Whew! I just walked in the door of my home after completing the three and a half hour trip from North Carolina through a driving rainstorm. I am wiped out; but I will try to say a little about the gig before I toddle off to take a nap. Forgive me, please, if I ramble a bit.

Hillsborough, North Carolina (spelled on some maps as Hillsboro,) is a charming place. It has more historical placards per running foot of roadway than anyplace I have ever been. The homes and original parts of town are just lovely! During the day, before the show, I had plenty of time to wander around and take in the sights. Janie was kind enough to show me a rebuilt Occaneechi Indian village I also wandered around one of the churchyards, seeking wisdom and advice from the inscriptions on the stones there. I discovered an exerpt from Ecclesiastes that I had never seen before. I'd share it if I could remember it better. Maybe when I am less weary. The rest of the town had a bounty of small shops and other storefronts, including one that especially caught my attention. The lettering on the largest window said, "Reduced Sentencing". I can only imagine...

I spent much of the rest of the afternoon strolling through a large number of wonderful antique shops, in one of which I found a copy of B. A. Botkin's "Treasury of Western Folklore". In another shop, I found a copy of his "Treasury of American Folklore". They will soon grace my bookshelf - as soon as I unpack.

For those of you who are not aware, this region of North Carolina recently suffered an extremely devastating ice storm. Many areas have been without power for an entire week because of the fallen trees. As I drove into the area, the word, "damage" was immediately replaced in my mind by "wreckage". I have seen aftermaths of tornadoes that have had less impact upon the trees. Huge trees and fallen branches are scattered almost everywhere one might look. Dani, herself, was without electricity at her home for four or five days. Throughout my stay, there were huge caravans of utility trucks motoring up and down the highways. Crews from nearby states have joined in the effort to restore power. They are working both day and night. Despite all of the fallen branches and rubble, the beauty of Hillsborough was still clearly evident at every turn.

Perhaps I should mention at this point that during my entire stay in Hillsborough -- and most specifically at Dani's restaurant, I felt the urge to find the hidden door to the throne room. Dani, her family, her buisness partner and Janie all treated me like visiting royalty! (Actually, I finally found the throne room. It was not far from the back door and bore the letters, M E N on the door.) Now, you have to understand that I can be spoiled, just as anyone else could. However, I don't take to it readily and so I was initially quite amazed and even a bit puzzled at the special treatment. After some hesitation, I decided to not fight it. How wonderful everyone was! And, by the way, the food at the restaurant is just great, as is the coffee!

Lueg's normally seats 38 people. Once a table or two are removed to transform an area into a place to perform, I would guess that the seating would be close to 32. The whole feeling of the place is one of friendliness and the size of it makes the performing feel very intimate. It was easy to make eye contact with anyone in the audience.
Dani's partner, Carl, has done a bit of performing himself and so has worked out a nice, compact sound system which worked beautifully throughout the show.

As Janie said above, there was a small, but appreciative audience. In fact, there was one woman among them whom I noticed was mouthing the words to almost every song I sang. I found out later that she is the daughter of a folklorist and was raised on this stuff! Another member of the audience was BarbaraLynn, who is a Mudcatter, but hasn't posted in quite a long time. She has known me since we were in high school together. Both she and her husband, Casey, are among my closest friends. In addition, they both have very nice singing voices!

I will have to say that my own perspective regarding my performance is rather more harsh than the kind words of both Dani and Janie. I am infinitely aware of some glaring mistakes I made. I only hope that I was able to cover for them in a professional manner. Other than that, I feel that it went very well. I remember looking at my hand at some point early in the show and was surprised to realize that it was shaking. But I never once felt the horrible stage fright from which I have suffered for so long. The songs seemed to go over well. I felt enough audience feedback to get a sense of connection with them which, in turn, allowed me the confidence to stretch the emotions connected with the songs to what I hope were their most appropriate levels. Much to my surprise, my time was over long before I was able to fit in all of the songs on my list (despite careful planning). I don't know about anyone else, but it left me wanting more.

It was excellent to have yet another opportunity to sing with Janie again. She has a marvelous voice and a great store of songs to share. Once again, we had only the most minimal amount of time in which to practice in preparation for the show; but she did so very well! I am so proud to have been there and to have had the chance to back her.

(No, Tinker, we didn't sing that song. Janie's part in the show was somewhat before the end and so it just didn't work to sing a "parting song" at that point. But I thank you very much for the compliments.)

Speaking of compliments, I sincerely want to thank all of you for your encouragement, your compliments and your support. I am sure that all of these combined to bolster me as I made my fledgling flight. It was a good one.

I just now learned, by reading Dani's post that the song circle thing was a "first" there. Somehow that information had excaped my notice. Golly, for a first time, I think it was quite well attended and participated in with enthusiasm and humor.

To sum up: I strongly urge anyone who can manage the trip to come to Dani's restaurant to share some music. She is a wonderful host and a great lady. The venue is much,much nicer than many I have seen and has the added benefit of being in a lovely town that could easily be called "the best kept secret in North Carolina". I had a great time there!