From: owner-octoroon-digest@smoe.org (octoroon-digest) To: octoroon-digest@smoe.org Subject: octoroon-digest V2 #74 Reply-To: octoroon@smoe.org Sender: owner-octoroon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-octoroon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk octoroon-digest Monday, November 22 1999 Volume 02 : Number 074 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [octoroon] my vacation [Birdgrdnr@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 20:26:49 EST From: Birdgrdnr@aol.com Subject: [octoroon] my vacation Dear Loveheads, The mailing has been pretty quite for a while so I think I'll take this opportunity to share some. I recently had a most incredible 12 days. About 6 months ago I checked LL's concert update. To my surprise and delight LL was scheduled to play in Charlotte (my town), Black Mt. (near my town), Atlanta (5 hours away), Tampa, Fl (where a friend of mine lives), and Live Oak, Fl. The dates were perfect for a LL tour with some vacation in between. As the tour dates grew closer I checked AAA tour books for things to do in the 4 states in and around the festivals etc. By October 1st everything was set. Tickets, camping arrangements (for shows) and truck maintenance all done. The sight seeing was loose but there were places along the way that had my attention. October the 8th finally rolled around and the show was great. The venue was small holding about 250 people. It was full from what I could see. Everyone was up close, a real intimate setting. Laura's quote for the night was "Love everybody and share your toys." An unusual song for LL to do was called Sally B. Goodin. I was able to round up 8 old friends, and I met a new friend (who I had contact with through this mailing) who brought a bunch of her friends to the show. I ran into about a half dozen other people at the show that I knew but didn't know they were into LL. It was a party! Afterwards I talked with LL about my following her around. She thought I was crazy. The next day I rounded up three friends and we headed for Black MT. Nice festival but very small. It started raining about 4 which put a slight dampening on the party but by 9 LL was in full gear. The rabbit she pulled out of her hat tonight was, Ain't No Ash Will Burn, and a song I didn't catch the name of. Or for that matter the name of the banjo player that played with them. He is the banjo player for the Lonesome River Band. It sounded like they said Sammy Sheila. Anyone out there know the answer to who he is and the name of the song? Babs and Sammy where getting down. It was great. Atlanta, well what can I say. The rain I mentioned earlier just never quit. It got worse as the day went on. A few miles from my destination on route 285 there was an accident maybe two. Matters not cause when I got to the festival I saw LL's van leaving. I ran into other friends who where at the show to see other performers but when I asked if they liked LL they just went on and on about how great she was. I'm sorry I missed the show but I wasn't muddy and wet. I got the song list from a friend and heard about the hula hooping. Real sorry I missed that. The rabbits this time was That's No Way To Say Good-bye and The Road To Silverton. It's Sunday night and I have till Friday night to sight see. I drove on to Pine Mt., GA and the Callaway Gardens. The weather cleared and the gardens where just so beautiful and spiritual I would recommend that everyone go see them. You need to go in the spring for sure and any other time your in the vicinity. I think when I die I'd like to have my funeral services at the Chapel. The next day when I found the area I was looking for (where the monarch butterflies descend on a good day) it started to rain again. There were no butterflies but I was able to visit all the other gardens unhampered by other people. My friend and I were probably the only ones in the whole 4,000 acres. Pine Mt. is a cute little town. Stay at the Fireside Inn and right across the street is a wonderful restaurant called McGuire's. By our 2nd time in the restaurant they called us by name. Wed. brought us to a park that they call the Grand Canyon of Georgia. Not much to see so we went on our way. We stopped at the Kolomoki Indian burial grounds. They had camping right on the spot and we picked a spot right on the lake. We lugged our chairs to the top of the mound and watched the sun set while deer frolicked on the open expanse below us. We stayed until the night sounds where in full force and then headed back for dinner on the camp fire. On Thurs. we checked out the rest of the mounds and the visitor center then headed for Live Oak. We wanted to pick up our tickets and pitch the tent. We were probably the first ones there and we found an ideal spot for the tent...or so we thought. Off to Tampa anyway. My friend in Tampa wouldn't be home on Friday so we decided to get a place along the beach. We were totally unaware of hurricane Irene. When we finally found a little motel on the water it was 2 am but we came for the beach not for sleep. Glad no one was watching. Two grown women playing in the sand at 2 am singing praises to the Goddess of life. No one but us would understand. When we awoke the next day we found out about Irene but knew that it would not ruin our day or night. I talked my friend into going to the show and she just fell in love with LL. Even bought her cd's. Skippers is a neat bar to see LL at. Since she had performed there last year she had a following. Lots of noisy females in the house. Everyone sang along and on Put a Little Love In Your Heart it was real apparent and so cool. This is the first time that Babs wasn't at the show. Jen Todd and Dick Powell came in her place. The rabbits were Blind Bartimus and Come As You Are. Plus a tune by Dick called Coffee, Cigarettes and the Blues. The message was loud and clear about singing to your bootay. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Mary McFaul. Who is unlike what I thought a manager would be like. It was like I knew her all along. I also met Pam, LL.'s manager at last weeks shows. She was very nice too. After the show I helped my friend get her cd's signed by LL. Who is so surprised to see I wasn't joking about following her around. Irene was nowhere to be found but I didn't want to chance it and spend the night in Tampa. I didn't want what happened in Atlanta to happen again. So I bid my friend farewell and headed to Live Oak. Do you know how hard it is to find a 2 man tent in a sea of thousands of tents? At 4 am when we arrived we realized right away things had changed. The Magnolia Festival was packed. We did manage to find the tent and get a couple of hours sleep in. This is a large festival. Not as big as Merle Fest. but very close. I was hanging around the sound board not far from the stage and listening to the tapers talk. Not one had ever heard LL before. Part way into the show they were all saying how great she is. One guy ended up by the stage just dancing away. Another who was video taping the show was rocking so much he was about to fall off the little stool he was standing on. He later said that for him LL won Best of Festival. The rabbits where Wayfar ing Stranger and the Clapping Song. I bought a Magnolia Fest T-shirt and LL signed it. LL leaped (sort of) over the table she was sitting behind and my friend and I had our picture taken with her. She still couldn't believe we would do such a thing as follow her around. For that we both got a big hug and that just made my life complete. But Laura it was a great excuse for a road trip that was needed anyway. I dropped my friend off at the bus station as she wanted to go south again to visit her brother. I spent the night at the festival and got a good nights sleep. The next morning what did I hear? Someone nearby was playing LL. I packed up and headed home. After two weeks of tight quarters and always someone around it was weird being alone. As the sun was setting I found myself at the Oconee Lake. As I crossed a bridge I was hoping for a campgrounds and poof, on the other side was just that. I pulled in and got a campsite right on the lake. As I watched the setting sun had dinner on the camp fire and drank my last bottle of wine I was thinking back to the beginning. Three years ago on a whim I purchased a cd that had a variety of women on it. Laura was one of them singing If You Leave Me Now. Then she was going to perform at Merle Fest. I went, LL was so great I bought Pangea. Then at the next Merle fest I bought all the rest of her cd's and she was great again. Three years later here I am at the end of a dream. At least it seems like a dream. 2,000 miles and $1000.00 dollars later the seed has finally blossomed (actually mushroomed) I have had a most incredible adventure. One I would love to try to duplicate. So Mary if you can hear my prayers lets do it again. LL is scheduled for the next Merle Fest and I will be there. Hope there will be more stops for LL on the way that I can work into another great adventure. I think Jen Todd summed it up when she said (at the end of the Skippers show) "The Fabulous Laura Love, Oh My God!) which of course is short for oh my goddess. So to everyone who had a part in this big adventure I want to say thank you for a real good time. What a long strange trip it has been. ------------------------------ End of octoroon-digest V2 #74 *****************************