A Walk in the Park

The weather continues to cooperate with the outdoor line-up of activities. Las Trampas is a Regional Wilderness, located just west of Danville, CA. Easy to access, and beautiful to experience, Las Trampas is only one of the amazingly undeveloped tracts of land separating the pockets of population. The ostrich live on a farm just south of the park entrance we used.
The hills are steep in places, but in general this was quite a nice walk. Bryan's house-mates went along with us... including Oscar, Anna, and the newest canine, a foster dog named Jake.

Here you can see Oscar sporting his new "wet suit", fabricated from a black trash bag. Why, oh why were we dressing him up for a doggie fashion show? Oscar had explored a little too far on his own during the hike, finding a nice fresh patch of cow poop that he just HAD to roll around in... ewughhhhhh... Anyway, because we all rode together in one vehicle (yes, that's right, three dogs, two men and three women in a Subaru station wagon) it was imperative, yes IMPERATIVE that we get Oscar as clean as possible. He didn't like the cold shower, and he seemed slightly humiliated in being dressed in black plastic, but he handled it like a man and remained cooperative though slightly sullen. He got a nice oatmeal bath when we got home and is none-the-worse-for-the-wear :)
It was nice to be outside and feel the sunshine & fresh air.

Winery Tour & Dancing

This morning we went to the Farmer's Market in Danville... the produce is amazingly fresh and affordable... a nice way to start the day.
The Blackhawk Auto Museum was our next adventure. There was a Soap Box Derby in progress, so we got to see a bit of those races in addition to beautiful luxury race cars. There was an art exhibit of automobile related items which we liked at least as much as the cars themselves.
Bryan and I went south into the Livermore area on a wine tasting venture to three different wineries. We learned a bit about the grapes, and tried many a taste of some very fine wines... two bottles were purchased which we will be sharing with the household tomorrow. Today's photo was taken at one of the vineyards using my new cell phone... thus the reason for the odd appearance.
After dinner Richard, Bryan and I drove into San Francisco for an evening of contradancing. We had SO much fun! Today is my and Richard's anniversary and it was a perfect way to celebrate since that is one thing that brought us together over the years. Bryan is a really good dancer, I had a good time watching him, and especially dancing with him. We've had a really fun day, and the weather actually held out until we drove into the city this evening.

Wax Museum

Here are wax figures representing the Wizard of Oz. Some of the displays were harder to identify, but most of them were really pretty good. This was one of our favorite displays.

San Francisco!

Here we are in San Francisco. We rode the BART into the city, and walked down to Fisherman's Wharf where we picked up our GoCards. These cards, once purchased, get you into a whole list of places. Some of the things we did on the card today included a narrated boat tour of the bay, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien tour, entrance to the Wax Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. There were other things too, but they didn't all work out, time wise.

This photo was taken from the boat as we passed under the Golden Gate bridge. The narrative was really interesting, we learned a lot about the bay, the bridge, and the skyline of the city.

Here's a picture of Alcatraz. It was pretty creepy to think of people being incarcerated there, and how desperate they must have felt. Today was beautiful... sunny and fairly warm, but this rock has to be damp and cold almost all the time just because it's in the middle of this windy bay.

We walked down Lombard Street, walked up to Coit Tower, went up to the top and looked around the city. At the end of our day in San Fran, we had a snack and a drink at a nice place down by the ferry terminal, then headed back home. A fine time was had by all.

Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo State Park was our tour destination of the day. This park is literally in Bryan's back yard, the park entrance is only about 10 minutes away but the drive to the summit actually took quite a while. It's a pretty steep ascent, with hairpin turns and sheer dropoffs, speed limit posted at 15 mph, and believe me that was fast enough! Richard was a good sport and didn' t mind letting me drive... I felt better when I had control of the wheel. The observation tower at the top give a 360' view of all the surrounding area, and the museum was quite interesting. One of my favorite things there was a continuing diorama, with a list of flora and fauna to find... not as easy as it sounds even for adults! We walked around the top, ate our lunch, and then on the way down we stopped at "Rock City". This was quite fun, as you'll notice in the second photo. There were all these rocks with little cave like features... it seemed like it would be a great place to bring kids, though you'd want to keep a good eye on them because it is pretty easy to explore to distraction and lose your bearings! Also, you have to be really careful when you're getting out of your cave or you're likely to bonk your head on the top of your cave, this is a personal recommendation learned from experience!
Tomorrow we go into San Francisco via the BART, and use our Go-Cards! Keep posted for more stories and photos tomorrow!

Easy Day

Today we took it easy... no heavy tourist activity! We took our time getting ready for the day and played some tunes before heading out. We walked the Iron Horse Trail, which is similar to the Kennebec Rail Trail back home... an old railroad bed that has been maintained and paved to provide recreational space for walkers, joggers, bikers etc. It's about 2 miles between here and downtown Danville, and the weather was perfect for being outside... sunny and warm! We had lunch at Marsala, a great Indian restaurant, and then walked back to the house. The rest of the afternoon I spent outside reading, enjoying the fresh air. Bryan is on a kick-ball team with his house mates and a bunch of other people, and they had a double header scheduled, so we went to cheer them on. They won their first game, and barely lost the second. It was a lot of fun watching and yelling, and generally being the entire spectator section :)

Tuesday April 17th

Today found these travelers exploring the areas north of San Francisco. We drove through some of the most beautiful country, breathtakingly beautiful. There are farmlands, hills, and spectacular views. After driving north and west, we then came down Route 1 along the San Andreas fault, and also west out to the National Seashore. Before heading home, we drove along the coastline which was jagged with switchbacks and lack of shoulder... and to the Muir Woods to see these amazing redwood trees. Our travel day concluded with a drive across the Golden Gate and Bay bridges before arriving home to fix dinner. Let me just say, we are happy but oh so tired! Hopefully you'll get more details at a later post, but for now just know that we'll have lots of photos to share when we get home!

Baggage Claim

You probably won't see many names of fiddle tunes as post titles this week, as my database is in Maine and we're here in California! The post in the middle is comprised of luggage! This photo was taken at the Sacramento airport baggage claim area, and caught my attention right away because it was fun and unexpected! Our flights were uneventful, weather was great once we got out of Manchester, and this morning the fog is breaking and I can see blue skies opening up. We have many possible options for today, but are allowing ourselves a slow start and plenty of coffee. It's great to see B and the pups :)

Southwest Bridge

The big day's finally here,

And though the weather's drear...

The friendly skies 'bove which we'll rise

Are sure to be sunny and clear!

Check back throughout the week for stories of adventure, excitement and general mayhem of which I have been waiting, seeking, and generally looking forward to!

Southwest Bridge is in the Portland Collection.

Flight of the Bird

Today there was a program at L.L. Beans called Eyes on the Owls. This is part of a week-long series of events presented for children during vacation week. Jen and Jason planned to bring Avery, he LOVES owls! So, I invited myself and met them there... it was a great learning experience. Avery was very attentive, and well-behaved during the 45 minute presentation.

The birds are not allowed to fly indoors... the couple presenting the program have several owls in residence, are fully licensed, and use the birds in educational programs similar to the one we attended today. The woman wore heavy gloves when handling the owls, and had them tethered to her waist so they would not be able to get free.

The snowy owl is quite impressive for it's white feathers and it's size. We learned that each owl makes it's own hoot song, and we got to practice hooting to each different kind of owl.

After the program ended, we walked to the back entrance so we could see the BIG BOOT. When we got to the back lobby, we found L.L. Bear saying hello to all the children (and adults).

It was a fun way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon!

Flight of the Bird is in Along the River.

Packo's Jig

The suitcase is out, the laundry is done, the list has been made... now it's time to PACK THE BAGS! This is part of the excitement of going on vacation... trying to anticipate how much to take, and how much can be left behind! It's always a challenge to travel light enough to have fun, but take enough along so I don't need to go out to a nice restaurant in Teva's and the one skirt I've worn four times already, hahahaha :)

The word from the new resident of California is to bring warm clothes for when we go out on the bay (we're planning to do a boat tour) and also enough summer clothes because it's hot inland!

I've decided to check one major piece of luggage. When I'm going on a short weekend trip, I don't always do this because I don't want to be stranded without clothes & essentials, or be delayed at baggage claim. But, this trip is long enough that if the suitcase gets "lost" it can be delivered the next day... and I'll bring a change of clothes along in my carry-on. And what am I using as a carry on? My fiddle will accompany me, safely stored in an overhead compartment. And I have a good sized "pocketbook" which in reality is a business sized multi-compartment bag that can hold the following:

One Change of C lothes

My Current Novel "Before You Know Kindness" by Chris Bohjalian

Mind expanding reading material, currently contradance organizing

Notebook, Pens, Sketch Pencil

Cell Phone

Planner/Calendar/Address Book/Phone List

Wallet

Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Q-Tips, Bottle of Water, Healthy Snack

These things are essential to a day of traveling by airplane. The other things are less tangible but equally (if not more) important, and those are:

Patience

Attitude of Gratitude

Generous Listening

Find the Good in Every Situation

Be Ready for Adventure

It has been quite a while since I've traveled by air, and I'm so excited to be making this journey to see B in his new life. We have so many fun ideas for activities to do together... things he has been waiting to experience with family, things he has found and wants to share... mostly just doing it all together with a spirit of wonder and adventure! Faithful readers will be happy to know we'll be able to post photos and travel stories throughout the coming week.

Packo's Jig can be found in the Lighthouse Collection.

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Jen!

The theme of the day is... GROVER... hooray! I think Avery might have something to do with the adult birthday themes this year in that household, but hey, what's a birthday celebration without the support and encouragement of your favorite two year old?

When I was looking for an image of Grover to use on this post, I found this one of Super Grover, and I immediately thought of Jen... Super Mom :) Not in the "I need everything to look perfect like a magazine" sort of super mom... but in the "I love this child so much" practical, aware, informed, happy, engaged, playful, structured, make-every-day-special kind of super mom. Avery is a very lucky little boy, and I'm a very proud mom/grammah.

Happy Birthday Jen :)

On a Hot Piano

Jen and Avery came for the day... how much fun! SK joined us in the afternoon to add in the festivities. The best thing about having them here for the day is that we get the sit down one-on-one visiting like we would do if it were a quick-stop-to-say-hello and ALSO get the talk-about-life-while-we-do-other-stuff like making meals, doing dishes or folding laundry. Avery clearly has our attention, and his two-year-old-ness takes over now and then when he DEMANDS a little more :) hahaha... He's such a good little boy though, learning good manners, talking easily with everyone, happy to sing and tell stories. He's also very interested in the wide array of musical instruments we have. He likes to pluck the bass as he walks by, he likes to shake the egg when we're singing, he even tried the fiddle last week. Today, he spent time at the piano. He's getting so he uses two hands, and even though he doesn't know the keys, if you listen you'll hear a sort of rhythm developing... okay, I joked about it today as being like jazz, but seriously, I watch him playing and see his head kind of going back & forth, and his shoulders moving in a rhythmic sort of way. Maybe my imagination, but I think he really has music in him just waiting to get out... it's fun to encourage that!

On a Hot Piano comes from Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes.

Old Joe

Our jam group played at the Cohen Community Center again (you may remember we played there last month). This program was mostly French/Canadian and Old-Time tunes and sets and it was a lot of fun. We started out with just me on fiddle, Richard on bass, and Wayne on guitar... we were expecting a couple of other musicians to join us. In an instant, we decided the show must go on, and we'd do our best... FABULOUS DECISION! I have had some hestitation in being the lead & only melody player, because I don't have enough self-confidence. Being thrown into the situation without fore-warning, I found myself just getting ready and doing it, and it went GREAT :) The three of us sounded so good. Our other two musicians did join us, and that was also very good. So good that we've been invited back by the audience as well as the management at the center... we return on June 29th to play for lunch again from 11:30-12:30!

The sets we put together for today were a blast to play... great rhythm, great tunes. There was a lot of foot stomping, hand clapping, and water glass tapping going on which made it even more fun for us... it's always good to have your audience engaged!

Old Joe comes from the Portland Collection.

Generous Gesture

My friend T-Madd at Club-E is enrolled in the Landmark Forum's leadership program. T is amazing in her quest for understanding relationships, and helping people achieve their goals. On Tuesday, she shared with all of us at Club-E her thought of the day, and that was to have Generous Listening for everyone... she challenged us to watch her, to take note of how she may or may not be generous in her listening. Now, I really only see T-Madd in passing, we work in different areas of the office, and the high volume/fast paced atmosphere only allow for brief interactions during the work day... so I can't firsthand say whether she employed generous listening or not. What she did do however, is put the seed of thought in my own mind, and it helped me to really stop and listen to what was being said around me... to not be as reactive as I might usually be. This didn't make me a perfect listerner, but it did give me a new awareness of how I could "be" if I were more generous in my listening to people, and that means letting go of my ego, being less reactive in my responses, and sometimes leaving my own opinions and ideas unspoken in the back of my mind... knowing that some day, there will be someone listening generously when I need to share!

Generous Gesture comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Easter Elchies

Happy Easter! For some, a religious holiday, for others it is more commercialized. For most, it's a time of taking stock, making amends, and rebirth of soul, body, and energies.

Easter Elchies is from Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes.

Bunch of Chickens

There is controversy about getting chickens, ducks, or bunnies at Easter... some sales are prohibited until after the 1st of May to be sure these little creatures are purchased and raised for the right reasons. They're cute when they're little, but grow up to be adult animals that are, well, not so cute anymore. I've been tempted in the past, our local Farmer's Union often times has young chicks for sale and it's hard to keep walking past the box of peeping little chicks... but I've managed so far not to bring any home. We have been talking about getting some animals, but still feel like our lifestyle is way to hectic to allow room for a dog or similiar high-maintenance companion. I'm pretty sure we won't be getting any animals this year, but I'm gathering information for a time in the future when I'm home more and able to take care of animals the way they deserve... with tender loving attention!

I did think of getting a couple of chicks for Avery, I'm sure he would LOVE them, but I declined because I also LOVE my daughter who would probably NOT like having more animals in the household :)

Happy Easter!

Bunch of Chickens is from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Galopede

Tonight's dance at the Turner Elementary School was great! Ellen did a nice job organizing the event, and calling tonight's dances. Children and adults all had a good time.
Richard called a dance tonight too... he did a great job teaching a few new moves, and keeping everyone on task as they danced. It was fun watching him out on the dance floor, I think he had a good time, what do you think?
We had a lot of fun playing tunes. It takes some thought to put tunes together with particular dances. The goal is to use a tune that accentuates the dance moves, and that the dancers will then be able to really appreciate the music. There's a lot more to learn, but it's nice to have evenings like this where things seemed to flow well together.

Galopede is the name of a dance as well as the name of a tune... the tune can be found in the Fiddler's Fakebook and the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Swinging Fiddles

Tonight fiddlehedz & friendz will be playing contradance tunes for a benefit dance in Turner... proceeds will go toward the Playground Fund... you probably remember it being mentioned in a recent post. We've been practicing some dance sets, and individual tunes and are looking forward to a fun evening playing music with friends. Ellen Stevens, a fellow fiddler, has organized this dance and will be calling most of the evening. Richard is doing the sound, and will call a dance or two himself. I'm hoping to take some photographs to share.

Swinging Fiddles comes from the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Gravely Slow

That's how my day started! We'd heard the weather forecast for snow, but who ever knows how much will fall? Our plow guy called last night to say he wasn't planning to plow, but to call if we needed him. So, we got up to clean off my truck so I could get to work... but found a LOT more snow than we anticipated. We shoveled quite a bit, and tried getting the truck in a position where I could drive it out, but there was just SO much snow! We called the plow guy, but he was stuck in mud (which is why he didn't want to plow in the first place and I don't blame him), so we just asked that he come when he could, no pressure to hurry... and I called my office to say I'd be late... which NEVER happens. We walked out to the end of our road (about 1/10 of a mile beyond the driveway) to shovel out where the town trucks plow by, thinking I might be able to get a running start and just drive through the snow if it were clear at that end. But, it was going to be way too much. No one had been through our road, there were no tire tracks to work into, and there was mud underneath. So, I stayed put until we got plowed out around 8:30. Club-E was VERY understanding, and I did get there just as soon as I could. The up-side is that while we were waiting to be plowed out, we got to play some music and drink some coffee together, which does not happen for us on my work days... this was an unexpected pleasure, for which I am cosmically happy and thankful :) So, the Gravely Slow start ended up being a nice way to begin my day!

Gravely Slow comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Bird's Nest

Last year we had a couple of birds nesting in the yard. A phoebe took up residence over window ledge on the north side of the house, tucked underneath the eave... that nest remains. A robin nested in an old apple tree, but we haven't seen signs of that nest since last year. I like watching the birds, and trying to identify them by their markings & colors, and songs. I don't know much about nesting habits, and which birds reclaim their spot from previous years. This will be our second spring here, I'll be watching to see who returns!

Bird's Nest comes from the Fiddle Music of PEI.

Mad Dan

When was the last time someone was mad at you? When was the last time you were mad at someone? It seems like it is almost always a result of mis-communication and a lack of understanding. So, when you realize there is a rift between you and someone you care about, what do you do? Do you talk it out and reach for co-understanding, and mutually assume responsibility for your roles in the debacle? Or, is it better to sit back and listen to someone vent, letting them believe everything that they think, without giving them the opportunity to listen to your perspective... not making anyone right or wrong, but just realizing that no one acted viciously or thoughtlessly, no intention on hurting anyone else?

There's a lot of debate here at home on this issue. I agree there are times to sit back and listen, and not offer explanations that sound like defensive reasons why you acted or behaved in a particular way. That's fine when you have a very small investment in the relationship. What about the times when you do have an investment, a commitment, to a person or a relationship? What if you acted, perhaps badly in retrospect, in what seemed an appropriate manner given the circumstances? Who really decides when it matters if you share what happened or not? Does it strengthen the relationship when you sit back, politely nodding your head and agreeing that the other party has been emotionally injured? I've tried it both ways. I've tried sitting back and assuming responsibility for the slight I have inadvertently caused someone without offering why I behaved a certian way, and it has not made my relationship with that person any better, or worse. I've tried explaining my perspective and thought process leading up to a behavior or action, and that hasn't made a situation better or worse either. So, in the long run, it seems better to let things lie where they are... and then they wonder why I am careful around them... and I can't tell them because they don't want to hear it.

Was Mad Dan just irritated and angry? Or is Mad Dan mentally ill?

Ashley's Swing

The Down East Country Dance Festival is over for this year, and it was a HUGE success by our estimation. This is one event that Maine folk dancers & musicians look forward to all year long, and that helps get us through the dreary end-of-the-winter-almost-spring weather and yard conditions! fiddlehedz & friendz gave a well-received performance, playing polkas at a workshop presented by our friends Sandy and Jim. The jam group now looks forward to playing for a contradance this coming Friday in Turner, and that means practicing dance sets!

Did you say you want more information on the contradance? Well, here it is...

Friday April 6th from 7:00pm-9:00pm

Turner Elementary School, 91 Mathews Way in Turner

$5 Adult/ $3 Students/ $20 Family Maximum

All welcome, no partner needed, all dances taught.

fiddlehedz & friendz will be playing tunes, and our fiddling friend Ellen Stevens will call the dances.

Proceeds will benefit the Turner Community Playground Fund. I don't know what sort of equipment schools look for... I like the idea of something that is environmentally friendly, non-plastic, doesn't fade & peel over time, and is safe for kids. Wood seems great but then I think about treating it with preservative and kids getting splinters. So, what does an eco-conscious playground committee use for criteria in selecting new equipment?

Ashley's Swing comes from Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes. I don't know if Jerry Holland was thinking of playground swings when he wrote this tune, or if he was thinking of Ashley MacIsaac, but I thought of playground equipment when I saw the title!

Come Dance and Sing!

The Down East Country Dance Festival starts tonight with a huge contradance at the Mt Ararat Middle Schools, Orion Performing Arts Center. Tonight will feature two bands & two callers... Frigate with John McIntire calling and Nightingale with Rachel Nevitt calling, and it all starts at 7:00pm. Tomorrow there are contradances, music and singing workshops, children's activities, food and lots more. See the web site for more details and a grid schedule of planned events.

fiddlehedz & friendz will be playing!

The jam group will be providing live music for a polka workshop in the morning. Richard & I plan to join the Wescustogo Ramblers mid-afternoon to play for the Family Dance, and yet another opportunity to play happens early evening when we join as members of the Festival Orchestra!

If you're interested in any sort of folk dancing (swing, contra, squares, polka, hambo, etc) or want to do some singing, or maybe are looking for a family activity to do with the kids, consider the Festival on Saturday... THE place to be!

Happy Birthday To You...

Happy Birthday Bryan :) Can't wait to come celebrate with you in a couple of weeks...

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Justine...

I've had a couple of lady bugs in my house over the past week or so, and I keep wondering... "Who are those lady bugs reporting to?"

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Jason!

Far Away

Monday found me far away from home and work... well, physically anyway. I spent the day in Portland at an OSHA Compliance workshop. Part of my day job is to help maintain a safe work place. There were people at the workshop who do this on a much larger scale, with hundreds of employees... our practice is smaller and seeminly more manageable, but time to focus on safety issues is an ongoing challenge in all industry by the sounds of it.

What I really got out of the workshop is how much I like reviewing policy & procedure and making it all work in a practical sense... not just on paper, and not just to satisfy some government regulation requirement but as a tool toward having a safe work environment. Now, to get my work week re-structured to allow time and energy for keeping up with the changes :)

Far Away is in the first Waltz Book.

Reel Issoudun

Tune for the week starting March 25, 2007 is Reel Issoudun. This is a crooked tune in the key of A. Because of the irregular pattern, it isn't well suited for contradancing, but it is a nice step dancing tune and also would be a nice addtion to a non-dancing music program. We first learned this tune last summer at Maine Fiddle Camp, from Guy Bouchard. This, and other crooked tunes, can be found in Air Tordus, at Thirty Below. The version posted on the fiddlehedz.org site comes from The Session, which is a great resource when searching out tune information.

Dungreen

There have been references lately to Al Gore, and the inconvenient truth about his lifestyle choices relative to being more environmentally conscious. I guess I don't really have any fingers to point... I think he raises questions on the issues of resource conservation and that alone warrants a certain amount of respect. From what I read, Gore's household is making ongoing choices to reduce their "footprint", and also maintaining the lifestyle that allows him to be in the public eye. Let's face it, no one cares where the Beans of Egypt Maine are living today. That in itself may be an inconvenient truth, but what we all need to be accountable for is making personal decisions in our lifestyle choices that allow us to live as effectively as possible. It's hard to make a difference if you spend all your time making your own soap and waving palm fronds to keep yourself cool. So, instead of pointing fingers at what Gore, or anyone else ISN'T doing, what are YOU doing to conserve resources? That's what I ask myself.

One thing I've become aware of over the past few weeks is how often I reach for the hot water faucet in the kitchen. Perhaps because I'm right handed, my automatic response to rinsing anything off is to hold the item in my right hand, and use my left hand to turn on the water... the hot water because it's on the left side of the faucet. No matter how I try, this is what I instinctively continue to do. Today as I was cleaning out the cabinets, I found a pile of "butter-ware" without covers. "Hmmm" I thought to myself as I once again used the HOT water to rinse something off... "Self, what if the HOT water was unavailable?" Well, I'd be happy to use the cold water. Here's my Green tip of the day... cover your hot water faucet. Simple, easy, and highly effective. The hot water is still accessible when needed, but this gentle and continual reminder throughout the day has surely helped me be more conscious and resourceful.

I've had a spring-cleaning urge to go through our first floor living spaces... cleaning and organizing, and looking for things that can be eliminated from our home because it isn't used, isn't necesary, isn't functional, or just isn't "US". I put culled leaves & organic matter into the compost... and came up with a few items that were garbage (in the bag), burnable (paper etc) and recyclable (coated paper). Not too bad for an entire day's worth of cleaning. I also have a box of stuff to go to GoodWill... clothes, cups, etc. We didn't use any gasoline today, didn't make any purchases, and didn't burn any firewood for fuel. Instead, we stayed home, played music, did chores & cleaned, and basked in the warmth of the sunshine. It's been a good day :)

Dungreen comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Frogmore Lodge

Avery dropped by for a visit this morning, sporting his new FROG BOOTS, great for slogging around in the mud! We got to share some yoghurt & granola, some stories, and some hugs!

Jen & Jason drover their new truck, a Nissan Frontier, that is going to be fabulous for summer recreation which is coming up very soon. Avery has his own cup holder in the back, and Jen has lots of cubby storage throughout... essential with a family!

Here on the home front, we've been doing chores & some spring cleaning. My goal is to get the cobwebs out, closets cleaned, and drawers organized before we go on vacation in April. We got a good amount done today. I love opening the windows (even for a short time) for fresh air. The plants have gotten their leaves washed, and they all look much happier and certainly more green! Frogmore Lodge is looking pretty spiff today (as long as you don't venture too far past the living room and kitchen, haha).

This tune comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Five Mile Chase

Robert Frost wrote: “My object in living is to unite my avocation and my vocation as my two eyes make one in sight”

My big question is "What will I be when I grow up?"

I'm busy thinking these days about what I LOVE doing, what I feel I'm GOOD at doing, and what I WANT to be doing in five years. I have a lot of ideas that I am trying out in my mind... a restaurant owner, a geography teacher, a dental practice management consultant, an OSHA certified trainer, a community contradance organizer & performer, a landscape artist, a potter... the list goes on and on! The fun thing is that the possibilities are only as endless as I allow them to be. The serious thing is working through these ideas to find one that fits my overall VISION of where I want to be, what I want to be doing, in five years. A Five Mile Chase of sorts. Having a personal mission statement helps sort things out... helps me identify myself... helps me be accountable as a human. I like the words of Robert Frost... in my own words, to be doing work that is not really work, but more an expression of all that I love doing.

Five Mile Chase comes from the Fiddle Music of PEI.

Scatter the Mud

This is what we're going to have to start wearing now that mud season is upon us. Snow from the last storm is melting as the ground is starting to thaw in the warm sunshine... making for some sloggy, muddy, messy, slippery walking! That's okay, it won't be long before the grass makes another appearance and the flowers start to poke their little heads through. Warm temperatures and rain are predicted for the next day or two, all good for getting rid of the winter's snow. We moved here about a year ago, and there wasn't much snow at all. In fact, if there'd been any snow we probably wouldn't have driven down this dirt road and found this great house... funny how things work out.

Scatter the Mud is a great jig from the Portland Collection, volume two... a new favorite of mine.

Spring Morning

First day of spring! Not that it feels like, or looks like, spring outside right now. I'm ready for the snow to melt & be gone... to smell that deep, musty scent of dirt... to feel sunshine on my face while I lay on the stone walkway... to drink tea while listening to birds sing outdoors... to rake leaves & debris from the matted grass... to slog through the muddy driveway... to break apart the last piles of snow to make them melt faster... to open the windows... to wear sandals without any socks... All these things and more... one day at a time...

When my sisters and I were young, we would spend spring afternoons laying on the roof outside our bedroom window, soaking up the sunshine. We didn't think mom knew we'd climbed out there, but it turns out she did. Could be a neighbor drove by and saw a bunch of kids hanging out on the roof, and they might have called her to let her know. But probably it was just her un-erring fifth sense that let her know we were up to some kind of mischief :)

At work, I heard red wing blackbirds this morning in addition to the gold finches, chickadees and robins. I haven't heard the cardinal since the time change, but it's darker now when I get to the office.

Happy Spring Everyone!

Spring Morning comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Friends at the Bridge

A friend of mine at work has a niece who has leukemia... and is very close to dying. This little girl is part of a family with a mom and five siblings... and aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... and friends... and more recently a family of medical care givers. This little girl is nine years old, and has fought a brave fight. My heart goes out to all her family. I cannot imagine how hard this is for all of them. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do is a web site created for family members who are going through a difficult time. This little girl and her mom have been journaling over the past couple of months. It's been a hard week for this little girl.

Friends at the Bridge comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

When Sick is it Tea You Want?

Cold and flu season seems to be digging in pretty hard around here. I don't usually give in to it myself, but this past weekend I had to admit defeat and let my body rest. I drank lots of tea, napped, and generally took it easy. I know others (hope you're feeling better Kath) who have been zapped into submission too... and now even my doctor needed to take the day off and call in sick! No annual check up for me today :) My favorite all time tea has been Mandarin Orange in the beautiful black tin. Today I enjoyed some Lemon Green Tea, it gave me a nice "I'm taken care of" feeling when I drank it.

I did get home from work a little earlier than usual, and enjoyed having the time and energy to take a walk with Richard, fuss around in the kitchen making dinner, and even watch a little television before calling it a day.

Hope you're all staying healthy, and if not, my advice is to drink a lot of tea and get plenty of rest... then call me in the morning :)

When Sick is it Tea You Want? comes from the Portland Collection.

Fisher's Hornpipe

This week's tune is the Fisher's Hornpipe. This is a nice Irish hornpipe that is a standard in any fiddler's repertoire. You can find it in the Fiddler's Fakebook, and also in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire (although the key signature is very tricky in the Rep). Have fun working on this tune!

Irish Lamentation

Happy St Patrick's Day!

I am full of Irish lamentations and expressions today, in particular o'sneezy and o'coughy :) I've had this cold for a few days now, and no signs of it slowing down at all... as the Irish say, o'well, I'll be o'kay.

The rain and sleet will keep us indoors, and last night's snow will keep us off the roads at least until things are cleaned out. Music is on our agenda later this morning... we'll be practicing polkas, jig sets, and reel sets for the upcoming DownEast Country Dance Festival being held in Topsham on March 30-31. Our Tuesday jam group will be playing polkas for a workshop being presented by friends of ours. And the jigs & reels will be played by a huge group of musicians joining forces as the Festival Orchestra.

I've been having fun telling Irish jokes this week. Generally speaking, I'm not a great joke teller but I think I'm getting the hang of it! It's been even better in my Irish-Punjabi accent, and now with a nasal snuffly tone, I'm sure I'll be a big hit all day as I tell my Irish tales.

Irish Lamentation is in the Waltz Book, volume two.

Irish American Reel

fiddlehedz & friendz got to play at the William S Cohen Center today as part of the Senior Spectrum lunch program. The music program was Irish, in celebration of tomorrow being St Patrick's Day. Jigs, reels, waltzes & a couple of Irish polkas rounded out the presentation... it was great fun to look around and see folks tapping their feet and moving in time with the music. It was a new experience to organize music sets into a set amount of time, mixing types of music, tempos, and arrangements, I learned a lot. The audience was quite appreciative, and that makes it even more fun for us as musicians.

Irish American Reel comes from the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Moon and Seven Stars

Richard took this picture of the moon early this morning. I love the silhouette of the trees against the dark, dark blue of the sky.

There is one good thing about the time change (and ONLY one good thing) and that is when I drive to work in the morning, I get to see a beautiful pre-dawn sky! Work has been pretty grueling lately, and it's hard to find something good about being there some days. Part of that is because I really miss Justine (though I'm glad she's home with little Sam)... part of it is because the work load is heavier, and part of it is just because I am loving all the music that we're doing. I love playing the fiddle. I love putting together dance sets. I love assembling dance programs. I love designing dance & music brochures. And as much as I've always loved my job, these days it really feels like work, arghhhhh. So, to see the sunrise in the morning, it's a nice way to start the work day. I still can't figure out what I'm saving though, haha...

Moon and Seven Stars comes from the Portland Collection.

Reconciliation

Tune of the week for March 11-17 is Reconciliation. This tune can be found in the Portland Collection, volume one. It's a nice reel with some great energy. We've been playing this tune at jam sessions for some time now, and manage to get through it but are not as strong on it as we would like. It is one of the tunes we will play this coming week for an Irish Lunch in the area, and I thought I'd like to focus on it and really learn it. We played it at the Family Dance at the Wescustogo Hall last night, and I heard it played as we dance later in the evening. All this reminds me of what a fun tune it is to play and to hear. Have fun working on it this week!

Monkey In The Dog Cart

We celebrated Avery's second birthday this afternoon! Curious George has been a favorite character lately, so the theme of the day was MONKEYS!

Jen made this great MONKEY cake. She'd made the cake at home, and brought it to our house to frost & decorate. Avery LOVES chocolate, so you can just imagine his little index finger reaching up onto the counter to swipe a little taste every time he went by... it's amazing how far a two year old can stretch when he wants something that's supposedly up high and out of reach!
One of our contributions to the party was creating these coconut palms out of materials around the house. The tree trunks are assorted sized leftover PVC pipe, wrapped with brown crepe paper. Newspaper was cut and fringed, then spray painted to make the leaves. I taped sections of craft wire to the undersides of the leaves to help position them, and then tied brown balloons (coconuts) as a final touch. Richard secured dowels onto a small platform of scrap lumber, and we set the PVC pipe onto that... the trees stood up well without tying them off to anything.

Avery had fun opening his gifts. He especially likes books, and he got a good assortment of them today. He spent some time 'reading' the stories, entertaining us all with his sometimes understandable ramblings and interesting intonations. As he unwrapped his presents, he was frequently heard saying "I LIKE this!" with great enthusiasm. It was a wonderful afternoon, having family gathered here to celebrate and share this little one's birthday.

Monkey in the Dog Cart is a tune from the Phillips Collection.

Brenda Stubberts

Saturday night we attended the North Yarmouth contradance at Wescustogo Hall... in many capacities.

The Sound of Music... We brought our sound system, and had a full lesson in setting up for a contradance in a hall. Our friend Ed, from whom we purchased the equipment, was there to guide us and offer helpful information in both the setting up and the adjustments needed throughout the entire evening. We know we'll learn a little more every time we do sound for an event, but we certainly gained a lot of confidence with this on-the-job-training. It's nice to know that we got a good system too, everyone had positive comments last night.

Music for the Dancers... We brought our fiddles and the bass, to play at the Family Dance with the Wescustogo Ramblers. There was a full stage last night, in part because a lot of fiddlers had attended a workshop presented that afternoon by Cape Breton's own Brenda Stubbert. Jeff (guitar) and Maggie (fiddle) lead the Ramblers through jigs and reels as children & families have fun on the dance floor, following the calls of Kathryn Larson.

Feet to the Floor... We danced :) The 2nd Saturday dance at Wescustogo Hall is always high energy. Great musicians and great callers combine here every month, and the attendance shows just how popular this contradance is. Brenda Stubbert & Melissa Emmons were hot last night... and not unnoticed was the fiddling presented by Frank Ferrell and Ed Howe.

Brenda Stubbert is a well known fiddler from Cape Breton Island. She's written many tunes, and had many written for her, including Brenda Stubberts which can be found in the Portland Collection, first volume.

Same Time Today as Yesterday

I have never understood the logic behind daylight savings time. Oh, I know what I hear, and I listen to the great explanations about how it saves energy but really, what is saved?

The day is not any longer, or any shorter, whether we save our daylight or not. The sun rises and sets at the same intervals as it does every year according to its 365.2425 day cycle. There is no more, or less, light in each day. Nothing saved, nothing gained.

I was listening to a MPR news story on my way home from work on Thursday, and (I'm definitely paraphrasing here, but you'll get the idea & can research it more if it interests you to do so) that original daylight savings was implemented to save energy. The idea was that people could use natural daylight to do their chores and avoid being awake & using electricity during the dark hours (as I understand it). What really happened is that having more daylight at the end of the day meant people could be outdoors doing fun stuff, driving around, using more transportation fuel. And probably doing their chores when they got home later, still using the same amount of electricity because now it's dark... they're just more tired from packing more activities into a day. The other thing I heard was that because there's more daylight at the end of the day, people are more inclined to stop and shop after work. Great for the commercial economy!

I often wonder how people managed to get anything done back in the day... you know, when there was just the standard amount of daylight available, and people really did work until sundown and then quit. These days of daylight savings, we're working indoors, not dependent on sunlight at all, and we do not quit just because the sun goes down.

So, what do you think? Are we saving anything by turning our clocks ahead tonight? Post a comment, or email me with your thoughts!

Same Time Today as Yesterday comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday little A...

You are the most amazing little boy (competing only with the memories of your mom, uncle Toby and Uncle B). You bring such joy into our lives!

It's hard to imagine what life was like without you.

Designated Driver

What drives a fiddler to fiddle? I suppose it's a little different for each of us.

For me, it started with my introduction to contradancing around 1993. The sound of the fiddle, the energy of the dancers, the vibrations & rhythms in the hall... all of these things grabbed me and engaged me from the very start. As I listened for more fiddle music, I became even more drawn to the instrument. My interest and passion have taken many paths over the years, but it's always the fiddle I come back to.

I found this quote on the Childsplay web site... Edgar Lee Masters, in Spoon River Anthology, wrote of the Fiddler Jones:

"The earth keeps some vibration going there in your heart, and that is you. And if the people find you can fiddle, why, fiddle you must, for all your life."

This really speaks to me personally... if fiddle I must, then I must do it for all of my life. It seems lately that all things lead to fiddling, in some way or another... the acquisition of the sound system, the Tuesday jam session, the conversations we have with people, learning to call dances, and being contacted to put on dances... it all starts with, and involves, fiddling.

A very special person, years ago, told me that if I'm having fun, I must be doing things right. I make choices in my life (for the most part) and those choices are leading me to play more music and try more peripheral activities associated with fiddling (learning about the sound system, organizing dance programs, drawing up flyers, even maintaining this blog & the web site). And I'm having a blast! I feel like the designated driver... making sound choices, investing my energies & focus, and knowing that I am traveling on a chosen path in life.

Designated Driver comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Mom's Jig

My mom made these deeee-licious cookies for our jam group this week! Moist, tasty, and healthy too since they're made with dates. Thank you Mom!

Mom's Jig is in the Fiddle Music of PEI.