City Of Dreams concert

Our concert at the Ankeny SummerFest was a huge success... there were hundreds and hundreds of people there, with their lawn chairs and blankets on the grass. It's energizing to play for big crowds! Maybe it's intimidating to some, but I find it exhilarating. Playing outdoors is usually pretty tricky because it's almost impossible to get your monitor set so that you can hear what you're doing and adjust to what the others are doing, and tonight was no different -- as I was playing, I was hoping that what the crowd was hearing was better than what I was hearing in my monitor! Thankfully what comes out through the mains is a totally different animal than what they pipe through to the guys on stage.

We ended our set with a cover of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" which is a huge thrill for me to play, since I'm a U2 fan. I can't get tickets to any of the U2 concerts this fall, unfortunately... [sigh]... would've been nice, but the durn things are sold out everywhere around here.

The band bought Amy her own bass guitar with the funds from one of our recent gigs, and it sounds absolutely fabulous. It's a five-string instead of four, and that low string just rattles my fillings whenever she thumps it! We also got her an iPod to take with her on her three-month mission trip to Brazil. I wish there were some way I could stow away in her luggage and go with her -- I love traveling out of the country. And she's going to be teaching some beginning English classes, which I love doing.

My shoulder is still stiff and sore, but it's definitely improved over last Tuesday. Cyclobenzaprine is my FRIEND.

Hey, saw some pals at the concert that I don't get to see often anymore. Chan & Lori Woodward and their two kids Syrena and Ryder were there (along with Blue Fish & Red Fish) and it was great to see them again.

Now I've got a boatload of work to get done by tomorrow evening... I guess this will be another one of those Sundays when I take my laptop to church with me to work on it between services (sacrilege!).

I really REALLY need some watercolor time. I don't think I've done much watercoloring at all for several months, and it's beginning to wear me down. There are several project ideas I've got queued up in my mind and eventually those things just MUST get let out or I'll go crazy. Okay, craziER.