So, it's been about a month of life without the camper. At first it felt like this huge and literal weight had been lifted from us. We were unshackled and now had another chance at life with great gas mileage. Or at least better gas mileage.
We lounged by the beaches in Florida (thanks to The Hammocks and sister Devon for the places to stay) and didn't even worry about where to park a 16 foot camper. We budgeted for a little long overdue honeymoon in Savannah, GA and spent 5 days wandering around that beautiful city on foot before we returned to our hotel room where could take a bath if we wanted to because we weren't worried about where to fill up our tanks. We ate pralines and drank chocolate martinis, vegan tacos at Sentient Bean and one very fancy night dining at The Pink House. We wandered through cemeteries and acted footloose and fancy free.
And then we realized we weren't in Kansas anymore and that hotels in Charleston, SC are really expensive and that dining out every night gives you a bellyache.
But then we were rescued by the kindness of strangers in Charleston. We were playing The Barn Jam at Awendaw Green which is exactly what it sounds like but better and we were walking around in the dark by the portapotties when a very nice lady came up to us and said, "Are you The Rough & Tumble? I want you to come and stay at our house and treat it like it's your vacation home. We've got a pool you can lounge by and a couple dogs who would love to play with Butter."
So we said we'd love to and we had an incredible time with our new friends, Danielle and Marty and their wonderful family. We lounged by the pool and Danielle made us a delicious dinner one night and we feel so lucky that there are people in the world who open up their houses to strange bands they don't know and offer up their kindness so readily.
Now we're back in our favorite hometown away from hometown, Black Mountain, and are staying with our good friends, Matt and Jessica and exploring the gluten-free beer scene with our pals Amanda and Steve. And while we love staying with our friends in their beautiful mountain home, we kind of miss our camper. We miss its stupid cardboard walls and leaky roof and when it falls apart all the time.
This has been a month where we've realized that we did the right thing when we hit the road full time in our little camper. How did we do it before? Well, with a little help from our friends, that's how! We're grateful to all the folks who helped us out in our month of homelessness. We are so thankful for this life as itinerant musicians and we couldn't do it without all of you who have allowed us to build our home with you for a little while.
We play in Kingston, TN at Ladd Landing on Friday and then are presenting a filmed house show at The Woodshop in Chattanooga, TN on Saturday.
And then we pick up the camper.
It's fixed, apparently.
We'll believe it when we're back on the road.