February 8, 2003 Phoenix to Houston Hi All, After my "appearance" at the Tonight Show I moved on to Phoenix, travelling through the desert which is pretty much what you would expect, sand and bushes. But like anything, it has its own uniqueness and natural beauty. It is strange, coming from New England, to imagine living in one of these desert towns. But home is home and I suppose if you grew up there, living any place else would seem strange to you. I could tell I was approaching Phoenix when, in the distance, I saw this strange cloud hovering on the horizon. It wasn't whispy like an innocent cloud nor ominous like a rain cloud, yet it had an eerie presence of its own. It just had the look and feel of chemicals and of course it did for it was a smog cloud. Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon you are struck by two things, the majesty of nature's sculpture and the silence. I think we associate magnificent, man made monuments with bustling human activity and the noise that acompanies it. But here, nature has done the work and requires no human contact to keep her masterpiece in perfection. I had this same feeling when I ws sitting at the base of Mt. St. Helens. Looking into and across the canyon feels as though you are looking at science fiction scenery from a movie set. It is so large and so colorful your mind cannot comprehend it is real. The Colorado River is so far from view it seems a trickling stream of no significance. I guess it is this awe struck effect that leaves you calling it grand. I left Phoenix and made my way across New Mexico and into Texas, more flat, dry land. As I got closer to Austin the terrain became a little more hilly and farmland began to appear around me. I spent a short time in Austin, tooling around the city, then headed off to the outskirts of Houston where I am visiting a cousin. It looks like I'll be heading back to Nashville to record some new songs with a record company there. I'll give you more details when I arrive. Best to all, Peter