Maxine Von Cross Lutheran

Pigeon, MI
Hello Friends,

Guess who has been snowed in for three guys with internet access...



So I have wanted to do this for a few days and now I finally have a chance to introduce the newest member of the family (though we are adding a few new Loehrke Ladies in 2011 - got a couple of cousins get a'hitched!).

About a year or so ago my parents thought it would be a good idea to get a puppy. Being a family that loves dogs and detests cats they were delighted to find that some farmers had pure bred labs for sale. Eight pups in all awaited them. 2 male and 6 female. While the males had already been claimed (huntin' dogs are in high demand around here) my parents were delighted to get a girl as we have always had girl dogs for as long as I can remember. All eight pups came out to greet them and Maxi went straight to my Dad. As they say, the rest was history.



She will be two in April and if my parents hadn't spayed her and registered her, her name would have been Maxie Von Cross Lutheran but we just call her Maxi. I would have named her Butters for her butterscotch coloring right down to her tan nose. She is a great dog, well will be. She is still very much a puppy.

The best way to sum her up is that she has the compassion and loyalty of Doug the Dog from "Up" and the special needs strength and energy of Lenny from "Of Mice and Men".

Welcome to the family Maxi!

The Adventure Continues - ML

The Pigeon Blizzard

Pigeon, MI
Hello Friends!

Saturday night, the winds were calm, the night brisk, the streets were quite, the front of the house looked as such:



It was forecasted and didn't come as a surprise but it did start snowing round about midnight. When the sun rose a strong dusting covered the ground and while flakes continued to fall, the locals scoffed and talk again of how the weather man was wrong. In fact some say it even started to rain. Snow storm indeed.

Then around one o'clock the wind picked up from the north and visibility began to shrink dramatically by the hour. The snow began coming down, but not really down but sideways. Slowly mutterings changed from a wimpy front to that of how many inches to expect and the number grew faster then a rumor at a high school

48 hours and 2 blizzard warnings later the sun shone its head today. When all was said and done the norther thumb of Michigan received anywhere from 9-15 inches. Snow squalls around the area were said to reach over ten feet. As we ventured out to run errands I saw snow that reminded more of the Dakotas then being in the Mid-West.



Stay warm and safe!

The Adventure Continues - ML

Daring Dining ~ Main Street Cafe

Pigeon, MI
Hello Friends,

Not even my parents little village of Pigeon, MI is safe from the blog and today my father and I took in the local cuisine at Main Street Cafe and Bakery.

Located on, well Main Street, in the center of the bustling village of Pigeon this little Mom and Pop offer cheap and tasty food for the farmers and more of the county. The walls are lined with pictures of students from the graduating classes of the 50's and 60's and the tables welcome you with locally made paper place mats informing you of the local goings-ons (best of luck to you oh local community playhouse!). It is an establishment the exudes wholesomeness and for the noon lunching hour was quite busy.

Though it was lunch both Dad and I opted for breakfast - my most favorite meal of the day. Dad went with a traditional Farmer Omelet and I a Country Cousin Breakfast. Why it is called that is beyond me but color me impressed it was good! Dad's omelet was HUGE and filled with all sorts of veggies and meats. Mine came with three eggs (over medium thank you very much) hash browns, meat of my choice (sausage patties, they stack well on the toast), your choice of toast, juice AND coffee all for, $5.39!!!! I have eaten at A LOT of breakfast places and never have I gotten so much food that was so well prepared for such a price. It was a wonderful surprise.

I find myself in Pigeon about twice a year to visit family and while I look forward to time with family and to relax I now look forward to a great Cafe as well!

The Adventure Continues - ML

Fall Tour '10 by the Numbers

Pigeon, MI
Hello Friends!

Shawna and I are enjoying three and half weeks off for the holiday and I find myself in the northern thumb of Michigan as I once again enjoy some holiday time with my parents. We are currently bracing for 7-12 inches of snow (seems to be following me...) and I thought this would be as good as time as ever to post some numbers that wrap up the past four months of touring. A lot less miles driven then summer but still a lot of good work was done these past four months! Here we go!

3060 - Miles driven in Truck
510 - Cast Members
350 - Approximate Largest Audience
75 - Approximate Smallest Audience
36 - Workshops Conducted
21 - Performances of Beauty Lou and the Country Beast
18 - How old our show is (written in 1986!)
16 - Different beds/surfaces I slept on
10 - Residency Weeks
9 - Flights Taken
8 - Trips Over Mountain Passes with Snow
7 - Home stays
5 - Different types of Rum sampled in the Tropics
5 - Friday Performances
4 - States Driven Through
4 - Home stays with hot tubs
3 - Times we had to cut children at auditions
3 - Greyhound Bus Trips
3 - Times the Barn fell over (thankfully never during the show)
2 - Towns with No Cell Phone Service
1 - Site visit from MCT
1 - "Bathroom Accident" Onstage

Other Fun Facts!
Most traveled Interstate - I-90
Most received gift card - Starbucks (almost $100 worth!)
Most asked question from the children - "Are you guys married?"
Average age range for casts - K-6
Average stain on costumes - Roosters red cheeks on EVERYTHING
Costume that broke the most - Daughters Skirts (they step on them)
Most drank beverage - Black Coffee
Typical Travel Day Snack - Beef Jerky
All of our piano piano players and contacts were ladies

The Adventure Continues - ML

Trapped in Toppensih

Toppenish, WA
Hello Friends,

At a McDonalds tying this post, won't be able to update much this week as I am not sure how much longer I can stand french fry beeping and grease smells. Last week for fall tour and then 3 weeks back east for family fun. Must keep this short as I have a lot to do online so I leave you with this.

Three months ago I was here-


Now I am here-


California is looking real good right now.

The Adventure Continues - ML

The Lights of Lewiston

Missoula, MT
Hello Friends!

I am currently bracing for a blizzard in Missoula, MT as I am spending a relaxing week with my Missoula family. It's not often Montana locals take notice of winter weather however when a Blizzard notice is herald people around here start talking!

Saturday I wrapped my time in Lewiston, ID with a night of picture fun. On Saturday Lewiston (named after Lewis and Clark, hence the neighboring town named Clarkson, another fun fact of Lewiston, it was the first state capitol of Idaho and is Idaho's only seaport thanks to the Snake River) no where was I... oh yeah. So on Saturday Lewiston lit its downtown park for the holiday season. Being the last night of Pat and Matt 2010 we decide to hold a photo shoot. The theme was, well if you know Pat and I, the theme is really us just being us. Enjoy!










The Adventure Continues - ML

Picturesque Tekoa

Lewiston, ID
Hello Friends,

Things are going well in Idaho! We are on a week before break (always a good thing) and I am spending some time with long time friend and college room mate Pat Allen.


I have some pictures from Tekoa (Tea-ko) I wanted to share. Some towns have iconic architecture that defines them (Space Needle, Elfie Tower, Sydney Opera House) others natural landmarks (Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, or the Thumb of Michigan). Tekoa has this massive railroad bridge.

Tekoa (if I am correct) use to be the end of the line for a railroad from Seattle and this bridge is what it came across to stop in Tekoa. It is really an impressive sight to see as you have been driving through nothing but rolling hills of agriculture for 40 minutes then -BAM- huge man made steal bridge.

You have to drive under it to get to down town and I did giggle like a little lad every time we went under. Trains have long since using this bridge and the town is training to turn it into a pedestrian bridge for trail to go through the county. Sadly a lot of legal tape is in the way and that dream is still aways off.

Finally, here is a picture of a child's costume bag. Some teams hold bag decorating contests, we do not. However this is by far the most intricate costume bag I have seen in a long long time. Can you guess what barnyard critter she was playing?

The Adventure Continues - ML

*This is post number 50 on the blog!!!