What a Difference a Week Makes

Thursday, August 23rd

What a difference a week makes, 168 little hours.

It is both one of the challenges (and the joys) of life on tour that no matter how things are going, just wait a minute and they will change. In the case of the move from Kansas City to Portland, it was a change for the better!

The weather improved dramatically. The high in Kansas City on Sunday was over 90 degrees. On Monday, Portland's high was 67. Lovely.

The theatre is Portland is a 1960's performing arts center. What it lacks in architectural charm, it makes up for in convenience. We have plenty of room and the crew is professional and great (I even have a hand nick-named "Crowbar").

The vibe of the city is the biggest change. Portland is the friendliest town we've played thus far. The city is walkable and has a public transportation system that seems easy to use. There's plenty to do and to see. Also helping matters, I have a kitchen in my hotel room and easy access to the Whole Foods!

We arrived on Monday after an event-free trip. I was checked in and settled by 5 PM. Sigh of relief! Monday evening, I went to PGE Park to watch the Portland Beavers (AAA San Diego) take on the Las Vegas 51s (AAA Dodgers).

This is Boomer the Portland Beaver

And the 51s' Alien (please note the baseball stiching on his forehead!)

PGE Park is sunk into the Oregon hills, creating a pretty ballpark. It's also an old park (it opened in 1926). The park has an ivy-covered wall in the outfield and a covered semi-circular grandstand that extends just beyond the bases. The only drawback to the park is the playing surface; they play on AstroTurf. The park can be converted to play football (for Portland State) or soccer (for the Portland Timbers). One of my favorite features was the manual scoreboard. I always imagine that working inside the scoreboard would be a great job... The home team won (6-4) and I enjoyed spending the evening with Eric (our short-timer - he leaves at the end of this engagement - front light man).

The exterior of PGE Park

The awesome manual scoreboard. The "at bat" numbers are as big as a person!

I also had Tuesday off (it was a 1800 mile trip from Kansas City, so the trucks couldn't make it in time for a Monday morning load-in) while the crew started at the theatre. I strolled all around Portland. I walked over to the Chinese Gardens and enjoyed their tranquility. I also enjoyed a Chinese tea ceremony beside their pond. It was a sampler of three different green teas: really lovely.

The Portland Chinese Garden

I also strolled along the Willamette River - I really enjoy the cities with a water feature. They have a greenway all along the river and parks throughout town. It is beautiful here. I made myself dinner on Tuesday night - an especially happy event. I roasted beets, made a couple of ears of corn, a green salad and a piece of flank steak that I rolled with rosemary and basil then topped with blue cheese. I was overjoyed.

Wednesday, Spamalot was firing on all cylinders. The load-in went very smoothly and the show was as good an opening night as we've had in a long time. Coming from the bunch of hands we had in KC, these guys are GENIUS. Since we opened on Wednesday, we had to make up a show with a double header this afternoon (a trade-off I'd make anytime!).

Tomorrow I plan to visit the famous Portland Rose Gardens and treat myself to some local oysters!

JV