FTE On Tour_ARIZONA & The Grand Canyon 8/19

Arizona & The Grand Canyon

Lunette's rear left tire has a slow leak in it. Thank gooodness for FREE AIR at truck stops.
After checking the oil & filling the tires, we press on westward to Arizona. A lot can be said about the majestic splendor of the Grand Canyon. But I won't. I'll let the pictures do the talking.







We woke up at our campsite in the Grand canyon to some unexpected guests: a heard of Elk. Whoa. Huge, beautiful animals that make tiny noises like air escaping from a balloon. We took pics, smiled, packed up and headed out to fill Lunette's gas tank.


















Diesel gas turns out to be more expensive than expected so we put in just enough to get us to our next destination: Los Angeles.

Lunette the bus starts acting strange, bucking wildly upon acceleration. We pull over at a truck stop and a friendly couple (Danny and Mama Sue) take a peek under the hood. Turns out we bought BAD DIESEL GAS!


After filling the tank with Good diesel, Danny & Sue invite us to pick vegetables from Sue's organic garden; a small oasis of love, color & flavor in the middle of the desert. We picked amazing veggies (and cantalope OFF THE VINE!) while singing our signature tune 'The Magic song". Mama Sue thanked us repeatedly, teary eyed and happy.






And with a full tank of GOOD gas (!), a bushel full of organic fruits & vegetables and Mama Sue's blessing, we head for the City of Angles.

FTE On Tour_ROSWELL, NM 8/18

The ROSWELL Experience



Flying saucers. Little green men. Yeah. Those are the images one conjures up when the word ROSWELL is mentioned. Maybe its because of a news article telling of the crash landing of a UFO in this tiny town of New Mexico, or the (kinda) popular TV series that lasted only one season. Either way, Roswell seems to be synonymous with extraterrestrial sightings & culture. So much so that the town boasts a UFO museum, "alien" -themed gift shops and a McDonald's shaped like a alien spacescaft.



















The fairies were excited about this adventure. They wondered what new, strange & exciting experiences lie ahead for them. A viewing of an alien space craft? An interview with someone that has made first contact? Maybe E.T. could show them how to call home without using a sim card.




As Lunette made her way down the center of town, a hush fell over the fairies as they saw no one. The streets of the town were as barren as the desert that surrounded it. Where was everyone? The fairies had hope that answers were coming soon.

Lunette parks in front of a gift store called "Gifts From the Angels". (Seemed like a perfect place to stop.) The fairies de-boarded Lunette and went inside.

Inside the store were racks of "alien"-themed items along with gifts pertaining to magic and natural healing. Along the wall behind the counter were ceramic figurines of Fairies. The travel-weary sojourners smiled and engaged the propriertor who stood, smiling at them.

His name was SCOTT. He was a middle-aged man with long hair, dressed in black. His smile was as welcoming as the store's air conditioning.

After digesting a barrage of questions, Scott magnanimously revealed the very answers the fairies were seeking:

1) The streets were empty because of the 100+ degree weather.
2) Area 51 was NOT in Roswell.
3) There is evidence of extraterrestrial life.
5) The Government is probably covering it up.
4) The UFO museum is mostly a research library.
5) Traveling across the country in a "hippie bus" is not crazy.
6) It's important to stay hydrated in this section of the country.
7) Stay alert when camping in Roswell.
8) There were possible places to perform fairy tales in Roswell.
9) If you decide to alter your states in Roswell, strange things will happen.
10) You will receive protection from Angels if you thank them.

After hearing about the "performance painting" part of the fairytale experiment's show, Scott invited the fairies into the rear section of the store. Back there, he dug into a pile of storage and revealed a huge, fuschia-colored cloth.

"I don't know why I kept this", he said with a wrinkled brow.
"I guess it was waiting for YOU".

Indeed it was.

After an incredible night in the desert under a spectacular star scape (more on this later-mature audiences only), The Fairytale Experiment performs in the parking lot of a gas station on main street, in front of a new performance painting by Rose Robin, using the "Magic" fuschia-colored fabric as an enchanted canvas.






































After the show, Charlotte plots our course to the next location: The Grand Canyon.

















Arizona...here we come!


















Oh, and FREE AIR is a good thing.

FTE On Tour_TEXAS (Part 2) 8/14, 8/15

Whew! That was a long bus ride. The fairies exploded in a burst of creative energy. Making costumes, screen-printing t-shirts, writing new fairytales and having outdoor song rehearsals. Within 5 minutes of landing in AUSTIN, TEXAS we had a gig.

The first was a Eastern European fashion show and dance party at a club called "The Cockpit". The door admission was reduced for entry in makeup. C•spot and Erin spread fabulous fairy magic at the door, offering a place to sit and be made up for a small donation.

Our next performance was in a park at an all-day outdoor electronica party. The DJ's were off the hook. They let me get on the mic. I even got a chance to hold a real pair of Nunchakus. The guy who owns them lights them on fire and works out. I'd like to see Chuck Norris do that shit.








ROSE & ERIN painted masterpieces in the sun as Triphop, Downtemop and Acid Jazz filled the woods.
















After the show, we pack up the bus and haul over to Odeil's house to prepare for our journey west. After a bite to eat we sleep.

The next morning we say goodbye to our most gracious host who made our Austin trip so special. After re-packing the bus and getting well caffinated, we set off westward.




OH SHIT! OUT OF GAS!!

Yep. Right in the middle of Texas.

FTE On Tour_TEXAS (Part 1) 8/13

As the sun sets in the Houston skyline, we bullet through Texas into a horizon etched with pink, peach and purple streaks. The faint aroma of an "Icy Hot" product waifs through Lunette's interior as ROSE ROBIN reclines with a strained back, sleeping soundly. Hopefully she'll feel better soon, as she savors the last remaining flavor of the homemade Pecan Pie we just had from the TIGER DINER. Yeah. We ate real good in New Orleans.

Darkness falls quickly and the candy-colored sunset gives way to a black sky filled with Texas stars. Still about an hour and a half away from Austin...time to start looking for a place to camp.

Riding through BRENHAM, TX we spot a sign for Rocky Creek Park and turn onto a gravel road which takes us to a rusty gate that's locked tight. After backing out to re-trace our steps, in the pitch blackness we see a light. It looks like a hotel sign.

"Maybe they know where we can camp.", we thought, making our way toward the sign.

We pull into the parking lot of a huge roadhouse lodge called "TOAD HOLLOW ICE HOUSE".
















It was a bar/resturant with a large outdoor seating area. The entire structure was made out of brand new cedar.

I immediately harbor a queasy, unsettled feeling-having seen cheezy movies about angry rednecks that hang outsiders for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Our brightly-colored "Hippie" bus pulls into the parking lot.

C•Spot & Erin hop out and bounce over to a tall, slender blonde woman sitting in the back area, beaming with fairy smiles.

I scrunch down a little deeper into my seat.

The two return, sporting even wider smiles.

"They said we can stay here! Told us to pull around to the rear!", they sing with glee.

"They did?", I warble, swallowing hard. The bad New Yorker inside of me twitches a little, deathly afraid of being lynched by unfriendly Locals. Shit, a bunch of "Townies" in New Orleans gave us the wrong directions on purpose and we ended up getting rescued by a kind family who gave us a map of the area, stern warnings about where NOT to walk and smiles.

I swallow hard again as a few people hanging out in the roadhouse's huge picnic area come over to the bus for a closer look.

"Her name is "Lunette", C•Spot cheerfully tells them, smiling happily and covered in glitter. The onlookers are delighted. No match for strong fairy magic.

A (hot blonde) woman named Jennifer invites us to sit down and have some beers. I breathe a sigh of relief and get off the bus. She introduces us to a cool guy named Wayne, her boyfriend Mike (The manager) and Tammy (the owner) There is nothing but love at this place. Love for us in Texas. So much for the "Avatarded New Yorker's" pre-concieved notions about Texans & southern hospitality. I now stand humbled in the face of Texas love.

Mike invites us to camp in the area behind the roadhouse. We can't make a fire because of the state's "Burn Ban" (real dry, no rain) so Rose makes Fried Okra on our camping stove. Yum. Tents go up. We sleep.

We awaken up to strong coffee, awesome oatmeal, enormous breakfast burritos and WAYNE who greets us with a friendly "Good Morning Fairies!". As the morning manager does the blog, we plug in our computers and do a quick edit before hitting the road. After giving ROSE her first ride in a '69 muscle car, Wayne gives us some magic items (See Rose's "Toad's Hollow" video) and we speed off into the dry Texas heat.






Charlotte seems to have an eye for funky little coffee joints. As we speed through Giddings, Texas she pulls Lunette over (or, visa versa) to a cute little yellow coffee shop with a drive through window called "THE BUZZ BEAN". (www.giddingsbuzzbean.com)









The sign out front read " Sit 'n sip in the rear". We park Lunette and walk around the back to find a cute little porch with tables & chairs. A woman named JO greets us with a friendly smile, an ash tray for our rollies and some of the best coffee we've ever had.











"I can't believe I didn't wear my bumble bee costume today!", she said as we threw our heads back and enjoyed a good laugh inbetween sips of sexy Iced Mocha frapps and "Mango Tango" fresh fruit smoothies. Also impressive was the air conditioning in the Buzz bean's interior and the in-house book swap. Jo gives us a magic item (A silver lighter cover with a FAIRY on it) and our jaws drop. After a round of information exchanges and REAL hugs, we set off to Austin.


We arrive in AUSTIN, TEXAS at the BOUDIN CREEK COFFEEHOUSE and meet our contact: an amazing soul named ODEIL. After a real good BBQ veggie burger (and lots of coffee) we drive to her house to plan our next bit of fairy madness.