26,280 and the tour REALLY begins

hello dears,
To bed I am headed, as there are suitcases to be re-packed and re-organized and a car to be re-loaded. I'm supposed to leave here (Dallas) at 6 am tomorrow - that is not going to happen. Weather.com tells me I'll have rain all the way to Whiteland, IN. All 14 hours of the drive. Lovely.

I had a fantastic house concert in Lake Charles, LA on Saturday night. Thank you thank you thank you to Raymond and Julie Steiner, lovely and generous hosts that they are. It was such fun and I can't wait to go back. Julie made a feast (including homemade gumbo) and I was almost too full to sing. Almost.

I climbed in my car that night at 10.30 pm to head to Shreveport (a 4 hour drive). I stopped at a Starbucks (grrr) and, armed to the teeth with more espresso than necessary, I proceeded to speed northward (within legal limits, of course) (no, really. My 14-year old sister calls me Ms. Speed Limit in a mocking tone). I stopped midway at a gas station for 2 am snacks. Really, I stopped to go to the bathroom, but I always feel a moral obligation to buy something when I go in to use the restroom (no gas needed at this stop). So after 10 minutes wasted in deciding, I walked out with a pack of Cinnamon Trident and a bag of Zap's potato chips, regular flavor. This, after wasting 5 more minutes at the counter, waiting on the woman who felt zero moral obligation to get off the phone (who was she talking to at 2 am?) and ring me up.

Sigh. 3 am rolled around and I rolled into town. Thanks to Dad and Paula for the love and warmth and vitamins.

And now I leave Dallas behind. Thanks to everyone who has listened to me ramble these last few days; helped me pack; fed me and clothed me; gave me music for the road (I'll give you a playlist of what I'm listening to soon); helped me design an album, a t-shirt, stickers, and more.

Please tell your friends and family I'm headed their way (if I am, of course).
love and goodnight; see you in Indiana.
vanessa