Mandan, ND

As soon as Mark woke up in the morning in Fargo he went to find a grocery store so that he could pick up supplies to make breakfast. Breakfast burritos. One of Mark’s specialties.


It’s a good thing Alex had a huge frying pan, because there was a lot of food for everyone. We wanted to thank him for his hospitality and what better way than to cook him breakfast before he headed off to work.


We had a little bit of time to kill before we had to drive to Mandan, which was only a few hours away. We went to Atomic Coffee so that we could upload the first vlog and start posting here on the blog.


Downtown Fargo had a bunch of these decorated bison, so we figured we had to do the tourist thing and get a picture with one before we headed out. We were cruising along down the freeway going 75 (because that’s the speed limit in North Dakota), when all of a sudden there were signs for 55 and then 25 and there were orange barrels all around and levies to try and prevent the water from creeping up more.There is a lot of flooding going on in North Dakota, especially once we started getting closer to the Bismarck/Mandan area. There was standing water on the east bound side of the freeway. It was unreal.


Mandan was the first location that we were going to be at for more than one night. We were playing Friday & Saturday at a place called Captain Freddy’s.


We set up outside on the stage on the porch. It was awesome watching the water flow by as we played. But later in the set the mosquitoes started attacking. During the break Mark started calling around to try to find a hotel room for the night, because we hadn’t found a place to stay yet for both nights. Every single hotel was booked in the city. Not only is it a holiday weekend, but so many people are staying in hotels because of the flooding. We threw in the towel and decided that Friday would be our first night of camping.


There was some land by the docks across from the marina where the guy from Freddy’s said we could pitch a tent among the trees. So while Mark was DJing for the crowd around midnight, I went and did just that. I set up our home for the night. It was all part of the adventure. A story within our story. I only got a total of 2 hours of sleep, Mark might’ve only gotten double that. Also part of the adventure.


In the morning we went around with tour guide Mike. Seriously, Mark’s buddy Mike used to be a tour guide for Lincoln National Park, [[whats the name?]] so he showed us all around Bismarck and Mandan and told us about the flooding and the history. He also bought us an ice cream along the way. Thanks Mike for the tour, it was awesome to have someone show us around.

We took a nap in our tent and in the afternoon it was beautiful. The breeze coming off the water made it just cool enough to fall asleep with all the windows open. But we knew we had a long driving day after the Saturday night show, so we called around to see if anyone had a hotel opening for the nights. The Super 8 was the only place in town, but we decided to save some money and camp one more night.

That was true…until we met Matt.


Matt and his friend Scott came out to Captain Freddy’s Saturday night and they seemed to really enjoy the acoustic music. So we were talking with them and telling them our story. Matt asked where we were staying and we pointed to the trees and said we had a tent set up beneath them. Without a moment of hesitation he said, if we needed a place to stay we were more than welcome to crash at his house. Two big beds in the basement, a place to do laundry and shower? We couldn’t refuse. We gladly took Matt up on his offer, and we were beyond blessed once again by the hospitality of these young gentlemen in North Dakota.


Thank you Matt (And Zorro!) for opening up your home to us. We appreciate it so much. Your kindness is something we won’t forget!




Until next time,
Jordan

Fargo, ND

After our breakfast with Charlene in Winona, we got in the car and started traveling to Fargo, ND.


On our way we saw this crazy sight. The usual scenery was green. Green grass. Green trees. And a few rolling green hills. And then this. Metal, metal, and more metal. Not too sure what this was, because we didn't see any signs, but we thought it was interesting.

Man oh man was it hot out! Thankfully the air conditioner is working and in full use during the hot days. Because by the time we got into Fargo it had reached 100 degrees. We watched the temperature in the car go from 99 to 100. We ended up running an errand and going to Best Buy... for two reasons.

One. We left the piano adapter cord in Winona. At least, that's where we think it is. We're not too sure. But this is the second time that exact cord has been left somewhere in the last few weeks. That cannot happen again! So if you think it's around the time when we are packing up, feel free to text one of us and tell us not to forget the cord.

The second reason was to get a fan. Even when we were in air conditioning we were both feeling pretty uncomfortable. So an oscillating is our newest addition to the equipment. I think it's going to come in handy.


The show in Fargo was at The Winery. It was a cool place. Local artwork on the walls. Lots of wine. And a beautifully lit ceiling with strands of lights. We even met a guy there that had run in Crazy Legs, which is a run Mark did a month or two ago. Small world!


After we got everything packed back into the car and the trailer, we quick got a picture before heading to the place we were staying that night, which is a great story in itself.

So, when we were in Winona, this girl Alyssa came into the Acoustic, ordered a sandwich and came to listen to the music for a song or two. During that time Mark was talking about how we were going to Fargo the next night, and she said she was from Fargo, that her brother lives there and we could probably stay with him. She told us she had to get going, but gave us her name and number and told us to give her a call.

We did just that. We called her once we were packed up and she said that she talked to her brother and it was cool to stay with him. So we got his name and number and got into contact with him.


Meet Alex. (And Shane and Sam).
Alex is one of the most down-to-earth, laid back people I have ever met. He totally opened up his apartment to us and we had a great time just hanging out in the living room talking for a while. He and some friends were going to be hanging out for a while, so he offered up his bed to us. His ginormous king size bed. We were blown away by his hospitality, and couldn't believe how it all worked out so perfectly.

Alex, I sure hope our paths cross again someday. You are a terrific guy and it was a joy to meet you.




Until next time!
Jordan

Winona, MN

It's official. It's happening. We are on tour.
It's pretty much a dream come true for both of us.
Our adventure is just beginning, but it's been a fantastic start.

Crossing over the Mississippi to get to Winona is absolutely beautiful.
On one side you have these gigantic bluffs and the other side you see this gorgeous blue river past the trees.
I only hope this is a brief taste of the scenery that we will encounter.

Our first destination was the Acoustic Cafe in Winona. We had been up here before, and it's a cool place. College town. Back room set up for music. And great corned beef sandwiches. We even met this cool kid, Jessie, that was more than willing to help us unpack the trailer once we got there.

Who's that guy?

Anyways, meet Charlene. She is fantastic. We've stayed up by Charlene before, but the last time that we did, it was in the dead of winter. It was completely different this time around. When we got back from the show, we poured some champagne, Mark got a Guinness and we went out on the porch. A cool little breeze. Looking up at the stars. We couldn't have asked for anything better. Charlene gave us a little tour of the farm, introduced us to a couple horses, and then we headed back to play a few songs on the porch. It was a perfect end to the first day. The next morning she made us a great breakfast. Sweet potatoes and cabbage with eggs. We have to remember that combination. It's terrific.

Thank you Charlene for your hospitality. It is always a joy to stay with you.






Until next time!
Jordan

sunny and 3 degrees

How is it sunny, not a cloud in the sky, AND 3 DEGREES?  It can't be normal.  Does anything grow in 3 degrees?  I know I don't.  I'm a hermit.  You'll be lucky to see the whites of my eyes looking into the house.  I'll have a stocking hat, blanket and possibly a snow mobile suit on.  :)

Just for giggles, I searched "the coldest place on earth".  No surprise, it's Antarctica.  Did you know that the coldest temperature on record there is NEGATIVE ONE-HUNDRED and TWENTY-NINE degrees.  That's BELOW ZERO folks. (129).  -129.  Yuck.  You won't see me traveling that far south any time soon.

red light, green light

This probably shouldn't make a great day, but it definitely helps make a good day.

Yesterday, I hit every green light.  I'm not saying - every green light on my way to the store - or - every green light coming home from work.  I'm saying YESTERDAY I hit EVERY green light.  All day.  Not once did I have to stop or even break for a yellow or red light.  Come on...that's got to account for something on a good day, right?

On a side note, how long can this cold really last?  Dammit.

sick sick sick

There may be nothing worse for a singer than getting a cold.  Argh!  Especially one that won't go away.  I've got that fine-during-the-day-but-sick-as-a-dog-at-night cold.  Sucks. 

I think what I'll do is drink it off today.  Yeah, tonight at my show I'm going to get crunk.  :)  Well...maybe that won't happen, but if things aren't better tomorrow, I WILL be drinking for the Packer game.  Jello shots for everyone.

GO PACK!!!

best neighbors ever

I think I'm a good neighbor, in as much a musician can be a good, noise-ordinance-adhering neighbor, but I am a shadow compared to my Richard Street friends.  Serious. 

I woke up today just shy of 10:30 - yeah, life is rough - and the mere 1 inch of snow didn't stop my neighbor, Jay, from shoveling my sidewalk for me.  He does this because I let him cut down a tree-like bush that was growing near his driveway.  The threat of his freshly paved driveway being uprooted is what warranted the lumber jacking. 

So, to summarize, neighbor recognized a potential foundation-cracking problem. Neighbor submitted a resolution proposal. Neighbor executed the resolution, and I, in my infinite wisdom, may wind up reaping the benefits of infinite snow removal.

Yeah, my neighbors are the best.