Not a captive, Steve, but thanks for your concern. ;) It was a privilege to see life from that side of the table. I knew that the Patons & Folk Legacy are loved & appreciated, but we (Duane D. & I) heard it time & again this weekend. We will be passing on those good wishes this evening, when we see Sandy & Caroline. Here's a big "thank you" to Duane D. for stepping into the gap, to keep the booth open this weekend! It was his first time doing so & I think he did a fine job!

As for me, I enjoyed an hour of sacred harp singing in the morning & went to Jeff Davis' session at noon. He started his set by sending his best to Sandy & Caroline. Dave Ruch joined him for a couple of songs. At the end of the hour, they invited a sweet young man from Maine (about 16) to join them with his mandolin. They'd met, the night before, jamming. This is the best of folk. I saw Jeff & the young man later, strolling the halls. Great!

It was a great weekend. My impression is that the attendance may have been down, but I'm only basing that on my own observations; the halls weren't very crowded. Some of the sessions I attended had good turnouts; some, not so good. The organizers did a much better job on scheduling than last year & I didn't see the kind of bad feeling we experienced last year. Good on! Now, we are looking ahead to Old Songs--June 27-29! Hope to see you there!

best,

bbc