When we pulled into the parking lot at 1:05 this afternoon, there were
two cars in the lot. When we left 2 hours and 53 minutes later, there
was one. C'mon, people. A Sunday afternoon at Umstead and Alan and I are the only one's there? OK, so it was a little wet . And cold. And windy there at the end.

Now that drought appears to be rearing its ugly head again, here's a suggestion on how to combat water shortages: Get Bowerbirds to play around here on a regular basis. Sunday evening at Duke's "Music in the Gardens" series, the skies were darkening as Bowerbirds began their set, and a steady rain began falling a few songs into the show.

There was plenty of cover under a tent for anyone seeking shelter, so no one got too wet who didn't want to (and a few hardy souls did tough it out on the lawn). And the Bowerbirds' ecologically minded folk was very appropriate for the bucolic outdoor setting. But the funny part was that their new material seemed to bring on the heaviest downpours. Sunday's show was, they said, the first they played a new song called "Chimes" in public. Right on cue, the sky opened up and rain came down in buckets as frontman Phil Moore crooned, "I draw my breath from an ancient earth."

'Twas great.

ADDENDUM (8/15/08): "In Our Talons" video.