Saturday, March 23rd, 2002
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
This trip was very special for me. I drove back into my life, first along the rolling beautiful hills of Iowa through Iowa City where I went to school at the University of Iowa, and then to Sioux City, Iowa and So. Sioux City, Nebraska where I grew up from age 11 through high school. From Sioux City one must drive north to get to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There, our little guitar trio played in a sweet concert venue. Michael and Neal played particularly well this concert...with discipline and artistic edge at the same time. I scrawled the set list on the Holiday Inn notepad (great Holiday Inn by the way) and have it here:

I was impressed with Sioux Falls in the same way that I was impressed with Traverse City, Michigan. I am starting to see a decentralization of artistic activity in the U.S. No longer are large cities like New YOrk and Chicago the sole channels of art. In Sioux Falls, just next to the theatre where we played, people were coming out of a theatre performance in a place called "the actor's studio." When I was looking for an espresso the next morning, I found the most sophisticated little cafe called "the fat duck bistro." They had PERFECT espresso and a divine bean and ham soup. The downtown area of Sioux Falls is charming and sophisticated as was the audience.

The part of this trip I will remember the most was spending time with my best friend from high school, Mary, and her wonderful husband Dave. They drove from Homer, Nebraska to Sioux Falls for the concert and when I came out into the lobby after the show, Mary was sobbing. I hope that was a good sign. Dave and I couldn't tell.

On the way home, I got caught in a freaky snow storm around Des Moines, Iowa. The snow was blowing and the visibility was low. There was a sign on the road advertising an "Econolodge" so I thought my best chance for survival might be to stay the night there. The motel was completely empty except for one pickup truck. The scene was way too David Lynch for me. This photo was taken looking in from the car at a restaurant near the motel. I was too tired to go in for a meal and too afraid to stay the night in the motel. In spite of the snow, I decided to get back on the road and take my chances. Obviously, I made it home.

Sunday, March 10th, 2002
Lake Forest, IL

LAKE FOREST, IL

This gig was supposed to start at 4:00pm. My American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Chicago had some mechanical problems that needed to be attended to. It took 2 hours while we sat on the tarmac. At one point, I told them, "Hey, I've got a gig, let's just see if this thing flies without the repairs okay?" but they didn't listen. So, I was late. The people in Lake Forest were gracious and decided that instead of two shows at 4:00pm and 6:00pm, we would do one long show at 6:00pm. I drove directly from O'Hare to Lake Forest and we played a good 90 minutes. The audience was warm and in spite of the band being tired, we all had a wonderful time playing. The photo here was taken after I brought my bag in from the car and changed in the downstairs ladies restroom.

Saturday, January 19th, 2002
Traverse City, Michigan

LAKE FOREST, IL

How could I not love this gig? I drove to Traverse City and driving to a gig is a pure pleasure for me compared to the stress and dehumanization of airports and my extreme claustrophobia on airplanes. Also, this winter in Chicago has been such a disappointment as far as snow and cold are concerned. Whatever is going on, global warming perhaps, is destroying the landscape of my childhood and I find it disorienting. Well, upper Michigan has snow. As I drove north, the snow increased incrementally until I actually found myself in a veritable blizzard. Luckily, I had arrived in Traverse City and through the wind and snow found the hotel. They had put us up in a beautiful resort hotel full of shops and cafes and spas. The venue was a perfectly sized 350 seat theatre with 7 ft. Steinway and wonderful sound. Our little guitar trio had a great time and the audience came out in spite of the snow (I don't suppose a snowstorm like this would scare these Michigan people at all in fact). The people in Traverse City were warm and the gig was great. I took my time on the way home and enjoyed the drive.

Books on tape for this trip: Nelson Mandela's autobiography (suprisingly disappointing....how can one be so sensitized to the oppression of one group and completely blind to the oppression of another? I don't think he mentioned a woman more than twice in the entire, long winded and solipsistic book; and those instances were in passing. He did not ever address the issue of women, and women in Africa need his voice desperately. Also... he did advocate violence and perpetrated violence. He is no Martin Luther King, no Gandhi.) Ruth Reichl's "Tender to the Bone." Fabulous food writing, recipes and character studies. Loved this book! Am now starting her next.

The photo is of the gas station in Traverse City.

Saturday, November 3rd, 2001
Regattabar - Cambridge, MA

BOATS - OAKLAND, CA

My guitar trio played Yoshi's three nights..tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. The weather in Oakland was divine - like summer is in Chicago. Lots of the sweet San Francisco people came out..over 1000 people for the three nights. The band sounded soft and gentle, probably following my lead. I've had some family issues to attend to and it has made me a bit more inward even than usual. Priorities become suddenly so clear sometimes and then it makes one wonder why they weren't as clear all along. Like 'truth' just walked up and introduced herself.