I’ve had a hard time with my monthly gigs here. This is my first winery gig and I worry about keeping the monthly gigs here, in spite of a generous proprietor. There has been low turnout, my difficulty in finding how to entertain an audience not familiar with my style/repertoire (Sweet Caroline, anybody?), and some hot weather, too. But tonight was an idyllic evening at the Hackett Winery, with perfect temperatures, picturesque PA skies and folks who wanted to listen. It made all the difference.
It was nice to get out of Bethlehem and the kerfuffle of Musikfest and simply play guitar for three hours. My old Lehigh professor Bob Lucas and his wonderful wife Joanne were a pleasant surprise. They pop up frequently at my kids gigs where the three of us instantly expand the mean age of the crowd exponentially. I had the chance to chat with them and Bob cracked me up with his comment about my blogging, that I’m using the arts part of my BA/BS degrees more than my engineering studies. This coming from an engineering prof. 
The Goss’s and Marcie and Rick came out too, and gave me friends I could play for, and Rick came up to sit in on mandolin (not realizing he doesn’t play mandolin frequently – good job, Rick). There were a few other couples who were not familiar with me and my esoteric material who stuck around and enjoyed my commentary and music. That was gratifying in these days of hit and run entertainment. But, that’s what an evening at a winery is all about: good conversation with a spouse and friends, great weather, a beautiful rural setting and a chance to kick back. I’m glad I could be the sound track for the experience.