On The Road Again....

Wondering why there's been no updates??? I haven't been home! So here's what I've been up to while away from my computer. Lately we've been leaving out on Wednesday nights and singing Thursday through Sunday, but this past week we didn't have a Thursday night concert. That was good till I noticed that the Booth Brothers we going to be in Ft. Walton Beach on Thursday night which is about 45 minutes from my place. So Valerie and I headed down there. This was Valerie's first opportunity to see them in person, and I hadn't had the chance to catch up with these guys since NQC, so it was great to sit and visit for a little while. As usual the Booth Brothers concert was everything you've come to expect from them. As soon as the concert was over we had to make a hasty exit so that I could get home in time to pack my bags and get to our bus in time for our midnight departure.

We started our weekend in Lake City, Florida and then headed way down south to Pahokee, Florida which is located on the south east side of Lake Okeechobee. Now, normally this part of the country never needs jackets or sweatshirts but the cold air of the north decided it wanted a south Florida vacation! Typically singing outdoors in this part of the country would be ok, but the wind coming off the lake was frigid, and really began to wreak havoc on our voices. But we made it through and headed down to the middle of the Everglades for our Sunday morning concert at New Testament Baptist Church which is located on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. Although small in number these folks made us feel right at home and had enough food for lunch to feed several small armies!!! And before we could get settled in it was time to leave and head north to Lakeland, Florida to be with our friends at Crossroads Baptist Church. Crossroads is a regular stop for us and as usual Pastor Jerry and his congregation made us feel right at home. We were concerned that the turnout would be small since it was Super Bowl Sunday, but we ended up with a great crowd that was full of energy and ready to hear some great gospel quartet music.

Since we were scheduled to sing at Bill Bailey's Winter Convention on Tuesday it just wasn't practical to try to head home for a day so we headed on down to Palmetto, Florida and enjoyed a night off. We decided to go on over to the Manatee Civic Center and catch Monday nights concert with the Beene Family, Jeff and Sheri Easter, Triumphant, and the Hoppers. Just like the Booth Brothers concert I attended it was nice to sit and watch someone else sing for once! Then on Tuesday night it was our turn. We had a wonderful evening sharing the stage with The Browns, The McKameys, and the Booth Brothers. Special thanks to Pastor Bill Bailey for having us again this year this is one of our favorite stops. And finally we headed home and arrived in Pensacola around daylight Wednesday morning. I pulled the blinds closed and headed for bed!!

So here it is, now Thursday, and I've just finished my laundry and re-packed my bag. Having been home just over 24 hours I'm about to meet the guys at the bus for a 2pm departure!! Whew....no rest for the weary! Tonight we'll be in Long Beach, Mississippi with our friends at Riverside Baptist Church. We weren't able to have this concert last year due to Hurricane Katrina, so I'm curious to see how things look in that area now. Then we're off to TEXAS! As it appears now, this is the only trip to Texas for the Dixie Echoes, so if you live in Texas and you really want to see us then this could be your only chance!! On Friday night we'll be at the Lifeway Concerts Gospel Music Hall in Athens, Texas. Then on Saturday you'll have two opportunities to catch us in Alamo, Texas at the Bibleville Conference Center with performances at 2pm and 7pm. Then its off to Spring, Texas (north Houston) to the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church. And finally we'll get to come home for some much needed rest. Thankfully next weeks concerts are close to home and I'll be able to be home every night!

Be sure and visit our website, check out our schedule and come see the Dixie Echoes if we're in your area!