The Getaway was a real "shot in the arm" for me. It has been a very stressful 6 months, but I was coming to the Getaway come hell or high water. But I hadn't realized how depressed I was getting from the stress.   Marge kept asking me why I wasn't practicing the whole week before.

And because of the depression, it took me a while to swing into the groove. I skipped the "Who's here this year" workshop. The next workshop, I passed when it was my turn to play. Anyone who knows me knows that is way out of character.

Every workshop brought me closer to "normal". Because I didn't practice I suffered severe cases of CRS, but everyone put up with it. I left Sunday night feeling very good and still feel pretty "normal" today.

Tinker did me a great favor. I didn't know the Saturday night concert was being taped for Rick Fielding. I had practiced one song for that event. Unfortunately, it was "Death Don't Have No Mercy" (I told you I was depressed!).

I decided to go ahead with it for my number, but felt like it certainly wasn't the message I wanted to send to Rick.

Tinker thought several songs Saturday night were maudlin. So she came to my "Blues" workshop and took many pictures. She told me that was what she was going to send Rick. What a relief!!! Thanks, again, Tinker.

Roger in Baltimore