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Elora is a quaint town, preserved in its ancient splendor with an old mill and many lovely old shops and restaurants right beside the river. Trouble was I couldn't get near it, so I didn't get my usual dunk in the water. Leyanders is a very small cafe with tall stone walls and some very nice watercolours on display. The set up is very cramped, much like Nadeane's in Cambridge, but the boss gets things done without much difficulty. After so many different gigs, by now Nash could probably set up the show in a broom closet. Nash's pal Cory is on hand to help out, and many familiar faces arrive to enjoy the buffet and musical presentation. Doug and Cathy are there from Guelph, as well as a gang from Waterloo: Coral, Kenneth, Theresa, Bert and Esti. The gig is very mellow, and I just hang out in the back with the cook. Nash takes me for a walk before showtime, and we go wandering around these old buildings and alleyways looking for a spot of virgin turf for me to dump on. Kinda spooky. I get the feeling that in the 150 years this town's been here, there aren't many places a dog hasn't been, but I find a good spot. Nash does two sets, with dessert in between. The first is Bombardiers, which is becoming one of Nash's most popular sets. The second set is what Nash calls the mellow vocal set: nothing to disturb the digestion. It starts with Edmund Fitzgerald, shifts nicely into Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine and continues in a subtle vein with other new material, concluding with the FM chestnut Phasors on Stun. The show ends early, so when Nash is packed, we head back to Waterloo, our home base for the weekend. We're staying with my good friend Esti and her husband Bert. Esti thinks I'm adorable. Esti is the consumate hostess, and as with her human friends, she makes sure my food and beverage are never empty. I sleep through the late-night banter, but is it ever lively. The Reverend Jesse Clovis makes an appearance and manages to stir up fire and brimstone before heading off into the night for the wicked town of Dungmouth. The folks there have a terrible outbreak of wankchaining, and he must put a stop to it. The tolerant and understanding Theresa follows. We stay over Saturday because there's a gig in Kitchener on Sunday. Everyone is up and at 'em by noon but Nash goes back to bed until 3 pm, Coral, who stayed the night, heads off with Bert to do some shopping. Esti is also napping. Ahem. I'm bored here. Let's hit the park or something. When Nash gets up we play in the yard for a while. Nash tries to bury me in leaves and then decides to rake them up. He makes a big pile of leaves and then throws the ball into it for me to find. This is great fun diving into the heap. Bert sees this and thinks Nash is raking the yard for him. You humans. Tonight there's no gig, so Nash and the gang decide to check out the band Garbage at the local concert hall, The Lyric, a gigantic old movie theatre in downtown Kitchener. This is an all-ages show and starts at 7 pm. Nash, Coral and Bert choose to see the show while Esti, Kenneth (who has returned grudgingly from Dungmouth), and Theresa stay with me to protect the fort The gang returns from Garbage. I'm only paraphrasing here, but Nash had this to say about Garbage.
The humour at the house continued in this delirious tone until all hours. After more food and beverage, Nash took me to the local park to make up for all the hours of lying around I have to endure. It is nice getting out for a stroll, and I know Nash likes it as much as I do. I found a ball in the park and that was the prize of the night. When I brought it back to the house I made sure to stash it somewhere I'll find it next time. The babble of human voices puts me to sleep. I was totally comfy until Kenneth passed out on me and was using my butt for a pillow. I really didn't mind until they made him get up to go home. Digger |
