DIRTY ROTTEN BOISE

The "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" National Tour 2008/2009

There is no shortage of "hurry" as we are all more than happy to see Lovelock fading in the distance behind us. The drive through the mountains of Nevada for the next few hours is amazing and beautiful. Endless vistas of tumbleweeds trapped against barbed wire fences with snow capped mountains lining the route on either side of the highway. The odd farm or pasture dotted with cattle. We stop in a little sparrow-fart on the map called Jordan Valley. Most everything is closed, for sale or rent. At one time it may have been a lively place because of the goldrush, but now it is almost a ghost town, kept alive by ranchers. I walk into the "hardware" store (which has a poster in the window advertising $1,000.00 reward for cattle rustlers.....no fooling) and the old girls at the counter don't even look up from the afternoon gossip as I pass by. It is clear that this is more than just hardware, this is the local mercantile. There are a few non-perishable groceries, giagantic supplies of dog food, horse shoes of all sizes, bridles and halters, used paperback novels and some very interesting cowhide and leather throw cushions made by someone named Polly. I almost buy one for the kitch value.

Our arrival in Boise is uneventful, as are our three performances here. The audiences are nice, and so are we. Boise has a kind of relaxed, anti-hustle/bustle feel to it and the downtown area is quite beautiful. Our hotel is an amazing construct, a new concept by Marriott called Towne Place Suites. Each of our rooms is a bit like a bachelor apartment. King size bed, sofa, easy chair, work area with internet and office chair, flat screen tv, and a full kitchen. This is not your usual give-them-a-microwave-and-call-it-a-kitchen kitchen. There is a full size fridge, a dishwasher, microwave, coffee pot, toaster, a set of dishes and cutlery, pots and pans, the works. What I love about the place is that someone actually thought about how it's going to be used and really covered the details. In the large closet in the bathroom, there is a laundry basket since they have a laundrymat on site downstairs. The office/work area has corner shelves for organization. In the kitchen they've even thought of details like pot holders, corkscrew and colander. Colour me impressed.

It's Gabriel's birthday this weekend. The children went to a club somewhere last night and are planning on going to play paintball this afternoon. Just for the entertainment, I may go down to the lobby to see how many of them actually drag their hung-over asses out of bed for the paintball excursion.

Two full days off here in Boise before we fly out to Colorado on Tuesday morning.