The Snowy Midwest.

We're in southern Kentucky tonight, holed up in (if I may say) a gem of a hotel near the University of the Cumberlands.
Speaking of which, we have to send out some enormous thanks for a great night on campus --Lovely lovely lovely.

Our tours this year began on the 15th, with a show on EIU's campus in Charleston IL, and what a brilliant way to begin. It was the coldest of nights so far this Winter, and we were all of us huddled inside over coffee and hot cocoa, feeling connected and human. (Or at least we did.) Thank you guys --

We turned our hotel lights off that night at 1:30am, and turned them on again at 3:30, which is just a sad kind of thing any time it has to happen... But outside our door (and outside of our blankets, it felt!)... it was negative 16 degrees. Climbing out into that was a sorrowful thing for sure!... :) ...The frigid air followed us all the way to Columbus, with me layered up, coat on, and buried under two blankets in the van. (And yes, with the heat cranked and more stops for hot coffee than usual.)

We were stopping in at WCBE for an on-air performance/interview, and the campus was quiet with cold and snow and with people staying in from all of it. But we had a great visit, and were then deeply deeply blessed by a nap in a nearby neighborhood, inside a lovely historic home in the perfect nook of a room whose bed lured us in and sent us to sleep right away.

We played that night with Steppin In It, at the Columbus Performing Arts Center. And we were amazed. We hadn't seen these guys live and it was ridiculously fun... Their tunes are great online, for certain, but seeing it live is where it's at. Make a plan --
And the Six String Concert Series is downright delightful... We felt so welcome and taken care of; such a great audience and a fabulous fabulous staff that obviously loves music and loves people.
And then it was home again for a couple nights...

And so after the historic events today (which left us both deeply inspired and proud), we made our way south, the snow finding us during the last several miles. We played for another blessedly warm room; always such a gift... Tomorrow it's back to Ohio with us.