Pleasure in Portland

Hello Friends!

Time to play a little catch up, as I’ve been extremely busy being entertained while traveling. Oh yes, there is work involved, but I have also been working the social calendar lately. One of the great things about traveling is seeing new places and reconnecting with friends from days gone by.

Imp had a great time in Portland. We arrived after a very long overnight drive from CA, and checked into a nice hotel (the president stays there when in town). I rolled into the hotel with the beginnings of a major headache (yes, one of those), but I refused to be disabled by it. I immediately swallowed enough advil to shock a baby elephant and took a very LONG and very hot shower. I think perhaps the altitude and travel of the last few days was finally catching up with me. It took a lot of will power but I departmentalized the pain and moved forward with my day.

The real thrill of the city was not the show, the guests, nor the crew. They all basically reflected the city, gloomy, hazey, and basically overcast. Don’t get me wrong, the show went well, but it wasn’t easy. I was also slightly hung over ( as you will soon learn) so that could have also impacted my rough recollection and perception.

The real joy of Portland was the sanity break that I had!!! My friend Sara has lived in Portland for about 2 years now, and I haven’t seen her (or her darling girlfriend Rebecca) in about 3 years. We had worked together for many years in upstate NY during the summers and always had a great time and it was so freaking great to see her again and she more than rose to the occasion. We had planned to get together for the day (what are the odds that both of us being in showbusiness and both of us having the day off!) and we made good on that promise.

Sarah came to the hotel and picked me up. We had talked about taking the puppy for a hike, but amended our plans due to the nature of my still recovering head. We decided to grab some lunch, which we did at a local eatery that Sara had been trying to try for a while, but hadn’t quite succeeded in the getting in the front door. It was delicious! I had a fantastic (and almost perfect) French onion soup, followed by a bbq chicken pizza that really hit the spot.

I had heard many tales of the ‘do not miss this’ bookstore in Portland, called Powell’s. I mentioned it to Sara as I knew it was close to the hotel and of course, I am always interested in wandering through a really good bookstore, especially one that is an independent!! Imagine my surprise when I learn that Rebecca works at that store as a buyer!! Our lunch eatery was a mere block away from the bookstore, so we stopped by after lunch to smack a howdy on Rebecca and to wander around for a bit. It IS truly amazing. Room after room of new and used books. Had I not had other plans, I could have easily spent all day there, sipping coffee and wandering the stacks. After a quick meet and greet with some of the store staff, I did a quick commando run through the sci-fi/fantasy section. Yes, I bought a few things to keep me occupied, but it wasn’t until I had paid for everything that I realized I should have looked to see if they had the new Mercedes Lackey Valdamier book. Oh well, less to haul around. As it is, I have three of the riftwar prequels by Raymond Feist which should prove interesting.

After our short shopping stop, we headed off to Sara’s new house, and I got the grand tour. It’s a really lovely house and it is so apparent that she is happy there. She has done a lot of work on it, and it is truly a beautiful home. I was especially interested in the guest room, where I plan on crashing the next time I am in Portland!!

We grabbed the puppy dog and headed off to the beach for a walk. This was in substitute for the hike we had talked about earlier. I had a great time with the puppy and wandering through the sand and watching the water and even eating a few wild blackberrys, tart, but right from the vine! We had a good long walk and talk on the beach and it was so great to be able to catch up with her and hear about everything and everyone we have in common, and to also discuss what we have been up to for the past few years. She shared some very excited news with me, which I am not at liberty to disclose, but I wish you all the best in that and can’t wait to hear how that develops!!!

After our walk we headed off to grab a coffee and then back to her house. Sara had promised me a homecooked meal, and I remember her cooking from years ago, so I was most definitely excited at this prospect. She surprised me (pleasantly) by informing me that they were throwing a dinner party that evening!! Oh did we have a great time. I got to meet two of their friends, C & H, who were a hoot and a half. Not to mention that I was fed to within an inch of my life. A very delicious chicken enchilada casserole was served, with a fantastic salad, along with more margarita’s than I actually remember consuming!! Hehehe C made desert, and it involved ginger/caramelized pears and ice cream; along with a few more margarita’s, because heaven forbid we not kill that bottle of José Quervro….

I know I had stated in the past that I enjoy traveling, and touring is definitely travel, but it is the hours spent with friends that you haven’t seen in years that really makes my day. Thank you again Sara for such a wonderful sanity break. It is just nice to have a ‘normal’ day sometimes in the midst of a very large and in charge national tour!

Of course, the next morning was a bit rough… only a bit but I think perhaps I was still slightly inebriated that next morning. Yes, 7am is early on any day for me, but following such guilty pleasures of the day before, I was in no mood to hop on my bus and do a pageant. We hit it running though and made do. Oh oh oh!!! Sara and I had briefly discussed a certain crazy character in the local union, and sure enough she was on my crew. I completely agree with you sara, she’s a handful and really thinks she’s funny. No, you didn’t bias my opinion, as I didn’t remember her name, and I had formulated my own opinion of her well before she mentioned the ballet you two were working on together… but it was an “AHHHH” moment when she mentioned it… hehehe I refrained from telling her we were friends, as I was not the least bit interested in furthering any conversation with her. She is not capable of talking and working at the same time, so it wasn’t just prissiness on my part…

It is now getting to be very late as I sit here and type. I’m currently in Tacoma, WA and tomorrow we head out for the next show here. It was a blissful day off today, and I am falling in love with Tacoma. No, seriously people. I like the vibe I felt today when I was wondering around. I didn’t do anything super, just a short walk in search of food and possibly entertainment. I grabbed a couple of subs for food, but I really enjoyed my sunny walk around town. In fact, part of me believes that I could live here, and I’ve been thinking about it all day. The people are super friendly, the city is beautiful, and they have opera and ballet companies, along with more art museums and glasswork than you can shake a stick at. I wish I had more time to explore this city, in fact, I’m putting it on my list of things to do. I will be back, and beforehand I just might investigate the social and economic status of this city, along with work possibilities. Don’t panic people, I’m not up and moving, but one is never to ignore that inner voice when it speaks, and it’s been speaking loudly here. I’m not easily impressed and this city is definitely worth further exploration. AND…. I have a view of Mount St. Helens from my hotel room… just saying.

PR, is your property/parents around this neck of the woods? I have thought of you often today…

It is past time for me to close this 1500+ word posting and pull out my suitcase. I have to repack and organize the laundry and get ready for the next couple of days and shows. Then it will be past time for bed!! We continue forward and I’m ready to see how we roll in Tacoma.

Love and Light to you all!