When I’m not metal detecting, I’m writing songs. Or maybe
it’s the other way around; I no longer know for sure. That said, this Dirt Girl post is going to incorporate
a bit of both. You will read it and you will like it.
On a glorious weekend in late October, I woke up anxious to
dig – knowing that it was my last chance before a two-week stint of performing
in Michigan and Texas. Cheryl and The Aptly Named Doug had gotten up at the
butt crack of dawn to go hunt some place fun and historic but I begged off in
favor of normal slumber. I got on the road around 11 and arrived at my
destination – a farm Cheryl and I had permission to hunt – about an hour later.
OK, stop. I can see you all now, in my mind’s eye, taking your map of Nashville and drawing a circle around the city, 60 miles from the center.
That won’t work. I will reveal that there was a CW battle here, but other
details – such as the fact that the site is adjacent to both a wig factory and
an emu farm – may be erroneous.
I knocked on the door of the farmhouse, but no one was home
so I left a note and drove around back of the barn and parked. Acres of green
lay before me, the winter grass short enough for easy metal detecting.
I was nervous at first – I felt like a target, completely
out in the open – but after a while I got in the zone and relaxed into the
beauty and the free-flowing serotonin.
Here was my first real find of the day.
And, as it happened, it was my only real find. For not only
is this site adjacent to a nail polish boutique and a peach pie store, but it
has been well picked over by detectorists for many years.
I did notice that for the three hours I was there, a group
of hawks circled lazily over my head. It occurred to me that from above I might
resemble a small, dying elephant, swinging its emaciated trunk back and forth. Sorry hawks. Move along. Nothing to see.
On Thursday, November 1, I flew to Detroit. MJ Bishop met me
at DTW and we drove up to Harbor Springs for Lamb’s Retreat – a renowned
songwriter retreat where I was asked to give a presentation and perform
alongside some rather illustrious singer/songwriters.
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| MJ gives good license plate. |
It was all good fun and I
wrote a couple of songs over the weekend. Oddly, the one that took 20 minutes to
write is the one I think I’ll get the most use out of. It is about Dolly
Parton’s… well, it’s about Dolly Parton.
Best moment of all, though, was taking a solitary trek down
to my beautiful Lake Michigan and lying in the cold, wet sand in my coat and
boots.
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| Pure Michigan. |
I lay there for a long time, listening to the lapping of the
waves and wishing mightily for a metal detector. As if on cue, a man walked by
and told me that just a year before, a sword from the War of 1812 had washed up
on the shore right where I was sitting. This is true and not just the fevered
dream of a songwriter minus detector lying in sand.
After a quick husband-kissing day back in Nashville, I
departed for Texas where I joined up with Kerrville New Folk tour (see the Dirt
Girl Does Texas post if you’re coming into this cold.) Landed in Austin where I
found that Dollar had a cheapo special on massive, white Town and Country
minivans. Obtained one and drove out to Hunt, Texas. Met up with some of the
other New Folk winners – Alicia McGovern, Korby Lenker and The Sea The Sea
(Chuck Costa and Mira Stanley) – at a Disney-esque Mexican restaurant. (Many
thanks to Thomas Chapmond and Jeff Gavin of Cabin 10 for the check-grabbing!)
Then out to the Roddy Tree Ranch where we were staying and performing.
Wow. Swanky comfort! We had a huge and well-appointed but
TV-less house to relax in but not for long. I had time for a quick stretch
before we grabbed our guitars and headed down to the open-air stage to play.
Nicolette Good joined us from San Antonio. (Fellow NFer Edie Carey stayed home
in Boston with her handsome baby boy.)
It was a beautiful, gentle evening that got starrier and
starrier as we played. It was the first of many times that week that I just
felt so honored to be onstage with these people. Really great musicians and
amazing, layered, cool songs. Like … I dunno… Mallomars. Cayenne-infused Mallomars
spiked with whiskey.
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| Roddy Tree Ranch stage. Also, my nose. |
After the show we went back to our luxury pad and attempted
to learn the results of the presidential election via our phones, ESP,
star-gazing, shouting to distant mountain ranges, guessing, etc. When we
learned the result, there was… an audible expression of emotion. (If you are
unsure of my political leaning, considering that I spend a lot of time digging
Civil War relics, consider, too, that I am a folk singer.)
The next morning, Alicia and I drove back to Austin after
stopping for lunch and antiques in Johnson "City". After resting up in the domestic comfort of
the Chapmonds’ lovely home, and throwing the ball for a sweet, galumphing Labradoodle, we headed to JAX – a great
restaurant/bar near UT Austin. Again, we were wined and dined, this time
courtesy a folk music-loving pathologist named Phil Collins – a series of
descriptors I couldn’t make up if I tried. (Thanks for the veggie burger,
Phil!) Alicia, Korby, Chuck and Mira and I played for hours. It was all made more
delightful by the presence of Dana Falconberry – one my long-ago dance students
from the Milligan School of Ballet, now all grown up to be a proper
Austin-based singer/songwriter/movie star! There was hugging and happiness.
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| JAX show: Korby, Alicia, me, Mira, Chuck |
Thursday morning, I returned the van (waah), went for a
power walk (yeah), and went for smoothies (not a fan of smoothies, but they
were OK).
The New Folk Tour moved on to the Open Ears Concert Series
in an uber-liberal Presbyterian Church. After an impressive chili cook-off, we
set to warbling. Wow, was it fun to sing in there. Everything sounded reverby
and churchified, especially when Nicolette played Marathon and Korby played Cedars
of Lebanon. The Chicken Song doesn’t go over well with intense, sacred reverb,
I learned.
Le Korb and I spent the night at the comfy home of David and
Peggy and their Weimariners. I slept like a log and dreamed that when I woke
up, Korby would be riding an old fashioned bicycle up and down the cul de sac.
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| It didn't end particularly well. |
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| Soundcheck... |
We stayed til they closed
it down. Here’s us singing Cedars of Lebanon. (It'll open in youtube, maybe.)
It was 1 a.m. We drove down a series of roads and through gates, and
across creeks to Stan and Chris’ ranch where the stars rained tiny little
cowboy ballads upon our undeserving heads. It was sooo comfy and I crashed
around 3 a.m. In the AM, I talked metal detecting with our hosts and got to see
some of the stuff they’ve found around the place – just lying there on the
ground. In addition to some awesome fossils, they found this.
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| Oh, man. Want. |
As we packed up to go, I found myself
sprinting down the path desperate to find SOMETHING. I didn’t, but I left with an invite to return
sometime. And I WILL.
Here’s the 2012 New Folkers sniffling their good-byes.
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| Love. |
Korby and I drove to Houston for a concert at the famed
Rouse House. Another fabulous show, made more so by the presence of my cousin
John and his dear gf, Jimmie. The Rouses really know how to put on a show: from
the key-festooned guest bathroom, to the thousands of snow-globes, to the pugs
(Pancho and Lefty) who tried to annihilate each other during one of my Most
Serious Songs, to the amazing curried pumpkin someone brought to the potluck,
to the brand-new swimming pool that I foolishly did NOT jump into fully
clothed, to the two sets of songs played for smart people listening intently…
it was the stuff of legend.
After a visit with J and J and meeting their lovely friends
(and a rare command performance of Elton John/Whit Hill songs) I flew home on
Monday, Nov. 12.
Which brings us back to MDing which, of course, is what you
really wanted to know about.
This Friday after work, I plunged into a new Brush Hill yard
I’d just gotten permission to hunt. Found this before stupid darkness – curse
you Daylight Savings Time – sent me home:
Cool find. Did some research and I think I’ve tracked Michael
Kavanaugh down (on Face Book no less), so don’t bother. More to come on that.
Spent four hours on Saturday in the same yard. Here’s the
best find of the day, in situ.
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| St. Christopher medal with John XXIII. |
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| You know you want a better look at the military button. Not sure if it's old or not... sure looks like gold gilt to me. |
Nice yard! Thanks, enthusiastic home owner!
Heading back up to Michigan tomorrow for Thanksgiving with
the fambly. (After last summer's automotive shenanigans, you can bet the St. Christopher medal will be tucked safely in the glove box.) Friday night, Al and I will be performing at METAL – a cool, new Ann Arbor
gallery and metal furniture/art emporium. I’ll be bringing all my finds for a
serious show and tell.
And I will have my Fisher F75 Limited Edition metal detector
in the back of the van– as well as my Tesoro Cibola. Wanna play?
