This past weekend I spent at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference in Lake Harmony, PA, which is about an hour south of Scranton in the Pocanos. It was the first I've been since 1997, but it was like riding a bike. There were old familiar faces, and some new ones too. The grooves and songs arrived like the Capistrano Swallows or a holiday on the calendar. Utilitarian hotel rooms became transformed into colorful campsites like those found at Kerrville or Falcon Ridge. Drab wallpaper became plastered with posters and flyers of all the singers vying for attention. North American rubber tramps and song gypsies came to rendezvous in the lobby, in the bar, around the tables in the dining room, in the exhibit hall, underneath the stairs by the fountain, and in the hallways. On Friday or Saturday nights you can hear Bluegrass, Celtic, Swing, Blues, Old-time, and songs of all styles rising in a din everywhere you go. I'm never quite sure what the hotel employees and civilians on vacation think of us.

In short, we all take over this resort: 600-odd (pun intended) songwriters, guitar players, mandolin, fiddle, piano, percussionists, concert promoters, indie record execs, radio dj's, instrument makers, publicists, and enthusiasts gather for this event. It's a microcosm and a snapshot of the national acoustic music scene, and it's a downright party because we're all pretty much starved for reunion and each other's company. If you were to look closely at what we do in the normal working day, it is isolated and often lonely. Our time is spent sitting at a steering wheel and the most human contact found in a day is in paying the gas station attendant, in a "thank you" to the waitress, or in listening to messages from a pay phone. The reward, of course, is the promise of an abundant audience that night, and that's what we've all convened here to learn how to achieve.

Indeed, it's always a shock after the abundant Sunday brunch, saying goodbyes in the dining hall and getting in the car for the long drive home. It's sad and quiet in the car, and as a remedy I make myself walk through the weekend in my mind. I tell myself to dwell on the outrageous fun and the high points of the weekend rather than the times I stuck my foot in my mouth and the many insecurities that arise at this intensely social gathering.

High points for me were:

• Listening to April Verch and her band in the Lunenburg Festival room. April is an extraordinary fiddler and dancer from Saskatoon, and her band was riveting.
• Playing Linda Sharar's Lowden guitar in the Sub-merging songwriters room accompanied by Dave Nachmanoff, Annie Wenz, and all the voices in the room.
• (Finally) hearing Pat Humphries sing "Swimming To The Other Side"
• Trading songs with Rob Laurens in a quiet room with a shot of Patti Shey's Tequila before Saturday's dinner.
• Jamming fiddle tunes with Leela Grace, Leigh Hilger, and Peter Seigal at various times through the weekend. (Thanks Pete, for teaching me Elzic's Farewell!)

On the business side of things I get to meet promoters and schmooze which I am uncomfortable doing, but there is a fun aspect to it when you just throw your self into it. I've found the more "non-agenda" I get the better everything flows. I guess it's good just walking around seeing what folks are up to and even just a hello or and hand shake is enough of a connection with some folks.

At this moment I'm thinking of signing off because it's 12.30am, my eggs have gone cold and it's time to go to sleep. I've been typing this out at the Denny's off I-95 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I managed to drive this far today on my way to North Carolina to spend a week figuring out what I'm gonna do with myself. The plan is to move to Chapel Hill. That's about as much as I know right now. I'll let you know more in next month's notes.

New on the web site this month: my song What Would Woody Do is up on MP3 for your listening and downloading pleasure! Also, we now have an e-mail list up and running. I'll be sending out my concert schedule once a month starting in December, plus the latest news. Lastly, don't forget to say howdy in the guestbook. I love all your comments.

Take good care.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!
Peace, Dana