EverAshley Music: Alan's Blog

Helen Ortiz is an incredible woman. A bereaved mother to Shaun, Helen has used her grief as a vehicle to help so many in the San Jose, California area.

I was honored to play/speak at the 1st Annual Butterfly Release at the Angel of Hope this past Sunday. The Angel came to San Jose through the hard work and dedication of Helen, her family and supporters. As a wonderful group of families gathered on a gorgeous California day to honor and remember our children I played music and enjoyed every minute of the event.

Thanks to Helen, and all the volunteers who were involved in organizing this wonderful event.

Thanks to the Hilton/Double Tree Hotel for the wonderful accommodations, VERY NICE!

Also I want to give special thanks to the San Jose Mercury News and reporter Sharon Naguchi for her fine coverage as well as photo journalist Jim Gensheimer and KNTV Channel 11, the NBC affiliate in San Francisco for their excellent coverage of this event too.

I am taking a couple of weeks off and then it is back on the road...September is calling!

If you want to read the newspaper article, see video and great pictures of the San Jose event, copy and paste the links below into your browser. Click "Butterfly Video" at the San Jose Mercury News site. Channel 11 posted 33 pictures of the event on their site too.

www.nbc11.com/slideshow/community/17161238/detail.html

www.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_10163822

I am going to make an effort to give credit to the wonderful media outlets around the country who support my events and help shine a light on the organizations who reach out to the bereaved in the towns I play in and speak. There have been dozens of newspaper, television, and radio pieces done on the events that I have played these past 4 years. My mom asked me the other day if I save any of these articles, and the truth is I don't. Many times the articles are published after I have left town.

Each time I am interviewed I ask the reporters to please not shine the light on me, but rather shine it on those people who put the events together and the outreach to the local community they represent. It is always an honor to help bring publicity and awareness to wonderful organizations such as The Compassionate Friends, Bereaved Parents of the USA, and the many other groups who host and sponsor events for me.

I will try to do a better job of giving credit to these news organizations in my road journals...and maybe I can put some links for those of you who want to see the television or newspaper coverage that we receive.

Thanks to all the wonderful reporters and news organizations who have reported about my travels, my Ashley, and this ministry.

Here is an example of a video done by the Omaha World Herald..copy and paste this link in your browser to see it.

www.omaha.com/index.phpu_page=3940&u_sid=10093799

I have played in Omaha for TCF on 3 occasions...Kelly Pelster is an incredible Chapter leader and she has a wonderful team. I had the honor again this year to play for their Butterfly release which is such a well run and special event. We had a great crowd.

Omaha is extra special because my mom lives nearby; she was able to attend with her husband Bob (our thoughts and prayers are with him as he struggles with some health issues.) My two sisters, Kim and Kris were also there….so it was a family reunion and a wonderful night.

I want to also thank the Omaha World Herald, and KETV the local CBS television affiliate in Omaha for their excellent coverage of this event.

It was bound to happen, I mean it was inevitable...and so finally it did. There I sat at the auto repair shop in Hastings, Minnesota waiting nervously for a diagnosis of what was wrong with the Butterfly Bus. I had an inclination it would be expensive, I knew it was serious when I woke up to find a big puddle of fluid under the left rear tire.

The mechanics all gathered around...whispering to each other...pointing at the broken wing of sorts on my sole method of transportation to all of you. As I sat, patiently waiting they approached me with an estimate.

The Butterfly Bus was indeed sick....a broken rear axle seal, differential seal, and upon further inspection the rear axle itself was in need of replacement. The leaking fluid caused damage to brakes and the list of needed repairs was staggering. I would be left sitting for several hours as parts were found, and so I just pondered all of this.

The high cost of travel this year has been stressful, I don't often talk about it but there are times it stings and can take the wind out of my sails. $4 a gallon gas wasn’t part of my equation…..to say the least.

This particular repair was $1,000, with another few hundred needed when I get home to Colorado next week with my own mechanics.

I have been operating strictly on faith; I have been blessed to travel to you these past 4 years without charging a fee and choosing to rely on donations from chapters and those who attend events to help cover these costs. It was a gift from my ministry to you in honor of Ashley.

This year has been difficult; we reached out to the smallest of chapters and organizations in the most rural of areas. I have driven almost 30,000 miles to get to the nearly 60 events we have played.

While my average cost per event has risen, the hard economic times have seen donations take a nose dive. Many nights I donate everything from CD sales and it still doesn't cover the cost of travel.

Anyway, I am looking at some ways to raise money to help me with travel, as most of you know I have a difficult time asking for donations. So, we are looking at sponsorships etc to help fill that gap. Any thoughts or ideas are welcome, please email me if you have any ideas.
It is an honor to do this work, I am not writing this for sympathy, or because I plan any immediate changes to how I do things...I am just writing it because many of you tell me you want to know these things. It was a tough day there in Minnesota; however I am thankful it happened on an off-day so that I didn't have to miss an event.

The Butterfly Bus is back to flying again, she runs quieter and seems to be back to her old self. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

I am writing this entry from a small coffee shop in Blair, Nebraska which is just north of Omaha. For the past days the Coffee House here on the Main Street has been my office. I have been staying at my mom's house which sits in the country north of Blair for the past week taking a break between a couple of Midwest events. Mom doesn’t have the internet for reasons I will not go into here….but let’s just say that computer she had and her did not see eye-to-eye…so she continues to hand write letters and laments the days when there was no such thing as email.

My mom's house has become a very peaceful and restful place for me these past few years. I stop by for a day or two when I am crossing the country and it has become very special to me. Mom and her husband Bob live on a bluff which overlooks the Missouri Valley, it is beautiful.

My sisters from Colorado congregated here with me last week to throw mom a 70th birthday party, what a great time we had as we took over her house and invited her friends and family to share in this event.

You see, my mom is what you would call very low-maintenance, the little things make her so happy, she asks for so little, and so the fact that we would throw such a big event for her left her speechless to say the least.

My mom is such a special lady....her heart is tender, her wisdom and insight have been honed from years of experience in the highs and lows of this life.

She has been bereaved twice as a grandmother, I stand amazed at her ability to withstand her loss, process her loss, and then use that loss to move forward with such dignity, grace, and beauty.

She supports what I do out here and I am never happier than when she is in the crowd at one of my events which will be the case this Thursday when I play and speak for the Omaha Chapter of TCF at their annual Butterfly Release.

Happy Birthday Mom....you are the most beautiful 70 year-old woman in the world!

What an honor to travel to Iowa City to play for the University of Iowa at their first ever balloon release to honor those children lost and bereaved families who were so graciously served by the Children's Hospital there. Sheila, you did an amazing job and what a beautiful event for your first one. The Mariott was a great to stay and I thank my dear sister Kim who traveled with me to this event...I know she was touched..and it was great spending some time with her. Thanks Iowa City, for all your support. I know you are hurting now as the floods have done so much damage, it is amazing watching you rebuild...I enjoyed my visit to your town.

The journey took me from St. Louis to Olathe, Kansas which is a suburb of Kansas City. It was a nice event their and I thank Gay for putting this evening together to fit my travel schedule. From Olathe, I traveled on to Crawfordsville, Indiana to play for Daryl and Lee Ann Hutson at their second annual Butterfly Release. Thanks to both of you for your warm hospitality, hard work, and the dinner at your home...continue the great work their in Crawfordsville. It was on to Lafayette, Indiana for a concert for the TCF Chapter their. We had another good sized group and I enjoyed my evening meeting the wonderful folks in Purdue Boilermaker country.

It was on to Fargo North Dakota for a return visit to the TCF Chapter for their annual Walk to Remember. Thanks John Milligan for putting this together and also for the great accommodations at the Kelly Inn, what a fabulous place to stay.

The next day it was down to Minneapolis for an outdoor concert for the Golden Valley, Minnesota TCF and their balloon release. I was with these folks two years ago and I thank Mary Weis for her return invitation. Keep Mary, (who has done so much for so many bereaved parents) in your thoughts and prayers as she battles some serious medical problems…we Love you Mary..and please know you are in our hearts and minds.

My DEAR FRIEND Mitch Carmody lives near Minneapolis, and I LOVE the opportunity to work with him...he does his beautiful sign language to my songs when we work together...he spoke and signed in Golden Valley during my event...so it was fun.

Barb, Mitch's beautiful wife is such fun too...I stayed the night at their home and we stayed up late sharing stories and drinking an adult beverage or two....I make excuses now to book events in Minnesota so I can hang out with Mitch and Barb.

I am off now to my mom's house in Nebraska for a special event just for her...I will keep you updated!

It was time for my annual July road trip, and so the butterfly bus and I hit the road for the Midwest. Brenda is working on her own project that will find her in Las Vegas, NV and so I am back to flying solo.

The journey began with an encore visit to the National Conference of the Bereaved Parents of the USA in St. Louis Missouri. I love these folks, they have embraced me, supported me, and truly treat me so wonderful that I enjoy being a part of their family.

I was given the honor this year of being the key-note at their closing ceremony on Sunday morning. My dear friend Mitch Carmody and I, along with the siblings put a program of music and speaking and of course Mitch's beautiful signing to songs together.

I also conducted a couple of workshops on healing through creativity, and sang a couple of other songs during the candle lighting on Saturday night and at the Friday night session.

There are so many people to thank that I will forget someone and then feel awful..but to all of those at BP-USA, let me say thanks for all you do for me. I love and support your organization and am honored to be a part of your Conference each year. I will see you again next year in New York City...GO Diana!

The end of road trips is always difficult for me. On one hand I am so excited to go home and just be still in my own space, free from travel. I miss my family and friends so much, and it is great to step back into a “normal” existence for awhile. On the other hand it is hard to step away from the work that I am so honored to do each night out here. You see, I write a lot about the food, and the places..but believe me these things are just a side light to what matters most about doing this work. It is the people I get to meet that keep me moving forward. It is a priceless experience to share my music and story with thousands of people who share their stories with me in return. It is difficult to walk away from that connection; it is truly a bond that I cherish with each of you. All the beautiful children I have come to know through the words, tears, handshakes, and hugs we shared these past few months are what I will always treasure…and take with me.

I want to thank all of you who attended the 48 concerts as part of this spring tour. Your support was incredible, and it was my honor to play and speak for you. This tour would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication in each city of those who put these events together. Thanks for your gracious hospitality, kindness, and generosity…it means so much.

As we traveled the last miles into Colorado, my fuzzy math estimates that in my 106 days on the road we drove 19,524 miles which took us to 33 states. I slept in 77 different hotels, Inns, motels, and a few homes. We ate in 214 different restaurants, bars, gas stations; drive ins, drive thru’s, and kitchens along the way. It was exhausting, exhilarating, EXPENSIVE, but all in all a great undertaking. $4.00 per gallon gas was not in the budget, but we survived it….so now it is time to rest…..to regroup….and to reflect.

Once again, thanks to all of you who made this journey possible, I am humbled and honored. I also want to thank Brenda for stepping away from her own life for awhile to travel along. She has worked very hard to allow me to do this work these past few years, taking care of business at home so that I could be with all of you. It is great to see her taking it all in, believe me she makes the travel much easier than when I go it alone. She will step back into her own life one of these days…but I am glad she got to experience this work up close and personal…she has been so touched by each of you as well.

Blessings, and I will be writing again soon!

It is always great to finish on a high-note…pardon the pun. Evansville, Indiana was the site of our final spring event, and what a beautiful day it was for the outdoor balloon release we held in conjunction with the concert. The weather cooperated nicely, as we played at the 4-H grounds just north of Evansville; this was a first of what hopefully will be an annual event for this area sponsored by TCF. I want to thank Eldon and Kathy and all the gang who put this concert together, it took nearly two years to get this one scheduled, but we finally got it done and it was nice. Thanks also for the awesome dinner at the Haub Steakhouse, wow this place is definitely a top shelf restaurant. There is nothing like a great dinner to celebrate the end of the tour, you folks picked a great place…the steak was fabulous…the strawberry shortcake was awesome..and the company was exceptional…what more could a vagabond songwriter and traveler ask for at his last supper before driving home? Thanks Evansville!

It is finally getting near the end of the road for the spring tour, what a journey it has been. We took a detour of sorts back to Maryland area to be the Keynote speaker (and what an honor it was) for the BP-USA Conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Debbi Smith, invited me to the event and it was a wonderful all-day event. Annapolis is a beautiful place; the church where the Conference was held is a block or so from where the Naval Academy plays football. During a break we wondered down to the Capitol building and the docks in Annapolis, wow, what a place. I want to thank Dr. Fran for allowing me to attend her workshop on building memorials and tributes...I got to decorate a beautiful candle (I was the only guy there) that will sit in my writing room. After Maryland we took a couple of days off in New York City, once again Dorothy Jordon and her husband David Ferber were so gracious by inviting us to stay with them in their ultra cool 5th Avenue home. I have been to New York many times but never have stayed in Manhattan; they live right in middle of everything great about New York in Greenwich Village. We walked (and walked and walked and walked) one day from their home at 5th Avenue and 11th Street all the way through China Town, it was great. Thanks again Dorothy and David, and Jordon too for making us feel so welcome...and for the great dinner when we arrived on Sunday.

We left on Tuesday for Albany and a concert for Jan Messina and my good friends in the capitol city of New York. It was my second time playing there and we enjoyed meeting many new people as well. It was time to begin driving west, to our final concert in Evansville, Indiana where I am writing this from. Our guests here are taking us to the "famous" Haub Steak House (I know what you are thinking….all I do is eat) for dinner tonight...this place sounds amazing...I will report back to you. Thanks to all of you who follow along on this crazy journey....I am looking forward to my own bed for awhile.

Blessings,

Alan

Okay, so it appeared the food-fest was over and life would get back to normal with the daily dose of long drives, boring food, and hotel rooms that looke like they were cloned from an original Holiday Inn builit in 1973. That is what we expected too, until we drove up to Connecticut to play and speak for a TCF Chapter in Waterbury after our New York City event.

Jill Garafolo (Tim's Mom) who coordinated this concert had booked us into a place called the Curtis Inn...she said it would be something a bit different..and was she right..in a GOOD WAY!

The Curtis Inn is a quaint and rustic New England Inn and is everything you would expect. It is the oldest Inn in Connecticut, it was built in 1736. The place is just oozing with history and lore as it is filled with antiques and each room in decorated in its own unique style.

The Cutis Inn also houses one of the most popular restaurants in the area for local New England fare. I am not going to go into a bite-by-bite saga of how awesome the food was (read Brenda's blog for that) but I will just tell you that the Yankee Pot Roast, and the French Onion Soup were superb. Thanks to the Curtis Inn for your generous donation of our room, and thanks to Jill for the terrific lunch...it was a great stay and a wonderful evening of music and remembering.

I guess you could say the past few days have been more about great food, great company, and fabulous places than about music, let me tell you it has been an amazing few days to say the least. The Red Arrow Diner last Friday, then a trip to Maine to visit our dear friends Nancy and Doug Van Reeth in beautiful Brunswick over the weekend. We ate Maine Lobster that Doug prepared to perfection and also feasted on several varieties of clam chowder soup...topped off by a birthday pie (cherry) which dear Nancy made me from scratch to celebrate my (50th...ouch) birthday which will arrive on the 27th of May).

So after all that food you would think I would be ready for a break right?? Well, that was not the case...let me tell you about my night at the grill.

We left Maine to play a concert in New York City, ah yes, The Big Apple. The event was right there in Manhattan...in the heart of the city. I love New York, and I enjoyed the concert very much and the people were wonderful….thanks to all who came out and attended.

The woman who put the event together, Dorothy Jordon (Russell's Mom) had mentioned to me that she and her husband would like to take us to dinner while we were in New York...believe me, they know how to do dinner...BIG TIME!

Their son Russell, a talented pastry chef had lived and worked in Colorado as part of his carreer...he died 6 years ago. Russell had decided he wanted to spend his life and talents working in a kitchen after he had worked for the famous Bobby Flay in New York City earlier in his career. Dorothy asked if we would like to eat at Bobby's Mesa Grill...of course we said...YES.

Dorothy, her husband David (Bobby Flay's attorney), and their son (budding New York stand-up comic Jordon) Ferber, along with a star struck Brenda and I showed up at the Mesa Grill around 10 PM..after the concert.

The place is beautiful and sits on historic Broadway in Manhattan. The Mesa Grill was packed, which it is every night….but as the story goes…it is who you know….David who let’s just say has “connections” managed somehow to get us seated right away. Our spacious table was perfect and it was now time to let the games begin.

For a moment, let me take off my songwriting and singing and speaking hat…and play restaurant critic if I may. The great thing about going to dinner with folks who know the lay of the land and have experienced a great restaurant in the past is that they know the menu..and the Ferbers who have dined at Mesa Grill many times definitely know the menu.

Dorothy, David, and Jordon recommended several appetizers..and we ordered them all…. Bobby Flay has infused southwest spices with so many wonderful dishes that it was hard to tell what we loved best. We sampled the Blue Corn Pancake with Barbequed Duck, which is like a corn tortilla with the duck stuffed inside sprinkled with seasonings. I was blown away by the Shrimp Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale, this tomale is made with fresh corn and is served with a cilantro sauce that is to die for. I am not an oyster man, but let me tell you that the Corn Meal Oysters served with a pico de gallo sauce were excellent too, our appetizer smorgasbord was rounded out by Sophie’s Chopped Salad, and the Queso Fundido. I loved them all, but clearly those shrimp tomale’s were as delicious as anything I have ever tasted. It is easy to see why Bobby Flay has gained the reputation as one of the best chefs in America and beyond, each dish is unique and delicious. He has the perfect blend of spices which compliment each other, so no spice overpowers…and they work perfectly with the texture and taste of each dish.

Now it was time to get onto the entrée’s. Jordon and I could not resist ordering the New York Strip which comes crusted in incredible spices and served with Bobby Flay’s own Mesa Grill Steak Sauce. I was going to order a baked potato with my steak (boring) but the waiter recommended I try the Anaheim Chile Relleno which is filled with white cheddar cheese, black beans, and rice. The steak was magic, cooked to perfection with just a kick of heat in the spices which went well when you dipped it into the Mesa Steak Sauce. This Chile Relleno was simply a perfect pairing…it was a bit spicy but was offset by the blend of cheese, beans and rice..it was encased in a sauce that was amazing…what a great side dish.

Brenda and Dorothy and David ordered the New Mexico Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, it was a melt in your mouth tender pork also crusted in a perfect blend of spices. The portions here are large and we all shared and tried everything including a selection of several side dishes. Brenda’s tenderloins were served with a sweet potato tomale, again a unique and tasty flavor combination that worked perfect with the meat.

I have been blessed to eat at many wonderful restaurants in my travels; I can honestly say that The Mesa Grill could well be the best restaurant I have ever eaten in. We topped off our meal with some coffee ice cream with roasted banana’s served with a caramel sauce….they had to roll us out of the place at 11:30….what an experience and what a meal.

Our thanks to the Ferber’s for treating us so wonderful and for their generosity, it really was another amazing experience. I will post some pictures soon….!

There are so many times on this journey that I get to do something wonderful and unique, and Friday the 9th of May was one of those days. After playing in the Boston area most of the week, we were heading to Maine for the weekend. Our dear friend Linda Riley lives outside of Manchester, New Hampshire which is only an hour from Boston. Susan Stott is part of our TCF family in Manchester and had asked us a couple of months ago if we would take part in her daughter Taylor’s Flat Stanley project at her school. For those of you who don’t know, Flat Stanley is a little (see pictures in photo section) character made of construction paper that students ask friends and relatives to take on their travels and photograph Flat Stanley and send the photos to the students. We surprised Taylor by showing up at her elementary school with her Stanley which we had taken to many great places as part of our travels the past couple of months. I got to speak to her class and present her with a bag full of chocolate from our latest adventure with Stanley at the Hershey Chocolate Factory in Hershey, PA. It was a fun event for me, and it was especially nice to do something nice for such a sweet little girl…Taylor you are a doll. My day was just getting started however as I was soon headed to a very special lunch at a famous diner in Manchester.

When I am home I like to watch the Food Network (imagine that) and one of my favorite shows is Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives hosted by Guy Fieri. When you spend as much time as I do traveling the highways it is fun to learn about unique and special places to eat…so I have been to several of the places featured on the show in the past year. One of the places I had circled to visit was The Red Arrow Diner in Manchester. I mentioned my interest in coming to Manchester to visit the Red Arrow to my friend Linda Riley who told me that she knew the woman who owned the Diner, and that the woman knew me through my music. Linda called and arranged for us to all have lunch…so I was jazzed to say the least.

The Red Arrow is an institution in New Hampshire and opened its doors in 1922….the walls are lined with pictures of celebrities and political figures who have dined there (Bill and Hillary, Mr. Obama, John and Elizabeth Edwards, Adam Sandler, The Bare Naked Ladies, Ty Pennington, Diane Sawyer just to name a few) and it is quite a place. There are only 4 booths and a counter with some seats….Carol Sheehan is the owner of this diner which has won so many awards and received many accolades from USA Today, and countless other sources…it has been named the Best Diner in New England. Roy, the kitchen chef, Rachael, the Twinkie and bakery genius, and a cast of 32 dedicated employees keep this place hopping smoothly 24-hourse a day-7 days a week.

Carol I would learn was not only the owner of this fabulous and historic joint…but most importantly as I am Ashley’s Dad, she is Jesse’s mom. Her precious son Jesse died at the age of 14 in 2006, this special young man was a big Red Sox fan I would learn and Carol’s love for her son and grief journey would be the common denominator in causing our paths to cross…I am so honored to know my music had touched her life.

When we showed up, Carol had reserved one of the booths for us..Linda Riley got to join us (I couldn’t have wished for more) along with her daughter and beautiful granddaughter. Carol gave us the star treatment from the moment we arrived, what a generous and special woman she is. She treated us to whatever we wanted, bringing us samples and plates of the dishes featured on the television show including American Chop Suey, (a macaroni, tomato and hamburger dish that is awesome.) She also brought us their famous meat pie (MMMM) and everything was fabulous. Carol took me on a tour of the kitchen and even allowed me to be Guy Fieri for a bit as I cooked an egg on the grill and played dishwasher and baker too….it was so fun to just have fun and enjoy a great experience.

We took many pictures and Carol said that she was going to put a plaque where I sat saying “Alan Pedersen ate here.” Now, there are many ways to be honored in this life, but honestly folks this is something I shall forever be proud of…having my name etched as part of the history of the Red Arrow Diner along with the other real celebrities who have been there….well all I can say is…”Ashley you are good.”

Carol of course did not let us leave empty handed..she brought us a bag filled with a variety of their baked goods (Twinkies to die for, and chocolate cream filled cakes, and assorted other goodies) as well as coffee mugs, a cool hat (see photo) it was like Christmas for two weary travelers who will forever be grateful.

Thanks Carol Sheehan and the staff at the Red Arrow Diner for a wonderful experience…your generosity and hospitality were something we shall never forget

I have certainly enjoyed my past trips playing music here in New England, so I was looking forward to a weeks worth of concerts in the Boston area. On Monday (May 5th) we kicked the week off by playing in North Boston for the TCF Chapter’s annual balloon release and dinner. Thanks Alice and Carmen for putting this event together and inviting me to be a part of it, it was a great group to play for. On Tuesday it was over to Worcester, Mass for a concert for their TCF group. Linda and the gang did a good job putting this event together and we had another nice size group.

With an off day on Wednesday we decided to drive down to Cape Cop (100 miles) after the concert in Worcester to check that area out…WOW. It is the off season in Cape Cod so we got a place overlooking the harbor in Hyannis for $60….and it was great. On Thursday we took the ferry (an hour ride) over to Nantucket. It was an amazing day as the weather was perfect. We rented a jeep as we were told that the remote beaches out on Great Point are great to see but can only be accessed by 4-wheel drive.

We drove 6 miles via soft sandy beaches to the farthest end of Nantucket where there is a lighthouse. There was nobody within miles and there was a colony of seals (200 or so) sunning themselves on the beach. We just sat and observed them for 2 hours and it was really incredible. They would go in the water and pop their heads up in front of us to check us out. Brenda got some incredible pictures….something told me to look at the rocks that wash up onshore…I had just looked toward the sky and said “thanks Ashley” which is something I do whenever I get to see something really wonderful on this journey. I walked over to observe these little rocks when I spotted one shaped like a heart (see photo section of this website for a picture) and picked it up..it was a magical and beautiful day. The village of Nantucket which was built as part of the whaling industry is like stepping back in time, cobblestone streets and quaint shops and houses dating back 200-300 years. This is a must see for anyone traveling to New England.

On Thursday we drove to Dudley, Mass for a concert and got to see some pretty country as we drove slightly into Rhode Island and then back in to southern Mass. We had another nice group in Dudley and I want to thank Anne Mathieu for putting the event together. It was a great few days in the Boston area, tomorrow we have a special day planned as we pay a special visit to an elementary school in Nashua, New Hampshire and then check out a very famous diner in Manchester, New Hampshire before heading up to Maine to spend the weekend with some dear friends outside of Portland. Talk to you soon!

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!