Time is flying

It doesn’t feel like it’s been two weeks since our first blog post. Time hasn’t been a real necessity on tour, so I’ve lost all sense of it. Lauren and Zoltan (married as well) tell us what time we need to leave in the morning, and that’s about all we need to know! It’s been a relaxing trip, but also odd when it comes to knowing where we are, where we’re going, and what time it is. I guess the name of the tour is “Once Upon a Fairly Odd Tour”, so there you go! Before leaving Nashville I was puzzled by what 50 days of touring would look like. Well, we’re already a month into it and we’re getting the hang of it. Since we are also playing for Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk we’ve learned a bunch of her songs. I had the song charts all laid out on the floor each show. We joked about me finally memorizing the songs and throwing out the charts just in time for our last show, but I am pleased to announce that I have them down!

Here’s what we do on the long trips:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture we snapped after a show one night. Across the way you can see Michigan. We were so close to the border that I had AT&T reception! So close to home, yet so far.

Here we are playing at an outdoor house show. The host was a carpenter and just before the show he constructed this stage in case of rain.

We left Ontario a week ago. What a beautiful Province! We drove around Lake Superior and stopped at Old Woman Bay. It reminded me so much of the Pacific Northwest, sea and all. In Thunder Bay a girl told me that on her first ever trip to the ocean she was totally underwhelmed because she had similar views right in her hometown. I’ve seen the Great Lakes on the map of course, but there’s just something about driving around one that really puts things into perspective. That’s a big lake with a fitting name. Above: Old Woman Bay. Can you see the Old Woman?  Below: View from the car Everyone kept telling us that the flat, can-see-for-days prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) were going to be torturous to drive compared to the sights of the lakes, hills, rivers, and forests we just left. Well we made it through Manitoba and are now in Saskatchewan and I quite like the landscapes so far. On a cute side note, our new friends in Manitoba live close to Minnesota, and I would have never thought of it before, but they have a very similar accent! Makes sense.

We just played in what I know will be one of the more unique places on tour. A castle. It was made by a Belgian castle maker in the 1950s. Just nuts. In the back there is a bridge leading to a garage rooftop that she transforms into an ice skating rink in the winter. Needless to say, this was a magical castle. There was even a throne inside. We think the owner should have house shows often and call the venue “The Castle”.

This tour is going by very quickly. We are going to be in Vancouver in two weeks! We are so very thankful for this opportunity to travel and play our music across Canada. As tour comes to a close we are trying to figure out what the heck God wants us to do next. For now, we are planning on staying in Seattle for a couple months to work on our album. That’s all for now. We hope you’re enjoying the fall as much as we are.                                                             Scarves, coats, boots, winter and cocoa here we come!

Peace and love,

Gretyl

Ps. I couldn’t miss this chance to show you Brett’s bear impression. Didn’t he really capture the expression?

Let the good times roll!

Four weeks ago we put all our belongings into storage and set off to Canada on a music tour adventure!  I thought it was time to start sharing stories and photos from our travels. We started the “Once Upon a Fairly Odd” tour on August 16, and so far we have been in 4 provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. We’ll be making our way to the west, and I’ll finally see Vancouver Island for the first time.  Our last show will be in Calgary on October 8.

We open up for Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk, and then we back her up as the “Odd Folk”. It’s a fun set up. There are four of us and our music gear, so we fit pretty nicely in the van. It’s been really interesting living with the bare necessities.  We have very little with us and it’s quite freeing!  Here’s our “home” for the next while:

The shows have been going really well, but it’s not just about the music. We’re meeting amazing people and making great memories everywhere we go. We played at a lively farmer’s market in Shediac, NB. It was so lively, in fact, after the show a woman asked me what language I was singing one of my songs in.  I told her it was in… English. Perhaps I need to work on my enunciating?

Shediac claims to be the “Lobster Capital of the World” and neither of us had ever eaten lobster before, so we had to try it. The sign at a food stand said “fresh cooked lobster” and looked promising, so we ordered some to go. Brett opened the bag expecting to find hot and ready lobster meat, and was surprised to find two cold, ruby lobsters. We went to the beach to picnic and swim and weren’t really sure what to do with the things without utensils, so he went into a beach front restaurant and asked for lobster eating assistance. The owner came out, sat Brett down, and showed him how it’s done. Then I swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time!  It was cold and soon to rain, but I just had to jump in.

Here are a few of the beautiful places we’ve stayed along the way:

Circle Square Ranch in Sussex, NB.  They have a beautiful lake and horses…

meet Lady!

In Blackville, NB we stayed in a beautiful log cabin (pretty much our dream home) situated right next to this lovely, lazy river. Sadly, we didn’t have very much time at this location so we woke up extra early to go canoeing. Talk about relaxing!

Apparently we love the water. Halifax was one of my favorite stops so far. There were little touches of Vancouver and Seattle everywhere. I would love to go back. If you grew up watching Canadian television you might recognize Theodore, here.

We’ve played a few outdoor shows, taking advantage of the closing summer, and mosquitos have really been getting us! It’s a little hard to swat them away when your hands are busy playing guitar. At one particular show there were five or more mosquitos hanging out on my face during a song. After I finished someone tossed me bug spray, which I gladly donned.

Well, based off of the pictures it probably looks like we’re just on vacation, but we basically play a show every night and it’s hard work! Hopefully I can keep this blog updated, and hopefully I can get some more pictures of Brett in here next time!  Evidently he takes the pictures! Peace and love, Gretyl.