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June
23, 2008
I usually don't want to include any "politics" in my
posts.
I'll leave the "opinionating" to those whose music has lyrics. Since my music is instrumental, it has the potential of reaching a lot of different people of vastly different creeds -- religious or otherwise ... different races ... heck, the music's played on six different continents! That covers a lot of political territory. And though I have some pretty strong opinions (those who know me well will have responded to that line with a wry smile and a hearty "amen!") I don't care for the current polarization in the American two-party system -- I deplore the tendency of many to reject an assertion merely because it's been made by someone of the opposing party.
But you may have deduced, from having read of my fascination with wild places, that I am a bit of a tree-hugger. Yeah, Greg and I try to recycle and buy recycled products when it's practical to do so ... we try to be thoughtful with shopping trips, in order to reduce driving and thus conserve fuel ... we plan our tours along those same lines ... we buy as much locally-grown produce as we can ...
At home, we've replaced many of our 20+ year old large appliances with new Energy-Star efficient appliances and have begun using compact fluorescent bulbs, subsequently noticing not only a significant reduction in the number of kwh used but a big reduction in our energy bills (about 30% or better, for those of you who may be considering a similar move). For some time now, I've given a little portion of the savings back to Florida Power and Light for research of alternate fuel sources. I'm not so sure that I expected much from the donation, but it did make me feel good, like I was at least trying to help make a difference.
But lo and behold, what should I find in this morning's e-mail, but an article, reproduced below -- making me so proud of my hometown of Arcadia, Florida, and hopeful for our energy future!
DeSoto
could become solar central
By Zac Anderson , Sarasota Herald Tribune (edited by Mac Martin)
DESOTO COUNTY - The county that hosts Florida's oldest rodeo may soon harness
the sun's rays and gain world renown in the process.
More than 3,000 Florida homes could begin using clean energy by the end of 2009 if Florida Power & Light receives permission to build a solar power plant in DeSoto County, north of Arcadia.
The proposed solar array, on 1,525 of 13,500 acres the company owns near the Hardee County line, would be the largest photovoltaic power plant in the world at 25 megawatts, according to FPL filings with the Florida Public Service Commission. The DeSoto County plant would be 100 times larger than FPL's photovoltaic demonstration project at Rothenbach Park on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota County.
"We're thrilled to have something like that locate here," said Matt Holloman, a spokesman for DeSoto County. "It's a clean industry. It's exciting to be on the forefront of that kind of technology."
The DeSoto project is part of an aggressive push by FPL to expand its renewable energy portfolio in the face of increasing public pressure to curb greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. The company is proposing three solar power plants totaling 110 megawatts, which combined would make Florida a leader in utility-scale solar energy nationwide. State legislators approved an energy bill this year that begins the process of creating renewable energy benchmarks that utilities must meet.
If approved, the solar plants could begin generating power in 2009 and would be fully operational by 2010. That is a much quicker turnaround than traditional power plants, which can take a decade to plan and build. They provide other benefits, saving FPL $262 million in fuel costs over the life of the project and offsetting 3.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That is the equivalent of removing 25,000 cars from the road.
"We're committed to helping address the challenge of climate change," FPL spokesman Randy Clerihue said in an e-mail. "People want cleaner energy," Marron said. "It's nice to see FPL recognize that. We can't just keep building coal plants."
The
DeSoto County Commission approved a special zoning exception in April to allow
FPL to build a power plant on the land east of U.S. 17. The company still must
submit a site development plan.
May
31, 2008
The anticipated short time in Florida has been unfortunately lengthened, as
our diesel van has been stuck in the shop since Wednesday, waiting for a diesel
mechanic to work his magic. Oh well, it'll be road-worthy for the summer,
right?
I didn't know there was going to be a mechanical problem when I'd scheduled the van for a routine oil change in a neighboring town (my hometown of Arcadia, to be exact). In fact, to maximize the efficiency of my day, I'd also arranged for Maggie (our dog) to have a routine teeth cleaning and toenails clipping while the van was being serviced. When I was told by the service tech that it'd be some time before a diesel expert was available to do my repair work, I rented a car and went to pick Maggie up, only to be told that she'd not yet come out from under anesthesia and could not be released. Hmmm ... what to do with my time? I tried calling a couple of friends, neither of whom was home. Aimlessly, I began to drive a little west of town, then decided to turn on the Second Bunker Road, a rural route which has a pretty spectacular view: looking back toward Arcadia, you see the that the town does sit elevated above the Peace River, hence its old name "Tater Hill Bluff." (Just a little Florida Cracker history for you.)
Next thing I knew, I was driving on the First Bunker Road, past some orange groves that my dad used to tend, past Oak Hill, toward Limestone. (Don't bother, you may not find all of these names on the map.) I saw the sign for "Solomon's Castle" and made the spontaneous decision that I would pay a visit. On toward Lily, and then the drive toward the castle.
Though I'd heard of this attraction for years, I'd never been there. I believe that Howard Solomon first began building his remote Florida paradise in 1972, after I'd already left Arcadia for college. On subsequent visits home, and even during a brief period after college graduation when I returned to Arcadia to teach, there always seemed to be something more pressing than going out to visit what I'd assumed to be just another tacky tourist trap. This day, I hadn't passed another car on the road for several miles (only great trucks hauling late-season oranges and watermelons) so I was very surprised to find a dozen or so cars in the parking lot for the castle.
And after paying my admission I was again surprised, in realizing that Solomon's Castle is far from being a tacky tourist trap. It is (a) a monument to recycling, the epitome of the old saying that "One man's trash is another man's treasure;" (b) a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a true artist; (c) proof that "If you build it, they will come;" (d) a lot of fun; (e) all of the above. It is difficult to describe in words what you'll find, but here's a link to the website: http://www.solomonscastle.org I enjoyed seeing old metal coat hangers made into a zoo that included a giraffe and an elephant. There were numerous sculptures made out of discarded oil drums. There were montages paying tribute to masters such as Picasso and Matisse. And lots of jokes and really bad puns about the different works of art that revealed a delightful wit. (Even the restrooms -- sporting an old "Rooms To Go" sign -- were labeled with humor.)
The tour of the "castle" is but a small part of the experience. If you're hungry, you can get a really delicious home-made meal or scrumptious dessert in the "Boat in the Moat." There's shopping, of course, for both Howard's works as well as some carefully selected items that echo a nature theme. I chose to wander one of the trails leading down to Horse Creek, and marveled at how long it'd been since I'd felt good ol' Florida scrub sand between my toes. Heck, with advance reservations, you can spend the night in the castle, or in the luxurious B&B that's on the grounds!
I'm not sure this event qualifies as "serendipitous." Perhaps it lacks the connection to divine providence that a strict definition of serendipity requires. However, the experience refreshed me, and reinforced for me the notion that there are treasures all around, sometimes hidden under our noses, sometimes (as in my case) for years ... and maybe it takes a little inconvenience or some similarly not-altogether-pleasant thing to nudge us in their direction. Yes, I'm disappointed that our van is still, as of this writing, waiting for the mechanic, and no one seems to know just when it'll be set right. (Maggie, by the way, is right as rain!) But it turned out to be a fun day, an enlightening experience ... and quite an inspiration.
May
19, 2008
We're home in Port
Charlotte for a short time. Gosh, the house looks HUGE when you're used to
living in a 28' Airstream travel trailer.
For those of who you may have become bored with my nature-themed posts (but who could that be?) I've a different sort of travel photo ... shot from the road, through the windshield, and since you are unable to guess its location, this is the sign for Exit #29 to Brunswick and Waycross, along southbound I-95 in the great state of Georgia. Georgia, the "Peach State," they call it, and we -- in purest affection -- call it the "Peach-Colored Barrel State," because neither of us can remember a time when we drove more than 25 miles or so along either I-75 or I-95, without encountering miles and miles of construction! God bless 'em; they provide a lot of jobs, keeping the roads maintained, and while driving in Georgia we've never had the fillings rattled out of our teeth from bumping along potholed pavement. Plus, driving more slowly probably saves lots of fuel, and tons of carbon emissions! Hey -- this is a nature-themed post after all!
May
14, 2008
We are now staying in what we consider our home away from home: Swannanoa,
North Carolina. Endured a terrific wind storm on our first night, but
since then, it's been pretty tranquil. We do love it here.
Today,
Maggie Muggins (our dog) and I went to the Biltmore Estate, which is currently
celebrating its Festival Of Flowers. The two of us gals had previously
visited the Estate's Riverbend Farm back in July (click
here for a recap of that adventure),
so we concentrated our sightseeing on the gardens adjacent to Biltmore
House. The photo at left is one of The Mags examining water lilies in the
Italian Garden.
Visiting gardens with a dog is probably as much fun as visiting a circus with a child -- minus the excited chatter! Maggie wanted to explore every path, sniff every tree, delight in wading through the ivy that covered the ground. Her senses must have been overwhelmed, especially with the scents of jasmine, honeysuckle and rose that perfumed the air.
I wonder how many people visit the grand Biltmore House without ever venturing into its gardens? The house, its furnishings, its priceless works of art are indeed a wonder to behold and not to be missed. But inside the house, one must keep moving along with the long line of visitors; there's no place to stop and take time to process the experience. There are several Flemish tapestries, for example, that have all sorts of Biblical or classical imagery woven into them, and I've often wished that I could pull up a chair with a friend and take time to identify every scene or event depicted in those tapestries. Impossible!
It's all different in a garden. There's plenty of time for contemplation, for study ... for simple enjoyment of nature. Take a look at the picture sequence below. Maggie had to choose to cross stepping stones over a rushing stream in order to continue on our path. Pretty scary stuff for a dog! She hesitated at first (so did I) but figured out how to get across, because she wanted to experience everything. Instinctively, I suppose, she knew that there were great rewards beyond that obstacle. If she were able to talk, she'd probably tell you that her instincts were right! It reminds me of a quote that my grandmother had in her house: "You're nearer God's heart in a garden, Than anywhere else on earth."
May
8, 2008
Greg
and I rested on Tuesday -- small wonder! -- but the last two days, we have made
little day trips into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Maggie went
too, and yesterday's visit was along the Gatlinburg Trail, which is one of few
Park trails that dogs are permitted on. Today we got up really early and
went into Cades Cove to view wildlife, and were rewarded with sightings of wild
turkey, groundhog, deer, and even one bear. We were absolutely blown away
by how calm the animals were, as if they know they have a safe haven inside the
park.
The
Great Smoky Mountains had human inhabitants for many, many centuries.
First, of course, were the Cherokee, who camped and hunted there. In the
early 1800's, Scots-Irish settlers came to farm, raise livestock, and log. In
1927, the states of Tennessee and North Carolina began buying tracts of land
which they would eventually give to the federal government for the establishment
of a national park in 1933. This must've been quite a hardship on families
who'd lived in the Smokies for generations, and a few resisted the forcible sale
of their land, though ultimately they lost their battles against the
government. Residents who agreed to accept a little less money for their
land were permitted to remain on it until their deaths, but their descendants
could not inherit.
The Great Smoky Mountains is the only park in the National Park system which was created from privately owned land. Lumber companies had owned more than 85% of the park, and had logged vast portions of it. Though I can certainly empathize with the hardy souls who'd carved out their daily existence in those mountains, their sacrifice, forced though it may have been, was a boon to us all, and particularly to the wildlife. When white settlers first came to the Smokies, deer and bear were described as "plentiful." By the time the National Park was created, only an estimated 30 deer lived in the park. Otter, once hunted for their pelts, were no longer to be found in the mountains by the 1920s; elk had disappeared from the landscape in the mid-1800s due to overhunting and loss of habitat. The deer population is now at an ecologically sustainable level, and both otter and elk have been reintroduced. About 1500 bears live in the park, and the park now boasts the greatest biological diversity of any area in the world's temperate zone.
After leaving Cades Cove, we slipped into Townsend, Tennessee, to pay a visit to the Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop. Now we're back at our campsite in Pigeon Forge, listening to thunder in the distance and enjoying a cooling afternoon rain.
To see more of our photos from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, click here.
May
5, 2008
Spring marches on here in Pigeon Forge. The dogwood blooms have
fallen, the brilliance of the redbud has faded, but now the rhododendron and
azalea are making their colorful statement. This beautiful rhododendron,
or laurel, as it's sometimes called in the mountains, grows next to the porch of
the music shop that's just down the path from my Dollywood
"shack."
Just as spring marches on, so does my own time here in Dollywood. Today's my last day ... by the time the park opens on Wednesday morning, there'll be no trace of Festival of Nations, no Celebrate Ireland, no Marcille Wallis. The next Festival on the agenda here is KidsFest, and I'll have to say, I won't be sorry to miss that one!
But there are a few folks that I'll miss very much. Everybody's been friendly, and 'most every one would bend over backwards to help out, but there are certain people who've done just a little extra to make us feel welcome. Frank, Sophia, Terry, Kara, Judy, Debbie, John, Ronan, Elaine, Marian, Sherry ... you've been exceptional, and I thank you!
May
4, 2008
Dollywood's a musical theme park, after all, and everywhere you go there is
piped-in music. Different areas have different "loops" that
play; in my particular area, the loop is a combination of bluegrass/old-time
favorites like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Cotton-Eyed
Joe" along with a couple of songs that Dolly Parton recorded with Emmylou
Harris and Linda Ronstadt years ago. Each day, precisely at 9AM,
the music begins playing.
But
the music I like best (besides my own, of course!) is the music that I hear
prior to 9AM: the music of the stream that runs behind our shack. It falls
over rocks as it makes its way down the valley, creating a bubbling lullaby that
is so serene and peaceful. Some mornings, from just up the valley I hear
the eagles "talking" to each other, and the combined voices of the
water and the wildlife soothe my spirit.
They do a nice job of water management here. Since the park is located in the hills, smart water management is a necessity! I rarely see water standing in puddles, even after a heavy rain shower.
In addition to the natural streams, there's a flume that runs overhead, powering a clock and several water wheels which, in turn, power, among other things, the grist mill pictured at right. And there are fountains and ponds everywhere -- and in the ponds, ducks. Unfortunately, I never got to see "my" ducks' little offspring, but some of the other ducks on park have already hatched their eggs. Soon, I suppose, these newborns will add their little peeping voices to the natural symphony.
May
3, 2008
Click
on the thumbnail at left to see Thunderhead, the wooden roller
coaster.
A few weeks ago, Greg's sister (Gail) and brother-in-law (John) came to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg for a short visit. John is fond of a good roller coaster ride; Greg and Gail are NOT. So I eagerly volunteered to ride with him. It's been years -- the last coasters I rode were in Tampa's Busch Gardens, and I can't really remember how long it's been since I've visited that attraction. But I've always enjoyed the fast rides. The more dramatic the drop ... the more violent the twists and turns ... the better I like 'em -- or so I thought. Hmmm ... maybe roller coasters have gotten more extreme ... maybe it was the lunch I had a scant 30 minutes before riding. Whatever it was, ol' Thunderhead almost did me in. Who knew an old-fashioned roller coaster gave such a stomach-churning ride?
I know ... now.
PS: For those of you who are gleefully picturing me doubled over a trash barrel -- hope you won't be too disappointed to learn that the lunch stayed down. But I will confess that my skin had a sickly greenish tinge for a few more hours!.
May
2, 2008
This year's featured nation in Dollywood's Festival Of Nations is Ireland,
and I'm pleased that my music was chosen to "Celebrate Ireland."
In addition to myself, there have been a couple of bands: Naomi's Fancy and
Glen Road. There have been a couple of instrument makers as well, including
Michael
Vignoles, of Co. Galway, who gave me a beautiful bodhrán as a sort of
going-away present.
Music isn't the only feature of Ireland that's represented here, though. There are, or have been at some time over the seven-week period, a number of crafters -- weavers, makers of fine crystal, bakers of scones (yummy!). And Ronan Russell of Co. Meath, pictured at right, who makes baskets from willow reeds that grow on the banks of the Boyne. In the photo he's making a basket for me. If I come to your house bringing food, or you come to mine and I serve you biscuits or popovers, it's that basket I'll be using.
April
28, 2008
The dogwood trees
have been in bloom for some little while, now. I'd been meaning to take
some photos of them, but kept putting it off. Now my back's against the
wall, because a heavy rain last night knocked a lot of the blooms to the ground,
and a late-season freeze threatens tonight. So this morning I went out
with my trusty Nikon Coolpix, trying to preserve what may tomorrow be only a
memory. Although it was little overcast, I did manage to take a few
respectable photos, though no picture can take the place of seeing the actual
flower with one's own two eyes.
Copied from a sign I found in Dollywood: "According to legend the dogwood once grew as a tall, straight tree. But when the dogwood was used to make the cross, Jesus was so moved that He promised the tree would never again grow large enough to be used for such a purpose. It is said that the bracts of the dogwood flower resemble the cross and bear nail marks of the crucifixion. The red leaves in fall have been associated with the Savior's blood on Calvary."
April
25, 2008
The
handsome fellow pictured at right is Pilgrim, senior resident of Eagle Mountain
Sanctuary here at Dollywood. All of the resident eagles are rescues who,
for one reason or another, are unable to survive in the wild. Here they
have a fantastic home -- an entire hillside has been enclosed with netting that
keeps them safe, both from potential predators ... and from themselves should
they get a notion to fly away. I've spotted a couple of nesting pairs and
their aeries high in the trees; if I were able to get closer, perhaps I'd be
able to spot little hatchlings as well.
Dollywood is headquarters of the American Eagle Foundation. Rescued eagles who are able to be rehabilitated are released back into the wild. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, Dolly Parton supervised the release of one of the rehabs.
Pilgrim, unable to fly and suffering from diminished eyesight, cannot successfully live in the hillside aviary. Instead, he has his own large enclosure near the foot of the hillside. He's lived to a ripe old age, for an eagle -- he's 40 years old this year -- and definitely possesses the dignified look of an elder statesman! See if you agree -- click on Pilgrim's picture for an enlargement.
April
24, 2008
In
the previous blog, I made reference to our "shack," which may have
unsettled a few of you. "Jenny Shack" is the official term given
to the temporary booths set up for the various festival vendors. It's
actually much more sturdy than its name implies, and not too much smaller than
the cabin in which Dolly Parton, her parents, and ten -- 10 -- siblings
lived. There's a replica of that cabin in the park, and I've visited the
exhibit several times, pondering what it must've been like to live in such small
quarters. (And I'll admit to wondering how, with so little privacy, Mr.
and Mrs. Parton actually had all those children!)
April
22, 2008
Spring
is everywhere you look here in East Tennessee. I'm really enjoying it as,
having grown up in Florida, I never experienced the change of seasons. It
was the end of winter when we first arrived here in Pigeon Forge, and the trees
were pretty barren. Now the elm and birch are greening up, and the dogwood
and redbud lend their beautiful colors to the landscape.
There
are other signs of spring as well. Dollywood is home to a number of ducks,
a pair of whom have staked out the territory right behind our
"shack." They're pretty tame -- actually, they act more like
they own the place -- and I can feed them right out of my hand. In the
last couple of days, we've missed seeing the female, and believe that she is
nesting somewhere nearby. Daddy Duck swims back and forth in the little
creek that runs behind us -- guarding the nest? -- but paused to strike a pose
for the camera. Soon there'll be little downy ducklings in residence, and
I hope my own residence at Dollywood is not over before I get to see them.
This last photo looks toward the carriage shop, and I chose it because of the vibrant colors, another beautiful spring scene. Yes, I am partial to the nature scenes, but I should also give a nod to the exquisite work that is done in that shop. The carriages are meticulously crafted and look as if they offer a really smooth ride.
After today, we have exactly two more weeks in Dollywood. Though I've appreciated the experience, and met so many new people, I must say that I'll be happy to move on to the next adventure. The days in the park are quite long, and there's little time to do anything but go back and forth between the park and "home" (Eagle's Nest Campground). We've discovered a couple of interesting eateries on our Tuesdays off, but mostly we just enjoy sitting out at the campground, listening to the birds sing and watching spring take shape.
April
10, 2008
It's been quite a busy week. One week ago today I left Tennessee to go
home to Florida for a few gigs. The earliest part of my drive was
gorgeous, as I elected to go through the Smoky Mountains National Park, into
North Carolina and the North Georgia Mountains.
The first stop on my brief Florida tour was the Venice Yacht Club, to perform for the Sorrento East Women's Club. From my vantage point, I could look up from the dulcimer to see the sparkling waters of Venice Bay. Since I'd gotten reports of rainy, cold, dreary weather back up in Tennessee, I felt very blessed to see the sunshine.
Next day, I joined up with Don Pigeon for the Sarasota Medieval Fair. We set ourselves up in a nice, shady spot -- at least it was shady for a few hours. We ended up moving ourselves several times in search of shade for our instruments. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I hope Don (along with his wife, Carol) did too. One of my friends has described Medieval Fairs/Renaissance Festivals as adult costume parties, and this description is not too far off the mark. No one gets too fussy about the accuracy of their costuming, and I saw everyone from galley slaves to viscounts, serving wenches to contessas, their get-ups dating from early Medieval times to late Renaissance period. I'm thankful that we live in the twenty-first century, however, as we were all in desperate need of a very un-Medieval shower at the end of the day. It was dry and dusty, and we were caked with dirt by the time we left the fairgrounds. My nice, hot shower was a real treat.
On Sunday, I loaded up the car, including Maggie, my faithful "road dog." Though we were packed to the rafters, we picked up Elly Gilmore and then the three of us gals headed up toward The Villages. "Thelma, Louise, and Maggie," Elly called us. We laughed all the way to The Villages, and continued to laugh despite the downpour that threatened our Tartan Day celebration. Sure enough, around 3pm all of the other acts that were scheduled to appear were postponed ... but we were to perform as promised. Our stage was a large gazebo in the middle of Lake Sumter Landing Market Square and they dropped three of the sides as protection from the elements, so we were able to begin playing promptly at 5pm, just as advertised. I tell you, it really was a lot of fun. All of us (Don, Elly, Matt Miller, Ann & Cal Lloyd) stayed on stage, rather than dodge raindrops to make our usual entrances and exits. So it ended up being more like a Cape Breton Kitchen Party than a concert. We peeked out to see that patrons of the open-air restaurants surrounding the square were appreciating our performance, and in times when the rain let up a bit, we did draw a small crowd. The nicest thing of all was, as we were loading equipment at the end of the evening, a lady came up to us to "apologize" for the weather, and to tell us how much we are loved in The Villages. Right back atchya!
April
1, 2008
Yippee!!! We sent out the first batch of newsletters this afternoon,
announcing, among other things, the release of "A Mighty Fortress";
five minutes later, I took the first order! Thanks, Cindy! Enjoy the
music!
March
30, 2008
This
morning I went to a worship service in the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, just up the
walkway from our performance area here at Dollywood. Thomas was the physician
who attended Dolly Parton's birth, and, according to Dolly, had a real concern
for providing world-class health care to the mountain folk of this area.
He envisioned a Mayo Clinic type of facility to be located here in the Smokies,
and toward that end, Dolly has created the Robert F. Thomas Foundation.
You may not know it; I didn't realize it myself until recently viewing one of those "biography" specials, but Dolly Parton is quite a philanthropist. She started a literacy program that involved giving each child of this area a book per month; later the entire state of Tennessee adopted the program. I've forgotten the specifics of her other charitable causes, but it can all be summarized by saying that, here's a person who has enjoyed success and wealth and feels that it's only right to share her good fortune, to give back. I've always admired her as an entertainer, and I really do enjoy her singing, especially when she sings bluegrass and old-timey mountain music. In more recent years, I've come to understand that she must be an incredibly savvy business person, and now I'd have to say she has a prime spot on my list of Most Admired Persons.
Some
time after church, I managed to catch a performance by a loosely-organized group
calling themselves the "Kinfolks" -- family and friends of Dolly
Parton. They were great fun -- and were having great fun. They
played and sang a lot of music by Dolly, or by friends of Dolly, such as Porter
Wagoner and George Jones. The saxophonist in the photo at right is, quite
improbably, playing the "Orange Blossom Special!" Matt (our
fiddler), if you're reading this, rest assured he won't be taking your place
anytime soon -- you're still our #1 Orange Blossom Special man. You always
bring the house down! But I must say, this fella gave it all he had.
It was a riot!
March
27, 2008
We're
in Dollywood to "Celebrate Ireland," part of the Festival of
Nations. This year's focus is on dance, and I understand there's some
pretty spectacular dancing from Ireland, Russia, and Mexico, just to name a few
of the nations represented. I wouldn't know first-hand; we're still
getting ourselves adjusted to the routine, and so haven't had much time to check
things out. One thing I have heard is a fantastic Zambian choir --
glorious harmonies. Here
are a couple of photos I took this morning. Click on each thumbnail for a
closer look.
Dollywood's an incredibly nice place to work. Everyone is so helpful and friendly. People come to check on us all the time: "You doing OK? Can I help you with anything? Do you need me to watch your stuff while you take a break?" Get this: yesterday we had a little problem with our credit card machine, so we called one of the coordinators -- who'd already gone home for the day, yet she very cheerfully talked us through the solution to our problem. This morning, we saw the head craft buyer roll his sleeves up and help move a bunch of misdelivered cartons to their proper location. How many other organizations can boast such hands-on leadership?
Oh, hey, and rumor has it that Dolly Parton, herself, will be making an appearance in another couple of weeks!
March
23, 2008
Happy Easter! Hope everyone's been able to spend time with family, or at
least talk to their loved ones ...
We're enjoying a day off from Dollywood, and I've just had time to look at photos taken at one of our St. Paddy's concerts. Many thanks to photographer Terry Smith! Check out the Celtic Heritage website for scenes from Fishermen's Village.
Now that I've had a little time to breathe and to reflect on our "March Madness," I want to say how much fun it was. It was great having Steve Eulberg, from Fort Collins, Colorado, as our guest artist during the second weekend. Next up for Marcille Wallis & Friends: Tartan Day in The Villages. Don Pigeon rejoins us ("us" being Matt, Elly, Ann & Cal and myself), and highland dancer Julia Merchant will make a special appearance.
Right now, Greg and I are watching the other "March Madness": the men's NCAA hoops tournament. There's some exciting stuff going on, which by the time you read this will probably be old news. My favorite event so far is tiny Davidson College, the smallest school in Division I, beating Gonzaga -- and as I write this, Davidson is leading perennial powerhouse Georgetown! Hey -- is this coincidence? Davidson vs. Georgetown ... like David vs. Goliath. Hmmm ...
... and minutes later, just like the David of old, Davidson College has knocked off the big boys of Georgetown. What fun!
March
18, 2008
Whoa! It has been a while since I last blogged! Several
people have written to point this out -- thanks for giving me that little nudge!
Things have been crazy busy for the past month. While Michael DeLalla was working on editing and mixing my new CD (see January 19 entry), graphic artist Jeanette Gander was working on the artwork. There's more to producing a CD than most people realize -- a high quality project is so much more than just sittin' down one afternoon and playin' some tunes into a recording device. Now everything is in the hands of Patrick Dunn, my project manager at Disc Makers. It'll probably be ready to ship in another week or so. I'm very excited!
In the midst of CD production, we had to prepare for the Peace River Celtic Festival and the Celtic Heritage Productions version of March Madness -- St. Patrick's concerts. Our first concert was Friday, March 7, at Mainlands, a huge residential development in Pinellas Park, FL. In spite of the fact that we were under a tornado watch during the entire evening (yikes!) everybody had a blast! We had three encores and I do believe we'd have kept playing all night, except I spied the goodies that were spread out for a post-performance party. Can't keep angel food cupcakes waiting!
I spent almost all of the next day answering the phone, giving directions to Sunday's Peace River Celtic Festival -- and what a turnout for that festival! We'd gotten some good press, including a really nice article written by F. Justin Ossman, who just happens to be one of my former students. Weather was nearly perfect and everywhere were smiling, happy faces. Click here for pictures.
Steve Eulberg joined our band as substitute for Don Pigeon in the rest of our St. Paddy's gigs. He arrived on Friday the 14th for some quick rehearsal and then we threw him right into the fire -- of course, he's such a pro that we didn't miss a beat. Saturday night's gig was at St. James United Methodist Church in Sarasota -- just Matt Miller, Steve and myself. My favorite moment was a unique rendition of the Bill Monroe tune "Big Mon," performed by Matt on fiddle, Steve on guitar -- and church music director LaTerry Butler on synthesizer playing banjo in the right hand and bass fiddle in the left hand. It was hilarious -- and very credible.
Sunday was a killer for Greg and me -- two gigs in one day, and he was doing sound for both. But what fun! Both venues were in Punta Gorda -- the "matinee" at Fishermen's Village (Punta Gorda) and the evening performance at Blue Heron Pines. Then on Monday, we headed up the road to The Villages, and their HUGE St. Patrick's Day party, easily the biggest St. Patrick's Day party in the state, and probably one of the biggest in the nation. It seems that every resident heads to the town square wearin' their green.
Now we're (Greg and I, that is) on the way to Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, TN.
February
19, 2008
We arrived home this morning, after 12 loooooong days at the Florida State
Fair. Greg's sick and I'm getting there! But there are some good
stories from the fair ... I'll share when I've had time to recuperate!
February
6, 2008
Tomorrow begins the Florida State Fair (FSF). Our booth is pretty much
in place and we're sitting here in the camper watching the last-minute arrivals
wheel in. All day long, livestock have been loaded into the barns; I think
the first cattle exhibitors must be Beef ranchers, because I've seen (and heard)
an awful lot of Brahma, Santa Gertrudis and Angus.
I am not sure how old I was when I first came to the FSF. My earliest memory of the fair is the year that Roy Rogers and his beautiful Palomino horse, Trigger, performed. I was a big fan of Roy Rogers, so I was very excited! In those days, the fair was held in downtown Tampa. In my elementary and junior high school years, I came with my 4-H group to the fair. Of course, we were here to look at the agricultural exhibits, and I enjoyed them, but I also liked the rides: the Wild Mouse was my personal favorite. It was a pretty crazy roller-coaster, in the days before roller-coasters did fantastic things like 360 degree loops and accelerating to 65mph in 5 seconds.
As I got older, I came to appreciate the agricultural and educational exhibits more and the rides less. Guess once I realized that those rides were constantly being set up then torn down and shuttled to a new location to be set up again, it dawned on me that maybe they weren't all that safe! Another thing that falls into the "What was I thinking?" category is fair food. It's funny that we know so much more about healthy eating, yet the food currently offered at the fair seems ... well, I can't find the correct description here, so let me just list some of the culinary horrors that I've seen advertised while walking back and forth to our Expo Hall: Fried Oreos ... Fried Pepsi ... yeah, there's a stand that serves veggies and yeah, you guessed it: they're dipped in batter and fried. What in the world is a Turkey Sundae?!?!?
February
5, 2008
I'm
sitting here in the campground at the Florida State Fairgrounds, having put in a
hard few hours preparing our display for the fair's opening on Thursday.
Last weekend we were in Mount Dora for the 33rd Annual Art Fair. I've
spoken of Mount Dora in my Blog before but this time I'm including a couple of
pictures that I managed to snap during my break on Sunday. It's tough to
take a picture that depicts the beauty of Mount Dora and the amazing
works of art available at the show and the gorgeous weather. Click
on the thumbnails to see how I did. Then, next year, go -- you've just
gotta see it for yourself!
Leaving
Mount Dora for Tampa, we made our way over towards Wildwood to take U.S. Highway
301 south. What a beautiful drive this was! I'm sure the driving
(with our Airstream in tow) was very tough on Greg, especially as we neared the
sprawl of Tampa, which has had a huge impact on Zephyrhills and, to a lesser
degree, on Dade City. But between Wildwood and Dade City we passed through
several charming small towns, crossed over the Withlacoochee and Hillsborough
Rivers, saw cattle ranches and horse farms. We admired different styles of
"cracker" houses, all of which were built many years ago without air
conditioning, but have one characteristic in common: they were built to keep
residents relatively protected from central Florida's sometimes brutal heat and
pesky insects. As I recall -- having spent considerable time in many such
houses while growing up -- they did a pretty fair job of it. Trust me, I'm
no fan of being hot, but I still prefer being cooled by a nice breeze over
being shut up inside an airtight building that must be air conditioned in order
to be habitable.
Cypress hammocks, oak hammocks, and vast stands of Florida hardwood remain along this byway. I wonder what a developer thinks when s/he sees those uncultivated and unmanicured stands of trees? Pre-Interstate Highways, U.S. Highway 301 brought many visitors into Florida, but U.S. 1 and U.S. 41 were the ones that took these visitors to their desired coastal destinations. Now, as the coasts have become more congested and less affordable, people are looking to central Florida as a place to live and play. I'm not completely anti-development. I know that people need places to live. But I'm not entirely convinced that people need to own two or even three (or more!) houses scattered across the U.S. to live. The weather that makes Florida desirable as a place to winter is the same thing that makes Florida a good place to grow food, so I do get particularly upset when I see good farmland plowed under for one more gated community.
And I do like scenery -- nice, untamed wide-open green spaces. When I hear all the controversy and debate over global warming, I want to take those doubters who don't believe that mankind's practices contribute to the rising of our planet's temperature on a little field trip. And I'll challenge you to take the field trip on your own -- though you're certainly welcome to join me any time. Here's what you do: preferably on a hot day, go toward a stand of trees and almost immediately feel cooler as you get nearer the trees. Then, go stand on some pavement and feel the heat. Now, you may say that when you're in the shade of the trees, you aren't feeling the heat of the sun, yet while standing on the pavement, you're feeling the heating effect of the sun on your skin. Okay, then compare how hot you feel while standing on that pavement to how hot you feel standing in a meadow. It's just not as hot in the meadow. So ... all that heat from the pavement radiating up into the atmosphere, and someone's gonna argue that it's not affecting the planet's temperature? And paving Paradise -- wait a minute, isn't that a line from a Joni Mitchell song? -- is only one part of the equation.
How'd I get from Mount Dora to a soap box about global warming and the destruction of green places? Well, I guess it's because Mount Dora still has a lot a green and it's a pretty cool place. 'Nuff said.
January
28, 2008
It's been an eventful few days since I finished the recording! Arrived
home on Monday the 21st and immediately whirled into action, preparing for our
Burns celebrations and the Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival.
For those who may be scratching their heads, wondering what a Burns celebration is: Beloved Scots poet Robert "Rabbie" Burns was born on January 25, 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland. Now, you may be thinking, "I have never heard of this Burns," but trust me, you know one of his songs as well as you know anything written by Lennon and McCartney -- you sing his most famous composition, "Auld Lang Syne," every New Year's Eve. He wrote hundreds of poems, the chief themes of which are joy in simple pleasures, skepticism of the moral codes of the well-to-do, love and friendship.
Each year, on or near January 25, Scots the world over celebrate Burns and all things Scottish, often with a "Burns Supper." Our own celebration does not feature a full meal, but we have a concert called, simply, the "Haggis Bash." Haggis samples are served, and Burns's poem "Ode to a Haggis" is recited in unforgettable fashion by our own Elly Gilmore. If there's any way in the world that you can catch our "Haggis Bash" some year, you should. Trust me, though every Burns Supper has a recitation of "Ode to a Haggis," you will never hear it recited and dramatized the way that Elly does it! When she whips out that long-bladed carving knife, her blue eyes ablaze ... you've got to experience it to believe it!
I presented a short, solo Burns-themed program to the GirlFriends of Fiddlesticks Country Club on Wednesday, then our full band had a Haggis Bash in Arcadia on Thursday night and in Punta Gorda on Friday night. Each night we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 250-300 people in the audience. Don Pigeon introduced his heartfelt rendition of "A Scottish Soldier" to our band repertoire; Ann & Cal Lloyd's dancing knocks me out every time I see it; Matt Miller is doing some amazing things on the fiddle these days (a couple of times, I was so blown away by the stuff that he was doing that I forgot that I was playing guitar!); Jimmy Mitchell's piping is nothing short of incredible. It's funny, just when I thought that our Christmas concerts were about as good as it gets, now I'm thinking that these couple of concerts raised the bar again -- As It Should Be!
And then Saturday was the Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival, now in its fifth year. Am I being too repetitive when I say it was the best ever? Well, it was! The weather was beautiful, and all I saw all day long were smiling, happy faces. Toward the end of the day, when the Main Stage sound crew was setting up the All Musicians' Jam -- a massed performance that included eight different musical acts -- Don Pigeon turned to me and quietly said, "Just look what you've done." Made me feel good, and Greg, too, when I later repeated the comment to him. Until you've done it yourself, you can't imagine the amount of work that goes into a seven hour festival ... all of the e-mails, the phone calls, the meetings ... contracts covering every conceivable relationship in which every "t" must be crossed and every "i" dotted ... permits which must be obtained ... the safety and security which must be arranged for through the police and private security firms ... so much more ... then comes the big day when the physical labor begins! By the time I actually took the stage with my band, I had already put in almost the equivalent of a full work day, much of it very physical work! After all that, if I'm smiling at the end of the day, it was a very good day indeed! Yes, I was smiling, but once my head hit the pillow ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Now we're getting ready for the Mount Dora Art Festival and the Florida State Fair!
January
19, 2008
We wrapped up recording just a few minutes ago! Now it's on to mixing
and mastering and graphic design. Here's a look at the tune list, in
alphabetical order:
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Babylon Is Fallen
Day By Day
Deus Meus Adiuva Me
Farther Along/We'll Understand It Better By And By
How Can I Keep From Singing?
How Great Thou Art
I'd Rather Have Jesus
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
My Ain Countrie
One Day/Blessed Assurance
Rock Of Ages
Softly And Tenderly/Just As I Am
Sweet By And By/Unclouded Day
Sweet Hour Of Prayer
The Old Rugged Cross
January
5, 2008
All good wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
I've spent most of the time since Christmas, selecting and practicing material for a new CD. By this time next Saturday, I should have arrived in Winchester, VA, at the home of Maria and Michael DeLalla and Falling Mountain Music. I feel very prepared for this project -- hope I'm as comfortable when the "tape starts rolling." (Actually, we no longer use tape, but it just doesn't have the same ring to say "when the mouse clicks.")
When I haven't been playing the dulcimer, I've been watching a lot of college football bowl games. This college season has been perhaps a bit more interesting than in past years, starting with the stunning upset of Michigan by the Appalachian State Mountaineers. And these post-season bowls have been interesting, because of ESPN's very successful football prognosticator, Francis The Cat. Yes, as of this writing, Francis, who really is a cute kitty, is actually tied with football experts Pat Forde and Lenn Robbins in predicting the outcomes of 30 bowl games. You'd have to see this to believe it! (ESPN's since pulled the video clips from their website -- could Pat and Lenn, and, consequently ESPN, have lost some credibility on this one?)