December 18th – Sunday, I had just enough time to get up, shower and go to church before Mike had the car all packed. The train left at 5:15 but we wanted to leave in plenty of time in case of bad weather. The weather turned out to be fine and we had eaten dinner and were headed to the train station by 4:00. Because of unforeseen circumstances—a washed out bridge and a heart attack—our train didn’t arrive until 7:00 and wasn’t on its way until 7:30. We headed for the Club Car about 7:31. We met a group of railroad men traveling home after six months of hard labor and they were in the mood for partying. We partied right along with them far into the night.
December 19th – Monday, trains are my favorite mode of travel and the Empire Builder is my favorite train. Almost everyone on the train is traveling across the country so there’s plenty of time to get to form friendships. The Sky Cars are a real escape—a 24-hour jam session went on in one of them. The bar constantly ran out of booze; the dining car ran out of eggs, but the jamming went on. During our dinner with a not-quite-right-in-the-head religious fanatic, a man approached us and asked if we were dancers. He had seen both of our shows in Klamath Falls. We’re getting famous!
December 20th – Tuesday, I had prunes for breakfast and they worked all day. We arrived in Chicago four hours late so we only had an hour-and-a-half layover. It was good to feel firm ground under our feet. We called Mark and Irene, (Mike’s friend from college) and are going to see them on our way back through. We also called Birute but there was no answer. The Lake Shore Limited was cramped and stifling hot so (what else) we sought refuge in the bar. This time we were lectured on racism by a black Navy man who caused quite a commotion before he passed out. We also met Susan, an artist living in Chicago, who we liked instantly. We hated to say good-bye.
December 21st – Wednesday, we ate breakfast with an English teacher from Milwaukee and his wife. They were interested to hear about life in the West. We arrived in Utica only two hours late. Mom, Todd and Peter met us and it was a wonderful reunion. Almost as soon as we arrived at One Jordan Road, we left for the Mall. We bought our last Christmas gift and also picked out Mom’s gift to us. She had given us a package with a slip of paper in it that said, “Good for anything.” The anythings seem to be getting more expensive every year. Linda came over for dinner with Stephanie and we played cards until her bedtime. I slept like a baby, able to stretch out at last.
December 22nd – Thursday, we did some exercise in the morning and it felt good after sitting for three days straight. Then we wrapped all 29 presents! We went to Grammy’s for hot buttered rum and cookies in the afternoon and I pigged out. Bruce Barber was there and the jokes were flying fast. What an interesting sense of humor both he and his mother have. He told a story about a little boy putting a gold fish bowl on his head in the subway; his mother pulled him screaming off the train after putting his little cap on top of the bowl. Bruce’s mother told how she had been standing on the subway once and dropped her handkerchief into the lap of a man with his fly unzipped. Embarrassed, he stuffed the handkerchief into his pants and zipped it up. We played bridge at night without Mike. He wasn’t feeling well and went to bed at 7:00.
December 23rd – Friday, I knitted until it was time to go to the Yahnundasis. Jaye’s leotard is all finished except for the sleeves. I was feeling asthmatic so I took a pill and shook until I had two martinis. The lobster tail and hot fudge sundae were the best I’ve ever eaten. Doug arrived from Buffalo just as everyone was being served dessert so we stayed extra long. I had two dramboui and was floating. Doug came over, kissed me and whispered, “God! Are you gorgeous!” He’s one-in-a-million and what a face! We played bridge until 2:00 a.m.
December 24th – Saturday was the day of the big Hurd get-together. Everyone was there. This time the martinis didn’t seem to calm me. My hands shook uncontrollably from the medication. I mostly talked to Linda and Thelma but also had conversations with Bart, Nancy and Marsha. I hope I remember them next time. I ate dinner with Uncle Earl and Doug and we talked about dance. Mike and I played bridge with Linda and Peter until about midnight when Doug took over for Mike. We continued for another couple of hours.
December 25th – Christmas, Wow! What a bash!! The gifts from us seemed to go over very big and we got some great things too. Everything fit except one pair of shoes. We’re having lots of things shipped because we can’t possibly carry all of it back on the train. Mrs. Neuthardt was sick this year so the boys went down there instead of her coming to us. Mike and I went to Grandma Hurd’s. She looked thinner than ever. Later we learned how to play Whist from Sandy and Michael (John’s wife, Elaine’s, oldest daughter and her husband) until dinner was ready. We packed and played bridge until it was time to go to the train station. I’ve never had better cards in my life—we killed them.
December 26th – Monday, the train ride was sheer hell! First it was stifling hot and then I had an asthma attack. Two African-American teenage girls were talking at the top of the lungs all night long. We were two hours late—as usual. Mom and Dad looked great—Dad had on a pair of blue jeans and Mom had her hair cut really short and had a new pair of glasses.
We started playing bridge almost immediately. Carl, Mary and Baby Carl arrived about 4:00 followed by Terry, Carla, Jerry and Bear. It was a great reunion. The first thing Bear said was, “I missed you, Aunt Dee.” Ann’s boyfriend, Dave, came over too and Mike and I picked up Grandma and Aunt Mary. We had our usual Christmas pageant with Jerry singing “Oh Holy Night”, our “Shepherd’s Awake” and finishing with “Drummer Boy”. Mike is so good on those “rum pum pum pums”. We got great gifts from everyone. Carla gave us a beautiful quilt that I hate to cover up with my string-crocheted bedspread. She loved the legwarmers and the slippers were a big hit with everyone except Bear and Joe. Mom gave both Mike and I a new outfit and everything fit perfectly; we couldn’t get over it. We also got lots of money something we can always use. We finished the night with some great bridge. It’s good to be home.
December 27th – Tuesday, I bought some $27 perfume—I’m worth it. I stretched out and did a short barre; I even put on my Pointe shoes. We played bridge and went to Grandma’s for a party with the Welch’s and Bercher’s. Later in the day we saw Terry’s new apartment (exactly like her) and Carl and Mary’s new house. Little Carl is actually walking already and is built like a football player.
December 28th – Wednesday, we danced again in the morning and then I worked on Jaye’s leotard. We played bridge and watched the dance company, Philobulus. Mom really liked it. We drank one of the bottles of wine that Todd gave us for Christmas—the second of four. Everyone really seems to be enjoying it. Now that I think of it, Mom never keeps wine in the house—except maybe at Thanksgiving.
December 29th – Thursday, Rudy and Nancy came over from Freemont. It was really good to see them. They both talked a mile-a-minute for two hours; Mike and I hardly got a word in. I worked on Jaye’s leotard as we talked. The whole family, including Dave and Grandma, went to O’Henry’s. It was great except my jaw was bothering me again. I shouldn’t have eaten that Granola this morning. We polished off bottle #3 after dinner playing bridge.
December 30th – Friday, I’m heartbroken—I don’t think the leotard is going to fit Jaye. I did everything I could think of to make it bigger. It was our last day in Toledo and we savored the last bottle of wine as we played bridge for the last time.
December 31st – Saturday, the train was over 2 hours late—so what’s new? We couldn’t even sit together it was so full—and it was also about 90 degrees in the coaches. We slept most of the trip. We called Mark as soon as we arrived in Chicago and took a cab over to their apartment. They both looked good—Irene a little thinner even though she’s 5 months pregnant—and Mark a little fatter. We drank and talked and drank and ate and drank and talked some more. Irene showed us her collection of antique ink wells which I found fascinating. I wonder how she decided to collect that particular item? Mark drove us back to the train through the newly-fallen snow just in time to say a few words to Birute before the train’s departed. She sounded good but a little tentative about her plans. She still doesn’t know what’s going on with Chicago Ballet. She offered us her house when she found out we’d be going through on our National tour. I hope it works out. On the train we met Tom from Missoula and, with him, we welcomed in the New Year.
January 1, 1978 – Sunday, we spent all day on the train. Our car was freezing when we woke up; but by the time we went to sleep, it was back to 90 degrees. I think I prefer it about 40. Everything went wrong. We ran out of water and had to walk forward two cars every time we had to use the bathroom—also no beer because it was Sunday. To make matters worse, I had a stomach ache all day. We were delayed at every stop because there was no electricity in the baggage car; and at around 10:00 p.m., we stopped for 5 ½ hours because of a derailment ahead of us. We got off the train and had a little bedtime snack which was the only good thing about the whole day.
January 2nd – By the time we woke up, the train was 12 hours behind schedule. We spent most of the day with Tom and his friend of one night, Kay. It was fun and we even got a free lunch. Later we met some bridge players and ended up playing all evening. Mike and I didn’t do very well—they were excellent defensive players but weren’t so good at bidding. We slept a few hours before our stop and arrived in Spokane about 1:30 a.m.—14 hours behind schedule. The snow was deep and it was a slow ride to Moscow. We met a man and his son on the train who asked for a ride to Moscow, so there were four of us in our little Gremlin. We arrived home about 4:30 a.m. to find the oil heater out and no water. Home was still a welcome sight!
January 3rd – Tuesday, we unpacked and prepared for Pam all day—we grocery shopped, did laundry and cleaned house. I invited George over for dinner. Jon and Nancy stopped by and so did Barb, Ben and Tom. I had a hard time getting anything done. It was a lucky thing Jon came over because Mike couldn’t get the chains tight enough on the tires. Jon and Mike drove out to the airport to get Pam whose plane was an hour late. (Mike remembered later he had bought the chains to fit our over-sized snow tires, so no wonder!) While we were waiting for Jon and Mike—Nancy, George and I drank beer and smoked pot; we thought they’d never get back. Mike called to say Pam’s luggage hadn’t arrived with her and they were waiting to see if it was on the next plane. By the time they got home, dinner was ruined and I was wasted.
January 4th – Wednesday, we took class—Mike, Barb, Jan and I. Steven was there also. We invited everyone over to watch Paul Taylor Dance Company but explained they had to leave right after the show. Leslie came over in the afternoon and stayed for dinner—we made pizza and salad. Paul Taylor got mixed reviews. I expected worse so I liked it. Some of the others expected better and were disappointed. Steven’s wife, Patricia, seems very nice but didn’t say much. George, Pam, Mike and I went to Jon and Nancy’s to see their new place—it’s perfect! It is also ideal for parties because the living room is so big. Jon’s kid, Michael, was there and was the life of the party. At one point Wonder Woman was on TV and I asked him if he didn’t think she was beautiful. He said, “You’re much prettier than she is,” and I told him he took after his Dad. Pam stayed the night with us because she still had no luggage.
January 5th – Thursday, we went back to work. Class was really nice; George was in a great mood. We rehearsed Hoe Down (I dance with Steven), and then ran through ELP. I think I got Mike’s flu; my throat was sore and I ached all over. Pam’s luggage finally arrived so Mike and Pam drove to get it. While they were gone, I took a shower and cleaned the apartment. We finished a joint George brought over two nights ago and had the giggles while we were visiting Steve and Patricia. Steve is really into showing us how much he knows but most of it is B.S. We took Pam to Bill’s because she’s staying there until his Mother gets home from her trip.
January 6th – Friday, we had a nice class again and a short rehearsal. The rest of the day Pam, Leslie, Bill, Mike and I got wasted. Bill cooked steaks and the girls made the salad. We picked up Steven and Patricia and went to George’s. It was a strange evening; I think Steven’s going to have some trouble until he learns to relax.
January 7th – Saturday, Leslie gave class. She’s a Russian-style teacher—CRAZY. I’ve never felt so bad after a barre in my life. Tonight we’re going to the disco. Mike was a doll all day; he helped me take ribbons and elastics off old Pointe shoes.
January 8th – Sunday, last night was a sleeper for me. I had no energy left to dance. I mostly sat and tried to converse with Bill over the music while Mike danced with Pam and Leslie. Sadly, Bill is in love with Pam, but she’s not ready to get involved with anyone yet. He’s so shy around her—it’s not the Bill we’re used to. Pam says he makes her nervous because he never sits still. Poor Bill really has it bad.
Sunday was Bill’s party and it was kind of a dud. No one got very wild. After dinner (cataloni, eggplant parmesan, garlic bread, 3 different salads and 3 desserts) no one could move. It didn’t help the party any that the movie “Nashville” was on and everyone just sat staring at the tube. I was ready to go by 10:00 but Mike was nowhere to be found. He had taken Jan home so I went with Leslie. When he got back to the party and found me gone, he dashed home and explained everything.
Jan has really been bumming him out lately because all she does is make goo-goo eyes at him. He took her home so he could tell her to lay off. There was a big scene and lots of tears and “I love you’s” but Mike told her to forget it and grow up. I sure hope she does because it makes me mad the way she tries to make him pay attention to her. Maybe everything will be better from now on.
January 9th – Monday, we started rehearsing pretty heavily and were too tired after dinner to do anything. I fell asleep in front of the TV at 10:00.
January 10th – Tuesday, we had a Company meeting and a shock. Carl took a job as Head of the Idaho Arts Council. He will be moving to Boise and will no longer have any association with Ballet Folk. JoAnn will take over with more help from the Board. Jaye will remain as Artistic Director and will commute.
George, Mike and I rehearsed a few hours in the afternoon. We also worked out the understudy list so we’re covered if anyone is sick or injured. We rehearsed ELP in the evening. We were dead tired but managed a little partying after rehearsal when we took Pam home. It was definitely half-hearted.
January 11th – Wednesday, wasn’t a bad day. ELP all afternoon but we finished by 3:30. Pam, Steven, Patricia, Mike and I saw “Turning Point”, a dance film. Leslie Browne wasn’t very good but Baryshnikov was marvelous and so were Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine. It’s wonderful that one of the major films of the year is about a ballet company. And the audience seemed to really appreciate all the dancing. We stayed at Steven’s talking until about 1:00. I am starting to like him more. He’s immature but he has a beautiful heart.
January 12th – Thursday, it was an awful day for toes. We did Debussy until 3:00 and Watercolors until 5:00. I amazed myself at how well I did after being on vacation. Mike is looking good too—so much cleaner and sharper. In the evening, we watched American Ballet Theatre’s “Dance in America” performance with “Billy the Kid” and “Les Patineurs”. The first ballet was really good but I didn’t like the choreography in “Patineurs”. It was boring and repetitive. Steve, Patricia and Pam were over and I don’t think they approved of all my criticism.
January 13th – Friday, it was another bad toes day. We rehearsed Debussy and Pas de Trois with both casts. I felt I had done well and it gave me confidence in myself. We went to Jon and Nancy’s after dinner and I drank far too much beer. We started talking about seniority in the Company which led to Jon drawing a bus seating arrangement. I think my whole tour would be much better if I didn’t have to sit in front of Chuck. So far we’ve been getting along this year (only 15 days) but it would be nice if it could stay that way.
January 14th – Saturday, we set up the PAC (Performing Arts Center) for Monday’s taping. Pam, Leslie, Mike and I had lunch at the Biscuitroot and it was delicious. The rest of the afternoon I frustrated myself because I couldn’t seem to get anything done. I did fix my new leotard for ELP but it took forever. Leslie, Mike and I went to see “Kentucky Fried Movie” in the evening and almost the whole Company was there. It was pretty dumb but, had I been in the right mood, I probably would have found it funny. We stopped by the Garden for a drink before heading up to Carl’s “goodbye party”. I perked up considerably after a few glasses of champagne and some chocolate cake—sugar gets me high. It was a good, lively party but sad. However, it’s not like we won’t see him again.
January 15th – Sunday, I finally got caught up a little on my work. Mike and I cleaned house; I ironed and sewed shoes. Mike left to go to Jonny’s to watch the Superbowl at about 2:00. Maybe that’s why I got so much done—no interruptions.
January 16th – Monday, I went to the dentist at 9:00 and didn’t have any cavities—yeah! We had class and rehearsal at the PAC and taped the show in the evening. This will get us in shape fast! We had to repeat the final section of ELP because we tripped the circuit breaker with the TV lights on. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
January 17th – Tuesday, we had class and rehearsal at the PAC. We did Rainmaker, Beauty and Vivaldi. Pam came over for dinner and we made shish-ka-bob. She was really impressed with the whole company but Jan. She went on-and-on about how Jan should be fired because she doesn’t put anything into her dancing. I knew it was bad, but not that bad.
January 18th – Wednesday, we started working on the lecture demonstration and my mind was miles away. I had gotten a letter from Mom about Ann’s boyfriend, Dave. He killed himself because he was drunk, had taken some pills and thought Andra didn’t love him anymore. The letter was all about his funeral—heartbreaking.
We rehearsed all day and then went back to the PAC in the evening and taped Rainmaker, Vivaldi, Property Pas de Deux and Beauty.
January 19th – Thursday, We had a lecture demo in the morning at the PAC and rehearsed with the understudies in the afternoon. Later we had a meeting with the Ballet Folk Board about Carl’s leaving. No one could say much of anything because George was there. He let everyone know what side he was on and it was infuriating. Just about everyone went drinking after the meeting.
January 20th – Friday, we rehearsed the lecture demo until 2:00 and then watched the tapes. The quality was piss-poor. You really couldn’t see much of anything. We all looked good though. Then we went to the bank to get our travelers checks for the upcoming tour. I called Mom and Dad but they were out playing bridge.
Mike and I ate at the Biscuitroot and had a long talk about how we felt about the Company. Ballet Folk has been invited to Seattle to have a ballet set on the Company and Jaye and George decided to send only four dancers—neither Mike nor I were one of them. We felt we deserved to do it because of all the shit we have taken in the past. I burned the hot dish for tomorrow’s dinner—what a scatter-brain.
January 21st – Saturday, we packed most of the day. I talked to Mom and we planned to meet in Toledo for lunch on February 2nd. She sounded tired. They will also come to Ft. Pierce, Florida to see us there. Tom and Karen from downstairs came up for a drink. I hope and pray I can keep my sanity for the next 10 weeks.
January 22nd – Sunday, we left at 8:00—destination Twin Falls, Idaho. I read and started a needlepoint project but didn’t get very far. We were supposed to meet Carl at the Sandpiper in Boise, but it was closed and he wasn’t home so we drove on. By the time we arrived in Twin Falls everything had closed except J.B.’s. We were starved and frozen. It was fun thawing out in our rooms after dinner. We stretched and did a barre—have to keep in shape.
January 23rd – Monday, we rode all day again and arrived in Rawlins, Wyoming at 8:00 that evening. I was really feeling sick. We shared a two-room suite with Jon and Nancy which only had one bathroom. Of all the days to have diarrhea; I was in the bathroom half the night. We went to dinner but I couldn’t eat much; I was worried about the next day on the bus.
January 24th – Tuesday, today was painful. Mike bought me some kaopectate which saved me but I still felt awful. It was below zero all day and the bus didn’t warm up. We spent about two hours in Cheyenne at Little America because the tires on the bus needed balancing. It turned out to be more serious than that, but at least we got it fixed. We arrived in Grand Island, Nebraska, late again. But I finally started feeling better.
January 25th – Wednesday, we drove to Brookings, South Dakota and what an eventful trip. We almost froze to death. The last 60 miles took about 3 hours; because of blowing snow, visibility was almost zero. With the wind chill it was about -60 degrees. We walked to Sambo’s after thawing out—it was 2 blocks away but the coldest 2-block walk of my life. It reminded me of LaCrosse last year.
January 26th – Thursday, another bitch of a day. Mike left at 9:00 a.m. to go check on the bus with Kelly, and I discovered the door to our motel room wouldn’t close. The Manager told me the room had been broken into once and the door had never been fixed. So I packed up everything and moved all our belongings to another room—what a chore. It was still -30 out. One consolation was that the new room had a bathtub. Mike came back to the old room and was alarmed to find everything gone. When he did find me, it was with bad news. The bus plug for the heater blew out in the night and it would take some time to get it warmed up again. We were supposed to set-up but had to cancel. We barely made it to the lecture demo. George was a real bastard—he kept yelling at everyone. You would think he would understand what we were going through as he was going through it too. After all, we hadn’t had class in 4 days. We rehearsed Rainmaker with the orchestra at 7:30. The temperature in the theatre couldn’t have been more than 60 degrees. It was great to be dancing to an orchestra though and the conductor was a dream!
January 27th – Friday, we set-up in the morning and had to form an assembly line up a long, narrow flight of stairs. We rehearsed some of the dancers going into new parts. George was better than he had been yesterday but managed to make Jan feel awful. The performance was a big success—we got a warm response from the audience. But at the reception afterward, no one said on word to us—they were probably just shy. We felt like we were still “on stage”. The food was good though.
January 28th – Saturday, we did Beauty at 11:00 and it was great not to have to do two parts anymore. Unfortunately the bus is sick again. The front-end is dragging on the ground. Kelly thought something was just frozen; but after being in the garage all night, it still wasn’t fixed. Kelly worked on it all afternoon while the dancers sat in two motel rooms and waited. We were on the road to Wausau, Wisconsin, by 5:00—thank God for Kelly. We stopped in Mankato at Mr. Steak and were very disappointed. Now I know never to get lobster at a place like that again. After we arrived, we spent the evening in Jan and Lenore’s room with Steven watching “Saturday Night Live” and the old version of “Star is Born”. Both were well worth staying up for.
January 29th – Sunday, we checked out at noon and went to set-up—the place was a dump and the stage only 3-floors deep. Too bad because Peter came to watch the performance and take us back to Minneapolis with him. It was still a good show and he really enjoyed it. Linda didn’t come because Stephanie was sick. We stayed up talking, drinking beer and eating pizza until 3:00 a.m.
January 30th – Monday, we didn’t get up until 10:30. It was wonderful to have a real “day off”. I did needlepoint most of the day. We also ate most of the day—Linda was a wonderful hostess. She fixed bacon and eggs for breakfast; and when we had only just finished that, she fixed tuna, soup and ice cream for lunch. I could get fat in no time living like this. We had spaghetti for dinner and played bridge into the wee hours of the morning—we won!
January 31st – We took a class from Frank Borman, on leave from Winnipeg, at Minnesota Dance Theatre. I’m in love! What a wonderful sense of humor; he took a lot of interest in us. We sat around in the afternoon and watched Coppelia with the New York City Ballet on TV. Linda cooked a delicious chicken divan for dinner and we played bridge all evening. We won again!
February 1st – Wednesday, we were on the road, but we didn’t get off to a very good start. Chuck was late because his friend, Stan’s, car wouldn’t start. When we finally left the motel, the bus wouldn’t go faster than 30 mph. We wasted an hour getting back to the University area where Kelly had worked on the bus yesterday. We shopped and ate while the bus was being fixed. It turned out to be bits of rubber in the fuel line. I bought a $20 blouse while we were waiting, so I got something for the inconvenience.
We arrived in Chicago about 11:00 p.m. and our motel was the pits—ice cost $.50. It was a very old hotel and very depressing—it fit my mood. We called Birute but she was vague about everything including us staying with her.
February 2nd – Thursday, we didn’t arrive in Toledo until 4:00—partly because we didn’t leave Chicago until 9:45, we lost an hour and we had a half-hour pit stop. It all turned out for the best. Mom picked us up at the mall; and by the time we got home, Dad was home from work. Ann was there and Terry came for dinner. We only had 1 ½ hours but we made good use of the time. We hopped back on the bus and arrived in Cleveland about 9:00. We found a nice deli with beer and cheese and had a party.
February 3rd – Friday, it was a cold ride to Utica—something was wrong with the heater. We arrived at 6:00 to freezing cold rooms. Mom Hurd says Utica is very energy-conscious—unfortunately for us. We froze all the way to Herkimer for class with Barb at 7:30. It took my toes the entire barre to thaw out. We ran through Pas de Trois just in case George decided to let us do it. We froze again all the way back to Utica and then in Mom and Dad’s car out to the airport to get George. It was midnight before we had dinner—and it was awful. I guess this just wasn’t my day to be comfortable.
February 4th – Saturday, we were at the theatre from 11:00 on. Set-up took forever—we only had one helper and the distance to the stage was one of the worst ever. A boy auditioned during class, but he was too short and not good enough. We ran through Pas de Trois, tonight I finally get my big chance. Mike and I stayed at the theatre because we were staying at the Hurd’s tonight and we had already checked out of our rooms. There was plenty of food in machines downstairs but we realized, too late, we didn’t have any change.
The performance went very well even though we froze our asses off. Talking to people at the party at the Hurd’s afterward, we learned the audience was frozen too. My first Pas de Trois was a triumph even though I did have one memory lapse which I covered well. No helpers again but we struck in record time. It was a cold ride to New Hartford but our reward was waiting. The party was great—plenty of food, drink and friends. Doug said we were better than Elliot Feld and Uncle Earl said we were more entertaining than New York City Ballet.
February 5th – Sunday, we had bus trouble again. This time we were grateful for it as we got to sleep late and didn’t leave until 1:00. The bus was surprisingly warm and the day was pretty uneventful. We arrived minus food at about 8:00. We hadn’t eaten since before we left. The only thing open was Friendly’s. I’m not going to get fat on this tour.
February 6th – Monday, we had a lecture demo at noon and my scatter-brain struck again. I left my purse in the room and my contacts were in it. I danced pretty well for not being able to see. I even did Property. I almost decided it’s better not to be able to see faces. We hung around the Student Union at Bridgewater State College while a blizzard dropped 3 inches of snow in an hour. Classes were cancelled and so was our lecture demo at Wheaton College that night. We heard on the news that Boston was expecting at least 12 inches of more snow. The winds were tornado force. We were all thinking that we may be stuck for days.
February 7th – Tuesday, when we woke up the next morning, we couldn’t believe our eyes. It was still snowing and blowing. We weren’t going anywhere that day and neither was anyone else. There were about 50 others stranded with us. Someone went out and brought us hot dogs for lunch and pot pies for dinner. At least the bar was open and, not surprisingly, we spent most of our time there. When the bar closed, we were told we had to leave. I stopped for one last beer and met a nice salesman named John. We sat in the lobby and talked until Mike came frantically looking for me.
February 8th – Wednesday, well it has finally stopped. At least two feet of snow fell with drifts much higher. We walked to the grocery store and it was great! Everyone was shoveling—trying to get their cars out from under all the snow. It was called the Blizzard of ’78 and was the worst in Massachusetts history. Governor Dukakis (who later ran for President) declared a State of Emergency and called out the National Guard. No one was allowed on the roads except emergency vehicles. Many homes on the Coast were destroyed by high tides. There were over 3,000 cars stranded on one highway alone. The news was saying it could take days before the roads were clear enough for travel. We still planned on making Fitchburg—two days away.
A new romance has come about due to the quarantine. Kelly and Pam are the new lovers and poor Bill is miserable. Mike has been playing a lot of cards with him to help keep his mind occupied. For lunch today we had more burgers and for dinner cold cheese pizza. We should feel lucky as there are thousands sleeping side-by-side in shelters. At least we have the comforts of the motel. Many salesmen and truckers staying at the motel only have the clothes on their backs. They expected to be home for dinner two days ago.
Poor Steven lost his glasses trying to push the bus out of a snow drift on the first day. I’m afraid they are gone forever. Jan has been consoling him—she’s good at that. Is another affair brewing? John, the salesman, joined us after dinner and we ended up never leaving the bar that night. I’ve been drinking so much beer these last few days, I’m sure I’m getting fat. George taught barre so we’re not getting too out-of-shape. We talked about putting on a performance for all those stuck at the motel except that the floor is concrete. We actually would have done it but Barb wasn’t feeling well. She fainted this morning and George called an ambulance but all they did was take her temperature.
We met a Morman girl through John who had eaten lunch with her. She thought we might be Morman because we were from Idaho. She and her girlfriend were invited for dinner by two guys who live up the road. When the guys brought the girls back to the motel, Mike recognized one of them as Jeremy Serwer, the President of his fraternity at Wesleyan his sophomore year. Jeremy’s roommate’s name is Henry and he’s a hairdresser. We were trying to decide if they’re gay or not—not that we cared. We had a few drinks with them and they invited the whole Company for dinner the following night. The Governor had already announced the driving ban would extend at least until Thursday midnight so we were overjoyed by the invitation.
February 9th – Thursday, Jeremy and Henry lived only six houses from the motel. Despite the ban, Jeremy and Henry drove us all over N. Easton—what a beautiful little town with lots of estates and history. The rich folks of the town were named Ames—a name that goes back to the 1700’s. At one point an Ames Protestant girl married a Catholic boy named George Plimpton, the writer. The family was so upset; they burned down some of their own lovely homes just so the Catholics wouldn’t inherit them. The Ames family made their money making shovels and the factory is still standing. Every shovel that worked on the railroad or dug for gold was made right there. The Catholics ended up getting a lot of the inheritance after all and gave it to the Church which started a college—Stonehill. That is why there is a Catholic college right in the middle of white Protestantism.
Mike helped Jeremy dig his car out while I took class. George was mad that there were only six of us there—but no one knew about it. We get tired of never being told anything. We trooped over to Jeremy’s that evening for a fantastic spaghetti dinner with lots of wine and smoke. We all had a great time!
February 10th – Friday, we’re still stuck. The Governor said at least until midnight tonight. I settled down today and did some reading and needlepoint along with class. We saw John leave this morning but had no way of knowing whether he made it anywhere or not. Most of the Company went out to dinner but Leslie, Lenore, Mike and I went back to Jeremy’s for another great evening. Henry told some hysterical stories about his job cutting hair. We ended up literally rolling on the floor laughing at some of Mike’s imitations and then laughing at each other laughing. It was difficult to say goodbye to such new and wonderful friends.
February 11th – Saturday, we finally made it out. The police stooped us once and asked why we were on the road. When Jon answered that we were a touring Ballet Company trying to make a booking; the policeman answered, “That’s not a very good reason,” but he let us go anyway. It could have been because there was no place for us to turn around with snow piled 8-foot high all around us. We drove all day—going through Hartford, New York City, near Philly and ending up in Baltimore. I was in an ornery mood—the restaurant was expensive and not very good; but the bed was comfortable so I was grateful for that.
February 12th – Sunday, we drove to Farmville, Virginia arriving just in time for set-up. The theatre was perfect for us. Everyone was bitching because we had to run through ELP with no warm-up but there was really no time. The weather was a gorgeous 50 degrees. It seemed unreal after being in the blizzard the day before. The performance was great! George came back after I did Pas de Trois and raved about it—it floored me! Our sponsor gave us a nice reception afterward. Farmville will always have pleasant memories for me. I love doing Pas de Trois—it makes me feel beautiful.
February 13th – Monday, we had another day on the bus—driving to Columbia, South Carolina. The brakes failed once and we had to stop for about an hour while Kelly went with a cop to get some new pipe. Will the troubles never end? We had a good lunch at Mr. Steak and the rest of the day was pretty uneventful.
February 14th – Tuesday, we had a performance in Forsyth, Georgia, today after driving 230 miles. Great pecan pie at the motel restaurant. The people around there were real hicks. One of the loaders said to me in barely understandable English, “Women aren’t supposed to tote.” The audience was pretty uneducated also. They didn’t know what to make of Pas de Trois but applauded our kicks and circle in Hoe Down. We spent the evening with the Magic Fingers on the bed massaging our aching muscles.
February 15th – Wednesday, we drove to Ft. Pierce today and arrived at about 6:00. We did laundry and then went out for Chinese food—it was great. Kelly is talking about quitting dance and taking over the tech next year.
February 16th – Thursday, Mom called and asked if we wanted to come to Miami after the performance. They’re been having such a great time, they don’t want to go back to Toledo yet. They brought Cousin Patsy to the performance with them. The theatre was perfect—only two days old and we were dedicating it. We had about 1,200 people in the audience and it was a good show. Lenore came back to Miami with us because she has two sisters who live there. We were dead tired and a little drunk by the time we arrived at the motel. We drank beer in the car all the way from Ft. Pierce.
February 17th – Friday, we were in Miami and it was cold and cloudy. We ate breakfast at The Blue Mist where we stayed when I was in college. That was 10 years ago! We took a long walk on the beach and ended up walking almost 4 miles. By the time we got back, my right foot was really acting up. We took a little dip in the Caravan pool which was heated to 86 degrees. It felt wonderful until we got out.
We drove down to the end of Miami Beach and looked all the new hotels. I have always enjoyed those drives. It rained the rest of the afternoon. We went to Rocky Graciani’s for dinner and had the some wonderful lasagna. Dad and I danced a little and we took a scenic route back to the motel.
February 18th – Saturday, it was another overcast day so we drove up to Lakeland eating lunch along the way. We stopped at the Everglades and took a tram ride but got drenched on the way back. There wasn’t a spot on me that wasn’t wet. We arrived in Lakeland about 8:00 and Mike and I treated Mom and Dad to lobster dinner at El Greco’s. It was only $6.95 and was delicious. We all got a little tipsy but what’s new.
February 19th – Sunday, we went to the Dark Continent at Busch Gardens. It was freezing out but we didn’t let that stop us. We saw everything there was to see—a parrot show, a magic show, the dreaded Python that turns you upside down, saw a movie and thousands of birds and animals. It was such fun. I can’t wait to go to Disney World—I’m really in the mood for amusement parks these days. Mike and I ate constantly all day. The barbeque ribs and corn were the best. We didn’t even want dinner on the way home. We played bridge with Mom and Dad the rest of the evening. Mike and I did fine but we still lost.
February 20th – Monday, Mom and Dad went to see Bea and Fred Baker who live in Largo. Mike and I set-up and had class. By the time we got back to the motel, Mom and Dad were back from Largo. I had a scare for about 10 minutes when I couldn’t find my make-up. Dad is so hyper—he makes me nervous. But the show was super. Mom loved ELP which we hadn’t done at the performance in Ft. Pierce. Mike’s Aunt Jean and Uncle Howard came to the performance too. We all went to the Waffle House after the performance because it was the only place open. They don’t have booze but we made up for it when we got back to the motel.
February 21st – Tuesday, our vacation began today. The weather was beautiful all the way to St. Pete’s. We got a little lost due to JoAnn’s awful directions and, by the time we got there, a storm had rolled in. Our rooms were nice but we had to walk through Jon and Nancy’s bedroom to get to the bathroom. We ate at HoJo’s and sat around the rest of the afternoon drinking in the room. It was too cold and rainy to venture outdoors. Nancy is complaining a lot, as usual, and I am trying not to let it get to me. Patricia arrived from Portland and we’re all going out to dinner at the Wine Cellar.
February 22nd – Wednesday, last night’s dinner wasn’t as good as I had anticipated. The waiter was a perfect bastard. I also had asthma and had to take a pill so I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. It took me forever to get ready for class—trying to maneuver around in our little cubby hole. It was frustrating as hell. And then we didn’t even have class because George was too lazy to call the dance teacher to let us into the studio. We spent a couple of hours at the mall spending money which always seems to help. I got a pair of jeans and a scarf and Mike bought a shirt. We stopped at the grocery on the way back to the motel and bought food to cook our own dinner—which was great. We went to the movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. It was good, but I wouldn’t exactly say it changed my life. In fact, I have hardly thought about it since.
February 23rd – Thursday, we had class today and it was OK. George wouldn’t stop at the mall on the way back to the hotel like we had planned because he said he had to have four hours to get ready to see his uncle. He was just mad because we hadn’t consulted him first. We did stop at the grocery though and he sulked while everyone else shopped. Barb and Ben were organizing a big clam sauce spaghetti dinner. Mike and I were glad we were going out with his Uncle Harold and wife, Ruby, because we don’t like clam sauce.
We walked along the beach looking for shells after eating lunch in a café on the beach. The weather was actually not bad; the sun was out although it was still only about 55 degrees. We fell asleep in the sun waiting for Uncle Harold. It was good to see them again—it had been five years since our honeymoon. We went back to their place and drank, talked and then went to dinner. We had a wonderful time and good food—and we were home by 10:00.
February 24th, Friday, we had class again today. George was really trying to control himself but lost it a few times. We stopped at the Mall for an hour on the way home and then bought steaks for dinner at the grocery. The weather was still not cooperating but we walked along the beach anyway and nearly got frostbite. Dinner was great and then we watched Mel Brooks in “High Anxiety” and had a good laugh. Tomorrow—Disney World!
February 25th, Saturday, we didn’t leave until 10:00 and didn’t arrive at Disney World until 2:45; but since we stayed until 11:00, we still had plenty of time to do and see everything. It was a second honeymoon for Mike and I and we agreed we were as happy together as ever—after five whole years. We palled around with Leslie all day. The most fun we had was on Space Mountain—a roller coaster ride in the near dark. Circle Vision was our next favorite and the Tiki Birds were the biggest bomb.
We arrived back at our motel to hear the “good” news—Jaye is coming to our Washington, D.C. performance. When will she learn, we always do performances better when she’s not there. There is a rumor some VIP is going to be at the performance that could be our ticket to Europe. I will believe it when I see it!
February 26 – Sunday, we drove to Columbia, South Carolina and stayed at a Howard Johnsons that was really special. A soap holder at shower level, switches for all the lights in the room right next to the bed, and super nice mattresses were a few of the little extras. We carried-out Kentucky Fried Chicken and drank beer with Leslie. Jan is in a mood again—partly because Jaye freaks her out and partly because she’s been sick.
February 27th – Monday, it was another driving day—to Richmond, Virginia. We stayed at Martha Kay’s motel which wasn’t bad and went to the grocery and liquor store soon after we arrived. We got a cake for Jon and Nancy—tomorrow is their big day. We had Dairy Queen in the room with banana splits. Mike trimmed my hair; it was a quiet evening, just the two of us.
February 28th – Tuesday, we arrived in D.C. at around 1:00 but it took us another hour to find the motel. All the streets were either too narrow or going the wrong way. When we finally arrived at the motel, it took another 15 minutes to get up the hill to the parking lot. We left after we got checked in for Gallaudet College to take class. Sarah from National Ballet School auditioned during class but she was tall and big and had a lot of bad habits. Jon, Nancy, Steven, Bill and the two of us went to the Italian Gardens for dinner. It was perfect and the waiter was a jewel. I wish we could hire him on a CETA grant. Jaye got in about 10:00 and George immediately got in a fight with her over the condition of the stage for the performance the next day. It was a strange evening. No one said anything directly—we just insinuated. George called Jaye right after we got back and asked her to come to his room. I wish we could have heard that conversation. The party broke up shortly after that as we were all dead tired.
March 1st – Wednesday, we had a little time in the morning because we didn’t leave until 12:50 with make-up on for the performance. Some people didn’t get the word about what was happening and were very upset with George when they saw the rest of us all made-up. George was bubbling and really getting on my nerves. He wasn’t sure he would make it to warm-up on time because he had to practice his speech with the sign-language lady. He asked Barb to teach again and that really burned me up. It made me even angrier when Barb was interviewed after the performance for TV. Who says we don’t have any stars in this Company. The performance was very well-received, but I don’t think Jaye was pleased. Hoe Down was a re-run of Philly last year. I think Kelly was the culprit. I slept most of the way to Hartford. I didn’t even know it was Hartford; for some reason I thought it was New Haven.
March 2nd – Thursday, we were on our way to Fitchburg by 10:00 and arrived at 12:00. The theatre was beautiful—intimate enough for us and with the perfect-sized stage. Most of the troop went to lunch before set-up, but Mike and I stayed at the theatre and ate groceries. Our sponsor supplied us with all kinds of fruit, milk and OJ—very thoughtful. We set-up and were planning on rehearsing but we had to leave before the sun went down. The bus is on the fritz again. It is the generator which means we have no heat or lights. Kelly is planning to remove it tonight and drop it off at a garage to be fixed tomorrow. It’s lucky the bus can run without it.
Mike’s brother Todd called and they’re planning to come to the performance tomorrow. The weathermen are predicting another snowstorm so I hope they can make it. We went to dinner with Bill and Steven. Mike had lamb kabob and I had pork chops but it was expensive! Jan has Dee’s Disease (diarrhea); Bill just got over it. That’s the worst thing you can have on tour. Hope it doesn’t last.
March 3rd – Friday, we had a Beauty performance for school kids at 10:00 a.m. which was an awfully early day for a day with an evening performance. But after we were finished with that, we had the rest of the day free until make-up at 5:30. I hadn’t slept well the day before because my asthma was especially bad so I finally got a little sleep. There was about 4” of snow on the ground by the time we left for the theatre so we were wondering if John, Elaine and Todd would make it.
The performance went well except for my breathing difficulties and unusually sore toes. John and the gang made it but missed Watercolors. Oh well. We went to the motel and drank and talked until closing time. Todd may come and visit us in Moscow the first week of April which should be fun.
March 4th – Saturday, we drove to Erie, Pennsylvania, today and it was a long drive—we didn’t arrive until 8:00. It was a cute little motel with restaurant and cocktail lounge and a jukebox playing country music. It made me feel more like I was in Wyoming. We had dinner with Jon, Nancy, Bill and Steven—great hamburgers. I had a terrible coughing asthma fit but Mike got some of Jan’s cough medicine and it stopped almost immediately. Great stuff but it put me right out.
March 5th – Sunday, we drove to Chicago today. We left early as George was anxious to get there because he was staying with friends. We arrived at about 6:30 after stopping for lunch with Mom on the turnpike. Birute had the flu so it’s a good thing Mike and I had a room. We agreed to meet at the Ellis’ the following day for class. Jon, Nancy, Mike and I took a cab to a restaurant famous for its pan pizza—and it was delicious. The bus is malfunctioning again. This time Kelly thinks it is really serious—we will know tomorrow.
March 6th – Monday, we rounded up the group and took a cab to class. Mrs. Ellis taught, and I was ruined by her plies. I didn’t stop shaking until the little jumps. I guess she was impressed with us because she offered to set a ballet on us for $500. Before she’d seen us, she had said $1,000. Birute didn’t take class but came by at 2:00 to pick us up for lunch. We talked for about two hours and it was a very informative conversation. If Birute does come to Ballet Folk, it would be as the Assistant Ballet Mistress because she definitely wants to dance. She’s out-of-work collecting unemployment since she was leg-go in January from Chicago Ballet. So she definitely needs a job. She is going to Europe for 3 weeks in May to check the situation out there so she won’t be able to tell us anything definite until after that.
We walked back to the motel and found bad news waiting for us. The bus would take at least two weeks to fix. Jon and Mike were on the phone constantly from 4:00 to 7:00. They arranged to rent two nine-passenger station wagons and a Hertz truck for the equipment to drive to Macomb tomorrow. Kelly would stay in Chicago and buy a new bus.
Mike’s friend Mark and his wife, Irene, picked us up on 7:00 to go up to the top of the John Hancock building for a drink. Mike and I had been drinking since lunch with Birute so we decided to go to eat and get coffee after that. We had a great time even though I hadn’t expected to.
March 7th – Tuesday, we were supposed to be ready to leave by 9:00 but we didn’t get underway until 11:30. The truck took about ½ hour to pick-up because there was a lot of paperwork and the bus had to be unloaded into the truck. Lucky for us the guys did all that and then picked us up. Mike drove one car with Birute and me in the front, George and Chuck in the middle and Leslie in the back. We followed Ben who had everyone else except Jon, Nancy and Bill who were in the truck. We hadn’t gone more than an hour when Ben’s car had a flat so we decided to stop for lunch. By the time we arrived in Macomb, it was 5:30 and we were all stiff and on-edge from being unable to stretch all day. Give me the bus any day.
The truck went to the University housing where we were scheduled to stay. We forgot that all our dance clothes were in the truck so we couldn’t even warm up until Ben went after them and brought them back. By that time it was 6:00 and the lecture demo was scheduled for 7:00. It took another 15 minutes to get the door to the truck open and another 15 minutes for everyone to find their bag so the lecture demo was done pretty cold. We didn’t even have time to put the floor down so we were slipping all over the place. It was pretty sloppy with a lot of mistakes but we got through it. Jan was a mess. She did everything wrong and cried through most of it. She claims it’s because she’s sick but hard-hearted Dee had no sympathy. None of us felt good. I feel you have to be able to pull yourself together for a performance no matter what.
Anyway, after we got to the University Housing, we had to unload everything except the equipment. It took us close to an hour, but the rooms were nice and it was good to get settled if only for a few days. Birute, Leslie, Steve, Mike and I went downstairs and had roast beef sandwiches. It was a good set-up. We were on the 3rd floor of the Student Union and food, drugstore, candy shop, etc. were all located in the same building. We crashed early as I was sick to death of everyone.
March 8th – Wednesday, Mike had to leave early to unload the truck so Birute and I went to breakfast at 10:30. We found out they stopped serving breakfast at 9:30 so I had another roast beef sandwich. It was good, kind of like Arby’s, but I had hoped for eggs. We left at 12:15 for a lecture demo at the Junior High. Birute taught warm-up which was wonderful. She managed to give everyone something to work on in just 20 minutes. I think everyone, except Chuck, loves her as much as we do. Chuck would prefer not to know about his faults.
It was quite an unorganized day. The time for the lecture demo had been changed three times and some people hadn’t gotten the word. Betsy and Lenore were going by the itinerary and thought we were leaving at 9:00. Lenore even woke George up to ask him why everyone was still asleep. It was George’s fault again that some folks didn’t know.
March 9th – Thursday, we set up at about 2:00 but everything was so unorganized we didn’t have time for class. We were all mad at George again, but that’s old news. It was a spongy, concrete floor but my calves didn’t bother me at all. My left toe did, however. The nail cracked a little and it wasn’t until the next day that I realized how bad it was.
The performance wasn’t one of our best. Everyone was trying so hard to have a good performance for Birute that we didn’t. Pas de Trois was pretty good though. There were about 1,800 people in the audience and they were very enthusiastic. Birute talked about how wrong it is for all of the dancers to lift such heavy equipment, but she was pleased with the performance—especially Mike in Rainmaker. After the performance, I was so tired that I had two beers and passed out.
March 10th – Friday, we drove to St. Louis and arrived about 2:00. Our hotel was the pits but we were in a great section of the city. Birute, Mike and I had lunch and then walked to the arch and took it to the top. It was fascinating but very claustrophobic.
We had class about 6:00 in one of the hotel dining rooms and then Birute and I had dinner. Mike was a little “under the weather”. We watched “The Hulk” and “Charlie’s Angels” and slept soundly until morning although not many of the other dancers did. The walls were paper-thin and there was a lot of partying going on.
March 11th – Saturday, we drove to Memphis, TN. It was a pretty uneventful day. We had good barbeque ribs for lunch on the road and then dinner with George, Chuck and Birute. Mike was still sick so I brought him catfish. I did a little stretching and Pointe work in the room and went to bed early.
March 12th – Sunday, we drove to Russellville, Arkansas, and arrived early afternoon. We all trooped to the grocery and then had a little leisure time before a meeting in George’s room before class. The meeting was mostly so George could tell us all the things wrong with the tour that he plans on yelling at JoAnn about. He wanted to get our unanimous approval. What could we say right before class? I must say Mike and I tried to put our two cents in but George wasn’t listening. He was convinced that we all felt the same way he did. Actually our biggest gripe about the tour was not enough classes. George has to have his days off.
George hadn’t called the Sponsor so it took us a half hour to find out where class was being held and then it was a bomb. George was in a shitty mood and took nothing into consideration—like the fact that we hadn’t had class since Thursday and then just a warm-up. We went to dinner with Birute and Steve and they agreed George had been a real bastard. Birute said she was biting her tongue the whole class.
March 13th – Monday, we set-up at 2:00 on another poured concrete floor. We rehearsed some and George made some little changes. The performance wasn’t up-to-par because of the spongy floor—it seemed to soak up all the strength in my legs. Birute told me Pas de Trois was better this time (because she had fixed my head) and Rainmaker had more life. The audience was big again—about 800.
We all went to the bar at the Holiday Inn after the performance. We had a nice talk with Pam who we haven’t seen much since she moved in with Kelly. She is so dissatisfied with George that she’s seriously considering call it quits after the season.
March 14th – Tuesday, on to Fort Worth, Texas. We couldn’t leave until JoAnn wired us money which turned out to be at 10:30. Bill lost his MasterCard in St. Louis so it had to be cancelled. It took us another hour to find Western Union and get on the road so, consequently, it was quite late when we arrived.
I’ve been reading “Your Erroneous Zones” that I bought in St. Louis and it is really helping me deal with people and everyday hassles. I have vowed to quit complaining (I don’t want pity), quit making approval-seeking a need, quit feeling guilty, quit worrying and quit conforming just because people expect it. We walked to the grocery and then to a Mexican restaurant with Barb, Ben, Steve, Jon and Nancy. The margaritas were fantastic as were the nachos. Mike was feeling a little sick again so we went to bed early. I had a bad night with asthma—I thought I would be through with that by now.
March 15th – Wednesday, we drove to San Angelo today. We had just enough time for set-up and make-up until we found out it was a 7:30 performance instead of the usual 8:00. That is the fastest I have every made-up. We should have left at 8:00 in the morning but George wouldn’t hear of it. I wish he would ask the dancers how they feel once in a while. We’re the ones doing all the work.
It was our first ELP show for Birute and it was a good one. We had a stage for once and real dressing rooms. Barb wasn’t feeling well so I did Pas de Trois again and it was a big hit. Birute and George raved about it. We spent the evening with Jon and Nancy. Birute went to dinner with George. She was really angry at him earlier because he told her to teach a 45-minute warm-up. The nerve of him!
March 16th – Thursday, we drove to Odessa, Texas and the Antler Motel—another dump. We walked downtown with Birute—a really long walk—and had lunch at the Inn of the Golden West. We got to the school to set up and no one was there. We waited around for nearly an hour before our loaders showed up. Mike and I decided to stay at the school rather than rush back to the motel to do make-up. It was more relaxing. I performed Pas de Trois again and was dead tired after that. Mike and I just stayed in our room after the show.
March 17th – Friday, Leslie and Betsy decorated the bus for St. Patrick’s Day and for our drive to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. There certainly wasn’t much there—it was a lovely day so we walked around the town in 15 minutes. We had a good dinner of barbecued ribs with Jon, Nancy, Bill, Barb and Ben. I had a long talk with Birute afterward and I don’t think she would be happy at Ballet Folk. She’s been in Chicago too long and she expects our Company to be as organized and professional as they are. She has given us some really good ideas for making Ballet Folk better, but with our touring schedule, the dancing will always suffer.
March 18th – Saturday, we drove to Santa Fe. It is a quaint, old town founded in 1610. It was there before the pilgrims. Our room situation left much to be desired. We had to share a bathroom with Jon and Nancy and also a TV that was in their room. The theatre was wonderful and Birute taught a nice class before the show. The show went quite well. We had a buffet afterward of wonderful Mexican food—which I’m really starting to love!
March 19th – Sunday, and a day off. We got up early to say “goodbye” to Birute and hitch a ride to town with Leslie and her sister. We went to Church at the Cathedral of St. Francis. I think we saw almost everything in town—we took a tram ride which lasted nearly two hours that took us all over town. We even went up Canyon Road where all the craftsmen have their shops and then to the Folk Art Museum. We ate lunch and then saw the oldest church in North American, the oldest house, the Governor’s Palace (the first residence in Santa Fe), which is now a museum, and the miraculous staircase in one of the old churches. It was a day for historical sites. We bought some earrings for me and a ring for Mike handmade by the Indians and both with turquoise stones. We walked back to the motel—at least 2 miles—and then did laundry and had dinner. I was pooped!
March 20th – Monday, we drove one hour to Las Vegas, New Mexico, and arrived to find the theatre dirty and full of roaches. We set-up and drove to the motel to do make-up for a 1:00 Rainmaker/Watercolors school show. The performance went fine; but by the time we did the evening one, my toes were a mess. It was definitely my worst performance of the tour—and yet George commented (much to everyone’s surprise) that it had been a good show. I was having definite thoughts of leaving from that day forward. I decided to write David McLain in Cincinnati when we got back to Moscow to see if he could use us. I’m just not enjoying it anymore.
March 21st – Tuesday, drove to Gallup and set up at 4:00. I was composing my letter to McLain all day in my head. The performance for me was the direct opposite of yesterday. I could do no wrong. I held all my balances and really enjoyed myself. Later I found out that George and Mike had had an argument about George not announcing when I do Pas de Trois. George not only threatened to fire Mike but also threatened to take Pas de Trois away from me. Numerous other paranoid incidents were also mentioned. I’m sure glad I read “Your Erroneous Zones” and am no longer approval-seeking.
March 22nd – Wednesday was a day off and we did nothing much. We shopped for string so I could finish my bedspread and then I crocheted the rest of the day. We watched Fernando Bujones and Marianna Tcherkasky on Merv Griffin. They were brilliant but the choreography was dumb.
March 23rd – Thursday, drove to Ft. Defiance, Arizona, to do Beauty and Rainmaker for Navajo Indian students. It was the best audience reaction we have ever had for Rainmaker. It made me feel wonderful. We drove back through Gallup stopping for pizza and then on to Grants. Mike called Todd and we’re pretty sure he’s coming to Moscow to visit. He will probably arrive the day after we get back. The weather was glorious!
March 24th – It was another day off and Good Friday. We drove to the Acoma Indian’s home called “City in the Sky” because it sits on top of a steep butte. We took a tour and then walked down the butte the way the Indians have done it for over 500 years. There were steps worn into the stone and hand holds too.
March 25th – Saturday, and it was the day of our last performance of the tour. Only about 100 people came and it was a bit of a letdown. My feet hurt, I had a terrible cold and I was nursing thoughts of Cincinnati Ballet all evening. The sponsors had a party for us and we met Chuck’s Mom, Dad and Step-Mom. They all seemed very nice. Later we had our own tequila party at Steve and Bill’s and we really celebrated! I hope I didn’t embarrass Bill too much by sitting on his lap.
March 26th – It was Easter Sunday and a perfect day. We arrived in Cortez, New Mexico, about 3:00. We expected to arrive by 2:00 but Pam felt sick so we stopped for breakfast. We all bitched a lot but the rest of the day made up for it. We took the bus to Mesa Verde National Park and saw the cliff dwellings which were fascinating. Indians lived there as early as 600 B.C. and left about 1200 B.C. The view was magnificent and we got lots of pictures. It was nice that we did a lot of sight-seeing this tour. We stopped at a restaurant for dinner that I believe was even better than the Sandpiper.
March 27th – Monday, we drove to Salt Lake City and went out to eat with Michelle, George and Chuck. Michelle looked real good. She is getting her degree in nutrition and then plans on a Masters in nutrition for dancers. She is still planning to marry Danny and I will go on the record that I think it’s a mistake. Mike and I saw the movie, “An Unmarried Woman” after dinner.
March 28th – Tuesday, we drove to Boise and I finally finished the trim on my bedspread. Later, I bought the yarn to finish my needlepoint. It was a wonderful dinner, as usual, at the Sandpiper.
March 29th – Wednesday, we left early and were home by 3:00. It felt great and Mike and I immediately and frantically cleaned house. Todd called from the Pullman Airport at 6:00 as we were finishing. It was good to have someone come visit us in Idaho. While we were eating at the Biscuitroot, Mike and Todd recognized a family from Utica. It was Ward West “Westy”, his wife, Mom and Dad. I realized we had known that Westy was there for about six months—we had even tried to call him once but he hadn’t had his phone yet.
March 30th – Thursday, we did shopping, paid bills and took class with Esperanza in the afternoon. I loved her instantly. She really knows what she’s talking about. She is on an exchange program through the State Department from Ecuador. I made lasagna for dinner and we saw the movie, “Semi-Tough”. It is my vote for Best Movie of the Year.
