My "favourite-song-moments-list" - in no particular order ... ok but there is a tendency ... definitely! ;o)"

• Dave Carroll - The Place That I Call Home - Casino Halifax --- he played the song especially for me, as I asked him doing that and he mentioned me ... thank you Dave!!! Time for some tears ;o). Love the sound at the Schooner Room at the Casino! (the whole SC was great!)
• Jim Payne and Fergus O'Byrne - How Good Is Me Life - The Skye Theatre Maine (US) --- another requested song played especially for me (and Gabi) ;o) I love that song and as I heard it for the first time live last October, I cried - not this time though! Thanks Jim! Wonderful venue!!!
• Dave Gunning - These Roads - Earth Hour, Grand Parade Halifax --- Grand Parade, a very special venue - outside at -15°C ... I really loved that freezing outdoor version!
• Thom Swift - Seafoam - House Concert Boutilliers Point --- the special feeling of a house concert, listening on a sofa ... I love that instrumental song ... without any sound system even better!
• Buddy MacDonald - The Northwest Passage - CC Festical Club at ECMA's Sydney --- thank you Buddy for sending that out to us - very appreciated ... always a pleasure to hear Buddy sing!
• Oysterband - Put Out The Lights - The Carleton Halifax --- I just love that venue and seeing such a "huge" band in such a small intimate venue with the best wrapped cheesecake ever is brilliant and seeing the whole band coming down from the stage for doing this song mingled among the audience is brilliant, too.
• Carmel Mikol - Georgia - CBC Studio H Halifax --- I love the new CD "In My Bones" and it accompanied us during the whole trip in the car and would win the "most-listened-car-CD"-award ;o) ... we drove 10.000km btw ... and in this special venue, a recording studio, the sound was excellent, too.
• Jimmie Inch - Billy McLeod - Rose and Kettle Tearoom Cole Harbour --- I enjoyed the intimate house concert feel at the venue and really loved seeing Jimmie Inch for the first time and would wish I could see him more often as singer/songwriter!
• Colin Grant - Jenn & Anthony's - ECMA Post-Awards-Show JH Cruise Pavillion --- I really enjoyed all Colin Grant performances I saw, but this was outstanding with his band ... we were standing in front of the stage and it was very different to any normal fiddeling - it was more like a rock concert! What a powerful performance - looking forward to the Colin & Band CD
• Dave Gunning & Dave Carroll - Northwest Passage - Earth Hour, Grand Parade Halifax ... ok, Earth Hour and -15°C, I said that before - I was really impressed seeing Dave G doing the Northwest Passage and Dave C joining in for the harmonies - I loved that!!!
• David Myles - When It Comes My Turn - Mayflower Mall ECMA's Sydney --- ok another powerful perfomance - David was late but captured all the attention at once ... very refreshing  ... the stories were great and funny - it was just good and I love the song! And good meeting him after the show ...
• Gordie Sampson - Davey Jones - ECMA Socan Songwriters Circle JH Cruise Pavilion --- it was actually the first time I heard my favourite Gordie songs live and earlier that day I had touched the ECMA of Lennie and also went backstage in the intermission - so this was a special moment for me!
• Barenaked Ladies - If I Had A Million Dollars - Metro Centre Halifax --- our last concert in Halifax - singing along with 2000 people. :o)))
• Lennie Gallant - Peter's Dream - Yachtclub Sydney --- Again, it was good to sing along with the other people in the room and I was actually happy to get in to that sold out concert - thanks Wendy and it was good meeting Buddy and Wilda there and being welcomed by Dave and talking to Thom and Lennie - the real deal!
• Joey Kitson (with Jamie Robinson) - Fields Behind The Plow - Dragon Fly Antigonish --- Joey sounded like Stan, Jamie played like ... just wonderful! The food was delicious, the venue really lovely including Susan!
• Breeze & Wilson - Oh Nova Scotia - on the patio of our temporary home in Waverley, unfortunately not live :o) --- it was a lovely sunny day ... with a long late breakfast outside ... listening to the ONS CD ... ok, that might not fit into this list, but it's mine ... so they are in!!!!

 Maybe I forgot someone here, it wasn't intended then. Of course there were loads (!) more good, great, awesome performances during these 8 weeks ... loads of more brillant, fab artists we saw.
Sorry for not being able to mention them all!
This blog is finished now and I will put it down in a few weeks!
But I'll make a photo book out of it for my bed table ... for always being able to read about the TIME OF MY LIFE!!!!
Thanks to all who were part of it, in what way however! :o)
Thanks Gabi for going on this trip with me!
Judy xxx

April 26th 2010 --- Back at home.

The plane was packed, no free seat left. They were changing people around to make everyone happy.
Not me, though. They changed us in the same row, but due to the construction of the plane I couldn't even see Gabi and we are not talking about talking to each other. Ok ... we asked "some" people if they would mind changing their seat ... lol. Never done that before. In the end we sat behind each other and that was ok.
The flight was uneventful and kinda short. We needed some time to cross Heathrow airport from one end to the other, not on British soil, though. Just on a transit "trail". By the way we met Burton McIntyre, who was actually on the same flight from Halifax. The last time I saw him was at the Celtic Colours Festival Club at the ECMA's in February. Small world!

The plane was earlier in Munich than expected and our luggage was the first on the baggage carousel.

Alex left the car at the airport for us earlier today. Thanks for that! 14 hours from door to door.

Now there is just the "my favourite song moments list" missing. To follow before I'll go to bed.

Then we are done here :o)

April 25th - I always thought that day wouldn't exist ;o)

Ok ... it is like it is ... this day had to come and now it is here. We are going back today.

We started packing in the morning and left around noon to Halifax. Enjoying a last drive over the bridge, cruising through the city. Further on in direction Peggy's Cove with a lobster roll break at Shawn's Landing.

Walking around at Peggy's and driving back the other way to Tantallon. Going back to Waverely via Hammonds Plains. Pretty complentative ... listening to Jim Payne ... ah well.

What a great long trip.

Packing the remaining things and tidying up a bit and after a chat with our landlords we just had to leave.

Now I'm sitting at the airport, pretty upset that I don't have a seat next to Gabi. I hope they can arrange something! Please. Hm ... everything is closed here and we are hungry.

Would love to be at home already ,o)))).

So that was it ... there might follow a short resume the next days and then this blog will be finished. It was nice sharing things with you all, I hope it was not too boring! ;o)))

Talk soon xxx

April 24th 2010 --- the last full day!

We started the day with returning cans and bottles and then driving to the airport once again.
The US customs officer was really kind and it was absolutely no problem. He removed the green sheet and everything was good again. That was easy ... would have been way more complicated from Germany, I think.
We called a lady as she offered cheap (25$) Barenaked Ladies concert tickets (regular price 66$ each) and she still had them, we arranged a meeting in Halifax, later in the day. Cool.
The sun was shining and it was an absolutely beautiful day - so there was no other way than going for a short, last canoe trip! Ohhhhhh sooooo nice!
Getting ready for the city then ... first to the rubber stamp shop ... then bank, Starbucks and picking up the tickets.
It's all good. There wasn't a lot of time left, so we had just a Pita Sharwarma at the Shopping Centre ... yummy, before leaving to the Metro Centre. We had great seats and Joel Plaskett started at 8pm. The crowd loved him ... really loved him - I still don't get that. lol Sorry. But it was good to see him playing more than one song this time anyway.

The set of the Barenaked Ladies started very cool. The music was great and I loved the lightshow, too.
To be honest if "someone" would have played "How good is me life" today, I wouldn't have survived it without crying. So I was happy about a a loud, powerful, unintimate performance :o)))).
Lots of great songs, an enthusiastic audience. The highlight: If I had a million dollars ... everybody was singing now!
After the show we went to the Carleton for a last drink and who was sitting at the next table? Joel Plaskett .. lol.
The Barenaked Ladies came, too. Anyway, we left after one drink - a great last full day.
Looking forward to Peggy's Cove tomorrow, before leaving to the airport in the evening!
"If I Had A Million Dollars --- I would stay here!" lol

Away in springtime

The cracking snow under my snowshoes
is turning into fresh green grass
… sun's burning
The clanging sound of the crystal frozen trees
is making room for the twittering birds
… trees are in bloom
The sun melts the ice on the lake
opening the water for my wooden red canoe
… waves are rolling
I'm away on this trip of a lifetime
I'm away
Away in springtime.
Feel the music
the experience of life
Leaving everything behind
I'm away on this trip of a lifetime
I'm away
Away in springtime.

April 23rd 2010 --- Recovering from the Maine trip and running out of time.

Ok, we slept pretty long and I spent a very long time in the bath tub while catching up with things on facebook. It was a warm, but not really sunny day. In the afternoon we drove to the airport, to ask about our return flight and that "friggin'" green paper in our passport. "Visa waiver" I know, I know ... we are responsible that the Canadian official removes it from the passport at the border ... and I know if we don't clear that up we are not allowed to enter the US again ... and if we don't sort that out soon, we have to prove that we didn't stay in the US illegal for the next years ... arghhhhh ... it was just too late and we just didn't recognize it! Anyway ... we browsed two times through the whole airport until we found the aircanada counter (luckily it's a small airport ... lol) and there was a nice man from aircanada, who sent us to the US customs, after telling us that the flight schedule was back to normal again, they even have some free seats left. That sounds good to me! :o) The US customs office was closed already and so we'll have to go back tomorrow again. Should be easy, though. After some shopping we decided to have a bbq - said and done! Yummy. Paula called to say Hi - nice! :o) Thanks again for the shirt!

In the late evening we decided to go to the city for a short drink. Old Triangle. The pub was pretty crowded and the music loud - am I getting picky or what??? lol That wasn't my day for the Old Triangle so we switched to The Carleton, without live music though. Wrapped Cheesecake and Cappuccino! Yeah!

April 22nd 2010 --- Acadia National Park

About 5 hours after we went to bed, the alarm rang … ah well … nice idea to stay up that long.
Noooo complaining at this point.


Anyway, getting ready for the road, leaving a note for Jim and Fergus and having a coffee with Jan and Phill down at their house. Another beautiful, sunny morning.

We went back to Bangor and down to the Acadia National Park.

In Bar Harbour we had a Lobster roll and a clam chowder. Then we took the oneway loop around the park, at the ocean. Just beautiful. As it was still off-season it was for free, too. We climbed up Cadillac Mtn with the car with a beautiful view. Ok, would have been even more beautiful in the fall.

We have to come back. I would love to go for a hike there!

Back North again, along lake Graham to Hwy #9. We were pretty lonely there. It started to rain and after some or a long time we reached the Canadian border. The kind guy welcomed us back in Canada and everything was fine. After awhile I had a look at my passport and was wondering why the green visa waiver sheet was still in it and I started to read on the back. Oh my good. He didn't take it out, so we are officially still in the US, that wouldn't be a problem until June or better said until we would like to go back to the US. I have to check what we have to do now --- as I want to go back! Someday. We didn't take a lot of breaks. Just some grocery shopping in Saint John and filling up gas in Truro. We arrived back home in Waverley around 2am - another wonderful day was over!