We travelled by train from Buffalo to Syracuse. Rail travel is something we always want to do more of on tour, so we enjoyed the ride very much. The pace is consistent and the scenery lush. To complete the trip we did need to jump in a car at the Amtrak station towards the village of Turin. On the way, we passed by Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome, NY. The American stand here in 1777 was a major factor in repulsing the British invasion from Canada.
On the radio during the drive, we listened to a couple of good interviews on National Public Radio. One featured author, Charles Wilkins, who offered lucid tales from his new book, "In the Land of Long Fingernails: Gravedigging in the Age of Aquarius." His job on the cemetery grounds gave him a lot of time to reflect on the simplicity of death, juxtaposed with the mandatory rituals expected of the living. One of the epiphanies a respected associate shared with him-- Perhaps one's soul becomes the stories we tell about a person after they're gone.
During that same broadcast, we also heard from the enlightened Douglas Rushkoff, author of Life Inc. His goal is to empower individuals to take control of their lives at a local level, avoiding the pitfalls of dealing with high interest rates and large corporations.
The weather was absolutely beautiful this year for the moe.down at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin Village, NY, near the southeastern perimeter of Adirondack State Park. The stage was built at the bottom of a ski slope, facing uphill. During our set, the crowd illuminated themselves with plastic glow sticks, which together with the sight of a full moon behind the stage and our spinning mirrored ball, made for a terrific light show. The band moe. is celebrating their 20th year as a band, and the 10th year of this festival. We were grateful to be included.