EverAshley Music: Alan's Road Stories

It was finally time to say goodbye to the South…it was a great time. After spending 4 days down on the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach, Florida it was time to get back to work. My dear friends in the Atlanta area helped us out by hosting an event that would dovetail nicely with our travel schedule. I want to thank Cindy Durham and all the wonderful TCF folks for hosting us for a concert last night here in Georgia. They put together a dinner/concert event which included some awesome food. It was a nice crowd and I thank each of them for coming out on this Friday night and fighting the Atlanta traffic to be a part of this evening. Many of you read the TCF/Atlanta online postings, and Wayne and Jane Newton who started this wonderful work 11 years ago were with us tonight as well…thanks Tucker for your generous donation toward our travel expenses and also thanks Cindy for the room at the Marriott…it was a great room (actually a two-room suite) and provided us a great nights rest. We are off now to the Boston area for concerts next week…1,100 miles of driving over the weekend.

I know most of you think this traveling is a constant vacation, and if you read Brenda’s blog it may seem that way…but it has been a long journey for me and there are times I need to shut down for a few days. This hole in the schedule allowed us to do just that. Panama City, Florida is a beautiful beach town nestled against the Gulf of Mexico and the wonderful green forests of the Florida panhandle. It is between seasons now and we got a great deal on a condo across the street from the beach in Panama City Beach.

We left Tampa on Monday morning and decided to drive the scenic route to PC which took us through some beautiful country rounding the curve that you see separating the panhandle from Florida. We drove through some amazing country which at times looked like a tropical rain forest. We followed the coast along many beach and fishing towns and it really was amazing. The Florida Manatee’s are in this area, there were many signs warning of bears crossing the road, and the area is lush with amazing wildlife of all kinds from dear, to gators, to snakes, to every creature imaginable such as turtles to a wide array of birds. What an incredible part of the country this is, there was hardly any traffic and it was a great drive which got us to Panama City late in the evening.

I was looking forward to just kicking back and not traveling for a few days. I got to catch up on my sleep, see one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen, and do a little tourist type stuff too. It was great having a kitchen in our condo, the hardest part of traveling is not being able to cook your own food…so we took advantage of the kitchen. We stopped at a produce stand along the way and got so many great vegetables including some of the best looking tomatoes I have seen in ages. Fresh Florida corn and fruit such as oranges, grapefruit and tangerines filled our bags as we left the product stand. The next stop was at one of the local fish markets down on the ocean where they sell the freshest fish unloaded from the boats which fish the Gulf. We wanted to eat healthy and we did….shrimp, crab, and tilapia that was so delicious was a part of our daily food. The shrimp were gigantic, I mean gigantic and we had shrimp cocktail everyday we were there….it was a nice change. To be honest, I could have used a few more days off...that last week took a lot out of me…but I am thankful for the great trip to the beach.

Time now to head out to Atlanta for a concert there on Friday night…then on to the Northeast.

It was certainly an honor to make a return visit to the wonderful city of Tampa, Florida for my BP-USA friends here. I was honored to be the key-note speaker at their Fundraising Tea for their Angel of Hope project. For those of you unfamiliar with the Angel of Hope, Google the name and you can learn more about it. The Tampa area will be blessed to soon have the Angel of Hope standing proud which will provide a place of comfort for bereaved families not only from the Tampa area but from around the world who visit . My special thanks to a dear friend Beverley Hurley for inviting me to speak at this very special event, but also for hosting a concert for me on Sunday night. Beverley Hurley is the President of Bereaved Parents of the USA and has been such an avid supporter of the work I do, I can’t thank her and David as well as all the folks from Tampa who have given such tremendous support to me. We stayed at the fabulous Quorum Hotel in Tampa which is quite a wonderful place to say the least…thanks for the great accommodations! My hope is that one day I will return to Tampa and be able to play an outdoor concert at the Angel of Hope.

After a couple of days off in Daytona, it was time to set off on “one of those weeks” that are a part of doing this work. We played 6 out of 7 nights spread across many miles.

We started on Monday by driving from Daytona to Boca Raton, Florida for a concert for the TCF Chapter there. Thanks Gail Schroeder for setting up this event, you have a nice group and it was fun playing/speaking for you. After the concert it was time to drive to a dear friend of ours, (another angel who God has put on our path) Cindy Baum’s house where we would be staying for a couple of nights. Cindy and her husband Jay are wonderful; Cindy has been one of those dear friends who go beyond what is expected and supports my work at every level.

My schedule was kind of funky when her and I spoke a couple of months before coming to Florida and she stepped up and not only decided to host and event but also invited us to escape the high cost of Florida hotels by sharing her home with us. What originally was going to be a small house concert however turned into a really nice sized event which she had to move to the St. Louis Catholic Church which was so gracious to give us a nice room to hold the concert. What a great group showed up, wow they were so supportive and fun to play for. I let my hair down for the evening and just played songs and told the stories behind each song…It was great.

The next day we took off driving for our little detour from Florida for a quick trip back to northern Georgia and Eastern Tennessee for a couple of events. Kathy Malone invited us to her home in Blairsville for a concert for her newly formed TCF Chapter in the beautiful hills of Northwest Georgia. Kathy and Patrick are TCF icons, their tireless and countless work for our organization is really quite amazing. Patrick is the former President of the TCF National Board, he and Kathy were chairs of the Atlanta National Conference in 2003, and just when they could retire and let the new folks do all the heavy lifting…they decide to start a new chapter near their retirement home in Blairsville. We were honored to spend the night at Irish Hills, the beautiful home Patrick and Kathy share on a beautiful hillside which backs up to the National Forest. Kathy made us a terrific dinner and we shared some great conversation before the concert. It was a nice group which was helped by a caravan of folks who drove down from Murphy, North Carolina to join us….I slept like a rock that night as it was so quiet and peaceful..thank Patrick and Kathy for a wonderful event and evening.

The next day it was up early for a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a concert that evening. Thanks Diane Craddock for inviting me to be a special guest at your Conference, you had a wonderful group of folks who came in from all over the country and Canada for your event…it was great and I thank you for the hotel room which allowed me to sleep before the all night drive to Tampa.

Mama said there would be days like this, or nights like this I guess. After Chattanooga which ended at 9PM, we had a 600 mile drive ahead of us and had to ready to sound check at 9AM in Tampa, Florida….yes it was an all nighter! Sometimes God gives me that extra boost of energy when I need it, and I needed it. I cruised all through the night doing all the driving and we pulled into Tampa at 6AM to the hotel. The guy at the check in counter gave me a strange look when I told him I needed an 8AM wakeup call…ah yes, two hours of sleep and we ready to go. It was a nice event in Tampa which I will write about later…..a long week would come to an end….but a beautiful week as well. The families I get to meet out here make it all worth while….when people tell me they are touched or have been helped by my music and message…well, that makes every mile worth it. Thanks to all who support this work….you are the best!

Good morning,

I am in Dalton, Georgia today waiting to play/speak tonight here for a TCF chapter. We are leaving in the morning for Florida and decided to take our time going to the Miami area. We are going to Savannah tomorrow as I have never been there and we want to see the old south, the historic southern mansions, and eat dinner at Paula Dean's place. We are going to Daytona Beach for the weekend and then to Boca Raton for a concert on Monday, and then Miami for a concert on Tuesday for my dear friend Cindy Baum.

It was great going home last week, got to see family and people we miss, it was great celebrating Gavin's birthday too....he is really 7 years old now...wow has he grown up fast. His dad and us went in together to buy him a Wii, he loves it I am told.

The people out here have been so amazing and generous to us; words can't really describe the goodness and hospitality that is given to us by so many wonderful folks who put together these concerts.

Since I have last written we have been blessed to play in Fairfax, Virginia and I want to thank Carol and Jane for a nice evening and you folks sure did pack the room it was great.

Susan Wetzel put together the event in West Milton, Ohio which is outside of Dayton, you have a lovely Chapter of TCF and it was a nice concert on a cold and rainy night.

Our travels then took us to Frankfort, Kentucky for the TCF Regional Conference. It was great to see Karen, Sue, Dusty, and all the others who make that event so special. I played for them last year. I was honored to speak and play music as part of a great presenting team which included Pat Loder, (Executive Director of TCF,) Charlie Walton (author of "When There Are No Words”,) and Elaine Stilwell, (an amazing author and speaker from Long Island, New York,) and Sandy Goodman (another talented author.) Thanks to all who attended this event, it was beautiful.

We then traveled on down to Georgia to play for the folks in Marietta didn't know what to expect but these folks packed the house too. Thanks to everyone who put this event together for the great evening.

On to Alabama where we finally got to play for the wonderful people of Huntsville who we have been trying to schedule for nearly 2 years. Thanks Herb and Ray for putting this event together. The steak dinner was just what the doctor ordered, thanks Ray and Diane for a great meal and good conversation too!

We woke up the next morning and drove the back roads to Auburn, Alabama. Alabama is a real gem, this state is so beautiful. Thanks Jerry for your wonderful event and especially for your contribution to our work in honor of your precious Sara...how generous of you and your family…we appreciate it very much!

We traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina that next day to play an event for the Children's Memorial Park. Thanks Skip and Jerry Mudge for inviting us to be a part of the brick dedication ceremony. This was a very emotional event as sadly, many bricks were added to the walkway this year. What an honor that you folks would make a special brick for Ashley and have it as part of your beautiful walkway, we were very moved by this.

We flew home for the week, but it was back to Charlotte this past Sunday. We drove to Brevard, North Carolina for an event in this beautiful town bordering the Smokey Mountains. Thanks Marisol and Bill for having us into your home for a wonderful dinner, (Bill is a fabulous cook) the Chinese Soup..simply mouth watering! It was Jose's 6 year angel day, thanks for letting us share that day with you both. Martha, you are something too...what an honor meeting you and sharing our stories in Brevard.

Back to Charlotte the next day for a concert for the TCF Chapter there. Donna Goodrich and the gang hosted a great event with a big crowd too. It was so nice that Anne from Leesburg, Virginia could make it to Charlotte.

A woman (Jackie) who attended the Charlotte concert handed Brenda her business card and said she owned a restaurant in town and asked us to let her buy us breakfast or lunch the following day.

Well, free food, and we are there! Oh my, her restaurant is called Cardillo's, it is a New York themed eatery with absolutely wonderful food. I had a meatball sandwich to die for (seriously folks,) they ship there bread and much of there stock down from New York so this stuff in authentic. Jackie treated us to a fabulous lunch and then sent us on the road with a bag of wonderful goodies including cookies and pastries....how generous and special this meal was....thanks Jackie...and keep writing!

Okay, I think we are caught up here. My voice is holding up good, the weather is finally nice..and I get to stick my toes in the ocean this weekend...so how can I complain?

I will try to keep this road journal more up-to-date...it seems I am either driving, or playing, or sleeping..and time gets away from me..but I will try.

Here is an updated total....since leaving Colorado on February 4th, I have driven 12, 324 miles ...slept in 43 different hotels....eaten at 137 different restaurants...played 34 concerts.... and met hundreds of wonderful people which makes it worth every mile! Talk to you soon!

I am writing this morning from Wilmington, Delaware where we played for a group last night from the TCF Brandywine Chapter. Thanks to Lyn and Kevin for putting the event together and especially for the wonderful accomodations here at the Inn at Wilmington. Easter weekend was spent in southern New Jersey, Brenda's mom has some family there and so we actually stayed in the same town for 5 nights as it was good to stop moving for awhile. The relatives were very nice and generous, thanks Laura and Jimmy and the rest of your wonderful family for making us feel welcome and for the amazing food…we appreciate it very much.

I played for the Cambden County Chapter of TCF again last Friday night, it was the second time playing for this group and I thank Tony and Lynn and all the rest of the gang there for welcoming me back for another concert, it was Good Friday but we had a nice crowd. Since my last entry here I have played concerts in Syosset, Long Island (thanks Diana,) Staten Island,(Thanks Babe for the awesome pizza and your help,) and Rockville Center, New York. Elaine Stillwell put the event together in Rockville Center as well as the Conference earlier this month and both events were terrific.

Last week I ventured down to the Washington D.C. area for an event in Woodbridge Virginia for my dear friend Jodi Norman.Jodi has been so supportive and helped put together 3 events for me thus far...also a special shout out to Rachel, the sweetest 16 year old roadie one could ask for. She worked the table in Woodbridge for me in Brenda's absence..and completely organized all my stuff..what a sweetie who will be 17 in two days...thanks Rachel....we had a nice evening there and the following night I played in Strasburg Virginia. Strasburg was unique because I got to stay in a historic hotel (The Strasburg Inn) which every room is decorated uniquely with its own antiques. A great restaurant is part of the Inn and I thank Barbara Nickerson and Katie Womack for a wonderful meal there.

Okay, that gets me caught up on where I have played concerts...to this point I believe I have slept in 35 different beds since leaving Colorado on February 4th...we have driven over 9,000 miles...and Lord only knows how many bad meals we have eaten on the go.

It has been a wonderful adventure thus far; it is the people you meet that make it all worth while. If the music and my story help them find just a sliver of hope, then it makes it all worth it. Financially, we are hanging in there; it costs more to be on the road full-time than I had originally figured. But somehow it all has worked out well enough to allow us to keep moving forward. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers...this week we will play in Virginia, then drive 540 miles tomorrow and play in Ohio, we will rise and shine early Friday to drive down to Frankfort, Kentucky for a two day event Friday and Saturday before heading to the real "south" for events in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina next week.

Keep those cards and letters coming! Talk to you soon!

Alan

Many times I have to sit back and count my blessings along this journey. There is no doubt that the loss of Ashley changed my life in just about every way imaginable. In the early years I cursed God, and fate, and anything else I could think of because I was so bitter about having to endure such pain and loss. Through the years I have been very fortunate however to have been blessed with friends and family who love me for being me and who support this crazy life I live trying to give something back to others whose children have died.

Once in awhile on this journey I get to meet a very special person whose friendship and support go way beyond what anybody could ever expect. I have been blessed to have a friend like this now for several years....her name is Linda Riley.

Linda would kick me if she knew I was writing this about her, you see, she is one of those who does her good works in silence and NEVER seeks or expects recognition for all that she does, she would frankly be embarrassed and tell me that what she does is no bige deal...but folks it is a big deal.

Linda Riley is a leader in The Compassionate Friends Chapter in Manchester, New Hampshire….now she will be quick to tell you that she is only part of the leadership...but her contributions to helping others is beyond remarkable and her friends and fellow TCF family heap praise on this woman because she works tirelessly to help others.

Linda bought a CD of mine in Atlanta, Georgia in 2003. She believed in me before anybody knew who I was. She was the first person who offered to bring me to their city to play/speak in 2005.

Linda, her husband Tim, and all of the TCF folks in Manchester have been an incredible support to my music and ministry ever since that day. I have been honored to play/speak for them twice while on this journey..and who knows (wink-wink) I may be able to play again for them real soon.

Linda has been instrumental in supporting everything I have done since that first day. I have stayed in her beautiful home in New Hampshire; we have become very good friends indeed.

I am writing this because who should appear yesterday in the crowd here in New York? Of course it was Linda Riley along with her Co-Leader of TCF in Manchester.

She drove 5 hours to be here, she also made dinner reservations at a restaurant nearby and said she wanted to take me to dinner after the event. The 3 of us had a most wonderful meal at the fabulous Ruth Christ's Steak House here on Long Island.

Friends like Linda Riley are the reason I can continue to do this, she is one of those people who make you proud to do this kind of work. Her generosity, kindness, support, and friendship are what make the miles worth driving. She understands the sacrifice it takes to do this work, she understands the passion in the music, and most of all she is one of the most humble and beautiful people you would ever meet.

Brenda and I want to thank Linda Riley for being an angel on our path...now I better not say anymore as I am probably already in trouble for saying this much about her...believe me...I could write a book about Linda.

What an honor to play/speak here in New York at the Comfort My Heart Bereavement Conference today. Elaine Stilwell and her incredible staff of volunteers put on a wonderful event at Kellenberg High School which sits across the street from the Nassau Coliseum..(home of the New York Islanders.) Over 300 people attended the Conference which included an array of workshops designed to help those going though loss acquire some valuable insight and information about this journey of grief and loss. I was honored to play music during the opening session and to also present a couple of workshops on healing and creativity. It was a great day, thanks Elaine, and thanks to all of you who attended my workshops...you are very special people....I would love to see you all again next year...it was a terrific and very WELL RUN event!

Okay, so this Valley Forge group really knows how to treat a guest. First of all, they put me up at the Radisson Hotel, not just any Radisson mind you...but the Radisson Hotel overlooking the historic Valley Forge Park. The room was amazing and so were the hosts. Rhonda Gomez was my contact here and she invited me to dinner before the concert at a wonderful itialian restaurant to meet "the gang"..we had a nice time. We had a nice crowd for the concert as well. To top this evening off...Marie (believe me she is a saint) sent me back to the hotel with some of her carrot cake, and chocolate cake...MMMM. This group here in Valley Forge have organized and hosted some of the most successful Regional Conferences in the country...I can see why...they are an energetic, compassionate, and skilled group of terrific friends...what a pleasure playing for you folks. Now it is off to New York City for a week of events there....going to go over and see the Valley Forge Park for a few minutes before leaving town.

Anne Shatuck put together this event for me in Leesburg, Virginia. Unfortunately, Anne had to fly to Brazil to attend to her ailing daughter and did not make it back in time for the event...our thoughts and prayers are with Anne..it appears her daughter is recovering and we are so happy for her. Julie Simonds stepped in and put this event together...it was great. The St. James Episcopal Church where we played the event was a sanctuary that was nearly 250 years old..it is an amazing building with beautiful woodwork and glass work. Thanks for all who came out and supported this event...it was great!

Thanks Carl and Sue Johnson for putting together this concert in beautiful and historic Potomac. We had a great group out, they supported the music so much. Brenda flew back to Colorado for a couple of weeks so I was on my own. Joann, you did a great job on the programs, and thanks to all who attended..what a nice evening it was!

We played for the nice folks at TCF Plano Texas last night, Sandy Craig and the gang had a nice group for us. We stayed at the Southfork Hotel which is owned by the Ranch from which the show "Dallas" was filmed..they do tours of Southfork but we didn't take the tour since they told me that Heather Locklear doesn't really live there and that it was only a television show. We are up this morning to drive to the East Coast..we have stops planned in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville...hmm there seems to be a Tennessee theme going on. We don't play again until next week..talk to you then.

We spent the weekend in New Orleans, what a glaring contrast this town is. We stayed at a really unique and cool hotel down on Canal Street within walking distance to Bourbon Street, the Waterfront, and all the fun that is so much of what New Orleans is.

I have been trying to eat healthier, but threw that all out the window once we hit town...the food is nothing short of fabulous! The music and food make this place one of the greatest weekend trips imaginable. The Gumbo at the Bayou Cabin, the ribs at Voodoo Barbeque, were out of this world. Big Al Carson sings the blues and anything else in between and we caught his show on Bourbon Street on Saturday night. it really was fun.

On Sunday however we ventured to that part of New Orleans that truly breaks your heart. We toured the 9th Ward and the completely destroyed Barnard Parish. Hurricane Katrina and the failed levees really did a number on this place and one can only walk away shaking their head at the damage still sitting there.

While there certainly are homes that have been rebuilt, they sit among blocks of houses yet to be demolished. Signs of the destruction remain everywhere, especially in Barnard where every home and business was destroyed. It seems unimaginable that nobody is screaming at the top of their lungs on a national level about the slow pace of the clean-up, or the lack of interest in helping these people rebuild. It has been 2 1/2 years since Katrina struck, and yet seeing this place rebuilt appears to be years away..what a sad statement about our country in my opinion...I am a proud American indeed, but seeing New Orleans makes you truly question where our priorities lie....why can't we get this done? They say the answers are complex...I don't know....all I know is that this place needs a lot of work and it simply isn't getting the help it needs to fully recover from Hurricane Katrina. I left New Orleans with very mixed emotions...it is a fun place, but a tragic place too.

We are heading back to Texas for an event in Plano and then on to the East Coast.

Okay, so playing in Yuma, Arizona on a Saturday night and then playing in the Dallas, Texas area on the following Monday is quite a drive. The butterfly bus fought the wind and provided a nice ride as we crossed Arizona and then New Mexico before heading out accross west Texas up to the Dallas area. We played on Monday night in Denton for the BP-USA Chapter there, we had a small but wonderful group. Thanks Shirley Ottman for arranging this nice event. On Tuesday night we played for the TCF Southwest Chapter in Duncanville. Joan Campbell, you did a wonderful job setting up this event, thanks to all those who attended both events for your support and especially your generosity. I love Texas, and to be honest I sampled great BBQ at Odoms, and of course had wonderful Tex-Mex at Sophia's....so Alan is a happy man. We are headed out to Hearne, Texas for a concert on Thursday...looking forward to it. This weekend we are going to take a side trip down to New Orleans for a bit of R&R, Brenda has never been there so we are going to sample the food, music, and maybe an adult beverage or two before getting back to work next week.

Thanks Carl and Sally for bringing us to Yuma, Arizona. Charlie, the free meals you had donated by local restaurants were wonderful...hmmmm the Olive Garden, and JB's...mmmm it was awesome. My grandparents retired in Yuma for the winter and I had been there many times when I was young...Brenda and I drove to the places I used to go with my grandparents including Imperial Dam, and the sand dunes. Thanks to all of the wonderful folks who came out to the concert and supported us, it truly was a nice event. Can't wait to see Carl and Sally in Washington next summer, and Charlie and Carol in Oregon as well. Now we have a long drive to Texas.

Carol Tilton and the rest of the wonderful group at TCF Tucson once again treated us to a wonderful event. The Viscount hotel was beautiful, the two room suite was so comfortable to stay in and we appreciate such fine accomodations. The concert was nice and the next day we went to the Butterfly exhibit at the Botanical Gardens there and then went to the Children's Memorial Park where these generous folks also had Ashley's name engraved upon the wall there....like I said, Tucson is very special to me and the TCF folks are absolutely wonderful to us. We are headed to Yuma, Arizona for a Saturday night concert on the dessert.

We arrived in Las Vegas late Sunday night. We stayed at the wonderful South Point resort and spa and it was great and very reasonably priced. We were tired on Sunday so we didn't do much. On Monday I took a much needed day off while Brenda did some shopping and running around town...then we met our son Jason at his house and made dinner, Steaks, Crab Legs, and all the trimmings..it was great. Tuesday night we played for the Las Vegas TCF Chapter at their regular meeting, it was intense as their were a lot of newly bereaved families..I cut short what I normally do and just sat with them and their group leaders for nearly an hour and let them speak as we tried to help so many of them...Thanks Lisa for allowing me to be a part of that circle, it is times like that when I am reminded of why I do this work...hopefully we helped some families in Las Vegas. Heading to Tucson, Arizona in the morning.

Saturday was a record setting temperature in beautiful Camarillo, California. This town sits halfway between L.A. and Santa Barbara. Marvin Short and his Ventura County group hosted their first annual balloon release and we were honored to play music at their outdoor event. The event was held in the parking lot of the Conejo Mountain Memorial Park, which sits on a beautiful hillside in the Conejo Mountains. Over 200 people attended and it was very special..the temperature was near 80 which made it perfect. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Short's home on Friday night (thanks Carol) so it was a beautiful event. On Sunday we played in Beverly Hills, our friend Sonia Berman helped arrange this visit with her TCF Chapter and it was very nice. Thanks for all your support and to the people who came out to hear the music..and especially thanks to the bakery who donated the cookies..thanks for the love gift..we ate them and loved them! Now it is on to Las Vegas...we play there on Tuesday and get to visit Jason. See photos of the balloon release we posted in the photo section.

I must admit that feeling the warmth of San Diego was very welcome after the Colorado snow. I was amazed at the deep blanket of snow on the ground nearly all the way to Las Vegas where we spent our off night. Barbara Lopez who had seen me at the National Conference of TCF in Oklahoma City last year invited me to play for her group, it was a nice event. We did have a challenging hitch in the plan as the event was located on the second floor of a wellness center and the elevator was broke. But thanks to many helpful hands we carted all the equipment up the stairs and got set up in time. We drove up the coast to Huntington Beach and had a picnic on the beach today, we are off tonight and tomorrow night before playing a concert at a big outdoor event in Ventura County on Saturday afternoon. I must go now, I am working on my tan.

Blessings,

Alan

Words can't describe how awesome it was to open up this wild and wonderful adventure we have undertaken by making our first stop the peaceful and loving Monroe home high above the mesa near Grand Junction, Colorado. This is the third concert in what I affectionately call the Monroe Auditorium, and it was great. Alice and Daryl Monroe are dear friends of ours and compassionate friends to countless bereaved families around this country. They have built a piece of heaven on earth in the "Raven's Roost" which is a private B&B that must be experienced to be believed. Their house is unique and the domed room we play our concerts in is just perfect. 2 feet of snow had fallen the night before, and it took a lot of work to get the driveway into their home plowed, but it all came off without a hitch....Thanks Alice and Daryl, Peggy Grant and all the others who braved the weather on this very cold night to welcome us to Grand Junction. Please keep Alice and Daryl in your thoughts and prayers, our brother Daryl is fighting a valiant battle against cancer, he is such a man of faith and strength....he inspires me more than he will ever know. Brenda and I feel blessed whenever we are in the presence of these two wonderful angels who masquerade around in people clothes! We are on to sunny Southern California for a concert in Beautiful San Diego…talk to you soon!