| Atlantic Crossroads Newfoundland 2005 |
| Sheumas stopped me at intermission and asked if I was going to be at Stanfest. �There will be no hotels except for those an hour away,� warned Sheumas. �But you�re used to the drive,� Kyle winked. I asked about the new album, which has been done for quite a while. "Who knows when it will be out?" �It�s supposed to be out by the end of July,� they told me. It seems that the distribution company kept putting it off. �Well, your fans are waiting with baited breath,� I said. �Us too!� retorted Sheumas. I still could not believe that some of my favorite Cape Breton musicians were playing while I was there. What a gift! I was up for it after the ticket of yesterday. Ryan MacNeil came to dance also as well as Jean MacNeil and her husband, Columba, the Barras� folks. Later in the evening, Gillian Head from Portland, Oregon ended up at my table. She had frequent flier miles to use and decided to come to Cape Breton. She was not sorry she had. She had to go back to Bar Harbor, Maine for a wedding in a week. |
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| Rachel Davis, a very lucky 14 year old, got up to play with Sheumas and Kyle and led three sets! Boy, was she good! Later on, Sara Beck also came up and joined them all on stage. Anne MacDonald step danced for our entertainment too.
ANd sfter the Cape Breton music was done, everyone stuck around for the contra dancing. What a time! I couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening in Cape Breton! This fiddle music stirs my soul and gets my feet tapping. This fiddle music led me to learn to play the violin at age 48. This fiddle music led me to Natalie MacMaster's living room, playing her fiddle two years ago. This is the world's best fiddle music as far as I'm concerned. With that good Cape Breton fiddle music going through my head, I had a completely enjoyable ride to the ferry terminal in North Sydney even though it was 2 AM. Took my place in line, changed my clothes and hunkered down in the back of the van with my tartan blanket and pillow. |
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| Wednesday, June 22nd
Day dawned as it usually does when we take an early ferry � hardly any sleep for me. I bought a blanket, left plenty of room to stretch out in the back of the van, brought a pillow from home�nothing worked. I got my usual 2 hours sleep and was thankful I reserved a dormitory sleeper on the ferry. I purchased a couple cinnamon rolls at the terminal and made sure I had a small bag packed for the 14-hour ride to Argentia. I included the iRiver despite the fact I had not been able to record anything on it yet after several attempts. Batteries in two sizes, camera, CDs, iRiver and condenser mic, Ham Radio and chargers made my bag look like a floating Radio Shack store! I shoved a change of clothes in the bag, the Angels and Demons book my daughter Heather lent to me, a puzzle book, and some money. What a surprise to find the ferry more than half empty! They surely didn�t make any money on this trip. |
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