Day 6: Mongomery, AL to Atlanta, GA

I wake up to a wonderful breakfast of homemade pancakes and eggs prepared by Butterfly Inn owners, Isaiah and Jhonnie Sankey. Randy Shoults, Community Arts Program Manager at the Alabama State Council on the Arts has met me here to take me back to their offices after breakfast. We talk about the trip so far and the artists coming to this afternoon's workshop. Soon, Joey Brackner, Director Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, stops by, this is on the way to work for him, he walks in every day - this reminds me of the car back in Atlanta, and how nice it would be not to have one. Joey and my mom go way back since they are both folklorists - so we talk a little about my family and then some German guests staying at the Inn come out and Joey tells them all of the sites to see in Montgomery.

When I arrive at the council, I'm floored by the Gallery space that they have, which has been curated by Visual Arts Program Manager, Georgine Clarke. I spend time with the staff, including Executive Director, Al Head, and talk about the SouthernArtistry.org nomination's process for 2008 and go over the twelve Alabama artists who joined the site this year. Al and the rest of the staff have some great ideas for the registry moving forward, including further integration with a touring artist registry and their online e-grants database. Then we break for lunch and Randy takes me on a walk to Cool Beans, a gallery and restaurant space that also specializes in music and good coffee drinks. Never before has the connection between food, art and entertainment been so apparent to me - good meals, good aesthetics, and good atmosphere are all such a large part of traveling and enjoying a particular place.

Before the workshop, Randy interviews me for the Alabama Arts Radio Series and we talk about the nomination process for SouthernArtistry.org, as well as, general advice on web site design and e-marketing, and why I'm on the road giving these workshops. A knock on the door and it is Georgine entering with Halloween Candy and cookies for refreshments during the workshop. Soon I meet comical furniture-maker, Dale Lewis and Mario Gallardo, then Charlie Rose, Bobby Michelson, and others show up. We have a good conversation, and again, time gets away from us. I am on the road by 5:30 and take this parting shot from the roof of the parking deck. Listen to a farewell speech leaving the city with 17,707 miles on the odometer.

The drive home is a few hours, but I don't feel like I have to turn on the radio. My head is full of so many other thoughts right now. Mostly I think about going back to the office, sitting on my ball chair, and looking at the screen of my computer. For the first time, since I started working with this site two years ago, I can stare at that screen and think of all of the faces that match the work I'm looking at and all of the emails that are prepared by hands that I've now shook.

I reach home around 9:30 p.m. with 17,852 miles on the odometer. 17,343 miles round-trip.