A huge thank you to Keith for all his hard work moving Linker News to it’s home on his new server. We are now http://www.linkernews.com - but if you didn’t know that you wouldn’t be here. Anyway, I hope you updated your bookmarks.
LA was, well, dark and dirty - but The Covenant was very well received. We performed in the Japan America Theater which is located right in downtown LA. Franklin is an absolute star, and I had a great time (as usual) working with the technical crew. On our day off in LA, we went to 6 flags, where I’d like to point out that eventhough Franklin had to stop riding after a few roller coasters, I had a blast on ride after ride until it was time to go back to the hotel. He’s such an old man. 
After LA, The Covenant went to Murph Murfr a city near Nashville in TN. Again, Franklin did an amazing job (I mean - who is that sexy bald guy in a miniskirt and body paint?), and we worked with an amazing technical team. Franklin was thrilled to be so near a music mecca, and we spent an evening bar hopping and listening to live music, and a day in the guitar stores. Pray for us, because the net result of this time in Nashville is that we are now listening to quite a bit of country and bluegrass music - who’da thunk it?
Of course, the best part of our time in Murfreesboro was getting to visit with our family. Franklin’s parents, sister, and niece came from Virginia and South Carolina, and my mother, grandparents, father and step-mother came from North Carolina. We had a blast hanging out and (of course) eating together. We also had the opportunity to visit with friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. It was good to get back to our roots.
In the 2 weeks before leaving for LA, Chloe (the dancer, not the dog) and Chuck decided that the Embassy needed a new promotional video. Pros: I got a fantastic new computer for work and learned a lot about Adobe Premier, After Effects, and video editing in general. Cons: 2 sleepless weeks pulling my hair out gaining aforementioned knowledge. Anyway, the Promo was finished in time (just barely though, we were literally late leaving for the airport because we were waiting for the thing to finish rendering) and it is a big hit. Big pat on the back for me and Chloe (who had a pretty sleepless 2 weeks as well!).
I love being here in Israel, I love almost everything about it: I love the people, I love the food, I even love the dirt - but there is one major problem with making a home here: people come and go a lot. We had to say a (hopefully temporary) goodbye to a really good friend when we were in LA. Sharon, we miss you so much - you can’t even imagine. Often times I catch myself thinking “Sharon will know” or “I wonder if Sharon would want to come over,” only to realize that you just aren’t so accessible these days. So hurry up and come for a visit - our guest room is ready for you.
On a more positive note, we got to meet the fiance of a dear friend of ours this weekend. If you know us at all, you know that the Salway family is our family here in Israel. When we were poor, pitiful, newly-arrived, non-hebrew-speaking, utterly ignorant waifs, the Salway family took us in. We gained a mom, a brother, and 3 sisters. Well, brother is getting married and we were anxious to give our stamp of approval to their upcoming union. They came over Saturday - we ate a huge stack of pancakes, went for a hike, and threw rocks at cups of water (long story). Anyway it was great, and we’re glad that Susie is now going to be a part of our extended family.
Thats it for now - [insert usual promise to update more often here]. I’m off now to put new pics in the gallery. Be sure to check them out.