July 9 part 2

July 9, Part Deux

Where am I ? The place is familiar, a marble and carpeted hotel lobby, a shiny desk, and someone trying to check me in, my funny accent competing with theirs, as we both try to speak good English. She did speak it well, I was talking English wicked good, too. No more Canadian for me, and I get to use green money again, no more blue bills, or coins with some queen on them, nice dead men for me.

I run into someone I actually know, someone I haven’t seen since we were in New Jersey, or was it Pennsylvania? I forget, but since neither of us are from any of these places, or even wherever we are now, who cares. We catch up an what needs catching up, compare notes and strategize our next move.

We decide that I can do all the driving tonight, as I seemingly do not mind driving in the rain all that much. The rain has followed me, turning into a right proper nasty night. Looks cool and grey outside, but it was sloony. Sticky. Drippy. Damp. YUCK, let’s stay in, better yet, lets go out and play.

Sludging thru the damp, and driving out to another lake, surprisingly I did not see any fingers there, although the signs insisted that I was in the Finger Lake Region. I suppose if I actually got to one of these lakes, I just might give it the finger.

Two GPS to get there, as the address and the GPS location were not wuite the same, but having been there before, three years , ago, I was an expert. Greeted by name by someone with a nametag, and wearing a lanyard, it was decided that we two were way too cool for lanyards, and welcomed out of the rain, and under the shed. You would never believe what we saw. A bus full of English tourists showed up, along with a few Americans, and decided that they were NOT going to judge another wet shirt contest. Dang, and I brought my bodaciousness with me. I tucked all that away, and sat and listened to funny accents tell funny stories. Turns out that my tall skinny English friends like girls.

Good to know, might use that information someday.

A few mildly familiar faces around, but none as much as me, or my travel companion. And we , had a fabulous time, even with sticky and filmy guitars. No new surprises, same set list, but being forced to sit in the front row center, by the poor person whose kidney stone stopped them from being there, put on a good show. I sang and danced the night away. Capturing their attention, preventing them from looking at anyone but me. Really, that is why I go, to make an ass of myself night after night. Actually, I sat nicely for the sitting parts, and got higher and higher when asked. Stand out songs? Most of them.
But after the over 40C heat of the night before, I felt a distinct loss of something vital, and noticed the same up on stage. A subtle change, but there. That heat the night before was so bad, the sweat dripping so copiously, it took a bit of the life force away. Some little bit that was not restored with a few hundred mile commute, and a nice shower and nap in nice bed linens, on a good mattress. Not even the wake up scent of the nice soap could restore what was lost in Ottawa.

At least tonight, at the end of the concert, no one up on the stage looked at me and mouthed “it’s over, thank god”. Some one might have done that in Ottawa, but not here, in the Finger Lakes. I might not need to show my finger to anyone after all.

Drippy rain again, brollies up, and a skipping run to find old Sturdy Gertie. She finally was close enough to hear a concert. The Smoke machine was not in overdrive, must not have known the car was so close, they can resume their affair tomorrow, if the bus doesn’t find out.

She got us out of the lot, and back to the hotel in record time, we were first. Plenty of time to get a few drinks, relax, and
watch the other hotel guests.

There was a sea of small decorated female humans paraded about by their mothers. Many in tiaras, and wearing sashes. All with more make up and hair spray than some mutant glam rocker.

Speaking of Rockers. I have a fondness for a few out there, somewhere, and they might hear my voice?

Sleep, I hardly remember getting to my room, and getting any sleep. I have a long day ahead of me, and I Haven’t recovered from Ottawa yet. Hydration.