The Bug Island Trio Rides Again - Thursday 6/18/2009

On the way home, we drove down Groveland Drive, aka the backside of Big Lake. Wow, it is really gorgeous back there.


Mom stopped so I could pick some mulberries. These are a weird fruit. Not terribly flavorful, but there's something addictive (to me) about pulling them off the tree and eating them. About one in every 15 is really sweet and flavorful.



The road home. That's where I grew up, on the left. Lots of good old trees.


The barn across the road. Mom's been taking photos of this barn and drawing it for probably more than 50 years. It was intact when I was a kid, but no livestock was in it when I played there. There were stalls and a few pieces of interesting antiquated machinery inside.

I'm so glad we went over and took pictures. A couple of weeks later Mom told me that it was dismantled. So sad to see it finally gone.



Met up with my nephew, the culinarily, musically and writingly talented Beans, in his apartment in downtown Columbia City. He served me this brew, which caused me to sing a capella with my mom and sister at an open mic later in the evening.

Yeah, the Bug Island Trio took the stage at Mad Anthony's (fka The Munchie) after Beans did a heartfelt, sometimes rollicking set of songs. We did our standard trio of a capella tunes in three part harmony : Music, Music, Music; Under the Bamboo Tree, and I've Been Workin' on the Railroad. Yeah, hokey old stuff, but we have some fun interwoven harmonies and parts and we actually got people's attention. A guy at the bar high-fived us all on our way back to our table!

As we left the stage, the host said, "Well, [Beans], this explains a lot."

I love my family.

The View From Behind the Band - Friday 6/5/2009

We were invited to lead a Songmakers hoot on Friday night! It's a fun responsibility and honestly an honor to be invited to lead a hoot. Basically, all we had to do was open the evening with a song (in this case On the Road Again) and make sure everyone gets a turn to play and/or sing.

Kat's singing. Bobbie, Kay, Jim and Nina (clockwise in the background).


Frank takes a break on the dobro. Terry rests and listens behind him.

I don't have the energy to make up nicknames for everyone, and there are no innocents to protect here.



Except maybe Hydra.



Joel dreams up another witty remark.


Barry!


The very cool way that Barry adds some shimmer to his cymbals. We seldom have a drummer at a hoot, and he's really great at reading the tone of each song and adding the right amount of percussion.

Daytripping - Saturday 5/23/2009

Cornpop has his own ideas about percussion, and he fits in fine. He makes this thing sing! You can catch him at Arnie's Cafe in Tujunga this Friday night, the 29th.

Usually Hydra and I go camping with our Songmakers friends over Memorial Day Weekend, but since Hydra had that knee surgery it just seemed like we'd be pushing our luck to have him going in and out of the travel trailer with it's high steps and his crutches. So we were daytrippers today.

The weather was perfect. We hung out under a big live oak tree most of the day. Broke for ice cream, reconvened for more music. Yes!



I've always been amazed at the way our friend Fireside makes his fingers dance over the strings of his guitar. An amazing talent!

Sometimes It Needs To Be Danced To - Tuesday 5/19/2009

I pulled into Lucy's to pick up some ceviche tacos to take to my writing group meeting when this car pulled up next to me with music thumping. Three teens and their parents jumped out and started dancing in the parking lot.

Random Camping - Friday 4/17/2009

Okay, even I had to really think to figure out what this was a picture of, other than the bug-splattered windshield of the Tahoe. Ah, it's Mojave Narrows campground as we approached on Friday afternoon.

I worked at home on Friday and Hydra had the day off. We packed up and got on the road in record time (12 minutes to hook up the trailer, which is amazing) and then the drive to Victorville only takes about an hour. We set up the trailer, made the flock comfortable and met friends for dinner at Di Napoli's Firehouse Pizza. Ooh, good Italian food and even better conversation.

Then off to a hoot being held near by. Sang some songs and enjoyed some fun performances. (I fell back on Teenager in Love because people can sing along with it, and it is precisely in my range.)

And this time we had the combination to the lock on the campground gate, so we didn't have to maneuver around the puncture strip on the exit lane when we got back after hours.

Songs from the South - Monday 4/13/2009

I received this lovely book, which I am reading like a book of poems, from my lovely cousin, Bells, with the following note (reprinted with her permission, in case you ever want to send me anything...I'll check before I quote you) :

"Ben Conley, the original owner of this book, grew through a hardscrabble childhood into a Methodist minister and later psychologist, therapist and author. But most of all he was an eternal hippie in the best sense of the word. He met everyone fully expecting that he would love them. He was environmentally conscious and into natural health long before those concepts were well received. He tore out the pristine lawn of his river house and created a wild jungle of a garden with secret rooms and constant surprises. He gathered rocks he loved and formed meandering paths. He looked a bit like Warren Beatty at his peak and had that same quiet sexiness. He adored, and was adored by his wife, my friend. He died last November as he would have wished. He just lay down in his garden and was gone. So take these songs and sing a round to Ben."

Am I not a lucky person, to have such individuals in my family? And they wonder where I get my writing skills...it's in the blood, I tell you.

What Part of New York is This? - Friday 4/3/2009

Why, it's CSI: New York, of course! There were directions cards tacked up at my freeway exit on the way home tonight that led me to this site, where CSI:New York has been/will be filming. I wonder if they'll do some sort of color process on these hills?

There's a lot of filming done out here. CSI classic, Duel (1972), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Reno 911, Bones, etc., etc. Lots of nice quiet winding roads.



And just wanted to share this lovely moment. The Palmdale High School chorale sang at the Barnes & Noble in support of a local literacy project. A percentage of sales went to the project.

The chorale is award-winning and that wasn't a surprise to hear after a few minutes of listening to them. I love that they wear tuxes and long black dresses, too. The director chose terrific songs and uses complex and moving arrangements, weaving the voices together in a varied selection of hymns, pop tunes, and songs from other cultures.

Nice little surprise for our Friday evening.

Here's an article I found about the dirctor, Mike McCullough.

Flat Brayden Learns Some Chords - Sunday 3/22/2009

Hydra took some time over the weekend and showed Flat Brayden a few chords. He practiced quite a bit and seems to have a knack for music.

Here he is on our last day of camping, playing When the Saints Go Marching In for the camp manager, who is very cool.

Guitars. No Cadillacs - Friday 3/20/2009

Now really. Is there a better way to spend the day than in the company of musicians?

We went in to Fillmore in the early morning for our Starbucks fix and to sit and read the Ventura County Star. The Voice came in for his daily brew and we sat and talked for quite a while.

We met up again back at the campground. Click below for a sample of The Voice's voice. Wish I'd thought to hit the video sooner!

We are so lucky to have found Songmakers. It's an amazing group of people.

Cheesy! - Sunday 2/15/2009

The incredibly dense mac & cheese I made for the potluck after the Songmakers Roundup. I can't have this kind of food in my house. It plays into all my weaknesses.

Hydra sang lead on "Luckenbach, Texas" while I did harmonies. We had an amazing bunch of bona fide talent up there with us.

Prep Day - Sunday 2/8/2008

Hydra boils eggs for the week ahead.

We rehearsed Luckenbach Texas with some friends today for a little single-song performance next Sunday. Fun!

Friday Night Lights - Friday 2/6/2009

After having our taxes done by a great guy in Glendale, we waded up the freeway to The Granville in Burbank for dinner. It was quite lovely to sit in the bar area looking out at the pouring rain.


I tried the famous berry mojito, which was delicious. Muddled mint, white rum and blackberries. I would say that with the creation of this cocktail we, as a species, have arrived.


Hydra had a burger that was mounded with bacon and mushrooms, which was apparently fab. I had the seared ahi over smoked Gruyere with basil and pine nuts and an order of the rosemary and sea salt french fries which we started with as an appetizer. The Granville is famous for its yummy sweet potato fries, but I was in the mood for my favorite tuber.

We launched the Tahoe back into the river that was the 5 freeway and navigated over to Northridge for a hoot. Yeah, as in hootenanny.

It was a very relaxing evening. Sometimes more than 40 people show up to take a turn singing and playing a song and singing along with others. There were maybe half as many last night, so we had plenty of time to practice singing "Sue City Sue" a couple of times before calling a member of our group who has been battling depression and singing it for him over the phone. It's his kind of song.

Hydra sang "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night," with which I harmonized. He backed me up on "Just the Other Side of Nowhere." The hoot host and I were sitting in the back finding harmonies to other people's songs and she invited to join her on "Across the Great Divide."

The musical equivalent of a three dog night? Three great songs, anyway.

Return to Unurban - Sunday 12/28/2008

I think every time I visit the Unurban Cafe, which is on the easternmost border of Santa Monica, on Pico Boulevard, I have raved about it afterward. Hydra wanted to go check out guitars down the street at McCabe's, so I hung out and wrote a bit and listened to the music.

This place has a very homey feel. So homey that it resurrects those wild ideas that sometimes grab me and make me think I could be happy spending hours and hours owning and operating a coffee house.

Sigh.

Randy Travis at the LPAC

We were impressed with all the instruments on stage. All of them were played!

It was a really fun evening. I don't listen to much country anymore, but I bought all his music as it came out in the 80s. It was great to hear a bunch of my old favorites, and I loved his new song "Everything That I Own Has a Dent." He had some good jokes and stories and seemed to have a great time, which is always fun to watch.



This poster in the lobby doesn't really do him justice. We bought the new CD, Around the Bend.

Red Rock at Night, Camper's Delight - Wednesday 9/17/2008

After work on Wednesday, we tossed what we needed for the night and the next morning, and the birds, and clothes in to the Tahoe and hooked up the trailer and took off.

It's only about an hour and fifteen minutes to Red Rock Canyon, and that gets us 1/3 of the way to our destination for the weekend : Lone Pine, CA in the Owens Valley.

We arrived at the campground just before dark. There's no water or electric, so we didn't even unhook the camper. We had propane, so I heated up some hot dogs.

If you'd told me when I was in high school that I'd be living in California and I'd have a parrot for a pet, I might have asked for my fortune-telling money back.

But if you'd told me that I would lie on my back one evening and watch a million stars ease into view while my darling played guitar to the rocks, I would probably have bought that.

Friday in L.A. - Friday 7/25/2008

I looove the Internet. I do, I do!

Needed to meet Braveheart in Hollywood. I got off work at 3:30 and didn't need to meet her till 7-ish. So I Googled the area where she was doing some counseling (she's going to be an amazing therapist, without a doubt) and searched for coffee in the area, and found Caffe, etc.

Quiet and unassuming coffee house with a big rack of magazines and newspapers to peruse. I read from Details and Esquire, a couple of mags I don't usually spend time with. Wrote about all the people I saw heading home or meeting people after work. Sipped an iced coffee. Aaah.


I parked my car a few blocks away and left it there when Braveheart picked me up and whisked me off to...


...the Hollywood Bowl!

You have to relax at The Bowl. People meet to picnic ahead of time at the tables or, like us, bring sandwiches and wine to their seats. You get to sit and watch the sun go down and feel the air cool, and check out people scaling the concrete steps.



And then, if you're lucky, you get to see Diana Ross! Great concert, really. She had us all singing along (as if you could have stopped some of us) and at a couple of points, she shielded her eyes and said, "I can't see you!"

So they upped the house lights and we all waved, and stood, and swayed. She did lots of Supremes hits, and a little something from Majogany and from The Wiz and from Lady Sings the Blues.

Fun night.

Celebrating Our Own Little Patch of the USA - Friday 7/4/2008

We started our weekend with a dawn hike around our neighborhood.


Overseen by ravens, quail, jackrabbits, cottontails and a coyote. We decided not to brave the expected midday 100 degree heat and didn't go to the big Acton parade. We've gone a couple of times and really enjoyed it...small town parades tend to choke me up.



This band was playing in the parking lot at Vallarta Market when we went there to pick up ceviche from their deli section. Refreshing on a hot day!



I made a cake. Just really wanted some cake, and making a whole one was cheaper than buying a slice of something not as tasty.

Half vanilla buttercream and half orange buttercream frosting. Yum again!

Crossroads of the World and Junk Journalism - Monday 5/5/2008

I was back in Hollywood to visit the gym on my way to Braveheart's. We used to meet in the Valley so I'd hang around over there between work and the writing group. It's really interesting to travel through neighborhoods that I used to know very well when we lived on the east side of Hollywood.

According to Kayte Deioma on About.com, "Crossroads of the World was constructed in 1936 in the shape of a cruise ship with a rotating globe on top. It was the city's first shopping mall. It was built by the widow of crime boss Charlie Crawford after she demolished the original building on the site where her husband was shot and killed. It is currently an office complex."

There was a Thai restaurant here for a while and that Hydra and I ate in it at least once. I remember thinking it was a really ambitious restaurant to build such an interesting structure. (Der.)



I don't know what this is about. Googling it didn't make it clear to me.

Anyone?

That's the very cool new & used music store Amoeba Music in the background.

Point Mugu - Saturday 5/3/2008

We drove out to Point Magu to hang out with some Songmakers friends who were camping up there for the weekend. We didn't camp because of various other things we wanted to do on Friday and Sunday, but it was a great day to go up there!

This is the way to the beach, passing under Pacific Coast Highway from the Sycamore Canyon campground.



There weren't as many people with guitars there as we'd expected. I took my bagel with me to the beach and ate it for lunch while sitting on this very large piece of driftwood.




My foot at the beach. As you can see, my original Crocs are holding up nicely.


Hydra joined me and we walked down the beach. Cool kite!



Can you see the Easter Island-like face at the tip of the outcropping of rock?

This area is one of the first my brother Joe brought us to when we moved out here. We came back here pretty often.

There's a place near here where the water undermined Pacific Coast Highway and it was rebuilt a little further inland. It is forever known as The Place Where Sundry Tried to Kill a Seagull.

Not that I actually intended to kill a seagull.

We'd only been out here a few months (from Indiana) and were not yet wise to the ways of the gull. We took a bucket of KFC out to the beach for a picnic. I tossed a chicken drumstick bone toward some gulls, thinking they'd pick it clean and I'd go pick it up.

It was not to be.

One of the gulls grabbed the bone, tilted its head back, and proceed to swallow it whole! We were horrified! I fully expected the bird, who didn't look like it could accommodate a bone of that size, to keel over in front of us.

Instead, it shook it's snowy head, fluffed its wings contentedly and blithely winged its way up the beach.

Yow. Never again. Even if they can handle it, I don't want to see that again!



The bridge from the other side.



Swallows nesting in the roof of the bath house.


Our friend's campsite and the place we hung out and talked and played a little music. It was a good day. We returned home with that feeling you get from being at the beach...tired in a very satisfying way.

Was a Sunny Day - Friday 4/4/2008

Hydra pointed out that there are even more gazanias popping up amidst the ice plant.



African daisies.


California poppies growing through more African daisies. Wow.

We left all this gloriousness to drive down to Santa Monica to meet friends for dinner and then see Susan Werner at McCabe's.

Every time she’s played at McCabe’s since we first saw her in 1998 or so, we’ve been there. Except that one time when Tom Paxton was playing at Royce Hall the same night.

Wow! Last night was one of the most amazing evenings I’ve ever had at a concert. She had Natalia Zuckerman there opening for her, and Trina Hamlin joined her to play percussion and harmonica. Zuckerman was interesting in her own right--very cool vocal style, and funny between songs--but the three of them up there together was amazing.

I have never seen anyone play the harmonica the way Trina Hamlin does. It was seriously awe inspiring. I realized I was sitting there with my mouth hanging open.

The passion, intelligence and wit on that stage was thrilling. Susan Werner is a terrific performer and songwriter. She's dynamite in person. I’m so happy to see that her musical career continues to evolve.

Seriously, if Susan Werner’s playing anywhere near you, check her out. Here’s her website, with tour dates.

Trina Hamlin’s worth a trip too.