Era una sera eclettica....

So, anyway, last night we had over for dinner one of the coolest people on earth, in my opinion, Tom Conlon. His music first entered my life as I saw him perform in Clemson while I was still a senior in high school. My friend Karna and I instantly fell in love with his style and his music, and she bought all of the tapes (yes, tapes) that he had that night with him (I would have, but I had no money). Those tapes went from her possession to mine weekly. Years passed, and we developed into groupies that followed Tom wherever he was to play....from Clemson to Myrtle Beach. And the most significant meeting we had with him was when he traveled through to play at our rehearsal dinner and wedding back in May of 2000.

He is still traveling now, and we planned to snag him yesterday evening as he passed through on his way to Myrtle Beach. I knew that he is a huge Cracker Barrel fan, even though he was a native New Yorker and not from climate of those who typically enjoy Southern fare. So, I prepared a traditional, down-home dinner for the three of us (Gardner cooing in the corner), and we shared a leisurely dinner peppered with converation and stimulating discussions.

I marvel at how busy he seems, yet how calm and so simple he remains. His demeanor is docile and strong. His wardrobe is kitchy and so fits into the "rock star" mold. He cares passionately about family and friends, and of course the Lord, and this truth shines through every word out of his mouth.

As he prepared to leave and drive southward late last night, we stepped outside to say hello to his fellow traveling companion, now greying around his snout.....Roadie, his black lab. Roadie goes with him everywhere, and he diligently sits in Tom's van when he performs or visits with friends. Roadie's unspoken allegiance spoke to me, too....a friend who loves at all times, no better road companion. (Not a backseat driver, I'm sure. Tom can do no wrong in Roadie's eyes.)

And so he drove off, leaving us standing there with memories, itching to call Karna and all our other Tom-fans and scream to them that we had him for dinner and they didn't. :0) And we made a vow right then and there to do the same thing when he comes through next year....and the next.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Tom is definitely one of the coolest people on earth...Mike and I and a couple of friends of ours from college saw him at dcf on Sunday night. Once again, I was inspired and encouraged...i always learn something new when i hear him, and i love that.

Judith
10:42 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'm currently smack dab in the middle of a Southern fiction work recommended to me by my fellow home group girls, entitled "The Secret Life of Bees." Upon hearing that the author, Sue Monk Kidd, has ties to Anderson (and South Carolina as a whole), I delved right in to find it at my local library, and then delved into its pages. Though I am only 110 pages into it, I have found thus far that I am hooked, helplessly hooked. Overlooking the bad language and cruelty that flashes up now and then, I am taken aback at the lush, emotion-evoking word pictures that this lady paints in her pages. I mean, the scenes seem to drip with life off of the pages and into my brain. It is an easy read....by that, I mean it doesn't require as much concentration and brain power as some other books do....but it is still a notable read due to the graphic intensity with which Kidd writes. Though I was not an abused or abandoned child, and though I never ran away from my home, I still see ...
Read more

Blueberry Bliss

On a rather random note, I am going to post a recipe as today's blog post. It's a recipe that I found out of Cooking Light magazine....and as I do with so many recipes, amended to make it even more healthy. Even with the addition of extra fiber, the reduction of sugar, and a couple of other substitutions, Ken still swore these were some of my best blueberry muffins yet. Ta-da, and hooray...finally found a less-sickenligly-sweet blueberry muffin to enjoy on lazy Saturday mornings! (Meg's Revised) Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins 1-1/2 c. all-purpose, unbleached flour 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 1/4 c. unrefined sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 c. lowfat or skim milk 2 T. canola oil 1 t. vanilla 1 (8 oz.) container fat-free vanilla yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farm's ) 1 c. frozen blueberries, rinsed and patted dry 1 T. coarse turbinado sugar (for sprinkling) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine first 6 in a large bowl (f...
Read more

Part of the "Lost" madness.....

Yes, it's official, Ken and I (and many of our friends) are really addicted to this phenomenal show on television called "Lost." Silly as others may think that it is, all have to agree that the plots can be pretty compelling. The only thing that is frustrating is that, as Ken pointed out, there are more questions brought up in each episode than there are questions answered. How frustrating.... But that's what keeps their viewers coming back, and they know it (the producers, I mean). So anyway, to celebrate episode 12's airing (I think it's 12) last night, we had an informal "Lost" party of sorts. We got together some friends and all hung out, making biscotti and drinking coffee, and gluing ourselves to the screen as the plot (somewhat) unfolded. The thing that made us part of the "madness" is that we went all out by dressing up as our favorite characters. Ken was Jack, donning a white tee and jeans, scruffy face, medicine bot...
Read more