I found my thrill on blueberry hill.

Day 59 of puppet world takeover and a librarian in New Hampshire just asked me if we've done any other shows this summer!
We stopped in Pittsburgh for a couple of nights and discovered that it's beautiful. Previously, I wouldn't have considered Pittsburgh an ideal place to visit... perhaps because its name brings to mind armpits. or large holes in the ground. But Pittsburgh isn't a pit. It's a beautiful city built on sloping hills, cut into segments by a winding river. Seriously, they should hire a PR firm, because I thought I had more reasons to visit Branson, MO.
Then it was on to Rochester for some repeat experiences. Remember Bo? Remember the trash plate? This time Bo showed us the trash plate 2.0 (with pulled pork!) and the other things that Rochester has to offer. We visited the cemetery that housed both Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony and, in keeping with Jewish tradition, left stones at their graves. The puppet shows were well received, and Matt even got the chance to do a workshop!
Then it was on to Vermont for the best day ever! This was my first visit to the state, and it was love at first sight. We stayed with Sarah, Matt's former Americorps teammate, and her husband, JP, in their rustic cabin on a hill. It was like the summer vacation that dreams are made of. Norman Rockwell's dreams. We picked a gallon of blueberries at an orchard, visited the world-renowned Sandglass Puppet Theater, and swam beneath a waterfall. We ate fresh food straight from JP's garden, watched the locals make some cheddar, and learned the many uses of maple syrup. Matt walked around the whole time with a goofy grin on his face, saying things like, "Vermont in summer is the way life is supposed to be lived." If puppetry doesn't work out, we can take up the job of advertising for the state tourism industry; Visit Vermont.NOW: BOSTON. Again. For longer.

song title.

Are you real, Mona Lisa? Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art?

Day 52 (!) of puppetpalooza.
We spent the weekend in Greenbelt, MD: a short way from the nation's capital, a planned community born of FDR's new deal, and home of one Kevin Skolnik. This beloved friend took us in and showed us the many wonders of his life: free afropop concerts in the park, the local farmer's market, the Da Vinci exhibit at the National Geographic Museum.
In return, we showed him the wonders of our life, which consist mostly of food. Pizza at Comet, featured on the show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Pasta Pomodoro, from scratch.And chicken sort-of bleu nuggets. A decade ago, when Matt and Kevin were roommates in college, they played a game. After the cafeteria had closed, they tormented one another with suggestions of the most delicious food imaginable. Pesto pizza. Heaping mountains of sushi. Chicken cordon bleu nuggets. The winner endured endless suggestions of mouthwatering delight. The loser, overcome with hunger, would go out to get fast food. In honor of 1001 hungry nights, I have created the chicken sort-of bleu nugget: a tender strip of chicken rolled around swiss cheese and turkey bacon (for anyone that might not be eating ham), soaked in buttermilk, breaded in flour and panko bread crumbs, and fried. You might call it a flavor grenade. Or a fat bomb. Or a dream fulfilled.

We filled the rest of our time with several fresh mint mojitos, a lot of laughter, a bit of music, and one terrible haircut.




Let me start by answering the obvious questions: Yes, I cut Matt's hair. No, I was not drunk. No, it wasn't a practical joke. He took it pretty well, actually. He avoided mentioning that it looks like a terrible case of mange and hid himself in the desert exhibit at the National Botanical Gardens.
We headed north to Delaware and Pennsylvania as Kevin headed south to record his EP. More tales of harrowing puppetry feats when we return.

title song.

To everything... there is a season...

Day 45 of puppet your face off and it's our last night in Mansfield, OH.

What can you do in Mansfield? What can't you do in Mansfield? Would you like to ride a hard-carved wooden carousel? Buy some Amish-made jam? Visit the prison in which The Shawshank Redemption was filmed? Then Mansfield is the place for you. The librarian sent us the brochure ahead of time, so we planned our tourism excursions on the drive up!
Really though, it's a good thing that this county has so many unique attractions, because there are actually a lot of things you can't do in Mansfield. Like find a decent cup of coffee. Or a restaurant that hasn't mysteriously closed or disappeared since its most recent review on google was posted. The local motto is, "Mansfield, a reason for all the seasons." This is supposed to imply, I assume, that one has a reason to stay in Mansfield, all year. Or, that Mansfield is somehow mysteriously responsible for the four seasons we experience. We found that this motto failed to capture the true essence of Mansfield, so we took a crack at it ourselves.
Mansfield, a reason to leave Ohio.
Mansfield, deceptively cute in the dark.
Mansfield, you'll need another drink.After almost an entire week of shows here, we've become even more thankful for the places we're from, and for the places we're going. On to DC: better get busy living or get busy dying.

title song.

Don't know much about geography...

Day 42 of the unending puppet tour, and we press on.
Somewhere between Missouri and Kansas, I let it slip that I wasn't exactly sure which state was on what side and Matt challenged me to draw a map of the nation. See the thing about geography is... I didn't take it. I thought Oregon was on the east coast until I was 18. So 20 minutes later, I was trying to figure out which 10 states I'd left out of our great nation, and where I could lodge them. Did you know there were so many states that started with the letter M?

We rode a carousel in Missouri and had lunch in Kansas with my cousin Cris and her family, before returning to Nashville for 2 short days. What's great about Nashville is we live there. We have a house and a bed and a kitchen there. After 40+ days on the road, about all you want from a city is a home.
Not to mention friends. Friends that will claim they've never played poker, and then take all your money. Friends that will eat your food and tell you it tastes good. It's all you could want from a city.
We wanted to stay, but this is the price we pay so that children can see puppet shows. Watch this video, and think of the puppeteers across America, sacrificing their poker nights and Saturday morning brunches for the kids.

Funny story about that video. As you can see, when Obama dunks the meatball, it's funny, but not nearly as funny as when Obama falls. Kids LOVE physical comedy, and Matt laces his show with it. But at a recent show, one girl was not amused. She began walking in and out of the performance room, with a concerned look on her face. After several minutes of watching her, the librarian finally asked if everything was okay, to which the young girl replied, "Is he a republican?"

NEXT: OHIO.

song title.

I've come to look for America.

Day 36 and we just left Arkansas.Northwest Arkansas has a lot of natural beauty to offer. After being bitten by the wilderness bug, Matt and I decided to spend some time (read: two hours) at Lake Leatherwood, near Eureka Springs. It was gorgeous. and hot. and a bit dirty. and then I slipped on some rocks. So ended our brief excursion into nature, but not before some stone-skipping.

We spent the weekend with my dad and filled our bellies with coffee, beer, and of course, massive amounts of pork. We drank our daily cup of joe at the Iron Horse Coffee Company, and our beer at the local Club Frisco, both owned by Louisiana natives, so you know they're awesome.
On our final night, we celebrated Independence Day with Dad and his neighbors. The lovely Mike and Leslie of Persimmon St welcomed us at what was to be the most spectacular (read: dangerous) fireworks show I have ever attended, hosted by their two teenage boys. That's right, nothing says, "freedom," like adolescent boys blowing stuff up. Explosions abounded, mostly in the air. Unfortunately at one point, one of Dad's big fireworks tipped over and began spinning around. As the flaming balls shot indiscriminately in our direction, we vacated our seats, and for a moment, I felt like I was in Vietnam, running towards the trees, explosions on either side, carrying a wounded Matt on my shoulders. In truth, Matt courageously shielded me during our exit, while I screamed something like, "NOWHERE IS SAFE!"Afterwards, we all agreed that it had actually been quite exhilarating, and readily occupied our seats in anticipation of more. On through Missouri and Kansas. Back in Ca$hville on Thursday night, for two days only.

song title.