eight counties in Virginia and two counties in West Virginia. All I know is, it is a beautiful drive. Excellent! (Said in the manner oif Wayne Campbell.) We stopped several times while driving
through, mostly to absorb the natural beauty and take a few snapshots. I must admit, it was pretty cool to visit three states- Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania - plus the Dis- trict of Columbia in a single weekend. While taking in all of the magic of the
mountains, we visited Manassas, Virginia, and drove past Bull Run, where the first major battle of the Civil War was fought. So much history in that region. The town of New Market was amazing. I could live there. Great old buildings - many that still have holes and damage from cannonballs and guns from the Civil War- offer living history and historic beauty. In New Market, we visited the new home of Craig’s friends Keven and Amber Walker and their family. The home is " The Crim House, " which was there during the Civil War Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. We were inside while workers were busy as bees, renovating and getting it ready for the Walkers to move in. Just a beautiful old home. I didn’t get to meet Amber or their daughter Zoe, but there son Daniel was a lot of fun. He entertained us with a dead-on Elvis impersonation. We didn’t stay very long, be- cause there was a lot of work going on and Keven was quite busy, but he was truly a nice guy to be sure. While in New Market we grabbed lunch
at a great old restaurant called Southern Kitchen. (See review this issue). After a nice meal, Craig drove us back to his abode, where we chilled out before driving into Washing- ton, DC that evening. Along the way, get got into this thing where we were singing old country songs to see if the other guy would know the tune. It was great impromptu fun, and lead into a series of pop songs from the early 1970’s when we were both in high school. Nostalgia reigned supreme.
I must note that Craig owns a very
comfortable vehicle. I love being cool, and his air conditioner is great. As we entered Wash- ington, DC, my brain was racing as usual, and I was trying to make a joke in my mind about the air conditioner cooling us off while in Washington. My somewhat strange brain coughed up “DC/AC.” I didn’t say all of my thoughts are funny, okay? DC at night was a new experience for
me. I have been to DC once, the last time I visited Craig, but never at night. It was beau- tiful and busy, and seeing many of the monu- ments and government buildings, including the US Capital, from the car at night was very cool. We eventually parked in one of the “packed in like sardines” parking lots, and hoofed it down the street. One thing I just must say, as a red blooded American male, is that DC is loaded with beautiful women. I have not seen so many well dressed beauties in a few city block area in quite a while. I love DC!
After a bit of walking, we made it to
Bin1301, a nice little bar where Craig’s son’s band was playing. They were our primary goal for the evening. The band is called Three Man Soul Machine, and features Carter Stevens on organ, Frank Mitchell on tenor sax, and Mylie Durham IV on drums. The band kicked off their set while the Olympics were broadcast on a TV above the bar. These three guys have a real groove, and played a great Cannonball Adderley cover, as well as other great jazz and soulful tunes. All three gentlemen are masters of their respective in- struments. Durham drew particular interest from me. I have always loved jazz drummers like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, and Durham has a similar feel to his playing. Carter has the magic touch on the keyboards, and I found myself watching his hands. He’s not a “banger,” but has that soft touch that moves mountains. Three Man Soul Machine is a great and funky trio that transcends gen- res, blending soul, jazz, blues and reggae into
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