Care for a boat ride, anyone? (A “lake” in Alabama)
My 14,000 mile journey came to a happy ending when I pulled into my mom’s driveway in CT a couple days ago. It’s amazing how slippery time is – as soon as I saw the people I love the two months of schlepping around become about as significant as the granola crumbs all over the inside of my car. Which are no longer there, thankfully. The first thing I did, after giving/receiving kisses, was vacuum my car for an hour and a half. It was that bad. I unpacked, cleaned, and rearranged the furniture in my room (an ongoing thing with me) before nightfall. Due to the tasty mix of exhaustion, momentum, and adrenaline, I didn’t really know what else to do with myself. Promptly afterwards, I crashed. I am still crashing. I feel like Ozzy.
The furnace is broken so I’ve been dividing my time between soaking in the bathtub and walking around with a microwaveable bag of corn in my pants. And, of course, sleeping. And eating. I’m about as useful as Garfield and I’ve decided that I don’t need to do anything productive until Monday (as if that’s an option at this point). But before my memory completely fails me, I’ll share some pictures from the last couple weeks of the tour…
Decatur and Athens were a real treat. The audience at Eddie’s Attic was shockingly attentive and I was lucky enough to spend the rainy evening on a cozy couch nearby. Georgia skies are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. There was a tornado watch going on the following day as I drove to Athens in the sheets of rain… maybe this had something to do with it. But every night that I was in GA the clouds (which are enormous, as clouds go) blazed magenta. I had a night off so I finally went to Juno, against my will. I was sick of people telling me to go, so I finally caved. (And I was curious as to why people told me, “It is so you” – Huh?! I don’t remember that whole high school pregnancy bit). Anyway, I didn’t like it. I didn’t hate it, but I’m kind of indifferent to the whole thing. I found the dialogue grating after a while and I just couldn’t care about any of the characters. Except Vanessa. It was too “cute” for me (and “cute” is different than cute. The quotations add a little syrup).
Enough about Juno – Athens is a quirky little town, and I liked it a lot. I wandered into a cool vintage co-op called Agora where I couldn’t resist adding to my ever-growing instrument collection. Then I played an in-store at Borders, where I was surprised by a girl I hadn’t seen since high school! She graciously invited me to crash on her floor for a couple nights, and came to cheer me along at the Farm 255 show the following night (they have excellent food! And if you sit at the bar you can watch them cook in the immaculate kitchen – I love that).
Friday I was up and out early since I had to be in New Orleans Saturday morning. The drive was really boring and this is when I officially began running out of juice. I arrived in New Orleans as the wind howled – the white caps were crashing on themselves and I couldn’t help but wonder how terrifying the hurricanes must have been/be. I didn’t discover that my motel window was cracked until the next morning, so when I say the wind howled I mean it HOWLED. I felt like I was going to shoot off to Oz at any moment and I didn’t sleep much.
New Orleans:
The Crescent City Farmers Market was an easy gig, though after two hours of playing in the shade I felt like an icicle. I warmed up at yoga class and then spent a half hour or so walking around the French Quarter, but I have an aversion to drunk tourists so I hightailed it out of there pretty quickly. I played at Neutral Ground that night after a ridiculously talented bluegrass band (all the bluegrass bands I have encountered on this tour are ridiculously talented, in fact). I spent Sunday in my motel room. I just couldn’t really move I was so so exhausted. Night at the Museum was on, and I actually really enjoyed it. I also watched Banditas, which was kind of absurd, but Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz are so beautiful I couldn’t help myself. Then I finally summoned my strength and played Fair Grinds. The people were lovely and very supportive. It’s in a cool spot – the older buildings are stunning! It’s kind of a mystical place. I kept getting lost because of missing signs/detours, but then I’d keep driving, becoming more and more frustrated (anything involving driving at this point is frustrating), and all of a sudden I’d be at my destination. It’s strange. It’s as if every road feeds into one or something. Or it’s like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – I felt like I was on a track, rather than controlling where I was going. However I just really wanted to be home, so I was glad to leave. The people who are working to rebuild the city are remarkable – there is so much to be done. I can only imagine their frustration and heartbreak. If you’re planning a trip, go to New Orleans. Give them your money.
Buried alive:
Monday I drove from New Orleans to Charleston, SC, where another one of my cousin’s lives. I stopped outside Jacksonville to buy grapefruit at one of those Indian River stands and some guys from Ohio and I decided that this grapefruit was, indeed, the best grapefruit we’d ever had in our lives. I bought a half-bushel, afterwards thinking that there’s no way I could eat all this grapefruit – of course four days later it was gone (yes, it was THAT good. Wish I had a truck.) By Charleston I was feeling sewn to my drivers seat, and my cousin was pretty concerned/disgusted by the state of my car.
Angel Oak:
Charleston is a lovely city, and I had the ultimate tour of downtown as well as the Angel Oak, which is seriously impressive. I usually avoid people in my pictures, as you know, but I included them here for scale – check out how big this thing is! It’s remarkable how many of the roots are out of the ground. All of the oaks in Charleston have a lot of personality (we chatted) and distinguish the city. Whole Foods was a welcome stop on our little tour. When a guy working there noticed me admiring the lilies on my way out he chased us out to the car to give me the below flowers. Guys: never underestimate the power of fresh flowers! I swear to you I was in love on the spot.
My lilies:
This is where my cousin graduated:
I was impressed and amazed by the uniqueness of this pink flower (all one plant):
Downtown Charleston:
The next morning my cousin drove me to ABC 4 to film my segment on Low Country Live! It was SUCH A HOOT! The anchorpeople were a riot and I wished I lived in Charleston so I could be on the show every week. Next time I’m going to shoot for a cooking segment. (I have videos I’ll eventually post, including a juicing episode at my cousin’s condo). I was so exhausted (what else is new) because we were up half the night stalking people on Facebook that I can’t really remember what I said/did but I know I played “Atlantis” and “The Road”. I’ll post a copy of the show as soon as I get it.
Outside the station:
In the newsroom:
After one more trip to see my Whole Foods boyfriend and a good long stretch I rode up to Wilmington, NC and played the Juggling Gypsy, which was a great community of people. I think I had six or seven offers of a place to stay by the time I finished. I ended up going with a group of people to their motel room, and when we got there I realized that it was last night of spring break for these college kids. Needless to say, our priorities were a little different, as I had been up early for Low County Live and they were ready to go out with a bang. We hung out for a couple hours, playing guitar and hanging out on the balcony overlooking the beach (so pretty), but I couldn’t sleep so I decided to forge ahead and drive to Lexington. I drove through the night, which had become preferable because the inside of my car was so wretched that it depressed me to look at it. I pulled over to sleep in a gas station parking lot around six in the morning because my eyes couldn’t take it anymore, and then I pulled into Lexington around ten. The Econolodge was really nice and I took a bath and laid around because that’s basically all I could do. I had to get up and yell at people to be quiet, and I was quite horrified to discover they were a group of middle-aged adults tailgating in the parking lot. Of the Econolodge.
Friday night finally rolled around and I played Patisserie Cafe, the most perfect way to end my tour. The room was packed and very intimate on yet another cozy rainy night. And I loved playing for this group of people. My goodness! The audience was so attentive and silent and generous that I felt my songs flourish right before my eyes. My little babies have grown up on this trip. As have I. I am very grateful to ALL OF YOU, and there have been a lot of you these past ten weeks. Thank you.
After the show I hung out with Kayla, the owner. She’s a very skillful energy healer, as I was lucky to discover, and a beautiful soul who works hard for the right reasons. Then we said our goodbyes and I headed up to DC to crash with my sister for a couple days. When I got there we were dragging anything of value up to her apartment and yelling at each other as we do, and then she stopped and looked at me, dead serious, and told me I look “like a woman”, which I half got a kick out of and half disbelieve. Again, I definitely grew up a lot the past couple weeks. But doing what I love, I also feel a hell of a lot younger and more energized. Of course I immediately passed out on her floor, and she lovingly pulled my shoes off and tucked me in.
Saturday and Sunday were really fun. I don’t get to see my sister very often, so any time we get together is special, bickering and all. Because I was as lively as vegetable pulp there was a lot of movie-watching this trip. Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day was great fluff and Amy Adams is possibly the most likable actress in Hollywood. (If you have Lee Pace’s phone number please share). We also saw The Other Boleyn Girl, which I expected to be really bad, but I must say, it held my attention. I’m not claiming this is great cinema, but both films were entertaining, though the ending of TOBG was not the happiest way to end a weekend.
Ok, I am typed out. I’ve been on computer-hiatus and this is more than I was expecting to write. Here’s my winter tour superlatives. Enjoy the pictures and please keep voting! Only one month to go and then I’ll stop bothering you about it. We’re still in the lead! Woohoo!
* Most Amusing Billboard: “You Just Passed Gas!” (Alabama)
* Most Amusing Homemade Sign: “You Loot, I Shoot” (Oregon)
* Most Fascinating Radio Program: Craig Masey’s “What a Wife Owes Her Husband” (Alabama)
* Most Played Album: Joni Mitchell’s “Travelogue”
* Most-Eaten Food: Granola Bars (a whopping twenty boxes in ten weeks. Gross, I know)
* Most Delicious Venue Food: Cozmic Cafe (2nd Place: Farm 255)
* Most Vile Motel Room: America’s Best Inns, Athens, GA
* Most Delightful Motel Rooms: Motel 6 in the Southwest (Flagstaff, Santa Fe, Phoenix – superior to all others)
* Most Scenic Accommodations: Santa Cruz
* Most Beautiful Tree: Angel Oak (Charleston)
* Most Beautiful Highway Tree: Anonymous (I-80W, Iowa, one mile before Exit 118 on the left)
* Most Attentive Audience: Patisserie Cafe (2nd Place: Eddie’s Attic)
* Most Sick-of: Glenn Beck (Motel cable… not so good)
* Most Horrifying TV Show: “14 Children & Pregnant Again” (I caught an episode in Omaha and The Duggers were up to seventeen kids!)
* Most Desirable Place to Live: Los Angeles (Yes, I’m serious)
* Most Appreciated Time Away From Car: Snowshoeing in Santa Fe
* Most Treasured Article of Clothing: Fleece Pants
* Most Beautiful Road: US 1 Pacific Coast Highway
* Most Tragic Moment: Hitting bird on I-40 W in Moriarty, NM
* Most Looked-Forward to: Bathtub
* Most Wretched Smell: I-5 near Fresno; I-40 near Amarillo
* Most Enjoyable Drive: 101 through the Redwoods
* Most Infuriating Drivers: Texas (and all of The South, for that matter… I think it’s a cruel joke that the Entering-Texas sign reads “Drive Friendly-The Texas Way… Former Home of George W Bush”. Quick review: The PASSING LANE is meant for PASSING and the TURNING SIGNAL is meant for SIGNALING TURNS.)
* Most Delicious Tea: Fair Grinds (New Orleans, LA – thanks, Gingerbread!)
* Most Exciting Roadside Spotting: Grazing elk
* Most Tempting Store: Powell’s City of Books (Portland, OR)
* Most Clever Venue Set-up: Brainwash, San Francisco
* Most “Wow, I feel old” Moment: Crashing with spring breakers in NC
* Most Adorable Detour: Auburn Humane Society:
