After I closed the darkroom at 5 p.m. today I headed up to the hospital to see Sally. Because of the rush hour traffic it took me 20 minutes to travel the mile and a half between school and hospital. Coming from school, I had no banjo with me so after I said hello to Sally but got minimum response, I sang for her a capella, something I'd never have done before I started going to the Starry Plough. She acknowledge my presence after a while, but was tired after an hour and a half of procedures of one sort or another. I had a bunch of xeroxes of songs with me and sang from them, and a couple from memory--probably six or eight songs in all. Then I spoke with her a while longer about the scary, exciting things happening in Seattle and said goodnight. I had a good message about her from one of the group (dick, banjo)--the best thing about it was that the doctors are speaking of her in terms of recovery--expected to take months, but recovery--what a terrific word. They will take her off the ventilator in a day or so, probably, and we are all asked to help provide physical therapy: moving her hands and arms, etc.

I went home for supper then went to Quinn's where I found a spot right next to the band (now called "Skip Henderson and the Starboard Watch" instead of "Sons of the Buccaneers") where I could play along (I had brought my harmonicas). They seemed to like my playing well enough that they didn't come right out and tell me to shut up--they DO encourage audience participation, but I'm sure there are limits--but in their last set Skip gave me a break (on "Waltzing Matilda") and I played it pretty well--a couple of mistakes that I managed to get through without losing the beat and a couple of problems caused by the absence of the low E on the G blues harmonica I was playing. After the last set, several of them asked me to come back--wearing black, including a cap--the uniform of the band. I don't know if I'm in for a cut of the pot or not (I don't care, except it would be neat to be able to claim that I earn money with my playing).(hey, maybe they'll ask me to play on a CD--I know, I'm getting way ahead of myself, but it's fun to dream, even for an old fart like me).

And the etc. (and worthy of more, but there's no more room in the thread title box: Monday night I'm invited to a song circle å Chez Swan and that's really exciting. Wish ya could fly out for the occasion, folks--maybe someday we'll all manage to get together.

--seed