May 29 - June 8th: "Midwest in the Middle"

On the 29th, we arrived in Chicago for a whirlwind 24 hour journey -- I had a callback to attend based off a video audition I sent from St. Augustine, FL.

We were already planning to head to Michigan to drop off our furry, lovable yet inconvenient travel companion. When I was requested for the callback, we arranged to arrive in the windy city first... en route to another gig in South Bend, IN. So. Short stop in The Chi, less than 24 hours in IN before a week with the family/friends in Michigan and a week with the family/friends back in Chicago which we had planned prior. We figured it would be nice to relax with our people for a nice chunk in the middle of our adventure -- we thought we'd continue to the Southwest, West Coast, Pacific Northwest and Rockies in a leisurely fashion after the intermission... possibly staying on the road as long as 5 or 6 months, staying each location as long as  felt exciting and adding on possible locations as they arose (depending on budget, of course - Chaya Rosalita or "Scuttlebuss" gets thirsty often.. and she ain't a cheap date).

Brief Chicago Stop:
We arrived and met up with our newly betrothed friends (they weren't headed to their honeymoon for another couple of days) for some shakes and ice cream. It didn't really feel as though we'd been missing from the scenery for 2 months... after living there for 5 years (and meeting up in the neighborhood we'd been living in for 2) it was all instantly familiar and comfortable. Although, comfortable may not be the right word... it didn't feel like "coming home", since it's quite obvious we don't have one -- except in the form of the Scuttlebuss of course. But it certainly is a spot with some of our dearest loves. After our dessert we headed to my brother's place. It was wonderful to see him again, and although he had to be up early we got in some good conversation before he headed to bed. The next morning we drove out to our friend JT's house and were called by a second friend "P" and asked if we could take him to the airport. This is a friend who has done many a good turn for us, so although we were leaving the following afternoon we agreed. I waited at JT's house while K drove close to an hour south to retrieve him, brought him back to hang out at the house before we parted ways with JT and went to pick up a third friend JF for the journey to the airport -- we figured if we had to drive for another hour to the north, may as well turn it into our social hour for the day. Unfortunately, K's drive south to Hyde Park (where our friend P lives) apparently took far longer than it should with an impressive amount of traffic.... and the journey to the airport (usually approximately 40 minutes north from our old neighborhood and an hour and a half northwest from P's) was worse than we ever would have imagined. We've been driving all around the country and we've experienced some bad traffic and I've obviously been caught in it in The Chi before, but this was the worst. It didn't feel like a very good "welcome back" on Chicago's part.

We ended up dropping him at the blue line two stops from O'hare 20 minutes before boarding, since the traffic was still at a crawl and the choo choo seemed more likely to work out. It did. We turned back towards the apartment we'd be staying at that night (the PJ & SS place) with our other friend. We all hung around before we walked him to the train and got caught in a downpour on the walk back (we're good at that, it seems). Upon waking, I noticed the familiar orange paper under our windshield -- Chicago gave us a parking ticket.... it was our fault, (we each assumed the other checked all the signs, and we always parked there during the day just never overnight) but it certainly did feel that Chicago was not happy to see us.

That morning was the callback, and thank goodness at least that felt good. As the role is for a young musician (harmonica player) southern train hopping traveling hobo, it felt like perfect timing in life to just have fun and connect with the similarities I am currently experiencing in real life. After the callback we met up with our friend JF again for a meal and a beer before hitting the road for:

South Bend:
Just before hitting the road, we realized for the first time we'd been booked for our very first 3 hour slot. Eek! We spent the latter part of our last meal in Chicago brainstorming what songs we could possibly pull out of our behinds to fill up the time. We arrived less than two hours after departing (thank goodness we didn't hit as bad traffic as the day prior) a bit nervous about our predicament -- we also had a gig the following night planned in Flint, MI, and we frail little Buggs both seem to have sensitive throats these days. It was the type of environment (restaurant/cafe/bar all in one) that most people are talking at full volume and enjoying their sustenance in, which was both depressing and a relief since we certainly did repeat numbers and make failed cover song attempts. All things considered, we did well. We only took one break and we sang and sang.
The only people who seemed to notice were a darling father of three, who made all his little ones sit in the front row as he beamed at us and complimented each number, before paying twice the asking price for our album on his way out... as well as an adorable pair of sisters from Argentina who we chatted with when we needed a few moments of distraction from the situation.
Another positive aspect of the experience was meeting up with two friends we had made previously in the journey. One was our host from South Bend (who helped hook us up with the second gig as well) and the other was our host from Winston-Salem who happened to be in for the evening.
It was interesting and a bit tickling to see the first half of the journey end where it began, with two people who had strong impact on the early days of our adventures.
We spent the night with our gracious SB host once again and took her out for a thank-you-breakfast before heading to:

Michigan:
We got a later start than we'd hoped and didn't end up arriving in my hometown of Holly until it was about time to hop in the family vehicle (give the big ol gal a break) and head to our show in Flint. We were returning for a second time to play The Good Beans Cafe, certainly one of the most magical spots in the city - and after touring the cafes of a good portion of America, among the best cafes in the country I'd say. We always feel exceedingly welcome there, with the warmest of receptions from the owner and our Mitten audience crew. We crooned our hearts out for those dears:

[photo courtesy of AK]

It was a lovely evening... We need those undeniably pleasant shows to happen in order to keep this live act alive.

Then next afternoon was my nephew's first birthday party! I was so glad we were able to schedule our return to the doggy drop off to be the same week as his special day. Isn't he a charmer?

It was also wonderfully convenient to see so many of my relatives in one place at one time. They're great.

K and I love touring old studios and going on rock n roll history adventures, and I realized he and my parents had never been to the Motown Museum -- I went around 10 years ago and it was quite a special experience I never forgot, even though I forget most things.

So, in honor of Ma & Pa's Day, I took us all to Hitsville USA -- which I recommend you take yourself to as well, should you happen to be in the mitten.

We spent the rest of the week enjoying quality time with so many beautiful people we adore. I ended up finding out a dear friend of ours is raising bees next to my childhood home (where my folks live):

And K and I got to hang around Royal Oak for an afternoon -- which even after traipsing around the country still stands out as a pretty cool city:

We also got in a decent amount of R&R, final smooches and fun times with the fluffy one (and some other cute pups too). Here is more photographic evidence of our friends etc:

During the Michigan week, I got a fateful phone call: I would be returning to Chicago by August 12th for a 2 and a half month engagement -- I got the part! Not the type of theater opportunity anyone in their right mind would turn down, so the US adventure would simply need to be cut a bit short. With an almost lack of belief and a head full of re-arranged dates, we said our farewell-for-nows to our Michiganders and began the westward jaunt with a return to:

Chicago:

The return to Chicago happened to be good timing... we arrived just in time to watch my brother (AK) in a show. He was wonderful, of course, and my parents happened to be in town for it as well. My Ma was in for a bit after the weekend on business (she is a phenomenal director Chicago is lucky to be getting!) and while she was working, we got in one good meal with my brother & Pa (and later on PJ joined us) before he had to hop on the megabus for the mitten.

 

We hung around town and caught a groovy festival band, drooled over scooters I didn't end up buying (yet), spent lovely time with the Ma in town, got measured for my costume at Goodman, and more. Here are some pictures.

One negative (yet in retrospective so pathetic it can be seen as humorous) aspect of our week: we had a show booked  for our last night in town... and they wrote us with our time slot only a few days before. 11:20-12:20am. Our friends are the in-bed-or-nearer-to-home-than-that type, and we figured it wouldn't be worth sticking around an entire week for. Now that we knew we had a deadline to return to the city sooner (and for longer) than expected, we wanted to hit the open road ASAP in order to miss as few opportunities as possible. We tried to haggle a time change or bow out of the show gracefully, but to no avail. Plus, we aren't unprofessional, so we made good on our arrangement.... and it was worse than our cynical minds even predicted.

We had two opening acts (although we initially were only told about one) and the house was packed for them both. The first guy was a real jerk, so rude to the sound guy during his check ("Dude, it sounds flat. This monitor is worse than that. Beef it up, will ya?" etc) And left with his table of pals after the second song of the second guy's set. The second guy was alright, and brought in a full house. When we got up, though we knew no one the house was still decently full. We played our first song. They didn't listen. Even a little.

K says, "The first guy that played? He had a song all about how he needs this girl "more than air". It got me thinking, that isn't... can't... even... possibly can't be. He could only ... need her, maybe, at least, as much..." It was the only time all night we had their attention, unfortunately. The room quickly emptied. Including the second act and all of his friends... who just went to the room next door, as we saw later.

The tables left one by one until there were two left, and one of our friends did show up. The other two tables.... boy, were they ever loud. So much so, that K let out between songs, "You know, it's amazing there can be literally 5 people in the audience and it can still be SO LOUD."

Then they all left. Except our one friend. But all the rest. Including the sound guy. So. That was a pretty low low. But according to the iPhone of our one friend in attendance, we looked cool in our angsty misery:

That was the midwest middle. The next morning, we were off to St. Louis -- with two friends hopping in the Buss hoping to seek a short adventure along with us.

Louisville: May 24-28th. "Caves, Kayaking... and a weddin'!"

We were planning to meet our dear friends PJ & SS in  Louisville Friday night, so we tried to leave Nashville at a decent hour. Since we were headin' to a weddin' and KG loves the last minute better than all the other minutes, we did have to do some Goodwill shopping before setting off.

With traffic, it seemed we would be about a half hour behind our friends arrival time and could still meet up for dinner. What we didn't realize was: for reasons that make no sense to anyone, Louisville is in a different time zone than Nashville. Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana are crazy and can't agree which time zone they are in from one side of their state to the next. We simply can't keep up. So, our "half hour behind ya!" turned into "uh... an hour AND a half behind ya." So much for dinner. So we met up for drinks instead, at a bar inside a fancy hotel -- where Fitzgerald used to hang and based the hotel in Gatsby off of. Also, I hear someone else famous and cool liked it. It was alright.

 The dears offered us to share their hotel for the night, but what with the fluffy companion we took our leave and headed to (you guessed it) Walmart. Before parting, we made plans to meet there the next morning and carpool to the Mammoth Caves (back towards Nashville, where the time zone, though we'd remain in Kentucky, would change again).

We wake up in the familiar yet new surroundings of the local lot, and PJ & SS soon arrived... the three of us hopped in and set out for the time traveling cave adventure.

The stop of the expressway is instantly familiar from the day before -- there is a giant dinosaur statue advertising "Dinosaur World", which inspired a short rap of the same name by KG that he had insisted we sing together more times than you'd think. This is the picture I'd snapped from the road on the way from Nashville:

Oh, you want to know the words to the dino number?
Sure. You may need a lesson or two to get the beat down right, however: "Dinosaur world, Dinosaur world.. haven't y'all heard 'bout Dinosaur World? That's where dinosaurs they rule the world. That's where dinosaurs they rule the world." Deceptively simple.

We weren't sure if/how long we'd each be able to explore the cave -- once again the adorable burden holding us back. But! The caves provide a very decent kennel, which consists of outdoor gated rooms sectioned off for each individual dog. And only $3! Although the convenient digs for the dog which we saw as more than adequate, he saw as a new and unjust form of torture (as displayed by his screams of horror when we left, which we also heard an hour or so later from far away as we returned).

We opted for the shorter & cheaper self guided journey and after a surprisingly cheap and decent meal at the hotel we parted ways as PJ & SS went for the guide. The area of the cave we were allowed to explore was quite limited, but very interesting and well worth $4. There are over 600 miles of cave they say, much of it still left to be explored! I hear there are "bottomless" pits though, so don't get to spunky about spelunking.

These are the best shots we could manage (I need a real camera, but they break so darn much! I'm going to splurge for a nice 'un one of these days).

Yoshi was ecstatic to see us again when we opened his padlock with our key -- "You have the key -- to my heart!" He said. (No, he didn't.)

We all headed back to Louisville -- the lovebirds were to be hitched that very night, after all!

What with the time travel etc, we arrived to our hotel (yes, we were to ditch the van for one night to be fancy wedding go-ers with a hotel) and we all beautified around each other like maniacs for our hour of prep time. But we ended up looking alright, ya?
(SS gets credit for KG's combed looking hair-do)

 It was a LOVELY marriage ceremony, all around. Horse pastures (with "real horse" effect!) in the hills behind them, birds singing, lovely weather, beautiful people, etc etc. And delicious drinks and eats after.
And then "cutting a rug" as the kids might say. And boy, was our "rug" "cut" to "shreds".

It was a good night. K slept a couple of hours before rising to walk the dog -- apparently across the bridge all the way into Indiana. That boy loves walking & bridges, so although PJ & SS did not believe his story upon waking, I knew he spoke the truth.

We all headed to a recommended brunch spot (a love all 4 of us commonly hold dear), Hillbilly Tea. It was a YES!

They had "hooch" drinks, their own version of alcoholic tea beverages. Quite nice. To add to the magical quality of the dining experience, when SS handed over his credit card -- the waiter ended up realizing they had the same last name! The relative name game ensued, and the waiter even called his Grandmother. Second Cousins!!



From their we explored Bardstown road, where the hip kids play. We got some coffee and then some beer on patios (vacation life is good) and wandered to and fro with the pooch -- even found a record store we could bring him in.


After our pleasant afternoon exploring the city, we checked out the nation's top rated drag show late that night (K got picked on.. poor fella) and parted ways to sleep with the beast in a comfortable residential area nearby, where neither of us felt that usual nagging paranoia about "the fuzz".

The next morning we were lucky enough to steal some of the newlyweds time and dined at the Panera patio before the two lovers had to head out.

(After the brief photo shoot below outside Panera) we set off for one of the famed distillery tours... Jim Beam.

It was too hot that day to leave the little burden in the car, so KG kindly offered to miss the tour. The boys and I tried not to have too much fun without them (but K was able to join us for the brief tasting after, which if he liked bourbon at all would have been the best part).

pre tour power nap

Our dear friends had to head back to the windy city after that and we arranged to meet our next couch surfing host. He was a 58 year old man who had done some traveling solo and was an extremely avid kayaker. This was our first couch surfing experience we did not contact individuals requesting hosts, we had up a general ad about ourselves and he contacted us. We had written about our inflatable kayak being strapped to our roof and he said he would like to take us for a paddle the next day. We talked with him late into the night and then set up a tent in his yard (although he did offer an air mattress, but when the tent is a feasible option it's pretty fun). The next morning he made us a delicious breakfast and after more chatting we headed to the river. After appeasing us by not trying for the first leg of the trip, he steadied his pace (apparently still only a fraction of the speed he is normally at) and we were always a mile or so behind. The older gent put us to shame for the next 6 hours. Around hour 3, he asked if we were tired or wanted to go further to see a waterfall.... not wanting to sound like pansies, we non nonchalantly shrugged our shoulders and mumbled something like "well, either way, I mean I guess it's up to you, what do you think, are you tired?" He wasn't. So, although we were tired in our little pumped up boat and were trailing far behind his real deal unit, we didn't regret the journey. The waterfall was loverly. On our paddle back from the waterfall we were extra hungry and extra tired, and kept calling out "Pull us! Please, just pull us!" to our superspeed paddle companion, as a funny joke to ourselves... since he was far too far to catch the hilarity.

 It was a pleasant (and exhausting) ordeal.
After a shower and a chat K & I went to the other nice restaurant area... tried a Filipino spot but unfortunately all dishes at this particular spot are ultra spicy (to my dismay upon ordering a mild noodle vegetable stir fry) unlike our favorite digs to eat in Chicago (Isla Pilipina, highly recommend). I was still famished, as we didn't realize our kayak excursion would be 6 hours and had not sufficiently fed ourselves.. so I got a bagel nearby, which was also not the most delicious but what can ya do. We watched Breaking Bad in our tent (ah modern urban camping) and packed up for a whirlwind 24 hours in The Chi before a whirlwind 24 hours in South Bend before a relaxing week in the Mitten (where it all began. My life, I mean.)