Okay, so it's really a day after the usual holiday. It's Sunday, July 5th which for me means, we're back at the church for a second round of of songs for distribution via whatever means we have. The venues are still shuttered, including the church. But, we're able to sneak in there and do some recording. It's that kind of year.

We've been (I say we, but it's really been Marti) out in the dirt planting shrubs, flowers and veggies. I've done a little pruning, but otherwise mostly drinking coffee and making comments. Also, there's been an abundance of fireflies flittering over the fields and gardens in the evenings, so I was remembering being a kid fascinated by them.

Last night on July 4th there was fireworks going off on the surrounding lakes and hillsides. Magical stuff. I watched "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on TV just to hear some of the great songs from another era. I also saw "The Music Man" which followed on TCM. It was really amazing to see how cornball can still work. It reminded me that even my own work will seem a little old school in the coming years and decades. No matter how cutting edge something is at the time, it goes through time like everything else and fades away taking a rear seat to whatever is going on at the time.

Hopefully these times will fade the same way, and the world will move on to other issues and other unforeseen problems. How we deal with the turbulence of things changing has always been a source of wonder for me personally. And in the quiet moments of wondering, and amazement I have become increasingly grateful to have simply been a part of it with all of you.

As my friend, Ramblin' Jack Elliott used to say "What a day, what a beach, what a dog!" (Or something like that).

What a journey the last 30+ years has been. Today (June 2, 2020) everything we moved out of the old CrabHouse is moving into the newly renovated house here in The Berkshires. While it's always fun to recreate a space, it's at the same time one of those transitions that most people can't wait to be done with.

The kids and especially the grandkids have been out in the streets letting our political leaders know the future is already here, and it would be good if they embraced it rather than resist the evolving nature of what it means to be an American. Justice is always in transition too until such time as everyone feels it is balanced. That's what those scales are all about. I've always had a fondness for blind justice, as some of you know.

Marti is down stairs instructing the movers as to where everything is going. I'm up at my desk thinking about things. My kitty is hanging out with me. Cantina is not a big fan of strange men coming and going with large pieces of furniture. I need to grab a cup of fresh coffee, and lend a hand. Back to Massachusetts - Moving Back Day!

Although it's hard to pinpoint and exact date, May is probably the month where 25 years ago Dave created arlo.net. It moved from the old board system (which still exists) to its own thing. For the next 25 years arlo.net has been the source of reliable information with everything concerning what we do, what's going on, what we'd like to do, and what everyone thinks about all that. It has also been a forum for things that are important to you individually. arlo.net became our face to the world through the internet.

Our volunteer monitors, past and present have tried their best to insure that our web pages remained free of advertising, self-promotional material and BS in general. They've done a great job. The end result of all this is that our presence on the web has gathered a historic collection of thoughts, comments and ideas. It's especially valuable because it's been around since the very beginning.

Over the years and decades I've been adding and correcting the dates in our schedule. It is the single most comprehensive collection of everything we've done, and everywhere we've been, that exists anywhere. I'm still adding things (as I discover them) that go back to the very start of my public life as a performer and entertainer. Likewise future events are generally updated as soon as possible. I've been able to do all this with the help of others like Hank Reineke, and Terry Ala Berry who either know of or kept records of all this stuff. Occasionally some of our friends here have corrected information or added to it as well. arlo.net has become a repository of our collective adventures.

Events that took place are important, not because I was there, but because they took place. It's not only my personal history but our collective history. I just happened to there some of the time, and it shows up here in our schedule. When added to a larger view, we get a history of what was important to us through the generations, especially through the turbulent times of the 1960s through the times in which we now are living. It's the record that shows we were there.

We are still there. We are here now. And more than that, we've been here awhile. Congratulation to arlo.net for being with us for so long and especially to Dave who made it possible. Happy 25th Birthday! Long May You Run...

It looks like 2020 is shaping up to look like a year that will remembered for a long time. Things change and pivotal moments make a difference as to how we mark one time from another. It ain't like it used to be, that's for sure. Marti and I went to our local pizza joint yesterday as we have for years, but for the first time we didn't go in and sit at our favorite table - We took it home. The place was empty and the streets were mostly vacant. Welcome to the year 2020 in the way it'll be remembered.

In a few weeks millions of people will begin their annual migration from the warmer southern regions to their homes in the colder climates. Recently friends who have made the journey said there was very little if anything to eat along the way. Like some post apocalyptic movie traveling is now more difficult. Trains, planes and buses are problematic. With fewer options for travel, most will have to drive.

That said, many friends are beginning to make the adjustments needed to get through. And we're having to do the same thing. You can expect more online services, more groceries and goods delivered to your homes than previously imagined. We're figuring out ways to get our kind of music and concerts easily available to almost household in the world. Already friends and peers have begun broadcasting from their living rooms to yours. Technology makes it possible.

Our immediate plans for doing that kind of broadcasting includes using the church for events that can be seen anywhere, anytime. Most of the scheduled musical events at the church this coming summer will go on as planned, but we may have to switch from a live audience within the building to an audience at home. This kind of change takes time, gear, knowledge and all kinds of stuff we didn't have to think about before. And of course it all depends on how the nation can deal with the coronavirus crises. There's nothing better than being before or in a live audience - As long as it's safe to do so.

Meanwhile, we're preparing to invade your homes, via TV, WiFi and other means. We'd like to remain some small part of everyday life for people who enjoy what we do, and who take some comfort knowing that the kinds of things we've done for the last 50+ years will continue to make the world a little closer, a little better and a little more fun for everyone.

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With about two weeks or so left to go before we hit the road, we're gearing up for the shows planned for 2020. The first segment begins in Clearwater, FL at The Capitol Theater, and moves up the east coast through Charlotte, Durham and Walhalla. The second segment rolls through Hopewell, Alexandria, Waynesboro, Atlanta and Pelham. Detailed info is elsewhere on this site.

All the up-coming shows have Folk Uke as the opening act - The dynamic duo known as Folk Uke with my daughter, Cathy and her singing partner, Amy Nelson (yes, Wiilie's daughter) are incredibly funny and talented. We'll try out different ways to include them in the gigs, but at least in the beginning we'll throw them onstage at he start of the evening and see what happens. I'll have my son, Abe and our long time drummer, Terry Ala Berry with me onstage for these gigs.

We'll head farther west playing in St. Louis and Fayetteville before returning to Florida to begin some kind of 60s band cruise I got talked into doing. It should be a riot. I'm looking forward to hanging out with some of my peers and veteran 60s entertainers. For that segment at sea we'll bring back Steve and Carol Ide, who've been most recently touring with me for the last few years.

The gigs with Folk Uke will resume after that taking us to the west coast for shows in Santa Barbara, Solana Beach Aliso Viejo, San Francisco, Grass Valley, Livermore and Davis. Folk Uke finishes up their stint with me with gigs in Boulder, and Santa Fe. Everyone goes home after that while I finish up May 2020 with a show in Tulsa, OK with the Tulsa Symphony.

Then we head into summer time... It's nothing like summer here in Florida this morning. It was 38 degrees with a strong breeze blowing across the water. That would be cold at home in Massachusetts, but here in Florida it's ridiculous. Naturally it didn't stop me from going out in a light aloha shirt for my usual morning pix. But, I didn't last very long out there. They say it'll warm up today. That'd be nice.