Notes from the Road - Friday, July 23, 2010.

Notes from the Road - Friday, July 23, 2010. And so it begins. I hit the road about 10 a.m. - first stop Bainbridge, Ga. for a KOA Campground show. The new owners booked me for the date back a few months ago and were very enthusiastic. It was over a five hour drive from home at my ponderous 60 mph, plus stops for gas, food, etc. Though the "Navigatrix" on the dash wanted me to head west on I-10 from I-75 I continued north to Valdosta before turning westward. That way I got the benefit of cheaper Georgia gas prices and got some backroads travel. The melon fields are green and bulging with fruit. Cotton looks good too, as well as the corn and other truck crops. There are really some magnificent old houses in tiny towns in Georgia. Southern architecture at it's best. Two and three story frame houses, all white of course, with bay corners and tin roofs that defy imagination as to the difficulty of the installation. Broad porches surrounding the entire structure, just begging for a rocking chair and a glass of lemonade (or something stronger) with simple railings and sturdy stairs. About halfway I called the campground to estimate my arrival. The new owners were not there and would not be this weekend which seemed strange. The manager had not heard of me and did not know I was coming (UH OH). Since I had sent posters and postcards for distribution I was particularly troubled. He promised to investigate the situation, but would be ready for my arrival. I pulled in at about 4:45 and met Harold, the manager I had spoken to. Nice fella, VERY talkative. He had my posters and postcards on the desk in front of him and explained that they had gone unnoticed in the owners' mail. It seems the owners have had some personal emergencies and everything had been thrown off kilter at the park. The park itself was not well populated and many of the guests were residents living in the park while working what jobs they could in the current state of the economy. Harold had already distributed cards in the park, called on Church friends and distributed fliers at a local grocery - good man. However, despite his best efforts, the blazing heat and swarming gnats of the sinking Georgia sun doomed me to an inauspicious start. My small crowd at the park Gazebo and I were well relieved when Harold suggested we move into the air conditioned rec room inside the office though it is usually claosed after 5 pm. There, with no need for a sound system, I entertained my new friends with an hour and a half of song and story, actually a very enjoyable show and exceptionally well received. CDs went home with the audience and I packed up my gear. Even at 10 pm the air was so hot that I sweated as if it were noon. A cold shower never felt so good. Saturday is another day. I'm off to Auburn, AL for a show at The Gnu's Room. More to come . . .

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