Calgary and Winnepeg

Well, we finished up in Calgary on Sunday night. The audiences there were great and the shows went really well. I am glad to be out on the road again because I ate way too much while I was in Calgary. I gained about 5lbs in that one week according to the scales! Ouch! Ah, well back to the diet.

Monday we left to head to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with a stopover in Regina where we will be Thursday through Saturday with two shows on Saturday and a Golden Day (day off with no show or travel) on Friday.

Tonight we are in Winnipeg where it has been snowing all day and is suppose to get down to -31 degrees - Celsius. That is about -23 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't think I have ever been in weather that cold. It actually doesn't feel that bad if you don't stay out too long and stay out of the wind. The snow has kept the temperatures up so the predictions may be off. I do know that when we got here it was 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Anyway, the show went well tonight. It is always fun to open in a new city. It is like an opening night all over again without the anxiety which makes it a lot of fun. On top of that I got to do a Meet-and-greet with some contest winner before the show. There were several little kids there and one Down Syndrome child there that stole my heart. When I was teaching at Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, TN I taught 3 students with Down Syndrome that were a part of a special program there. I hope they are all doing well. If I am not mistake they will graduate this year! (if not last year? Funny how you lose track of time.)

The hotel here in Winnipeg is really, really nice. We are in very large two room suites with full kitchens. Living that this will only get us spoiled. I anticipate hearing some complaints about future accommodations in comparison. Ahh, life on the Road!

Layoff starts in two weeks! I will be home Tuesday, March 24. Cay and I are available for dinner and lunch if anyone out there wants to visit. With only a few days I know I won't get to see everyone but hope to catch as many as possible. I will be at church on that Sunday so all you Methodists I expect to see in worship!

As to the China leg of the tour, I should be able to report something on that before the layoff on March 24. It is all still up in the air what with the economy in the mess it is.

Well, that is all for now. Happy Fat Tuesday!

Greetings from Canada

It has been a while since I have blogged so let me catch you up. Since I last blogged we have played Whitewater, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and are now in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During that time we have played to some fabulous audiences.

Minneapolis is the home town of Jeff Duncan, who plays FDR in the show as well as being close to home for Cheryl Hoffman who plays Lily and our Technical Director, Corey (I am not even going to try and spell his last name) so it was very exciting for them to get to play in front of huge groups of family and friends. Along with this excitement the audiences in Minneapolis were some of the most enthusiastic we have had on this tour. It was all a lot of fun and very exciting.

The weather wasn't even too bad. Jeff had talked about sub-zero temperatures and snow and wind but it was fairly mild while we were there with highs close to 20 and lows above Zero!

Monday we traveled to Calgary and my wife, Cay, met me there. We had a great week just spending time together and talking and being husband and wife present with each other. Everyone kept asking what we did each day and it was actually pretty boring to them I suppose, just dining and talking and sitting together watching TV or looking on the Internet but to us old married folk it was a wonderful and blessed 5 days. Tonight she is back in Nashville and I am very lonely but filled with joy to know that there is someone out there who loves and supports me as much as she does.

Doing the show in Canada is a little different from doing it in the states. The crowds have been great and audiences have thoroughly enjoyed the performances. Their reactions to the play, however, make it obvious how much of the play is rooted in USA culture and politics. The lines about Democrats and Republicans don't mean the same thing here as they do back in the States. While the reactions are different they don't, however, diminish the fun and enjoyment the audience seems to get from seeing the performances.

Being out of the country I won't be able to call home like I usually like to so I will do a better job of updating this blog so that everyone can keep up with me. Also, don't forget that I do have e-mail and you can always write!

Well, that's all for now. Hope you are all having a great week and I will be home March 24!

St. Charles, MO

Tonight we were in St. Charles, MO. just outside of St. Louis. This afternoon a took a walk along the historic main street of the town. The Louis and Clark expedition began here. This was also once the capitol of Missouri. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

This evening we performed at the university here in St. Charles. It is a beautiful new facility and was fun to perform in though the attendance was very disappointing. Our new "Kate" went on tonight and seemed to have a good time and did a great job.

After the show I went out to eat with two very dear friends. We spent an hour discussing religion and religious beliefs. It was one of the best hours of tour thus far. It was so refreshing to have a religious discussion with like minded people while on the road. Sometimes touring can seem like a pretty Godless place as I find myself hesitant to share religious beliefs because of the great diversity of beliefs. Jeff and Analisa and I just shared our thoughts and understandings of God, churches, and faith communities. This is what I imagine Jesus would have discussed over dinner with those he traveled with. It was a blessing. Thank you Jeff and Analisa.

And may God bless all who read this, regardless of your religious beliefs and affiliations.

My thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends affected by the storms in Oklahoma and Texas. I hope all are safe and that no severe damage was done to your homes. Let me know how you are.

Alto and El Paso

Saturday we were Alto, New Mexico. It is very near Ruidoso. The theatre there was absolutely amazing. It was in the middle of the mountains along way from anywhere. It sat on top of a mountain surrounded by the splendor of nature. The Spencer Theatre was built by Mrs Spencer who spent 15 years working with the architect to design every aspect of the building including the art for the lobby. She gave 37 Million Dollars to build the theatre and set up an endowment to ensure its future. She also purchased 2-and-a-half million dollars worth of glass art. If you get a chance go on line and google this theatre and read about it's history. It was fascinating to me.

As you can tell from the pictures it was a breathtaking theatre. It only sat 521 and was sold out to a very appreciative crowd. Some folks had traveled several hundred miles to see the show at this venue. Hal Holbrook called this theatre "Sang re La of theatre."

Tonight we were in El Paso for two performances at a very old and beautiful theatre called The Plaza. It was an old vaudeville house that was newly renovated. The audiences were fantastic! I also got to do a meet and greet event before the evening show where I signed autographs as folks came to the theatre. This is one of my favorite things about touring and I wish I could do it more often.

More of the Same

It has been a while since I posted here so I thought I should check in and get everyone up to date (actually my wife scolded me for not posting regularly.)

Since I last posted we have been to Spokane, Washington, Butte and Boseman, Montana, stopovers (no performances) in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Denver Colorado and Avon, Colorado and Farmington, New Mexico.

All in all it has been a very routine week. The performances have gone well as always and audiences continue to enjoy themselves. We have had the challenge of performing at extreme altitudes this week. All of these stops have been in the mountains or high altitudes which has been far more taxing than one might imagine. Alto was 10,000 feet above sea level and made breathing through the dances and songs a little more challenging than usual.

The best part of the past week has been the scenery. All of the places we have been have been breathtaking in their own ways. Washington, Montana and Colorado are some of the most beautiful places on Earth. I have always loved the Rocky Mountains and this week has only increased my admiration of their amazing beauty.

Avon is near Vale, Colorado and very exclusive. A "suite" at the resort there which is basically just a glorified hotel room goes for as much as $23,000 a week! (Yes, $23,000 is correct, not a typo.) After the show in Avon on Thursday we had to drive two hours to our hotel. On the way down the mountain we almost ran over several very large Elk and deer. They would just stand in the road and seemingly dare us to challenge them. They were beautiful but trying not to hit them with the bus was a bit terrifying.

Also leaving Avon we drove on the typical mountain road with steep cliffs and drop-offs. In the bus we could look out the window straight down into the dark nothingness of the severe drop offs. I made the mistake of announcing the presence of these cliffs to those around me. Several of them immediately became overwhelmed with fear and there were a few tense moments as we navigated the steep terrain.

Tomorrow we leave at 6:30 for Alto, New Mexico so I guess I better try and get some sleep.

Yes, Cay, I will try and be more regular in my posts.