Sunday, December 9, 2007

Traipsing through the Winter Wonderland...

I returned to the Midwest during this past week. The single digit temps and snowy cover brought back a wealth of nostalgia. There's something about the snowy, frigid Northland that evokes warm memories of growing up in the Midwest and my early years in Alaska. I'm overcome with an appreciation for gas (and corn-burning) stoves, rosy cheeks, working defrosters, running water and draining sewer pipes... I remember my first winter in Alaska-- frozen pipes and emptying honeybuckets during the winter months. We couldn't have done it that year without friends and a supportive community.

It is such a convenience to flush a toilet and ride in warmth on clear highways during my winter travels.

We had wonderful shows in Omaha and NW Iowa. A huge thank you to the venues--The Tasting Room (Omaha, NE), the Unity Church of Omaha, Music Connection (Spencer, IA), Shaky Tree Coffee (Spencer, IA), Lil' Swan Lake Winery & Billie James (Estherville, IA). Also, a tremendous thanks to everyone- family to friends- who helped out with lodging, transportation, setting up and promoting. Thank you to Michelle Maliniak for accompanying me on trumpet, back-up vocals and bits of percussion. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to everyone who came out to support the shows and my music. I certainly could not be doing this without all of you.

I am often awe-struck by the incredible community that music brings together. I am honored to be part of this journey.