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Woodenshoe managed to arrange a Dutch group picture to be taken in Antwerp. It took about 10 years to get this. You rock babe !! So the group was a bit nervous while we were waiting before the show. Around 7PM we were expected to show up and taken to the back (I had “Meet Me In The Back-visions” now…)
Some test photographs were taken and we waited for Melissa to arrive. She came in the room smilin’. She was wearing a jeans, jeans shirt, black T-shirt and a band-T-shirt (couldn’t read the name of the band but the holes were in the shirt so it has to be an old shirt).

For a few moments she talked to two belgian guests and then she came over to the group (we were already in position to make the photos) , stepped in the middle, moved her hand through Misha’s long hair (he was kneeling in the group next to her and she smiled to the camera. A couple of shots were taken with different camera’s (I think/hope Woodenshoe will post one here soon. It’s her major accomplishment so I would love to let her posting these photos).
Then Misha asked her to sign something. I was standing behind him. It was my turn…

I brought a map of Leavenworth. In 2001 I went to see Leavenworth (and other cities of musicians) just to build my own view of the perspective of the songs she wrote about leavenworth. I have bought the blue Universal-streetmap in a gasoline station on Sunday 19 Aug 2001. Some days you will never forget. For this special occassion in Antwerp I took it with me in the hope she would like it and write something special on it.



She stepped over to me. I handed her the partially unfoulded map and she looked at me asking what it was? “Is it a map?” I answered: “Yes, it is a map of Leavenworth”
She laughed and did grab the map with both hands saying: “this is nice” .
I said: “please draw some circles or anything you like on the map”. She looked at me, then back to the map and said… “uhhhh, ok. Let’s see….. Where was I born?” She was pointing one finger on the map searching for a street in the north. “OK, here it is” she said slowly in a peremptory tone, making a dot along the street.

“And then I was living over here somewhere….” Moving the pen in the direction of the streets from the place of birth to the place she lived and making another dot. “ The people who live here now do know that I was living there” she said.
I asked: “Did they buy the house for that reason?” Melissa answered (smiling) “No, don’t think so”.

“It’s the third house on the right, or was it the left? Oh wait, I will write down the address to the side here…. It is easy to find”. So she wrote the street address at the side of the map. “Let’s see , Over here is the graveyard somewhere…” Again pointing the pen over the streets, looking for streets she knew to get at the right spot. Like she was drivin a car from point A to B and knowing the streets she had to pass … A circle was made at the destination. She asked in the group:”somebody wants to know more?” Somebody asked: “Where is shriners park?” Melissa:”Ok, shriners park is not in leavenworth. I wrote the song about a park in leavenworth but it is not called shriners park. I made it up because its on shrine park road” and again a cross was drawn in the map near this Shrine Park Road.

I asked… And where are those abandoned boxcars?”

She answered:”Oh they are not there anymore. They were over here somewhere near the railway and the river. You will not find any of them anymore.”
Somebody asked about the school and she pointed that out with the pen. Then she said “and ofcoarse there is the prison. That must be over here somewhere” while she opened the map completely now to see if in the south the prison was on there. It wasn’t so she said: “oh , I think its not on this map but it is down there”

She asked: “How did you get this map?”

“I have been to Leavenworth just before 9-11 and bought the map there. I was at Toon’s guitar shop and spoke to an older lady on the streets which happened to know you” She said: “ Oh yes, everybody knows me in Leavenworth” laughing very cute. I thanked Melissa for the time she took to make something special of this map.
Then she stepped over to the other dutchies to sign the things they brought and to chat a little.

She was talking and writing on the map for about 10 to 15 minutes and the group was just watching and enjoying this moment. For a short moment I was a little lost in emotions because in my dreams I never had expected she would love to see a map of Leavenworth and tell us so much about it.

The show itself was great but to be honest the 15 minutes of “map-time” were just too strong in my mind to really pay attention to the details of the show. After the show Kenny signed my shirt so the whole band is on this shirt now....



Tammy did draw something on the back as well.



Ok, this was the end of my tour 2004. See you around in 2005 somewhere....Till then... KIP !

Take care,

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Mumpie, better known as Marcel nowadays...

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