in the middle of Halloween goodness...

I'm thankful to have had a few shows recently to keep my creative urges satiated.  I've performed at a few new venues and made news friends and run into existing ones and it's been a good few weeks.  I've got one more big Halloween show coming up this Saturday at the Zodiac in Colorado Springs... The Ghouls Gathering!  It's not to be missed if you're anywhere near the area, as there will be activities during the day, vendors and entertainment and raffles in the evening.  So much I can't mention it all, you just need to come out and of course wear a costume and enter the contest!

I'll be bringing out Queen B, which is a rare thing as she's so sensitive and in need of constant maintenance.  So if you have never seen the one that took me to all the festivals in '14... this is your chance.

 Event Page:
 https://www.facebook.com/events/1581270082169324/




There is a Punk Rock Burlesque show coming up on November 15th to which I'll be bringing my holiday act.  That one is getting the music updated again... reverting back to Vivaldi's Winter but a totally different take on just the final movement.  I'm excited to see how it comes off!  Don't miss the snow!





Then there is a brand new monthly show starting on November 16th at the historic Stage Stop in Rollinsville, CO.  A good OH friend is producing a Fusion Jazz Night and I can't wait for the new adventure to begin!  It will be  a multi-media show with live music and performances of many kinds.  More info TBA....

Other than some health issues which are nothing new but need addressing finally, things are going ok.  Colorado treats me well and I love her for it!  I've just gotten a temporary medical marijuana card and haven't even gotten to use it yet... weird for me eh?  The real card arrives in a month or so.  Kinda nice to have that and I don't know why I waited with my chronic pain. 

The RV is doing ok still, though nothing has been done to replace the missing glass up front in the cab and that toxic wood is still bugging me.  That will be remedied ASAP.  



 Today has been leisurely spent at a new campsite outside of Canon City, CO.  Close to town but not too busy and pretty quiet.  I'll be back to explore more one day for sure.

Pin-Ups On Tour in Colorado Springs

Last weekend I happened to be in Colorado Springs looking at the free press paper and saw that the next night there was a show coming through town called Pin-Ups On Tour at one of the VA centers.  I looked up their site and facebook page and decided to buy a ticket and go meet them.  This was an idea I'd wanted to do something with years back but never followed up with, so I wanted to see what they were doing and congratulate them for their efforts.

Website:
 http://www.pinupsontour.com/

Facebook Page:
 https://www.facebook.com/Pinupsontour/?fref=ts

 
Quote from their website:
"PIN-UPS ON TOUR is committed to providing low or no-cost entertainment for Veterans as part of our Morale Boosting Mission. In addition, proceeds from our shows go to support our work entertaining our nation’s veterans inside & outside our our nation’s VA Hospitals."




All I can say is that it is an adorable show that's well suited to its audience.  I was a bit teary eyed at the end of the show when they sang each divisions fight song and cast members went around to hug the service people associated with each branch of the forces. 

Everyone was very down to earth and available to meet the audience after the show for pictures or a chat.  I made sure to say hello and let them know I'd be very interested in participating one day, should they want me.   

I was stoked to buy one of their tank tops and a calendar gift for a vet in hospital.  Since they self-fund their touring, I encourage all patrons to at least look at their merch tables when you attend a show!  If you can't get to a show you can always shop on their website listed above!

They have a show coming up in Denver Sept 24th:
event page:
 https://www.facebook.com/events/632818103543886/

 and


in San Diego October 8th:
 https://www.facebook.com/events/1522756054693306/

Ah.... it is SO good to be back in this state.  The mountains never far and many, many other fine reasons to be here mean that I'm happier, just generally.  

The move back with my storage went seamlessly.  I had excellent help both funding the move as well as physical help moving.  For all of these things and the folks involved, I am most thankful!  You know who you are. 

I got to see only a few good friends in Ohio while there, but the ones who made time for me really brightened up an otherwise typical Ohio time for me.  I don't do well there and am convinced I should not return unless absolutely necessary.  One of the really fine collaborations that occurred produced some spot on images of old school Hollywood glamour.  Thank you Glenn Pine for your stellar work and attention to detail!  Here are a few images from the shoot:

Glenn's site:
http://glennpinephotography.com/




In the past few days, I have had some professional, as well as personal, disappointments.  But I guess that's just part of what keeps things interesting... never knowing what may really go down... or not, as it were.  I'm the kind of person who likes to really delve into feelings, rough stuff as well as good, and get it all out, go to extremes to hopefully leave it behind quickly as possible.  Sometimes that means I'm kind of a bitch, which I can easily blame on my old calling requiring me to be firm handed.  

Disappointments can elicit recurring, obsessive responses from me at times.  I recently experienced this when I wasn't selected to be part of a bigger show that I kind of had my heart set on.  I had thought that one of my two submissions went exceedingly well with the theme of the show, but apparently not.  But see it's not just this show, it's part of a larger, more long lasting issue I've been dealing with for a long while now which is the problem of not getting booked.  People seems to really dig what I make, what I do with it and all that jazz.  I'm amicable and kind, and usually self contained having my own dressing room to go along with my MCS and special needs.  However, the number of people who actually hire me is completely disproportionate and I find myself performing only rarely.  It's gone on long enough that I've decided to not try to pursue finding shows as much now.  If asked, sure I'd LOVE to perform!!!  But otherwise, I think I'll be looking into producing a few shows here and there to create an environment in which I feel like I can express my creative needs.  I almost said I'd stop performing entirely, but it makes me too sad to keep thinking of that.  And I do get so excited when a show is coming up!  So I suppose needs must and I will find a way thru, around or over.

A good end to this post is that due to a few good friends, I do have a couple of shows coming up in Denver in October.  There may be one more opportunity but I'll not know about it for a few weeks yet.  So that is grand!

OHIO visit!

I'll be visiting Ohio starting July 23rd with a show in Columbus and will be staying thru the end of August.  

I AM looking to book more gigs so contact me if interested please.

 

RV Repairs

RV repairs have been sporadically ongoing for several weeks now.  So I've been mostly out of cell range and only making necessary trips with a borrowed vehicle to get to shows, of which there have only been a few thankfully.  I haven't been able to progress on the idea of a job and the required licensing since I don't know when I'm going to be mobile again.  I haven't booked shows save for applying to one big one in Denver for which I was accepted.  I will be part of Carnivale De Sensuale's production of Freaky Tiki on June 18th at The Orient Theater.  It's a lovely historic building that has been restored, with a big stage and a large crowd capacity.  I am thrilled to bring the FOX to this event, so if you're near Denver please attend!

FB event page:
 https://www.facebook.com/events/1222148821142373/

 

Valentine's Day spent at Desert Reef Hot Springs

I have to say how disappointed I was with my visit to Desert Reef Hot Springs in the Florence, CO area.  It's about 45 minutes SW of Colorado Springs, which is why I decided to go there to keep my adventuring costs to a minimum.  

 http://www.desertreefhotspring.com/

The dirt road was difficult on the RV and if it'd been wet at all or snowy I'd have turned around and said forget it.  Their website should really mention the dirt road as it's not suitable for all vehicles.  

When I arrived there was a list of rules to adhere to, many of which I didn't agree with on principle alone.  It's a "family friendly" clothing optional place. They have a policy that prohibits single men from attending because they think they are predators apparently.  In my experience, this is not necessarily true as I've run into several couples who are far more assertive and intrusive than a lone man may be... at any rate, I think this type of policy is sexist.  I was not so sure I wanted to support these people but figured I give them a try.  The lady checking me in said I was the 15th new person to visit them that day, and I congratulated her on that.  I've worked enough service jobs to always treat people serving kindly, until they prove that I needn't bother.  

There was one pool and it wasn't terribly big.  There were kids playing not so quietly and just a general lack of maintenance and upkeep on the place.  The view from the pool... there wasn't one other than dirt piles and unpainted fences.  The changing rooms were cramped and I nearly hit my head on a shelf 3 times for lack of room.  There was one shower and one toilet.  The shower didn't get warm enough, there was no pressure so my hair didn't rinse and I hit my head on the sprayer cause it was so low.  

All of the aforementioned flaws could be tolerated until the exit, which was not pleasant.  

I'd had the RV started and was looking at my phone for routes to head out, where to park that night, etc.  It takes a certain amount of time to roll up and hit the road when you've got your house with you.  The owners obviously have never had an RV.  It was an older couple working there, the woman was ok but the man was short at best but completely rude at worst.  At 2 minutes till 6pm (when they close, which is insanely early!), I get a loud knock on my door and he yells, "You've gotta go!"  The man walks away before I can get to the door let alone open it.  So when I go to turn around and head out, I stop and walk into their office to let them know what I thought about being rushed off.  I told them that I didn't appreciated getting the bum's rush, at which point he tried to interrupt me and say, "You're on my time now!" I didn't stop talking but kept my calm tone and increased my volume.  I was looking only at the lady now as I kept explaining to her that it really was uncalled for, that I was clearly trying to plot a route out of there as I'd never been there before (as she knew) and I would have been on my way soon.  I let them know that it was terrible customer handling basically and that I'd be sharing my experience to let others know what they might expect upon their farewell.  The woman only said I can see how that is upsetting or some such nonsense... neither of them apologized.  

The cost for such treatment: $20 for about a 2 hour soak (no discounts for late arrival or short soaks).  

In short... avoid this place, it sucks.  It's well worth the time, effort and cost to delve into the mountains and hit REAL hot springs that know how to maintain their establishment and properly treat patrons.

Passing through South Dakota for the first time... and then back to Colorado!

Well it's been grand to be back in Colorado again is all I can say.  The past week has been a much needed breath of fresh air.

I did what I needed to do in South Dakota, including turning in my Ohio license and getting a new one.  Kinda weird but yes it does seem I am a SD resident... but still I'm gonna just say I am traveling through no matter where I may be at the time.  It's better that way.

I drove through the Black Hills and that was without question the highlight of the SD visit.  Pretty hills and not too much of a grade anywhere, so I can see why the scenic byway is popular with bikers.  I stopped at Deadwood, bought a shirt and the most sparkly belt I've ever had.  

It happened to be their Octoberfest celebration, though there weren't too many tourists out drinking so it took me a while to actually pay attention to this.  I suppose if you like to drink and gamble, SD and little historic towns like this might really do it for ya.  I'm neither of those things, so I was just biding time.  

I tried to visit Mount Rushmore but the fog was too thick to see anything more than a faint ghostly image even from the pathway, up as close as allowable.   

Mount Rushmore through the cloud cover

With my BMV tasks completed, I headed SW quickly and arrived in Fort Collins, CO the next day.  It was funny to be a stop at all, because years ago I'd lived there briefly and hated it absolutely.  There were no dispensaries back then, and it had never been a friendly town in my experiences.  It was nice to be able to hit n run it for supplies and food.  

Then I headed up the hill, into those beckoning mountains, towards Hot Sulfur Springs Resort & Spa.  I didn't really think about it, but let the navigator take me via the most direct route... which happened to be through the Rocky Mountain National Park!  It had been the mid to late 90s since I'd been through the park, so I went ahead and got a 7 day pass (I COULD still go back tomorrow if I wanted but will refrain for gas costs!).  The RV wasn't too terribly happy with me for pushing us on through the park as fast as I did.  I should have taken more breaks for all the grades and hard work the engine had to do.  I did stop at the highest point to take a pic of the sunset and the Continental Divide on the horizon.  Very pretty!

at the highest point in the drive thru Rocky Mountain National Park

I'd been to Hot Sulfur Springs once before last year and it was a great stay of more than 3 days.  I didn't realize it before, but there is a public park/campground (no hookups) right on the other side of the train tracks from the resort.  That was brilliant as all I had to do was walk a few paces and go soak or come back home in a flash.  I bought a 2 day pass so I could relax properly.  And by the way, I like the train though most folks complain about it cause they don't know of it in advance.  It comes along often and sometimes it takes quite a long time to pass by (3.5 minutes on one count!).  

While there, I worked on a few costume pieces for others but mostly tried to get my foot to heal... the poison oak I'd gotten 2 days prior to leaving my Mom's was a terrible companion to bring along!  It was a lovely visit and would have been improved upon only by taking a 2 hour trek further NW into the mountains to Strawberry Park in Steamboat Springs... but I could not justify the extra expense so instead headed back towards the front range.  

if you look closely you can see the rainbow that happened at dusk

I passed through Central City, Blackhawk and Idaho Springs on my way to Nederland and then to Boulder.  All of these are places I like to pass through and this trip was no exception as the day was clear, sunny and warm.  There was a Stain Wise dispensary in Idaho Springs that I happened to drive by, so I stopped and looked them up and walked back to it.  

Stain Wise Site:
 http://strainwise.com/

Nice place, but almost out of flower save some high CBD stuff which I had never tried before - it's specifically for pain relief, not a head high.  My neck, head and back thanked me very much for trying it out!  I'll be sure to always have at least a little CBD strain around from now on.

I stopped at Silver Stem Fine Cannabis in Nederland and finally found a product I'd been wanting to try for a long time but had never had access to before called Foria. 2 ingredients: coconut and cannabis.  I bought the bigger bottle cause who knows when I might run into it again but I wasn't taking chances.  Anyhow, great product - does exactly what it claims to do.

Foria Site:
 http://www.foria.com/
Foria Facebook page:
 https://www.facebook.com/foria

Silver Stem is a wonderful little dispensary right by a coffee shop with a great patio to sit and take in the day.  And I believe their special was the best deal I've gotten so far this trip, and excellent product as well.
Silver Stem in Nederland Site:
 http://www.silverstemcannabis.com/


Of course, I'm always littering my business cards at dispensaries and offering my services as a PR person or someone to make appearances for them at festivals and places where they'd have a booth or want to flag down people.  Ya never know.... I could come up with some fun gigs later from it, as most shops are happy to get the card.  

The last few days, I've spent in and around Boulder.  One of my favorite local spots up the hill has been a home site for me of late, though I've been a prudent girl and not tried to press my luck and stay after dusk (though in prior years, without an RV, I was able to sleep here all night several times).  It's a special spot, though right off highway 119 and heavily traveled by tourists, fisherman and rock climbers.  It was peaceful enough for me to finish the sewing I had to do and enjoy the mountain.  At night, I found a spot to park in town that is right by most everything I need... who knew it could be so easy!?!?  

I am in Colorado Springs again and am happy to see my Zodiac extended family!