April 4th/5th

The voyage got off to a late start as I got a ride from my friend Pablo to the airport just in time. I got to the counter and sweet talked the check in people to not check my guitar. The the security tried to stop me to play them a tune (no strings on the guitar) but I got my way through unscathed and in time to get on with priority boarding. Some more of my charm at work. I got into the plane guitar in the overhead bin and the aisle seat in the exit row with no one sitting directly next to me. Awesome! I couldn't believe it. The guy in the window seat said, "This is better than first class," moments before he stretched onto the seat between us. At one point he had his head on my leg before I shimmied away. Then he put his head on his tray and his feet on the empty seat as they edged towards me. My neighbor was the only rough part of the trip as it was just short enough for me not to go crazy.

The Detroit airport has a bit of a mall feel as it has tons of shops and restaurants once you are inside the gates. I found the diner that I had missed the last time through and sat down to grub as they had just started firing up the grill. I had some rough coffee, some eggs, sausage, and some pancakes. I was a happy camper. I found a seat outside the diner and sat down with the laptop to get some work done. An hour later I headed out to retrieve my luggage from the nice luggage people. There was so much left over luggage in this place that one could make a fortune on ebay. I grabbed my stuff and found a seat next to an outlet (charge the cell phone, computer) and dozed off and on for the next 6 hours.

I was waiting in the airport to get a ride from Dan Vaillancourt to the show in Lansing, about an hour west of Detroit. It was a long day in waiting as Dan was having his own rough day. He had been loading the car and he closed his trunk once never to be able to open it again. He tried and tried to get it open as it had half of his gear and his suitcase in it. In the end he was about an hour and half late in coming to get me. It wasn't so bad as I tried to get a bunch of 10 minute naps in throughout the day and have learned the shift change and walking patterns of the high school staff working the wheelchairs and carts. I ate everything there was to offer at the Caribou's coffee and managed to do a couple laps with all luggage and gear in tow. It made for an interesting a day and the subject of an album to come, possibly. Once Dan showed up we did head off to the show and arrived just in time to setup.

Magdalena's in the venue of choice in Lansing and it proved not to disappoint. The boys from The Last Step was already there and revved up to play. They ran through a good set before it was my turn to play. I played the hits and stumbled through a couple stories as I had yet to have even an hour's sleep since waking up on Wednesday morning. The show went well despite the fact and it was fun to play in front of some familiar faces. I have been steadily stealing/sharing Dan's fans since we have been playing together last year and a few of those peeps came out in time to check out the show. The infamous Jenilyn, Lansing's own most-show-going-fan, was there. Rhyan, whom I met in Marquette last August, drove down through the tundra for the show, wearing one of my tshirts. She gets the Most Valuable Fan award for that. Katy showed up a bit later but it was appreciated as the tandem of Katy and Emily (violinist extraordinaire) made for an entertaining after-show party with their jokes and bubblings over. Dan played another great set unveiling some of the goods from the upcoming album. It is some good stuff. We packed up and headed down to Theio's for a breakfast burrito some tainted water and a mouth full of second hand smoke. Yum. It was all good because it was all we had to do before driving a bit more to Casa de Peck for a night of sleep in the guest room. Not a bad first day(s).

,

The 4.3. Don't mess yo!

Me vs. the bunny part 1; he tries to read my email.

April 6th

After finally getting a night's sleep I woke midday to some fresh made coffee and a bowl of vanilla special K cereal. It's moments like these that I wish I still lived at home because you know you're going to be taken care of and Casa de Peck doesn't let down at all. Dan, Erin and I sat around and played some games. We played Yahtzee and of course I rolled a Yahtzee on my first roll, don't all cool people do that, duh. We lazed around until about 6pm in which we finally realized it was time to get dressed and head out to the show. We pulled out and headed on over to East Lansing. We stopped for some gas and dropped $55 on a tank. Dan' s car gets pretty good mileage for how big it is but a 20 gallon tank is a lot to fill.

We pulled up to the Green River Cafe on M.A.C. Ave. (I just found out today that M .A.C. stand for Michigan Agricultural College which was the former name of Michigan State...interesante). We parked in front of a hip-hop record shop called "In the Kutz" or something like that and smoke induced young man came out to comment on Dan's sweet 4.4 liter Caprice Classic, correctly identifying as a chick magnet. That was fun. We mossied over to the cafe shortly thereafter. It was a small cool little cafe with a fire place in back and an all around comfy feel. Right as we walked in, we saw the boys of Drake setting up. I was to play first as I had snuck on the bill , so to speak. I had a half hour so I rifled through the hits with constant tuning, as my guitar was still not used to the new strings and the temperatures. It was fun and all the peeps were attentive. I got into it a bit with the crowd as I said although good people are in Michigan (and Wisconsin) I loved the landscape of Utah and Montana better. Nate took it personally and was booing Utah all night. Matt Shannon jumped up next and played a bunch of well executed pop songs including a cover of Britney Spears' Toxic on mandolin. That was fun. Drake finished up the show with an almost flawless set of their own music. Emily, the violinist, rocked the house as usual putting the perfect added touch to already good songwriting. Nate wore one of my shirts and managed to include Dan's "waypastfrown, the San Francisco treat" joke in the last song. It was funny but even more so that Dan got that joke in without even having to play a song. Arrrgghh! I'll get him yet. The show ended and we sat around talking a bit and it was nice to see Katy again and to bring out her nice friends again (sorry I never got your names. Otherwise this would be your very own shout out...word.) I also got to meet a Michiganite who will be joining the San Francisco world this summer. New friends are always fun, especially when they are friends of Drake and Tammy(the undeniable 4th member/girlfriend/merch girl). after the show we got talking to the owner and he told us a story of how when Ben Folds played in town he came to that very cafe for a bite and played a few impromptu tunes for the few people there. As the story goes, the owner also jumped on the piano and even got a clap at of Ben. That's pretty cool.

We bolted out of there with a free sandwich and coffee and headed back to the snow covered car to make our way home. We slowly made our way back on the icy roads (don't worry mom!) and skipped the party in town at the Lighthouse to get our grub on with some left over Chinese food. Erin joined us shortly after the partying it up with the girl at the Lighthouse and she made me a PB waffle and snagged me a creamsicle. There's nothing like good frozen food cooking. Na mean? After a bit of late night tv, we retreated to our respective rooms for a little laptop and reading time before bed. Tomorrow night we are in Flushing , MI. and I will be playing another venue I have never played and I will have the chance to meet one of Dan's other good friends in Jon Bailey. It should be a night of good music and laughter that I can share with you guys then. Until then, toodaloo.

April 7th

I woke to a sunlit swelter as the shades were up and the extra heat was filtering in despite the snowy morning. I woke before my comrades and showered a bit before schmoozing it with the Peck rentals. We got through half a cup of joe before Erin came down and though the guilt of the previous morning , made me some eggs and toast. Dan slowed to a wake and grunted his way through a cup a coffee. I retreated to my room after a bit and played some guitar and read my copy of 1984 that I had to go navy seals on just to get it out of the other guest room. After a bit of that I said my goodbyes to the Pecks and thanked them again for letting me play Goldilocks at their house (try out all the beds and eat all the porridge...get your mind in the right place you weirdoes).

Dan and I rolled over to Ann Arbor t run around a bit . We managed to find free street parking and the guitar shop to drool over before meeting Stephanie, Jenny and Ray at Jerusalem Gardens for lunch. We grubbed down on some Mediterranean food over stories of their past, including crazy tandem bike trips and mosquito infested river rafting trips. After that we hit up Espresso Royale for a Cubano con Leche on our way up to Flushing for the show.

Once we reached Flushing we loaded into the small place that was the Elbow Room and met the other performer Jon Bailey. We setup quick and got to sitting around in supreme laziness fashion. We got some green tea that was hand-brewed by the lovely barista and it did the trick. Coupled with the coffee of an hour earlier we were both jet fueled for the rest of the night. Having settled the caffeine giddiness we sat down in the back with Jenilyn and Jacki and watched Jon run through a bunch of well crafted songs on piano. I think both the crowd favorite and mine was Chloe, a song he wrote for his smallest fan, age 4. Shortly after his set I jumped up with the power of caffeine aiding me and rifled through the hits as well as throwing in Dead and Done, a number about the last moments of life for Bonnie and Clyde, and a request for Fewer Shoulders. It was fun and I saw a heavy dose of toe tapping going on through out the place. Dan followed with some oldies and a few I don't recall hearing before. He played one with some crazy guitar with delay called Rhythmic Baptism that was a fun piece as well a few of my favorites, Satellites and Fall Winds, off the upcoming album. We stuck around and chatted it up with the good folks and I got to share a few words with another John who has been a big supporter of Dan for some time now. He told of a trip he took from Michigan to California and all down the coast of the US. He described it well and I could recall some of the scenes of my own trips cross country. Then he had his reunion tour where he drove up the coast into Canada and back down through to Michigan, which sounds like a ton of fun. I am not sure how adventurous I would be through the wilderness of Canada but it sounds like a great trip. One day, maybe soon.

After our chatting, we packed up grabbed a couple cups of Rainforest Crunch and Penny University coffee and loaded the car. The back patio was covered in snow and so I had some fun bringing all the gear out to the car and ultimately shoveling snow off the car. I was just laughing to myself that I was brushing snow off of Dan's car in April and that it was somewhat futile. As soon as I finished one side, the other was covered in snow again. I did my best and we rolled out or I should say slid out as we glided across the empty intersection down the street from the Elbow Room. Aside from that one Dukes of Hazard moment right as we left, Dan steered us safely and cautiously back to Midland. I was glad not to be driving this trip as I am sure I would have been playing bumper cars. We pulled in and got settled a bit before going back out to Decker's Bar for some late night eats with Dan's longtime chum Tim. We laughed it up over the horrible karaoke going on in the front bar while we slurped on patty melts and Tim made do with what were supposed to be nachos. We ate and chuckled over 5th grade humor and Dan's insane ability to make dolphin noises. Soon we were describing the tales of Dolphin man and his bar room shenanigans. We had a good laugh at that before returning home to share a bunch more stories of them as kids. The night was capped off with Tim showing us the sign language for yeti poop that had us in stitches and competing for better versions of our long winded explanations. We laughed our selves silly , in our completely sober stupor before bidding adue and crashing for a good night's sleep.

Dan at work, folkman style.

A Lansing Original in Flushing. Miss Jenilyn -artist and heckler extraordinaire.

April 8th Day Off, Day 1

Happy Easter! Today was a pure relaxation day in that we sat around waiting for night to fall so we could hit up Dan's family Easter party. We drove a bit north to his grandfather's house and met his mom's side and all the aunts and uncles. There was a ton of good food as they went all out. Dan and I did some work on the spinach dip and the veggies before saddling up a dish with ham, baked beans (for reals; baked), potato salad, lemon jello and a roll. There was a second helping thrown in the mix as well as some dessert made by his mom. They were delish! I then sat around and listened to stories of ancestry, work injuries and the menu for the couple nights. All in all it was a good time. We cam back to the house afterwards to have some quality time with our laptops. Exciting as usual on the journal page but tomorrow should be fun as we get Dan's trunk fixed, check out a guitar shop and eat a big dinner at the Vaillancourt house. Stay tuned for more food discoveries..

April 9th- Day Off, Day 2

After staying up to almost 5am doing some PR for the tour, I did manage to struggle awake at 10:30am in time to accompany Dan in dropping off his car at the mechanic so he could get the trunk to open and close. On the way back to the house we stopped at the local cafe to grab some coffee and the local bakery for some donuts. I got the twist and a raised sprinkle, while Dan got ripped by getting a crescent moon shaped donut. He was satisfied with his custard donut but still angry about the crescent. We came back and worked a bit more before he had to go off to teach lessons and I had to read and take a nap. Eventually Erin came home and we got ready to walk over to Dan's family house for some good home cooking. We had pot roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots, coleslaw, homemade bread and gravy. It was so good and better than anything we have had all week. We finished it up with some cherry pie, ice cream and really good coffee. My stomach was packed beyond belief and still is. Erin and I walked back and Dan went back to teaching lessons.

A little while later, after more reading and more napping, Dan returned and we readied to go over to a studio in town to get custom cables made for his pedal board before leaving on for Wisconsin Wednesday. We hung out for a few hours while the cables were put together and we chatted about bands, gear, recording, etc all while bass was being laid down in the other room. A few hours later, a few dollars poorer Dan and I returned home for some more laptop time and ultimately sleep. Tomorrow we get the car back and take care of a few errands but otherwise it will be an easy day and some more good home cooking. Yahoozee!

April 10th-Day off, Day 3

An early morning by our standards thus far with quick showers to meet John P. for breakfast. We rolled over to Syd's Party Store where they serve diner food with attitude. This is the kind of place where you pay $3 for breakfast and sausage come in patties. John was already there and we sat down to order some gristle. He told us stories of his teaching days and more of his travels around the US. We had a good number of laughs about things and some serious talk but mostly just a real good time with a new friend. Afterwards we went down to the other 8 mile road and got Dan's car from the shop. It turns out that the mechanic had to take it to a locksmith to get the lock opened and then was able to fix it. It all went well and we rolled on our way back to the house to lounge, work and listen to la musica folk.

Erin came home shortly after and Dan left for lessons. Once I was ready, Erin and I walked over to the Vaillancourt house for another scrumdiliumptious dinner of bratwurst , pasta salad and some ridiculously good strawberry cake. I met Dan's brother and we laughed it up over stories of discovery channel violence and hanging in Midland. We had a lazy after dinner chat and tricked Becky into giving us a ride home. I sat and planned the August tour while Erin did her online class . Dan came home and they sat around talking about they were going to get a dog but only if it could play drums and looked like an Ewok. They also discussed that I could be their pet yeti. It is strange how I get worked back into being a toy that carries things and amuses them when they seem so fit. Little do they know that I have been secretly working them for their Christopher Moore books. What a devious plan, ha ha haha hahaha haha h ahhahahahh ahahahahahaha

Me vs. the bunny part 3; the final showdown. A staring contest to the bitter death

April 11th

We had to get up early in order to make it to the show on time as it was an 8 hour drive. We ended up not getting up until 7:30am and had to hurry to get out the do or by 8:00am. 8:03, not bad. We decided to skip coffee until we got to Gaylord, MI, which was a big mistake. It was painful. Dan was groggy and I was nodding off. Crazy. Once we did stop at Brother's Coffee and Tea, an hour and a half later, it was like crack. We were fiending. We got some crazy drink that resembled a depth charge , with espresso and coffee. It was delightful. Freshly fueled we headed off towards the Mackinac Bridge and the UP. It was a pretty ride all the way up and over the bridge as we could see in every direction with water, trees and wind blowing sand. The pretty ride ended when we hit the UP. Everything seemed deserted and dilapidated due to it not being tourist season. Turns out there was almost no one on the road the whole time. We skirted across the Up in short time, laughing it up about the idea of an Outlaws of Folk boy band. We could work out dance routines and bellow out our folk favorites. Bearded folk in shorts, singing nothing but hits. We'd take the world by storm.

We worked our way into Wisconsin where the snow and wind were kicking the car and us down. We pulled into a Walmart to get some Subway and upon exiting the car we were nearly blown over. It was pretty funny trying to walk from the car to the door. We scarfed down a veggie and bought some more snacks for the road and went back into the tundra towards Appleton. We arrived in town and were able to get a spot right in front of the cafe, Brewed Awakenings. Cool note about the place was that it was started by 16 and 18 year old sisters. Their mom helped them get it open and they have been running it strong for two years in the middle of a college town. The place was pretty nice with couches, plenty of tables and good coffee and eats. These girls obviously knew what they were doing.

We sat down to do a little work before setting up. In the time we were there a class from the local school met to discuss the current topics and share a laugh. A couple rowdy parties came in as well. It was a fun lively place. Soon after we go there a snow storm cam down and it emptied out the place .There were a couple of people hanging out for a bit and the beautiful baristas made the room a bit warmer as we played our sets. We split a fajita wrap and filled up on coffee before packing up. We found the car to be covered in snow and with some modest digging we were able to get moving again.

We drove up to Green Bay to Beth and Heidi's place and beat them there. We used the hidden key to get in but we had to get by the killer dog that was smaller than a cat last August but larger than our suitcase. Much unlike my character I was able to talk the dog down to a calm, long enough for Dan to slip by and into the house. We sat around and talked and Dan slipped into a sleep on the couch while I caught up on my pda solitaire. About 30 minutes later, the girls came home and we met the third roommate, Danielle. We sat around and talked a bit until it was too late. I took the couch and Dan got the mattress on the floor. We were beat and out in seconds.

A message from adoring fans.

Dan's other artistic talent.

I had fun cleaning off the car the first time but my love of snow quickly dissipated.

I am sexy even when I sleep!

April 12th

We woke fairly late and sat around for a bit before finally joining the world. We managed to get Beth to take us to the infamous Pancake Place. We rehashed the stories of last August and all the silliness that went into that time. I got my coffee with a bag of sugar already matted to the side of the cup. I notified the waitress and she coolly replied that their coffee came pre-sugared. Awesome! We sat around taking a bit and she brought out some sauce for Dan. He scratched his head trying to figure out what part of his meal required a sauce . He finally determined that it was bacon sauce, you know for dipping. aghghhh! Turns out it was actually the dressing for Beth's salad. We had a good laugh over that and finished up our pancakes and omelets and headed home to meet Danielle and watch the end of Big Fish. After milling a bit, we loaded up the car with Beth riding middle, and headed to Sheboygan.

On the ride down we tried to find ways to occupy our minds and make the ride go fast so we played the question game. We each took turns asking questions that are almost impossible to answer accurately but in the process you learn about the person. This was part of our plan to break down the mysteriousness of Beth. It worked a little. We decided to stop in Manitowoc to seem Kim at the Premier Cafe and get some coffee. We all had crazy drinks with Dan and I getting flavor shots in our espresso and Beth getting hers with raw sugar at the bottom (something created at the cafe where she works). It was good to see Kim but sad as we would not be playing there this trip. We rolled out and into Sheboygan just in time to meet up with the coolest trio in Sheboygan; Tracey, Ashley and Amanda.

We weren't all that hungry so they took us over to the art museum and we checked out some crazy art. One exhibit was of a Japanese artist who had done a series of portraits of different time periods and people but always with his own face. He wasn't a pretty girl but he did fit the pirate well. The next one was a series of homeboys with one video piece of four guys staring at the camera and not trying to laugh. There was a bunch of V8's painted red, some dress art, the rhinestone cowboy's actual house and even the bathrooms were works of art. We bumped into Ryan from the Muse up in Marquette at the museum. Crazy. Not only was he in an odd place but an odd state to bump into him.That was fun. On the way out there was a mini snowball fight amongst the girls which was good for more than a few laughs. The girls showed us a round and told a bunch of jokes as we rolled in the Escort back to the cafe.

Upon entering the Paradigm Cafe, we started to setup and got to meet Beth's family, including Laura whom we would be sharing the stage. Laura was a bit nervous as it was her first show in a while but she did awesome. She had a wonderful voice and her songs were good too. She told everyone of a dream of hers in which she was riding on the hills of San Francisco atop a camel. A strange dream that possibly was brought on by my presence and from being from t he land of camels. I am not sure about that one but it was still a good story. After she was done, I played my set to an enthusiastic crowd and earned some heckling by Amanda. It was all fun and games but I got her back later . hahaha hahahha Dan finished as usual with a great set. Green Bay friends Heidi and Danielle made it out for the show and snuck out right as it ended. Too bad for them because the party raged on. We sat and chatted it up a bit with the Paradigm owner, Kate. Afterwards we rolled over to Genio's pizza, while almost getting pulled over, to grab a bite with our three hostesses. We realized that the 3 girls and Beth had gone to rival schools and there was still a bit of pride in their tones. ouch!!
Shortly after we jumped back into the car and headed back to Green Bay, all cozy in the front seat. Beth nestled into a comfy place on my arm and the chatting continued until we made it home. When we got home Heidi sprung to life to give us some sleepy laughter before we called it a night. This time I got to sleep in a bed that was conveniently hiding in the corner the night before. It was sweet sleeping bliss.

Dan and I rocking it Sheboygan style!!!!!!

April 13th

I awoke to the sound of the dog, Indi licking at Dan's ear and attacking the springs in my bed. It was a rude awakening but funny when it came down to it. A little after we stirred, we met Heidi on lunch break from the class she was teaching. We hit up one of my personal favorites, Subway, and chowed down on some veggie delights. Without prompting or even knowing Heidi proceeded to fill her soda cup with Dr. Pepper and upon my breath returning to my lungs, I think I fell in love. A teacher that loves music, DP, good looking and has enough attitude to keep you in check and make you laugh...how could it be wrong. We discussed this for a time and she was unconvinced of my awe. We parted ways and headed back to the house to play some music before heading over to the Attic where Beth was working, for some coffee and internet.

Blasted! No free internet. Dan and I had to share a secret code and I got nothing done. I had a scorching cappuccino and we sat and chatted with nearby folks including one gent from the Thirsty Poets, that wanted to start a music revolution with Dan at the helm. Good idea, good guy, good coffee, bad internet! We retreated back to the house and played some music , once Beth got done with work. Dan took a shower and broke the bathroom, rebuilt it and reassembled the shower head in time for me to take a shower. While we waited for Dan's construction crew to finish Heidi and Beth argued over who's Thomas moment was more special and profound: Beth's front seat sleep on my arm or Heidi's Dr. Pepper seduction. As sweet as this moment was I lost out since I had proposed to both of them and they were n't having it. Blasted! My plans are foiled again. Ah those Midwest girls and their evil powers!!!!!!!

We said our goodbyes and we headed off to Oshkosh in a laughing fit as we pulled out every dumb joke we could think of, relating to this or any other trip. We made it to the New Moon Cafe a little early and I was finally able to use the internet and get some stuff done. Sitting behind us were two ladies and one of them was cussing so much that I was on the verge of being offended. I know I am no angel but when every other word is a frigging cuss word then that's frigging un-frigging believable. wowsers! I sucked down a scrumptous Veggie burrito and we got setup for the show. I got to playing and it was a fun set. Some of Cassie's friends came out and the heckling got started. They loved my use of the word "skillz" and of my sappy songs. It made for a good time. When Dan jumped up, I made my rounds to all of my friends and saw Kristen Deborah (trixie) again and we laughed about her anonymous phone call to me a few months earlier as well as the rest of her recent hijinks. I played with a little toy train and made quite a stir in doing so. I was like, "so what's with all the looks," and they were all like,"ha, thomas is playing with a train, like thomas the train, hahahahahahah." Ya and then I was like, "whatever, like I haven't hear that one before." Gosh! After the show we talked to all of our adoring fans and caught up with Amanda and Ashley (along with Tracey the coolest kids in Sheboygan), who drove down from Sheboygan and to Chelsey, our long loved friend from Manitowoc whom now was living it up in Ripon. We signed some posters for them and then proceeded to have a strange laugh fest outside with our remaining friends before heading home, to Cassie's house.

Cassie is the one who was nice enough to lend her couch and chairs to us last August and now was putting us up again in her new place. The generosity did not stop there. We went to the store and we bought stuff for tacos and she cooked us up a feast despite being uber tired and having to get up early. It was so good. We sat around eating and telling embarrassing stories of our youth as we tried to get to know each other better. There was an understanding of who we all were but not knowing really whom each of us were. So we got all Hallmark channel and shared our inner most kept feelings about all sorts of things. It was deep! On top of that she blew up the air mattress for us to sleep on and locked her roommate in his room to keep him from attacking us. Good thing because he was not such a happy camper the next morning.

I am the continental! Would you like some Sham-pan-ya (Champagne for you non-Christopher-Walken-loving-people).

I am a Yeti, fear me!!!!!!!!

April 14

I woke up to the sound of the front door being slammed hard by the roommate. I was then instantly greeted by the smells of breakfast being put together. Cassie's generosity and glory knows no bounds as she made a full breakfast and packed us a lunch. How sweet is that? She is definitely the winning hostess and coolest Oshkoshanite I know. I am sad now looking back as she has moved from Sloshkosh and has abandoned her dreams of moving to San Francisco. Almost the coolest Oshkoshanite in SF!! We slurped our breakfast down and headed out as we had been granted a last minute gig in Oshkosh at the first marathon of the city. Dan had received a phone call the night before offering us the opportunity to play at the finish line party. Of course we accepted and we climbed the portastage to setup in time for the end runners.

Funny enough the stage had no power and they had no PA. Dan had to pull out his stuff and try to get it put together while they figured out the power issue. We got setup and played a few sets while a man in the audience joined in on harmonica. He was one bad mo'fo on that blues harp. The kids dug our stuff a lot and we made a few friends. We warded off the cold long enough to finish our sets but the PA was held captive for the race award ceremony. This would ordinarily be no problem but we had an 8 hour drive ahead of us before our next show that night and only a little bit of flex time for any problems. The award ceremony finished a half-hour later than we hoped and the organizer rewarded our diligence with a fistful of cash and a thank you. We grabbed some coffee and bolted. It ended up being a great gig after all and well worth the time.

We missed our turn somewhere along the way and made the 8 hour drive with only 10 minutes to spare before the show. Dan the soundman and Dan V. battled it out for PA control and a compromise was met quickly so we could play. A local bloke named Russell James opened with some crafty guitar work on a guitar that he crafted. Impressive. During that time some kids came up to Dan, into his office, to seek his wisdom. He unleashed all power and sage-like advice on the couple of kids and they were content. I jumped up and I played my set in cool style , as usual to an eager crowd . It was especially fun as Becky and friends made it out as well as John Davis. Where did Jenny Davis go? No marquette and no holland, what's up? Dan played to even more screaming fans and I chatted it up with Becky, as we made fun of her brother. Uh, I mean ya, I love you Dan! We grabbed the last of the coffee and spent sometime talking to the owner Matt, who is one of the coolest guys I have met in my travels. He was to be married. Congrats Matt!!!!!!!

We busted out and drove and drove to Erin's family house but before we got there we stopped for some more coffee and something that resembled food. We did have some pretty good nachos for like $2 but it was short of a good meal. We barely made it home but we did and bed came to us nicely. A clean big bed with 40 pillows all for me? Ya!

April 15th

On this morning I awoke to the sound of Erin yelling at someone. I stumbled downstairs after a shower and finally met Pat, the other brother , who is my brother from another mother. I could see how people got us confused but as big as I am , he dwarfed me. 6'3" and 6 '7" are really far apart. He was a good guy and a Christopher Moore fan like Dan and Erin and so we all hit it off. After a bit of sitting around and breakfast Dan and I packed and made our way to Taylor , MI, just outside of Detroit for the final show of the tour .We got a little lost as I was not doing my duties as navigator and we missed our turn, again. We made it and a crew of kids from the year previous made it out to the private house concert. All of them a little wiser and a year older made for some interesting conversations. The topic of choice was still the deadly cat of Mizy's that terrorized us all and seemed to find a happy place on Kiki's lap. She was terrified and didn't move the whole time. That was the best ever! We played our stuff and Dan got everyone singing as usual and it was a fun time. We grubbed down on some pizzaa pizza and shared silly stories. Taylor is now a destination spot and I look forward to hanging with Mizy and her crew again next time, sans the killer cat.

We said our goodbyes and Dan brought me to the airport where we wept in each other's arms before Dan peeled out and left me to freeze. I got my guitar checked in and got to the plane in time to get the flight attendant from hell on everyone's back. I decided I would not ask for another bag of peanuts and finished reading 1984 and half of another Christopher Moore book. That was neat.

And so it ends. Another chapter of touring the midwest is done and I am better for it. I learn so much about the places I never knew and end up making so many new friends. If I could manage it I would come back every two months instead of every four. I miss these people already and I like waking up to a plate full of eggs and fresh brewed gritty coffee. If only...

Fini