Such an august August!

Come on now, admit it:  You never think of august as an adjective, do you?  You're welcome.

So, let's see . . . as expected, we had a great time in Saskatchewan.  As it turns out, Saskatoon is a lovely city (at least in the summer), and we spent several days hanging out with the people of CLAY.  Though that sounds like I'm talking about Davey and Goliath, it's actually an acronym, as you can see.  Met some great folks, and we're looking forward to visiting our Neighbors to the North for concerts in the months ahead.

After our Canadian excursion, I met my family at Michael's house in California, and then my family embarked on the august Great California Road Trip, which took us from Los Angeles to San Francisco, visiting all the important vistas along the way, and being welcomed by this spry fellow who came out of the water to greet us.

Once we reached San Francisco, we dutifully left our hearts there, and headed back home, so that I could repack and go to Kansas City. 

After Delta decided that a blinking light in the cockpit was cause for getting it turned off, my flight was delayed enough that I missed my connection, so Michael sat around waiting for me in Kansas City, chatting with the locals and whatnot.  Once I finally arrived, we headed off to Missouri, which loves company, and we billeted in Clinton, MO.

We played songs for a couple worship services in the morning in Clinton, and then had a lovely lunch with the youts at a local restaurant, and then headed back for a happy afternoon concert in town there.  Then it was back to Kansas City for a little sleep before flying home in the morning.

Next up, Michael will become a year older than I, and on that same day my three-year church job comes to an end.  Then, Michael comes to visit me in Ohio, as we embark on the august Great Midwest Road Trip from Toledo OH to Decorah IA, and all points in between.

See?  An august month indeed!

Oh, and don't forget, our new double live album is available for your purchasing and listening pleasure.  You can find it here.

george

A Update

I know, I know, "A Update" is bad grammar.  I should've said "An Updates."  But let's not get all persnickety, okay?  Point being, your date is about to be up.

So, since we last checked in, we were launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund our new album.  Because of the overwhelming support of our supporters in supporting us, we raised far more than we had hoped, and we were able to take a little bit of time off while Michael recuperated and regained his strength.  Though he will continue a chemo-therapy regimen until December, the doctors have done a marvelous job of limiting the side effects.  That treatment, by the way, is preventative in nature, with the aim of preventing a return of the cancer they removed in the surgery.

Since all that, we've played a few concerts, and the band has fared quite well.  The day after the 4th of July (a.k.a. July 5th), we played in a town called Minerva, OH, which sounds like a mispronunciation of maneuver Ohio, which sounds political, but we all know better than to mix politics with A Update.  The next day we returned to Camp Mar-Lu-Ridge, in Maryland, where we had a very fun time playing for campers and parents.

Then, in mid-July, we headed to the city of New Orleans for a large gathering of Lutherans and had a marvelous time being "citizens with the saints."  It's a good week when you can play the Superdome twice without having to be tackled by some 300 pound linebacker.  The youts who gathered accomplished some amazing things that week, including donating almost 1,200 pints of blood, collecting enough money to build over 100 wells in developing nations, and--though it sounds kind of weird--donating a lot of hair.  Amazing what 33,309 people can do together . . . for instance, be equal to the population of New York City in 1790.

Next up, we're returning to one of our top 10 favorite provinces: Saskatchewan!  Looking forward to some summertime in the True North.  Meanwhile, hope you're staying cool, will consider coming to one of our upcoming concerts (or even hosting one!), and if you're looking for some summertime reading, there are liner notes in our new album, which you can buy here.

Consider your date to have been upped.

george