16 hours in Austin . . . sounds like a good title for an album or movie. Sam, feel free to use it. well, two flights, one bus, a Gold and a Silver Dillo trolley car ride, a long walk in almost 100F heat (and wearing blue jeans! "i know", me in pants when i am not working...i should have but didn't find the time or location to change into my shorts)(and i forgot my Tiger's baseball hat)(and sunblock)(but i didn't forget Tony)(later you will find out another thing i forgot but this sentence is getting very long with meandering information) thru a big park (someone did not do proper research on the location of the Japanese Garden inside the Zilker Botanical Garden inside the huge Zilker Park) and a 1 minute van ride and there i was at the Mean-Eyed Cat in south Austin. my oldest friend (longest known, not oldest in years) Peggy met me at the El Arroyo for some Mexican food around 530p. she had to drive and sit in traffic on the MoPac (the name of an Expressway in Austin...i had to ask also) and then a short drive across the street to the Mean-Eyed Cat to see Sam Baker. Peggy probably spent more on gas than it cost me to fly to Phoenix and then to Austin. the bus fare from the airport into the city cost... 50 cents, cash only, correct change, please. i guess it is a good time to mention the only problem on my little adventure. i left my nice almost new digital camera on the flight from LAX to PHX but did not realize it until AUS. it still has not been turned in to "lost and found". i can get over that but i really missed having it at the Mean-Eyed Cat and later at The Elephant Room. more about that later. here is a little video that i took with my older digital camera (sound and video not as good as the one i lost) of Sam Baker and Friends. this was the first song i heard by Sam Baker last year in Glasgow, Scotland. and the first time i heard of Sam Baker. by chance, i met Sam before the concert last night . . . in the men's room at the The Cat. luckily, i had just finished taken a photo before he walked in. . . that might have been a little awkward (more awkward) trying to explain taking a photo in a restroom. the last photo before the video starts is that photo. this little video is for remembering the concert only which means...sorry, it is not so high quality....refer back a few sentences about me losing and trying to get over leaving my nice digital camera on the airplane. here is a "live" video from Sam's webpage.
this is the video taken with my little Polaroid digital camera...yes, Polaroid does make digital cameras. the photos were taken with the same camera. and yes, i still have a "regular" Polaroid camera. but no, i do not still have my old 8-tracks or 8-track tape player.
after the very enjoyable outdoor concert, 3/4 of a Stella Artois (it was good but i am not much of a drinker...except for Dr. Pepper) and after saying goodbye to Sam, Peggy dropped me off on Congress Avenue near 3rd Street around 915p. Peggy still does not know what i did after that but she does know i am home. i will write more about all that tomorrow. Peggy was so impressed by Sam that she ordered his two cds Pretty World and Mercy when she got home last night. and for some reason, that makes me happy. having Peggy meet me for dinner and sharing the memory of seeing Sam Baker live made my 16 hours in Austin even more special.
signing Pretty World and Mercy during the break...sitting at our table in front of the stage
Peggy and Sam on stage after the concert...what happens at The Cat stays at The Cat
