Sunday April 21st
Port Dover, Ontario, Canada
This morning I’ll get a walk on the north shore of Lake Erie before driving to New York where I’ll play my last gig of this tour in Ithaca. I’m in Garnet Rogers and Fred Eaglesmith territory here: flat land of farms, fishing, and Canadian songwriters. Apparently, Port Dover is the largest fresh water harbor in the world. Here, I’m told perch and smelt are harvested here and exported mostly to Europe. There’s a great concert series in this town as well. The Lighthouse Festival Theatre is a 300-seat venue and a classy place I felt honored to play at.

I haven’t been home since writing last months “notes”, but I soon will be.  For the last three weeks I’ve been all over the northeast playing from Maine to Vermont, from Boston to Ontario.  Vermont was great this tour. Just get me up around Bread and Puppet country in the North East Kingdom during sugaring time and I get wistful while I roll on roads I could drive with my eyes closed. It’s the circle coming around: visiting friends I haven’t seen for a year or more and renewing old connections, which is comforting when I’ve been on tour for such a long stretch.

One of the highlights of this month was a recording session with two of my very favorite musicians. Keith Leverault (drums), and Rose Sinclair (banjo, lap steel guitar & accordion). We went into the studio and nailed four songs that are going on “Avenue of the Saints”.  Nothing brings me so much joy as driving around listening to the rough mix of our sessions and anticipating the final results.

Today in my notebook: Now on highway 414 between the Finger Lakes in Central New York, I find neo classical houses particularly beautiful in their disrepair (despair?), between the towns of Romulus and Ovid. Amish children in Sunday suits and hats run and play on the grass in front of farmhouses. Horse and buggies drive on the shoulder of the road, not just one but three or four. Apple, Plum and Cherry trees, Forsythia and Daffodil are in glorious bloom. Leaves of trees are just pushing out.  Later that night Phil Shapiro in Ithaca mentioned that “greening day” had occurred on Friday.  It really does seem that one day the landscape is brown and the next day it’s green.   Spring is just that sudden up north.

After “Bound For Glory” in Ithaca it’s 11pm when I start driving east down a dark Rt. 79. A heavy snow squall encumbers my initial progress. Tonight all that’s needed is to take the edge off of tomorrows drive when I’ll follow I-81 south through Pennsylvania then down the spine of Virginia all the way home.  I had a place to stay tonight, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of being free to go home and not beginning. It’s been seven weeks since I’ve slept in my own bed. The magnets pull is strong. 

The interstate late at night through Pennsylvania is fascinating. Tractor-trailer rigs spill out of the rest areas and park on the interstate either side of the entrance and exits. Red taillights remain on, and motors idle while their captain’s sleep on bunks behind the helm. I opt not for a rest area, but for a truck stop in between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, where I flop down for a snooze before commencing a long haul the next day.

Monday, April 22nd
There’s a wonderful sensation when approaching Asheville. She sits in a bowl that you must climb up into and a feeling of breath and release comes when descending towards town.  Home…

Tuesday, April 30th
Wow, been too busy to finish these “Notes”.   Been home a week now, settling in and taking care of details; details full of anticipation of this year’s tour to England, which will last an entire month. The motion continues…. That’s where I’ll be when writing next months “Notes From The Road”.  Thanks for reading this one! Keep in touch.

Lots of Love    - Dana