Overseas Tour 2017

 

June to September

Colorado

 

What a tribute to Carol's popularity in U.S. over the past ten years that she got to M.C., direct and perform thirty six shows at the world famous Henry Strater Theatre in Durango Colorado! 'The West – in Story and Song' each week starred, alongside Carol, many of the best musicians, singers and songwriters of the western genre from throughout U.S. and Canada.

A very busy three months but still time for adventures – the rodeo at the La Plata country Fair, sightseeing in Canyonland, Moab, Utah (including to Dead Horse Point, which inspired a poignant new poem), an orchestral concert - Music in the Mountains (a castle-like marquee way up in the mountains at the ski resort Purgatory), a brilliant, live performance of 'Sister Act' at Pagosa Springs, shopping everywhere, including down in New Mexico. And dinners, parties, functions galore. Whew!

And she is booked to return in January 2018 to school programs and the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Northern Colorado. In March she flies to Texas for their Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine. Then it's on to concerts in Arizona and up to Canada for the Kamloops Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Woohoo!

And the icing on the cake?  Being nominated in the ‘Top Five Female Poets’ (Western Music Association).   What an honour (especially when I don’t even live over there).

 

January and February

'Back in the Saddle Again...'

First stop Denver. And of course the National Stock Show is on. Saw some showjumping and checked out the multitude of trade stands, wandered through the horse pavilions . Then, as it was the one hundred year anniversary of the death of Buffalo Bill, an enthralling event unfolded - the re-enactment of the original Wild West Show! It was fantastic. And amazing to imagine how he took that show across the globe all those years ago.

One 'rest day' then the parties and adventures began. It's like a huge family reunion every time I go back. The 'Olde Pickin' Parlour' is where the radio show 'America's Soul Live' is performed to a live audience. In between much 'meeting and greeting' I enjoyed the talented line-up and got to do a spot.

The Colorado Gathering had worked hard organising the Outreach Program – schools, schools and more schools. Great kids, great fun. The cartoons from my book 'Petunia and the Pony' were projected onto the wall as I performed it and Ben Crane's hilarious drawings came to life.

Yet another so-called moose hunt proved fruitless. My buddy Rex had even gone out at dawn to put artificial moose prints in the snow (I reckoned) but they had... vamoosed.

Time then for the move to the beautiful Table Mountain Inn in Golden, Colorado for the Gathering itself. Great audiences, fabulous entertainers, jam sessions and fun for all. I was on the Friday night Headline show as well as doing four or five themed sessions (and another school). We were driven from hotel to concert auditorium in a horse drawn carriage – down the main street, waving to the amazed crowds as we went.

A road trip next - from the snows of Colorado to the dessert of Arizona to stopover for four fun-filled days in Phoenix. Then to Sierra Vista, dinner at a fabulous ranch right in sight of the Mexican border. The Cochise Gathering begins...

One school and then the opening night in Big Nose Kate's Saloon (what a place!) in Tombstone – my favourite 'straight out of the history books' western town. Gunfight re-enactments, stage coaches in the main street, characters to pop your eyes, shopping to die for and a chance to have my first go at shooting a pistol! And believe it or not I shot the target right through the head with my first shot! Woohoo!

I was in the Headline evening show again and four daytime shows as well.

Highlights?

Arvel Bird, awesome Native American (with a dash of Scot in his heritage), classical violinist, playing the William Tell Overture (amazingly) accompanied by his wife Kim, dressed as the Lone Ranger and playing the spoons! The theme being Cowboys of the Silver Screen.

And a brilliant banjo player (his father is in the Banjo Hall of Fame), not one of the performers, but he joined us in a jam session and played (wait for it) Chopin – on the banjo!

Judy Coder and Jeanette Epps of 'Notable Exceptions', highly respected entertainers, heard my horse poem 'Have You' and want to put it to music. Yay!

And finally...Colorado organisers have already asked about my coming back next year.

Will I? Will I ever!