7/9/08, Portland

12:07AM - Hello again!

We are in Portland. Got here last night, pretty late. The Cozmic Pizza gig was extremely awkward. It was really huge and there were about 10 people there, all pretty nonplussed by what was going on onstage. The food was great though! They gave us lots of free organic pizza and organic soda. 

We left that night for Portland and arrived at our friends Jen and Danielle's place. It's really adorable inside. Very hip, very Portland-cool. They have Nintendo!

Earlier tonight, we played our Portland gig at 'The Know'. It was a pretty cool bar, with an awesome sidestage. There weren't many people, but the ones who were there were really into it. There was a group of four people that came especially to see us. They were really attentive and knew the words too!! It was trippy. I'd like to give a thank you to them for their support and enthusiasm. It was great to meet you all! :) My dear friend Ezza Rose also came, which was so great. I hadn't seen her for quite a while. 

We all got some coffee afterwards and played some intense games of Egyptian Ratscrew. Who knows why it's called that. Joe won. He slapped some serious doubles.

Right now we're sitting in Jen and Danielle's living room, drinking 16 oz cans of Coke (3 inches taller than normal, it's really bizarre). I think some Flight of the Conchords watching is going to happen here soon.

I'm going to pass off to Joe so he can write a little. I can't write about EVERYTHING!

Talk soon, we are going to have many Portlandventures in the next few days. 

Love,

K.R.L. Stine

12:20AM (Joseph)

On the day off our show in San Luis Obispo we went to a beautiful place called Nit Wit Ridge. Kelsea told us that she visited it in a dream twice, and that then she found out that it was a real place.  It is a house that was dug into the hillside in Cambria, CA by the town garbage man and eccentric named Art Beal.  The house is built entirely on trash and other collections made by Mr. Beal.  It doesn't sound like much, but it was a truly beautiful place.  If you are ever in the area, it is a must-see.  Kelsea will elaborate...

Art Beal bought his multi-acre land for $500 in 1928 and spent the next 50 years carving a poor man's castle in a once blank hillside. He was a trash man and found it extremely easy to find discarded items. What others saw as trash, Art saw as treasure and building materials. There is honestly no way to describe how amazing this place is. All of the plumbing, electrical work, foundations, everything was made by him out of trash and unused items he found. The aesthetic aspect to this 3 story building is beautiful. It is a true example of folk art. The reason we went in the first place was because I had had two dreams in the last year, and I saw the building from my dream-settings in a 'Weird California' book. I dreamt it before I saw it and vowed to visit it someday, convinced something amazing would happen. (In one of my dreams Bjork was there, and in the other I stopped a robbery.) We just happened to find ourselves right by it and went. Thank goodness we did, it was life-changing to see such a thing. I did find myself having an amazing personal moment. Bjork wasn't involved, but while on the tour I found on the ground a blue feather. It would take too long to explain, but if you read the book 'Illusions' by Richard Bach (I was given it by a friend, I now recommend it to you) you'll understand. I found my blue feather, in a place where I felt a deep mental connection with a crazy junk man folk artist. Ahh. It was one of those signs from the universe. I felt injected with the energy of the earth or something... Please go someday, this is in no way an adequate description of Nitt Witt Ridge. You've got to experience it for yourself.

I guess Joseph is already done typing.

-Kelsea