San Luis Obispo

SLOLX, one of the best cities in the states, with some of the nicest people. SLOLX this year was just me and my baby girl. And what a great event it was!
The day time event were just as I remembered them from last year - fun and relaxed. Games at the park and more games at the beach, sitting with friends and their ukeleles singing songs and talking about how great life is.
The evening and late night dances were at the college, which is appropriate because SLO is really a college town and the swing scene there is based mostly of college students. The low budget is to their advantage, IMO, because they dig for the local music that is inspiring, and get DJs from close by that DJ for the love of the music more than anything else. They brought the Tipsy Gypsies from last year, whom I LOVE, and had a great Lindy and Blues room. We had an amazing time. This is an event I recommend for everyone who loves to dance, both for Lindy and blues.
My set list for the blues room - which included some classic favorite songs of mine :)

'TAin't Nobody's Business - BB King
Crawling Kingsnake - David "Honeyboy" Edwards
They Call Me Sundown - Barbara Morrison
Insane Asylum - Asylum Street Spankers
Reconsider Baby - Al King
Mean Mean World - John Lee Hooker
Careless Love - Ray Charles
Back Home Blues - Lowell Fulson
Your Heart Is As Black As Night - Melody Gardot
Just Won't Burn - Susan Tedeschi
Baby What You Want Me To Do? - Jimmy Reed
A Sunday Kind of Lve - Etta James
I'm Bad - Katie Webster
Black Coffee - Ella Fitzgerald
It's a Man's Man's Man's World - James Brown
Honey Baby Blues - Rising Appalachia
Mo' Better Blues - Gordon Webster
Your Good Thing Is About to End - Lou Rawls
Evil Train - Trampled Under Foot
Blind Love - BB King
Snake Drive - The Yardbirds
Same Old Blue - Popa Chubby
Some Cold Rainy Days - Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Cory Chisel
Snowden's Jig - Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Mooche - Sidney Bechet
In the Wee Hours - Junior Wells and Buddy Guy
Empty Bed Blue - Janiva Magness
Friar's Point - Susan Tedeschi
Busted - Ray Charles
Pussycat Moan - Katie Webster
BB Blues - Nellie McKay
Take a Little Walk With Me - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Suitcase - Keb' Mo
Got My Mojo Workin' - Asylum STreet Spankers
Dark Cloud - Chris Thomas King
Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You - Gordon Webster
Down Home Blues - Gene Harris
In the Dark - Norah Jones
Good to me as I am to You - Kim Massie
Lonely Avenue - Ray Charles
Am I Wrong? - Keb' Mo and Taj Mahal
Ain't Lost Nothin' - Janiva Magness
Things Ain't What They Used to Be - Gordon Webster
Blood On the Ground - Richie Sambora
Glory Glory - Mikel Lander and Merideth Moore
I Lost Everything - Charles Brown
Here Come The Hot Stepper - Ini Kamoze

Baby traveling was a bit different for me this time around. I used Michael's previous PBEx trick and brought a "team baby" with me. Colin Hay  was almost a Michael replacement in that he carried all of my stuff around everywhere we went. It was quite perfect, actually. Babies come with a lot of stuff. We stated at the "Holliday Inn," which is Katelyn' Holliday's parent's house. Her parents actually left for the week and let dancers take over everything. I had my own room, which Carrie Carillo (one of my current housemates and my second "team baby" member) slept in there with me. The hardest part about taking a child to a dance event comes at 7 or 8 AM, when the child is up. Being awake at that hour after staying up all night dancing is torture. Carrie saved us on the second morning when I couldn't stand to get up before 10. The first morning after late night, I was able to get up with Kaylee. I strapped her in the moby wrap and went for a walk to the store. The second morning, Carrie got up with her and took her for a walk. She got sick later because of it, but she really saved me from totally losing it. I think if I would have had to do that all by myself I would have sworn off dance events with children. Because it's HARD and impossible to do alone. I am very very grateful for Carrie and Colin. They made that experience possible.
For the record, I don't have to take my kids with me every time I travel. I had to bring Kaylee this time because I was still breast-feeding her. Michael stayed home with Evelyn. We hope that in the future, when our finances are a bit more flexible, that we can take the whole family to this event. It is just that great. :)