Top Minnesota Memories

With little more than a week to go to the Nashville move, I am in the midst of a series of farewell luncheons and meetups with friends and co-workers past and present in the Twin Cities. So, it is a good time to list those periods over my 18 years here which stood out the most for me.

- Minnesota Public Radio and "First House on the Right". The MPR/Prairie Home Companion connection was the thing that lured me out here. It was a dream to be able to hang out and become friendly with a lot of the people I listened to when I volunteered at MPR...I am most grateful for the short and memorable experience with the show "First House on the Right." People were for the most part exactly as I hoped and imagined they would be, and I had the chance to begin developing the sort of encouragement I always hoped to give artists.

- The Music City Cafe/coffeehouse years. Meeting and becoming friendly with Don Vogel, TD Mischke and Michael Loonan changed the course of life for me and opened the doors wide open to a whole new community of artists to support and encourage. I gained my first promotional client in Michael, and much more--a partnership and friendship for 13 years which will continue seamlessly and, I expect, open much more creative opportunities for both of us.

- St. Joan of Arc Church musical community. Combining artists from the previous two circles and many others, it was musical excellence on a par with no other. Again, a great privilege to befriend and support a magnificent group of musicians.

- T.D. Mischke and Michael Loonan on the MN State Fair broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion". It was an unspeakable thrill to witness this opportunity for these guys. As Michael usually puts it so well, "we came full circle."

St. Paul/Minneapolis, all of these experiences helped me grow to where I am today and made this next step possible. I couldn't have done it without you. I gratefully, always, will thank you, thank you.

The Remarkable Journey, Part 1

I'm now back in the Twin Cities after having gone to Nashville to sign my lease and set things up. It was an amazing few days. My apartment is beautiful and the grounds are heavenly looking. I am optimistic about the possibility of shedding a few pounds living there...a lot of walking opportunity with getting from place to place in the complex and to and from all the stores around there.

The other attraction was the two Mark Lowry concerts I went to. I thought I was just going to one in Jackson, TN, but the traveling troupe also decided on Decatur, AL the next evening. I almost passed on that one, thinking I had still a lot to do to set up my place, didn't have a ticket and it would have meant taking two cars. But my two angel friends worked it all out for me. Boy, I am glad they did. The second night was even better than the first. I'd have been devastated if I missed it.

A few observations:
- Actually, aside from the concert experience, in my ramblings about town, I found very few folks with southern accents. Just about all of those I spoke to said, "I moved here from ____(fill in the blank), and I'd never leave."
- There is some serious traffic in Nashville. I learned that I cannot make a left turn out of my complex during rush hour. I have to go right on the main drag, turn somewhere on the left side and turn around and go back right.
- From the TV shows, the billboards, to the conversations in coffeehouses, it is for me very much a Christian culture, which I find comforting and appealing.

I hope now I am more motivated to put the finishing touches on my packing. I can't wait to start my new life in Nashville.

One month to go

Well, I am now one month away from the big move. Now comes the overwhelming part...the packing and managing all the details. Last weekend I gave away 4 coats, half my winter weight clothing, all of my remaining vinyl records and other assorted items. This was a bit of an "end of an era" purge. I said goodbye to some of the records I had since childhood, like my Beatles and Paul Revere and the Raiders albums. But, there comes a time to be practical and let go. I don't have anything workable to play them on anymore. I have all the songs on CD or can get them on CD or digitally on ITunes.

I bid farewell to the coat I called "the big black bear" --a long black down coat which came out for -0 wind chill days. And don't you know a few days afterward was a day with a stiff wind cold enough where it would have worked. I survived, though. I also said goodbye to the little white coat I had since before I moved here from Connecticut, which makes that at least 20 years old. It was a great journeyman that served me well. But, perhaps a younger person will make use of it.

Next week I sign the lease and get my first taste of living in Tennessee for a few days. Then it's back to the Twin Cities and finish up work and packing, and preparing for the journey.