The Last 1,200 miles

We have covered some serious ground this past week. Usually at this point I have a crazy story about some debacle that’s taken place, but not this time. Knock on wood… it’s been a pretty seamless run up to this point. We left Austin last Friday morning and got to New Orleans that evening. The show that night ended up turning in to a block party with Zach and I playing on a stage in a front yard to a few hundred people scattered around. Those people have a soul and spirit about them that is genuinely unique.  Made some friends, and walked away with some crazy stories.  The next day we booked it 10 hours east to a show in Orlando, and after that, had a few days to enjoy the sunshine state. We were lucky enough to have access to a condo about 20 minutes north of Sarasota, and we ended up spending most of our time outdoors looking for the road less traveled…

We ended up finding a natural preserve north of Palmetto and spent some time watching the Fiddler Crab drama go down.  Forgot about all the sh*t going on in the the world for a little while.  Sat on top of the car, stuffed some tobacco in our pipes, and had a smoke.  I don’t know if you’ve ever watched Fiddler crabs before, but they’re funny little guys.  They walk around wielding these huge claws (that they struggle to lift off the ground) bowing up to any other crab who dares to push the envelope.  It’s hard to get close to them though because they run for cover when you move towards them.   We managed to catch one off guard and I snapped some pictures of him before he ran for cover…

A few days later we headed north to Decatur, GA for another show.  It was a house party, and the place we were playing at had a living room with double doors opening up to a porch.  Using my foot, I turned the wooden porch in to a sort of makeshift kick drum, and the whole vibe was really cool.  After the show, an older gentleman came up to shake my hand.  He told me how much he enjoyed the show, and that the thing he liked most about it was that it reminded him of life before tv, A/C, and radio.  For some reason, that really resonated with me.  Ron, if you’re reading, thank you for the inspiration.  I feel like everywhere I go, someone shares something that sticks with me.  Not only did that stick with me, but it changed the way I perceive what I’m doing.  I feel so blessed to call this my job.

We’re in Ohio now, and heading to Chicago this evening.  After that, Indianapolis and then down to Memphis.  I’ll keep the shutter moving, and I’ll have another update for you soon.

JC