I got to spend the last worry-free weekend of 2020 in the beautiful city of Washington, D.C., playing music and wandering about with Shawnee Kilgore. D.C. has been one of my favorite cities since visiting for the first time in 2017, I have returned once or twice a year since then. There’s never a shortage of stuff to do and see, and I somehow get along really well with the vibe of the city. I know some people find it utterly boring or utterly terrifying to be in the cradle of lobbyists and deal-making, but I get a little charge from it for whatever reason. Walking around the monuments never ceases to remind me about all the good stuff and good people we have had in government, even when it looks dark. Even when it looks really dark.

We played a WONDERFUL house concert at Lucky Penny – the crowd was a joyous group and Paul, our host, had everything taken care of to a tee, down to some awesome new church pews in his living room for more seating. I had old friends there and met lots of new folks. A show like that can keep a musician going for a long time, and we’re still buzzing about D.C.

We also got to stay at the fabulous Mansion on O Street – an incredible place full of art and wonder and history and inspiration. My favorite thing there is to look UP! The ceilings are just as beautiful as everything else.

And we even got a song written in the Mediterranean Room.

When we were flying back on March 2, there was a little rumbling of something happening with the virus, but we had no issues at the airport and no idea what was coming. Fortunately for both of us, we’ve been back and quarantined long enough to know we didn’t catch anything on our trip. And I’ll always look back on this weekend as The Simpler Time….