Here I am in Troy, MT (hence the somewhat obscure literary reference).
A few days ago, I entertained the possibility that I might grow tired of pine trees and mountains. It's possible. I've seen a lot of pine trees and mountains at this point, on and off pretty consistently since, like, September, so it would be a valid thought. But no, it is still really beautiful out out here.
I don't think I used enough commas in that last paragraph.
We are looking at a talented and interesting cast, not to mention a full cast. This is a welcome change after last week in West Glacier saw us casting our fifty something person show with a total of 27 kids, 5 of whom caught a vomiting death virus on the day of the first performance.
Oddly enough, West Glacier, and its nearby sightseeing destination, Glacier National Park, presented little in the way of appreciable natural beauty. It was coooooold up on that mountain, and Glacier is apparently a hiker's park. I consider myself an appreciator of nature, and I'm not adverse to walking for impressive sights to see, but I do draw the line at walking in -20 degree weather up a snow covered mountain with an avalanche warning.
Little did I know that over here in Troy, there would be things to do. I've got pictures even.
That's the oft overlooked Kootenai Falls there in the background. Apparently, this is mecca for the extreme canoe enthusiasts of the world. In addition, there was this really cool swinging bridge over the Kootenai river. Beautiful stuff, and the weather really cooperated for once.
Looks like I'll have to wait on the pictures. I have them, but I'm on a ludicrously, painfully slow connection right now. It'll be enough to get this post up. I think a photo gallery post for my next entry, hopefully from some kind of connection worth having (I go to McDonald's more often now than I'd like to admit...), would be a worthwhile venture. I've seen a lot of cool stuff this tour, and I would love to show it off, but the internet is not my friend out here in the wilderness. Every tour I get a little further in the back of beyond. I predict that if I get picked up for a summer tour, they'll send me to Neptune.
That will probably require another shopping trip. In that situation I would stretch for the really warm boots. Also an oxygen tank.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Out in the Montana wilderness
So, my 1 month holiday hiatus rapidly turned into a two-month middle of nowhere and very little internet hiatus.
So here I am, four weeks into my Winter/Spring tour making my first post. Very bad.
I am now in the peculiarly named Anaconda, MT. I have not yet seen any giant snakes wandering around, but I guess you can't have everything. It's the biggest town I've been in yet, meaning it's big enough to support a coffee shop with a wireless internet connection. Amazing.
The vibe this time around is a lot different from fall tour. For one thing, I'm not in Canada. In addition to that, the company is much more established in these towns. In addition, it's a much bigger deal. In many of the towns from summer and fall tour, we never had to cut anyone. When 30 kids show up to the audition, you can't really pick and choose. For the last 4 weeks, each town has featured auditions in excess of 80. We have to go through the sometimes heartbreaking process of sending some kids home.
Montana has proved to be a bit more varied than I had given it credit for. I had sort of expected a mountainous frozen wasteland, however this is my first week with mountains, and only one of the weeks featured conditions that this comparative southerner found...ridiculous. (3 feet of snow in a day, a couple more feet over the course of the week, and average high of 2 degrees Fahrenheit, that was two weeks ago in Malta, MT).
So now I've settled into my groove, and seen several new things. Oddities like a combination laundromat/casino, and new sights, like a working coal mine. Pictures of both forthcoming. I hope.
This got pecked out in a hurry, and now I'd better go, took me forever to find this place, and now it's time for rehearsal. Adios.
So here I am, four weeks into my Winter/Spring tour making my first post. Very bad.
I am now in the peculiarly named Anaconda, MT. I have not yet seen any giant snakes wandering around, but I guess you can't have everything. It's the biggest town I've been in yet, meaning it's big enough to support a coffee shop with a wireless internet connection. Amazing.
The vibe this time around is a lot different from fall tour. For one thing, I'm not in Canada. In addition to that, the company is much more established in these towns. In addition, it's a much bigger deal. In many of the towns from summer and fall tour, we never had to cut anyone. When 30 kids show up to the audition, you can't really pick and choose. For the last 4 weeks, each town has featured auditions in excess of 80. We have to go through the sometimes heartbreaking process of sending some kids home.
Montana has proved to be a bit more varied than I had given it credit for. I had sort of expected a mountainous frozen wasteland, however this is my first week with mountains, and only one of the weeks featured conditions that this comparative southerner found...ridiculous. (3 feet of snow in a day, a couple more feet over the course of the week, and average high of 2 degrees Fahrenheit, that was two weeks ago in Malta, MT).
So now I've settled into my groove, and seen several new things. Oddities like a combination laundromat/casino, and new sights, like a working coal mine. Pictures of both forthcoming. I hope.
This got pecked out in a hurry, and now I'd better go, took me forever to find this place, and now it's time for rehearsal. Adios.
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