This month of July I've seen a lot more of the roads around my own town of Ashfield, Massachusetts for a change. The bit of Rt. 112 that takes me and my son Sather to Ashfield lake has been regularly traveled. Sather, who turns 8 next week, has been teaching himself how to dive off the dock and swim in the deep part back to the ladder.  He does this over and over until he's worn out. I love it. I get to take a leisurely swim out to the middle of the lake and back then sit on the sand and watch the multitude of kids jumping and splashing and having a great time.

One bit of excitement: we had a big thunderstorm hit the town here and lightning hit so near the house it sent sparks flying from the refrigerator. Whew! It made the little hairs stand up on the back of my neck. My phone got fried, but thank god for surge protectors, my computer was safe. The water pump for the well was hit though and we went 5 days without running water. Back to sponge baths with hauled water. Living like that reminded me of my house off the grid in Vermont.

The big trip of the month so far was an excursion to Washington DC with Lui to play a concert in front of the Capitol Building and a concert at the Kennedy Center. It was a great day. The heat wave had finally broke and it was sunny and breezy, feeling almost cool without humidity in the 80's. Before sound check in front of the Capitol Sather had to use the bathroom so we asked a security guard where the nearest one was. He pointed to the huge famous domed building and said definitively, "There!" Sather and I walked past all the tourists standing in line for their guided tours, walked through the doors, past security, past the grand statues of statesmen long dead, and into the hallowed landmark to make a mark of our own. I had a good chuckle myself explaining to Sather that we had just done our business in the most powerful building in the whole world!

For my own new CD, I'm awaiting August 20 & 21 where Bil VornDick is coming up to Massachusetts and we'll do two more days of overdubs at the Signature Sounds Studio in Palmer, MA.

Next on the agenda: Concerts Under The Stars in King of Prussia, PA opening up for John Hartford. Then of course Falcon Ridge, where I plan on being the lazy tourist myself and do a lot of listening. It'll be Sather's 4th annual, and an all around reunion of friends.

Say hello if you see me there. You'll just as often find me at the dance stage as up on the hill or concert stage, (not dancing, but) listening to all the great dance bands. Most notably "Big Hoedown" with Bruce Molsky on fiddle.

Alright, that's it for this month. Take good care! Send me a hello on my Guestbook page.

Cheers,
Dana