one boy's radio (a blog)

Speechifyin' Puffin! (where ya been? part the second)

2011-11-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

dateline: newport, oregon

ah, nothing like a trip to the sea for us desert dwellers...it's always good to see for myself that it's still there.

the oregon coastal museum was right next door to the hotel. saw this guy there keeping his audience enthralled. pretty sure it's a puffin and not an auk...great speaker either way.

the aquarium was pretty cool...it's a giant tank with a series of tubes running through it...you walk through the tubes and get a 360 degree view.

silver streaks overhead...

sharks under foot...

then there was this guy...

"hey, you eyeballin' me?"

pen plants...

jellies...

just up the road past nye beach is the yaquina head light house

the obligatory spiral staircase lighthouse shot...

and the obligatory sun streaking behind the lighthouse shot...

i was there at low tide and able to wander around the tide pools...

man, when your job sometimes is actually a day at the beach...the end of the work day can be pretty freakin' glorious...

the window of a glass gallery next door to a great thai restaurant...

not a bad day a'tall

the next day's drive inland to portland had it's beautiful moments, too...

looks like alice already took a nibble

next stop, kerhonkson, ny for the NERFA conference

listening to: dick rosmini - adventures for 12 string, 6 string and banjo

hey, where ya been? (part the first)

2011-10-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

dateline: newport, oregon

wow, been having so much fun traveling i haven't gotten around to posting anything for awhile...so here's the first part of a catch up to this fall's wanderings.

started the fall travels back in RI where i attended my first ever high school reunion. had a good time catching up with folks i hadn't set eyes on for a long long (looong) time...let's just say, the last time these folks saw me i was this guy...(the woman is barbara rivkin, the person who taught me how to fingerpick...thanks, barbara!)

it was funny, most folks reaction to my still being a musician was "wow, you're still DOING that...following your dream, etc". but there were a couple of "wow, you're still doing THAT?"...it's all in the inflection, i guess. hell, i feel both ways some days.

took a ride down to the RI shore while i was there. still a beautiful place.

after RI, i finally got to spend some time in chicago...man, what a cool town!
once again, courtesy of my baseball fanatic agent, i had great tickets to a white sox game. boy, something about seeing a game up close...

also spent a day at the chicago institute of art where i got to visit with these guys...

also got to spend time with some old familiar faces...

a print of this hung on my wall for a long time. simply amazing to stand in front of the original...

also saw an exhibit of incredible stained glass work by marc chagall

and these guys live on the roof of the harold washington library downtown

but after all is said and done, there's nothin' like coming home to a front yard filled with flowers...

and a back yard full moon...

next up, back to the pacific northwest.

listening to: tom waits - glitter and doom live

BAHB!!!

2011-07-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

dateline> albuquerque, nm

well, here's the one shot i managed to get at the dylan show tonight before the incredibly efficient photo cops swooped in....guess bob don't like havin' his picture took...

...that part aside, it was an incredible show...sure, bob may be down to a three of four note vocal range, but it's bob freakin' dylan singing a dylan song...i'll take those four notes over most...and while he only played guitar on a few numbers, preferring to hang on the keyboards, every once in a while he stepped up to the mic as lead singer of an incredibly tight band...i think my favorite part was watching his body as he worked the mic...the way he leaned back with the stand in hand and led charlie sexton and the boys with flicks of his wrist was much more akin to sinatra at the paramount than mick jagger....

ah, what can i say? i'm a total dylan freak and had a wondermous time.

off to the buckhorn saloon and opera house in pinos altos for a weekend gig.

listening to: well, duh, bob dylan ~ blonde on blonde

wow, some days....

2011-07-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

this is the key

what opens the door

what leads into my new home....

AND i get to open for eliza on the santa fe plaza???

man, some days is just golden...

listening to bombino - agadez

free james!

2011-07-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

dateline: santa fe

it's a good summer for free shows in santa fe. hayes carll a couple of weeks ago. eliza gilkyson this week (with, ahem, yours truly opening...i'm so excited)
and this past weekend, james mcmurtry...kind of like song school a few weeks early. had a good time. good friends. great music. and a beer or two too far...nice spot, too, the santa fe railyard

a few choice sartorial choices

local musicistas andy primm & michelle ledig

santa fe performance exchange's rick adesso (speaking of a beer too far...pretty sure i agreed to be on the board)

and one hell of a songwriter...

listening to: bruce cockburn - small source of comfort

vrooooom! VROOOOOMMMM!

2011-07-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

dateline: santa fe

home for the 4th of july...went down to the plaza to check out the car show

...add some dancers...

...and a little art...

there ya have it...HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY FROM SANTA FE!!

hey, nice marmot....

listening to steve earle ~ i'll never get out of this world alive.......repeatedly....

buffalo bill's butterfly

2011-07-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

dateline: colorado highway 36

i was walking by the soundboard at the kerrville folk festival when the soundman, chris jacobs, asked me to run an errand for him. when i got back he pulled out a bag of toys he had lying around for kids and told me to pick one. i grabbed a glow in the dark frog, telling chris that it would make a good navigator. that was about ten years ago. damned thing is still on the dashboard, been through three cars....always gets me there and back...

here's a frog's eye view of my latest lousy commute home from work:

the mountain snow runoff is pretty heavy this year...creepin' up to the back doors in some places...here's a view up a not so lazy river...

stopped in lyons for a snack. the barking dog is where the planet browngrass bunch fuels up on coffee for the long days and nights at the rocky mountain song school. won't be long now, kids!

"are you lookin' at me? are you lookin' at ME? i don't see nobody else around....."

stopped by mary ray's place to wish her a happy birthday. she showed me her chicken coop...mary's known for taking in all kinds of stray beasts...even the two legged musical kind (the hardest to get rid of, especially if you feed them)...

the owl what guards the coop:

mary's chickens, home to roost...

for years now i've driven past a sign in golden, colorado, that says "lookout mountain - buffalo bill's grave". having recently read a biography of buffalo bill i decided it was time to take that right hand turn...turns out that lookout mountain is up one twisty damned high road...not real big on heights and have a life long mistrust of guardrails, so it was an adventure...here's the view halfway up the mountain:

yikes.

turns out there is a really cool museum at the top...

...where you can see stuff like bill's saddle and several of his costumes...

...sitting bull's war bonnet

and a kind of creepy/cool frame containing two locks of hair....

the white hair is buffalo bill's

the dark hair belonged to one james butler "wild bill" hickock

wild bill had a very brief, ill-fated career on the stage with one of buffalo bill's first shows. he was apparently a REALLY bad actor...so he headed back out west to what he knew best, tussling and card sharking...that didn't turn out very well either...

OK, then...here's what i came up to see

bill wanted an eternity with a view....i'd say he chose well.

here lies william f. cody

so while i was sitting there alone contemplating the view and the legends and the spirits along came a lone butterfly which landed on a flower near the grave...we had a nice little visit and then continued on our respective journeys.

yup...just another lousy commute home.

listening to greg brown ~ freak flag

a-hiking we will go (Alaska part three)

2011-06-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

dateline: seldovia

spent my last day over in seldovia hiking with my friends dan, veda & marcia....

but first..........EAGLE UPDATE!!!!

saw a crow and an eagle discussing whose perch it was...

guess who won the argument?

my god, they are such magnificent creatures...it's a thrill to see them up close...

anyway, back to hiking...started off at my host susan mumma's B&B, the seldovia rowing club...

decided to hike the "otter-bahn"....

don't hike too close to the edge...it's a long way down

heading back down to the beach...

look out for bears!

very funny, dan......

hmmmm.....shitake? death's head?

have no idea what this is but it looks cool.....

heading back to town...

DAMN, I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!!

listening to jakob dylan ~ women and country

ahhhh, there you are!

2011-06-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

alaska finally came out of hiding just in time to head over to seldovia...

and away we go.....

well, on the ferry, not the fishing boat in front of us...

first up, the official ferry jam session that kicks off the festival...had a ball...

paul thompson & robin hopper

festival director susan mumma

SELDOVIA, ALASKA!!

the tides here are pretty extreme, with the full moon it's about a 22 foot difference...

first eagle spotted was, well, spotted....a young 'un

mom (or maybe dad) still looks pretty spectacular even at a long distance...hope to get closer shots tomorrow...

here's the sound crew, veda, dan & sadi...dan's also a hellacious jazz pianist and will be performing tonight.

sound check with moira smiley and VOCO...amazing harmonies, can't wait for their set

to be continued.....

listening to paul kelly - ways and means

finished watching hbo's carnivale....liked it right up til the big "huh"?

Alaska!....uh, Alaska?...anybody home?

2011-06-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

dateline : homer, alaska

so, anchorage and now homer have been pretty much covered in clouds since i got here a couple of days ago...

...wait a minute...i think i see something peeking through...

...make that "peaking" through...

alrighty then...on the boat and over to the festivities in seldovia tomorrow...

listening to paul simon so beautiful or so what ......repeatedly....what an album!

quick, somebody call "this old house"!

2011-05-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

dateline: santa fe

...since i can't be at the kerrville festival this weekend with my songsmithin' buddies i decided to do something useful. so i built me a fence. i had a gas meter visible from the living room window in the house we're trying to sell. now who's gonna buy a house where you can see the gas meter from the living room wndow? so i got me some logs (well, kindling, really ), and a hammer and some nails & twine...why, i even grabbed my trusty hatchet and split one of the logs to make a crossbeam and didn't lose a single appendage...yup, me and ol' honest abe...a couple of fence building, rail splittin' fools...

yessir, it's a mighty fence.....a mighty...small fence...but a mighty nice fence

so i ask ya....see any gas meters out my window now? didn't think so.

listening to robbie robertson - how to become clairvoyant

also gotten hooked on the old HBO series carnivale

lions & tigers & red sox (oh my)

2011-05-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

dateline: new england

my late father and i never really saw eye to eye on much of anything...
but when i was a kid we did share a love of three things: loony toons, the zoo at roger williams park in providence and the mostly mired in last place at the time boston red sox...

to this day the expression "you're dithhhspicable" will still bring tears of laughter...
i thought of the old man a few times while back in new england this weekend.
first up..........

FENWAY PAHK!!!!!!!

my childhood hero ~ ted williams

haven't been here since 1975...got the same rush walking up the ramp...

...and seeing the green monster!

some of the tools of the trade

just another one of those weirdly juxtaposed sports moments....a buddhist monk behind me was trying to get seattle mariners rightfielder ichiro suzuki's attention during batting practice...he kept saying "thank you" to everyone around him...you are welcome.

on the mound for the sox was knuckleballer tim wakefield. never seen a knuckleball pitcher up close.....damn, the ball really does dance all over the place....

kid number one was having a great time...

as was kid number 2...

david ortiz (AKA big papi) drove in the first 2 sox runs

seattle went on to tie the game.....it was up to jonathan paplebon to hold them off.

jeez, that stare even had me scared....

bottom of the 9th....runner on third...carl crawford at the plate...carl's batting .124....."here we go again", i think....just like when i was a kid...crawford swings...

base hit up the middle! runner scores!

the sox win!!!!

the old man would have loved it. ah, good ol' fenway park

probably the only park where they still climb a ladder to change the scoreboard...

next up....they tell me it's all happening at the zoo.

listening to paul simon ~ so beautiful or so what

and ye shall know them by their tchotchkes...

2011-03-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

dateline: santa fe

ok, in a zen world there are no attachments...
so, nobody's perfect. not in this room, anyway.

here are some small things i'm happy to get to look at when i'm home.
take the little smiles where you can find 'em...

the top of the left speaker

the top of the right speaker

jono's chicken alarm/with coy penguin (from the manson collection)

conundrum with sunflowers

to be continued...

listening to: david francey - first set: live from folk alley

an undocumented soup

2011-03-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

dateline: santa fe, nm

(because sometimes the camera is all the way on the other side of the room)

a nice ginger / carrot soup from cooks.com

ingredients:
  3/4 stick unsalted butter
  1/4 cup finely chopped ginger root (i used a little less)
  7 c. chicken stock
  1 1/2 c. carrots, peeled, in 1/2 inch pieces
  Pinch curry powder
  1 lg. chopped onion
  3 cloves garlic
  1 c. dry white wine
  2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  snipped fresh chives or parsley (if you got it)

melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. add onion, ginger
and garlic. saute for 15 - 20 minutes. add stock, wine and carrots. heat
to boiling. reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until
carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Puree the soup in batches, in a blender
or food processor. (or your trusty immersion blender...i'm tellin' ya)
season with lemon juice, curry powder and salt & pepper. sprinkle a little chive or parsley. serve hot or chilled.
with a big ol' salad.

i don't think this kid would have liked the soup. or the salad for that matter...

kindergarten, i think...

listening to greg trooper popular demons

cadillac ranch

2011-03-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

dateline: amarillo, texas

way back in 1974, an eccentric helium millionaire named stanley marsh 3 hired a california art collective known as the ant farm to bring his homage to the golden age of automobiles, tail fins & route 66 to life on an amarillo, texas dirt farm.

it was created by ant farm members chip lord, hudson marquez and doug michels and consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the great pyramid of giza in egypt. (thanks, wikipedia)

i've been passing by it for years and finally decided on a closer look.

too cool!!

when you get up close you realize that they're pretty much held together by generations of spray paint...

man, i just LOVE this stuff!!!!!

listening to neil young le noise

tattoo you, maybe....

2011-02-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

dateline: oklahoma city

on the way to folk alliance ~ memphis.
this place is around the corner from KC and david's house.

thanks, but i'll pass.

listening to ~ abigail washburn city of refuge

snowstorm soup!

2011-02-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

ok, i admit it...i'm getting a little soup obsessed this winter...part of this health kick i'm on. but i'm down about 15 pounds since the holidays. diet and exercise...who knew?
anyway, here's one more pot of soup before i hit the ol' road dog trail again this weekend. off to memphis and the folk alliance conference. tunes and friends and NO SNACKING!

this one's a good hearty healthy roasted butternut squash soup. it goes thusly:

INGREDENTS

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 three-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 softball-sized sweet Vidalia onion, cut into chunks or rings
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
3 1/2 cups stock, divided
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

step the first:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss squash, onion and garlic cloves with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil; spread on glass baking dish and pour 1 cup stock over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Bake at 350ºF for 1 1/2 hours or until fairly soft and a little caramelized-looking; check on the pan every 20 minutes or so and if necessary, add additional liquid to keep it from scorching to the bottom of the pan. Stir once during cooking.

step the second:

well, with all this time to kill, let's see what we can do about all this snow...

got it! turn up the laura nyro greatest hits album you're listening to and run to the window.....now, do the "shoo snow" dance...."HURRY DOWN TO A STONED SOUL PICNIC!!!"

...plus it has the added effect of amusing the dog... ("what the hell's he doing now?")

ok, back to the soup...here's the the roasted veggies...

step the third:

Add squash, garlic, onion, and any liquid from baking dish into a stockpot. Add 2 1/2 cups stock and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper to the pot, and cook over medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes (30 is mo' better, sorry sev)...

step the fourth:

now i get to use what's become my favorite kitchen weapon of the year, an immersion blender. great for pureeing veggies and such. and much easier to clean up than a food processor or blender.

just make sure that you turn off the blender before taking it out of the soup. it saves a messy clean up and or re-painting...trust me on this one, kids.

stir in the butter and there we have it...roasted butternut squash soup!

aw, hell.....let's dance some more!! "AND WHEN I DIIIIIIIIIE!!!!!"

listening to: laura nyro ~ stoned soul picnic (the best of laura nyro)

(ps: found the recipe at seriouseats.com)

SOUP'S ON!

2011-01-31T20:06:00.000-08:00

anybody want to try a pumpkin ~ yellow split pea w/ saffron soup? best damned soup i've made all winter....

OK, then.....first gather up the following ingredients:

1/4 tsp saffron threads
10 cups (2 1/2 quarts) chicken broth
1 1/4 cups dried yellow split peas
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 15 oz. cans of pumpkin (plain, not pumpkin pie filler)
Minced fresh parsley

Bring broth, peas, and onion to a boil in a large soup pot over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, 30 to 40 minutes.


OK, we've got 40 minutes to kill....what to do?.....what to do???
well, we could run to the ol' home studio and see if there are any new songs in the taylor.....






guess not....well, we could always try to repair our favorite coffee cup from Sun Studios that we just knocked off the desk....good thing i'm goin' to memphis soon.








better get back to the soup before we do any more damage...

OK, saffron time!





ah, hello my preciousssss.....
In a large metal spoon, heat saffron over low heat about 10 seconds until dry, then grind 
to a powder with the back of a spoon and steep in 1 tbsp boiling water to release flavor.
and then........put on some bluegrass and play the spoons!!!!
OK, back to the soup.
Stir in oil, cinnamon, ginger, spoonful of saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and 
simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. 
Add pumpkin and simmer another 25-30 minutes or so. The soup is done when the peas aretender. Salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
mmmmmmm.....dig in.....
listening to: jaime michaels ~ the man with the time machine
(not ego...last minute check....it's being released TOMORROW!!!!)

it's not dead yet...

2011-01-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

...but it's gettin' there
my poor poor lemon tree....not so very pretty.
come on everybody, we can do it! clap your hands!! "i believe...I BELIEVE!!!!!"

listening to: buddy mondlock ~ the edge of the world

why i live in santa fe - reason #1267

2010-12-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

because the sunsets look like this....a LOT...

listening to laura marling

ahhhhhhhh.....home.

2010-12-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

dateline: my living room.

had a blast this weekend completing the "i'll be on your album and you be on mine" trade with george breakfast up at jono manson's kitchen sink studio. george's is called committing to love, mine is the about to be released the man with the time machine.
it was a joy to get to do it.

the guiding hands...

...like this?

...george likes it!

jono likes it!

we all likes it!!!

listening to the beau brummels station on pandora.com......laugh laugh...

gravy and meatballs at christopher's house

2010-11-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

dateline: san anselmo, california

here's the happy ending to a relaxing day off on the road spent cooking a little italian food for my hosts. left to right it's christopher smith, his mom mary lou, wife sabrina and son matthew...

how did we get here? well, first off i gathered the ingredients for the gravy...

1 28 oz can crushed tomato

1/2 cup dry red wine (at least)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp oregano (or so)

3 TBS chopped parsley

1/2 tsp basil (or so)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 cop chopped onion

1 large piece salt pork (1 pkg)

3/4 tsp salt

3 TBS grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp sugar (to taste)

1 bay leaf

start by browning the salt pork in 2 TBS good olive oil

add the onion and cook over medium heat til soft, then add the garlic...cook til it get's nice and aromatic (careful, don't burn it!), then add the rest of the ingredients...bring to a near boil then set it to simmer on low for as long as you can, at least a couple of hours...3 or 4 is better...

now relax, enjoy the aromas....watch the sunset reflected in the pool...

have a little wine...

OK! time to make the meatballs. again, gather the ingredients...

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 1/2 cups torn Italian bread (no crust)
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 TBS chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper
3 TBS grated Parmesan

combine bread and milk in a large bowl. let stand for 5 minutes. add ground

beef, ground pork, eggs, 3 TBS parsley, 3 TBS Parmesan, the 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. blend well. form into the meatball size of your choice.

it's all in the fingertips...

now, just brown the meatballs in a little olive oil in a skillet, add them to the gravy (with some browned hot italian sausage links if you like)...cook for another half hour or three, discard the salt pork, fix your favorite pasta...pour some more wine and, TA DA!...

mmmmmmmmm........

listening to michael hedges breakfast in the field

what in the sam hill?....

2010-11-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

dateline: maryhill, oregon

well, for starters, as much as we'd like him to be, sam is NOT the origin of the saying. he was, however, one interesting cat...

sam was the son of a civil war era abolitionist physician. after attending harvard, he became a successful lawyer and ultimately became obsessed with building roads in the northwest. he built what was basically a versailles-like home on a bluff overlooking the columbia river gorge, naming it after his daughter, mary. his wife apparently wasn't too enamored of the northwestern weather so sam, along with queen marie of rumania, a famous dancer named loie fuller and san francisco sugar heiress alma de bretteville spreckels turned the property into the art museum it is today. (for the longer story, and there's a lot more, click here)

when you first pull into the grounds you encounter this beautiful sculpture garden. from the warning signs, ("be careful, they bite!"), i gather that there are quite a few peacocks wandering the premises in the warmer weather. didn't see any, although the signs did remind me that i was once chased around the grounds of an inn in vermont by a couple of pissed off geese....anyway, on to the sculptures...

next time: turns out sam liked to collect these extraordinary chess sets from around the world and was also good buddies with auguste rodin.......not to mention the 3/4 size replica of stonehenge...

listening to michael troy mill town boy

what a day!

2010-11-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

dateline: columbia river gorge

this is how the day ended...tune in tomorrow for pictures from the maryville museum and the stonehenge monument...i'd post the photos now but there's a jacuzzi in my hotel room and i'm whipped...

listening to jim reilley the return of buddy cruel

WHAT THE...???

2010-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

dateline: wenatchee, washington

what i've learned about wenatchee:

they like flying cars here

and they have some very interesting signs

and apparently the beatles played here last night at the local eagles aire...wait, what??? oh, a tribute band...still, the sign was rather startling...oh, how the mighty have fallen...at least they were billed above the prime rib dinner...

oh, and i survived another birthday on the road...

listening to the remastered beatles revolver...only seems right...

round and round and round we go...

2010-11-04T23:19:00.000-07:00

dateline: highway 99 north to portland

some days start with a field of pumpkins...

then you drive some more and come upon albany, oregon and a sign for the carousel museum. when i was a kid, there was a beautifully restored italian carousel at roger williams park in providence. i loved it, the sounds, the lights, the ornately carved animals...didn't care much for the horses that went up and down...

turns out there is a project going on in albany to build a victorian carousel. it's an all volunteer project with carvers and painters and sanders and fundraisers all donating their time. it's called "the albany brass ring carousel and museum"... too cool!

here's a model of the finished carousel...projected finish date around 2015...

the new carousel is being built around a mechanism from 1909 built by a famous carousel maker named william dentzel...supposedly the last one he made. it was donated to the project by the dentzel family.

of course they will need music

some of the carvings in progress

my favorite...the more ornate carvings are on the right side of the animals, the side facing out...

you can see the laminated pieces of wood these figures start with on this soon to be

dragon...that's the carver's hand...these folks LOVE what they're doing!

the museum part had carousel figures from the 19th century

here's a link to the museum's web site ~ www.albanybrassring.com

listening to jimmy webb ~ just across the river

over the river and through...the parking lot

2010-11-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

decided to walk over the bridge into town...a little exercise, a little view....told
the desk clerk i was waiting to walk over til the weather was nice.  "this
is the nice weather."  oh.

and on the other side on the docks, the hatch of the good ship "sea wynd"...

on halloween there was this kid...he was having a blast. iIt was like he had reached the age where he finally understood the IMPLICATION of this whole costume/trick or treat/candy thing...he was laughing and thanking everyone on the street...i think, thanking them for INVENTING this thing...."WOW, who came up with THIS idea?"

listening to aimee mann ~ @#%&*! smilers

and now i've been to florence, oregon...

2010-10-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

...and masssachusetts (is the miss flo diner still there?), florence in south carolina and the original firenze...

the view from the balcony of old town florence over the bridge.

the bridge

and again

listening to the buffalo springfield reunion

top ten things you don't wish to hear when on the road....

2010-10-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

dateline: florence, oregon

number seven...upon arrival at a (locked) coffeeshop gig in coos bay (from the owner of the guitar shop next door)..."they locked the place up on tuesday, haven't seem 'em since...". one lone poster (mine) in the window...and i could have really used a cup of coffee...

so, instead i'm up the road in florence...one of those places where the trees grow right up to the shoreline...off-season, got a view of the bay...all in all...

listening to fabrizio de andre ~ cruze de ma

glory glory, hallelujah!

2010-10-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

...and thank you president theodore roosevelt...

nice to know there's a free speech zone...

OCEAN!!!!

busy busy busy

2010-10-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

dateline: san jose, california

having such a great time at the FAR-West folk alliance confab that there's been no time to tell you about it!

da road...

2010-10-23T01:13:00.000-07:00

dateline - pyramid lake, california

because sometimes you just need to pull over and look....

Ah, the DIY life...

2010-10-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Dateline: Pasadena, California

another fun day off on the road...update website, check...create new DVD for myself and the other Bat Kat artists, check...sign up for a nimbit.com account, check...draft of an email announcement for the "black river" single and the new CD....well, i'm working on that.........contact the refrigerator repairman back home in santa fe and then the parts place and then get the right parts ordered and delivered to the repairman.....well, that's where the wine comes in.

not a total DIY guy, though. here's the cover to the black river single and the cover to the soon to be released the man in the time machine album...both courtesy of italian photographer raoul iacometti and santa fe graphic artist andrea multari at whole brain design

looking forward to tomorrow night's show at the firefly bistro...

buckhorn opera house and saloon (part 2)

2010-10-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

dateline pinos altos, nm

the locals (watched over by sally)

oh, and the buffalo...mustn't forget the buffalo...

very special guest mike sautter...hadn't seen him in about 17 years

mike and his bride pookie...

(sister of my old partner david truly...of truly dangerous swamp band fame)

...by the second night, i noticed she was carrying a gun...

AND you can see mexico from here

it really is a fun gig. i don't play too many saloons anymore. had a ball remembering old beatles and dylan tunes and jamming with mike on some of my new stuff. my buddy jono manson is playing here next weekend....try to catch the show if you're in the neighborhood...and i will definitely be back!

the buckhorn opera house and saloon (part one)

2010-10-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

dateline: Pinos Altos, NM

these folks at the Buckhorn obviously didn't get the "funky funky band house" memo...

...AND it's a great gig!

these dreadful commutes

2010-10-16T10:29:00.001-07:00

dateline: Gila National Forest

just another crappy drive to work...

i'll get through it somehow

i yam what i yam (and where i yam)

2010-10-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

dateline chester, illinois

see? ya just never know...one minute you're driving down a two lane country road in southern illinois, you pull into a small town and find a giant statue of wimpy in the town square...turns out that chester, illinois is the hometown of popeye the sailor's creator, e.c. segar...i was kind of bummed that the official popeye museum was closed on this early saturday morning. i LOVE this stuff...i once got a private tour of the roger miller museum in erick, oklahoma, conducted by an older woman who turned out to be roger's neice. she delighted in showing me an old school essay on which a 4th grade roger said he wanted to grow up and play songs on the radio...or the time i got a tour of the tom mix museum in which the elderly tour guide said, "you see that aluminum suitcase right there? that's the very suitcase what hit tom in the head and killed him when he crashed his car."....of course none of that could hold a candle to the time i saw emmett kelly's clown nose...but that's a whole 'nother story........

WELCOME!

2010-10-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

...well, this seems as good a place to start as anywhere. since one of the things i'll be doing here is posting photos from the road, i figured i'd start with my all time favorite road shot....i was on tour in italy and sitting in a sidewalk cafe in florence waiting to meet jono manson. we were doing a concert that night across the street in this wonderful venue, the teatro del sale...the camera went off without my knowledge and when i was checking my photos after getting home, there it was...