Thursday, April 07, 2005

Florida Trip

I just returned from a week and 1/2 trip in Florida...fun, productive, and pretty wet. I was invited to Live Oak, FL as a finalist in the Suwannee Springfest songwriter competition, along with 5 other performers. I came in second - the wonderful Michael Troy was the winner this year. As if that wasn't enough excitement, I also received a box of CDs from Discmakers the first night there, containing the new CD, Moments of Wonder...just in time to sell some at the festival.

3:00 am that following morning - a rain/hail/thunderstorm, the likes of which had NEVER been seen in this little part of the world, rocked the campground. The torrents of rain lasted, non-stop, until about 10:30 am...the folks in RVs were cozy and dry, but those of us in tents had a slightly harder go of it. I had just gotten a new tent for my birthday (note: I can buy beer legally now, finally) - actually attaches to the back of my station wagon, so I can keep all my gear in the tent, and set up the car as a bedroom...worked like a champ, so I was one of the lucky ones.

There are two main stages at the festival, and they were both underwater by Friday morning. No, that's not hyperbole...look:

I took lots of pictures to document what quickly became known as the "Tsunami in Suwanee"...I captured one guy walking around in a snorkel and mask - never figured out if he was actually going to use them or if it was just a bit of physical humor.

After the festival, I picked up Bob (my husband) in Jacksonville, and we drove down to St. Augustine for an actual vacation. The water was a little chilly (60 deg) but I have to swim, so I did it...ONCE. The rest of the time was spent relaxing on the beach, and either eating, drinking, or trying to decide where we were going to eat and drink next.

I also did a set at the Milltop Tavern, thanks to the fabulous Don Oja Dunaway, who has been playing there regularly for 28+ years. Amazing.

After taking Bob back to the airport - I went on to Tampa for a Southeast Regional Folk Alliance planning session...we are just getting organized as a region, and will have our first conference in Asheville, NC next year. Aside from the meeting and related camaraderie, the highlight here was visiting my good friends Erbie and Jackie Garrett in St. Petersburg. Erbie and I used to have a duo - we played a couple summers on the patio of Pizza Perfect on 21st Ave. The good ole days : )

Stay tuned for more adventures, kids! -Kathy

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