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Jeff in Santa Barbara

CHARLOTTE, NC TO RALEIGH, NC

After our first good night’s sleep of the journey we got up and ate at the Cracker Barrel. We’re Crackers afterall. Or maybe that was the day before. It’s all blending together now.

We played with a fine band in Charlotte called the 2$ Pistols at The Evening Muse, a cool brick walled bar with a bartender who wore a bikini top under her overalls. Classic southern look. It was a full house and the crowd was enthusiastic. We sold a pile of CDs and pulled well at the door. Best dough yet and it was much needed to defray the costs of getting all the way across the damn country. Next day was Raleigh. We played at the Pour House. Friendliest crowd yet. Marianne at the Pour House put together a nice afternoon show. Great sound man and system. Two great sets of music. The band is gelling into a loose, tight country rock machine. And that’s not an oxymoron.

It was also our good friend Mona’s welcome to town party. Mona recently moved from LA back to Raleigh. She is a Cole’s regular and a fine, long time friend of the Hawks. It was fantastic to have her at our first shows on the the road. One special treat: her seven year old nephew, Tristan Mackie, got up and sang “Papa Stopped The Wagon.” No kidding. Every word. It was amazing. Look for video of this event up on the website soon. Afterwards, Mona cooked us a fine meal of vegetarian lasagna and garlic bread at her new home. She also served cantaloupe, grapes, cucumbers, green peppers, carrots. We needed the fruits and vegetables badly after so many meals at the Waffle House. North Carloina was good to us. Hope the rest of the tour goes half as well.

GOODBYE CALIFORNIA

HAWKS ROAD DIARY 7:03 PDT or is it 8:03 in Arizona? July 20, year of ’04
Needles to Kingman
107F, headed NE
A discussion of what to title the Hawks diary:
Arizona border crossing. It seemed different, Arizona. A last palm tree,
And off to the right, deep blue Colorado, a water skier marring or enhancing the blue surface depending on your point of view, and in the distance, red tinged pinnacle mountains, jumbled and spiky. “Further east.
Rest Area 12
Kingman 41
Flagstaff a bit further
Rob offers string cheese to the two Pauls, asks, is this string cheese?
Rob prods Paul M. for road game ideas. So far our only game is bluegrass marathon—who can listen to bluegrass the longest. Paul L. and Rob both boat that they can listen the longest. Paul L. mentions the Quiet Game, played by him and his 8 siblings on family trips? Who can not talk the longest? Rob suggests combining the Quiet Game and the Bluegrass Marathon. One would certainly raise the stakes of the other.
Rob says he wants to put the GMC Yukon into Low4 and see what she does out on a rocky desert road. The Yukon is a sturdy beast, and we have loaded the entire contents of our little four piece unit (Rob, Paul, Paul, Shawn, nice symmetry) into the Yukon, with an aerodynamically sophisticated luggage rack atop. It’s feeling good.
PL