DC: Smithsonian Nat'l Zoo: Free The panda was eating from a brown grocery bag! The tiger has a pretty nice crib. Man, I would hate to be an elephant at the zoo. I'd probably at least ask for a robe. Oh, and red panda, I'm sorry that you are endangered, but you better be glad that I'm a vegetarian and that you were behind a cage, because I would've eaten you just for being so cute!
we still had a long day of driving ahead of us to make it to where we were staying for the night, but by the time we came to joshua tree, we couldnt resist stopping for at least a short visit. Of course joshua tree is a huge park, and without paying anything, we could only explore the outer margins. But it was well worth the stop. We didnt see the actual Joshua Trees, but I noticed how there were plants living throughout the canopies of these trees. Kinda like epiphytes, or air plants, tilandsias, perhaps? But they were everywhere! I thought that maybe that was even cooler than getting to see the fabled Joshua Tree, or.....hm, Yucca Brevifolia... Actually, I didnt realize that Joshua Tree was Yucca...I reckon we did see some then...oh well...the air plant curiousity was what got me, and how subtle the colors are,,,until BAAM! some scarlet red cactus needles, or the bright fuschia blooms popping of the edges of those pancake lookin cacti! And the stark intricacies begin to reveal themselves out of the sandy wash that seems to begin with the inner logic of minerals. Also, I finally decided to try the timer function on my camera...oh the elusive band photo...still tryin to get it.
OK, so this may be a fine place to start, where were we? Somewhere in Massachusetts. pre-Ralph's Diner. We had time to kill. Had had a "day off"" of driving to make our way to Worcester, MA from DC the day before. Had stopped the night before somewhere between Bridgeport and New Haven, CT because we knew it was near water, and this had become the "seafood tour". So we ended up finding the closest beach that morning, and turns out that there is this land bridge to this little island...Charles Island? There were beautiful wild turkeys there too. And then this guy...John. You may notice that he is carrying a tape measure and a video camera. He's from these parts. Has been coming here since the sixties, and says that this is the most normal this island has ever been...qualifying it by saying that you used to not be able to find any life there, but now you can dig and find worms...Used to not even be able to hear any birds there, etc, etc... He then proceeded to tell us long, roundabout tales about how the island was haunted but he keeps going back there to find buried treasure that he thinks is still there is left by pre-colonial Spanish folk. John spent the next twenty minutes on our 100' ft walk back to our space shuttle/minivan blowing our minds with strange tales of apparitions and sightings that he had endured. Things like black eyeballs looking at him from an arm's length above him while he tried to sleep. He thought it was spirits trying to keep him away from the treasure. Or a lady with a guitar that had strings on it thick as your pinky finger. Turns out she was Sarah Pritchard, an owner of a hotel that stood there in the 1800's. Yep. A ghost. He was also quite the ladies man, cordially addressing each woman that crossed our path along the way. And then proceeding to expound on the benefits of shellfish on the libido. Ooooo.K. So finally, after unsuccesfully trying to get him to recommend the best clam chowder nearby, he sees that we are musicians and asks if we are famous. Nathan politely tells him that we are U2. He says he thinks he has heard of us. Realizes then that we probably are famous...and then gets upset with himself that he didnt get footage of us and our autographs. As we rolled away, I remember wondering if we would become his next ghost story.
So it was a month ago tonight that we played the legendary Fillmore here in San Francisco! Since then, we played the likes of Joshua Tree, DisneyWORLD, and three House of Blues!!?? And last night, at the ever-amazing Donuts! Party, was a bittersweet homecoming at Paradise... Bitter, only because of how outstanding this tour was for Nathan and Tomo and me. But, of course, sweet, because even though there is always a plastic bag of human poop somewhere on my block when i get home, at least I know that i am home again with my baby!
&, as always, to EVERYONE that has ever helped us keep fuel in the Tussle tank, and to those who can only be with us in spirit, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
more recent tour photos and situations to follow...
