I hadn’t initially planned to share this for a bit, but I was struck with the feeling that, tomorrow being Memorial day, it was the appropriate time to tell my Uncle’s story. One question I’m asked very frequently – often by complete strangers, sometimes in an accusatory tone – is, “whose dog tag?” This question [...]
I’m about to hit the road for 30 days on my motorcycle, playing over 20 shows in 15 different states. So what do I take with me when I hit the road? This isn’t absolutely everything (beef jerky & trail mix are missing from the shot), but it should give you a good sense of [...]
So I’m now 11 days away from spending a month on the road on my beloved Condor A350 motorycle - my first tour that I’ll be undertaking entirely on two wheels. I’ll be playing more than 20 shows, covering most of the US east of the Mississippi, ranging from Chicago to Baltimore to Tampa to New [...]
There is currently a 1974 Condor A350 motorcycle parked in my kitchen. It’s a motorcycle I bought a few months after moving to Asheville, North Carolina, in fulfillment of a desire I’d had for years. I’d ridden a few friends’ bikes in the past, but had never been able to justify purchasing one of my [...]
Today, my butt hurts. Why does my butt hurt? I guess you’ll have to keep reading. I’m writing this in the Sao Paulo airport, while waiting for boarding to begin for my nine-hour flight to Washington DC, then an hour-and-a-half flight to Charlotte, a two-hour drive back to Asheville and I’ll be home! My 6th [...]
Today I got to experience a different side of the Amazonian region of Brazil. Around 11:00 we set off from Marnie & Yan’s apartment to visit her sítio – her country house. Before she & Yan got an apartment in the Educandos neighborhood of Manaus, this was here primary place of residence in Brazil. She [...]
Today I did not have the constitution for much, and neither did the rest of my family or my sister Marnie’s new husband Yan. Originally a boat trip had been planned to visit the point where the Rio Negro and Rio Salimoes meet to form the Amazon, but given everyone’s exhaustion and hangovers, it was [...]
What a day, what a night, what a morning! I was up yesterday around 7:30 – hair and makeup were scheduled to be at Marnie’s apartment by 8:00, but were (no surprise!) late. I had offered to be photographer for all the festivities, so once I had downloaded all the pictures from the memory card of [...]
It’s now about 11:30PM on my first full day in Manaus, Brazil, though I expect this will be posted much later than that due to less than optimal connectivity. This delay seems rather appropriate, as I’m quickly discovering that timeliness and schedules are not a priority in the local culture. In spite of the fact [...]
I have arrived in Brazil! My journey here was only mildly arduous. The flight from Charlotte to Miami was mercifully short, as my seat neighbor was not the most pleasant company. I’ve never seen someone answer their cell phone, loudly, 30 seconds after the plane took off – the entire plane was staring at him [...]