June 26, 2002 Black Mountain, NC It's a cool and quiet afternoon in Black Mountain and I've about got all the laundry done and the dishes washed and put away. This morning the birds at the feeder outside my window woke me and I lay in bed with binoculars and stared at them for a while. Even had a big ol' woodpecker stop by, and I didn't even know they ate seeds. Days like these are the ones I dream of when I'm on the road, and I'm trying not to take them for granted. There's lots of work to be done getting Fall tours lined up and one thing and another, but I'm concentrating right now on not being so busy making a living that I've got no time for a life (admittedly cheesy to quote oneself, but those are the most accurate words I can think of). Yesterday I played some racquetball with Billy Jonas and went to part of a town council meeting where they were examining whether to grant an exemption to build a huge Super WalMart in Asheville, which reeks of sadly misplaced priorities. It's good to see the community active, though, and people taking responsibility for our own environment. All this to say I'm home. Friday I cut a hole in my bedroom ceiling and put an attic ladder in. Nothing like hacking on one's house for that great nesting feeling. Next, the front deck! It's been a long time since I've written one of these notes. Please accept my apology for being out of touch. After returning from the six week overseas tour I hit the road again almost immediately and toured through the Southeast to Texas and ended up at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Kerrville is an annual pilgrimage for me, made of sweat and music and late night conversations and sunshine and cool dips in the local rivers and long and deep friendships. I flew home from there to play at a Montreat youth conference, and left Dan the Tan Van waiting for me deep in the heart of Texas. It was ironic and somewhat indicative of my life these days, to book a round trip ticket to my home rather than from it. I got to teach at Kerrville this year as part of a three day workshop for teachers about how to incorporate music into the classroom. That was an honor, and a ton of fun. I did two writing workshops on that tour as well, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. One was for adults (who spanned at least six decades) in Dallas, held at a beautiful retreat center there, and the other was for college students at Mo Ranch in Hunt, Texas. I used to be reluctant to put on workshops, as they take a good deal of prep time and energy, but I've come to find them quite nourishing, and I'm enjoying doing those more and more. Great fun. Of course, the tide doesn't stay in for long, though. This time at home is just long enough for a bit of hanging out with the family and some work on the house. It will soon be followed by more road adventures. The Fall tours are shaping up nicely, with several things pending that should be on the calendar soon as well as everything that's there already! It looks like the New England run I'm doing in late August and early September will include my first shows in Vermont, and I'm hopeful that I'll do my first show in Kansas in November on a big rambling tour in the west and midwest. That's after getting back from Germany (my third European tour!). If there's somewhere I'm missing along the way, please be sure to get in touch with Rachel or me to point me in good directions. This is a grass roots endeavor, and I'm both keenly aware and grateful that the reason I've been able to do this as my only job for the last eleven years is that you've helped make it happen. Thanks for that. In other news, wonderful artist and long time friend of mine Carrie Patterson continues to work on illustrations for the children's book version of S.S. Bathtub (the song, not the record). That's a very exciting and fun project for me. We're taking our time with it, so it's going to be a while, but I promise I'll let you know when it's ready to go. At a recent show at the Evening Muse in Charlotte, NC... This was the first of what I hope will be many shows there. I'll be flying to L.A. soon to play at a peacemaking conference there, and I'm excited about that. Peacemaking is not a popular topic these days, but it is so close to my heart. Each day seems to bring more incredible news of world leaders basing their actions on the concept that might makes right, and all of us, on all sides, framing our actions in moral terms of 'retaliation' and 'defense,' claiming God's support. I firmly believe, though, that in the bigger picture, in the long term, might does not make right. It's the other way around. I'll get to go to Arkansas again this summer to play for kids who've been impacted by violence at Connections 2002. The camp was started for students from Jonesboro who were victims of the country's first major school shooting incident, and over the years has also included students from inner cities, from Sarajevo and from Columbine H.S., among others. This summer there will also be young people from NYC who were impacted by the Trade Center attacks. It's been a privilege to be involved with this camp over the last few years, and I look forward to being back there. My friend John Gallagher, who not only did the original design on this site, but also the graphics for my kids' record, S.S. Bathtub, is currently overhauling the site. Look for a whole new design late this summer. The goal is to keep it friendly and keep all the content (in fact, we're *adding* a couple of sections!), but make it a little more intuitive and better organized, as well as a little more professional in appearance. I'll greatly appreciate your feedback when we get that up and running. Do check the tour dates to see if I'm coming near you in the next few months. There are lots of miles ahead, and I hope some of the highway I'll be driving will wind somewhere near your place. Life's good for me these days. New love, meaningful work to do, beautiful days in my own home. I hope it's rich and challenging and joyful for you too. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to check in. Peace, David