Vlog Day 14 - Charlotte

So moving right along, I left Charlie Jones and the Peculiar People in Greensboro and set off for Charlotte. An uneventful drive, and along the way I stopped to visit my friend Doug, who is a project manager (IT/website) at a packaging solutions company.
Doug was a project manager for Samaritan's Purse in Afghanistan when I interned with them in the summer of 2004. He was responsible for the drenching welcome I received when I arrived (buckets of water from the roof now greet all new arrivals to the Afghanistan office). He worked with SP for a few years after that in Indonesia, Uganda, and now is married and lives in Charlotte. A really cool guy that I haven't seen in a few years. It was good to see him.
Doug put me in touch with his sister, and she and her husband Tom had an extra room I could spend the night in. So I hung out with them for the afternoon (great conversations about the work their church is doing in Sierra Leone and internet marketing techniques), and then took off to the open mic night at the Evening Muse here in Charlotte.
My goal for playing at the Evening Muse was to meet some of the local musicians and share some of my music. You can see bits and pieces of the evening below. I gave out some cards, made some cool connections, and generally enjoyed myself. A couple cool bands/groups I discovered/met in the folk/rock (softer) genres: The New Familiars and Elonzo. If you live in Charlotte or near where they'll be playing, you should definitely check them out.

Vlog Day 11 - Greensboro Grub

If you come to Greensboro, get in touch with Charlie Jones of Peculiar People. You will not regret it, particularly if you can manage to time your visit with his and his wife Ruth's regular 'family meal' for 50+ people. I call it a meal - it's more like a feast!
Like any feast, it takes a lot of preparation. Charlie and Ruth spend quite a bit of time thinking through recipes and making food selections. Every 'Grub' has its own theme, and this time the theme was St. Patrick's Day (which also happens to be my birthday) - so Irish food reigned supreme.

Charlie starts cooking the day before, and when I got up in the morning I jumped into the fray, hardly stopping until guests arrive at 6:30pm. Charlie never stops hosting, nor does he sit down to taste the meal. His meal is the event itself.

After a scrumptious meal and dessert, entertainment begins. Everyone has the opportunity to share their creativity, to read or recite something that has touched them, or simply to sit and watch and listen. What a wonderful mixture it is! In the video below is just a sampling of the gifts expressed - jokes, a bluegrass band, and poetry by one Josephus.

And last but not least, my song about Spring - 'Breathe Deep'.

Vlog Day 10 - Harrisonburg to Greensboro, NC

I spent the night with my friends Joshua, Emily and their daughter Miriam (thus the cute face to open the video) after my show at EMU's Common Grounds. It was really great to hang out with them, learn more about what they're doing and where they hope to go, and their couch and shower were a great blessing as well. We have a lot in common, and it'll be cool to connect with them down the road.
Hitting the road, I decided to take a couple detours from my direct route to Greensboro, NC. I visited Lexington, VA (home of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee for some years) but didn't have much time there, moving on to the Natural Bridge surveyed originally by a young George Washington, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. As at the National Mall, I wish I had more time to spend in these places - I can understand why tourism is such a big pastime: there's just so much great stuff to see!!
In Greensboro, I'm staying with Charlie and Ruth Jones. They're actors who run Peculiar People, and on Friday I'll be helping them host their newest gift, Greensboro Grub. It is a really cool thing where they host a dinner for 60 people in their home - people from all walks of life and backgrounds who live mostly in Greensboro and are creative. After dinner, we all gather to share our creativity or something special to us. I am SO excited to be part of this! Check out the video below for a tour of the apartment, and stay tuned for tomorrow's installment (s)!