Getting Ready to Go

So, the time is almost here. We're about to put the theory to practice. We're gonna take the baby bus on the road. Dave and Dad leave Monday to drive said baby bus to the East Coast. (I guess now I could technically say Dad and Dad couldn't I). It's about a 27 hour drive, and they're manning up and driving straight through. I'd like to say for the record that *I* would have no problem with a non-stop trip in the baby bus from Austin to Philly, but Lisel and my mom are new to the road game, and in the interest of not upsetting either one of them, we're flying up on Tuesday and meeting the boys. I just needed to say that, mostly for me, to remind myself that depite my mommyhood, I am in fact a hardened road dog

Here are some photos of the short trip we took the other day in the baby bus. It was a kick the tires kind of trip, where we learned a little something about the Onan generator, and a little something about ourselves.

Everybody's happy in the Baby Bus

Dave and I have been busy making lists, trying to figure out what we'll need to make this family and baby on the road thing work. I think we'll be pretty prepared, though we've never gone on any trip of any length without one of us slapping our heads and uttering the following words:

"Damn! you know what? I totally forgot (insert very necessary and totally un-findable-on-the-road item here).

I forsee us saying this many, many time, because hey, we've never done this before. Really, we've only ever packed for ourselves. We've *never* packed for a little bean whose main form of communication is crying, and whose main concerns are eating and pooping. She's not going to be able to remind of, well, anything. Luckily, they sell baby stuff all along the highways and byways of this great country of ours. And we've got the iphone GPS app, so I fell secure.

I mean, I feel pretty secure. Now that we actually have a child, I realize how audacious our plan actually is. Are we nuts to take an infant on the road? We don't know the first thing about child rearing, must less mobile child rearing. I sometimes catch myself asking myself what myself was thinking.

Which is why I must send another shout out to my parents. The truth is that we couldn't do at all this without their willingness to leap far outside of their comfort zones and embark on this adventure with us. Thanks Mom and Dad. You both rock to the max.

And thanks to Dave's folks for sending us the UV light sanitizing travel wands. They've thought ahead help us combat the inevitable funk that one finds on the road. I plan on waving them around fairy godmother-sytle. I hope to be known as bacteria's worst enemy.

I other news, we spent the last two days rehearsing for the shows. These were marathon 6 and half hour rehearsals, but I'm not complaining because it sounds amazing! It's the regular Wheel plus John Doyle on clarinet and sax, Shamar Allen on trumpet and trombone, Ruby Jane Smith on additional fiddle, Floyd Domino on piano, Kevin Smith on bass and, of course, Willie. Playing the music, and listening to the people around me play it is sheer joy. The tour is going to be, as they say, a blast.

Here are a couple of pics from the rehearsal. The only shot I got of Willie was of the back of hs head, due to where I was set up.You have to love the back of Willie's head.

The back of Willie's head, as promised

John Doyle rocks the licorice stick

Kevin Smith and Eddie Rivers share a moment

Ray and Jason get down

Ladies and gentlemen Miss Ruby Jane Smith!!!

Tonight we have a show at Antone's from 7-8:30pm to run through the tunes and make sure we're all show ready. Dude, we're ready. I'm ready. Let's take this show on the road!