Late Summer Greetings to My Friends on Planet Earth,
Yes, I’m also an earthling, though sometimes I feel quite the visitor, which is how I felt last week disembarking an international flight to a sea of airport TVs streaming news, cooking shows and ads… and on down a noisy tunnel of shops and kiosks.
But as Buddhist sage Pema Chödrön likes to say, it’s always a good time to “start where you are.” And here I am, sipping my coffee, writing you with my news-in-brief, a poem, a recommendation, and a touch of timeless wisdom for the present time.
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CONTENTS of This Newsletter
1. Ireland 2022: quick report
2. Looking ahead to 2023 Scotland and Ireland tours
3. Mixing new Sherpas album NEXT WEEK!
4. Recommended: TV series that won’t make you crazier
5. TK Poem of the Month: Some Blessings
6. Wisdom for our time from Mark Twain and Des Bartley
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1. Ireland 2022 report
On our just-completed Inishfree tour we had a diverse, good-hearted group of people from Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Mississippi, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Tennessee… and everybody was sweet, nobody got Covid, the weather cooperated, and the music was amazing. So good to be home-away-from-home again.
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2a. NEXT Ireland Tour (2023), in a nutshell:
What: Next spring I’ll be hosting another musical Inishfree Tour
When: Tuesday, April 18—Thursday, April 27, 2023
Where: Our home bases will be Counties Dublin, Waterford and Clare
Tour Company: Inishfree Tours
…and as of today a few seats are available.
BTW I chose this tour route because it’ll be mostly new for me, too. We’ll get a good dose of the east coast, the south, and the west. It'll be special, without a doubt.
For more info:
—Visit my website’s Ireland page HERE.
—Visit Inishfree’s 2023 schedule HERE…
…and click the ENQUIRE button for my tour.
And for more in general on Inishfree Tours, click HERE.
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2b. Scotland 2023
My first tour of Scotland for Traceless Tours (May 1-11, 2023) SOLD OUT quickly, but I’ll let you know right away if a second tour materializes…
…and you’ll also be first to know when a 2024 Scotland tour is scheduled.
If you’re interested in being on our wait list...
…visit my page at Traceless Tours HERE...
...and fill out the CONTACT box at the bottom of the page. That way you’ll be personally contacted first in the event of a cancellation or when my next tour is scheduled.
And for more on the tour company, click HERE.
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3. Sherpas album nearing completion
a. Mixing and mastering!
Next week I fly to Maryland to finalize mixes with my Sherpas partners Tom Prasada-Rao and Michael Lille…
…so in two short weeks from today the album will be ready for mastering, album cover etc. (Yes, we’re excited.)
b. Album release show!
On Saturday, October 15, we’ll perform most of the album at the Welcome Home Festival in Kerrville, Texas.
For more on the festival, click HERE.
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4. Recommended: TV series that won’t make you crazier
a. The Green Planet (PBS documentary hosted by David Attenborough)
Astounding photography, like nothing you’ve never seen. And old Mr. Attenborough is a living saint.
-Visit PBS.org and search “Green Planet.”
b. Our Great National Parks (Netflix documentary hosted by a guy named B. Obama)
I’m not saying you should subscribe to Netflix.—I’m about nickle-and-dimed out with streaming—but it’s filmed in national parks around the world, and it’s really cool.
-Visit Netflix and search “Our Great National Parks.”
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5. TK Poem of the Month
Some Blessings
I like to say
there are some blessings
you can’t get out of
and though you want to feel bad
and hate on yourself
and believe every dark thing
ever said to you
somebody comes along
and sees you
better than you see yourself
and what those Buddhists
call the false self
melts in a little puddle
like the Wicked Witch of the West
and what’s left swimming in the mess
begins to rise up
shake itself off
and look out on a brighter world.
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6. Wisdom for our time from Mark Twain and Des Bartley
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
—Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain , (1835-1910), author & humorist
“A wise man changes his mind all the time. A fool, never.”
—Des Bartley (1948-2003), Irish philosopher
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Till next time, Maximum Peace, Love and Understanding,
TK
PS Thanks to Elixir Strings I have strung my guitars with the crème de la crème of strings for over 25 years. I'm grateful for the ongoing support.