Spokane to a Valley Home Companion

It is Saturday, February 4^th.  We’ ve been here for a few days now.  We arrived on Wednesday after a taxing day’s drive through fog and snow.  There was nothing really difficult about the drive but it was only our second of the tour and we are still getting used to winter driving.  We are in Cascade, ID with our friends the Gilmours.

Our first stop was Spokane.  Truthfully, I don’t remember much of the drive to Spokane but suffice to say we arrived as planned and we stayed in an Air BnB the first night there.  I do remember that Kristi drove the second half of the trip there.  I slept through some of the second half of the drive.  When one begins on a journey like this there is no routine.  Then slowly routine will fall into place to one extent or another. 

A friend called on “day two” and she asked about the Air BnB, commented about her preferences and I told her that we bought a frozen pizza that we heated up for dinner there which explained why we like accomodations with cooking facilities.   There was quite a bit of snow in Spokane, not unusual at this time of year, and it was in the teens at night.  Day two was Tuesday and we had two retirement homes to play that day.  We  were out of the Air BnB by 11am (checkout time) and footloose and fancy free in Spokane.  What to do in the throbbing heart of winter in Spokane?  Well, go shopping of course.  So we did that and managed to kill the right amount of time, however, we also managed to visit the new plaque that had been installed in Riverfront Park in Kristi’s fathers’ honor.  It is on a concrete bench by a walking bridge across the Spokane River that he designed.

The two retirement homes were a delight to play as they were very appreciative.  The money from these helps to pay for the considerable expense of this trip.  At the second gig Kristi’s friend Stuart from her high school days met us.  We went out to dinner at Red Robin and both of us enjoyed Stuart’s company.  After dinner we drove to his house in the cold February night.  One of the highlights of the night for me was hearing about an uncle of Stuarts’ who was an artist from Missoula Montana.  He showed us a book of his uncle’s work which was mostly done in his eighties.  I was impressed by the quality, and intellect displayed in the work.  We also  had a nice chat with Stuarts’ partner, Tim who is an opera singer.  They have an opera company that runs non profit in Spokane.  It was really inspirational to spend time with them.

LR Steve, Kristi, Stuart

We got out of bed early on Wednesday.  We didn’t stay for breakfast as we had planned.  We felt uncertain about the roads, how much travel time we’d need to get here to Cascade and just got in the car and started driving.  In Spokane it was sunny and clear.  Very soon though it became foggy and remained so with a few breaks all the way into Idaho.  There were places where there was ice and snow on the road, but generally the roads were clear.  All the same, it was winter driving with a higher level of stress than other times of the year simply because of a greater level of uncertainty.  There is a feeling that goes along with this that doesn’t allow for being a tourist, and a decreased appreciation for the country that you are traveling through.  I experience a single mindedness about such drives.  I am driving for one reason, and that is to arrive at my destination. 

David and Susan live on a road that is off of the beaten path, although I’m surprised here at how much traffic there actually is in spite of it being out of town about ten miles, and about a mile off of the highway.  At other times of the year there is a pond in front of the house and there are always mountains to be seen in the near distance.  You are never surprised to see a fox or coyote loping across one of the fields, or deer wandering down the road.  It is dead quiet except for the sound of birds and the wind rustling through the trees.  Maybe it’s the quiet that made it difficult to sleep here?

I’m used to the roaring sound of a city by this time.  The quiet is quite foreign to me.

The neighbor's new garage 

View out our bedroom door

David at the front door

It is always good to spend time with David and Susan as there is never any lapse in stimulating conversation, good humor, and fine company.  They are both accomplished in the kitchen as well and their home is spacious and comfortable.  We are here to play music though, and as with the winter driving the music is my focus at all times.  We played a concert to a small crowd on Thursday night then were the opening act for a local show at the Roxy theater in town on Friday.  We’ll be playing that show tonight and Sunday afternoon.

The show is a takeoff of “A Prairie Home Companion”.  Steve Herzog, who heads up the circus, calls it “A Valley Home Companion”.  I think Steve has a lot of fun with it, and it allows everyone who does anything entertaining to have a spot in the sun.  There is a lot of community involvement.  The Roxy is owned by one of the local policemen, Jason, who runs the sound.  It is a typical small movie theater with an excellent sound system, lighting, and plenty of seating for a town the size of Cascade (population 902). 

Our first contact with the show was on Wednesday evening after we had just arrived.  We attended a dress rehearsal at which Steve had fantasized that we would sit in with the “home band” and create a musical miracle.  Instead we found that we were superfluous at best and would simply do our performances starting the show and at the appropriate place inserted into the show.  We were in Cascade last year with our good friend and brother in arms, Gen Obata so people were a little familiar with us.  We are beginning to feel like we are a small part of Cascade, and I think that the folks here feel the same about us.

Today it is alternately raining and snowing.  The snow is melting.  Not to get too excited though as we can pretty much count on it getting cold again, and the snow being refreshed with an icy layer underneath from the warming.  Last night it was very wet on the streets of Cascade, and just below freezing when we got out of the show.  When we went to the soundcheck in the afternoon we realized that we might want to wear our “big” shoes at night.  We did change shoes to come into town.  The trip into, and from town was notable in that there was a huge influx of traffic on the highway going to Winter Festival in McCall.  I guess it’s a pretty exciting time. 

The internet has been off here all through yesterday, and we haven’t been listening to the news at all.  David and Susan listen to the local NPR station in their bedroom so we get occasional reports of what is happening in the rest of the world.  Sometimes it is even good news.

Susan and David (Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer)

The concert and the first Valley Home Companion were very good.  That is, the audience was friendly, responsive, and makes us look forward to the performances that are yet to be.  It is, as I had thought, a good precursor to the rest of our tour.   We have some songs that are relatively new to us that we are performing.  They are songs that we have started recording, but have not yet finished.  We have some other songs that we have worked on a bit, but haven’t quite learned yet that I am anxious to get into our repertoire.

The Historical Roxy Theater in Cascade, ID

We are going into Cascade for lunch, eschewing the good restaurants of McCall for fear of the large crowds that will be there.  David and Susan say that there will be no parking in McCall and if the traffic we have seen in the last 24 hours is any indication they are exactly right.  They have a large stock of experience with these things by now.  

After the Saturday night show we went to the home of Steve and Leslie Herzog.  They had some friends from Nampa and we exchanged stories.  We saw three does on the road on our way to David and Susan's house last night.  We are looking forward to a continuation of our “big” adventure.  You take care and we’ll see you when we are there.  Steve N.