This week Joel and Terry collaborated to write a new song and recorded a demo. It’s part of their quarterly songwriting experience. Read more about the Tunehenge Music Community and feel free to join in!
Tag: music
Music in Mesa, Arizona with Terry & Virgie
Last night we were once again at Terry & Virgie’s where music was being played at their home by them and their young friends. Fiona made friends with an 8-year old boy named Ezra. My dad’s father’s name was Ezra.
We’re looking forward to this next week with Terry & Virgie and hopefully again on Thursday evening everyone will get together again to play some music.
Open Mic Night at Jersey Java & Tea
When our friend Dorothy found out where we were staying in New Jersey, she told us to look up her friend Mary of Jersey Java & Tea. We did and met Mary in person a couple of weeks ago. Jersey Java & Tea hold open mic nights the first and third Fridays of every month. They also book musicians to play sets. Mary booked Joel to play a two-hour set on December 3, 2011 from 7 – 9 pm. So come on down if you’re in the area. The address is 140 North Haddon Ave, Haddonfield, NJ.
Last night Joel attended the open mic and played three of his songs: The Hillside, It’s Cold Out There and Like the Sea. He plans to play their next open mic as well on December 2 at 7 pm. We hope you can join us!
Visit to the Golden Care Center in South Dakota
Today while visiting my friend in Mimi and her family in South Dakota, we visited the care center for the elderly where Joel got to play his music for an hour. Mimi and her family go once a month to visit with the residents and usually they do a craft or something. So this was a special treat.
The lady front and center seemed to really enjoy it and commented afterward to me that it was nice to have something different for the hour. Another lady told Joel they have a mandolin maker as a resident as well.
Fiona loves visiting Mimi and her family since there are three little girls to play with. They also have four brothers. They usually stay up quite late at night playing and giggling.
Of course last night Fiona decided to stay up ALL night! And she did. Though the other children took turns sleeping. She woke one of them up at 2 am to get a drink of water! Mimi and her children haven’t yet said we can’t come back. Fiona crashed for about an hour during our visit to the care center. I’m working hard to keep her awake now till after dinner so she will sleep tonight.
Music and Roses
Joel’s been able to set up all his music equipment here in Albuquerque. There’s plenty of room and since we’ll be here for several weeks, it gives him an opportunity to easily practice every day. He’ll be recording some of his music while we’re house sitting here.
Our new friend Larry is a musician. Last Saturday Joel sat in on Larry’s band practice. Larry is in two bands! Last night Joel and Larry got together and played. Larry plays the flute and the saxophone. Both he and Joel view music as much-needed therapy.
My ‘therapy’ this week was to prune the roses more and bring a few in for a nice bouquet.
Jamming with New Friends
Our time in Rice Lake Wisconsin is coming to an end for now. Joel’s mom can’t wait for us to return this September. Fiona’s new homeschool program through the local school district starts and we’ll be back to pick up her curriculum and spend a few weeks here. We’ve made some great new friends here and are looking forward to coming back and spending more time with all of them.
We were able to extend our stay for an additional five days thanks to new friends, Cliff and Karen. They have two extra bedrooms that aren’t being used and insisted we come stay with them. Fiona has her own room and loves playing with their little dog.
Dinosaur Ridge, Timberline Park and Music in Colorado
While we’re in Longmont Colorado this week we decided to have a ‘vacation’ and spend some time seeing some things. This past Friday we took Mrs. Parker’s suggestion and went to Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison. Fiona had a chance to dig for fossils – though she never actually found any. We learned about dinosaurs in the Exhibit Hall. Then we took a walk a bit up Dinosaur Ridge.
No Travel Plan Survives Contact with the Pavement
A few days ago Sue told you about being stuck over night in Bakersfield because the roads going south were closed because of the snow. Yes, in California, you can close the carotid artery of the state with snow, unlike, say, Wisconsin.
Anyway, we had a ball. We never would have planned most of the stuff we did on that drive; sleeping in the car in a WalMart parking lot, f’rinstance. We left early to get here early. Sue finally has contact lenses again instead of her outdated glasses, so she can drive at night and we would have. We’ve driven 25 hours with nothing but naps. I wouldn’t do it often, but we were so antsy to get going that we were ready to leave at 4:30pm Sunday, and drive ’til 7 the next morning. That’s not what happened.
What happened was that we discovered, again, that we can do pretty much anything, and if we can’t do it, we can survive it. We can’t control the weather or road closures, so instead, we controlled our reaction. We enjoyed the silliness of, after making it out of Canada, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and more last November, being snowbound in southern California fer cryin’ out loud.
We saw Tehachapi covered in snow. (Jerry and I are going to organise a business retreat there. Interested in some of the most humanistic, practical, fun business training in existence? Gimme a shout.)
We reminded ourselves that no one was waiting up for us. We had no deadline, only a goal, and a loose one. I drove under the speed limit. We stopped to look at stuff. Fiona trudged through snow in a Walgreen’s parking lot, just because she wanted to. We sat in a StarBUCKs in Bakersfield and just puttered while Fiona ate the free oatmeal one of the baristas gave her (“I’m a mom and I just thought she might like some; is that okay?” Um, yeah, you can give our little girl breakfast; sure!)
You can’t plan trips as great as the ones that happen on their own.
I noticed something as I drove. When I glanced at Sue, there were different lines on her face. For quite a while, they’ve been worry lines; stress lines. We’ve spent some time doing things we needed to do the past couple months; time getting ready for should instead of want. Now, the lines are smiles, peace, thoughts, prayers.
Lines on the map don’t mean much to me anymore; I can go anywhere and be happy. It’s what I read in my wife’s face that tells me whether we’re on the right path.
Our Daughter’s Wedding Day and the Music CD
There were two times when my daughter Rachelle and I shed a few tears together yesterday. Once was just before the ceremony. I was telling Rachelle that I wanted to make sure she said goodbye before she left the reception because this was the last time I was going to see her for a while. We both got choked up and started to cry. We looked at the matron-of-honor and said, ‘Quick. Tell us something funny so we can laugh instead.’ Which she did and we were able to carry on. :)
The second time was as we were getting ready to leave the reception.
Ushuaia, the End (FAWM 2011 #14, Dedicated to “Family On Bikes”)
In June of 2008, the Vogel family set out from as far north as you can get on this continent, heading for as far south as you can get on the next continent.
By bicycle.
By the time they arrive in just a few days their twin sons will hold the world record for traveling the length of the Americas by bicycle.
Read their story, starting with the press release they’ve prepared for the big finish, and listen to a little melody that came into my head as I was reading Nancy’s email a couple days ago. Ushuaia is at the southern end of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina . . . down at the end of the world.
If you click the “listen” link above, you’ll see a “Download” link. Help yourself!