Gardens

The one asset in this job that I am constantly aware of and most afraid of losing is my voice. This work is tough on the vocal cords. From teaching and directing to performing at the end of the week, my voice always gets a work out. This past week I would have gladly swapped larynxes with anyone. J.D. caught a cold from somebody in Manhattan and must have passed it on to me. By Tuesday my throat was dry and scratchy with only more pain to follow. The entire week I could have sworn hornets were building a nest in the back of my throat, chewing up my voice a piece at a time.

Besides the downside of vocal trouble, the week went well. The drive from Manhattan, KS to Colorado Springs is one of the dullest I’ve done in this job. I’ve driven through the plains before, but usually there is something remotely interesting every once in awhile. There was really only one interesting thing in eight plus hours of driving. The Garden of Eden in Lucas, KS. A log style cabin built in concrete by a Civil War veteran, the Garden of Eden is anything but normal. Surrounding the cabin is an interconnected network of cement sculptures depicting scenes blending political, social, and Biblical themes. Aunt Dorothy, you’ll remember this from one of the folk art magazines Gregory was featured in. Unfortunately, winter hours had the house and yard closed, but we walked around the perimeter anyway.

We finished the drive to Colorado and were thrilled to see mountains on the horizon. We arrived at the base of the mountains and hit a sprawling city at the convergence of the plains and the Rockies--Colorado Springs. Dry, sunny, and guarded by snowy Pike’s Peak, Colorado Springs is full of beauty. One example is the Garden of the Gods. A park filled with stunning rock formations, some towering over 300 feet, Garden of the Gods is a geological spectacle. The massive monoliths made of upturned sedimentary rock have slowly eroded over millions of years created a variety of shapes. The Three Graces are three delicate fins standing together with only a few feet between each. The Kissing Camels is an arch atop one of the larger formations creating a picture uncannily like its namesake. And Balanced Rock needed some help from J.D. and me to keep stable, as you can see above. Well, not really. We took a guided walk through the main section of the park taking in all of the factual tidbits while striving to keep warm from a wicked mountain wind.

Colorado Springs is also home to Dave and Claire, friends from college who I haven’t seen for a long while. I had lunch with Dave on Thursday and was blessed to catch up with a good man. Later that week Dave and Claire came to the show and joined J.D. and me for some dinner afterward. Although our visit was brief, it was good to see them. Great people, for sure.

After a couple of good shows and a long drive through the plains, mountains, and some of the most boring landscape ever between I-25 and Roswell, NM we arrived in Carlsbad. More on that later.