Secret Vacation?

Don't tell anybody, but I've set myself up for a mini-vacation-at-home this week. I'm in the middle of it right now, actually. You might have noticed, but Independence Day fell on a Wednesday this year, which left those of us who enjoy Federal holidays with a conundrum: extend the weekend from the week before, extend this coming weekend, or just have the one day off? To me, the second option was the only option.

This has left me with the following activities: playing lots of guitar (trying to build those callouses back up), writing music, reading books, being outside (when it's not raining), drinking green tea, watching movies, painting mental pictures, and going to musical concerts. Oh, and today I helped out at Gina's workplace by taking pictures of the restaurant's food for future use somewhere. At one point, I'm pretty sure I photographed J.J. Redick's steak salad, and I didn't wake up this morning being able to say that, so I'd have to count this as one of the good days.

I also just returned from my first Wolf Trap show of the summer (hopefully the first of several): Pat McGee Band, Carbon Leaf, and Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers. I've seen them all before, but I thought the three bands flowed together for a nice bill. Kellogg's easy folk-rock was a great warm-up. Carbon Leaf pulled out the stops for their first-ever Wolf Trap show, and Pat McGee invited a slew of guests to join PMB onstage, ranging from original member and James Taylor soundalike Al Walsh to a horn section from New Jersey. They rocked their hearts out, and that's probably because Pat McGee Band is one of the hardest working bands in showbusiness. Their story is similar to Carbon Leaf: they've kept a certain level of success and a homebase in Virginia and are slowly working their way around the country. And while PMB's sound has shifted somewhat since the first time I saw them in the Water Street Gallery in Blacksburg, they're still a very good live band, also much like Carbon Leaf. I can't recommend them highly enough.

And can I just say again that I love Wolf Trap?

Martha told me that my entries have been too long lately, so that's it for now.