The 26th we flew out early in the morning. We lucked into sitting next next to Joshie who at 70 was experiencing her first flight. Lloyd hates to fly and made me privy to her situation. I leaned across Lloyd to get a good look at her. She shot me a look out of one eye and smiled my way. She told us she had 14 grand kids and was heading to a family reunion. I envied her self composure as I wiped the sweat off my brow and readied myself for take off. I peaked at her again when we were in mid air and she gave me another smile. That's when I noticed she had a hint of a gold filling which made her smile all the brighter. Something about her charmed me, and I gave her my cross. You know, the one I keep in my pocket for some "peace of mind." She thanked me and I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. The flight was uneventful except for a little turbulence. As the plane rocked, Joshie clutched her purse, which she held on her lap, even tighter, Lloyd noticed her worry and explained what was happening. She was forever grateful and seemed to relax a little. We all laughed a bit. When we landed, I had my picture taken with her. I wish her and her family well.
After the flight we grabbed our bags and made off like turtles. We found our rent car, which was non-descript but which had a dent in the side the size of a deer. The only car they had left at the rental facility was bright red and gawdy looking. I did not complain. We loaded our stuff and were off, like snails.
We drove, drove, and then drove some more. I got us lost. I cursed my iphone and Mapquest. I ate some weird fried food for dinner. I rented "Slum Dog" ... and cried with joy when it ended happy.
Then Friday we met up at Me and Thee Coffeehouse for a song swap W/Brooks Williams in Marblehead, MA. We got to Eastham early and hung out with "The other Bob," a wonderful radio DJ and fan of all things music. He took us on a hike where I saw some MA cows that had long hair. What worried me was that their hair looked better than mine. Lloyd was just about to bring this up, when "The Other Bob" offered, "You might what to check yourselves for deer ticks when we get back." Fearing all types of diseases, I tried to keep my feet off the ground by hopping in place without anyone noticing.
"The Other Bob" cooked up a dinner for us of pork, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. It landed good! But, truth be told, I looked for deer ticks while I ate (just joking). I was even looking for ticks at the gig that night (not joking as I mistook a pimple on my neck for a tick) when we hooked up at the First Encounter Coffeehouse/The Chapel in the Pines in Eastham, MA to play with Brooks again. Brooks is a delight. I cracked up when he talked about just how lost he got driving along the East Coast. Could it be a reality? Have I met my geographically challenged counterpart? He's fun and a good person. We can't say enough nice things about him and it will sound trite if I continue, so I'll venture onto what we did come morning. We got lost.
Our rental was a bright red knock-off of a knock-off which made it odd looking to say the least (as I tried to explain earlier). In spite of it being BRIGHT red, I still could not find it in the parking lot at the grocery store. Then we got on yet ANOTHER rotary and that really freaked us out. We stayed lost some more. Drove in circles. Then we began the portion of our journey that'll I'll call the "Dunkin' Doughnut" tour of 2009. The franchise was everywhere.
We left early for our show on Sunday and made it to Dan and Liz's series called the Roots Hoot Concert Series, in Peace Dale, RI. Dan's a longtime DJ, and through him I met several other DJ's I've been communicating with throughout the years. We had a blast, and the evening was over much to quick. True to form, we backed out of their drive, turned left and within minutes, got lost.
We had Monday off and I slept in. Then, on Tuesday we hooked up with Amy Speace and her guitar player James Maestro for a show at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA. What a cool downtown area. I wish we had all had more time to visit and stroll through the funky shops before showtime. What we lacked in time, we made up for in music and had a good gig swapping songs. Amy sings like an angel.
After the show we headed towards Boston. The next day, Stephen (a turn-table pro and professor at Berklee), loaded us up and took us to Berklee School Of Music, where we sat in on classes, taught about mistakes and what to avoid as an indie artist, and played a show with other wonderful students on campus at Cafe 939 "The Red Room." There are too many highlights to list. I have to get the names and spell them right. Let's just say that it was rewarding and these "kids" play fantastic and were a joy to play with on stage and off. After the workshop/clinic/show I was beat. We were gone 12 hours.
I slept in, and the next day, we played for Laurie and Neale's series called the Fox Run Concert Series in Sudbury, MA. They are both beyond generous and kind hearted. The series they run raises money for several charities throughout their city and beyond. Seth Glear started the night out and soon, Lloyd was returning the guitar he borrowed back to its owner, Lauren, whom I have known since she was 7. She's now about 6 foot tall and in the midst of high school.
The next day we loaded everything up in our rent car, and made our way back to the airport. Soon, after yet another doughnut, we were back on a plane and heading home.
This was a long trip for us. We were gone 10 days. My laptop is still in the shop and my work here has back logged. But it's okay. I have songs to learn and music to write. The "Part That Ain't Art" will just have to wait. One can only wear so many hats at once. And ... aside from the songs on my mind, I have to replace the cross I gave Joshie, I need a cross before this weekend's gigs. You know, the one I usually keep in my pocket for some "peace of mind."
Warm Regards,
Terri
(P.S. I did not have time to edit myself. Pardon the spello-s, typos, and ect.-'os)
Terri
(P.S. I did not have time to edit myself. Pardon the spello-s, typos, and ect.-'os)
