The Bobby Rock Newsletter #112 (6-28-24) - Off to Africa!
The Bobby Rock Newsletter #112 (6-28-24) - Off to Africa!
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Hey Everyone -
Shit's been intense 'round here as I've been navigating, hands down, the busiest month of the year. So before June rolls into July, I just thought I would try to squeeze in one more Newsletter this month. Thanks, as always, for reading. Let's get to it... In This Issue:
_______________ Off to Africa  As I write this, I am 30,000 feet in the air, en route to a layover in Amsterdam.... on the second of three flights today. At some point, we will wind up at the Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania, then head over to a hotel in Arusha, where we will spend the night. Tomorrow, we hop on a puddle-jumper to Serengeti National Park, where we take a three-day "residence" at a safari camp. And this, I believe, is where the real magic will happen. (I would expect a full report is coming some time in July: stay tuned.) I've always known how fortunate I am to do what I do for a living. To be able to travel to all parts of the globe (been to six of seven continents so far) and hit the drums... yeah, it's pretty cool. Of course, for all we see out here on the road, in work mode, there is an awful lot we don't see, given the constraints of our itinerary. Still, though, I believe my travel-and-adventure itch has largely been scratched along the way, so I've not been one to actively seek out too many "vacation" adventures beyond touring. That said, I've developed a secret list of places that I would love to visit, but where it would be unlikely that I might tour. At the top of such a list? Africa... safari style! Africa remains my most enthralling continent, especially with regard to wildlife. I've been to Morocco in Northern Africa, and I would still love to see the Pyramids and cruise the Nile. But man... the thought of being able to observe some of the Earth's most magnificent animals—in their native environment, on a safari excursion—has always had my heart. Likewise, this has been a top-of-the-list destination for my girl, Kari. And so, we decided to jump out for a quick trip before our little man was old enough to care that mom and dad are away. And now, here we are... 30,000 feet in the air. Which leads us to... _______________ Embracing the Space This trip has been tightly book-ended between two different Lita Ford runs: I left early the next morning after I got home late in the evening from one run... and I will have one day at home before I jump out on the next one. So be it. June has been jammed. And while there are a lot of moving parts out here regarding flights, visas, drivers, guides, and protocols—to say nothing of our upcoming excursions—there should also be a lot of mental downtime... on flights, at airports, and, I suspect, hanging "at camp" between adventures. My intention has been, and will continue to be, to simply embrace the space as best I can... to relish the downtime, the inactivity, the "boredom" of those moments. For me, it's built into the experience out here... a non-negotiable attribute of real presence, which is something intrinsic to true mindfulness. And as we talk a lot about around here, mental downtime or space is not something we experience very often in our modern, tech-driven world. Feeling antsy waiting in line at the grocery store? No problem. Pull out the phone and engage in something inconsequential for a few minutes... anything but having to be alone with our own thoughts, thinking about things in our own world. But, I say, we must embrace these pockets of space. We must give our minds a chance to process, recover, evaluate, and, hopefully, drop that Big Idea into our consciousness, out of nowhere. Half the battle here is the lure of the almighty smartphone. Which brings up a difficult dilemma I constantly struggle with in my travels: I want to be fully present in the observation of the remarkable thing I'm seeing or experiencing... but I also want to document it! So finding the sweet spot in the middle will be something for me to work out. But keeping the motherfucker in airplane mode for the majority of the trip? No problem! Let the adventure begin... +++++ Note: It is now the next day and, indeed, the adventure has already begun! On that puddle-jumper to the Serengeti. More soon...  _______________ On the Road with Lita Ford Lots of shows in June! I will leave you with a series of impressions from a couple different runs. Dig! +++++ A magical moment tonight, just before showtime: We were moments away from hitting the stage for our set, when it suddenly started to sprinkle a bit. We look up and see this rainbow, just as the Nelson brothers were walking over to us. Naturally, we had to capture the magic! Man, I live for this kind of shit out here…  And then... moments later, after everyone stepped away, I noticed a double-rainbow! Had to grab the twins for one more commemoration. What are the odds of this?  +++++ Soundcheck perspectives, mine and yours, from the Westgate in Vegas:  +++++ From Jergel's Near Pittsburgh:  +++++ Ran across this sign a couple days before Father's Day and had to grab a pic. It struck me as so odd in that moment that, yes—I am someone's father! 17 months later, it still feels so surreal (but also profoundly joyous, I might add).  +++++ From a run in Chicagoland… encountered this beautiful junkyard sculpture along a riverside running trail. Always finding cool shit out here on these runs!  +++++ Tuscon, mid-set...  +++++ Toledo, I believe... soundcheck and showtime.  +++++ Just taking a... fun, spontaneous pic at some airport. (Musicians never fully grow up, it seems.)  +++++ Band of brothers... and a sister! Marten, Lita, and Patrick...  +++++ From the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, VA: _______________ To sign up for this Newsletter and/or to scope back issues, click HERE. _______________ Thanks again, everybody. Connect soon!
Until then, BR
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