Pictures from Valentine, NE

A Prairie Sunset


Up Close and Personal with Buffalo



Jamie and I with the Simmons girls


Crazy Cloud- It was rotating!

Nebraska Moon

Where the East Meets the West: Prairies meet the Rockies

Bye Colorado, Don't worry, I'll be back

Who would have known that I would spend an entire week in Littleton, CO? Last spring, I saw COLUMBINUS performed at Roundhouse Theatre in Silver Spring, and was totally affected by the intense, realistic portrayal of kids at the Columbine High School shooting. The play was the most moving piece of art I have experienced, so you can imagine how I felt seeing the "Welcome to Littleton" sign on our way into town. Of course, there is no trace of the incident anymore, and my work partner didn't even know Littleton was the place of the school shooting... proof that Littleton is like any other American town.... your basic chains (well healthy chains! NOODLES & COMPANY!! WILD OATS).

Julie (Iggy) and Greg had a gorgeous house that they graciously opened to us for the week. I will include pictures when I get a chance of their fun, huge dogs. One is part Newfy, and the other part St. Bernard I believe. They have a gorgeous inground pool in the back and my bedroom smelled of strong citronella.. I LOVED IT (in fact, when I open my suitcase, I an still smell the citronella!)

I recently read The Secret Life of Bees, and I swear it has affected my view of bugs. This couldn't have come at a better time, since I encountered many interesting species in Colorado, and now Nebraska.

So, yes, I've reached Valentine, Nebraska, and I was pleasantly surprised at the sights out here. It's gorgeous. Last night, the Simmons invited us over to their ranch, and after dinner we toured some of their 160 acres. We went straight to the highlight: In their prairies they have some 40 buffalo, and we drove right up to the middle of the herd, it was awesome! Check out the pictures!

The capital building in Denver 

Sculpture outside of Denver Center for the Performing Arts.. where I hope to someday study at the National Theatre Conservatory 

Had to get a picture of the RI flag, to get some sense of Bristol's 4th 

Here I am, I tried to get a cool picture like the one of Dad as the 5th head, but Jamie couldn't find the right angle 

Mount Rushmore from below 

MEDORA MUSICAL- The tourist attraction of North Dakota, We were there on July 3rd 

On our way down to the amphitheatre... 

More Badlands 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park 

Here I am.. a mix of Hawaiian and Prairie! What was I thinking? There aren't too many fashion police in ND 

Week off in DENVER

It felt so good to be driving into the city Monday night. Although, I've found it interesting to check out these small towns, the city is always calling my name, and I miss going into DC.

RIDE DOWN: The cow town of Medora, ND was fun... I picked up my authentic cowboy hat (don't worry Dad, I'll still wear the blue one, it was just too large to pack :-) ). We also checked out the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is in the center of North Dakota Badlands. I definitely MISSED the Bristol 4th of July, but I supposed Mount Rushmore would have to do. It was kind of surreal being there... not like this whole trip isn't! We finished on through South Dakota and into Wyoming. While stopping for gas in Cheyenne, a woman approached us, and told us about her experience as a kid with Missoula Children's Theatre, and said it was an experience she's always remembered (this was over 15 years ago). Pretty amazing!

Washington Post has called Missoula Children's Theatre the "PEACE CORPS of THEATRE". There is definitely a documentary in the near future lined up, and our director, Jim Caron, has gotten offers for a reality TV show.. 2 partners, one truck, thousands of miles, hundreds of kids... Can we say drama??

So while in Denver, I've been checking out some shopping sights, catching free concerts, and yesterday afternoon, I rented a bike to tour some paths around the city. What a cool city this is... Everyone seems so health conscious, "Whole Foods", "Wild Oats", and so many people biking, blading, and running. AND everyone follows the laws of the road, including pedestrians and bikers waiting for the walk and don't walk. These people aren't in a RUSH. Imagine. I can definitely see myself living here for a time, and I'm really thinking about auditioning for the National Theatre Conservatory again, which is in the heart of the city (Denver's Center for the Performing Arts). This is probably the MOST COMPETITIVE program though... 8 people are accepted!

Another Missoula Children's Theatre team is coming into town tonight, so we will probably meet up tomorrow, and trade stories. They are on their way from New Mexico to Nebraska. It will be awesome to see some familiar faces! Next week, I will be about a half hour south of Denver, so I'm sure I will experience as much of it as I can before we go back into the heartland (Nebraska, Missouri, and Kentucky).

Much love to all!

Zach had so much fun... he is the first and only grandson from a family of 5 boys (my partner, Jamie, is behind him, holding on for dear life) 

The owner of Coaches Bar.... He ends each karaoke night with ?God Bless the USA?... couldn't help being stirred with tears and missing Bristol... But it's good to see patriots all across the nation! 

See the star on the upper right? It's on top of the grain elevator, which didn't show up in the picture.. fitting background for karaoke in Arthur, ND 

Good times! My first time Tubing (on Devils Lake) 

Lisa Moore & Zach having fun in the sun (on Devils Lake) 

These kids were in the 2-minute long parade, part of Arthur's ?Community Days?. Many were in our show. The big smile belongs to Ally, one of our Asst. Directors! 

A family from Arthur- All 3 boys were wolves--- Father Wolf, Wolfy, and a Wolf Pup-- their mother sang with Jamie and I in the Impromptu Choir. 

Dale and Marie Shields--- Marie reminded me of Elaine Rendler... fun, liberal-minded church musician and caring woman. Dale was our awesome contact. Very warm people, had us for dinner one night! 

Harlan Hanson and his wife.. Our awesome 80-year-old contact. Reminded me of Mem & Pep. This guy takes care of the theatre, American Legion, & Senior Center. He would probably be mayor if they had one in Milton. 

Speaking of Mullets 

So the owner of this closed down cafe (in Milton) was a mullet-ed woman who explained her story of how she was sprayed by a skunk, then proceeded to pick it up and hold it so she could show it to her 4-year-old daughter, Jesse, ?who loves animals?. CRAZY! She filled up the theatre w/ the stench  

Here I am driving a Bobcat! The Moores taught me SO much about farmlife. I scared them all though, riding with the shovel high in the air, then, I started accidentally digging into the ground!