Traveling, Politics, Tomatoes, and Hurricanes

I had a great time on the road! My friend Ibby Cline and I had a wonderful road trip and eventually both of us will find the time to actually write about it...! Thank you, Carole, for the fabulous time and all the laughter in Kentucky (the veggie soup was to die for). The picture is of me at the Happy Ass Ranch Bluegrass Festival in Lake George, CO. I found that I can actually sing with altitude sickness and a nose bleed...many, many thanks to the kind gentleman who "roadied" for me by carrying my guitar up the hill. Lake George is over 9,000 feet above sea level, and this "just came from Florida" girl had a somewhat rough time! Ibby (the Colorado girl) was the Water Police (water helps, apparently) and I think I practically floated through my entire set.

Colorado was just absolutely gorgeous! See?! I loved the mountains and the aspen trees. Aspens wave to you every morning when you get up, and wave to you every night before you go to bed. The soft whispering of the leaves is very soothing, and I loved sitting with my cup of tea in the sunshine listening to them. I found that I love Colorado in the summer, but from Ibby's tales, I think I'll leave wintertime to the natives!

We left Colorado and headed to our show in Kentucky, where we met up with the lovely aforementioned Carole. We had a fun time shopping, at the show, and just hanging out. I tell you, there's nothing like good friends and good food.

On the political front, Denver was just the home of the Democratic National Convention, and I watched it with great interest, especially as I was just there. I'm very much looking forward to the Republican National Convention next week. As a rule, I don't discuss politics much - I have my own opinions and ideas, but don't feel it necessary to bombard you with them. Let's just say that I'm not all that eager about any of our candidates - but, my strong opinion is that a person shouldn't complain about our government if they don't vote. So, whatever your political leanings are, I encourage you to VOTE! Use your voice :).

Granger and I just got back from the Indiegrrl Conference, where we had a great time. I've been an Indiegrrl for a while now (about 10 years), and this was the first conference. Many thanks to Vicki Blankenship for working so hard to put it together. We had a great time, caught up with old friends and met a lot of new ones. Indiegrrl does a great job of supporting independent women musicians, so if you're one, check it out!

With all my traveling this summer, my poor tomatoes are not doing well. They're looking very sad and forlorn, and out of all my plants I've only gotten three tomatoes. My pepper plants have produced two diseased peppers, and three of my potted flowers have croaked. Oops. I never even got around to planting morning glories this year, either. Oh, well...I guess it's better than having hurricanes rip my gardens out of the ground every year!

Speaking of which, I am soooooooo (let me emphasize this greatly) grateful that I am NOT sitting in line waiting to fill my car with gas on the chance that we might have to evacuate again. I'm not in line buying batteries, bread, and canned food. I'm not going over the house to decide what has to go and what must stay. I hope if Gustav gets any worse that people have the good sense to get out of the way, but thankfully that decision is not on my agenda any more, and I am loving that :).

Next post, I'll tell you all about the Squeaky Wheel Tour and the joy of falling leaves...

XX00,
Carey

Mad Colorado Adventure

Here I am in Topeka, KS for the night, trying to sleep and having little luck in doing so. It's been a helluva day, and I'm heading on to Colorado tomorrow to do some shows later in the week with my friend, Ibby Cline. Then we head back to VA to do some shows there and have our own little songwriting camp :). When I have more time, I'll post more about my experiences and adventures along the way. Right now, I'm going to attempt sleep once more. Zzzzz.....

XX00,

Carey

Springtime in Virginia

Achoo! Okay, there, I feel better now...for a minute, anyway! I had forgotten what Spring was like in Virginia, I have to say. But, the weather is so delicious, crisp and clean and green and smelling of freshly mown lawns and all the yummy earthy smells I've missed so much, that a few sneezes here and there and a stuffy nose doesn't bother me that much. Okay, so I could do without the sinus headaches, especially as I can't take antihistamines. That part, not so good!

I'm growing tomatoes and green peppers in my garden, the first one I've had since 2004 when my beautiful garden in Florida was uprooted by Hurricane Ivan. I never planted another one there, which was a good thing because of the yearly hurricanes. I had a few plants in pots that I would drag in when we had to evacuate, but that was about it. So, I'm loving the deep color and scent of the Virginia soil and have added quite a few plants to my garden, including snapdragons (soooo much fun to play with!), pansies, marigolds, jasmine, and although I'm a bit late with it, I'm about to add moonflowers and morning glories to the mix. Just call me Farmer Carey :).

In other news, for those of you who don't know, I became the grandmother of a beautiful baby girl this past February. Yes, me! Good heavens...! She and her mother came and stayed with us for a month, and I was in baby and kid heaven, especially as my other kids came home to meet their new niece. It was back to baby baskets, wearing Eau de Barf, soft baby blankets, and washing with Dreft detergent. Yes, babies do smell as heavenly as they used to, especially after their baths! As you can see, I've included a picture of the newest addition to our family. Isn't she gorgeous?! Okay, so I'm a bit prejudiced - but, she is, isn't she?! She reminds me of her mother at that age. She loves it when I sing to her; she smiles at me and tries to sing along. I miss seeing her now that they have gone back home to another state, but I'm happy just knowing she's on the planet and that her mother is taking such wonderful care of her. I have to say, there's nothing quite like watching your child mother their child.

In music news, Granger and I played at a new cafe, Wild Rose, last night and had a great time. The audience was wonderful, the food was delicious as always, and we were pulling stuff out the yin-yang - old originals like Satisfy Me and Soft Side Of Me, some cover tunes like Willin' by Little Feat, and assorted other material. We're playing there again next week, and are looking forward to it. If you're in the area, please do come by and hang out with us.

I was supposed to be in Texas today, but unfortunately family commitments altered my plans. My dear friend and traveling companion, David Alberding, and I were making the trek to the Kerrville Folk Festival where we had planned to meet up with friends, make great music, have a fabulous time, and get back into this area next Wednesday. David has made the trek on his own, and will be giving my regards to everyone. However, my sister is coming to town from L.A. this weekend, and I'm looking forward to that. We plan to spend the week visiting and generally doing sisterly things together. Like shopping! Yay! (I can almost see Granger cringing from here!) I definitely plan to make the trip to Kerrville next year. In the meantime, I'll be wearing my frog watch and official kamp tee shirt this weekend in honor of my Kerrville kampmates.

Well, I'm off to join Granger for dinner, so see you next time!

The Creeping Crud

There seems to be an influx of the Creeping Crud all over the U.S. It seems like everyone I've talked to either has it, just got over it, or is getting it. I'm currently in the getting over it stages (please dear God), and I hope it never comes back! This sucker's like riding a roller coaster - one day you feel like you've been mashed under a truck, the next day you think you're actually feeling a little perky and not as bad, there's-hope-for-the-future; then it's back to being mashed under that truck again the next day.

So, since practically everyone I know is suffering from this irritating and exasperating malady, I'm sending Get Well Soon / Stay Well / Boy, I Hope You Don't Get This One wishes!

XX00 and many boxes of Kleenex,

Carey

Virginia, Wammies, and Moving

So...here we are, in Virginia, still surrounded (somewhat) by boxes. Yes, I am being a slacker! I have half my office files unpacked, most of my clothes, and some of my books. The kitchen is pretty much done (one has to eat, after all). The movers, bless their aching backs, showed up a week after we moved with all our schtuff. The main thing I was looking forward to was my bed...sleeping on an air mattress is not conducive to good rest, I have to say. And, you know, the thing I love best about movers is that not only do they take everything apart to move it, but they put it back together! That meant that all I had to do at the end of the day was to throw a sheet on the bed and sink into it in unspeakable pleasure :).

It is good to be back up here. This is a cute little town with (so far) a very nice and welcoming community. The funny thing is, I haven't missed Florida one whit. Not even a speck. Not even (and this is saying a lot for me) the weather...whodathunkit?! Not that I don't love Florida, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't the right place or time, and it's almost a physical relief to be here and not there.

Granger's settling into his job and I'm looking for new web site clients and scoping out potential venues for us to play (of course...when am I not?!). Our son's high school turned out to be the Performing Arts high school. While I'm not sure if he'll pursue that option, it sure is nice to have it available. Our house is great, although I'm having to adjust to stairs again. Essentially, this is a four-level home, and I'm used to a one-level. Oops. Yes, these long legs are getting a workout! I'm not sure Jasper (our dog) is too thrilled with them, though. In case you haven't met Jasper, he's the sweetest Golden Retriever. The only problem is, he seems to be a *mutant* Golden....the poor pup weighs in at 111 pounds, and is currently resenting me because he's on a diet, AND he has to climb stairs just to piddle. Sorry, J-Bird!

The Wammies...well, the 2007 Wammie Awards are now over, as of Sunday evening at *precisely* 11:00 p.m. Yes, folks, we started exactly at 8:00 pm, and ended on time. Damn! The show was one of the best we've ever done, and I'm immensely proud not only of how hard everyone worked, but of what we all pulled off. The music was the best, including dynamite performances by Honky Tonk Confidential with Bob Schieffer (yes, *that* Bob, from CBS News) and Frederic Yonnet (backed by HTC and Jon Carroll). I was privileged to present the Wammie for Artist of the Year, which was shared (it was a tie) by The Grandsons and Chuck Brown. Pictures of the show will be available on the WAMA web site very soon, so be sure to visit.

In a surprise (and believe me, I wrote the script, it WAS a surprise!) move, Granger and I were presented with a Wammie for Distinguished Service for all the work we've done over the years on the show. Yes, it's been years...13 or 14 now, I've lost track. We were in the thick of things when the award was presented, me backstage coordinating our next presenters and Granger setting up for the next musical act. I missed what was said, unfortunately - I heard someone calling my name, and the next thing I knew Mike Schreibman was pulling me on stage and handing us an award. Huge megathanks and giant hugs go to Mike Schreibman and everyone at WAMA for being so sweet to think of us like that! You could have knocked both of us over with a feather, we were so stunned - but you know, we couldn't do what we do without the host of volunteers that all work so hard to make it happen. I'm especially grateful to those that work one-on-one with me, as they keep things going for me so that I can concentrate on the show. Diana Quinn is totally the bomb, and I love her to death - this year, she came to my rescue and really jumped in there in between her performances (she's the woman with a thousand bands, including Honky Tonk Confidential) and was my second self. Thank you so much, Diana!! Thanks also to Kevin and Janet who worked so diligently backstage keeping the actual awards lined up right, and to Melissa and Amber for being our gorgeous Wammie Grrls.

Always a highlight for us since we moved to Florida is seeing all of our friends at the show. This year, it was truly wonderful, knowing that we would all see each other again soon instead of having to wait another year. Heaven!

We got back from DC last night, and I have to say a two hour drive beats the hell out of a 6:00 am flight, a two hour layover, another flight, getting a rental, trying to get out of Dulles or National airport(s), and working nonstop until the Afterparty ends at 2:00 am, getting *another* 6:00 am flight, another two hour layover, another flight, finding the car, and driving an hour home. God, it's good to be back....!!!

XXOO,
Carey

On The Move...

Well, there are some rather interesting changes going on around here. I'm currently surrounded by boxes and nursing a rather sore and achy back, as I've been packing up our house to move. Yep, we're moving, back to Virginia! We won't be in the DC area, but will be within driving distance, and are looking forward to being a lot less than 16 hours away from friends and family. We leave Florida on Friday, although I wish like crazy we could bring the weather with us. Where we're going, it was only 22 degrees this morning...of course, it's 38 degrees in Florida at the moment, so it's not exactly beach weather anyway!

We'll keep you updated, and now I must get back to sorting, packing, taping, strapping, trashing, shifting, and stacking. You should see my pile of stuff for charity....

Home Again

So, a week and a half ago, I packed myself up and went on a road trip to see my parents and my friends in the DC area. I took three days to get up there, taking a little side trip, and thoroughly enjoyed the driving time. One of my favorite parts of the trip was driving over the Blue Ridge, most specifically over Skyline Drive, where it started to snow. Between the vivid colors of the trees surrounding me and the snowflakes dancing around in front of me as I drove, it was heaven. The temperatures weren't too bad the first few days, but a cold front came through last week and I turned into a Careysicle. If it weren't for Uggs boots, I would be one miserable girl!

I spent time with my son, Tommy, and his roommates and buds. They are a very gracious bunch of young men, who seem to accept a mom in their midst for a few days without getting jittery or annoyed. I always enjoy seeing them, and my time with Tommy is *never* long enough, no matter how long it may be. I'm so proud of him, and he's such a great guy. I met his ladyfriend, Ashley, for the first time, and positively fell in love with her.

I spent a wonderful night in Hagerstown, MD with my dear friends David & Elizabeth Alberding. The best part of that visit was meeting their beautiful little girl, Riley, for the first time. Now, I admit it...I'm a sap, and I'm a total sucker for baby toes. Riley, bless her little baby heart, seemed to understand that and allowed me not only to cuddle her, but to play with her cute little toes. Well...as long as Mom or Dad were fairly close by, that is!

I've decided I'm stealing David. (Sorry, Beth!) The man can cook like nobody's business, and he made the best chili in the world. I still want a second helping...

I was only able to see a few friends this time around, I didn't even get to visit my sister in Maryland. I always feel bad when I'm not able to spread myself around the way that I'd like to, but the theme of this particular trip was to have time to myself. I was able to accomplish that to some degree, but I wish I'd had a lot longer to see those friends I have not been able to see for so long. I will, however, be back and that will definitely happen next time :).

I wrote two new songs while on the road, with one I think that is going to be a new favorite. I definitely really like the lyrics, and am looking forward to sharing them with you once they've been polished up a bit.

I got back to Florida last night, and was glad to be home. I'd missed my guys, who batched it while I was gone. Last night's dinner was carryout, but tonight I made a homemade dinner. We're all kind of sitting around in a food coma....!! (I think the dog and cat missed me, too.)

Tomorrow, I intend to sleep late, and go out to dinner, with a tiny bit of shopping in between. Why? It's my birthday :). Damn, that year went fast!