“I just have one question,” she said, her face glowing over the song lyrics she had just written. “Is it always this much fun?” “Yes,” I smiled back. “It pretty much always is…” My young friend is inspiring in many ways. She has a beautiful zest for life. Her authenticity is encouraging to witness, especially…

There’s something magical and slightly intoxicating about music festivals. There’s literally music in the air, often accompanied by delicious smells of barbecue, roasted corn, kettle corn, turkey legs… Sometimes there are beautiful women gently swaying with hula hoops, kids blowing bubbles, and couples holding hands. There are impromptu jams under trees, under awnings, behind tents—where…

Backbacking and Gigging I recently went on my first backpacking trip. I’ve done plenty of car camping and festival going, so I was already comfortable enough being relatively uncomfortable—no running water, no temperature control, thin walls, and packing in what you need. But, I was not used to packing everything I need for a weekend,…