Grab a cup of coffee, this is a long one. :-)

As many of you know, I went to Texas last month to visit relatives and friends but mostly to celebrate my 60th birthday by seeing my favorite singer/songwriter Hal Ketchum. Hal played a very small open-air cantina in the hill country between Austin and San Antonio in a little town called Fischer. More like a wide spot in the road, population ~3,500.

The cantina was owned and operated by Jan and Dennis of the Fischer Haus B&B which we stayed in the night of the concert.

We checked at 2pm and went to the nearest big town to buy beer and snacks and to eat lunch. The concert was BYOB. There was a Texas BBQ lunch truck at the cantina for those who were smart enough to eat while drinking at the concert. I was not. :-)

We got back from making our purchases around 4pm and DH decided to take a nap. While he did so, I took a walk around the property and then settled in on the porch to take in the ambiance of the place and to watch as the proprietors set up the cantina, which was mere steps from our room.

While I sat on the porch, a gal walked out of the front door of the B&B. I figured she was also staying there. As she descended the porch stairs, she turned, looked at me and said "Are you by any chance Jodi?" "As a matter fact I am!" I said. She asked to join me and we started to chat. She told me that she was there because of me. That she and a relative had driven about 175 miles to be there. That she saw my "I'm Going to Austin in July" post at the KT. Wow, I just sat there stunned!

I'll call her Anne, because that's what she prefers. Anne used to frequent the KT years ago as DTKATY and on a whim checked in shortly after I posted about my trip to Austin. When she read it, she learned about the Hal Ketchum concert and decided it was something she needed to attend. You see, Hal's return to the stage, albeit a small stage, is monumental to those of us who follow this man. He has had some serious personal and health issues in recent years and was so ill at the last concert I saw him at in 2010 that his next concert and nationwide tour were immediately canceled and he was admitted it to the hospital.

Anne too had had a very tough year health-wise and on a spiritual level connected with Hal. It was important for her to see him. So, knowing he was within reach, she and her step-brother Miguel got in their car and headed north on concert day. Not only was Anne was able to attend the concert but Hal met with her before the concert to share some encouraging words. She was in seventh heaven the rest of the night.

The concert ended at 11:30pm and Anne and Miguel got on the road for the 2.5 hour drive home.

Below is a photo Miguel took of Anne (R) and me (L). She is a beautiful woman inside and out. I was truly touched by her story and the fact that I was instrumental in her recovery journey and that she reached out to me. I hope she comes back to the KT and starts posting again.

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The sign out front of Fischer Haus and the cantina. Our room was where you see the two windows on the left.

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This post was edited by jodi_in_so_calif on Fri, Aug 9, 13 at 17:14