This was unlike anything we had seen on our journey before. Like we were in Jurassic Park. We saw this as we were crossing the Columbia River. It’s definitely one of the most memorable scenes of the trip thus far.
We came across a windmill farm on the West bank of the Columbia River. They are always so neat, because you can spot them in the distance, because they’re a big cluster.
Mark and I had seen white caps back in Montana, but then all of a sudden we saw this snow-covered mountain in the distance. Mount Rainier. It was so much taller than the mountains around it. We were excited to be driving towards it, until we found out it was a dormant volcano (serious, that's why it's there... by itself).
When we got into the Tacoma area, we went straight to Mark’s uncle and aunt’s house, where we would be staying for the next two nights. Meet Carl and Kaz.
Carl. He's retired, and now works for 3 hours for 4 days during the week doing maintenance repairs at a independent living apartment. He likes watching the History channel and has a lot of stories to share from his time in the Army.
Kaz. This picture was taken in her home shop, where she cuts hair. She said she's going to cut hair until the day she dies, and she has a witty sense of humor. What a treat to be able to spend time with them.
It was so neat, because it had been so long since Mark has seen them. Years. 10? 15? Somewhere in there. Regardless, it had been a long time. So it was really cool that we were able to come this way and spend some time with them.
The first night we were in town, we had off, so we were able to hang out and we had dinner out in the gazebo. Lucky, the dog, joined us.
I spent the rest of the night editing video and working on the blog, while Mark watched the Seattle Mariners baseball game with his aunt and uncle. Kaz is big into the Mariners. She even keeps track of their wins on the calendar on the refrigerator.
The next morning, Mark got up early and cooked them breakfast and then we went on a journey to the different bicycle shops in Tacoma to see if anyone could fix Mark’s spoke. We searched to no avail. However, we did replace one of the water bottles that we left behind at a gig, with one from Tacoma Bike.
We stopped at a park for an hour to practice, and Mark ended up writing the beginning of a new song. A tour song. Inspired by the different places we have gone so far. It’s cool, you know? Cool to see how the things that have been surrounding us lately can directly inspire a person. Hopefully more of the song will come throughout the tour and then I can get some footage of it to include in the vlog.
After our time in the park, we went to lunch with Carl and Kaz at a super china buffet. Mark took a little cat nap in the car on the way home, and then we showered and got ready for the show.
Our show was at The Mandolin Café. A really neat place. Funky decorations. Mandolins up on the wall. A sound guy. Good food and drinks. A place that you should definitely go to hang out at if you are around Tacoma. And if you are a musician that ever plans to go through Tacoma, this is the place to go.
If you walk one block up from Mandolin Café, you will go up a little hill and have this view in the distance. Mount Rainier. Bigger and better than where we saw it on the highway. It caught me off guard. I went for a little walk before the show and as I headed back, there it was staring back at me.
The show was a good time. Carl and Kaz came out, and Mark’s cousin Ron came down. It had been years since they have seen each other, too. They didn’t even recognize each other. They had never seen Mark perform before, so it was cool that it worked out to have a show in Tacoma so they could see what he’s been doing as a musician.
Mark had a couple other friends come out to this show. A guy he knows from Racine, Joey, came out with his girlfriend and one of their friends. We got to see Joey earlier in the day and he gave us a tour of University of Pudget Sound, where he's going to school. And then Mark’s friend from Chicago, Julie, came and brought a few friends. I know it was exciting for him to see some familiar faces.
The next morning Mark cooked breakfast again for everyone, we said our goodbyes, and got some pictures and footage before heading out on the road again.
Tacoma treated us well, but I’m excited to be going to Portland and seeing a familiar face. Portland’s bound to have a bunch of stories.
Until next time,
Jordan
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