Scrapbook

from the hotel in Tysons Corner, VA

The ongoing conundrum: the more there is to write about, the less time and energy there is at the end of the day to do the writing.

For now, suffice to say that in the past 48 hours, I/we have:

• Gotten a parking ticket (welcome to New York!)
• Discovered the lyrical inspiration that is the Coldwater Creek catalog
• Followed GPS to a hole-in-the-wall seafood place in Baltimore
• Fallen in love with the Barns of Wolf Trap all over again
• Sat in morning traffic on I-395 for an hour (welcome to DC!)
• Installed fireblocking in a Habitat house
• Discovered that the construction-work lexicon is full of suggestive phrases (nailing studs, anyone?)
• Sung harmony for David Berkeley, one of the great pleasures in life
• Fallen in love with the Barns’s grand piano all over again
• Taken lots of photos and video, which should hopefully get posted sometime soon

Each member of the band is giving up something for the Green Caravan tour, Lent-style; Marika started it by giving up cigarettes for good, which inspired the rest of us to do a little soul searching. I declared that I would go vegetarian, which probably astonishes anyone who’s watched me demolish a plate of BBQ ribs. Dina is giving up whining (trust us, this is a big thing). Of all of us, though, Alex might be struggling the most: whenever we stop to eat, he’s ordering first. Oh, the agony of the indie gourmand, forced to make split-second decisions about food. We’re sure he would appreciate your thoughts of support in this trying time.