Arrival

I.

Am.

EXHAUSTED.

I left Chehalis at 5:30 in the morning after seeing Ben Bange's Rock Show. Did it rock? Yes it did. Was I hung over? Yes I was. BUT I got to Fort Stevens OR by 8:30, which is pretty darned good if you ask me. Cory only had to nap in the car for about an hour.

The Calhouns, whom I love, filled me with omelettes and cheer. Straight on to Ashland, where I missed my 4:00 o;clock costume pickup simply because I refused to go over Grants Pass with no gas in the tank. I arrived at the Jones' at 5 on the nose for dinner, Karen as usual outdid herself. Here are Karen and Paul, the Ashland Parents:

They were marching for the Festival - it was their 75th season and only our 25th.

After dinner I went to the show at the Cabaret, where they plied me with wine and cake (carrot cake!). I picked up my dress, went back to the Joneses and passed out...

...for 4 hours! Then we got up at 6:15! We had breakfast at the Elks Lodge (a new experience for me, but they did have bloody marys). We suited up and went to our assigned parade positions.

This was no nancy-assed parade, mind you. I pageant waved at > ten thousand people today. Degree of sunburn yet to register.

The Avett Brothers I and Love and You played as I crossed the border into California. Nice.

Drop off the dress! Back in the car! Straight to Blue Lake! No Stopping! Karen packed me a lunch, and I ate it pic-a-nic style in Redwood National Forest. Not bad digs, but I kept expecting Compys to come eat my chicken sandwich. Spooky.

OK! Driving more! Highway 101 is the most beautiful strip of land there is! Redwoods and ocean cliffs and crazy assed nature flying all over the place. It looked like this:

Photography SKillz: Not so much. But it was pretty. Really really pretty.

OK I made it to Blue Lake! I almost cried when I saw the sign - all this wishing and hoping and plotting and THERE IT IS. I checked into my dorm which is AWESOME. I met some clowns who were awesome and all kinds of nice to me. I'm the first of my class to arrive, so I got the pick of the rooms (it's an old hotel and they're all different) and all the leftover food of everybody who is moving out. Nice2.

I tried to buy groceries here but everything is RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE except avocadoes. I got 2 huge avocados for a DAMN DOLLAR. Allright, California.

In short, it's gorgeous here, so far everyone's really nice, and I am scared and proud and ready to work.

Bring it, Clowntown.