And, poof!!, just like that, back in Carboro/Chapel Hill, NC...[Cue the wavy screen, dream/flashback music as we return to Asheville, one week ago today.]
There I am busking on Pack Square, Asheville, NC...beautiful Sunday. Sunny but brisk. (Turns out it was the nicest day I was in Asheville. It's been chilly, and although I would have liked to busk more, it was just too cold.) Played for a couple of hours in an okay location. Not the best as it was taken by a trumpet player who probably made more than I did. I made $20.00 and moved on to lunch, which I had at Dobras Tea. Have now spent time at Dobras Tea in Burlington, VT, Amherst, MA and now Asheville, NC. Also, went to the French Broad River Park where there is a dog park. Sunday, being the first real nice day in a while, every dog in the city was at the park. Must have been 50 dogs in just the enclosed area. It became too aggressive in there for me and Ozzy and didn't stay long. A lot of owners not really in control of their dogs. (Turned out though that most of the time there were only a few dogs there at a time and the French Broad River Park became a place we would go often to play in the dog park and for me to just chill and take a nap.)
Slept at the River location that night and the next day visited my new friend, Bethany at Rhetorical Factory who hired me to play a party she was having at the store on Friday. $50 for an hour of music. I was concerned about playing my guitar on the street as lots could happen to it, so I went in search of an inexpensive guitar for busking. Found and bought a NEW Epiphone DR 100 for $99.00!! Looked it up on the internet and it received great reviews. I kept looking for problems but really couldn't find any. So, I bought it and it plays pretty well. (Played my first gig with it at The Rhetorical Factory party Friday night and it played just fine.)
But, I digress...so Tuesday I got in touch with an old friend of my brother who lives near Asheville. Pete invited me to an Old Timey music round in Brevard, NC where I went and met him and listened to some pretty good players...banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolins, bass...it was a lot of fun and then I went to Pete's house where Ozzy and I spent the night inside. Pete and I had a really great time talking and playing music together. He and my brother go back 50 years together and they used to play music which I was familiar with and we played a lot of those songs together. I showered.
A bunch of low-key days Wednesday through Friday. (Public restrooms downtown for bathing and shaving.) Ozzy and I played at the park. I walked through the River Arts District of Asheville where there are many studios and galleries open to the public. Lots of really terrific work in all types of media.
Friday the gig at The Rhetorical Factory went well if not well attended. Great feedback from those who were there about my playing. Pleased.
So, I kept watching the weather and it looks like ugly rain/sleet/ice forecasted for Asheville area next couple of days. I was going to stay longer, but, returned to Carboro today. I would like to give a shout out to Phil in Asheville who helped facilitate my lodging for my stay in Asheville. Parked the van behind his studio in Woodfin, NC. Last night I stayed in Bob Seven's Emerge-See-Art Ambulance which is also parked on the river behind Phil's Studio. (The ambulance is amazing and you ought to check out pictures of it that I have posted on Facebook.) There was heat in there and it was very gracious of Bob to let me and Ozzy stay there. We have not met but Phil paved the way.
I would like to spend more time in Asheville when the weather is warmer. More I want to do there...another fish taco at the Lucky Otter comes to mind.
[Back to the present.]
So back in Chapel Hill and naturally not here more than five minutes and the first place we stop? Ozzy's dog park of course, where we saw a friend he had made when we were here the week before...
Sam, Nadine and I have a gig on Friday at Johnny's Gone Fishin' in Carboro. After that, I am headed to Charleston, SC and hopefully the warm weather I have been looking for but have not yet found.
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