We’re back on land after a week at sea on Cayamo.
We played a few shows aboard the ship. We made new friends (Canadians at that). We swam, along with dozens of other musicians, from a catamaran ferry to an island in the slowest-moving, least-threatening beach invasion ever. My dad played with Trampled By Turtles as “Trampled By Tweedy.” Dad, Sammy, Liam, Macie, and Courtney (Marie Andrews) sang Dylan songs with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Liam and I backed up Courtney for a beautiful set of her own.
I watched Larry Campbell shred. Andrew Bird fiddled and sang “So Much Wine” and a few other songs with us. We avoided catastrophic sunburn.
On Sint Maarten I walked around the beach and found a dog turd so sand-covered and sun-baked it looked like a shard of volcanic lava washed ashore. And I saw steel rebar from an abandoned resort’s pier poking out of the water, corroded and seaweed-laden, looking like a coral creature.
Sammy, Eugenia (Sammy’s awesome GF), and I walked from the beach to Fort Amsterdam, the 17th century bastion from which Dutch, Spanish, French, and British occupiers formerly defended the island (and its natural salt ponds). Some of the nearly 400-year-old structures still stand, with arrays of cannons around them, some replicas, some originals.
We walked a noisy road with a skinny sidewalk to get there, watching tourists on four-wheel ATVs take photos of the sea and themselves along the way.
Back to regular, earth-faring programming next week. After I get my land legs back… I still feel like I’m on a rocking behemoth of a ship every time I sit or lie down.
Seeyalater :)
Spencer
Stereogum and The Line of Best Fit covered drumprints while I was away, thanks to publicist/friend Jaycee’s great press release. Yay!
Spencer, nice job on the new friends, the cool photo of sea through old window space, nice kiss, and I’m looking forward to listening to some of the shows people taped. Cheers, S
Thanks, Spencer; I love your writing and your photos! Pic of you and Case on the beach is the sweetest!! ❤️