I’m in the home stretch of what feels like a four year tour right about now, but is actually only a couple weeks. I’ve driven a gazilliondy miles through lots of beautiful territory (and of course also many long boring stretches of bland interstate).
I haven’t planned in time to wander around little towns along the way, but I *have* improved my drive-and-shoot skills since those blurry shots way back in February.
See?
roadside windmill in WV
Beautiful day, on the way to Nashville
I’m totally sick of Clif bars, crackers, and dried fruit, and I’m increasingly desperate to find NPR stations on the radio, but when I step out of the car into a new experience, the long hours alone are worth it.
In addition to playing shows in WV and KY, I also was part of a wonderful music conference in St. Louis, MO; got to see friends, drop into a songwriting group, and even be a tourist in Nashville, TN; and play a cool fundraiser (with Grammy winners on the bill, even) in Charlotte, NC, thanks to folk legend Si Kahn.
Now I’m off to meet up with a luthier friend who is kindly lending me sound gear for my next show. (By the way: I know I’m not exactly a guitar expert, but his guitars seem unusually affordable for handmade instruments.)
So it’s all for the greater good. Clif bar, I suspect we shall meet again. NPR, please have affiliates all over North Carolina. And you, there, tippy-typer Elaine: time to re-load this circus tent’s worth of stuff back into the car, and drive.