Dear Friends,

It feels like a lifetime since last I wrote a mere year ago. After the events of these past twelve months, it seems impossible that the reassuring appearance of gardens and honey flows can churn on uninterrupted in the face of this past year. But the constancy offered by these simple pleasures has kept the keel even in these rough waters.

One constant that was absent for far too long is the companionship of my trusty roadie, Tommy Slothower. He took an extended paternity leave and, now with his two sons entrusted to the forces of elementary education, he’s back from what he describes as “a four year trial separation that didn’t work.” It’s wonderful to have his expertise and company back on the road with me.

One great constant for the past eighteen years has been the way-larger-than-life presence of my youngest son, Peter. After a remarkable senior year at Charlottesville High School (I won’t embarrass him here by recounting his many accomplishments and honors) he’s off to University of Georgia next week. We’ll definitely have to find our comedic entertainment elsewhere once he’s no longer at the supper table.

Son, Will, has set his sights on moving to the dynamic music scene in New York City. He’ll be moving back into that “room at the top of the stair” for “a few months” to save his rent money for his future Manhattan landlord.

As a result of this confluence of events I’ve kept closer to home this summer. It’s afforded me the opportunity to have a bumper crop from the backyard vegetable garden. My bee hives are in better shape than they’ve been in years. Tomatoes pile high on our supper plates. (And lunch…and breakfast…) My experiments with sourdough reek in the kitchen. Winter squash litters the boundaries of the garden and we’re into the fourth planting of beans. This music stuff has always infringed on my gardening…

“America begins on Labor Day,” a friend recently observed. Living the last fifteen years as a parent of students, I tend to agree. My year begins with my annual trek out to Winfield, KS followed by a long-overdue return to Alaska. Ten concerts in as many days is a tour designed for a much younger man but one town led to another. And then another…

Prior to launching yet another Left Coast Tour in January I’ll be joining old friends Holly Near, Tom Chapin and Michael Mark for various joint shows. I’ll even be doing a series of concerts with the wonderful group Trapezoid, old friends who made so many albums with me years ago. Check the itinerary for details.

2002 is an auspicious year for me. Twenty five years ago I met my wife, Parthy. And this month I cross the half-century boundary. No small feat to have accomplished either of those landmarks. Good health, good fortune, patience and forgiveness count for a lot in such matters.

And, finally, someone who keeps far closer tabs on such things than I informed me that 2002 marks my 30th year as a professional musician. Three decades of avoiding gainful employment! It’s been a wonderful ride and I feel as though I have another thirty-plus years in me. It is not lost on me that my good fortune is due to people like you who’ve been loyal fellow travelers over the years. I hope the trip has been a pleasant one for you and please know that I’ve been grateful everyday for thirty years that I’ve had such companionable supporters. Thanks again and I hope to see you in your hometown sometime this season.