Epic!

The fact that we haven't posted anything in a while should be a testament to what a rockin time we're having --- not any sort of indication of laziness or ambivalence on our part. We continue to think that this not-widely-read blog is IMPORTANT.

When we last left you we were (I think?) about to play in Atlanta at The Earl. I feel like Atlanta isn't nearly as beloved by most people as it should be (the traffic! the heat!) but let me tell you - Atlanta is beautiful. Especially if you're staying at Mike and Leslie's house in Grant Park, where you can sit on the front porch barefoot, drinking beer and playing guitar. It's also beautiful when you're eating bbq tofu burritos at El Myr or drinking coffee ordering "The Heap" at Thumbs Up Diner. ATLANTA IS SO GREAT. The Earl is an awesome place to play (fried okra! ultimate bartenders!) and though we were initially intimidated by such a huge room on a Monday night, the show ended up being pretty great. Plus, the sound guy recorded our set for us, and though we initially didn't want to listen to it (really, what could be worse than thinking that the show was really awesome only to discover, via brutal audio, that it wasn't actually that awesome...), it sounded great. Thanks, sound guy (Jason??)! Also, as evidenced by the photo above, we had a HILARIOUS time pretending to smoke the cigarettes that the Camel promo girl gave us in Chapel Hill. Pretending to smoke is funny... right?

11:30pm EST, after our Atlanta show, we find out that our Orlando show came through, last minute! For the next night! We had planned on hanging out in Atlanta another day, but after sending out a bunch of pleading late-night text messages and crossing our fingers, we left early the next morning for not-so-beautiful central Florida. Best decision we ever made! Much like our show last summer in Bradenton, FL, this one was dreamy and great, with loads of old friends and family. My mom is the ultimate fan, by the way, and I really think we should bring her on the road with us for added enthusiasm. Thanks to Earl for helping with the show... best.

Our day off was spent in Bradenton and on Anna Maria Island, playing with puppies, getting loads of hugs, eating fried grouper sandwiches, etc etc. It was basically paradise and, as usual, we didn't want to leave. Enough said, I guess.

We are currently in Sulpher, Louisiana (!) at a Day's Inn, getting ready to complete our epic drive to Austin. For the first time ever (!) Marisa was going to finish up this blog post, writing about Tallahassee, Gainesville, weddings, gators, etc -- but we need to get on the road, and blogging is tedious... So all of that will come later. Get ready! You can get a little preview, since I already uploaded the pictures.

Also, we've been passing the time in the van by perfecting the fine, delicate art of prank texting... so if you received a suspicious photo, it totally wasn't us!