Big John McNeil

We're home from Maine Fiddle Camp, tired and happy! What a great experience, to be immersed and surrounded by great musicians in a peaceful setting. The weather was mostly great (Wednesday was a bit wet)... Second Breakfast prepared and served wonderful, healthy foods... Camp organizers did a fabulous job of scheduling classes and other activities, even in spite of some pretty heavy odds.

First, the lake was gone when we got there, and the Camp director only found out about it a short time before we did! That's right, True's Pond was a mud flat which meant no swimming for anyone. Not to worry, arrangements were made to have a school bus arrive to shuttle youth and adults alike to a nearby lake each afternoon.

Some of the staff weren't able to arrive in time to start on Monday, so again, arrangements were made on the fly to have various other competent instructors fill in wherever needed, and no one went without instruction appropriate for their level. The entire week was filled with stories like this where people just saw a situation, and stepped in to do whatever they could with grace and a smile :)

There are six levels of fiddle lessons, and various age groups. The class I started in was a level 5, which would have been quite a lot of work for me but totally do-able. But, on Tuesday, I found out that a (high ability) level 4 group was going to learn Big John McNeil... this is a tune I've struggled with for years now, always wanting to play it but not quite getting how to bow or finger the strings to play it right... this was my big chance.

So, I joined in and learned the tune! In addition, I learned Vladimir's Steamboat, another tune I've always wanted to be able to play. We also learned the Brunswick Waltz, and worked on Red Haired Boy which is a standard for me but again, I've never known how to bow it "just right". Having heard, or played, or even tried to play these tunes gave me a little edge on learning that proved to be a nice change of pace. Most other years I've been in classes that teach a new tune, one that no one knows... which is fun but rather than learn lots of new tunes, I've more recently been wanting to learn technique... that's what happened this year. I learned bowing patterns, fingering patterns, and some rhythm things that will make a big difference in how things sound and play.

I want to mention that each class group has a bird name... my new group was named Buffleheads. Each nest has a home teacher, one person who comes for the first morning class as well as the afternoon review session. Late morning, there is a different visiting teacher. Our home nest teacher was Steve Muise, and he was great... patient and instructional, and never wavering in what he somehow knew we were capable of. He masterminded a pretty involved arrangement for the final camper concert that involved the three tunes, doing some rhythm chucking, choreographed stage moves, and a blues style ending to our act... ambitious but we pulled it off with style :)

Another fun thing is that I went to a workshop on button accordions... and learned to play one! How much fun! I was able to play Midnight on the Water, Fere Jacques, and Haste to the Wedding before the hour was over... guess what's on my wish list now!?!

Big John McNeil can be found in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire, and now it is also in my own personal repertoire.

It Ain't the Heat, It's the Humidity

Okay, it's also the heat... but who's complaining? It's summer, it's Maine, and it's hot but it won't last long! The evenings do offer some respite from the 90 degree temperatures, and there was a lovely breeze most of the day. We are quite fortunate to have a swimming hole only a mile from our house, so it's easy to take a quick trip to cool off and swim.
The heat did affect our performance today. We were slated to present a contradance at the annual Wayne Fair at the Ladd Recreation Center. We got there in time to set up (we were drenched by the time we got the equipment set up) and we managed to gather enough folks to do a circle dance, but there wasn't anywhere for people to get out of the sun... so when they left to get some water they didn't come back. Then the thunder and lightning started, as well as some very light showers. Any one of these things on their own is an attention getter, but when they all happen within a short amount of time, we chose to call it a day and pack up our gear. Not our finest hour. The good things are that we got the sound system up in an hour and it sounded good... musicians were awesome... the dancers seemed to have a good time, and we had fun. We might try to plan things a little differently another time, but this gig has been in the works for months now, actually one of our first things we scheduled. What we've been finding out is that we prefer to be inside under cover~ it eliminates any potential damage due to rain, sun, wind, sleet, hail, or other elements.
Richard's sister and nephew were here from Virginia for the weekend and came to the dance, as did his mom and dad. We all went out to the Chickadee Restaurant in Turner for lunch, which was a nice treat. My father-in-law highly recommended the basket of fried clams... we took his advice and were not disappointed.
We stopped by my mom & dad's before coming home... they have kindly agreed to come and check on the kittens this next week, filling their food & water dishes. Mom and I talked quilts for a little bit and went out to look at the garden.
An afternoon swim after we got home and unpacked the instruments and equipment made for a more comfortable evening. This was my first official day of my new un-career. Productive? yes... Relaxing? yes... Community and family involvement? yes... Music and dance? yes... I'd say it was a good day in spite of the heat or the humidity!
It Ain't the Heat, It's the Humidity comes from the Portland Collection.

Joy of My Life

I've used this post title before, but am feeling joyous today so I thought I'd use it again! I worked my last day at Club-E today and am officially gainfully alternatively employed :) I'm not really unemployed or underemployed... by choice I am taking some time to explore the world and most importantly to study some areas of interest... in particular, the fiddle. When the time comes, I'll re-enter the work-a-day world in some fashion and be happy to do so. But, for now I am joyous with the sense of freedom and wonder that probably greet a young child at the beginning of summer vacation.
In other news, I have purchased a fiddle... a fine new fiddle from Somerset Violins. It plays sweetly and suits me (even though it still smells of varnish-type-products which I have been assured will dissipate soon).
Tomorrow (Saturday August 4th) is the Wayne Fair, being held at the Ladd Recreation Center here in town. fiddlehedez & friendz will be presenting a contradance in the afternoon starting at 1:00. It is scheduled to take place outside, and is at the end of the fair so we can run it at least until 2:00 as planned, but are free to continue it until dancers & interest run out.
Sunday we head off to Maine Fiddle Camp for a week of instruction, jamming, good food, and vacation.
Joy of My Life is a tune from our binder of collected tunes. Joy comes in many forms, and I am abundantly blessed with joy that looks like home & family, sounds like wind in the trees, and tastes like sunshine :)

Chiropractor's Rag

That's the name of one of the dances we did at the North Whitefield fourth Friday contradance tonight. The caller was Sue Rosen, and the band was Glen Loper, John Pranio & Bruce Rosen. Great energy, lots of fun, and many friendly faces including a woman I met a couple weeks ago... She is visiting here from North (or South?) Carolina for a few weeks, and is getting in as many contradances as possible. It was fun to see her again! There was also another new face, this was a young man who got picked up hitchhiking and invited to come to the dance, such a great community of people...
Earlier this afternoon we met at our friend and guitar player Paul's house for band practice. This is how dedicated he is... he cut the end of his thumb with his table saw... nasty gouge out of the tissue... but still he wants to play! We are scheduled to play a community dance tomorrow in Washington ME... we aren't sure Paul will be up to it once his thumb starts to swell and be painful (which is what WE think will happen) but he feels pretty sure he'll still be coming out to play with us... What a guy :)
Chiropractor's Rag may have been written by Sue Rosen, but we haven't confirmed that yet. It was a really fun dance on a hot, sweaty night... lots of walking moves with very little body contact :)

Hunting the Buffalo

Well, not buffalo exactly... well okay, not even close to buffalo! I have begun my serious search for a new fiddle. For those who know us, you may be thinking "What? ANOTHER fiddle???" Well, yeah... I still use my beginner fiddle from time to time, and most often this past year I've been playing a fiddle we got from a guy on Deer Isle. But, Richard's got a really nice fiddle, and when I play it for very long, I have a hard time going back to the others. I've been considering my life lately, and one area I want to improve is my fiddling. I just love playing the fiddle, but want to have better technique, style and sound. The equation looks something like this:

"Nice Fiddle + Lessons in Technique & Rhythm + Time & Energy Invested in Practicing = Great Contradance Fiddler"

So, I started taking lessons and studying with a GREAT contradance fiddler... and I've been trying out some fiddles and learning what makes a great fiddle... and I've only got one more week of work. IT'S REALLY HAPPENING. All things are working together, the vision is becoming a reality, and in very short time I will be focusing a lot of time and energy into practicing and playing a great fiddle, applying principles and techniques learned from a great fiddler. I think there may indeed be a buffalo right around the corner!

Hunting the Buffalo comes from the Portland Collection.

Behind the Bush in the Garden

That's where you would have seen me this morning! I spent some time in the vegetable garden, pulling out weeds that were way out of control. There's plenty more work to do out there, but this morning's efforts yielded a fine sense of accomplishment that will yield produce in the near future.

We decided to host a "Family Pot-Luck" this afternoon, and invited as many family members as we could on short notice... it was great fun! We had an assortment of food, lots of visiting and catching up, fun watching Avery and the kittens, and generally enjoying the fact that we're able to get together. We finished up with strawberry shortcake (using as many biscuits as were left after they were "discovered" at mealtime, haha...

Last night we danced in Belfast to Wild Asparagus on their Maine summer tour. It was fun to use our new listening skills to their caller and their music... hmmm, can we possibly ever sound like that? You never know, but it's good to have inspiration to work toward...

Behind the Bush in the Garden is in the Portland Collection.

My Own Home

It's nice to be home after an overnight away... We had a lot of fun playing at the Manchester NH dance, but it's also nice to be home. First order of business on this sunny Saturday afternoon was to mow the lawn and to clean out garbage/debris from the side of the shed. A coordinated effort on both our parts allowed us to accomplish both tasks in a short amount of time. Now to shower and nap, and then head out to either the Fairfield Center dance (where Richard and I will be calling next month) or to Belfast to dance to Wild Asparagus on their summer-in-Maine-tour (last night they were in North Whitefield)...

We are incredibly fortunate to be dancers, musicians, callers, and organizers in many different settings... all aspects giving us an interestingly cohesive perspective... sometimes I'm just so amazed at this wonderful life I'm living...
Oh, for those who are in on my fiddle quest, I played my "first choice from Nate" fiddle all night last night, at the encouragement of my band mates as well as by "sensing" the ease with which I could play the instrument... Overwhelmingly positive experience...
My Own Home is a lovely waltz comes from the Waltz Book, first volume.

Out on the Road

Richard and I are headed out on the road with our Beat Green band mates this afternoon, headed for Manchester NH to play at the third Friday series at the Mill City Contra. Our friend Chris Weiler invited us to play after hearing us at the Norlands earlier this year.

In other news, I have begun a new journey toward self development! I will be focusing my energies in some specific areas over the next 6-12 months in an effort to become proficient in a few things as well as explore some other activities of interest. I've been a dental assistant for 20 years now, and had a wonderful career... but it's time to shift gears.

One of the main areas I want to develop and grow is in my fiddling. I have started studying with a great contradance fiddler, Elaine Malkin, with the goal of having a solid style and rhythm for playing at contradances. I've also begun my quest for a new fiddle, one of my own choosing, one that speaks to me and also conveys my message to those who listen. Part of the process of the fiddle-search is also to learn more about the fiddle itself... the craftsmen, the wood, the design... all of which creates an instrument with a unique sound and personality.

There are some other things I want to do over the next few months~ take some classes, make some quilts, work in the garden, write, learn about photography, walk or run every day (I've started running again and manage to get out a couple times a week, usually on the days I'm not working). I've worked a good part of my life, and enjoyed the different aspects of that, and I'm a little nervous about being unemployed... but only a little bit :) The challenge for me is to use this next year wisely, be open to learning, channel my energies in positive directions, and to develop a focus for living that can offer financial sustainability over the next half-century of life ahead of me. Pretty exciting, huh?

I got to see little A yesterday after my meeting at the fiddle shop. What a joyous feeling to be watching him play with his friends, have him turn around and see me, and break into this big, glorious smile and walk over to me to give me a hug.

Have I mentioned lately that I love being a Gram?

Out on the Road is a tune from the Portland Collection, Volume Two.

Bells of Tipperary

fiddlehedz & friendz played an outdoor concert on the green at the Mt Vernon Community Center this evening. Doing the sound outdoors is still a bit of a challenge, but Richard's efforts paid off as we entertained an appreciative audience. We did some different things for this concert, one of which was a guitar jam doing Ragtime Annie which was awesome. Richard used a different technique with the bass, bowing on the waltzes and airs. At the end of the concert as we were packing things up, the organizers brought us a can of tip money! Though we don't play for money necessarily, especially in these community settings, we do really appreciate this show of support. We had a lot of fun, had a good jam session, met some people, and were happy to see some family and familiar faces in the audience! Thanks to all who came out :)

Bells of Tipperary comes from the N.E. Fiddler's Repertoire.

Call it a Night

We got to call at the Wescustogo dance in North Yarmouth tonight... We have had opportunity to call at the community dances we've helped put on, but tonight was the first time we've had the chance at a "regular" contradance... We worked together with two other novice callers, and were able to put together a program that flowed nicely, allowed for inexperienced/ beginner dancers and also offered some challenges and fun for the well seasoned contra-crowd... Great music by the Don Roy Trio made it even more fun for us... Well phrased A & B parts of the tunes helps a lot to know where you are in the dance, and this band was able to accommodate all of us... Richard also provided the sound for the evening, so he had that on his mind too... And my 50th birthday was celebrated by family and the dance community so I had some distractions as well... All in all though, it was a huge success... We continue to learn more by experience, and we are gaining confidence at the same time...
Call it a Night canj be found in the Waltz Book, Volume Three.

Bottom of the Punch Bowl

My friend Paul made this beautiful piece on his new CNC wood milling machine... Paul also makes other woodworking projects including the stools we use when playing music (which also make great milking & spinning stools)... No punch goes in here though!

Bottom of the Punchbowl comes from the Portland Collection.

For My Mother Dear

Here's my first photo, taken July 4th, 1957... Today is my birthday and I am proud to say I am 50 years young! I look back over the half century I've lived so far and am so thankful for the experiences and opportunities that have been available... I'm thankful for my mom and dad first because without them there wouldn't be any "me"... And my sisters who have always been, and continue to be, my best friends... And my children who have been the light of my life... For Avery who brings new joy to this family... To Richard, my husband, for being everything I've ever wanted in a partner and enriching my life in ways I never imagined... To my friends over all the years, to casual friends with whom I've lost touch, with new friends...

It's been a joyous, sometimes difficult, always interesting adventure so far and I'm looking forward to a most amazing second half a century!

For My Mother Dear is a tune from the Waltz Book, Volume Two.

Jefferson & Liberty

A nice photo of the kittens at one of their more quite moments.... When they aren't sleeping in baskets and looking cute, they're knocking over glasses of water, drinking my gin & tonic, leaping across the room and wreaking other havoc! Seriously, we are totally enjoying having these little kittens around the house, even when we are mopping up water and re-hanging screening....

Joy of My Life

Hmmmm... At dinner last night with mom and dad, we (Richard, Toby and I) were discussing cremation and funeral services (yeah, I know, kind of morbid)... Then I saw this Cadaver thing on Amy's blog and thought I'd see what Id be worth... Wait, wait, no... I didn't mean to cash me in NOW, hahaha :) It does get me thinking about how I can be healthier though! Go ahead, take the test yourself!

$4725.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

Joy of My Life is a tune we've collected over the years...

Old French

Last night, we went to Portland to hear Boreal Tordu with our friend and band-mate Sandy... what a fabulous evening! These guys are far from old, but a lot of their music is indeed from years gone by... Lively tunes and instrumentals, and a highly engaging and entertaining presentation all worked together in a lovely, intimate venue at the newly re-opened Cultural Exchange on Longfellow Square in Portland. Boreal Tordu's fiddler, Steve Muise, was named Maine's Music Teacher of the Year, congratulations to Steve!

Car-pooling to events like this gives the opportunity for conversation and knowing more about each other... we met a friend of Sandy's for dinner at the Bangkok Thai restaurant where we had delicious food... And we finished the evening off by stopping in at the Falmouth contradance which happens every first Saturday... Nat Hewitt is almost always the fiddler (playing many a French tune) accompanied by a variety of fine musicians!

Old French can be found in the Fiddler's Fakebook as well as the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Chorus Jig

We certainly sounded like a chorus of instruments yesterday... The Beat Greens met in Farmington for practice, for the entire afternoon into the evening!
The perennial garden is a chorus of color, changing from week to week from pinks and purples to whites and golds and more...
This morning I'm off to Hampden to sing with my favorite chorus-mate :)
Chorus Jig is actually a reel, and is played to a dance with the same name. It's commonly referred to as a "chestnut" which means it is a old-time-staple at contradances. Not often played or danced these days, we know it's making a come-back at the Manchester NH contradance! There are quite a few chestnut dances that have tunes that work especially well togther such as Haste to the Wedding, which we call quite often. As we develop a following of contradancers here in our community, we hope to bring back lots of chestnuts, in an effort to bridge the dancers of today with the music, dance and callers of years gone by.
Chorus Jig can be found in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire (and the Fakebook too, though we prefer the version in NEFR).

Summer on Marshall Pond

It's high summer here in Maine... We've had some beautiful, hot, sunny days that were perfect for a visit to the beach... Not very much rain, which is showing up in a few places like our little pond which is now a little muck hole! We have only been here for a year and a half, and the little pond has been full for the entire time... Now it is dried up, and black with the kind of goo that comes from wet, mushy, composty leaves and forest stuff... The pups who come to visit us like to try sneaking down to the pond to get wet, but now come trudging back to the yard with nothing but black mud on their feet! Anyway, it is evidence of a dry summer season here in North Wayne... I wonder how it is on Marshall Pond? That tune comes from a binder of music we've collected over the years.

Camp Meeting on the 4th of July

This evening, as part of the 4th of July festivities in Winthrop, we presented a contradance... this continues as part of our Summer Beginner's Series. A rousing success, we had probalby30+ people in attendance, either as dancers or as listeners. We are new to calling, and new also to using the sound system... but somehow it's all working out. As musicians, we are not brand new, but we are still certainly developing our sound and arrangements... As a whole, it was amazing, watching folks who are new to contradancing or even those who may have done some of it before... and our experienced friends who came in support who still looked like they were having fun!

Two more opportunities to learn this style of community social dancing... Aug 4 in Wayne at the Ladd Center, and Aug 11 in Vienna at the Post Office... please come out and try it if you haven't already. All dances are taught, no partner is necessary, and no experience is required... It's a great exercise regimen for couple of hours, and a really great way to interact with members of your community...

We continue to learn more about putting on these programs, and gain confidence & experience in the process.

Camp Meeting on the 4th of July can be found in the Portland Collection, Volume Two.

Reel du Grandpere

I arrived home this evening tired and g-r-u-m-p-y from a long day at work. What to do? I can't quit my day job, even though there are hundreds of other things I'd like to be doing. Actually I usually like my job, but lately it's been a little too much pressure, too much stress, too many things to do.

I had a hard time settling in this evening. Finally, I decided to look at my Grandpa's diaries.... by reading all the entries for July 2. Want to know what I found out?

In 1965, my grandparents took my Uncle Tom and his family to Bailey Island for lunch and lobster.... Lobster & clam feeds were a big part of my memories of childhood, but I mostly remember them taking place at our house.

1966, my grandpa helped my Uncle Tom on his new house all day

1964 found the price of 4”x3/8” machine bolts at $.10 a piece

1968 my grandfather had a yearling cow moose for company most of the day

In 1969, the Poli's came to visit... that would be my Aunt Joan and Uncle Babe... I think they came from New York or New Jersey?

In 1960 my dad hit his leg with an axe and broke it (his leg, not the axe)

1959 found me, my mom and dad visiting my grandparents (this was right before my sister Deb was born, little did I know how much I'd have to share my parents after that!)

So, these are some of the highlights of my grandfather's journal entries. He recorded the temperature and barometer readings, as well as the general weather conditions of each day. It amazes me that he had the commitment to do this, especially when I sometimes go for days (or even a week?) without posting a blog entry! My grandfather was a pretty cool guy... If this is interesting information to any of you out there, let me know... I'll post another "day in the life" of my grandpa...

Reel du Grandpere comes from the Portland Collection, Volume Two.

Sugar Beet Rag

This is a logo we came up with for the new band... We were going to call ourselves Foxfire, but it seems there's another contradance band with the same name... Oh well...

So we came up with another name, Beat Greens... We like it a lot!

Sugar Beet Rag can be found in the Reckless Reel

Going to Town

fiddlehedz & friendz head into Hallowell later this morning to play a lunch program at the Cohen Center. This is a fun music presentation to an appreciative audience... only an hour long. Playing music today will be a much needed diversion from work, which gets pretty hectic sometimes! Good to have some balance in life. In fact, I was going to head into the office for a couple of hours to catch up on a few things, but decided I'd have a better day if I stayed home this morning, posted a blog, and played some fiddle... I can tell already that is a good decision, and it's going to be a fabulous day!

I had an inspiration the other day (yeah, no kidding)... I've been using fiddle tunes as post titles for a long time. I was thinking of adding in some dances to expand my choices. As a new contradance caller, it would be a nice way to become more familiar with the names of the dances. I know that using the tune titles has increased my knowledge of where tunes are and sometimes even more information. So, watch for that, coming soon!

Going to Town can be found in the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Midnight on the Water

The moon tonight was beautiful... we were out around 9:30 or so, swimming at the dam about a mile from our house. Richard had gone to the first season's Pizza Jam at the Emporium (where they played fabulous tunes all evening) and I'd had dinner with my sister Deb at a new restaurant in Lewiston (called Fuel). On his way home from the jam, R called me and invited me to meet him at the dam to swim and cool off. It had been over 100'F during the day, and was still 90'F in Lewiston when I left there at 7:45... and a balmy 80'F here at home at 8:45. Now, I know that doesn't sound like much to some of you out there, but for us here in central Maine, THIS IS SUMMER and we must enjoy every ounce of it by basking or swimming :) When we got home from swimming, I noticed the moon... nice and hazy and peeking through the trees.

Midnight on the Water is a lovely waltz that you can find many places, including the Waltz Book and the Fakebook.

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy 25th Birthday to Miss SK Green :)

Hope it has been especially memorable for you!

Indian Point

In August, we will be attending a traditional Indian wedding ceremony that will unite my niece and her fiancee... they'll have a traditional American ceremony the following week. My sister, the mom-of-the-bride, has ordered saris for herself and all of us sisters... this one shown here is not exactly the one I chose, but the color is close. We are looking forward to sharing in this blending of cultures! The mom of the groom-to-be has been very helpful in choosing the appropriate attire and what will be expected.

Indian Point is a nice jig that can be found in the Portland Collection, Volume II. It was written by Rick Mohr.

Jump at the Sun

Big bright beautiful sunshiny day!

We've been putting a lot of time into music practice and dance programming, with fabulous results... but it's time to now get out in the yard and catch up on some chores.

On the agenda today? Mowing the lawn, working in the vegetable garden, and burning some brush. I'm sure we'll venture into some other areas of the yard, but these are the top things on the "To-Do-List" for today. We'll put some recordings on and listen to them as we work, and if we remember, we'll listen to Prairie Home Companion this afternoon too. And, we'll listen for a time to the wind in the trees, the birds and sounds of the forest, and if we're really attentive, we'll listen to the songs in our souls as we give thanks for all that we have...

Jump at the Sun can be found in the Portland Collection.

Waynesboro

Wow! We are still amazed by how much fun it can be to call and play at a contradance, all at the same time! We were invited to put on a contradance at a community center here in town and have been working pretty hard to come up with a dance program that would be fun, instructional, and oh, did we say FUN for beginners! We had a basic program of dances and tunes, and had a core group of our jam session available to play the tunes while we took turns calling. What worked is that we had the basic structure... what needed improvisation is tailoring the dances to the needs of the dancers, many of whom were brand new to this style of social dancing. We managed to adapt some dances to accommodate the evening, keep our basic list of tunes, and incorporate a lot of dialogue and interaction to keep the dancers, organizers, and band all happy. This was not our first experience with calling, but it was our first time programming an entire dance together, and also deciding on the tunes to go along with the dances... and we learned A LOT! We also had a lot of FUN which is the main reason we do this in the first place.

Thanks to our family who came out to support this endeavor... my mom who went out on the dance floor with Richard, and to Kathie and David who came after a LONG day of vehicle trouble, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! And to all the community members who came out and to Darlene for organizing the event, THANK YOU TOO... We really appreciate the support and encouragement.

Waynesboro can be found in the Portland Collection.

Come Dance and Sing

The fiddlehedz & friendz are playing at the Norlands this afternoon, and then continue on to do a contradance in Wayne at the Ladd Recreation Center... Come on out and listen to some tunes, dance a bit, and join in some nice community activities!

Walking in my Sleep

Wednesday... means... low...... en.er.gy.......

I feel like the opposite of the Energizer bunny by the time I get home most Wednesdays... it seems to be the evening that I need to nap right after dinner, and then go to be shortly after that :) It's usually a high energy day at work and it's also the day the radio station is low stimulation (nice songs but really easy listening)... I used to feel bad about it, but not so much anymore, I just take it for what it is, and be the best low-energy-napper-do-nothing-too-productive-sweet-person I can be :) Today, it worked for me!

That's all folks, I'm off to bed... yawn...

Walking in My Sleep comes from the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Waterbound

This afternoon found me at the Yacht Club, taking a dip in the lake after a long day of work. Last week, SK was visiting and suggested we go swimming at her mom's family camp on David Pond, which we did. It felt so good that I made a little pact with myself to stop and swim on the way home whenever possible. I have managed to do that a time or two, and it is really refreshing. Today I forgot to bring my swimsuit along with me so I came home first... which could have resulted in "Well, maybe not today since I'm already home" but I actually managed to inspire myself to change up and head off to the lake. The Yacht Club is only a couple miles away so it's a quick trip. There's another swimming spot about one mile from our house, and that's a fun place to swim too though the water is usually colder. Anyway, it was nice to jump in the water this nice, hot, (almost) summer afternoon.

Waterbound is from the Portland Collection.

Waltz of the Floating Bridge

This photo was taken sometime around 1965, at Baxter State Park. There I am in the forefront with two of my sisters, Deb and Kathy, on either side of me. Behind us is one of the Wight boys. The Wights lived nearby, and our families frequently took summer vacations together. It was kind of like having brothers that didn't really live with us!

This particular bridge, a rope suspension bridge with a boardwalk, played a huge part of my growing up and younger adult life. What you don't see in this photo is me crossing the the bridge over the river, and having the bridge being swung by the Wight's father! Even though I know he thought it was funny, I was scared... truly scared, the way that fear grabs your soul and imprints itself, lying just beneath the surface of all the fun & games of life, ready to rear its ugly head and suck the breath out of you... which is what happened whenever I encountered being up high. I could just imagine what it would be like to drive off a bridge, or fall off a cliff, or step off a ladder... very disconcerting. I don't know really how I managed to get past most of that. I suppose it happened over a long period of time, of just going a little further or a little higher... pushing myself to the limit and a little beyond. There are still times when I choose not to go higher, or venture further toward the edge. But there are just as many times that I allow myself to try a little more, and I'm always rewarded with a sense of accomplishment along with the more tangible goal of reaching a new place.

Waltz of the Floating Bridge can be found in the 2nd Waltz Book.

Music in the Glen

We spent the weekend at Maine Fiddle Camp in Montville ME... at camp NEOFA in the glen beside True's Pond. The weather was near perfect this year... lots of sunshine, a hot afternoon, cool evenings, and bright mornings. Music filled the air, tunes carried throughout the campground into the wee hours of the morning and starting up again first thing in the morning.

I spent the weekend as a Merganser. Each class is given a distinctive bird name, and they have a home nest to which they go for all their classes. We had a home instructor both Saturday and Sunday mornings, and then had visiting instructors for a couple of other classes. Saturday late afternoon offered a variety of specialty workshops that were available to anyone.

Mergansers learned a few new tunes, and more importantly to me, some technique to work on to make the tunes come alive! I spent the weekend learning by ear without sheet music... but just to be sure I could still play the tunes at home, I did record them!

Richard spent the weekend learning tips and techniques for playing the double bass. His bass mates traveled throughout camp, offering their services to many different classes... it was a great weekend for both of us.

Music in the Glen comes from the Portland Collection.

High Dad in the Morning

Happy Father's Day! My dad is the best dad in the entire world. He's taught some valuable lessons in life over the years, and though he's somewhat more reserved in how he presents his opinions :) he still shares his thoughts and ideas on the order of things! He has always been supportive and encouraging, and been ready to lend a helping hand no matter the task.
My dad has also been adventurous and fun. As children, we took many a vacation to what seemed like far-away-lands. Our summers were filled with travels and experiences that have enriched our lives, and served as a model for raising our own children.

I know I speak for all your girls dad, when I say, "Thank you!"

High Dad in the Morning comes from the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Off She Goes

... and He goes along with her! That's right, it's time for Maine Fiddle Camp :) We're heading out for a fun weekend of music, friends, dance, and delicious food, all in the great outdoors at Camp NEOFA.

Eight years ago, Richard and I were both at Fiddle Camp, and that began our friendship. We'd known each other from the contradances, and had brief conversations up to that point, but Fiddle Camp gave us the opportunity to spend a little more time together playing tunes and talking. Who would have thought back then that we'd be attending Camp together?

Off She Goes is a nice jig that can be found in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire and the Fiddler's Fakebook.

You can hear us playing this jig, along with other jigs and reels, at upcoming events such as:

June 23 as part of the Heritage Days festivities at the Norlands in Livermore
June 23 Contradance in Wayne at the Ladd Center
July 4 Contradance in Winthrop at the Town Office Parking Lot
July 20 Contradance in Manchester NH

Great Northern Bands

We're hoping to be one of the many Great Northern Bands by the end of the summer. We've got a pretty heavy schedule ahead of us, including some community contradances, some dinner & lunch concerts and some calling. Our spare time is spent practicing tunes, putting sets together, reading and re-reading books about calling contradances, and oh, did I mention practicing? It's a lot of work, but it's also becoming a huge, joyous focus in our lives. It is helping us to formulate a vision of where we want to be in five years, what we want to be doing... the picture we're formulating has us organizing and presenting community contradances in and around the area where we live. We've been collaborating with Paul (guitar) and Sandy (flute & whistle) and developing a great sound with lots of energy. We don't expect to hit the big time overnight, but we are living into the vision of being a lively contradance band with a distinctive sound!

Great Northern Bands is a tune we collected, probably from Fiddle Camp which we will be attending next weekend!

Cat on a Leash

Avery came to visit this afternoon, intent on seeing the new kittens~ so intent that he had absolutely no interest in his new little fiddle! No matter, there will be plenty of time to play music together :) Since the kittens were HIS focus, it became ours too!

This is one of the favorite lounging spots. For actual sleeping and napping, the kittens choose to be under the bed or up underneath the living room chairs where they're well hidden.
The photo above gives some scale to how tiny Jeff and Libby really are (yeah, we've already got them nick-named)... They are quite comfortable around the instruments, and people. On Friday, we had band practice, and Sandy brought her dogs Barley and Beezie... the kittens were totally at ease with being sniffed and followed by canines.
We showed Avery how to shake the cat string so the kittens would engage and play with him. He did a good job shaking the string, but also thought the kittens should be able to "play" with a specific piece of the string. The kittens were not quite as cooperative as A would have liked :) They're definitely on their own program!
Jen loved the new kittens too :)

The kittens have been at ease with dogs and people, but were not quite as gregarious with Avery. This seemed strange until I realized they'd grown up with two little girls in the house who were probably running around chasing them and picking them up... and they might have formed an opinion about that! It was still fun to watch them running around, and having Avery pat them and say in his little I'm-so-amazed-voice "They so soft!".

Cat on a Leash comes from the Portland Collection.

Moving Violations

Saturday evening found this fiddler and bass player in North Yarmouth at the regular 2nd Saturday Contradance.

The evening begins at 6:00pm with the Family Dance, led and called by Kathryn Larson. The band, The Wescustogo Ramblers, are led by Jeff (guitar) and Maggie (fiddle)... other musicians (including us) join in playing the tunes (most of which have been played and practiced via the Thursday night Pownal jam session). It's a lot of fun, and the experience has helped us gain confidence over the past year. This Saturday night we had a guest piano player. One of the family dances is called Nine-Pin... it's kind of like musical chairs, in that when the music stops, everyone has to get to their place. What that means for the band is, when the caller gives us "the signal", we are to IMMEDIATELY stop playing, and then resume a few moments later. Well, the piano is facing AWAY from the band and the dance hall, so there's no way this guest piano player is going to see "the signal". We're all trying to let him in on what's going to happen, and offering suggestions on how we'll tip him off... and he finally just says, "Well, I'll just play like this..." and turns around on the piano bench so he's facing out to the dance hall and he's got one hand on the piano keyboard ready to play. I wasn't really sure if he was serious or not, but he seemed to be... and sure enough, that's exactly what he did!

The Family Dance is followed by a potluck dinner which is ALWAYS delicious. We brought cream cheese brownies (a new recipe) that were well received (I've been encouraged to make them again).

Contradance runs from 8:30-12:00, this month's band was Moving Violations and the caller was Lisa Sievert... a winning combination for a fabulous night of dancing. The dances were fun and well taught, and the tunes played by the band were great. It's fun for me as a dancer to try and recognize the name of the tune that's being played, and then to tell Richard... and just as often he's doing the same thing. It's great fun to be dancing in different areas of the hall with different people, and meet up in line with a hasty "That was Wild One followed by Indian Point in that last set!". Though the dance lasts until midnight, we generally leave after the intermission. This allows us to get home at a respectable 12:00-12:30 most of the time.

For anyone out there who has the opportunity to hear Moving Violations either live or on a recording, JUST DO IT... you'll be glad you did :)

Bumblebee in a Jug

Here's a photo of Avery's little fiddle next to mine. It does remind me of a bumblebee in a jug because it's just so little next to our full sized instruments. We are looking forward to seeing his face when he comes to visit, and realizes that he can now play the fiddle along with us. He's been wanting to play ours, but they're way too big. He has a child sized guitar at home that he enjoys playing... and a piano at his Grammie R's... and an assortment of things here now including his own Avery-sized-fiddle & bow!

He likes to have his "music" handy, and be seated appropriately when he plays any instrument, even shaking the egg!

Bumblebee in a Jug comes from the Portland Collection.

Jefferson and Liberty

These are the latest addition to the household, two kittens about 9 weeks old. Jefferson is the one with the goatee, and Liberty is of course, the other one. We've been talking about getting kittens for a while now, but wanted to wait until after we got back from San Francisco. I've seen signs for kittens but still hadn't stopped to look at any. Today at work, Julie said she had five kittens that absolutely needed a good home and they were ready to GO! I called Richard with the news, and we'll get these little creatures tomorrow. Aren't they cute?

Jefferson and Liberty is a jig tune that you can find in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Colored Aristocracy

We are still at work restoring computer files and reloading programs, but I'm very happy to say that I'm up and functional again. Richard should have his back in operation today!

The perennial bed is ready to become an explosion of color... yellow and purples. There are also yellow day lilies about to burst. Lilacs have been out, and columbine. Whoever put in this garden in front of the house did a fabulous job, it is a constant flow of colors from now til fall. This year there seem to be more buds than last year, perhaps due to different weather conditions and possibly from the time and attention it's gotten :)

The rainy weather gave opportunity to work on music. Tune sets are being worked out for upcoming gigs, including a nice schottische and a hambo for a dance our new group, Foxfire, is playing in New Hampshire next month. We are quite excited about that... it is a big leap for us, having a full three hour program of tunes, but it's a necessary part of our long term goal of organizing a community dance in the Wayne area. We also got to try out some dances, and put together a beginner's dance program.

The flowers in the front garden help to balance out the work we put into the music... I like that word balance, it's a big part of life and dancing!

Colored Aristocracy is from the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Arghhhh

I am sick of computers! I am frustrated with new operating systems that are so different we can't figure out how to print. I'm frustrated that once we find the secret place the new menu is living, we still aren't able to figure out the new formatting so it will print the way it looks. I'm frustrated because it is impacting the things I'm working on. I can't use the scanner with the new computer because I don't yet have Adobe loaded, which means I'm unable to scan tunes into documents, which has been a great way to try out sets without printing and using paper, cutting and taping and then finding out the set doesn't work. It means I can't print dance cards to use for calling. It means considering the old-fashioned way of actually hauling around multiple tune books instead of one notebook of tune sheets, and actually writing out all the dance cards. Or, horrors, actually memorizing and learning the tunes without having anything printed to refer to, and remembering how dances go without having a card in my hand.

All of this will be figured out in a few days, I'm sure... once we load some more programs onto the computer, perhaps change the operating system, re-load drivers for scanners and printers, and then re-do the documents I've been working on this morning...

... for now, I think I'll just go play some tunes and re-focus my energies in a postive and happy way!

Arghhhh isn't any fiddle tune I know of, but, well, it conveys my current mood!

Oh, the sun just came out and I think it could be a lovely day... and Notorious is playing in Falmouth tonight so we're going to the dance... yeah, things are looking up already!

June Apple

Happy June 1st :)

You've probably noticed the lack of recent posts... Hopefully no one has removed the tag from their list of favorites from lack of anything new!

We have our garden planted! The seedlings that were started in the greenhouse have been set out, and the seeds were put in just this week. Today is overcast and showery, just right for the warm earth to moisten up and get things growing!

The work pace has been picking up steadily (it was already busy enough) but it seems to become difficult to manage at times. My energy level has been lower than I like, and my creative energies have felt stopped up. What to do? Many options are being discussed and explored, and a new five year plan is in the final stage of development... very exciting and also very scary... like getting ready for a big adventure without knowing where the plane is going to land!

We've been playing a lot of music, and developing some new directions for what we play, where we play it, and how it gets presented. We've had a lot of fun with the jam group, and are getting more opportunities all the time. It's been pretty informal up to now, open to anyone who wants to join us, but the impact of that is we never really know who will be showing up to play. So we're working with a smaller group with the intention of being a band with a name and a sound... we'll see how that goes over the summer!

We've screened in the back porch, and re-hung the door so it's "bug-tight". It is a lovely space to sit in the evenings, listening to the night sounds of the forest and feeling the cooler breezes after a hot day. It's also made a nice place for Avery to be able to play, getting some fresh air and benefit of the outdoors without being in the sun and getting bitten by black flies and mosquitos!

I've taken out the banjo with the commitment to learn two songs well enough to play in the band. I figure once I get the two songs learned, I'll be able to add to that repertoire. The two songs? "Old Joe Clark" and "The Judge". I've also had the mandolin out... and practiced some with the harmonica. Not presentable yet, but I can see/feel/hear the possibilities!

We made it to Jeff's jam last night in Pownal. We haven't been there in ... oh, maybe forever! I blame that on my lack of energy at the end of the work-week. Peter's on vacation this week, and I put in a short day at the office yesterday so when it came time to decide whether to head south or not, I was enthusiastic about going! We had a great time seeing friends and playing tunes.

I have a new computer. You might remember that my former PC went kaput quite a while ago... then R gave me a laptop to use which then went kaput... and then let me use his other laptop. Now R's PC has gone kaput and he needed to use that laptop for his work. He's ordered components to build a new PC for himself, and purchased another laptop for my personal use. This is really exciting, but will also take a little bit of transition time to get my old files moved over, and learn the new operating system.

I think that's about it for catching up. I've felt bad about not posting, but I also didn't have my thoughts together... the times I'd sit down to write I would come up with nothing interesting. So, I've allowed myself to take a break until the "creative-writing-juices" were un-dammed and ready to flow! Thanks to everyone who has continued to check for something new to read :)

June Apple comes from the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Every Rock in Place

It seems like forever since I've posted anything... this will be a conglomeration of thoughts and updates for those who keep checking in and find NOTHING NEW! Rest assured, we are well... life got quite busy for a little while and working on the computer took a back seat!

I'll try to get you up to speed on what's been happening in this corner of the fiddle world :) The first thing I'd like to say is HOORAY for PEANUT BUTTER. Avery got to visit with us for an extended visit while his mom and dad were involved with A's papa and family. It has been a hard time for them, J's dad died last week. I'm glad we were available and able to take Avery and Max "until further notice". Like most little kids, meals can be a challenge. A loves peanut butter, so it was always the Plan B when the special pasta didn't make the grade!

Dancing and music were put on hold as far as going out, but we did manage to play quite a bit at home. Avery has a love of singing and playing music (has a good rhythm and appreciation for instruments) so it was no problem for me to pick up the fiddle and play through some tunes while he was playing. Quite often he would join me and dance along... at the very least he would look up and smile at me, and move his little shoulders along with the beat of the tune!
We have a collection of assorted rocks... different types and sizes... that we have around the house. Avery likes to collect his own rocks whenever we're outside... and there are lots to choose from along the driveway and in the yard.

After days of playing with the same toys over and over, I happened to notice the box of Legos that have been stored upstairs. There are a lot of little parts & pieces, not appropriate for babies and toddlers. We thought we'd give it a try with Avery, now that he's a little bit older... GOOD MOVE, he loved them! A little frustrated with some of the tiny components, but in general, he had a great time with something a little different. We've packed away some of the "younger" toys now and are transitioning into "older" toys.

It's been a joy to have Avery here, and to experience all of his moods (most of which are fun and well behaved with an occasional two-year-old fit of frustration and exhaustion). He's a very interesting child with lots of love. Max got to stay with us too, he's a big part of A's life... "What Macky doin'?" was a frequent question and "Macky my puppy" was just as frequent a comment during the day.

Richard has gotten to call a couple of dances and we've continued to host the Tuesday night jam session. Last night we ventured out to Brunswick to dance, so we're slowing getting back into our routine. It's funny though, I turn around and get ready to take Avery's hand or pick him up, and he's not there... amazing how quickly we can get used to having a little one around!

Every Rock in Place comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Sunnyside

Our greenhouse is on the sunny side of the house, facing south... lots of light and sunshine pouring in. We've started the garden seedlings (many varieties of tomato, basil, broccoli, melons from last years crop, and much more. The trays hold quite a bit of water which soaks up into the peat dishes... the little plants lean toward to sun... and we turn them around. It's nice to see so many little things growing, just waiting to be planted in a few more weeks...
Sunnyside comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Turkey Gobbler

Peter's been out at our property scouting for turkey. He's walked the property lines, spent a couple of evenings listening and watching for activity, and arrived well before sunrise in full camo, setting up decoys and preparing for the first day of the season. This is his reward for the day! A very nice sized adult male turkey! Congratulations! I know I'll have a GREAT week at work, no matter HOW the Red Sox perform :)

Turkey Gobbler comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Acadian Reel

Richard and I had planned to go camping at Acadia with Kathie and David on Sunday night, but after sleeping (and not sleeping) on the gym floor during the Marathon, we decided we'd rather just go out to visit for the evening, and then come home to our own bed. Good idea! We got a great night's sleep! We did have a nice dinner and conversation at Blackwoods Campground Sunday evening... and enjoyed Fiddler's Elbow, a nice English beer with great flavor and no bitterness... David always finds the most interesting beers. This one was chosen especially for us... the name says it all :)

Acadian Reel can be found in the Fiddle Music of PEI.

Last Night's Fun

I promise there will be photos and some interesting posts... later! It's been a busy week, and an even busier weekend, but SO much great stuff happening.

This morning, we are recovering from last night's fun and adventure of participating in the First Annual Fiddler's Marathon! This event is in conjunction with the Relay for Life which raises money for the American Cancer Society. United Maine Fiddlers joined ranks over the past 24 hours at the Whitefield Elementary School where a mega-jam-session has been taking place. Some fiddlers attended for the duration, others went and stayed as long as they were able... all efforts are important and very appreciated. The word going around last night was that UMF had raised around $4000 toward the Relay, which takes place NEXT weekend in Brunswick.

We spent about 14 hours at the marathon... jamming, talking, eating great food (provided by the PTA I believe)... and presenting a dance last night from 7:00-10:00. We brought & set up our sound equipment and played dance tunes... allowing the daytime fiddlers to rest their fingers and give their feet a workout! Richard and Ellen called most of the dances... and I even called one myself! I managed to get a little bit of sleep (from 11:30-3:30~ not bad for laying on the stage floor while people were playing music in the gym) but Richard didn't fare quite as well... he was not able to really get to sleep at all, so he's catching up this morning at home :)

Last Night's Fun can be found in the Fiddler's Throne.

Sally in the Garden

The garden is ready to plant. We spent Friday with the garden tiller attachment on the John Deere, preparing the soil and working in some composted manure (Moo Doo), lime, wood ashes, and the winter's collection of compost from the kitchen. We'll be planting early seeds over the next couple of weeks.

The greenhouse is also seeing activity... we've started a bunch of seeds there, giving some of the plants requiring a longer growing season a little head start. It's fun to see things growing.

Garlic is already up in the garden... we put that in last fall.

Sally in the Garden is an old time tune, one version can be found in the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Snowy Breasted Pearl

Have you had a mammogram recently? http://www.breastcancer.org/ has information about breast cancer, screening, research and treatment. I had my snowy pearls examined this morning as part of this year's health screening... in addition to blood work to check my cholesterol levels and blood glucose. I'm fortunate to be a healthy middle aged woman, and to have access to health care. Not everyone is as lucky.
This weekend we will be participating in a 24 hour fiddle marathon in conjunction with the Relay for Life. A group of dedicated fiddlers will be combining efforts to play tunes for a full day, starting from 10:00am on Saturday the 5th until 10:00am the 6th. There is still plenty of room for more fiddlers and more backup musicians (guitar, mandolin, keyboard etc) Contact thordude@surfbest.net for more information. This is a very worthy cause! We will be helping to organize a dance Saturday evening as part of this event, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm... Come and listen to tunes anytime during the day, dance in the evening, or sponsor a fiddler. We all appreciate all types of support.
For anyone wondering, a mammogram is not painful. There is some discomfort and pressure, but it isn't anything horrid... and it is quick. My entire visit from checking in until I left the building was less than a half hour... the actual mammography only lasted a few minutes. If you've resisted having yours done, for whatever reason, I recommend you JUST DO IT... for yourself, for those you love, and those who love you.
Snowy Breasted Pearl is a nice tune from the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Church Street...

... in Dexter was the location of the Central Maine Fiddle Workshop with Greg Boardman! We got our packet of tunes and the CD a few weeks ago, so had time to get familiar with playing the tunes. These workshops are great... organized with tunes for beginners, intermediate and advanced players. Everyone gets the same tunes, but each group is the focus for one of the three hours. Advanced players start~ they sit in the "inner circle" with Greg and play the tunes, learning tips and techniques to make each one really special. Then, after a short break, the second hour starts with the intermediate players taking those inner seats... and you guessed it, the final hour is the beginner's turn. Everyone plays the tunes, including those sitting in the chairs outside the focus group, so we all get ideas for playing the tunes. After the three hour workshop, the newly learned tunes are played at a short contradance held at the same place... practical application of new information!

We got to try out a few new things when we played at the Norlands last night for their live-in program's Barn Dance, which was actually held in the kitchen because of the cool temperatures in the barn. It's so much fun watching young people learn to contradance, square dance, and circle folk dance for the first time. And it's always fun for us to play music for people!

Sugarloaf Schoolhouse

fiddlehedz & friendz played tonight in the town of Kingfield at a community contradance. The organizer here is Kathy T, we met her and her family at a caller's workshop earlier this year. This was a totally fun evening... we did some car pooling from our house to Farmington where we had dinner at another band member's house... then continued on to Kingfield to the school where the dance was held. Though not well attended, we did have a good time learning some new tunes on the fly, as well as playing some tunes & sets that we've been practicing for quite a few weeks now. It was great to set up the sound system and to get the whole program ready to go, coordinating with the callers. We are getting more and more comfortable as a band, being able to try out new tunes that a caller wants, and saying "yeah, we can do this!". Everyone had a fabulous time! It's nice to have a committed group of band musicians who are willing to spend an evening out playing music for very little (if any) monetary gain... and that's what it's really all about, providing music for community dances!

Sugarloaf Schoolhouse comes from Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes.

Rakes of Mallow

We're home after a long day of traveling! We had the opportunity to give up our seats on the flight out of Sacramento and get booked on a different flight... we ended up with great travel vouchers to use on another trip! The change got us into Manchester NH a little earlier than originally planned, but we still had to wait for the luggage... so it was about 3:30am Wednesday when we got into Augusta. Instead of going home and driving back, I decided to have R drop me off at the office since I had to be at work for 6:30 anyway. This gave me time to shower and nap... I was pretty tired at the end of the day! I thought I'd get home and crash hard but...
... the sight of a grassy yard clear of snow inspired me to start raking! Wednesday has typically been my low energy afternoon/evening and I don't get a lot of stuff done around the house, so I was pretty surprised to have this burst of energy! We made a little campfire, raked the yard between the kitchen and the garden, and cleaned out the perennials in front of the greenhouse (finding some beautiful crocus in bloom)... Richard made hamburgers which we ate outside in the quiet of our yard. After dinner we took a walk out around the property, listening for bird sounds and enjoying the fresh air.

Raking is an activity that feeds my soul. It is a purely selfish activity that I do for myself because I get such a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that my little corner of the world is tended and cared for... and that helps me feel grounded and inspired to tend other areas of my life too.

Rakes of Mallow can be found in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Redwoods and Macrame?

Today started with a trip to Berkeley in search of a hippie style store with macrame, pottery, beads, and other assorted hand made items. Not happening. I'm not really a shopper, and I don't have a lot of interest in browsing through stores... but I was thinking it'd be a pretty fun thing to find some hand-fired pottery or something as a useful souvenir. Anyway, nothing of the sort has presented itself, so I suppose it isn't a necessary purchase.
There have been redwood trees around, lots of different areas. These trees are majestic and beautiful. After leaving Berkeley, we headed west and had lunch in Sausalito, then drove south along Route 1 through San Francisco and down the coastline. The cliffs and beaches are lovely. We headed inland through curving roads lined with redwoods, and then eventually back to Bryan's place in Danville. This will be our last evening here before heading back home.
I'm looking forward to being back in "my nest" even though I do have to work for a few days before a busy weekend. I envision having/ creating time to garden, rake, play tunes in the sunshine, walk in the woods, and dream of living off the land :) Maybe even make some quilts, macrame and beads of my own to sell at farmer's markets in between playing some nice tunes!