Life has been very busy around here. My mother and father inlaw, one of our dogs, and my wife's closest friend, all died this summer. I had surgery on my knee as well. With all this loss, it has been a sad summer in many ways.

On the sunny side, my wife, our 2 dogs, and I leave Monday for a 5 date tour of Seattle. We rented an RV and are going to cruise in style. My bass player, Douglas McKenzie, is flying up for the fri/sat/sun gigs. I think Judy and I will be selling our disgustingly over-priced Santa Rosa home and moving to Oregon next summer. This trip is also going to serve as a scouting mission for a new home. We are thinking Eugene or Corvallis.

Nigel Price, an author from England, is writing a book about my life. He and his family are meeting us in Seattle and then coming back here for a week. I have a big bbq/music party set for the 21st at our house, and will do my regular Saturday gig on the 20th.

It is a mixed bag to be getting ready to move again. I have moved over 30 times, from Norway, to California, since I began my music career in the mid '70s. My traveling shoes are just about worn out. Things in Santa Rosa are just too stressed for us. The insane cost of living, combined with the area exploding with growth, is telling us we need to find a nice quiet place to finish out our life.

I also have Spontobeat tshirts available for sale. They are $18 shipped worldwide. Here's what the artwork looks like:

Walter