Sara, Chris and Bannack made it to New York and have been posting photos again. Here they are enjoying a cone from Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory after a bike ride through the neighborhood. Looks like they’ll fit right in!
I’m setting out on a new adventure very soon.
I’ll head east to the second/windy city to audition for a summer actor training program offered by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
My dad left Chicago the year he turned eighteen. He and his two friends—his best friend Pete and their high school English teacher, Brother Noonan—struck out from the south side of Chicago on a mission. Making church-basement theater along the way, they would travel to Carroll College, a small Catholic school here in Helena. I’m sure glad they did.
When I was just a wee lad our family traveled back Chicago every summer. We only stopped when my sister and I got so annoying that my parents could no longer stand the 24 hours of road time. But, in just a few days I’ll pack into my little red car and head down that long stretch of road again to that great American city.
I’m looking forward to catching up with a few friends, my God-parents, and of course the Chicago Casey’s. I’d like to explore the city and scout out neighborhoods, theaters, apartments, and jobs that seem right . I’m not sure what I’ll find but a recent theater review I read called Chicago “a place of risk, rebuilding and reinvention. A town devoted to change.”
That sounds good to me.
The Taleff O’Caseys are heading to Mexico for the new year. As of this post’s going live we’re mid-flight, zooming high above the Gulf of Mexico. We got stuck on the runway this morning in Bozeman, some delay deicing de-plane’s wings it seems. Fortunately though, the Cancun flight was just as late leaving Minneapolis.
As you can tell from the last bit of video we may need a little polish on our Spanish elocution, but we are a fearless crew. Also, Chris seems to know what he’s saying.
It was a real shock to touchdown in Great Falls on a runway swept with ribbons of dry snow. My mom and dad and (who else?) my beautiful nephew Bannack all braved the icy mountain pass between Helena and Great Falls, passing a 5 semi-truck pile up along the way, to greet me!
They had bad news though, the road home was closed until the trucks were removed and the plows had a chance to clear the snow away. So we had some time to catch up.
My first concern though was to insure that the massive quantities of hot sauce I had haphazardly packed had not all burst in transit. Fortunately they had not, but I got a polite little note from the TSA informing me that they HAD searched the bag and found nothing alarming. Looking only for bombs they left my precious pugua alone.
We got on the road and got as far as Wolf Creek where we waited, delicious Montana beers in hand, for news of the road opening. The snow kept falling though so we settled in and had a greasy bar lunch at the Frenchman and Me. Just as our orders were up we got news the accident was cleared away and the plows were running.
We rolled into Helena a little after 6PM and met with Sara at the Blackfoot for a few rounds and stories. Then to her and Chris’ place (Chris, unfortunately, is in Bozeman until the weekend) for pizza, unpacking and betel nut!
Despite the weather it feels good to be home!