Sioux Falls FREEZE OUT!

Sioux Falls.

I woke up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota this morning and it was -12 degrees. I have tried to think all day about HOW to describe that to you...and I thought and thought and thought.
And tonight, I finally decided that there is NO WAY to describe just how cold that is. I can try - but you'll never fully understand...unless you're HERE! So everyone please buy a ticket to Sioux Falls and I'll pick you up at the airport.

Downtown Sioux Falls has a lot of art all over (some cool...some not). I liked this buffalo. I liked some others, too - which you will see below.

My day in Sioux Falls went something like this: walk downtown, find the first place I could to eat lunch...but basically to defrost. Eat lunch, take as much time as possible eating it, head out to start shopping, duck into the first seemingly normal shop to duck into to defrost. (I had a couple of close calls...if I hadn't looked up at the door to 'Scott's Limited - Classic Clothing for Women', I would've had a lot of explaining to do inside.) Once inside and the defrosting had started, act interested in the stores merchandise long enough to warm up ('OH! These handcarved Santa's are adorable! I haven't seen anything like them before. AND they say right here on the bottom that they were made in China. Charming.' and 'A whole STORE of Irish Gifts? GENIOUS!') Continue this for an hour or so until I am close enough to the hotel to dart back inside and defrost in my own room.

A cool mosaic on the downtown art walk.

Maybe THIS will explain how cold it is. Even the ART WORK needs covering. Albeit, this one could use a bit more.

Back at the hotel, I gathered the interested troops to head to some SIGHT-SEEING of the Sioux Falls area. We caught the big ol' cathedral that looks over town, and then went to THE falls that were key in naming this place Sioux FALLS. I'm happy to report they were frozen. TO THE MAX! Took some pictures...lost feeling in my limbs...made it back to the hotel. Spent the rest of the afternoon kickin' it - watched a movie (Radio - got it from Netflix today - it was a fine little movie...) - and then went to the Sioux Falls Mall tonight. I went to buy some cards I needed to buy (Birthday cards and such) and then, with all the extra time I had, I went to Old Chicago (YESSSSSSSSSS! They are EVERYWHERE!) until everyone was ready to leave.

The Cathedral. Pretty simple, really.

And...some cool windows IN the Cathedral. On reflection, maybe they aren't that cool - but I was cold. Cut me some slack.

It's back to UBER cold tonight. 2 shows tomorrow. And a rehearsal with Jill! OH! JILL! I forgot to take pictures of you today. DANG IT! That just means MORE Jill pics tomorrow.
OK - I'm done. I just typed like 42 paragraphs for a seemingly boring day. Who DOES that?
For those who are counting - and I'm not...I got these figures from someone ELSE in the cast who shall remain nameless...well...we can just use his character name, CHARLIE - we have 11 shows left! Today was Tuesday, and 2 weeks from TODAY we arrive back into DC...in all of our glory. Be thrilled. And get to work....
G


Another interesting downtown art thing. This poor little man looks so cold and lonely. I think, in the summer, it's a fountain..and water runs out of the pot. But in the dead of winter, he looks like a cold little elf sitting on the snow...very sad.


HERE is the Leaning Building I spoke of yesterday...and in the 2nd picture, THAT is our hotel. SEE how close we are? Luck. PURE luck.
Our stars just keep aligning on this trip.


Shots of the falls...frozen. There is SOME water running through there...which was cool to see...


More FROZEN at Sioux Falls Park. The bottom picture is of Chris Sizemore, right after he said, 'I think I hear ice cracking!' I basically took the picture and told him I took it so I could say THIS is what he looked like right before he fell in. Silly Explorer, Chris! (He's fine, Mom Sizemore....sorry to scare you.....)