The wind is whipping around the 12 sides of this double hexagon shaped house, the snow is whirling and I can hear the mournful sound of the train whistle as it passes through the valley. The fat cat sleeps next to me, and the fire in the oversize wood-stove crackles cozily. It's late, but I am too content to head to bed just yet. This is Paradise.
Normally, on Sunday evenings, I get a little blue. It's the transition time that throws me off, has me feeling ungrounded, irritable, lost. Then I settle into wherever we are staying, call someone I miss, unpack a bit, and try to keep busy until finally a Sunday evening of unknowns stretches into Monday and we get to do auditions. It's only after auditions that I really settle into the week. THIS week however...The Sunday Blues never showed themselves!
I am staying with the most LOVELY woman this week, who has made me feel unbelievably at home in her house that is straight from some collection of world's coolest homes. She and her husband designed the large wooden house that is two hexagons connected together with a deck that goes the whole way around! I could try to explain the strange and wonderful collection of random things this house contains, but I couldn't do it justice. Upon entering on Sunday evening, I was immediately charmed out of my niggling negative mood and settled into what proved to be a top notch week! I don't know if it's the endless supply of homemade cookies, the most comfortable nook of a bed that I have ever slept in, the hot tub best enjoyed while the snow is falling, the 200 acres cradled between mountains that are mine for the walking, the easy company of my home stay, or perhaps the best pickle potato salad I have ever tasted...but I don't want this week to end!
One of the best parts about having a traveling job, is being reminded again and again of how kind and giving the people of this world really are. It sounds corny, I know, but every week, all over, we meet amazing people. People who go above and beyond for their children, their communities, and for us, these two strange actors from some town whose name they can't pronounce. They take us into their homes, they feed us special meals, talk to us, show us the sights - humble or awe inspiring, and they are so kind to us!
Not all towns are as quaint and picturesque as Paradise, Montana, and not all home stays are quite as perfect as this one, but it is the people everywhere we go that make constant travel worth those Sunday Blues.
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