Pictorial Anatomy of a Road Trip - Christine Kane

Here are a few photos from my four day adventure in Florida.

Of course, any road trip has to start with the look my dog gives me as I’m walking out the door with my suitcase…

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I got bumped into First Class on my USAirways flight to Orlando. This was mighty exciting.

One time, my friend Joy took a picture of her First Class seat and sent it to me on my cell phone. She was so excited that she didn’t care what all the grumpy business men in first class thought of someone taking a photo of her own seat.

I was excited. But I couldn’t bring myself to actually take the photo!

On Friday morning, I drove to the WMNF studios in Tampa for the Live Music Showcase with Bill Dudley and Nell Abram.

It’s a challenge to sing and do an hour-long interview at 9am. Luckily, WMNF is just about the best station out there – so it makes it worth it. The interview was fun. And everyone at the station was unbelievably kind. (Julie Scheid at the front desk even printed out directions to the Wild Oats, so I could go find some Kombucha for my lunch!)

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This the Friday Morning Musicale, a 400 seat theatre in the Hyde Park area of Tampa. I found my way there in spite of MapQuest’s attempt to make me turn right into the Hillsbrough River.

I took this photo as we were getting ready for sound check.

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Someone borrowed my camera and took this picture during the show. (Apparently, there were two of me.)

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On Saturday I drove across the Everglades – with Carl Hiassen on the iPod – over to Ft. Lauderdale for a show at the Labyrinth Cafe. This shot is after the show. It’s me with two of my favorite music promoters in the world – Susan Moss (left) who promotes the Labyrinth shows, and Cindy Edwards (right) who came all the way down from Sitka, AK just to see me play. (She surprised me by walking right up to me as I was about to get on stage. She’s the promoter I work with in Sitka. And she happened to be in Florida for the week.) I love these two women!

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Dinner at midnight after the show at the Peter Pan Diner (Restaurant, Bakery and Lounge – now there’s a classy joint!)

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Susan’s dog Rocky – the bad-assest Shih Tzu in the whole state of Florida. (And I’m not just saying that.)

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I drove about 20 miles under the speed limit the whole way back across the Everglades because I couldn’t stop watching the birds. I got honked at and flipped off several times by angry pickup truck drivers who had more important things to do than smile at the herons. I happened to see this alligator in time to pull over and take a picture.

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My Sunday evening show was at 6pm. A house concert at one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. It was designed by the owner himself and will be featured in Dwell Magazine someday, I’m sure.

Even though time was pretty tight, I got to take a boat ride out on Lake Tarpon right before the show. (One of my mantras is “My kingdom for a boat ride.”) We did a brief ride down an inlet so I could see the way Florida used to look before ol’ Walt came and paved it over. (…she says as she moves her Complaint-Free-World bracelet over to the other wrist.)

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A House Concert is a concert in someone’s home. This particular series is promoted by Craig Huegel – who sells the tickets and presents the shows in different homes in the community. (Spacious homes work well!) As you can see, the view is spectacular. I took this before the show…

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Eddie Hoffman took this during the show…

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At the end of the performance, I took pictures of the audience. Aren’t they a beautiful bunch?

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I would conclude with a photo of my dog upon my arrival to my house. But she refused to sit still for a photo at such an eventful moment.

24 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • Michelle

    What a wonderful trip it sounds like you had…any plans to make it to the Northeast, say Massachusetts/Boston next year. We sure could use a dose of you round these parts. I know a few folks who do bookings at some smallish places and would be happy to ask around for you if you were interested. (I might suggest waiting until it gets past March and the dreadfully cold weather!).

  • Michele/Rapunzel

    So sorry I missed you when you were here, Christine! My fabulous friend Susan (isn’t she just the BEST!?) gifted me with the autographed cd, thank you so much! I took it sailing on Biscayne Bay Wednesday, your beautiful voice was the perfect background to the sun, sea and frolicking dolphins. πŸ™‚ Hope to see you back in Florida soon!

  • Lisa Natoli

    I LOVE your dog. Oh my God. And I love the photo with the two of you on stage. That’s great. This blog post makes me want to buy a camera!!!

  • Marilyn

    Great post!

  • Kaje and Jen = KaJen

    Katherine- Congrats on your haul… and thank you so very much for the Ani CD… you rock!
    Christine- Again, after how many shows now, you are amazing! I sure do miss getting to see you more, but I know that I probably see you about as much as anyone (save for M.G.), even though we are 500ish miles apart. We look forward to seeing you everytime we hear you are going to be close! I hope that soemtime soon we can get back up there, and hopefully you will be in town and we can catch up?! I know you said it’s different (hence ‘you can never go home again’), but I know that I sure do miss the mountains and some of the folks.
    I am glad you and David had a great show and plese tell him we say hello.
    P.S. My fellows in the mathematics dept. here @ school are becoming big fans of yours as well as david’s!

  • Colin

    We moved to South Florida (Hollywood) in late 1956. You shoulda seen it then. Everywhere looked like the Everglades when you were driving along, then boom…a city or town, then swamp again, then a pure white beach. Disneyland was nothing but cattle ranches. Manic topography. South Beach was nothing but indigents and dilapidated hotels. Where has the time gone?
    Fr. Colin

  • Christine Kane

    thanks caren and sue. (and sue – yes, the zigzag running is especially important.)

    katherine – it was great to meet you. thanks so much for coming to the show! (and congrats on winning that big stack of CD’s!)

    thanks shannon. i, too, loved the house concert. (though, i still think they should let me move in, as part of my contract rider…)

  • Christine Kane

    kerri – i think it helps that cindy’s mother-in-law lives in florida!

    stacey – AND – you can order eggs, hashbrowns – and a martini! (the perfect combination!)

    jer – the hoffmans said that they learned how to swim in lake tarpon – even with all those alligators. and yes, possums are very cute. (especially when they dance on the alligators’ backs!)

    thanks susan! and thanks for putting on the show!

  • Shannon

    The house concert was magical~amazing~beautiful~awesome! It was so great to finally see you in person, and the venue couldn’t have been better. Thanks for the fantastic music and for your generosity of spirit in answering our questions, signing our CD’s, and posing for pictures even though your plate of food was growing ever colder…

    come back to Florida soon – and maybe we’ll catch up with you at a NC retreat –
    blessings, Shannon

  • Katherine

    Hi Christine!

    My friend Shane and I got to meet you in Tampa at the Friday Morning Musicale. Let me tell your readers how lucky it is to be a Christine Kane fan. I won the WMNF raffle prize of 12 CDs! You really brought the house down, woman.

    If you haven’t seen Christine in person, keep begging her to come to your stompin’ grounds. You “sparkled” Miss K!

    Hugs,
    Katherine

  • Sue

    Love the dog!!! It was great picturing a trip of yours. Hmmm..what has my son taught me about alligators? Never feed them and run in a zig zag if they chase you! hee hee Thanks for sharing your trip!!

  • Caren

    I’m so glad you shared these with us. A little different than your “Road Notes” entries, eh?

  • Susan

    Hey, Christine –

    How delightful to find you really *did* blog about your Florida trip – I received an e-mail from a friend this morning giving me the heads-up (one of those six-degrees-of-separation moments… πŸ™‚

    It was grand having you back in Florida – my retelling can be found here:

    http://optimisticvoices.blogspot.com/2007/12/overjoyed-christine-kane.html

    Stacey, I am partial to the rice pudding at Peter Pan – they top it off with whipped cream and sprinkled cinnamon!

  • Elaine

    Mags – Edinburgh is a great City and one of my favourite places to stay in the UK. May be Christine could do a gig at the Castle!? (Haggis could do the backing vocals!)

  • jer

    yeah, you kind of get used to seeing alligators in florida. i don’t find them scary at all. that being said, i wouldn’t recommend swimming in random lakes unless it’s very clear water.

    and as far as our (o)possums are concerned…cute, really? i’d use a lot of words to describe them, but ‘cute’ wouldn’t be one of them.

    glad your trip to FL went well. warm enough for ya? πŸ™‚ come back soon!

  • stacey

    Peter Pan… the best diner around! They even have the most awesome sugar free cheesecake… :)I love that place… and of course it just gets rocking at midnight! Glad you enjoyed FLL which means maybe you will come back!

  • Kerri

    Cindy Bea! I can’t imagine why she chose to surprise you at your FL show rather than a show in Cleveland… in December… πŸ™‚

  • Christine Kane

    elaine – they hold paws and rock their heads back and forth. it’s very cute. (until they attack.) every retreat registration comes with a flare gun – but I probably shouldn’t send you one as the customs agents probably don’t know about the alligators and possum tag-team situation in the carolina mountains. we’ll hold your flare gun on site until you arrive.

    mags – i DID get out of the car, as a matter of fact. (but there was a fence in between me and him. (or her.) we went for a boat ride that night and found four in the lake just hanging out! no one seems all that scared of them. (except for dogs named “fifi.”)

  • Mags

    Yay! No, no alligators, just haggises, but they’re cute and furry so it’s ok πŸ˜‰
    (Did you dare get out your car to take that picture, btw?!)

  • Elaine

    It’s no longer the ‘lurching forward and attacking’ that scares me BUT the ‘singing & dancing’!! do they hold paws?? I know those possums are sly devils!

    This should feed my paranoia for a few weeks until I receive the flare gun! πŸ˜‰

  • Christine Kane

    Sure Mags! Edinburgh sounds lovely! (Are there alligators? πŸ™‚ )

    Thanks right back Danny!

    Elaine – The alligators and the possums often team up — the possums ride on the backs of the alligators and distract the hapless victim by looking cute. (Sometimes they dance and sing.) Then the alligator lurches forward and attacks. It’s not a pretty sight. I suggest that at the next retreat, you don’t stay in one of the cabins. It could get ugly out there. (I’ll provide you with a flare gun, just in case!) πŸ˜€

  • Elaine

    I just love the pic of your dog!! She’s just sooo cute. It must be difficult to leave her!

    The alligator… is kind of wow and scarey at the same time! Are alligators as common as possums in the USA?? As I may need to take extra precautions at the next retreat! πŸ˜‰

  • Danny

    Thanks for allowing us to live vicariously through you. It is always a joy to read about your adventures, and an education, when you are writing to help make the world a better place.

    Thanks for all that you do! πŸ™‚

  • Mags

    Thanks for sharing this, Christine.
    I love the idea of house concerts! If you ever come to Edinburgh, will you do a concert in our house?! πŸ˜‰