Scroll down to skip this long story and just see Key West photos!

Better late then never with this I guess. I got to travel to Key West, FL for my second Meeting Of The Minds in late October/early November 2007. Is it possible to have a stressful time in Key West? I wouldn't have thought so but I managed to do just that! :-(

My wife's original due date was November 11th. Even though I was going to be home on the 5th and her doctor was pretty sure Eric wouldn't show up early, I was worried. I love Key West but I did not want to miss the birth of our son! People were counting on me to be there so off I went but it wasn't until I got to about Atlanta on my way home that I felt certain I would make it home in time and be there with Cynthia.

We had back up plans. If she went into labor early, she was going to call me right away and I was going to try to get on a plane in Key West and get back to Knoxville and to the hospital on time. I had people who told me they would be willing to go down and get my car (any excuse to get to Key West.) I would have been rough but it might have worked except.....my cell phone didn't work once I got on the island. So there I was, Monday morning, a week until I head back, a thousand miles from home with the possibility of my wife going into labor any day and me without a phone!

The official MOTM events start kicking in around Wednesday. Last year, Monday and Tuesday were my days to cruise all over the island, do some shopping, some sightseeing, and catch some music before things get to crazy. This year, I spent all of Monday and Tuesday trying to fix my phone. Imagine being in one of the coolest spots in the country and spending hours on a pay phone with Alltel customer service! Finally by Tuesday night I had bought a prepaid phone, charged it, loaded it up with minutes and I was back in touch with the world. I had to use that new phone to leave a voice message on my old phone telling everyone that my old phone didn't work and that they had to call this new phone of which I didn't know the number by heart and I couldn't hear it ring when someone did call! The cool thing is that I have a prepaid cell phone with a Key West phone number.

Adding to all of this is the fact that I was staying in a tent!!!! They have campsites on two different Navy bases in Key West and because Cynthia is in the Air Force, I can camp there. It is really cheap and usually I don't mind camping but there was a tropical storm, Noel I think, that week and it was super windy at night and hard to sleep. I spent most days pretty tired but luckily, Cynthia had given me a Dunkin Donuts gift card before I left and there are several DD's on the island. That kept me going.

I have a theory. The second time you do something, it's not as much fun. I went to my first MOTM last year and had no clue what to expect. I was up for anything and just ready to have a good time. This year, the good thing is that I was even more familiar with the island and the event but I also went with some expectations. There were things that happend in 2006 that were just magical and I was just stumbling around with a guitar. Those kind of experiences can't be recreated. I went down this year thinking things would be the same and they weren't. But they can't be. As I think back on different trips and adventures, the first time is always the most fun. You're the least prepared but I think that out of that lack of preparation comes an openness and a willingness to go with the flow that can't be recaptured on subsequent trips. It's weird. If it doesn't go the way it did the first time, you're disappointed, if it does it starts to feel like routine. Sometimes the third trip somewhere can be the best. You know your way around and you know enough to know that no two years will be the same so you're back to being open for anything! Hopefully I'll get to find out in 2008!

Just beause this year was different from last doesn't mean there weren't some great moments! Here are just a few of my favorite photos.

I was invited back to do the Great Lakes Regional Sunset Cruise and this year we got a sunset! It was pretty choppy out on the water but a lot of fun. Hammerin' Cameron joined me. He's a great guy and a wonderful percussionist from Detroit, MI.