Catching Up on the Blog: Friday, December 15th: Childersburg, AL

It's now Tuesday, and my show for tonight was cancelled, so I drove for about 7 hours and have landed in Chattanooga TN, and am trying to catch up on the blog a little bit more.  I'm up to Friday, December 15th.

I'd estimated on Mapquest that the drive from Nacogdoches, TX to Childersburg, AL was about nine hours, so I was up and out the door of the Lansdale's home just before 7am.  They were still asleep.  Of course, then I was horrified to discover that I'd left my phone and glasses sitting on a table in the guest room, so I had to knock on the door and wake Karen up and I felt like a total doofus. But she is so sweet and gracious and she made sure to say that she was up anyway and to come back anytime and even bring my husband!  I would LOVE to bring my husband!!!

So I hit the road.  It was a looooooong drive through East Texas and then Mississippi and Louisiana (where gas was under $2/gallon!!!) and then to Alabama and I stopped a couple of times for car naps.  I brought a blanket and pillows with me just for this purpose and when I am tired I can fall asleep in my car faster than I do in my own bed!  The traffic was worse than I had anticipated and I didn't have time to check into the hotel before I had to get to the show.  Jim Dennis had told me Christmas in the Pines was a huge display set up in park in Alabama and I had pictured something like Larry and Rachel Charpiat's Pilot Mt. Christmas, which I performed at several times before they retired from decorating.

Anyhow, I arrived and found the park and Jim's HUGE display which also featured a live Santa stationed at a covered bridge. For a second I thought I was back in New Hampshire!  The park already has a performance area with bleachers and Jim helped me get set up, and the show went off without a hitch.  The only problem was that there was not much of a crowd. However, some of the vendors who were there (the display is so big that Jim has invited vendors to set up and sell crafts and food) listened to the show and participated, and a few people dropped in.  Jim said he had been disappointed with the attendance this year but it's the first year he's had the display at the park and it is  quite a ways off the beaten path so I'm hoping for him that word will get around and it will do better next year. But I had fun anyway! There were two teenage boys who were especially fun and dancing and hey, as long as I have one or two people who are having fun then I'm okay with that!!  After the concert one of the vendors who sells homemade soap and stuff sent me down a little goodie bag. People have been so nice to me on this tour!

After the concert Jim took me and a lovely little family who was visiting on a hayride through the displays. It was beautiful!  He had somehow rigged those projection lights in the trees and they looked like millions of green fireflies ...or, as I told the little girl...Christmas fairies. It was just gorgeous and unlike anything I'd seen before.

Unfortunately, after  I left the park is when things went awry.  I  drove over to the hotel, which was about 15 minutes away from the display.  I didn't check in right away, though, because I was hungry and indecisive about what to eat. There were a few fast food places with greasy fried stuff and I didn't want that, so I went over across the way to a Subway and got a sandwich to eat in my room.  BUT when I got back to the hotel I discovered that I didn't have a room! The clerk had no record of a reservation for me, let alone a paid one!  I tried to contact Jim but he wasn't answering his phone or text.  I waited about ten minutes and I felt like a complete moron standing there in the lobby, so I decided on the spur of the moment to start the ride on to Florida at that point.  I knew I had a ten hour drive the next day and I was going to be racing against time going into another time zone, so I decided to get a couple of hours in and then get a hotel along the route.  Little did I know that I was going into the TWILIGHT ZONE.

About a half hour down the road I heard from Jim and he was very apologetic. His fiancee had made the reservation but she didn't make it at the hotel he thought she was going to make it at, and wires got crossed and that's how I ended up at the wrong place.  But it was too late to turn back, I was almost out of Alabama by then.  Jim felt really bad and promised it wouldn't happen again as I was scheduled to go back there on the following Tuesday again (which is tonight...but that show got cancelled because of rain).  Well, I drove and drove and drove and checked out my atlas and discovered that there is basically nothing but peanut farms in northeast Georgia!  I finally reached a little town with an Econo-Lodge that got decent reviews online so I stopped there.  I paid $55 for the room- you get what you pay for...and by this time I'd crossed into the next time zone so it was one am.  I went into the room and the toilet was NASTY.  SO NASTY that I actually gagged.  I went back to the office and I should have asked for my money back but I just didn't have the energy to get back into the car and drive on, so I told him about the situation and he moved me to a different room. The next room at least was cleaner, but I was worried about skittering little creatures coming out to play in the night, so I kept shutting the light off and then turning it back on to see if I'd spy any. I didn't, luckily, and I finally fell asleep but it was a fitful sleep!  It was after two when I last looked at the clock, and I was rudely awakened at 7 by the yokels in the room next to me laughing and having a great time.  URGH!  So I didn't shower or anything, I just got up and left and was happy to see MOTEL HELL in my rearview mirror! (Motel Hell was an 80s horror movie about a farmer who makes the most delicious sausage in the land......).

And that was my visit to Alabama! It was a whirlwind and I was happy to do it.  I wish Jim the best of luck with his endeavor and hope that Christmas in the Pines becomes just as much of a local treasure as Pilot Mt. Christmas was for years and years!

Catching up on the Blog: Thursday, December 14th

I'm sitting in a Starbucks just below the Georgia border.  Tonight's show just got canceled due to rain, so I thought I'd catch up the blog a bit as I am now waaaaay behind.  So here we go....

Randy Schmidt and I have known each other for about 22 years....I met him online when he had a Carpenters listserv and we had just purchased our first computer.  Of course I went searching for Carpenters stuff!  Randy was such a die-hard fan which was amazing to me because he wasn't even around when Karen and Richard were at the height of their fame.  At one point he asked me if I had all of my old clippings and fan club newsletters from back in the 70s and I did, and he asked me to photocopy them for him, which I did. Little did I know that he was writing a book!

Shortly after that we moved to NH and I was finishing my Masters Degree and the kids were getting active with stuff so I just lost track of Randy.  Years later I found him on Facebook and discovered that he'd written a book about Karen Carpenter, entitled "Little Girl Blue: the Life of Karen Carpenter."  Of course I got it right away and was really thrilled at how well written and packed with info it was!  Since then Randy and I have stayed in touch and I went down to NYC to meet him when he was doing a bookstore appearance there...I think that was about four years ago.  Randy lives in TX, and that was the one and only time we'd met.

Several weeks ago he contacted me with a project for us to work on together.  He'd found my audiobook narrator profile online and thought I would be perfect to narrate his children's book about Judy Garland, entitled "Becoming Judy Garland."  I was delighted!  The book is now available for purchase on Randy's website and each book comes with a CD with the audiobook.  So, of course, when I realized that it was possible, I made plans to visit Randy while I was in TX.

The challenge was this:  Randy is a school teacher in a town north of Dallas, and he only had from 10:30am-11:30 free.  So I vowed I would get there by 10:30.  Even after my pain-filled night with the ankle problems, I dragged myself out of bed early, showered and hit the road by five.  I drove until just about when the sun came up, and then I couldn't drive any more because my eyes were closing.  I pulled off at an exit with one gas station and a boarded up restaurant. I parked next to the restaurant, shut off the van, put my seat back and konked out.  I woke up some time later to discover that the VAN WOULDN"T START!!!!  I'd left the lights on, and even though they shut off automatically I guess they don't do that unless you remove the keys from the ignition, which I had not done.  So I dragged myself into the gas station and asked the two young people working there if one of them could give me a jump.  A young woman who looked very unhappy came out, pulled her truck up, connected her jumper cables and got the van going.  I reached into my wallet and the smallest bill I had was a twenty, so I handed it to her because she'd done me such a huge favor.  At that point this unhappy looking woman broke into a big smile and said, "Oh thank you, you don't know how much I really need that!"  That proved once again to me that God works in mysterious ways.

I texted Randy that I wouldn't get there until after noon and he said to come on anyway, so I did and I visited with the two classed that he had during the hour I was there. I did some songs with them and we had a really fun time!  It was GREAT to see Randy and I appreciate him taking the time for me as he had his chorus concert and show that afternoon for the school and then again that night for the community.  Randy, I hope FA LA LA LAND went super well and thank you for a really super time with you and your kids! And I would LOVE to come back and do a full assembly for the school!

After I left Randy I trekked East to Nacogdoches. This is a town that used to be mythical to me but I have now visited three times!  My friend, the world-renowned author Joe R. Lansdale (Hap & Leonard, Bubbo Ho Tep) lives there and I am collaborating with him on a musical version of his novella "Christmas with the Dead."  I'd been there in July for a play reading, which took place in a book store/arts center, and I'd met the proprietor, a musician and author named Tim Bryant.  When I realized that it would be possible, I asked him if he'd like to host a concert to benefit the arts space when I was on my tour. So that's how I came to be in Nacogdoches on The House on Christmas Street 2017 Charity Tour!  It turned out that we had a small  crowd, and I was actually nervous.  Joe and his wife Karen came, along with his son Keith and his fiancee Danni, and then three other folks who I hadn't previously known, plus Tim.  Like I said, it was a small crowd, and suddenly I got very nervous. First of all, I consider Joe Lansdale to be one of the COOLEST guys I've ever met.  I mean, he is JOE COOL in the flesh.  Now here I was, about to sing my un-ironic and totally uncool Christmas concert and I just suddenly froze up.  However, almost as soon as I started singing everything was okay.  Joe was smiling, Karen was smiling, everybody started smiling and singing along.  And then, after I sang the second song, my original, "Santa Whatcha Got," Keith reminded me that it was one of the songs on the "Christmas with the Dead" movie soundtrack, which was how I got to meet all these folks in the first place.  From that point on the whole concert was a blast. I don't know how much was donated to the arts space, but I saw some folks put money in the donation jar so at least it was a little, and Joe wrote to me after to tell me what a good time everybody had, and that's what it's all about.  Joe and Karen hosted me at their home that night and I got a much-needed GREAT night's sleep, and I got to see their insane dog, Nicky, who is just a big old loveable goofball.  I've met some terrific pets on this trip, including Kelsey, a Cava-doodle at my friend Max's house last night.  It makes me miss my doggie even more!!!  I hope she doesn't sense all these other dogs and cats on me and think I've been unfaithful to her!

So that takes care of Thursday....now on to Friday in the next post!

Catching Up on the Blog: Dec. 13th, Odessa TX

I didn't sleep very well on the night of the 12th, but I was up bright and early to meet my host, Dr. Bob Brescia, in the lobby of the hotel just after 7am. I knew that morning that things were catching up with me, because I didn't feel rested at all and I felt pretty bad. But  Bob had a full day of activities planned, starting with a radio interview at 7am on a local talk/news station.  The show is hosted by a conservative woman and a more liberal man, but I didn't let them get me talking politics.  The show was a nice way to promote the public children's concert in the afternoon and it was a nice time and I did appreciate the air time and publicity.

Then there was a bit of free time so I went back to the hotel and tried to nap, but I just couldn't fall asleep. Dr. Bob picked me up around 10:30 and brought me over for a tour of the John Ben Sheppard Public Leadership Institute, of which is he is the executive director.  It was fascinating.  One of the things they do there is train students in crisis decision making, and they have an actual "war room" where simulations are carried out in real time and the students role play decision makers.  You can find out more about it here: https://shepperdinstitute.com/  I was very impressed. I also really enjoyed meeting the staff there. They were all so nice and helpful.  I have to mention Clay Finley, the Associate Director, who gave me the tour with Dr. Bob. He was so serious when I met him and then before too long he was cracking me up with his dry sense of humor.  It was really great!  A highlight of the tour for me was seeing their collection of Presidential bobblehead dolls. I know that doesn't sounds like it goes with the other stuff I mentioned but there's a lot more to the institute. A library, a collection of portraits of the First Ladies, and the Presidents, framed documents that were signed by Presidents...all kinds of stuff. It's a fascinating place.  I also met Katie Roberts, the Special Events Coordinator who had been communicating with me and she is just as bright and hard-working as I imagined.  I also want to mention Cindy Ward, another non-Texas native, like me, who immediately became a soul-mate. She is the Administrative Assistant at the Center.  A great group of people!

Around 11:30 Dr. Bob took me to lunch at the Country Club (I'm not fancy enough for Country Clubs but he was wonderful to take me there.)  Unfortunately, and if Bob is reading this he will find out for the first time, I was really feeling totally ill by that point. I really think all the driving and not sleeping well caught up with me for real that day, but it was such a busy day that I couldn't stop. I felt shaky and nauseous and I began to feel like I was hallucinating.  I tried to eat a little bit but I just couldn't eat much and I felt really bad about it because I know my host wanted me to have a wonderful day and that meal was part of it.  So I did the best I could and didn't say anything about how I was feeling.

Then we went over to rehearse with the choir and I met the choir director, Frank Eyechaner, who had helped me arrange The House on Christmas Street for Soprano, Alto, Bass and Tenor. I so enjoyed hearing the choir sing it and they were all just great young men and women and a lot of fun.  What a great experience to sing with a choir again! Thank you so much, kids. You made me really happy and you actually helped me feel energized with that rehearsal!

At 3pm we went over to a television station and I did an on-camera interview there. I don't know how it turned out but I tried to do my best, although I'm not sure everything I said came out right at that point. I was beginning to feel light-headed but I was trying to act like everything was normal.  Maybe you know how that is?  So I hope it came out okay but I just don't know.

Then we went over to the Ellen Noel Art Museum on the campus because that's where the afternoon and evening events were being held.  Around 4:45 I did a community concert  that was open to the public and was billed as as children's concert so I did a mix of Christmas songs and some of my original children's music.  There weren't a ton of kids there but the ones who were there seemed to have a good time, and some of the choir members joined me for "The House on Christmas Street" as a warm-up for our performance that evening.

Then I tried to take a nap again in the "green room" they had set up for me.  I actually sprawled out on the floor in the dark but, again, sleep just wouldn't come.  At 6:30 I put on my pantyhose, my dress and my make-up and made my appearance in the "Pancoast Lounge." This was a room in the museum that had been set up for an evening of music, food and socializing for patrons of the Institute.  They were serving a "Jingle Judy" cocktail which someone handed me...I don't know what kind of alcohol was in it but I took one sip and knew that if I drank anymore I'd fall flat down and no one would be getting me up! It did taste yummy, though.  I found a table and put it down and didn't pick it up again.

 I was introduced to a lot of very nice people and tried to make conversation and sound intelligent.  That was hard!  At one point I  wandered over to the buffet table which was piled with the most delicious looking assortment of food you've ever seen, and none of it appealed to me.  It was weird. I wish I felt like that every day.I wouldn't have a weight problem.  But no, in truth I just felt so .....bad.  I used to joke around when I'd hear that celebrities are hospitalized for "exhaustion" but I honestly think that on that day I probably should have been in a hospital! I'm sorry, Dr. Bob, if you are reading this. I tried to do my best to hide it and put on a good show for everyone, but in the back of my mind I was just concerned about staying upright because I felt like I was going to pass out any minute.

Finally I got up to sing and I was able to pull it off. The event folks at the University had built a stage and the art students created a cute backdrop for me and they even had a Bose sound system for me to use.  The audience was lovely and I even had a wonderful lady come up and sing Frosty the Snowman with me and she did a great job. The whole time I was saying prayers in my head, asking God to just help me do it and entertain everyone and make my host happy. Looking back on that night I'm so grateful that I was able to get through it without collapsing, because I truly felt like I was going to.  I was so happy when the choir came out to join me for "The House on Christmas Street."  They did a totally wonderful job and once again their youth and energy revived me, if only long enough to do that song and finish the concert.  I am thankful for each and every one of them!

Unfortunately, I had to decline Bob and Marianne's invitation to go over to their home on Shiloh Road after the concert to see the lights and visit with neighbors. I was there on my 2012 tour and it was all just magical, and I would have liked to see it again but by that time I knew that I absolutely had to try to get some sleep.  I hated disappointing them but they were very kind and understanding.

Now here's where things get really bad. I'd been wearing my boots all day....BAD MOVE on my part.  Every since I broke my ankle in 2006 I can't wear real heels, and even a short heel gives me problems if I wear it for too long.  And I, like an idiot, wore these boots all day because I wanted to look good.  When I took them off in the hotel room my ankle was swollen up so huge and throbbing and stabbing and then....guess what?  I couldn't get to sleep! I knew I had some Tylenol in my van but I just couldn't stand the thought of getting dressed and walking again and going down to the van so I just propped my foot up on a pillow and did the best I could.  I did get sleep here and there but the stabbing in my ankle kept waking me up, so it was yet another night of restlessness.  When I finally got up the next morning I remembered that I had another bottle of Tylenol right in my canvas bag in my room. AGH!!!  So I popped some of that stuff, put on my sneakers and went on my way.

Dr. Bob and Marianne, please know that I am so grateful for EVERYTHING you did to make it a special day for me. I appreciate all of it and I tried so hard to make it all worth it for you. I hope you got good feedback about the concerts and that everyone was happy.   I'm sorry I had to bail on you...if I had been feeling better I would have loved to go over and see your display.  Merry Christmas to both of you and thank you for making me feel so special.

And I'm going to end this post on a positive note:  The day's events raised over TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS for the Jr. League of Odessa, which contributes to the community in many worthwhile ways...so hooray!  It was all worth it!   THANK YOU to everyone involved, and Merry Christmas to all the great people I met that day.  You all helped me in ways you didn't even realized, and you all played a big part in making it possible for me to do what I came there to do.  I will never forget you.

And now, even though I'm not fully caught up on the blog yet, I have to get some sleep. Thank you for reading this and coming along on this journey with me!!

Catching up! Dec. 10-12

I apologize to those of you who keep up with my crazy tour blog.  These past five days have been a giant blur as I made it from one coast to the other.  I'm going to try to catch up bit by bit here.

I left OR very early on Sunday morning December tenth and drove down and down and down all the way to Pasadena, where I was taken in by a good friend, songwriter and children's musician Dave Kinnoin, and his family.  They treated me to a lovely dinner out and it was fun chatting with Dave's wife Mary and his two boys, Oliver and Grady, whom I had never before met.  I spent a very comfortable night in their amazing house.  The next day I got the grand tour and saw all the cool stuff they've collected over the years as well as the recording studio that Dave's son Oliver is building in their home.  I would have liked to stay and visit longer with them, and maybe write a song with Dave, but the road beckoned.  MANY THANKS to you and your family, Dave, and also for your kind and generous monetary donation to sponsor the tour.

On my way to Arizona I was invited to lunch by a  Christmas decorator I've known for a long time who lives in Palm Springs.  His name is Michael Simmons, and I've performed at his house twice. He was the first decorator to try to get "The House on Christmas Street" on The Great Christmas Light Fight, unfortunately to no avail. Every year there have been decorators who have used my song in their shows who participate in that TV show but the show never uses my song. I don't know why, but I've given up.  Anyhow, I had a nice lunch with Michael and we caught up a bit, and then, in the immortal words of Willie Nelson, I was "on the road again."  THANK YOU Michael for a lovely lunch with great company!

Oh yes, and before lunch I did get my oil changed at a Jiffy Lube and the guy's eyes popped out of his head when he saw my mileage! 

I got to Mary Lane's house in Sierra Vista, AZ sometime around 9pm, I think?  I loved driving through the desert but at one point I suddenly felt violently ill and had to pull over and get sick.  It was so weird.  I was out in the middle of nowhere and I just walked around a little bit and then I felt fine. I think the exhaustion was catching up with me. Even though I had great places to sleep I just didn't get much of it.  Anyway, at this point things were becoming a bit blurry because of all the driving and lack of sleep, but Mary kindly took in the weary traveler and gave me her wonderful guest room for the night.  She didn't mind that I wasn't really up for socializing after the long drive and I didn't mind that one of her little mini dachsunds decided to raid my canvas tote bag while we were talking!  Mary was Emma's teacher for three years in a multi-age program at her elementary school, and she is a dear, dear friend of our family.  Oh, her husband Jay was there too! The next day Mary treated me to a delicious breakfast out, we caught up a bit, she told me about a trop-rock singer she likes named Matt Mulligan (I think that was his name?  His last name was definitely Mulligan cause I remember Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel) and gave me advice on vacationing in Mexico!  Our visit was way to short as I had to hit the road again for the long drive to Odessa. THANK YOU Mary for taking me in and being such a cherished friend.

On the drive on the 12th I got to go through southern New Mexico, which is my favorite state. It's just like the license plate says:  Land of Enchantment.  It's different from the other southwestern states somehow, and the people are SUPER nice.  I stopped for a couple of hours and did laundry in Las Cruces just to have more time there, but that got me to Odessa much later than I'd originally planned.

I love everyone I've met in Texas, but driving through it can sometimes be awfully boooooring.  Driving through the panhandle on my way to Odessa was a little mind-numbing.  Thank goodness I listen to audiobooks.  The first time you see an oil derrick it's kind of cool, especially if you've only seen them on TV or in movies. By the time you see the 10th, or 20th one it's gotten pretty old.  Thank goodness at the end of my drive there was a very nice room waiting for me, where I washed up and went straight to bed around 11:30pm. And then couldn't get to sleep, and couldn't get to sleep, and couldn't get to sleep. "What the heck is wrong with me?"  I thought as I tossed and turned. The last time I noticed the clock it was around 2:30. I finally drifted off but it was a rude awakening at 6am, when I had to arise because my host, Dr. Bob Brescia, had a full day of activities planned for me beginning with a radio interview at 7:30am.  And that's for the next blog post!

Thank you for reading my boring post.  I'm sorry it wasn't more exciting, but basically these days were all about getting from Oregon to Texas and not having  enough time to visit with the wonderful people who helped me do it.  Dave, Mary, Grady, Oliver, Michael, Mary and Jay....I am BLESSED to have good friends like you in my life. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Sunday, Dec. 10 Tour Stop #8: Cascade Christmas Lights, Lebanon, OR

I just had to check my calendar to see what day it is!  This tour has been a WHIRLWIND so far and it's not even half over.  The bummer is that I have tonight and tomorrow night off.  The cancellation of tonight's show, coming the day before I left on the tour, was very upsetting.  I understand the decorator's reasoning but coming at the last minute I was unable to find a decorator to fill the spot, and now I have two days off. When I originally planned the tour I'd hoped to have a concert every night, but that's kind of an unreasonable goal. Still, I never wanted to have more than one night off at a time.  Oh well. Lots of driving over the next few days but luckily some great friends have stepped in to take me in for the next two nights.  I won't be able to visit with them for long but it will be wonderful to see them again.  Then I hit Odessa, TX on Tuesday and my host there has two days of events planned for me for my visit! He is a professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and he has arranged for the choir there to join me on The House on Christmas Street! There will definitely be a video of that!  I spent a lot of time creating a choral arrangement and I can't wait to see how it turned out!  I'm doing a children's concert and a Christmas concert and it's all going to be fantastic!

ANYHOW let's get to yesterday's show!  I'd been to Mayor Paul Aziz's house on my 2012 show and I've never forgotten what a truly nice man he is so I was eager to see him again.  Just a few months ago he was hospitalized with a dangerous Staph infection and I contacted him to say that if he needed to cancel his concert I would completely understand but I would still come by to visit.  But he said, "No."  Nothing would keep him from hosting me!  He enlisted the help of some friends, got his display up and running, and greeted me with a smile and a warm hug.  I also met his wonderful lady friend and his sister, and I bonded immediately with them.  Warm, wonderful people!

There were five people who sat right in the front row...Paul had put up chairs under his arches...and I told them I was worried it would be too loud for them but they wanted to sit there anyway.  I'm not sure how they all were related but it was obvious after a while that the young man and woman to my left were sweethearts.  They were very cute and he was so shy.  A couple of times I sang right at him and he just blushed.  It was great!  I was so happy to be able to sing for that family.  And then a couple of rows back there was a little girl who really caught my attention with her enthusiasm.  And over to my left there were two sisters dancing on the sidewalk.  These are some of the things I always notice when I'm singing because I just feel so good seeing that my music is making people happy.  It's worth every long drive, every sleep deprived night, missing home...it's all worth it to see people happy and enjoying themselves because of me.

The charity last night was Lebanon Kid's Packs. This organization provides backpacks full of food for children to take home over the weekend. Things they can easily prepare themselves in case there is an issue in the home. I've never heard of anything like it but I think it's a great idea. I don't know how much money they raised but I know that Paul is supporting them all season with his display so I hope they raise a lot.

The hardest part about doing these concerts is that I get to be with these people for a few hours and then I have to leave them.  I really hated leaving last night.  It seemed like I'd just arrived and then I was going, but last night I had to drive after the show.  I drove for about three and a half hours through FOG after the show to get to my hotel, because the tour stop that had been planned for tonight is 15 hours away from Paul's house. The plan was to get some miles behind me last night, get a few hours of sleep and then go down to SoCal today.  But I was EXHAUSTED by the time I got here to the hotel.  It was the first time on the tour that I've really had to  sing REALLY LOUD in the car to keep from falling asleep. But don't worry...if it ever gets really bad I do pull off the road and take a power nap.  Luckily I arrived here before it got to that point!

Before I sign off and hit the road I want to do a quick recap.  So far the tour has  raised about $2500 for charity and two filled bins of food for food pantries.  Not bad as the weather was bad at a couple of the stops.  I still have eight more concerts to do and would love to see a big number at the end!  So if you're coming to a concert, please raid your piggy bank!!

Thank you for keeping up with me on my tour blog.  Have a wonderful Sunday!  I'm off in search of BIGFOOT!

Friday, Dec. 8th Tour Stop #7: Woodinville Wonderland, Woodinville, WA

The Orca II and I made it over some curvy, windy roads today to get to Mark and Tracy Zembruski's house, but it was no problem because I knew at the end of the road there was a magnificent display and a couple of completely wonderful people waiting for me!  Mark and Tracy are truly friends now...and it's all because of The House on Christmas Street.  This was my third visit to their house, and I think it was the best one yet.  Mark actually got up to sing "Frosty the Snowman!"  He had a great group of friends there to help out tonight, and I especially want to thank Brian, who unloaded everything from my van and got my speakers up on the poles for me and then took it all down after the show and loaded it up.  I'm very, very grateful.  It was such a joy to look out at all the happy people and the kids dancing and singing.  This year I added a few sing-along tunes- Christmas songs that everybody knows- toward the end of the concert and I was thinking tonight what a good decision that was because people are really getting into it.  Young and old they are singing their hearts out and it's so much fun!

When I drove up to the house there were a lot of people out their walking around, marveling at the display.  I couldn't believe it but it was actually bigger than the last time I was there. Mark has added a TRAIN!  And it's all so beautifully put together and bright and happy and you just know that it's a wonderful tradition for families to come and see it every year.  It's almost like having Disneyland in the neighborhood! Truly MIND BLOWING!  And Mark's is still the only house I've ever seen with not only Santa  up on the roof, but Santa AND Mrs. Claus on MOTORCYCLES up on the roof!

Mark is friends with a lot of other decorators all over the country and several were at the show tonight.  Everybody loves him because he's such a nice guy and always willing to help others.  I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow named Christopher who is just getting into the decorating hobby and his wife was with him and she talked about how she's been a fan of "The House on Christmas Street" for a long time.  I had seen her singing along while I was singing it.  You know, when people tell me that it really means a lot to me. I don't take it for granted.  I've been writing songs since I was 12 years old and I feel so blessed to have been given a song that has touched the lives of so many people all over the world.  It still isn't played on many radio stations, and I'm not getting rich from it, but I am rich in spirit because of all the wonderful experiences and people that song has given me.  I'm a very, very lucky person, and I owe so much to the decorators who have given the song such a wonderful life with their displays.

Tracy fed me a nice hot dinner before the show (Thank you, Tracy!) and introduced me to their new doggy, Yogi, who is just the sweetest little thing!  And then, after the show, I drove to the hotel and when I walked through the door to my room there were Christmas lights strung around the TV and a gift bag from the hotel staff.  What a surprise!

I had a hot shower and even though I had thoughts of hitting the exercise room I'm just too doggone tired.  I don't remember ever being this tired this early in the tour before. I must be getting old. When I think about it, I did the very first tour seven years ago when I was only 51.  Now I can see 60 on the horizon....but I can't think about giving this up. It's too much fun!  I do find that this time around I am also missing my husband and our pets more than I usually have in the past. I mean, it's not like I haven't missed him before, but this time I find that I am feeling it more intensely.  I don't really wish I were there....I just wish they were all here with me. I think it's time to get a camper and do this all together next time!

And on that happy thought I'm going to sign off and get some sleep.  Tomorrow's drive is only five hours so I am going to get some time in on the treadmill before I go.  It's on to Lebanon,  Oregon and the home of Mayor Paul Aziz, who gave me the key to the city made out of lights last time I was there!!  Looking forward to seeing everybody there again!

Good night, and in the immortal words of Bartles and Jaymes, "Thank you for your support."

Thursday, Dec. 7th: Tour stop #6: The Journey of Lights

It's Friday and my drive today isn't as long, and I've time traveled back another hour, so I thought I'd take a break and settle in at Starbucks to blog while I'm feeling fresh.  It's a beautiful day here in La Grande, OR.  I'm on my way to see old friends Mark and Tracy Zembruski in Woodinville, WA.  I've known them since I went to their display on my first tour in 2010.

Speaking of old friends, on my first tour I went to Fruitland, ID, to Terry Hurrle's display.  I went there again in 2012. Terry and his wife have become wonderful friends, and, when our family dog Buffy passed away in 2012, they sent us a lovely handmade ornament of Buffy with angel wings that goes on our Christmas tree every year in loving memory.

Anyhow, Terry has retired from decorating, but at both of those shows at his house I met another decorator, Tyson Schmidt.  Tyson and his wife and four children live in Boise and he decorates their church, which is called The Journey:  a Church for the Spiritually Curious.  I'm not really sure what that means, but I like the idea of a person being able to question and look for answers to spiritual matters. Anyhow, I'm getting off track.  Since Terry wasn't doing a display in 2014, Tyson invited me to come sing at the church, which I did, and it was so much fun!  His whole family gets involved!

When he found out I was touring again this year he invited me back, and this time he offered to do the concert inside the church.  Hooray!  A warm place to perform in a pretty dress without a coat and hat and gloves and all that was quite welcome!  The charity they chose was Siah Smash.  Siah was a little boy who passed away several years ago (his full name was Josiah) and his parents have begun a charity in his name.  They are planning to visit hospitals in a high-tech superhero suit (Siah was REALLY into super heroes!) and cheer up the kids and bring them goodie bags, and provide encouragement to their parents as well.  A great cause!  Siah's parents and grandparents and siblings were there last night, and it was wonderful to meet them.

Tyson collected raffle prizes and many tickets were sold.  They had great prizes- including a couple of my CDs- and lots of happy winners!  It was a banner evening!!  I felt so warm, both literally and figuratively, surrounded by all that love and faith.

I do want to talk a little bit about the drive there.  Philip, my travel consultant and hubby, and I debated which way to go from Casper to Boise.  He was encouraging me to take the highway, but, being adventurous (and stubborn) I took a chance and went the back way.  I did, however, rely on the advice of a kind gentleman at McDonald's, who heard me talking to the cashier about my trip, and advised me not to go quite the way I was going because it would've taken me through treacherous territory ("2004 Toyota Van with nearly 550k Miles Flies off Ice-Encrusted Road"  I probably wouldn't even get in the headline.  It was would be about the van!).  So I went one way the GPS didn't advise, and that turned out okay. The back roads were all clear (except for the one that had taken me to that McDonald's in the first place. That one was really icy and a both-hands-rigidly-on-the-wheel deal).  The scenery was just gorgeous...hills and valleys and rivers and lakes and even some hot springs where I could see the steam coming off from them.  Nary a McD's in sight, but thank God for that little general store in the middle of nowhere where I was able to use a clean bathroom and gas up!

I made it to Boise in time to shower, get gussied up and head over to the church, where a good time was had by all.

OH...one thing I wanted to mention about the show in Casper, WY the night before. Brian Wagner contacted me and told me his donation bin for Joshua's Storehouse was FULL in the morning!  Maybe some people saw the concert on the news that night and came over with donations?  I'd like to think I had something to do with it!

I"ve now been on the road nine days and have so many wonderful memories as I head for the farthest west point on the tour.  From the carillon bells in Lititz that were chiming Christmas carols as I walked from the inn to the fire station for my big ride to the display, to Jason Reph's little cousin, a survivor of rheumatic fever this year, who was having fun at the concert and who inspired the Reph's to make the Ronald McDonald  House of Philadelphia their charity, to the wonderful visit to the Christmas Story House (they were actually sucking Flick's tongue with a suction tube through a hole in that pipe, and that's how they made it look like his tongue was frozen to the flagpole!), to the wonderful Santas along the way...especially the one at Lights on Edison Road who sat in a royal throne behind me during my entire show!, to  A Dicken Christmas, where I met the brand new baby of the couple who got engaged at my 2012 show there, to being serenaded by the Wagner's daughters on the piano at their house while I ate delicious home-made beef stew, to the warmth and love I felt last night...and at every single tour stop so far!  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THIS TOUR ...monetarily, through prayer and good wishes. I am grateful to you all!

Now, on to Washington!!!