We have adopted our beautiful baby girl, Celia Matz.  I will be taking maternity leave in 2009.  I plan on coming out with a new CD at the end of the year.  But, in the mean time, thank you for your support check back for when I start performing again.

What a wonderful fall it has been.  I have met so many wonderful people and played in some new regions.  It is bittersweet to have some of my best shows before I take some time off for maternity leave.  In September I played at the beautiful Artichoke Music in Portland and was welcomed by Richard Columbo.  They have done a fantastic job making the venue one of the warmest places to play that I have seen.  They are a true model to other venues around the country, in my opinion.
Also in September, my sister and I played one of my favorite places, the St. George Concert Series in Leadville, CO.  It's always a treat to play with Alice, and Allie and the folks in Leadville know my music and always give us a warm welcome.  Plus, we had some of the best soup I've ever had.  I definately want Allie's recipe.
And, for my final tour for the year, I had a great time back in Minnesota.  Roger Anderson and the folks at the Cambridge Coffeehouse were wonderful.  I had a first at that show - almost getting stung by a wasp on stage.  I got to play with the incredible Brooks Williams at Ginkgo's Coffeehouse, and I really enjoyed the live performance and radio show on Twin Cities Radio at Vera's Cafe.  Lonnie Knight is a wonderful musician and host and I'm looking forward to coming back to do another show for Jazzy J.  Thanks to everyone who has made this such a wonderful fall!

I ventured into some new territory this spring, touring to both Atlanta and Houston.  I had a wonderful time on both trips and can't wait to go back.  First of all, in Atlanta, I finally played at the legendary Eddie's Attic to a nice crowd, including one of my old high school friends.  Eddie Owen was nice as could be.  I certainly see why touring musicians try to include him on their stop through Atlanta.  He's cultivated a crowd that knows whatever he presents will be worth coming to.  While in the Atlanta area, I also played at Swallow in the Hollow in Roswell, the Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, and headed up to Athens to play at Farm 255.  It was a beautiful time of year to visit Georgia - the flowers were in bloom and it wasn't too hot.
My trip to Houston in May was absolutely wonderful.  I got to reconnect with my friend Ken Gaines at Anderson Fair, and meet some great new people at the Cortlandt Street House Concert and the Andrews House Concert.  My thanks goes out to Mary Scott Hagle and her family for hosting a beautiful concert.  Their house is absolutley perfect for a concert and her daughters kept me entertained throughout.  Lucy Nell Andrews is a pillar of the Houston folk community and I appreciated the hospitality and warmth she extended, as well as her son and daughter.  I already have an invitation to come back, so I'll be headed back that way soon.

I had a whirlwind October, with tours to Denver, Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Texas. I especially enjoyed performing at the Old Church Theater in Clarksville, TX . Boyd Hurt was a wonderful host, even putting me up at his lake cabin, and the audience was very appreciative. I had a great time playing at Swallow Hill in Denver, too, because I got to play with my sister, Alice, and Jefferson Hamer for the first time. The three of us had a great time practicing, let alone performing. Alice and I also went to the FAR West Conference in Vancouver for the first time. We met some wonderful folks and were really impressed by the conference. Hopefully, it will result in some Northwest tours next year.

Had a great time opening for John Cowan.  The concert hall here in Durango has such a wonderful sound system and John was a pleasure to listen to. 

I ended the summer with some nice shows in Colorado, playing with my trio, made up of my sister and either Greg Schochet or Steve Stahl.  Steve, Alice and I played the Collegiate Peaks Music Festival in Buena Vista under a blue sky day looking out over the mountains.  Then, Alice, Greg and I  just returned from a concert at the historic St. George Church in Leadville.  We are looking forward to playing both of these places again next year.

August was a full month of traveling and some of the best shows I've had in a while.  I started out in Utah playing the Magpie House Concert.  It was a warm and intimate setting hosted by Grant Hogarth .  He started these concerts with his wife, the late Suzanne Milsaps, and the loyal following of music lovers they have built were a joy to play for.  After some shows at the Kendall Arts Festival and the Gallivan Center, I flew to Alaska to meet my family in Homer.  While there, I took a water taxi over to beautiful Seldovia and the Seldovia Rowing Club .  Susan Mumma hosted another wonderful concert and I played on the porch in the late night Alaskan sun .  I'll look forward to meeting up with her again at the Far-West Folk Alliance Concert in November.

I have decided to start a program to give back to some of the incredible organizations working to make our world a better place.  Each few months I will feature a different organization on my website and in my e-newsletter.  At the end of that time I will donate 10% of all CD sales during those months to the featured organization.  Find out more about Music with Meaning and this quarter's featured organization, The Campaign for America's Wilderness, by visiting my website: www.sallyshuffield.com.