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Day 95-96

4/30/2023

 
Today we drove to beautiful Nevada where after eating at the Little Bear restaurant, we checked into our beautiful cabin overlooking Lake Tahoe! The cabin was sponsored by our very own Vietnam veteran Billie Waddell. 
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We flew the drone at sunset, then headed to the beach where Jack had a walk with a duck and we all stretched after a long driving day.  
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The next day was our show at The Theatre in Reno! The space was so much fun and has a regular magic act that plays there twice a week. The lobby was gorgeous and filled with elaborate costumes that were all hand made! Channel 4 also came by to do a news story on the official Nevada stop of tour! 
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The audience was SO wonderful, and the show a lot of fun.... even though some technical difficulties caused the set to collapse mid-Act Two! 
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Tonight, the Quilts of Valor were given to two very deserving veterans, Brian Patton and Bill Seifert. Both of their wives had also served in the military and were there to support them. They had received quilts from the Quilts of Valor a few months ago. 
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After the show we drove to downtown Reno! We passed by the site where Erinn's parents had eloped (it's not there anymore but was called the Heart of Reno Chapel). Myra won some money at the casino, and we drove away to find the perfect sunset....
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....which so happened to be at Banzai Rock in Lake Tahoe! The hike was challenging and a lot of fun! And the sunset was so worth it. 
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Day 93-94

4/28/2023

 
After our flight back from Hawaii, we had an evening of organization back at the hotel and catch up on the business side of things for tour, and then we headed into San Francisco for a beautiful day off! We started out driving our tour vehicle down the world famous Lombard Street. 
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We went to Pier 39, overlooking Alcatraz. We met many new friends, including "Big Al Katraz", a magician who pulled Myra onto the stage to assist with a trick. The seagulls were MASSIVELY big in the city, and we saw lots of street performers and shops. We had an amazing lunch at Taco Cantina, then visited the DOZENS of sea lions hanging out all over each other 
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We ran up the musical stairs, and went to the Musée Mécanique, where there are a collection of over 300 games from the 1800s that are run off of quarters! We had a blast playing games and taking old-timey photos.
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After that, we went to the Buena Vista restaurant, where we ha their world famous Irish Coffee! Then we stood in a very chilly foggy line to ride a trolley across town. Thanks, San Francisco for being such a great experience for all of us on our day off! 
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Day 92

4/26/2023

 
This morning we started out our day at Pearl Harbor. We sang on the USS Missouri, the battleship that hosted the surrender ceremony of Japan on 2 September 1945. After we sang, Neil who works at the memorial gave us a private tour of the battleship. 
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The staff of the battleship presented us with special performer pins, and 
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After we left the battleship, we had some dole whip and food at the canteen, then headed on the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial, where you can still see the ship that was sunk underwater. The names of all those who lost their lives are on the wall at the memorial which serves as a cemetery for the hundreds of bodies that are still underwater.  
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We left right from Pearl Harbor to get to the Paliku Theatre, where we were greeted by many chickens and cats! (And a great staff, too). We met a new friend named Scott who helped us get all of our large props for the show from another new friend, Carrie, from a non profit organization called The Vintage Hawaii. The community of folks that help us along the road during this tour is truly something we will never take for granted. 
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The show was a lot of fun, and we met some amazing folks! There were tons of veterans at the show, but also many active military from the military base nearby. 
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The Quilt of Valor after the show for Hawaii went to veteran Jim Hamlin, and was presented by the warmest couple, Sue and Jack Laufer. 
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That evening, Erinn and Jan took a long walk around the island and on Wakiki Beach. The perfect end to a genuinely perfect stay in a beautiful state of this amazing country. 
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Day 91

4/25/2023

 
Today started off at the great Hawaiian traditional restaurant, Ihop.  We walked around downtown and got Hawaiian shirts, Jack drank a pineapple, we fed the Koi fish and we walked past a luau dance lesson. We even saw a "banjolele" which is like a ukulele but it is more like a mini banjo! 
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In the afternoon, we hiked Diamond Head, a saucer-shaped crater that was formed over 300,000 years ago during an eruption! This 1.6 mile hike had some incredible views, and at the top there was a WWII Bunker that we climbed down. We met some lovely people and invited them to the show!  
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After Diamond Head, Tyler went on another hike, while we cooled off with some snorkeling provided by the one and only Snorkle Bob's! The fish were great, and the sunset was spectacular on the beach afterwards. 
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That evening, we ate at an incredible restaurant called Doraku, where we sat at the long oak table and enjoyed the evening together. 

If you're in the Hawaii area, we hope that you'll join us tomorrow night at the Paliku Theatre for our official 39th show of tour! 
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Day 90

4/24/2023

 
ALOHA! After an early morning flight, we finally made it to one of the stops we were looking forward to the most... Hawaii! This is Erinn's last state she hadn't been to, so now she's visited all 50. Wahoo! 
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We threw our stuff down in the hotel and immediately walked to Wakiki Beach to spend the afternoon. The weather was perfect, and we were so grateful to finally be in a location where we didn't need coats anymore! 
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Jan and Billie joined the gang, and we went out to eat at Paia Fish Market for some great seafood, Blue Hawaii drinks and a great atmosphere! That evening, we had some ice cream, a short walk on the beach and passed out from the last 24 hours of load in, showtime, strike, packing, flying and travel. We're grateful to be in Hawaii! 
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Day 89

4/23/2023

 
We were SO thrilled for the sunshine in beautiful Mountain View California today! Our matinée show was at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts and we had a lovely crowd of all ages! There were some technical difficulties with the show, but we couldn't be more proud and pleased with our amazing team who did everything they could to fix the problems and still put on a stellar show for our audience. 
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There were so many incredible people at the show: our good friend Kristina, a lot of amazing reenactors, a singing group called the Zingers, some cute kiddos, many Vietnam era veterans, Dan's cousin he hadn't seen since he was 6 years old, a bunch of wonderful passengers from the American Duchess, and a very sweet and helpful 91-Year Old House manager named Lois! 
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The Quilt of Valor went to Korean War veteran Jerry Fairfield. Jerilyn who made the presentation also gave Erinn a little bear with a quilt, something we'll all cherish for the rest of the tour and beyond!  
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After strike, we packed our belongings for Hawaii and watched Spirited Away as a team back at our lovely hotel. Early flight tomorrow..... we hope to see EVERYONE in Hawaii at our show on Wednesday evening at the Piliku Theatre! 

Day 88

4/22/2023

 
Today we enjoyed an EPIC drive and walk through the Redwood Forest! This forest hosts nearly half of the world's old growth redwoods, including champion specimens more than 370 feet (113 meters) in height—or five stories taller than the Statue of Liberty. We saw the "Corkscrew Tree" and the "Big Tree" and..... well just so many trees. 
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The drive continued... an awesome lunch in Eureka at the Surfside Burger Shack, more epic overlooks on the coast of California, dozens of Elk, horses, trees for days, and a stop in Santa Rosa to have dinner at Chevy's, look at convertibles, and see the statue dedicated to Charles Schultz who wrote the Peanuts comics in Santa Rosa. 
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We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge at night to arrive in Mountain View where we checked into the beautiful Ameswell Hotel. The Ameswell is a huge supporter of Letters From Home and our tour, and we are so grateful to them for being our official "home" in California! 
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Tomorrow, our show is at 2:30pm at the Mountain View Center of the Performing Arts, and there are still tickets available! We hope y'all will come on out for a great afternoon with our official California stop of the tour! 

Day 87

4/21/2023

 
The day started out at Mill Ends Park in Portland.... the world's smallest park! The park measures 452 square inches and is a Guinness Book of World Record holder. Wow! 
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We then drove all the way to the famous Highway 1, the most beautiful coastal drive in America- and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time! 
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We stopped in the beautiful seaside town of Depoe Bay, where we had lunch at Gracie's Sea Hag restaurant. The waves were crashing clear up into where we parked the car and we saw many people get soaked from the awesome rough seas! 
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The drive was gorgeous. Some other stops included the port of Bandon, an adorable marina town with shops and great views. 
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The sun came out and the clouds cleared right as we arrived at Myers Beach North. WOW what an incredible view! Dan flew his drone and we all soaked in the California sun.
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Our destination for the evening was Crescent City, where we stayed at the Lighthouse Inn. We walked down the street for dinner at the Seaside Restaurant and Bar where Grace had clam chowder for the first time in her life! Then we headed to Tsumani Lanes where we bowled the night away. 
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We are LOVING the West Coast. xo

Day 86

4/20/2023

 
It was show #37 today at the beautiful Aladdin Theatre in Portland Oregon! Myra got our entire team donuts to celebrate from the world famous Voodoo Donuts. 
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We weren't sure what to expect, as Portland was a harder place to get the word out than most cities, but the crowd as mighty, energetic and SO much fun! We had so many great friends in the audience from many walks of life and it made it all the more special. Meeting new communities of people and seeing old friends is definitely the best part of traveling the country. 
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The Quilt of Valor for Oregon went to Charles "Chip" Morris, a Vietnam veteran who had his wife by his side while he was presented the quilt as she was the backbone of his support system while serving! We love the Quilt of Valor and all that they do. 
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After the show, we met our friends from the American Duchess at Quarterworld, an awesome barcade in Portland! It made for one of our favorite nights on tour. Much love, y'all. 
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Day 85

4/19/2023

 
"Keep Portland weird" is the city' well known slogan in Oregon, and we spent the day trying to do our part adding to the weird!  We spent the day catching up on rest and work and doing our own thing in this awesome city. Grace and Tyler hit up the World's largest used & new bookstore in the World, Powell's City of Books, Jack saw a movie, Myra, Dan and Erinn got haircuts, Dan played some poker and Myra got the cars serviced to get us through the next several thousand miles of our tour. 
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Erinn and Dan had a radio interview, and then met up with their friend from American Queen, Mike, who got a Letters From Home manicure! 
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We drove up the hill to Pittock Mountain which had a lovely view of Portland for Sunset. 
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After saying goodbye to Mike, we realized that we were close to Oregon's tallest waterfall, Multnomah Falls, so even though the sun had set, we drove out of town to see if Dan could get a shot. We're not sure yet, but it sure was beautiful to see! 
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Tomorrow, our show is at the Aladdin Theatre downtown. We'd love for you to come if you're in the area and there are still plenty of tickets available! Let's have some fun tomorrow, Portland! 
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    Letters From Home
     performed in all 50 states from January-May 2023. This blog is by Erinn Dearth, 1/2 of the onstage duo and founder of the show.

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