I rescued this turtle in the middle of the road. He didn't seem too happy about it.

Greetings and welcome back, all y’all! I hope that Fall is treating you well. This is going to be a quick and dirty update… basically a random comments cobbled together to approximate sanity. Since most of you already know me, you shouldn’t be all that surprised, right? (smile)

My last Tour Break post focused on my new ride – Betty the Turtle, a 2005 PT Cruiser. Since then, I’ve done quite a bit of maintenance on her, including replacing the timing belt, water pump and serpentine belt. Because of her age and mileage, I felt it was best to do this now, rather than wait until she broke down. I’ve got to say, I’m extremely pleased with the purchase, as Betty is a real go-getter, yet very efficient. I’m getting almost double the mileage I got on the van.

The crowd at Hollywood Casino was huge, and enthusiastic.

Since that post, we’ve performed only a few times. The last two concerts have been amazing, to say the least. First, at Hollywood Casino (at Penn National Race Course), the crowd was so large that it spilled out into the casino proper. No one was expecting that kind of turn-out – and I do mean no one… not Ryan, not the casino. I’ll be very surprised if the organization, which has several casinos, doesn’t hire us to perform at all of them next year. The sound was awesome, and the visual show was nothing short of amazing. The video area behind the band was 90 feet wide, and 45 feet tall. So even those in the very back got a good look at the band.

Sunset at Cleveland County Fair, Shelby, NC.

Last weekend, we were back in Fair Country, performing at the Cleveland County Fair in Shelby, NC. This crowd was totally nuts! There were several points during the concert that fan reaction drowned out the band. And, folks, we were loud on stage. Very loud. When this happened, you could see us look at each other with “Holy Cow!’ faces… sort of like, “are they really screaming for us?”

The band is off this weekend, but I’m still traveling. I’ll be heading up to Indianapolis, IN, for the board of trustees meeting for the Spears Center for Servant-Leadership. Larry Spears is the world’s foremost authority on servant-leadership and a trusted mentor. I’m honored to serve on his board, and am really looking forward to seeing everyone. It’s been more than a year since I’ve seen everyone, so it will be fun to catch up on what they’re doing.

For the next few weeks, we’re still in weekend mode, so I’ll have more time at home. This is especially welcome as the band will be spending all of November and much of December out on the road. I’ve got a million things I want to get done during this time, including some early Christmas shopping.

By the way, the photos you’re seeing with this post are pretty random, but I thought you might like to see them anyway. As you might notice, I’m a freak for sunsets and sunrises. I love getting to see them, and often grab photos of them.

So… that’s about it for now. I’ve got to get back to that long To-Do list sitting next to my computer. I’ll be back next week with another update. Until then,

Keep Thumpin’!

Lane on Bass

A beautiful sunrise towards the end of my trip home.

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