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Good morning,

I hope you are doing well on this Tuesday morning. I write you today from the public library here in the deep southern city of Birmingham, Al. I arrived here last night from Greendale, In. after spending the last two weeks there working on my Ohio and Kentucky gigs. I also spent a few days working on Carol’s upstairs apartment and enjoying all the comforts of a warm and friendly family atmosphere. I’m already missing the basement room and Carol’s home cooked meals, especially after spending the last night at a rest stop!

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to secure a job in Indiana after the two weeks, so I decided to bolt for the south and hopefully work the north side of the state when in arrive in Chicago next month. Which is why I’m back in Dixieland trying once again to secure a gig in both Alabama and Mississippi respectively, after having passed through this area back last summer in June. I didn’t have much success the first time around so I’m hoping for a better experience and much better weather. The extreme heat and humidity made my last visit miserable partly the reason I bolted after only two days!

I enjoyed my drive through Kentucky and Tennessee, stopping periodically to take some pics and explore some points of interest. I got to see Abe Lincolns’ birthplace in Hodgenville, Ky. I also stopped at the world famous Mammoth Cave National Park, just north of Bowling Green. It was a much needed distraction from the CL and gigs search. It still amazes me how diverse this country is, by just crossing state lines I can sense the different feel for each individual state. The language is English of course but the tone and accents differ and the pride a lot of people feel and cherish for their hometowns and states is something most people are always willing to voice or display in a varieties of ways. Signs, tee-shirts, caps, flags dominate the landscape everywhere I look and always seem to be the topic of conversations at many gas stations and restaurants. I proud to from Arizona but I never get too over the top with it; at least I don’t think I do?  Regardless, I will keep my Wildcat shirt in my suitcase while I’m in Alabama since I’m heavily outnumbered by the number one ranked Crimson tide fans!

So friends I hope to be checking in soon with some good news from here so I can move forward to Mississippi and Memphis. Thanks for checking in and for indulging my adventure. Have a great rest of the day!  #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn