Fiddling Around in Hampden

Richard, Toby and I got to spend the day in Hampden with Avery. Jen and Jason had a work day, and Avery's regular daycare providers have the week off, so it was a special treat to go north to visit our favorite little guy! While Uncle Toby played peek-a-boo and retrieved toys, Richard and I played a few tunes. Avery really likes music of any kind, including fiddle tunes and especially having songs sung to him. Word was, when we left, Avery and his mom were on their way to purchase little A a new sippy cup, and maybe even a toy! It was a good day for everyone.

Attentive Listener

Avery is listening intently as Richard reads the first lesson from 'The Art of Violin Bowing' by Paul Stoeving. Though not trying to influence Avery at such a young age, we were happy to share a day of music, reading, games, and play. We also read from the National Geographic Travelers magazine, sang songs from 'Rise Up Singing' songbook, played the piano (yes, Avery likes to add harmony by playing the keys he can reach while sitting on my lap), and playing with small stuffed animals. The book on bowing came from the Maine State Library.

What's New?

Well, photos will likely be taken tomorrow, but the news on Murray Street is the Greens have a new fiddle and a banjo. We have kept the fiddles we currently have, and added another to the cache. The new one is from Prague and was built in 1867. It is very old but beautiful to look at, and the sound is amazing, not to even mention how easy it is to play. We went to check out an ad from Uncle Henry's and met a great couple, Jeff and Marta. They had about 8 fiddles for us to try, we played for a good part of the afternoon on their back porch with them accompanying us with their guitars. Once the fiddle selection had been made, we started talking about banjos and ended up with a really nice early 1900's model that is a step above beginner and should be a good instrument to learn on. Jeff and Marta both play banjo and gave us a nice first lesson. We will be spending a good part of the weekend learning 'Old Joe Clark' on the banjo as well as taking turns playing the new fiddle, affectionately being named 'Dvorak' (that is the maker). A good day all around, full of music, good times, new friends...

Progress in Fayette

Here you can see an update on the new home of Ken and Janet. The yard is seeded and hayed over and I can just imagine how much nice the yard is going to be.

Looks Like Home

Ken and Janet's new digs are looking pretty homey and cheery with flowers in the window boxes and a nice porch to sit on. We missed visiting them, but did enjoy seeing the progress going on here. Nice to have them back!

Salt Pond

On the way to Little Deer Isle, we stopped in this blueberry field to play some tunes and to eat a sandwich Friday afternoon. You can see Blue Hill Neck beyond the pond.

Update! Indian Pipes!

Indian-Pipe is in the Wintergreen Family and the scientific name is Monotropa uniflora. These translucent, waxy pipes are unique. The nodding flower is white or pink, and turns blackish later. Leaves are scale-like, grows to 4-10 inches. Grows in shady woods from June-Sept. Peterson lists it under Small Fleshy Plants; Specialized Habits under white flowers in the Wildflowers of Northeastern/NorthCentral North America. It is parasitic and saprophytic and has no green color. These plants feed on roots or decaying material in the soil. Quite beautiful, don't you think?

Wolfeneck State Park

Richard looks out over the Harraseeket River on Sunday afternoon. This park, near Freeport, has really nice woodland trails, as well as access to the Harraseeket River and Casco Bay. Anyone else been down here?

Stormy Sky

Friday afternoon at Falcon Ridge, there was a huge storm that blew through. The winds picked up, there was thunder and lightning, and there was some rain. A few tents and awnings were blown down the hill and destroyed. Luckily, ours held fast and we weathered the storm without incident, but it was pretty exciting! Dancing and music continued at the bottom of the hill from what we hear, however we stayed put, providing ballast in case the winds were severe.

The Taj Mahal...

...is quite comfy when we're away from home. We had plenty of space during our 10 day vacation, and have a pretty smooth set-up and tear-down routine. The interior room accomodates a queen size AeroBed (see link) http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=36271&parentCategory=3891&cat4=1097&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&feat=ssdpa1097 plus a couple of stools that hold our clothes up off the ground. The screen room in the front is roomy enough for our camp chairs and a table, nice when it's buggy. The only thing we found is that the mesh, though great for keeping bugs out, doesn't really let the air circulate through so it can get a little stuffy. The trade off of not being eating alive is worth it though, and when there's a breeze it's nice to have the screen unzipped and let the air in. All in all, a very nice tent. This is like the one Kathie and David have, and that Jason and Jen are considering. Definitely not a back-packing deal or even overnight stops when on a road trip, but nice for extended car camping ventures.

May I Have This Dance?

Richard is seen here with one of our favorite fiddle teachers, David Kaynor. Friday night was dress up night, and David was the talk of the camp! Richard and I really enjoyed playing music in David's classes, and learned some good practical techniques that will improve our playing. The structure you see is an open air dance pavillion. There is a stage for bands, and picnic table style seating on the perimeter. It's really a pretty nice dance area for being out in the woods!

My Friend Jim

Here I am with my friend Jim at Ashokan. Jim is a fabulous contra dancer, and plays the fiddle. It was fun to have 'Maine' friends at camp!