Catching Up!

hi Everybody....
Just a little update as I have some time before I have to leave for ID this morning. First of all, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all of the hosts and fans I've met so far. It's been an AMAZING adventure so far with more to come! I will carry happy memories of each and every one of you for the rest of my life. Thank you for welcoming me into your lives. And now, a little word about every stop:
CLAREMONT, NH:
Brian got a ton of publicity and had the local cable access station out to film the concert. As usual, Brian and his family were warm and welcoming in spite of the technical difficulties! In case I don't get a chance to do it, I want to say a special "hi" to daughter Teagan ...it was her last year helping her Dad decorate before she goes off to college. :( But I'm sure she'll be a great success there! Also want to congratulate Joyce on the publication of her children's book!
WELLS, UK:
I want to give a special shout out to Paul in the UK with his partner Chris who had the unusual circumstance of having to hang around me for three days, and listen to me scream my head off for 20 minutes or so when I found out about the Grammy nomination. If you haven't seen the piece from the BBC on FB you should check it out. I think Paul posted it on YouTube as well. Please watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arh2jk7qZas
THANKS!

In FRANKLIN, TN:
I was fortunate to have my amazing daughter Emma drive with me from the airport in Newark to Franklin. I was tired after an eight hour delay in England so Emma rose to the challenge and offered to help. What a great bonus to me to have my girl with me! We had a wonderful time with Chuck Smith, the founder of www.planetchristmas.com, and his beautiful wife. There was the sweetest little girl who came out on the landing of the staircase behind the stage, and she was the highlight of the show for me. I can't wait to see pictures of her all dressed up in her jolly Christmas outfit! Mr. and Mrs. Smith treated us to a fine lunch after the show...I had catfish and hush puppies...real southern fare. YUM!!!

ELGIN, TX:
In Elgin I performed at the Holiday by the Tracks celebration during the day and enjoyed the warm sunny day (it was in the 70's!!) During the first set I was reminded why it's called Holiday by the Tracks as a train came barreling through town, blowing its whistle for all to hear. We paused the show to pay homage. I was blown away when the Mayor came out a presented me with a brick fashioned from local clay and engraved. It is very special and will take a spot up there on the mantel...perhaps soon to be accompanied by a little gramophone? Probably not, but so what? The brick is more special to me than the Grammy because it came from the heart of the town, where I had a wonderful time. Thank you Forest and Cheryll for your hospitality and a chance to try barbecued sausage wraps...yum! They are super nice people and have Christmas tree in every room of their house! I enjoyed talking with Dr. Dennis (aka Cheryll) about children's literacy and seeing her vast collection of children's books, as well as relaxing for a little while in that comfy chair!

LUBBOCK, TX:
The barbecue was also delicious at Linda Brown's house in Lubbock, where her handsome hubby cooked up enough food for an army, including his specialty, bacon-wrapped peppers with cream cheese. Linda invited me to do an afternoon concert at the nursing home where she works and that was a very special experience. I cheered when I saw her display...which had Santa Claus up on the roof....along with all the reindeer! in fact, Linda had every element of the song in her beautiful display, plus a great video she made to go with the song. She and her whole family were a hoot and I felt right at home there, as I did with the Dennis family in Elgin. I want to especially thank Linda's sons and her sister Trecia, who is my new expert roadie, and her sister Sue who handled my merch table like a pro. Come on the road with me!
For those who were wondering how I made it from the Browns in Lubbock to the Holdmans in Pleasant Grove, I drove about five hours after the show in Lubbock and spent the night right outside of Albuquerque. By the way, I did see EVERYBODY's lights from there! HA HA! Then I drove the rest of the way yesterday.

PLEASANT GROVE, UT:
The Holdmans were wonderful also and their whole community turned out. There were about 200-300 people on the hill in front of the house and it was like a stadium out there! Richard's daughter Sierra came down and danced on the lawn with me in front of Richard's magnificent display. After the concert I signed a ton of pictures in the drizzle and then we worked until late last night on an OFFICIAL HOCS video with a professional crew. I can't wait to see it. The last thing they had me do was spin around and I got so dizzy I pretty much landed flat on the ground by the end of it. But it was FUN!!! Richard says he'll try to edit it and post it ASAP. Thanks so much for that extra piece Richard. It was a real honor to have you go that extra mile for me and my little song.
SO FAR SO GOOD!!!! I'm enjoying my travels and have listened to tons of music in the car and so far an entire Jonathan Kellerman Alex Delaware novel. I've been working my way through them chronologically since the beginning of summer and have two more to go, so I'll be starting the next one this morning on my way to Fruitland, ID.
Please keep me in your prayers and look for me out on the road. I have internet on my Blackberry so if you want to email at judy@judypancoast.com I would love to hear from YOU YOU and most of all YOU!!!
Now today it is on to Fruitland, ID.