. Those of you close to me know the story of her so just skip down a bit. For those of you who do not know of her, she is my mother's mother's sister. She was one of the first female Colonels in the US Army, serving in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. I never had the chance to meet her, but my mom always told me I reminded her so much of Erin. We seem to have the same sort of independent spirit. She never got married by choice, had lots of male companionship (or lov-ahs, as I like to say) and she spent the last of her years with her phenomenal family of friends. This is very much who I am. I actually have no intention of getting married before I am 50 if ever, and anyone who knows me knows how important my friends are to me. So I have always felt this kinship with her. We are women who don't do the things traditionally expected, and living the life we want to live. She, of course, was far more of a maverick. Without women like her, women like me would be confined to a conventional home life. Some people are truly happy being wives and mothers. Just the idea makes me feel like I am choking to death. Anyway, since I arrived here I have been trying to find her spot. My mom can't remember her birthdate or death date even, so I was on my own. After days and days of searching the internet, with zero success I was starting to get really bummed and frustrated. I actually said out loud "Help me find you damn it all."
Two days later I not only had the cemetery, but the exact location. Thanks Aunt Erin! So I got her some flowers, wrote her a lil note and went out this morning. When I got to Fort Logan National Cemetery, I was a little overwhelmed. Being a military cemetery all the gravestones look exactly the same. You could easily get lost in a place like this. So I had some trouble finding her at first. Then I realized that on the back of each head stone is the number of the site. This made the search much easier and within minutes I saw her. You can imagine my shock when I saw that her birthday was the day before mine! (46 years earlier of course, but still...) I was hoping to find evidence that someone else had been there - old flowers or something, but there wasn't. I sat down in the grass, after searching out the regulation, sitck in the ground, green vases - put my flowers and note up and hung out for about an hour. The vase fiasco was my own funny moment, as I struggled to not steal one from somewhere, and stumbled across loads of them readily available to the public. You just had to look. That moment was so me - struggling with my own wants against my moral feelings, when really - there was no need to even bother. LOL. It was gorgeous day, with lots of other people visiting family as well. Now anytime a show brings me to Denver, I will go stop by and say hello to her, and leave her some flowers. I think I am going to go back next week before I leave. Just one last time.

It was a good week.
Love you guys.

The Extra Pics:

Elaine and Mitchell at the party. I love this picture of them. In fact, I think when this tour is over, this may very well be one that I will keep to always remember it by.




Just the best picture of a true laugh. Chris Gurr having a damn good time while peeling peppers for Elaine.




Mitch and Steve cookin' up some burgers.




Some of the Spam fam enjoying the party. Julie, Andrew and Piper




Jeff Dumas, Francesca, and Ryan as the party was winding down




After everyone had gone, we cleaned up and then Steve made the fire fanstical again





C'mooooooon. The drive on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park.



My new home town. Grand Lake, Colorado.




One of my hikes.




Same hike, it opened up into a field that just happened to have the "Never Summer" mountain range framing it.




bummer.




Amy, Suzanne, and Amy's Mom enjoying a little Summer's End. I love that her mom knocked back not one but 2 shots.




Francesca, just a little embarrassed that she was on her third shot. What can I say? They were very tasty.




Chris Gurr enjoying his second short adult beverage




Bye Bye Aunt Erin. I will see you next time. Until then, keep looking out for me...

Denver Colorado - Week Thirty-Five

YAY! FINALLY DENVER AND I MEET!

This isn't my first time in the Denver metro area. Way back when God was a boy, and I was touring with The Omaha Travelling Carnival (Nebraska Theater Caravan) a group of the ladies took a day trip from Ogalalla. It was a five hour drive full of fun and singing. We were so excited to see Denver. I remember the 15 passenger van we were driving came up over this hill and there the city was, in the distance, with the Rockies spanned out behind it. It was terribly thrilling really. Then we took a corner too sharply and all the sound equipment in the back of the van slammed into the window. The window broke, and being responsible kids, we turned right back around and drove the five hours back to the middle of Nebraska. So while I did technically see the city in the distance, I do not count it as an actual encounter.

I expected it to be love at first sight, however when we landed it was very rainy and I couldn't see the mountains at all. Meh.
As the week progressed, the sun came out and there they were. I instantaneously smiled and thought to myself how at some point during this first visit, I am going up there. I have waited a long time to come here and there is no way I am not going to get my arse up there in these next three weeks. Hopefully more than once.

We are staying out of town and in the burbs at a Candlewood Suites. I will be honest and say that I thought I would hate this hotel, but it's actually cool to be able to have a car at my disposal, although it pretty much guarantees that I won't get to know the city itself all that well. The good side is - I don't have to rent a car for the days off!! This is an excellent thing. Not for Nothin' but my bed here at the Candlehood is supremely excellent. When I first got into it my eyes rolled into the back of my head. It's soft but hard all at the same time. I have been sleeping like a baby. I may have to start reconsidering my opinons when filling out housing sheets from now on.

Load in was a cake walk. The crew here just rocks. Right up there with Philly and St.Paul. Not a weak one in the bunch. Thank God my laundry woman, Leslie is the antithesis of Marcus. She is totally on it and by day two didn't need any baby sitting. Even though the repercussions of Marcus were felt for the first three days. Honestly, there just isn't a bad thing to say about this group. They are all over it. Getting our new ensemble woman in the show was a breeze. The stitcher here does stunning work, and these costumes look as if they were made for Jen. That is an incredible feat.

When I arrived for Load-In on Monday night, the loveliest surprise was waiting for me. My good friend Eddie had been at this theater all summer getting Disney's new musical The Little Mermaid up and running for it's Pre Broadway engagement. We had been discussing on the phone the wonderful possibility of our two shows overlapping. Thus giving us some play time together for a week in Denver. Well, that didn't work out and we missed each other by a week. BUT, Eddie being wicked cool left me a package to greet me. People, this was not just a package, it was a box of love! There were snacks and goodies of all kinds, beads out the wazoo, and then he had put together this entire sub package of pamphlets and maps of things and places he thought I would enjoy. The best part was that on practically every single thing was a note with an Eddie quip on it. I am still finding the notes as I go through the stuff. It was one of the best care packages in the history of care packages. What a way to be welcomed to a new city. Eddie I know I told you how awesome it was and you hate public displays of affection, but you rock and that was simply the sweetest and most personal gift.
So that was great, and all the locals had been watching him put it together and were almost as excited as I was.

Opening Night was delightfully uneventful and easy. It went so smoothly that it actually fekt more like the third or forth day. Our new Head Carpenter Justin seems to be doing well and word is things are going swimmingly. He is pleasant, hard working and easy on the eye. Who can complain?

I did have a small gathering in my hotel room on Wednesday night which was great fun. I love it when so many of us are at the same hotel. Also, the rooms have kitches and stuff, so they are a bit bigger to house a group. I didn't take any photos for you but we had a great time just hanging out together. I was up playing cribbage until about 4 am. Cribbage-fun. 4am- not so fun.

The only really cool thing I did this week, was go to a baseball game. I love baseball live. Especially with really fun people. Kricka and I try to head up to the Bronx to see the Yankee play every summer. (Let's here it for Row X!!!) Here in Denver, we were at Coors Stadium watching the Rockies beat the pants off the L.A. Dodgers. I have never liked the Dodgers. How I feel about a team is usually determined by my feelings on the city. L.A. blows. Now before Tony Spatafora sends me hate mail, I will add that lots and lots of people love it there. It just doesn't suit me. I certainly enjoy it more now that he is there to have fun with when I find myself marooned there with a show. Of course, Tony could make Mars fun.
Anyway - the baseball game. It was a blast! I went with Jovon and Mike Berg, and we met up with Tony, Jeff, Robert, Patrick and Micheal. These boys have a game with in the game going. It's called the dollar game, and of course I joined in. Basically, you put the names of the players on one team in a hat and when the name you draw makes a hit you get a dollar from each person. You get another dollar if he makes a run. You get 3 dollars if he hits a homer. You pick names for the other team as well. My draws SUCKED. Robert's guys were hitting home runs. Everyone else was getting hits. I was just bleeding money to them. You would have thought that my two players must have been out partying and carrying on the night before with the way they were hitting. It became hilarious. i got so excited when in the 7th inning one of my guys hit a single and I was FINALLY getting a dollar from everyone, that I stood up and cheered and made an ass of myself. LOL. I was doing so poorly that Robert tried to give me some of my money back (which I found gentlemanly but completely refused...I was there to play - vagina or no) but when I said no way, he bought me a giant lemonade instead. LOL. It was so much fun. I laughed my head off.

Aside from that fantastic experience, I spent the week working and catching up. Tomorrow is my first day off here and I am very excited. Elaine is having a party at her house in the mountains. I am going to that and crashing there and waking up on Tuesday to head up to Estes and then Boulder to try and find the gravesite of an aunt of mine. I am looking forward to seeing some of Colorado and having some serious alone time in the woods. Well except for you guys. As always, you are coming with me.

Much Love
F.


The Extra Pics

One of my guys...TANKING



We really had a great time.



These lovely ladies (?? not sure about the tall one) were left in the wardrobe room by the guys hosting a bachelor party for Graham (swing/dance captain) who is getting married next week. There are so many things I could say, but am choosing to let them speak for themselves.

Salt Lake City Utah -Week Thirty Four

Oh yeah, baby. A day off.

I woke up on Monday morning, and smiled as I went right back to sleep again. Good beds here at The Hotel Monaco. They inspire sleeping in.

Eventually, I got out of bed and readied myself for the days events. As I waited for Roy, I stood outside the hotel and there was a young man standing next to me smoking. I noticed that the valet guy was over solicitous and kinda kissing his ass. He didn't look like a snob, so as is my way, I eavesdropped a little. They were talking about touring and what not, and I thought to myself...Self, this is a brother in the nomadic life. Another soul who lives out of their suitcase in order to bring joy to the masses. Once Brown Nosie took off I asked him if he was in a band. He said yes. A band called Modest Mouse. Now I am no idiot. I know who Modest Mouse is. Could I pick a song of theirs off the radio. Hold on lemme check iTunes. Please stand by. Um the answer is no. I do not even remotely know their music. However, he was a nice guy and we enjoyed a chat about touring. He talked a lot about the concert he had just played in Brooklyn...which of course got me all excited...cuz it's Brooklyn. He also thought it was cool that we (Spamalot) got to hang in each city for a spell and get to enjoy wherever we happened to be. It was a nice moment. I guess he is the bassist, Eric Judy.

After my brush with the semi famous, Roy and I went to the Utah State Fair. Oh I just love this kinda stuff. You can keep your art museums, gimme ANY state fair! The minute we walked in the place we saw a pumpkin on steroids! It was HUGE! What is it with Americans and their need to create the largest anything? So bizarre.After that amazing display we walked through the midway, playing the water pistol game, which Roy won, but I was forced to carry around the stuffed animal for the rest of the day. We put our lives on the line by entrusting ourselves into the hands of the carnies as we rode a few of the rides. Seriously people, I thought at one point I was going to die as we were flipped around and around on this crazy freak show of a ride that defies definition. I warned Roy that when I get too scared, I emotionally shut down and become stoic and stone faced. Sure enough as the ride whipped us upside down I became silent and frozen, with only my ears listening to the strange, scary creaks and grinding gears of the mechanisms holding us into the damn thing were making. I was sliping. Sliding all the way up, my shoulders pushing against the harness, knowing it was going to open and I would fall head first onto the metal grating where my purse and Roy's stuffed bear were. Obviously, I survived. I might have peed a little. Remember the Thunderbolt? C'mon, you know you do. Well, I remember riding that thing and thinking it was the best ride ever. I suppose at the tender age of 10, it was pretty thrilling, but after almost losing my life on whatever the hell that other ride was called, it was almost relaxing. Of course, I had a clue it wasn't the ride I remembered, when I noticed all the people riding it were between the ages of 8 and 12. The most exciting part was when I was walking to my seat on the assy thing and slipped on the grating, almost into a half split. Nice. Very Nice.
On another topic... COWBOYS ARE HOT. I never thought I would look twice at a pair of Wrangler jeans, but YEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAW! Wow. Roy and I headed over to the smaller grandstand to watch some team penning. Ok, yes the contest itself was pretty cool. The announcer would tell them the number they were looking for (each cow had a number on it - 3 of each) and they would have to seperate them from the herd and get all three penned into the corrale within a minute. They were riding hard, their gorgeous horses stopping and changing direction on a dime. It was really fun watching it all. But then the hormones kick in. Those hats, the tight jeans, the fierce riding...I was very distracted at times. Then Jaki texted me that they had terrible hygiene. That was a major disappointment. Really? Cowboys are dirty??? Hmmm...Cowboys are dirty...
LOL. I kill me. After that, I made Roy get the required food on a stick. I made him eat the corndog because they make me puke, but you can't go to the Fair and not have one. He seemed to enjoy it. Hurl. After about 4 1/2 hours we were done. many more pics below. I really wanted to go back to the Fair that night, but I was full on tuckered out. It is nice to know I can still ride the crazy rides. I am waiting for the day that I get on one and I realize, it is over.

I got back to my hotel and I couldn't sleep. For the span of time that I was at the Fair, I actually forgot the date. Once I was back in my hotel, it dawned on me that Tuesday was 9/11. So I stayed awake all night, like a dolt. I did TRY to sleep, but it just wasn't happening. It is funny how each year is different. Some years it doesn't seem to affect me as much as others. This year seems especially intense. Perhaps it is because this is the first time it has landed on a Tuesday since it happened. maybe it is because I am away from Jim and Kricka. I dunno. Whatever. You all read about that. Moving on.
So.
I finally went to bed around 8am Utah time. I woke up around 1pm, sort of annoyed because most of my day was gone. Then thinking I should shut my hole because of what day it was and be happy. Nothing like kicking yourself in the pants. So then I thought...what to do...what to do with the day..........oh yes. The Mormons. Time to chill with the Latter Day folks. When I was a kid, I thought it was Ladder Day. You know, climbing your way to Jesus. Anyway, I went to Temple Square. The last time I was here, the Tabernacle was closed for renovation, but now it is open. I took a peek and sat in a pew for a spell. I felt absolutely nothing there. There are lots of times I am in a place, which may not be a part of my beliefs, but I feel something. Some sort of (insert freaky sci-fi music here). Nothing in the Tabernacle. Maybe I would feel differently if I heard them all singin to the Lord. Cool building though. The roof is made of this metal reflective material, that on a sunny day, makes you squint. All the Stepford wives were out. Although this time they weren't nearly as attentive to me as they were last year. I am always respectful (it is their turf so one should be polite) After the Tab, I went to what I was really looking for which was The Family Heritage Center. It is one of the largest geneaology centers in the world. Fitting that such a place should be in this country, seeing as most of us come from immigrants. Course maybe that wouldn't be the case if our forefathers hadn't massacred the Native Americans, but that is a different rant for a different blog...maybe Thanksgiving. The center was extremely cool, and while I was interested in my heritage, however being Irish, (who are typically natural story tellers) I already knew many of my distant people through tales that have been passed down. Still, my mom and my sister are REALLY into it, and I felt the need, since I was here, to try and assist them. I have to admit, it was very exciting seeing a copy of the actual documents of my great grand father and his family. I printed a copy of it for myself. I wanted to go back later in the week, but got bogged down at work. Oh well. Next time.
This blog is so long and I am only on Wednesday. The shows have been going fine for the most part. Marcus (the guy doing the laundry call) tanks daily. JEEEEEEEZ. The level of baby sitting this dude requires is astonishing. Aside from him, though, the crew is really good. Jodi, who is working with me with the ensemble ladies is probably one of the best I have had. So things aren't so bad.
Wednesday was KICK ASS!! Jovon picked Roy and I up and then we got Wayne. Our first stop was the exact spot where the Union Railroad and the central railroad met when the two companies joined together to create the Transcontinental railroad. My dad was a conductor. Two of my brothers are conductors. I have been riding trains as long as I can remember so this stop was sort of special. The history of this place and the endeavor is very rich. There was the ambition of it all, complete with nay sayers. Then, of course you have the cold hearted distruction of the Native American existence...and they wondered why the Native Americans attacked them. (eye roll) They at least treated the Chinese immigrants a little better, by recogzing all the work they did on it. Check it out sometime. Two replica engines are there, and between them the last point on the rail. The engines were even fired up and chugged down the track. The smoke made my nose really itcy, but it was fairly awesome fun. THEN we drove out to the coolest place I have seen in this area. In 1970, Robert Smithson built The Spiral Jetty. This thing is apparently viewable from space. It's 1500 feet long. 15 ft wide, made of black basalt rocks and juts out into The Great Salt Lake. I read about it the last time I was here, but didn't make it out. It is as if you have just ventured to a different planet! Of, course getting there is hilarious. Class D roads giving way to Class ZZZ roads, which are covered with big rocks that you can hear scraping away the underside of your car. Completely worth it though. Wow. Jovon and I walked out on to it. The Lake is red from all the minerals giving way to where the water has evaporated leaving this whitey white salt. Combine all this with bright sunlight and you have never ever seen anything like it in your life. Pretty freakin' cool, people. More pics below.

Marcus My Laundry Guy Update: I think I am going to kill Marcus. I don't want to say he is dumb. BUT HE IS. Dumb diddley dumbdumbdumb. At this point, I am pretty much doing everything but sorting the wash. He cannot handle this call. People are missing things, and he asks me the same questions over and over and over. OMG there are only 2 days left before we move on but I don't know if I will make it without his blood on my hands. I can feel the rage simmering in my solar plexis. The only thing keeping from just ripping off his head is that he is stupid. It is hard to act violently towards stupid people. He can't help it. I am trying to replace my rage with pity. So far it is working. I just don't know for how long...

The rest of the week was pretty much a wash. We leave for Denver on Monday. We have a new ensemble woman here, Jen, who is no place near the same body type as Siobhan, who she is replacing, so the alterations are killer. Luckily we just found out she isn't going on until Wednesday, so we have an extra day to turn the clothes around. Phew. I was a little worried honestly. Plus, it is always really hard to try and put someone new into the show on an Opening NIght. I can't imagine being a performer who has never done the show before trying to deal with dressers who have never done it either. Not to mention I can't give her my full attention when I have to train dressers and put out fires as well. Opening Night in a new city can be crazy. This way, everyone wins. ...I will miss Siobhan.

That about wraps up Salt Lake. I remember the last time I was here i could see myself living in the hills outside the city. My experience this time was just as good if not better, but after visiting Portland and the area south of Minneapolis, it really isn't in the same league. I will always enjoy my visits here though. Next is Denver. I have never been there. Well I was there for a few hours once, but that doesn't count. Everyone I know who lives there has told me how much I will love it. I have been anticipating this stop and am very excited. We are also there for three weeks, so I will actually get a chance to really look around. As always, I will bring you with me.

Hope everyone is enjoying the shift of seasons. Who doesn't love Autumn? I don't trust people who say they hate the Fall.



The Extra Pics:

Cowboys is HAWT! dang....



So you are at the fair, looking at the steroidal vegetables, and blue ribbon sheep. You stumble on the cute piggies and you see this sign. Then you walk in and every pig you look at suddenly becomes a death row inmate. Kills the moment yo.



I HAD to. I had never seen anything so horrifying really. LOLOLOL



The tracks leading to the Golden Spike.



This picture was hanging in the museum right near where the two engines were. It reminds me of my dad. Yes the guy in the photo was a conductor, but it's the watch. My dad carried a watch very similar to this one when he worked the trains. I think my sister has it now.



Can you believe I took this photo? I hit some crazy button on my camera by accident and it comes out like this. Pretty cool. Can I remember which button it was? No. Of Course not.



On our way to the Jetty, the harder the road became to drive, the more spectacular the view. The Great Salt Lake is truly something I hope you all get to see.



The boys looking off at the lake in the distance. I really like this one.