Today was show number 28 of our tour. At this point, one might think that there are not many new things left to see or experience. Well, today was filled with LOTS of firsts for this tour!
We began the day by going back to Walmart for all the things we didn't remember last night. While there, I made some deposits at the bank. I was explaining to the teller about the tour, and I honest-to-goodness had a moment where I couldn't remember which state we were in. Seriously, if you ask any of us which day today is, we have to think long and hard. Usually, we have no clue.
Faith is keeping a day to day tally of where we eat and where we stay at night. For the first time on this trip, we had Burger King!
We began the day by going back to Walmart for all the things we didn't remember last night. While there, I made some deposits at the bank. I was explaining to the teller about the tour, and I honest-to-goodness had a moment where I couldn't remember which state we were in. Seriously, if you ask any of us which day today is, we have to think long and hard. Usually, we have no clue.
Faith is keeping a day to day tally of where we eat and where we stay at night. For the first time on this trip, we had Burger King!
(Yeah, the kids insisted that the entire family had to wear the crowns...) Burger King may not seem like such a big deal, but we hadn't had it in a while- so it was like a 5 star restaurant! Another first was that Eli, who has been trying tiny bits of new foods, had a drip of soda. Am I terrible that I find it hilarious when a youngster tries soda for the first time and gives that "Whoa, what it this" look?
We got an oil change for the Jeep (not a first- the second one of this trip, actually, and that's amazing when you consider that we had the oil changed the day we left, and it has needed two more in only a month). This vehicle has been amazing so far. It's pushing 203,000 miles and so far, so good.
On to West Virginia we went. West Virginia was a new state for four of us- another first! We also saw gas for sale at $1.89, which I didn't know was possible in today's world- a DEFINITE first on this trip! Today's show was in Martinsburg, which is one of the nearest towns inside the West Virginia border.
We performed for the Martinsburg Rescue Mission- another first (type of venue) for the trip! This is a place in the city where anyone can go who is in immediate need of food, clothing, or shelter for the night. It was started in 1960 and their motto is "Not willing that any should perish".
Over the course of more than 25 years, I have performed at virtually every venue imaginable. Most people envision that a magician is always performing on a stage for big crowds at a standard place. We've certainly done that and that's what most of our tour is comprised of. But over the years, I've also performed for places such as prisons and detention centers. I can honestly say that I was scared to death the first time I brought my show into a prison. However, I came away very surprised from that experience. Those people were some of the kindest and most respectful folks I had ever met! It's all about perspective- they hadn't had entertainment (or anything fun, for that matter) for a very long time. So, when a magic show came in, they were riveted. Now, today's show certainly wasn't for a prison. This was a place that provides help and support for those in need. But, there definitely hadn't been anything like a magic show here for a while so we all had a great time! Truly, these were great people. Here's a shot that Faith was able to sneak from the side:
We got an oil change for the Jeep (not a first- the second one of this trip, actually, and that's amazing when you consider that we had the oil changed the day we left, and it has needed two more in only a month). This vehicle has been amazing so far. It's pushing 203,000 miles and so far, so good.
On to West Virginia we went. West Virginia was a new state for four of us- another first! We also saw gas for sale at $1.89, which I didn't know was possible in today's world- a DEFINITE first on this trip! Today's show was in Martinsburg, which is one of the nearest towns inside the West Virginia border.
We performed for the Martinsburg Rescue Mission- another first (type of venue) for the trip! This is a place in the city where anyone can go who is in immediate need of food, clothing, or shelter for the night. It was started in 1960 and their motto is "Not willing that any should perish".
Over the course of more than 25 years, I have performed at virtually every venue imaginable. Most people envision that a magician is always performing on a stage for big crowds at a standard place. We've certainly done that and that's what most of our tour is comprised of. But over the years, I've also performed for places such as prisons and detention centers. I can honestly say that I was scared to death the first time I brought my show into a prison. However, I came away very surprised from that experience. Those people were some of the kindest and most respectful folks I had ever met! It's all about perspective- they hadn't had entertainment (or anything fun, for that matter) for a very long time. So, when a magic show came in, they were riveted. Now, today's show certainly wasn't for a prison. This was a place that provides help and support for those in need. But, there definitely hadn't been anything like a magic show here for a while so we all had a great time! Truly, these were great people. Here's a shot that Faith was able to sneak from the side:
Today's show was proof of what I always say- a magician's job is to make people smile. When you can take someone who has been having a rough time, and for a moment they can forget all of that and just smile, it's the greatest feeling in the world! We love what we get to do and the shows make us happy, but today's show REALLY made us happy.
After we loaded up, we stopped by a curious looking giant apple. Turns out, it's a 50 year time capsule to be opened in 2040:
After we loaded up, we stopped by a curious looking giant apple. Turns out, it's a 50 year time capsule to be opened in 2040:
We went ahead and drove on to Woodstock, Virginia, to get some of tomorrow's driving out of the way. Tonight we're staying in a Hampton- yet another first! On this trip, we've stayed in every hotel out there- Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Holiday Inn, Best Western, Ramada, Travelodge, and a zillion others (pretty much all of them except for Bob's roach motel), but no Hamptons until now. We found this Hampton at the same price as Comfort Inn. Now, Comfort Inn is certainly very nice but if you have the choice, go with Hampton. We're blown away at how nice this place is- hopefully it's not just this location! By the way, you know you've been on the road for a while when you mention that you're staying at a Best Western, and Silas asks "Best Western, or Best Western plus?" Not sure many kids would know the difference.
Tomorrow we head further into Virginia. It really doesn't seem like we can be this far into the tour. We're certainly having a blast!
Tomorrow we head further into Virginia. It really doesn't seem like we can be this far into the tour. We're certainly having a blast!
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