Early, early morning driving out to find some coffee and one of the 
most tasteless McMuffins I’ve ever eaten.  We’d forgotten our leftover pizza in 
the fridge, or breakfast would have been much better. Edward was too tired to 
eat and curled up for a nap in the back seat (the ONLY time he slept in the car 
the entire trip.)  The ride was therefore quieter than usual, and Stella 
entertained me by reading out things she found on Twitter.

It’s only about 3 hours from the Gulf Coast to Montgomery, so we pulled into 
the airport with plenty of time, only to learn Stella’s flight was delayed.  The 
weather that chased us from Texas the day before was still causing problems.  We 
had an extra half hour together, which was spent inventing stories about the 
other people in the terminal and wishing yet again that we had the leftover 
pizza.  Much too soon, there were hugs and tears and promises to ‘eff us up’  if 
we didn’t stop making her cry, and then she was through the check in and out of 
sight. We were getting in the car when the first ‘I miss you’ text came through, 
and we sat and waited a few minutes, just in case, but she didn’t change her 
mind.

As we got off the interstate to drive through our little town, it struck me 
how similar it is to so many of the places we’d just visited.  Edward had the 
same thought, and we looked at home with slightly different eyes.  We briefly 
considered stopping at a few of our favorite haunts, just to let friends know 
that we were back, but decided against it, opting to go straight home instead.  
However, when we pulled into our driveway and shut off the car, we simply sat 
there, unwilling to get out and go inside.  It would mean that it was over.  
Edward even asked if I was sure there wasn’t one more gig he had to play. (There 
is, but not until July.)

We did get out, the car was unpacked and the first load of laundry started 
before my husband got home.  Edward put on Walk the Line (one of his favorites) 
and I caught myself coming into the room each time Johnny was on the road.  It 
seemed so familiar. I was unreasonably jealous of their tour bus, though also 
very glad that I hadn’t had to wrangle one through Tennessee mountains or Texas 
tornadoes.

We couldn’t have asked for a better tour. We covered almost 4000 miles as 
dear friends and other playlist favorites sang us on our way. We saw old 
friends, made new ones, and a lot of people learned a name and heard some music 
that they will remember.  No one got sick, the car behaved, and the worst 
equipment problem was solved by a new guitar.  Even the strings he came home 
with were the ones that were on the guitar when he bought it: didn’t break one. 
Perhaps the best part, though, was how much fun we had, and how, when it was 
done, we wanted to keep going.

They say a performer should always leave the audience wanting more.  
Sometimes the performers and crew feel the same.   Thank you all for being a 
part of this journey with us. It’s an incredible feeling to have your 
support.

See you next time, on the road!

Mumager Morgan, StellaWiki & Edward

It wasn’t literally the end of the road, but it was the end of our tour, and 
the longest drive we made at any one stretch.  From East Texas, across Louisiana 
to the Gulf Coast takes a long time, about 7 hours.  No, that’s not 
much, considering how many hours we had already spent in the TourCar, but most 
trips between gigs had averaged about 3.  It was also the one day we drove 
through the most rain, which made travel frustrating, racing to get ahead of it 
as we dashed from state to state.  The weather didn’t really look pretty until 
we crested the Pearl River Bridge and entered Mississippi.

We may have also been a bit punchy at that point, since none of us slept much 
the night before.  Visiting kept us up late, even though we knew we had to be 
off early in order to get to the party that had the earliest load in of the 
tour.   Like most days in the car, Edward got caught up in doing ‘stuff’ on his 
phone, and Stella and I got down to the business of ignoring that this was about 
to be the last stop on what had become an adventure none of us would have 
missed.

Our hostess and party planner had alerted her room-mate to expect us, and we 
had just enough time for a round of showers before hopping back in the car and 
driving to the venue.  It was hot on the Coast, and the large stage was outside. 
After about a 5 minute discussion, and encouragement from the staff, the 
decision was made to set Edward up inside instead.  This worked well, as he was 
positioned under the air conditioner and near some large fans that helped cool 
everybody.  He played 3 hours and once again impressed all those who heard him.  
He dedicated songs to our hostess, Stella, and me, and we did our best not to 
get teary.

Afterward, we spent several delightful hours with our hostess, her 
room-mates, and some of the coolest canines I’ve had the privilege to meet. We 
were having so much fun, nobody wanted to go to bed.  Unfortunately, Stella’s 
plane was leaving from Montgomery the next day, and we had half of Alabama to 
get through first, so sleep we did.

All of George Strait’s exes may live in Texas, but so do our sisters, and 
we’re pretty sure he never met either of them.

We enjoyed the West Texas hospitality of Stella’s sister’s family for a 
couple of nights.  Highlights included a game of Scrabble over morning 
coffee/tea, a caravan to the Dairy Queen, terrific grilled burgers with zucchini 
and some kickin’ mac & cheese.  Hm.  We really weren’t just there for the 
food, I promise!  We also had adventures in  shopping, which netted me some 
great gifts for everybody back home.  (And yes, my daughter loved the pickle 
pops!)  They were lovely to share their home with us and we truly appreciate all 
of the trouble they took to make us feel welcome.

We then headed east.  At one point, somewhere on Texas 7,  Edward got the 
giggles over seeing a cow drop an exceptionally large pattie.  Then we passed 
some type of agricultural tents (that’s all I could figure out that they could 
be, but I’m still not certain) that looked like giant white worms, complete with 
smiley faces drawn on the ends that faced the road, which set him off again.  
Stella and I were laughing at his hysterics when a small bird decided to end it 
all by flying into my windshield.  All of this was within about 2 minutes, and 
saddened as we were by the suicidal bird (which slid up the roof and off the 
back), we couldn’t stop laughing.  Ah, free road entertainment!

My sister had set up a private party for Edward to play, and we had a good, 
attentive crowd of around 25.  They were quite impressed (of course!), buying 
CDs and a couple of t-shirts, too.  The weather turned rainy by the time we were 
through, so Edward and Stella had to quickly load equipment into the car before 
it got too bad. Most of the guests had gone and we were cleaning up the party 
space when someone’s daughter called to say we were under a tornado watch.  
iPhones were consulted and the ‘best spot in the building to ride it out’ was 
discussed, but before long, the wind seemed to lessen and the decision was made 
to make a run for it.  My sister lives about 2 miles from the venue, so we 
slogged through the flooded parking lot (did I mention that the venue was at the 
bottom of a hill?) up past our ankles (and wearing flip flops) to the cars, and 
began a slow-ish drive to her house.  The streets were already littered with 
small branches and the rain made it difficult to see the road, but we made it 
with very little trouble.  Dry clothes and a cluster of candles (just in case, 
though we didn’t need them) made us feel a bit more human, and we were finally 
able to relax.  The next morning was still wet, but we couldn’t see any major 
damage as we drove east towards the last show, so hopefully there wasn’t 
any.

The last show of the regular tour ended in a low-key mall coffeeshop north of 
the greater DFW area.  Stella’s dear nieces made the even longer drive to this 
show, ensuring friendly faces were in attendance. We also got to see another 
friend who was with Edward and me the night he met Bobby Long in Tuscaloosa in 
2009.  It’s been that long since we’ve seen her, so it was great to catch up.  
Edward had played ‘Who Have You Been Loving’ that night at her hotel before we 
went to Bobby’s show, and she was excited to see how far he’s come. She brought 
her fella and we enjoyed meeting him, too. It was just two hours, and they went 
by swiftly.  Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head back to the 
hotel for one last night. Next up:  two nights off and a visit with Stella’s 
family, then heading to East Texas and a private party.

Thanks to our friends in Houston for the free beds last night, the delicious 
food, and the showers!  It was great to see you again and we really appreciate 
all the friends you brought out to hear Edward.

We got to Austin too early to check in to the hotel, so we had some lunch at 
the restaurant in the lobby.  When we got to the room, Stella and Edward both 
took naps while I did some work online.  More showers and we headed out to Kick 
Butt Coffee II in the Triangle.

The barista (ok, the adorable dude behind the counter) looked like Heath 
Ledger in Lords of Dogtown, and was just as cool.  He joked and chilled with us, 
cooked our pizza and dug the mic stand out of the equipment closet for us.  We 
never learned his real name, but he was dubbed ‘Skip’ by Stella.  He even found 
a couple of stickers to donate to the guitar case.

Two of Stella’s nieces and a couple of other friends came to see the show.  
There were also a few locals we didn’t know, one of whom liked the music so much 
he bought a CD.  Those are the BEST sales, let me tell you!  When someone who 
has never heard of him, didn’t even know he would be there and playing, sticks 
around long enough to be moved by the music enough to want to own it, I want to 
hug them.  I don’t, but I want to!

The Nouns, a local punk trio, played after and we listened to a few songs.   
There were 2 other acts scheduled, but we decided to head back to the hotel with 
the nieces for a visit.  Edward went to the room to work on a song idea, and 
Stella and I had a drink with the girls. It was a lovely, easy end to an easy 
day.

Next up, Dallas!  Big D, you better get ready.

We had a later start than anticipated, which meant we were pushing to get to 
Houston. As it was, we ended up with a small interview by a LA State trooper (I 
swear, the last posted speed limit I saw was 70!) and we got to the friends who 
are putting us up, with only an hour before load in.  Speedy showers and we 
headed for Tuscan Sun Coffee, luckily only minutes from our lodging.

Another great crowd of friends and family (love knowing people all over the 
country!) were supportive and very complimentary.

Austin tomorrow. Sleep soon, I hope!

Edward was booked at Neutral Ground Coffeehouse as basically the headliner, 
third on the roster after some original poetry and another guitarist.  Once 
again, the crowd was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of talent they were 
hearing.  Family and friends came in from around town and as far away as 
Mississippi to hear him, which made for a lovely support group.  The rest of the 
audience was just as appreciative.

This was a shorter set than he’s played the other nights since he wasn’t the 
only entertainment, and he adjusted his playlist to hit the highlights.  The 
only cover he did was Folsom Prison Blues, for Stella’s aunt. We closed the 
place up and took the meet and greet out to the sidewalk as the staff closed the 
shutters and pulled in the tables.  Another enjoyable night overall!

Road and more road.  There’s a lot of Tennessee between Johnson City and 
Chattanooga, where we stopped to say ‘hi’ to the Choo Choo and look for a guitar 
case sticker.  There wasn’t one available, but Stella got creative at a 
scrapbooking shop and had one made from a reproduction of an antique railroad 
ticket.

There is also a lot of road straight down the middle of Alabama and we were 
tremendously glad to see our exit.  The whole family were home for dinner for 
the first time in a while.  So nice!  Laundry was the priority, and then we 
enjoyed the bliss of our own beds, except Stella, poor thing, who didn’t seem to 
mind the comfy couch and pillows we allotted her.  Morning came, along with 
re-packing and loading of two cars, as my husband was joining us for the New 
Orleans show.  We have family there and he was taking the opportunity to get in 
a visit with them as well.  We got to spend  a little time with them, in between 
trying to get online to do a little promotional work.  Obviously it didn’t 
happen, or this blog would have been updated sooner!

Met Jim and his dog Louie who own The Acoustic Coffeehouse, an eclectic place 
near the university.  There was a piano available for the first time, so Edward 
could play the piano songs the way they should be heard.  He even did Table for 
Two which he doesn’t do at all on guitar.  He wound up the evening with the full 
version of Cohen’s Hallelujah and got a standing ovation!

Next up – back on the road to Montgomery.

We drove through some incredibly beautiful scenery, up and down mountains and 
across valleys, and boy was I glad we were traveling during the day!  Those 
cliffs were scary enough when we could see them; just imagine having to trust 
headlights and the odd streetlamp!  Gives me shivers.

 We got to the motel and basically spent the rest of the day relaxing.  We 
grabbed some dinner at the hotel restaurant and went back to hang out in the 
room and watch a little television, before a relatively early turn-in.