So, we held our first performance last night. We’re still reeling from the energy of our non-stop sprint through Troy over the past week. Carrie’s feet hurt, and Jesse is recovering from a cold that’s had him singing through a fog the past three days.

We promise to blog our story more frequently from now on!

We’re in Rome, after spending much of the morning packing up and leaving Troy. Carrie’s car is now outfitted with a Thule “Sidekick” case strapped to its roof and a bike rack on its butt, and is filled to the gills with equipment, drawing supplies, postcards, and more.

Carrie feels like we’re finally in New York.

We got to the Rome area just in time to catch the tail end of the weekly Sacred Harp singing in Barneveld. We had a lovely time singing with the group and are looking forward to seeing many of the singers again this week at our singing schools at the Rome Art and Community Center and our final presentation at the Erie Canal Village on Sunday.

After the singing, Dan Adams, a singer from Barneveld and a likely tour guide this week, helped us find our way to Rome, and later took us to dinner at an Italian restaurant in town with a dining room unchanged since the 1940s, its walls covered with paintings and photographs, with a ring around the top of university pennants.

Tomorrow we start the Rome chapter of our tour in earnest: Carrie will be meeting with a bunch of Rome residents and getting oriented, and Jesse will be teaching a singing school from 1-4. We may even get to meet the mayor!

–Jesse