July 31st, 2006.

Then we found this version of Cars’ Tow Mater – apparently set up for a kids’ birthday party. Oh and just in case Disney runs across my website and wants to track this guy down for copyright infringement or some other bullshit, we went back the next day and he WASN’T THERE!!!

Sunday, Sara and I spent much of the day just wandering around. Here you can see we found the site of a gosling explosion. I fear for what happened here, but it DID make the surrounding scrub cute and fluffy.

We discovered a lounging lawn gnome for Shane.

Sara finds a rose as we wander the absolutely abandoned avenues of downtown Concord. Sunday’s NOT the day to explore. We couldn’t even get our Argentinian pastries!

And the Concord City Hall. It might’ve been the county court house. I’m going to screw that up, actually… but on the other hand, I’m sure someone will correct me!

Then we discovered a grove of what appears to be Muppets.

The Concord Memorial Gardens are exquisite and hidden. When we first spotted them, we thought it was simply the aforementioned Muppet Grove. Then we found the gates, and we thought we were simply in the midst of a beautiful, expansive public garden / aboretum. Then we spotted the gravestones. Now, my family has always been fans of cremation, the idea of hanging out for the rest of forseeable eternity in the ground in some sterile, manicured lawn is not appealing. Maybe if you could land yourself down south where at least you’d have some Spanish moss and the proper kind of moody insect singing… but up till THIS cemetary, there’d been nothing that really appealled to me. Truly, if you’d been told you simply HAD to have your body in a box somewhere, this is the place to park it. What a beautiful place.

This was sent to me the other night. It’s stuff like this that keeps me alive somedays.

“Rob and Heather,
I saw you last night at the George Washington Book Store But It’s Really a Restaurant place last night. I don’t know exactly what it is about the music industry that’s so fucked up that you 4 don’t have a record deal yet, but stick with it. I said I know you guys (and lady) will go far, and I meant it. That’s the second time I’ve heard you…and wow..is all I can say. ilyaimy produces music like I have never heard. Heather, with your powerful drum and blurred hands you tap into something primal…something that moves one to action. Rob with your guitar and vocals lead the show with energy and charisma that is genuine. The two of you together deliver a show that is full of energy, laughter, and love. You deserve a bigger stage. You definitely have something to offer.

I wanted to say how much I respect you two for putting it all on the line for your dream. I know how it feels to wake up in the morning suddenly wondering if you made the right decision…remember, it’s all ways darkest before the dawn. Stay the path, please. The world needs good music just as much as it needs good politics or good technology. Your music reminds us that we have souls.
God Speed. – Tommy “

Thank you thank you thank you!

Asheville by daylight is a good city, but hot and highly reflective. The cats have wanted to Love us extensively… or so I thought… turned out Mia really just wanted my chair. We’ve wandered around a lot of the day, but are simply tired of being out in the sun and have come into the Westville Pub really, really early and are feeling bad about not ordering any food. If it was a coffeehouse, yup – we’d be munching on something, or nursing expensive coffee drinks or something – but in a bar… well… ick. And everything else on this strip is closed. I’m a little disappointed, but we DID get strings and we DID see some attractive women and one really happy, freshly-shaved husky. Still, what I’d really like is AC and a nap.