The Haircut...

O.K.  So last night I decided that I needed a haircut and happened to have a pair of electric clippers and a friend, Mr. Rick McVey, who had never cut hair before and I thought, well, this just has to happen.

So...  A photo collage of befores and afters...

What do you think?  Not too bad, huh?

Gonna hang out with my Aunt Sue and Uncle Tom today.  Have a little reunion with some Chicago relatives and then head downtown for the afternoon.  The rest of the company is going to see a Cubs game.  Watch out, Chicago!  Here we come!

Happy Sunday, All...

"I can see clearly now..."

Good evening!

We took a break at a rest stop today en route to Oakbrook, Illinois.  Coming back to the bus, we found Gannon and Preston (our amazing bus driver) washing the windshield...

Go teamwork!

Somerset to Chicago...

Hey, Friends...

It's so funny.  The days and places are starting to grow cloudy.  We've all been having a hard time remembering what day it is and where we were yesterday.  I almost had to consult my own blog's google map to see where we played last.

Effingham, Illinois went well.  A huge venue.  And new.  I think three-years old.  Beautiful hotel, as well.  Got up the next morning and, as most of the tour will go, got on the bus.  Right before boarding, however, we had a little time to mill about, finish cups of coffee, chat about the previous night's show, or, as Ashley was wont to do, dance in the parking lot...

Then on to the next town, Somerset, Kentucky.  The venue was similarly spacious and new.  Did the show and came back to the hotel.  And now this morning, off to Chicago!  (Oak Brook to be exact.)

We have three days off from performance starting today.  Today and Monday are travel days off: no performances, but we do travel.  Tomorrow, Sunday, is called a Golden Day Off where you take a break from both traveling and performing.  All are loving the tour like crazy, but also looking forward to a little relaxation.

Here's a another google map link adding today's leg of the journey...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL&geocode=&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=37.55148,-87.032755&sspn=10.481819,20.324707&ie=UTF8&ll=38.908133,-87.033691&spn=10.288203,20.324707&z=6

O.K.  I hear the bus humming outside my window.  I'm off, but hopefully will post again from the road.

Much love!
O.

Our Path To Today...

Just another addition the Google Map of our trip thus far....


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.55148,-87.032755&sspn=5.24256,10.162354&ie=UTF8&ll=37.55148,-87.032755&spn=10.481819,20.324707&z=6



:)

To The Rosebud!

The day started out with Momma O's pound cake greeting the recently awakened cast boarding the bus for Illinois...

And then as luck would have it, we had to pull off and get a new water hose for the bus.  But luckily the truck stop at the next exit had a garage that specialized in semis and buses.  Amazing.  What was more amazing was that we were in Cuba...

Cuba, Missouri, that is...   And so as the mechanics did their magic, we found ourselves upon found time.  Some convenience store shopped, some read, some took a walk, many called home...

Soon we were on the open road once again, resuming activities as normal...

And then in the distance...

The St. Louis Arch!

John's arch is much more inspiring, don't you think?

We made it to Effingham, checked into our hotel, and then on to The Rosebud Theatre!

Vince has got the Lennie Celebration Move down pat.

The theater provided a great dinner which led into a little down time then fight call and sound check, and then the show.  We returned to the hotel around 10:30 PM and we leave for Somerset, KY tomorrow at 8:15 AM.

So....

'night!

A Google Map Thus Far...

Here's a link to a google map of where we've come so far and where we're going today...


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.767874,81.298828&ie=UTF8&z=7



Off to repack!
O.

Off to Effingham!

We had a great show last night at the University of Missouri at Rolla.  Here's a quick shot from my cell phone backstage...

Mid-morning we head out to Effingham, Illinois and The Rosebud Theatre.  We hear it's beautiful.  Looking forward to it.

Have great mornings....