East Coast Tour - Day 28

Hello from Quebec City!

Those who know me well will know that I'm definitely a "night person", so you'll be shocked to hear that we were up at sunrise today! Yes, actual sunrise.

Last night, our hosts informed us that they have a sauna on their property if we wanted to indulge this morning. So we were up bright and early, just in time to see the sunrise over the low tide of the Bay of Fundy. The sauna was a decadent treat, and by the time breakfast was ready, the tide was already refilling the Bay. (I've posted before and after shots on our SITE and FACEBOOK page.) We lingered as long as we could, driving through town and loving every turn on the road. What a gorgeous area!

After a long drive, we've finally arrived in Quebec City! This will be a little vacation on the end of the tour. We'll be enjoying art, music, and whatever adventures we can find in this great city! Stay tuned for more updates, and lots more PHOTOS!!

This morning ...

East Coast Tour - Day 27

Hello from beautiful St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick!

We left Moncton this morning and started the drive south to St. Andrew's, and what a drive it was! The closer we got to the Bay of Fundy, the more beautiful things became.

We stopped for lunch at an unassuming little place called the Bay Breeze. As we walked through the tiny restaurant, we noticed a patio and grabbed a table.

What - a - spot!! The sky was clear and bright blue, and our 180 degree view was the stunning Bay of Fundy. The water was lush and expansive. Sea gulls drifting by and provided a gentle soundtrack. The sun beat down, but the heat was relieved by the gentle breeze.

We couldn't resist indulging in more seafood as we drank in the beauty of our surroundings. By the time our food arrived, we were the only people on the patio, and the silence was golden. It's hard to put the whole scene into words, but it was truly a perfect moment.

The beauty continued as we arrived at our host family's home just outside St. Andrew's. Right on the water, the backyard has a fantastic view of the famous Bay of Fundy tides.

We drove into town tonight for our final tour concert at All Saints Church. We approached the concert with feelings of gratitude for all that we've experienced over the past month. During the intermission, one lady said, "This is exactly what I needed tonight." Moments like that make it all worthwhile.

After the show, we stayed up late, visiting and helping our hosts celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary! We've been blessed to stay with amazing people on this trip.

I imagine we'll do a lot of debriefing over the next few weeks, but for now, all I want is a good night's sleep!

New Photos

We've got new photos up on our SITE and FACEBOOK page!

Click the links above to check them out.

My new Irish penny whistles, from O'Brien's Music Store.

East Coast Tour - Day 26

Hello from Moncton, New Brunswick!

Our ferry crossing was fantastic, and we got on the road bright and early. The weather was just perfect for driving, and with the exception of some construction, we had a great drive.

We stopped at a little seafood stand for lunch and, yet again, I had mussels. I realized that I've had mussels four times on this trip, twice in the past 24 hours! Nothing wrong with that...

We have one more concert left on the tour. I can't believe we're this close to the end of things!

Tomorrow, we sing in St. Andrew's, NB. We were supposed to sing there last year, but we were shut out by infamous Hurricane Irene. Barring all tropical storms and natural disasters, we're really looking forward to tomorrow night!

For tonight, we're settled into a cozy little hotel in Moncton, NB. We're a little tired, so pizza is on the way, and nothing but relaxing is on the schedule for the night....

East Coast Tour - Day 25

For the first time in over three weeks, we're heading west.

We spent our final morning in St. John's visiting family, strolling around downtown, eating mussels, and wishing we had a few more days in the city. Our time has flown by. I always wish Newfoundland was easier to visit, or I wish we were millionaires and could fly in anytime on our private jet. Sometimes you've gotta dream for the impossible...

Tonight, we're on the ferry! I say it every time, but I love being on a boat!!

This will be about a 14 hour trip, so we booked early and got a cabin. When we arrived, we found out our cabin has a window! Score!

So tonight, I'm writing to you from our cozy little cabin on the Atlantic Vision ferry, crossing from Argentia, Newfoundland, to North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

We're relaxed, comfortable, and ready for an easy night on the ocean...

East Coast Tour - Day 24

Today was our last performance in Newfoundland for this tour.

We visited the Agnes Pratt Nursing Home and performed an hour of hymns and popular inspirational songs for the residents. It was a great way to finish this leg of our trip.

This concluded our 6 Concerts in 6 Days. We're a little tired today, but our voices are still in great shape. Last year, we started doing a daily vocal warm-up we found online, and I think it's been instrumental in keeping us vocally healthy on this tour.

We returned the Bose system we had rented, but we won't be without one for long. Gerald is completely hooked, and I'm pretty much sold too. It just has everything we need, and it's so easy to sing with.

The rest of the day was just spent enjoying the city. We had an early supper of fish cakes and cod tongues - we're trying to eat as much Newfoundland food as we can! We stocked up on locally made Purity crackers and cookies. And we enjoyed an evening of listening to locally recorded music with our friends.

I can't believe we leave the island tomorrow! 

It's all gone by far too quickly. 

One more concert left!

I've also posted some photos from the past week. 

You can find them on our SITE or FACEBOOK page.

East Coast Tour - Day 23

It was great to have a day when we didn't have to drive anywhere!

We spent the afternoon lounging on the back deck, eating healthy food and enjoying the company of good friends.

This evening, we took the (thankfully) short drive to Mount Pearl to sing at The Parish of the Good Shepherd. We sang there last year, so we knew we were in for a good night.

The crowd was a good mix of friends, return audience members, and new faces. They laughed and sang along, and the whole night had a wonderful feeling.

After the show, we were talking with a longtime family friend and wishing we had time to grab a meal while we're in town. We made a rain cheque for our next visit, and parted ways.

On the way home, Gerald had a late-night craving for bad food, so we turned into the golden arches. Well, while we were in the line-up, who walked in but our family friend? Looks like we would have our meal together after all!

We chatted and laughed and had a great time. It's been a long few days, but we're still feeling strong, both vocally and spiritually.

One more Newfoundland show tomorrow afternoon!

East Coast Tour - Day 22

Hello from my hometown - St. John's, NL!!!!

We arrived early in the afternoon so we could rent a Bose sound system. Even though ours worked perfectly last night, we've been debating buying a new system for a while. We're just at the point we're we'd like something a little larger that can accommodate more instruments and possibly bigger venues. We've had our eye on the Bose towers, but thought it wise to rent before buying, so here we go.

Our venue for tonight was St. Thomas's Church, which was my home church for most of my childhood. Dad was the rector (head pastor) here for many years, and the sanctuary is full of memories.

There's nothing more powerful than looking out at an audience that is full of family, and folks who have known you your whole life.

Tonight felt like a strong night of ministry, and I believe Gerald has completely fallen in love with the Bose (I have picture to prove it - give me a day or 2 to post it.)

Tonight is performance #13 on our tour. Only 3 more to go!

East Coast Tour - Day 21

Hello from Hodge’s Cove!

This morning started as all mornings should: sitting around the kitchen table, playing songs and sharing creativity with our Eastport hosts, Paul and Helena. After leaving their home, we visited retired Bishop Eddie and his wife, Emmie, for a visit that included tea, poetry, homemade muffins, music, theology, and a wicked thunderstorm.

Unfortunately, the thunderstorm followed us for most of the day. But as we say in Newfoundland, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes,” and by the time we hit Clarenville, things had settled down.

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Hodge’s Cove or this area. The drive was twisty and grey, but when you crest the hill into Hodge’s Cove, you know it was worth the drive.

We were set to sing in St. Mary’s Church, one of 5 in a multi-point parish. After a great sound check, and an extra prayer over the sound system, we welcomed a full church for a fun evening’s entertainment. The crowd was with us from the start - singing, clapping along, and just smiling back at us. After, many people stopped for a chat and a word of encouragement, which we always appreciate.

One of the things we’re loving most about this tour is meeting so many interesting people. After the concert, we chatted with our hosts, Rev. Jessie and her husband Danny, about the ever-shifting and challenging dynamics of introducing contemporary church music to more traditional congregations. We also threw in a bit of chat about our favourite tv shows, just to keep it all balanced.

Tomorrow, we head into my hometown, St. John’s! Can’t wait!

East Coast Tour - Day 20

Hello from Eastport, and our craziest tech night ever!!

We said good-bye to our family in Botwood today over Gerald's favourite Newfoundland dessert: the Dockside's partridgeberry kuchen. Native to the island, partridgeberries are bright red, a little tart, and completely excellent on any kind of dessert. We were able to finagle a few jars of preserves from the kitchen, so I started the drive east with a happy husband in the car.

The church in Eastport is just gorgeous! It's a large, cross-shaped sanctuary with amazing hand-cut wood beams. There isn't a piece of stained glass in the whole church. Instead, the colour comes from the beautiful homemade banners that line the walls. We actually included the Easter banner in our "In The Garden" video.

One thing we love about this church is its beautiful acoustic. As we started the show, everything felt great. The sound was tight, and the audience was responsive.

At the intermission, I went back to the CD table while Gerald switched out the cables so we could play a few tracks. And that's when I heard it: thunder-like crashes coming out of our sound system.

We started the second half, praying everything would fall into place, but every few bars we'd hear something very non-musical coming through the speaker. We unplugged the tracks and decided to just go back to guitar. No such luck. The thunder/crashing/horror-sounds continued. We made the age-old joke about the devil being in the sound system and tried to laugh it off, while simultaneously trying not to freak out.

After a few minutes of trying to fix it, we just unplugged everything, and moved right down to the front of the audience. Suddenly, it felt like we were in a house concert. Everything was intimate, and somehow very special. After we finished, people said it was their favourite part of the show. Funny how things happen...

I don't know what we're going to do tomorrow night, but if you're in the mood for a weird prayer tonight, please pray for our sound system!

East Coast Tour - Day 19

And so it begins: 6 concerts in 6 days.

Tonight we returned to the Salvation Army Church in Peterview. When we lost Indian Bay on Sunday, we feared tonight would be (to use the theatre term) a 'dark' night. We were so happy when the people at the Salvation Army said "yes" to the idea of a concert tonight!

We arrived at the church mid-afternoon to set up and have a rehearsal. The first people started to arrive over an hour before showtime! We've never had people come that early! By 7:00 pm, the sanctuary had filled up, and the crowd was ready for a good time.

We switched things up a little tonight and added 2 new songs to the program: "My Heart is the Manger" from Every Church is a Small Town, and our funky new arrangement of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Love that new groove Gerald has created for this classic song!

Every show tends to be a little different, and tonight's was fun and relaxed. The audience was filled with joyful singers, and we truly felt welcomed and loved.

Tomorrow, we head a little further east to Eastport, and my Dad's hometown of Salvage!

East Coast Tour - Day 18

Today is our last day "off" until our final tour concert next week. Tomorrow, we start a run of 6 concerts in 6 days. After that, we have 3 full travel days (including a 14 hour ferry ride!), and then a concert in New Brunswick.

It's going to be a tight, busy schedule, so part of today had to be about resting and prepping:

We took my aunt and uncle out for a birthday celebration lunch at the beautiful Dockside Restaurant.

We reorganized the car, revisited the concert set list, and had a great rehearsal.

And tonight, we enjoyed a leisurely time on the back deck with the family.

Nobody can deny that being on tour is a lot of work, but it's definitely a lot of fun too!

East Coast Tour - Day 17

Monday is usually our day off, and today, we really needed one.

Today has been dedicated to long walks, a hunt for ice cream, and dinner with the family.

I also updated the East Coast Tour photo album on our Facebook page. 

You can visit it by clicking HERE.

Sound check in Corner Brook.

East Coast Tour - Day 16

This morning we sang at the Salvation Army Church in Peterview, NL. After our concert on Friday, the church's music director invited us to perform a concert the next time we come through Newfoundland. Well, we really don't know if we'll be back this way again next year, so we offered to sing a few songs on Sunday morning. You never know what happens when you say "Yes" to something ...

The morning's service was fantastic! It's the 101st anniversary of this particular corps (congregation), so they had a wonderful guest speaker and a full house. The brass band lead the boisterous and joyful singing, and the junior praise team (featuring my young cousin!) stole the show. We sang Just a Closer Walk, Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone,) and to honour the anniversary, Every Church is a Small Town.

After the service, everyone kept asking us if we'd be back for the evening service. So before we knew it, we were invited back for the evening, and we said "Yes."

This afternoon, we got the upsetting news that our Wednesday concert in Indian Bay was cancelled. We'd had a great time there last year, and the news was really disappointing. But saying "Yes" was still in our heads. Gerald said, "Maybe the Salvation Army would like a concert that night?" So when we returned to the church, we asked, and they said "Yes!"

So, we'll be singing a free concert at the 

Peterview Salvation Army Church, 

this Wednesday, 7:00pm. 

Come if you're in the area!

Back to tonight: the evening service was epic! More singing from the congregation and the junior praise team, and another fantastic message. We sang How Great Thou Art and Give Me Jesus. In celebration of the anniversary, the floor was opened for testimonies, and the stories began to flow. I could listen to testimonies all night long! The heartfelt messages of God's faithfulness were moving and inspiring. Some people chose to tell their stories through song, shouting out song titles to sing, or simply reading the lyrics aloud.

After the service, we enjoyed the anniversary reception. Nobody can put out a spread like church folk!

Cutting the anniversary cake with the oldest & youngest soldiers in the corps.

East Coast Tour - Day 15

Family day!

One of the best things about being in Newfoundland is being with my family. We see each other so rarely that when we get together, we really try to make the most of it.

Gerald and I enjoyed a relaxing morning of writing songs. As Gerald played a guitar riff, I started to hear a lyric. Of course, by the time he finished working out his guitar part, the lyric no longer fit the melody. No problem - now we have the start of 2 new songs!

The afternoon and evening were dedicated to feasting, laughing, telling stories, and just loving every minute. We went out to my cousin's house where we enjoyed fresh mussels, BBQ chicken, fresh cod, salads, and potatoes that were literally dug from the garden and dumped in the pot. The desserts smothered the table, and the drinks were chilled with none other than million-year-old iceberg ice!

Million-year-old iceberg ice!!

We ended the night with a campfire, complete with weiners and marshmallows. Our trip has been great, but with all the driving and travelling, it's great to just sit in one place for a while...

East Coast Tour - Day 14

Hello from Botwood!

"Where's Botwood?" you may say.

Botwood is a small town in Central Newfoundland that's integral to my family history. It's the hometown of my Mom, Helen, and I spent much of my childhood here, visiting family. We'll actually spend the next few days doing just that.

As we were welcoming people before tonight's concert, the inevitable happened. "It's not hard to tell who you are," I heard. "You look just like your mother."

When I was a child, this was the only thing I hated about Botwood.

Now, I can't get enough of it.

We sang tonight in the beautiful Trinity United Church. Bold stained glass line the walls of the sanctuary, giving snapshots of Jesus's history.

We had a lot of musical folks in the audience, so there was lots of singing and grooving coming from the crowd, and nods-of-approval when Gerald would hit a particularly cool guitar lick.

Our next concert is Wednesday, so we'll take some time over the next few days to squeeze in some good rehearsals before hitting the road. We've had so much driving lately, and so many nights in hotels, that it's been hard to get any real rehearsal time going. My Dad made the best analogy: Like athletes playing road games, we need that daily stretch and play to keep things fresh.

Tomorrow, we stretch!

East Coast Tour - Day 13

Hello from Corner Brook!

It's late here in Newfoundland, and it's been a long one, so please excuse any typos or gibberish. I actually almost titled this post "East Coats Tour"!

I awoke this morning to the sound of a new lyric drifting through the air. Gerald was in the living room of our Rocky Harbour cottage strumming his guitar and working out the details for a new song. We made espresso and sang though the lyric, adding harmonies and polishing the very few rough edges. With a few run throughs, we may just add it to the concert next week.

We really wish we'd had more time in Gros Morne, but we spent the rest of the morning having a little drive, taking more photos, and enjoying a beautiful brunch at the exquisite Java Jive cafe.

The drive to Corner Brook was striking. Hills, mountains, and shade upon shade of deep green.

We arrived at our host home this afternoon, with lots of time for a visit, a rest, and a great meal.

At the end of each concert, we re-evaluate our program. What worked? What could work better? How can we express the message better? How can we add more fun? Tonight, we shifted things around a bit more, and things feel better and better every time. Building a show can get technical, but the goal is simple: How can we create an atmosphere where the audience can emotionally connect with the message?

Tonight we sang for the receptive crowd at St. Michael & All Angels. The whole atmosphere was very relaxed. One person said he felt like the church pews were couches, and we are all in a big living room together. We love that!

We've just finished a long post-concert session of cake and chatting. Looking forward to heading a little further east tomorrow, and seeing some family!

East Coast Tour - Day 12

Hello from Rocky Harbour!

When I realized we had an extra night before our first Newfoundland concert, I decided to take a detour and show Gerald one of the island's (and arguably the country's) most beautiful areas - Gros Morne National Park.

Now, in an ideal world, we'd have a few days to drift around the area, soaking in the incredible beauty, the lingering walking trails, and the host of live music and theatre festivals, but even one night was worth the drive.

We arrived late afternoon (admittedly, we were slow getting on the road after yesterday's epic travel day) and settled into our little cabin. I took a stroll through town and found a great spot on the beach where the tide was out. My camera got a workout as I investigated the tide pools and breathed in the incredible vistas. (I'll post the shots when I get a faster internet speed.)

Earle's restaurant looks like it should only serve burgers and fries, but their seafood menu was extensive and fresh. They literally get it from the fish plant down the road. We grabbed a table on the breezy patio and feasted on Newfoundland delicacies - scallops with bacon, toutons & molasses, moose meat pie, cod fried with scrunchions, and finishing with a homemade molasses cookie.

We're about to enter a busy couple of weeks, so tonight's respite was just perfect. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...

East Coast Tour - Day 11

It's been a 14 hour travel day. FOURTEEN hours!!! Whew!

We left Halifax bright and early to drive east to catch the ferry to Newfoundland. It was a great day in the car - clear weather, good soundtrack, and lots of laughing.

Driving through Cape Breton was beautiful, of course. We arrived early in North Sydney, so we found a restaurant right by the water. The weather was perfect, so we grabbed a picnic table overlooking the ferries and ordered the special of the day - lobster casserole! Big pieces of lobster swimming in cheese and cream sauce. Talk about a decadent lunch!

In the afternoon we boarded the ferry! I love any chance to get on a boat (I'm like my Dad that way.) We were able to grab a quiet couple of seats by the window, and settled in for a smooth crossing. I got a couple of great photos of the sunset that I'll post tomorrow.

We also met more Christian musicians on the ferry! A PEI-based Celtic family group called The Skys. They're touring Newfoundland for the first time. Lots of great music is about to hit the island!

We're settled into Port aux Basques for the night. Looking forward to every day of the next 2 weeks!

Toronto is our home where we live, 

and Nashville is our Southern home, 

but Newfoundland, well, that's the original.

Halifax Photos!

I've posted our Halifax photos on our SITE and our FACEBOOK page! 

Come check them out...