The Sentimental Part (Thank You's)

Before I begin working on the blogs and videos for Austin and Nashville, I thought I’d take a quick second to thank all of the people that made this tour possible. Without these people, none of this would have happened, and my thanks cannot be expressed in words. Since I’m not a very good painter, though, and they have yet to produce a keyboard for gestures, I’ll give it a shot anyway:

Charles & Christina Earley:

If the trip were Balto, you guys would be the engine. You provided the backbone to this entire tour, and for that I am as grateful as can be. Not only did you trust two relative strangers and me with the truck, but you made it possible for Esperanza to join us on our journey. You then stocked her with more food than we could ever eat, and sent us on our way. You were always open to our plans and you supported our every move. 8,953.4 miles later, Esperanza is safely parked in our driveway, and Balto is still trucking. Don’t worry, Dad, I won’t tell anyone that the main reason you let us take the truck was that you want to get a new one. All jokes aside, I truly appreciate everything you guys have done for us, and I couldn’t ask for better parents. Thank you.

Mr. & Mrs. Mauch:

Thank you for allowing your son to join me on a month-long adventure, even though you knew little to nothing about me. You supported us throughout the duration of the trip, and for that I’d like to thank you. Of course, you also helped stock Esperanza with even more food – something that we definitely appreciated. You were also kind enough to give Brendan a place to sleep after the two rascals finally arrived back in Red Hook. Thank you very much.

Mr. & Mrs. O’Donnell:

Thank you for letting Brendan join our trip at its halfway point. I know you didn’t really know anything about me or Devin, but you supported your son anyway. I also enjoyed my short stay at your house, and the fact that you (Mr. O’Donnell) shared your chicken parm calzone with me will not be forgotten. I really appreciate it.

All of Our Hosts:

I know I already thanked all of you specifically, but I wanted to make sure that you all know how much we appreciate everything you’ve done for us. We’ve all made great new friends throughout this trip, and we’ve realized how many great people there are in the world. Everywhere we went our hosts treated us like royalty, and we could not have asked for anything more. Thanks to all of you.

All of Our Readers:

Thank you so much for following the tour and watching our journey unfold. You guys caused us to continue to write, video tape, and chronicle our experiences, because you made us feel like there were people who were genuinely interested in what we were doing. Your comments, texts, and phone calls kept us going on the road, and provided us with much needed entertainment on the long drives. By reading the blog and watching the videos, you invested yourself in our tour, and essentially became a very important part of it. Thank you.

Brendan:

Thanks for flying out to L.A. to join us in the middle of the trip. I know it wasn’t the most convenient of things for you, but I’m really glad you came. And not just because it made gas cheaper. You really took the role of ‘manager’ to heart and made the second half of the trip much easier. For those of you who don’t know, Brendan took care of all the little details a manager would normally take care of. He called venues, hotels, RV parks, and he was always looking out for the best interest of the band. Aside from that, he bought a ukulele – a purchase that made for a lot of good times while driving. You were always up for anything, and it was really a pleasure to have you join us on this trip. Thanks BRO.

And last but not least

Devin:

I can’t begin to say how much I appreciated you joining me on this tour. From day one you were 100% involved in bringing my music out to as many people as possible. You have shaped the way that many of my songs evolved, and you were always ready to listen to what I wanted in each song. I had a blast on this trip from the very beginning, all the way to the (perhaps premature) end. I enjoyed your company so much, I won’t even mention the fact that you asked me the following thing on several occasions, just before we went to bed: “Hey man…you want a beer?” and that, whenever I said, “No, I’m good.” You would respond with, “Well how else you gonna go to sleep?” I won’t even mention that. In all seriousness, I appreciate everything you’ve done for this trip, for my music, and for me personally, and I hope we can continue to share our music with the world.