Hi Fans!

First of all, a special message from Richard; He sends a heartfelt THANK YOU for all the cards and gifts you sent him for his birthday, and for the time and effort that went into some of the lovely things that he received. Mom and Dad Carpenter too, appreciate your thoughtfulness and are quick to display your offerings to guest and visitors. One of the cutest gifts was some thumb print portraits drawn by a fan named Susie, depicting Karen and Richard as children. In one, young Richard was shown eating while baby sister Karen sat on the floor using kettle covers as cymbals. Really cute! Thanks again Susie and everyone for everything.

The European tour is over and Richard and Karen are glad to be back home in the good old U.S.A. There is no place like it, they say!

They were treated nicely in the countries they visited, especially England and France. For sight-seeing they managed to visit the Eiffel Towel in Paris, and take a boat ride on the scenic Amsterdam canals. They also saw THE WALL in Berlin and spoke of it as depressing and heartbreaking.

Their London bound 747 was forced to land in Goose Bay, Newfoundland to discharge a sick passenger, and after a 2 1/2 hour delay they were again airborne. In London they did a T.V. Special with Tom Jones and discovered what a "groovy" guy he is. They enjoyed his company and loved working with him.

A T.V. Special in Berlin afforded them the opportunity to meet and work with Lulu and Herman of The Hermits. They enjoyed dinner at Lulu's home one evening and yet another friendship had been chalked up.

Amsterdam's TV Special was strictly a CARPENTER special with full orchestra. No other guest star featured on the program.

The Royal Albert Hall in London was a sell out for their concert there. The duo's aunt and uncle, residents of London, were in the audience, brought to the hall in a limousine ordered by Richard and Karen.

The change in water and time created some difficulties. The water made them ill, and the time change caused trouble when they tried to sleep. There was also a language barrier in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. Neither Karen or Richard speak French or German with created difficulties when ordering meals.

In Paris they dined at the famous LaSaiire's, and in London they managed to visit Annabelle's and Burke's, both famous for good food. While in London they also found time for a bit of shopping, and Karen fond a beautiful blue suede pants and vest outfit, and a tan suede coat with matching hat. Needless to say she is very fond of suede clothes.

En-route home from London they ran into head winds so they had to land in Greenland to refuel, which caused a lengthy 2 hour delay. When they arrived home they found all their equipment was missing. We all held our breath for a few days, wondering if it would show up in time for the next tour. It finally arrived, so last minute packing was accomplished by midnight of the 18th and we had the group at the airport by 7:00 a.m. next day!

A last minute change in schedule has been announced, and regretfully, too late for you fans to be advised in advance. They are scheduled now to do the Johnny Carson show again on November 5th. This time they will appear with only their bass player Bob Messenger as a Jazz Trio. They will also do another Carol Burnett show, but no date has been set for that at this time.

They have another overseas tour coming up in February scheduled for Australia. It will be summertime there, so hopefully, weather-wise, they will fare better than the February tour when they encountered 28 days of sleet, slush, rain, penetrating north winds and Blizzards. Homeward bound from "down under" they will visit Japan and Hawaii for more concerts. They cherish happy memories of former visits there.

EV.

Last changed: Mon May 23 22:28:33 EDT 2005