Songs & Strings Tour Journal

Autumn 2002, West Coast
Michael DeLalla & Andrew McKnight

October 19, 2002: From Apple Country to the Shores of Lake Washington

The smell of a crisp frosted autumn morning in the mountains of central Washington translates so poorly in the written word. But that smell along with Nancy-Lyn's cheerful good morning and fabulous lattes framed another stellar day. As a child I first heard the stories of the magnificent salmon runs along the western coast of North America, saw the mightly leaping fish fighting the current making their way against impossible odds and amazing obstacles to return to the place of their birth to spawn and die. On this morning during a walk along the yellow tinged trees and valleys of the Wenatchee River, we watched the indescribable spectacle of the fall run of chinook salmon doing their last imperative spawn-dance.

As Michael so well put it when he finally spoke again, I've nothing in my experience to compare with salmon as big as 4 feet long ending their life by leaping and fighting against the tireless current to spawn in the streams of their birth. Nature is a marvelous miracle; the fish have made it over 500 miles, through fish ladders at 5 huge dams on the Columbia River, and here they still push on into the mountains. Here in this shallow river running right along the edge of Leavenworth, this sight will stay permanently etched in my mind, watching the powerful fish with their dorsal fins breaking the surface, swimming, struggling, resting, dying, persisting.

With salmon on the mind, apples in the air, and fall colors to lighten the way, we said our goodbyes to an exquisite 36 hours in Leavenworth and headed back to Renton on the shores of Lake Washington to spend an evening of music with Verla and Sue at their delightful Highland House Concert series. Some great laughs and stories with boisterous happy dogs, excellent Chinese food and wonderful hosts set the tone for our first ever Seattle area show. And old friends I haven't seen in a long while helped make that concert extra special. A special treat was Michael whipping off a lovely set of Celtic jigs and reels in honor of the passing of Derek Bell of The Chieftains. A very rich evening of music and stories by the fire.

Andrew

Set 1
Wear A Tie So I'll Know You - Michael
Merrily Kiss The Quaker - Michael (Traditional Celtic)
Piece for Steel Drum - Michael
Infinite Loops: See Loops, Infinite - Michael
Catnapping - Michael and Andrew (guitar duet)
Improvisation: Guitar and Poem "Ghost in the Branches" - Michael and Andrew
Western Skies - Andrew
When I Grow Up - Andrew
Chemical Voodoo - Andrew
I Can't Understand the Moon - Andrew
Magnolia Tree - Andrew

Set 2
Poem "Where The Four Winds Touch the Soul" - Andrew
Arise - Michael
Se Ne Bado C'et Atao - Michael (Bretagne Gaelic a cappella)
Le Marchais du Malaucene - Michael
Shebeg Shemore/Celtic Medley - Michael (in honor of Derek Bell of the Chieftains)
Da Fully-Rigged Ship/June Apple - Michael and Andrew (trad. guitar duet)
For This Time - Andrew and Michael
Letter to Colonel Mosby - Andrew
Bad News - Andrew
Dancing in the Rain - Andrew
Diary - Andrew