“Wish that I was on ol’ Rocky Top”

And today I was.  It’s rare I get to travel more than an hour away from the PAC.  It’s rarer still that I get to do so with our Tech Director, Aaron Taylor.  Today was one such rare occasion.  He and I drove four hours to and another four back from Knoxville Tennessee where we went to pick up props we are renting for our January production Peter & the Starcatcher.

It was a good haul and well worth the time, the money and the trip.  Our trip was about two weeks too late to catch the fall foliage at its saturation but it was still beautiful and relaxing and the conversation as wide ranging and stimulating as always.  It’s on trips such as this outside the confines of the PAC that he and I have deeper conversations than our time at the PAC normally allows.  Eight hours alone in a single day is a lot of time to spend with someone with whom you already spend eight days a week.

“Aa” always drives on such trips.  Anyone who knows his OCD tendencies and my reckless driving habits will immediately recognize why after all these years this arrangement is no longer up for debate.  We shared memories (good and bad), discussed family and friends (likewise) and pondered the future (distant and not so).  But the largest part of our conversation as usual centered on the problems being faced by the current productions and how we want to move the PAC forward in the coming years.

We rarely solve any issues on the drives themselves but the conversations more often than not spark solutions upon our return home.  And if nothing else, we see a little scenery, return with needed props, enjoy local food and remind each other (without actually saying so out loud) why we do what we do and why we do it with whom we do it.

“Good ol’ Rocky Top – Rocky Top, Tennessee”