Greetings from the sunny Shenandoah Valley. The first thing most people want to talk about around here is how hot it is. But it seems as if everyone, everywhere has weather affairs to deal with, so we'll just say that we're grateful to not be dealing with drought, tornados or floods like so many are these days. And we'll just count our blessings.

We're heading out in a couple of days for some gigs and will stay busy the rest of the month. This weekend will be fun. We'll hit some favorite spots in St. Louis and Shawnee and then do our first gig ever in Manhattan, KS. It'll be nice to finally get to stop there after having driven by it so many times in the past. Many years ago we wrote a song called "Adam Rude" which we set at Fort Riley, just outside of Manhattan. Driving by towns can lead to these kinds of things happening.

We're looking forward to being on the June 21st "A Prairie Home Companion" show. It's always fun but this show will have two other Red House Records artists, Jorma Kaukenon and The Wailin' Jennys. This will be the first time we've done APHC with two other lablemates.

Red House is in its 25th year and, to help celebrate a quarter century of great music, they have released an anniversary CD called "Our Side Of Town" with songs from 17 of their artists. Our song, "Together All Alone," has been included. They are also having some special concerts around the country. One of them will be at The Birchmere, the legendary music club outside of Washington, DC. It will be a wonderful night of music with Jorma Kaukenon, Guy Davis and us on the bill. You can check out Red House's web site, www.redhouserecords.com, for information, not only about our concert, but for other concerts with Red House artists around the country.

We went out the other day in 95 degree heat and got CD cover pictures taken for our new Red House CD. What a perfect situation to look fresh, pleasant and attractive. It's going to be called "Buena Vista" and a September release is planned. It has eleven original songs and one country "classic." Tim O'Brien produced it and we're really pleased with how it came out. We'll be sure to talk more about it as the summer progresses.

Last but not least, the 6th Annual Fortune Williams Music Festival is in full swing. We, along with Jimmy and Nina Fortune and, the director of the festival, Larry Smith have put in a lot of work to make this happen. We're excited about the acts that will be with us this year, John Anderson, Lori McKenna, The SteelDrivers, Tim O'Brien, Karen Staley, Grandstaff, and Trent Wagler and The Steel Wheels. It's a great lineup and the festival will once again be held at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA. The dates are September 26, 27 and 28. Check out our web site, www.fortunewilliamsmusicfestival.org. Tickets will go on sale in a few weeks.

That's all for now. Hope this finds you all doing well and that we'll see you at one of our stops along the way. Remember, music makes you smarter.

Your pals, Robin and Linda