Not what we meant when we said 

"This tour's gonna be on fire".

Driving through the rocky mountains there is an unusual haze that has covered the sky up here in Estes Park, Colorado.  We've been on the road 2 weeks and been lucky enough to dodge a few mistakes & mishaps...but one thing we can't avoid is the fires that seem to be engulfing this beautiful mountain range around us.

It brings flashbacks of the Bastrop fires in Texas last year, or last summers driving down I-25 watching the Los Alamos fires engulf mountain ridge after mountain ridge.

There are stories filling the papers and television of tragedy followed by heroism, and wow does it get your mind on the things that matter.

One story of a retired fire chief that happened to own the house where a fires started that claimed 22 homes and one life.  Another story of an 18 year old volunteer fire-woman who watched her family's home burn to the ground while fighting a fire on a nearby home.  

The stories never seem to end with things like this. Fire fighters from around the country all here in Colorado to save homes and lives, while many of them may be in jeopardy of losing their own in the process.

As we travel around this beautiful country sharing our hearts, minds and music...it's a harsh reminder of the gift of life we all have every day. My little catch phrase for this year has been:

"Live life like you mean it!"

I think it's taken on an even deeper meaning today as I watch the smokey haze dissipate over the rocky mountain range...slowly creeping in from the fires a few hundred miles away, that has already burned  hundreds of homes and thousands of acres.   You truly never know what is around the next bend, whether it is another great show, an idea that inspires the next song, or a harsh reality that bites you to the bone reminding you what life is all about.

So tonight we play a show at the Hempel Theater up here in Estes Park. This theater stage is one where I wrote some of my first songs when I was up here working for the summer. Back then the theater lights were all off, and alone in the dark I would sit on the stage and compose my songs singing to nothing but the clear mountain air and an empty room. 

Tonight we will take the stage, and I'll sing my heart out to hopefully lift a few spirits, inspire a few hearts, and maybe even give some of the audience a break from the firestorms that seem to be taking this state county by county.

So if you can, take time to take a deep breath and think about how to take today and "Live life like you mean it!" I promise you I'll try to do the same!