After over a week of being in transit, the eagle has landed in Converse, Texas…

Hi folks. I am finally in a house again after having vacated our home in North Carolina last month. My husband Bill and I set off for the San Antonio area last Saturday. Silly me, I had been looking forward to the road trip, not realizing how exhausting and exasperating it can be to drive on America’s interstates. I am now sitting at my desk, which we wisely decided to bring with us instead of having the movers pack it. Unfortunately, we unwisely did not decide to pack other things for our immediate use, like a small table and chairs, trash cans, or margarita glasses.

Incidentally, this move has been by far the worst yet in terms of irritations and mishaps. I won’t go into detail about that in this post, since if you know me on Facebook or have read my other blogs, you may have already been exposed to my bitching about all that. One thing that did come from this long ass road trip was exposure to music. I listened to my iPod the whole way and it’s fairly bursting with over 11,000 songs from a wide variety of genres. Though I thought I would have made a point to listen to some of the epic road tunes I blogged about last time, my playlist was surprisingly lacking in those big songs. Maybe if I hadn’t been driving, I might have made a point of playing classic road anthems like “Born To Run” and “On The Road Again”. But as it was, I was too busy trying to prevent people from flipping me off and running me off the road to select much music.

Here are a few songs I did listen to as I made my way from North Carolina to Texas.

Friend of the Devil by Rice, Rice, Hillman, and Pederson

This is a great bluegrass version of a classic song by The Grateful Dead. The video is not mine; so no one needs to worry that I was filming while driving. Still, this turned out to be a great driving tune.

Diamonds by Rihanna

I don’t usually listen to Rihanna’s music, but I became acquainted with this very cool song during my big road trip. It’s definitely not bluegrass. I could become a fan.

1973 by James Blunt

I actually really like this song by James Blunt. It reminds me of living in Germany. It was popular when we moved there in 2007 and has always stuck in my head as a great pop song. It’s aging well, too, even though it’s six years old now.

You Can’t Please Everybody by Rose Royce

Here’s a little old school funk from 1977. I love Rose Royce. I was introduced by their brand of funkiness by my older sister, Sarah, who owned their album In Full Bloom on vinyl. This song is spunky, sassy, and sure to make you want to press on through the worst traffic jam… even if someone does shoot the bird at you (like a biker did to me in Alabama).

Watch Your Step by Carlos Santana

Here’s another blast from the past. A little Santana never hurt any long drive and my big road trip is no exception to that rule. It’s fun cruising through Louisiana bayous to this song.

You’ve Got A Friend by Carole King and James Taylor

I am aware that Carole King and James Taylor released a great live album a few years ago called Live At The Troubadour. I included the above clip because it’s from 1971 and I happen to own a great Carole King live album called The Carnegie Hall Concert- June 18, 1971. On that album, she invites James Taylor to join her on “You’ve Got A Friend”. That was the version that played as I made my way through Alabama. But the Troubadour version is also very special and would also fit right in on this list.

Someday Sarah and Crazyboutya by Dave Barnes

I discovered the ultra smooth stylings of Dave Barnes by watching Army Wives on iTunes when I lived in Germany. I liked his music so much that I went on a mass downloading spree; consequently, his songs pop up a lot when I drive. Luckily, I think he’s awesome and his music is fun to drive to.

If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band by Alabama

Yes, sometimes I do listen to mainstream country music, though my preferences are really for more classic stuff. And since Alabama was biggest in the 80s, maybe they qualify as an oldies act now? This song happened to come on as I crossed the Texas border.

Baby I’m Burnin’ by Dolly Parton

Another classic country hit, this time from Dolly Parton. Since it’s been over 100 degrees here, I think this song is an especially appropriate road tune for Texas in late July.

So there you have it. The eagle has landed and hopefully won’t be flying anywhere new anytime soon… unless it’s to a home of our very own. Until next time, keep on truckin’.