Sunday, September 30, 2012

Here we go again...

Well, well...Quite a job we've done "keeping up with it," lovl!
So, we'll try again.   See, things have been changing so rapidly and we've been so busy trying to make lifestyle adjustments...Better back up and restart...

We've "gone ashore" for a while, something we'd been praying about for some time--the opportunity to stop chasing gigs around the country and just woodshed for awhile, getting geared up for what must be, of necessity, the next phase of our career.

This was facilitated by Judy's taking a job.  She is currently the Dean of Girls at the Christian boarding school where our daughter, Rachel, spent her Senior year.  It'll give us a few months to make repairs and upgrades, develop our online skills & marketing, and do some recording!!

We haven't put out a new CD in an embarrassingly long timeIt's not something you just whip into a campground and set up and do.  We squirm at the idea of folks taking home a recording that is, by mere dint of its age, not nearly the quality of performance they just enjoyed; so that's our ONE BIG GOAL for this time off the road.

So, we will be available on a limited basis this winter in Michigan; but we won't be heading out to tour again until Spring and Summer, when we'll probably be working in the upper Midwest.

Meanwhile, stay tuned, and we'll try to make this an entertaining stop for you in your e-travels!



This is a cop we saw in Carmel, Indiana.  We waited several minutes for him to wave us on.

Dude never moved a muscle.



Art, go figure!

Hope to see you out there.

Friday, September 21, 2012

The 38th Johnny Appleseed Festival

Festivals, fun as they are, can be a real trial for performers.  We're usually "dry camping" on the festival grounds, and having to cart (or dolly) all our gear to any number of stages or performance sites during the event, often struggling through the large crowd traffic a successful fest generates.

Then, there's the costuming.  Period-themed festivals require authentic costumes, which must be acquired and assembled, packed separately, then dug out, freshened up, and donned for the event.  Every evening, of course, the costumes must be shaken out or (in the case of certain clumsy guitarists) cleaned of food stains, and hung up somewhere to be ready the next morning.

This time (our 2nd year at this festival) we were already involved in the new "onshore" phase of our life, in the middle of moving in, with Judy learning her new duties, which we'll tell more about in the next post.  Then, we dropped everything, reloaded the rig to some degree, and set off for Ft. Wayne.  Three nights later, we were back, nothing left of the festival but memories (and food stains).


Here's a shot of good friends and excellent artists Jim & Suzanne, illustrating perfect period outfits and displaying her handiwork as an apple pie baker.  She shared the pie with us, and she's as talented in the kitchen as she is onstage!

A nice feature at the Johnny Appleseed Festival (Ft. Wayne, Indiana) is a tent adjacent to each stage where performers can warm up (and otherwise find comfort) in the shade and out of public view.  Really nice not to have to stand in line at the port-a-potties!





Meanwhile, the audience settles in on the "period seating."  We find festival audiences particularly attentive and polite.

Colorful and authentic ceremonies from the past really enhance historical festivals, and this is one of the better ones we've seen.




In place of the carnival rides one would find at a fair, here's a remarkable human-powered ride we've seen at another festival that meets non-motorized period criteria, still providing quite a thrill.

As volunteers wind the ropes around the mast, the seats rise.  When released, the ropes unwind, spinning the riders faster and faster.

The screams of delight sound just like the ones you'd here from a gaudy modern contraption, but with no mechanized racket!
Some performers, like Dr. Barth here, bring their own period stage and put on independent shows.

This is a great festival, with loads of great performers and craftsfolk.

To find out more about this event click here

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Ohio Samboree

It was a Good Sam rally--they're called "Samborees" for those of you who are new to the planet--in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and they wanted a whole concert.  That's rare for us and our usually senior audiences; it's a lot of bottom time, even with an intermission, and there are other considerations, like meds, rally fatigue, and, of course, the bathroom.  Almost everyone stayed for the whole thing,


Here's the good-looking side of the crowd...


Don't let the midwest image fool you.  These folks came to have fun, and they did!



And here's the intelligent side...

If you're considering RVing, even for vacations, there are several RV clubs that offer a wide range of services and advantages that keep road life from feeling so lonely when you need help, and most of them hold rallies that create opportunities for fellowship, fun, food, daytrips, and shopping at vendors who cater to the mobile lifestyle.  Check out The Good Sam Club--one of the oldest and biggest--and they might even save you some dough on insurance!  They did for us.