Tour Break – September 19, 2011

Betty the TurtleGreetings, and welcome back to my little hideaway! I hope everyone has gotten a great start to their week. It’s just a touch after 6:30 as I begin to write this entry. DogNose when I’ll be done.

As I wrote last time, I’ve been on tour break since last Monday. I got home mid-evening so, to me, break sort of started on Tuesday. And boy what a day that was!

It started nice and slow, the way the first day of break should. Coffee… catch up on the news… more coffee… answer some emails… and BAM! The door bell rings. Next thing you know, I’m tearing open the box in which my new Spector Coda 5 bass has arrived. Seriously Happy Boy! So for the next hour or so, I just played Etta…. well, of course, she has a name! Anyhoo… moving on…

Etta - Spector Coda 5Later, on the way home from visiting a friend who’s up for surgery, my van died. Hard. Waaaaay out in the weeds, and I’m broke down on the side of the road. Seriously Upset Boy. I had no indication that the van was having trouble until it suddenly lost coolant on the drive back from Nashville. Even then, I refilled the tank, waited fifteen minutes, and she was ready to get back on the road without delay or further trouble. Yet here I was, stuck in Nowheresville (which is 40 miles west of Nothingville) waving my cell phone around in an attempt to get a signal so I could call for help.

Yes, I did get help, and managed to tow the can back into town. By then it was to late to do anything… except to realize that, all things considered, I was pretty darn lucky. See, it could have broken down half way home. It could have broken down on the last day of the break instead of the first. In fact, it could have waited until I was halfway back to Nashville for Bus Call! Instead, it broke down when it did, and gave me the entire break to figure out what to do.

Next day, I headed up the road to the closest big town for some car shopping. I had a figure in mind, and wanted to get something smaller than the van, yet still be able to haul some gear. I checked out a ton of square-backs and small SUVs before finding the prize: a 2005 PT Cruiser. She’s a beauty – ivory with nice rims and tires, and tinted windows. Inside is appointed with leather seats (heated, no less!), a great stereo, sun roof and a ton of electronic marvels. And, yes, of course she has a name! She’s Betty the Turtle, and I already love her.

Betty the TurtleAt the same time I was dealing with finding a new ride, I also learned that Bloomsburg Fair has been canceled. I am totally bummed about this, and extend an apology to all those who planned to attend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our call, and the folks who run the fair were sick at the thought of not having it this year. But there’s just too much flood damage to be able to get everything back together in time.

By comparison, the rest of my break has been positively boring. Catching up on sleep, doing laundry, cooking (which I love!), and the like. One other piece of great news is that the weather has taken a turn for the better: no rain, and very mild temperatures. I think Fall has finally fallen, and I’m grateful for that.

This week, I plan to actually accomplish some work, including several gear and lesson videos for this site and my Bass Lessons HQ site. So, off I go to get started. Here’s hoping everyone has a great week! Until next time,

God bless,

Lane


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3 Responses to Tour Break – September 19, 2011

  • Lola says:

    Hope the rest of your break goes better, we all seem to be having our share of bad luck hope it all turns around, sorry to hear about Bloomsburg but in comparison to what the people there are dealing with I guess we’ll just have to deal with it, enjoy your new wheels….take care.

  • Bev says:

    Enjoy your time off with all your new toys !!! See ya soon !

  • Mike says:

    Man, sorry to hear about your van. Things wear out unfortunately. I’m sure your new (used) PT will serve you well. How about the CODA 5, I’ll be waiting for a review on “Etta”. I really like your updates, keep’m coming.

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