Day  : Portland, OR
The signs say Portland! The signs say PRTLAND!!!
Imagine our relief to see trees, gas that they pump FOR YOU and... SIGNS FOR PORTLAND! That means WE'RE ALMOST HOME!!! Paul Franklin-Bihary suggested that we hum a little tune when we roll through the pearly gates, but we think it's going to be a full-fledged symphony!
 | Before we get there, however, we need to shine this humble blog's spotlight on a certain Daron Henry, also known as "The Mystic." In addition to his almost hourly reminders of the tour's overlaps with the metaphysical in the giant Venn Diagram of karma, luck and spirituality, Daron has proven himself time and time again to be the band's official "Driving Cheerleader."
When driving, he still speaks almost entirely in his hard-to-shake southern accent, but the REAL magic occurs when he takes the passenger's seat. When riding, he's full of really helpful, spirited catch phrases intended for the driver, such as "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!" or "In it to win it!" These little wacky neighbor slogans energize the drive the way that the Dallas Cowgirls energize the game.
At one point, Daron co-authored a cheery anthem that first entertained driving Drew, then prompted him to turn on AM radio far, far too loudly.
Still, Daron, this blog entry goes out to you. YOU ARE OUR FEATURED RECESS MONKEY!!! |
We're back in Portland for two library shows at the Hollywood branch which is funny because we've redefined the word "Hollywood" to mean taking far too long to accomplish a mundane task such as using the restroom or purchasing a Choco-Taco. As in, "Hey Hollywood- you get a manicure in there!?"
Unlike our definition of the word, there was no wasted time at this branch- a show at 2 and another at 4, both fun and both a great reminder of why we like playing libraries so much. It was really cool to see some friends we had made six weeks ago, our last time in town. We'll be back here again and again! |  |
 | With the time between sets and free WiFi in the Library, this is an ideal opportunity to finally publish a picture of Fred the Tabby Cat wearing a dress shirt. It's not technically part of the tour blog, but you have to admit that it's worth posting. More a statement of how we're using our free time on the tail end of the tour. Get it? TAIL end!?
Next up, we're going to spend one last tour night at the Kennedy School here in Portland. It's our first time, but what a perfect, symbolic, place to spend our last night on tour- a former SCHOOL that has been turned into a hotel, restaurants and bars! We're hoping that there's time and wifi to update the blog with pictures from there... but if not, these will be the last words we write from outside of Washington State. It's been an amazing couple of weeks and we're so grateful that you've been following along with us.
Our return-to-the-state show is Wednesday at noon in Kent- we'd love to see you there! Our official welcome home show will be Saturday August 16th at the EMP- we're going to use the big video wall to show off pictures from the trip! More info here. |
Well, yes, it turns out there is a moment to blog one last time, but I can't believe that I'm actually doing it in lieu of sleep. We arrived at the Kennedy School this afternoon and all agree that it is the BEST hotel that we have ever stayed in, hands down. The basic premise is that it's a 1914 elementary school (HUGE!) that has been turned into essentially a touring band's ideal theme park! Our room is a former elementary school classroom, we spent a good deal of time in a room marked "Detention" and we just watched Iron Man in its entirety in the former lunchroom. You really, REALLY need to come here. Here are a few pictures of what is definitively the greatest way to cap off an already really fun tour!
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