Yesterday I picked up a large loader (construction equipment) at Camp Edwards in Buzzards Bay, MA, which is near Cape Cod. The amount of traffic heading out to the Cape for the weekend was unreal.

It was supposed to be a legal load but when I got there I could see right off it was wide and so an oversized load. That late in the afternoon this was a problem as it takes time to order and receive permits. Scramble time. And of course it also meant they would have to pay us more to move it. Always a good thing in my book.

As it is only a few inches over the legal limit I took off with it sans signs and flags hoping some sharp eyed trooper wouldn't spot it. No chance of getting the permits before the folks on the base left for the weekend and I sure wasn't sitting there until Monday.

I made it down to the southern end of RI where the only 24 hour truck stop in RI happens to be. I was sweaty and filthy from work and wanted a shower in the worst way. I was also quite tired as well as starving. I checked into the cheap motel next to the truck stop, had a wonderfully refreshing shower, and walked across the street to a restaurant that had opened recently.

The food there was great, I had a very nicely done steak along with a couple of beers. I was just about to pay up and leave when I noticed some folks walk in carring musical instrument cases. One of them obviously contained a banjo. I decided to stick around and see what was up.

I got to talking with some of the band members and it turns out they are a bluegrass band. I was a bit surprised as I didn't expect bluegrass music to be popular in this part of the country, but the leader of the band told me folks around here love that style of music and they stay very busy playing at different venues around RI, MA, and CT. Wow.

I hung around to see if they were any good. They were indeed. The band leader switched between  guitar and mandolin, the lady in the band played guitar, one fellow played banjo, guitar, and mandolin (he's very talented too), and the base player played an accoustic base, you know that big sucker they use in symphonies.

I really enjoyed their playing and stuck around until being tired became stronger than enjoying the music and returned to my room for some sleep.

I have to say that finding a bluegrass band in RI was quite the surprise, as was the fact that the place was packed with people who came to see them. It was also a bit of a surprise that the band members as well as most of the audience were not older folks. Most were quite young in fact.

I also discovered that folks in this part of the country actually like cowboy hats and boots even though most of them don't wear them. I had several people, mostly ladies, comment on my hat telling me how much they liked it. A couple of them commented on my accent as well, which is like a huge "I'm not from around here y'all" flag waving above my head LOL.

Well, my morning coffee is almost gone so time for a quick shave and to hit the road again. It's a long way from here to Fort McCoy, WI.