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No matter what the climate or location of where we’re touring across the country, there’s always a slice of beauty.  "Reflecting". Hehehe. On tour in Alabama this week, we had the pleasure of visiting the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, whose mission is to promote public knowledge and appreciation of plants, gardens and the environment. Being one of the nation’s preeminent botanical gardens, we spent hours walking through the stunning fields of flowers, Japanese gardens, herb terraces, rose bushes, greenhouses and bamboo forests.  Singing to the fish.... The gardens are over 67 acres, and it was an incredible sensation to just soak up the energy of the sun, the flowers and the beauty of the blue skies. It’s no wonder that gardening is the number ONE hobby in the United States… generating over 33 billion dollars in annual revenue nationwide.  The beautiful botanical gardens. My favorite part of the park was the Japanese garden which was officially opened by the Japanese Ambassador to the United States in 1967. The garden is on an impressive 7.5-acre site, and there are bamboo groves, tea houses, bonsai houses and a peaceful lake called “Life Long Lake”. The healing energy of the garden was pure and beautiful.  Walking into the amazing Japanese Gardens Our excitement from the gardens definitely carried forward into the show that night, which was a large group at a stunning senior community. Those kinds of shows will always hold a very dear place in my heart as many of the audience members are residents who don’t have the opportunity to go out much anymore, and bringing the show to them is just pure magic. At this particular show, there were a large number of widows who opened up about missing their loved ones and how the music brought back so many good memories of the times they shared together.  With our friends Joe, Monica and little Alice after the show. We were also delighted to be surprised by our great friends from Camp Liberty, Joe, Monica and 9-year-old Alice who came to the show and shared dinner with us afterwards. We shared laughter, good times and created some new memories. People often ask where we get our energy from for the show, and though it’s not a simple answer, I can say that it all starts with stopping to smell the flowers. –Erinn xoxoxox  Nelson with a bounce in his step after soaking in the energy of the gardens.
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It’s no surprise Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz wanted to go home after spending time in Oz. Kansas is a beautiful state! After touring The Patriot for the first half of the year, we linked up with Courtney in Minnesota for the Bombshell Duo show that we’ll be touring until early July. We learned over 30 new and exciting dances and songs from the 1940’s and a slew of new numbers from the Vietnam era for our upcoming duo show “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, and it felt good to get out of the studio and on the road again.  With Lady Liberty outside of the state capitol building in Topeka. The minute we crossed into the Kansas border, we blasted “Wayward Son” by Kansas to get us into the spirit! We visited the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka, which is a stunning work of art. The dome is actually taller than the United States Capitol and the building was originally built in 1861. On this quiet Sunday afternoon, walking the steps alone it was easy to feel the rich history of this beautiful landmark.  Standing atop the epic staircase at the state capitol building. Kansas is considered to be the heart of this nation, where the spirit of the rugged pioneer and the daring entrepreneur endure. This observation seems especially true at the Great Overland Station, which is run by the Railroad Heritage Organization. The history is amazing as it was built on the site where the Pappan brothers ferried Oregon Trail pioneers across the Kaw River, the place where Indian Chief Burnett traded supplies with sojourners and where slaves sought their freedom on the “underground railroad”! The station was considered “oneof the finest passenger stations on the line" when it opened January 27, 1927, but is now an incredible museum and one of the most beautiful veterans memorials I’ve seen in the United States.  The incredible veterans memorial at Overland Station. Our show in Topeka was for some incredible folks… including many WWII Navy and Air Force veterans. There were tears of joy and remembrance in the audience, singing along and shared stories. There were two couples in the audience that had been married for 60 years and 64 years and were still sharp as a tack in their 90s and loving life together!  Kisses for George, 94-year old WWII Air Force hero. We had the incredible privilege of going out to dinner with George, a 94-year old WWII Veteran and his amazing family after the show at a restaurant called “The Blue Moose”. During the show, we serenaded George and kissed him in the Letters From Home way, and he was so delighted with the marks on his cheek and forehead he said he wasn’t going to wash his face for a week. The attention he was getting at the restaurant was such a beautiful patriotic thing to witness… several people came over to our table and asked him why he looked so handsome and when he told them about his service and being honored at our show they thanked him, hugged him, one woman even cried as we told her about the show and reviving patriotism through music. The love was all around, and there were so many random acts of kindness and care. Love is all around… when you look for it. Embrace it and pay it forward. -Erinn xoxoxo  Erinn & Courtney send love from Kansas |