Western Music and Cowboy Poetry

Merry Christmas to all

2009-12-24T10:23:00.004-07:00

Howdy everyone. I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year.

It is a typical Montana Christmas Eve today. It's 2 below zero with a little snow on the ground. It's interesting how the sky is clear and blue, the sun shining brightly and not accomplishing a thing! Pretty though.

I'm doing the regular Mint Bar Happy Hour thing on Fridays again this year. Without John, of course, who abandoned us all and moved away.

Actually, he'll be flying back to do a New Years gig with Country Traditions at the American Legion in Manhattan.

I'm doing my usual Christmas activities...staying in my house, staying warm and hiding from the whole thing until it's all over. Sorry, not much Christmas Spirit here the last few years. In fact, a few years ago a couple of my friends were giving me a hard time about my Xmas attitude. They said I just needed to quit being an old Scrooge and relax...enjoy the season. Their words did have an effect. They made me mad. I sat down and wrote a song that I get a pretty good response to, especially from other old divorced/separated/lone guys who aren't all that enchanted by the Holiday Season. http://www.cowboyentertainer.com/realfiles/gibson/xmasblues.mp3

There's another Christmas song that I always liked. I first heard this Nitty Gritty Dirt Band song years ago and have always liked it. I've been singing it myself for years but I haven't been able to find it anywhere. Youtube has it, of course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=452uszvh9XA .

Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all and I'll be back in the world again after New Years.

New (to me) internet radio link

2009-12-13T13:33:00.002-07:00

I ran into a really good western/country internet radio yesterday and I've been enjoying it. It's Rang Radio and the main website is http://www.rangeradionetwork.com/ . I found it at http://www.radiotime.com/ which has all kinds of online stations listed.

It's Montana out there still. Hovering around zero, sometimes 1 or 2 above and sometimes 1 or two below. A little bit of snow but mostly just cold.

I'm headed into E. Helena today to sit in with Hillbilly Mafia for a little while.

Just an update

2009-12-09T12:06:00.003-07:00

Not a lot going on in my world. I'm watching the thermometer get all the way up to 6 above zero today while the snow drifts and banks in places like Iowa are so high that the plows can't get through. Sure hope those folks in Copenhagen can get this Global Warming thing dealt with pretty quick! They should be holding their "summit" in West Yellowstone.

Friday was fun as Penny had me playing music at the Mint for happy hour. I had several people who were listening and stayed the whole three hours I played. Very enjoyable, good practice and a few bucks in my pocket.

I had a booth at the Townsend Christmas Stroll last Saturday. I had pool cues (http://www.nickvarner.com/), Music CDs and Reliv products (http://www.relivingpartners.com/) for sale. It was a lot of fun but no one was picking up larger ticket items that night. The people selling cookies did well and anyone selling hot drinks (it was sub-zero again) did very well.

I've had lots of fun with computer service stuff lately. I had one client who wanted data saved from a Windows Vista machine to a Windows 7 machine. He used Windows Mail on the Vista and the Vista Contacts list. He had his documents to save and Favorites.

The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard didn't transfer much of anything for us and the "old way" of saving the files and copying them to the new computer only kind of worked. Since 7 doesn't have an E-mail program (Big Bill wants us to use Windows Live Mail online) and the client wanted to use his Office 2003 suite and not put out a couple of hundred bucks for a new Office, the old e-mail messages wouldn't transfer over and neither would the contacts. I showed them how to make V-cards of the contacts (one at a time!) and I forwarded his old messages by e-mail. What a disaster.

In my opinion, there was no need to "upgrade" from Windows XP. XP did everything that needed to be done, easily and simply. These new Windows OS's are a mess and it's too bad that we are stuck with the whims of Redmond's Super Nerds.

Have fun out there y'all and keep in touch.

Reliv International Products...I guess I'm hooked

2009-12-03T03:53:00.004-07:00

I've mentioned the Reliv products a couple of times here lately. Tonight (this morning) I am very concious of the products and their effectiveness. At least, the ones I am using.

Since I sell this stuff, this will sound like a sales pitch but I just want to get the info out there for everyone. I've become kind of a missionary about these products as I see how much they have helped me and I want to get the word out to EVERYone so please bear with me.

Joann Shindoll got me to start with the Reliv "Now" product back in June. My only real health issue is that I am a diabetic but it hasn't been ( I didn't think) a big issue and I have even stopped keeping track of my blood sugar. I was just watching my diet and exercising a little more. Anyway, I didn't see where a nutritional supplement was going to do me much good.

The first thing I noticed was that I not only slept better but felt better when I got up each day. I quit starting the day with aspirin to fight my morning headaches. Then I realized that I didn't need my antacids any more. That was a big issue as I never went ANYwhere without antacids! I even have some in my guitar case and in the side pockets of the CD case where I carry my CDs for sale.

As I got more interested in the Reliv products and began doing some research, I found that their "Glucafect" has had clinical studies showing it to effectively reduce blood sugar levels so I figured I'd try it out. Since I don't keep track of my actual blood sugar levels, all I can testify to is how I feel. My diabetic symptoms have been reduced or have gone away in the two months that I have used this product.

In fact, the reason that I am up at 4 in the morning and typing this long missive is that I ran out of Glucafect about three days ago and figured I'd just continue with my "Now" product and not replenish my "Glucaffect". My symptoms are back already. I haven't felt great all day and here I am, unable to sleep and not feeling well.

I guess, if you look at the negative side, I'm in withdrawl mode and maybe this is an addiction? I'm more inclined to say that the product has done what the Reliv company says it will do. It has given my body the nourishment to take care of itself and without that nourishment, I have returned to the more unhealthy state I was in.

You can safely bet that I will be using these products for the forseeable future. I like feeling better and healthier.

Lots of fun with Craigslist

2009-11-23T12:51:00.002-07:00

When I bought my camper, it was on a 1986 Ford F250 pickup. I bought the whole package with the idea of keeping the camper and selling the pickup.

I put the pickup on Craigslist (http://montana.craigslist.org/cto/1476652361.html ) per the advice of several who have purchased from the Craigslist page. I've gotten one real phone call from some folks in Joliet, MT and several scam e-mails. I've so far not gotten a real e-mail about it.

Of course, Craigslist is free and I'm getting everything I paid for!

Colt Angell wandered through this weekend. He's played a couple of small shows down near Ennis and done fairly well. Typical Colt. He showed up here at 3:30AM, just the way I'd have done it!

Joann and I are doing more and more with the Reliv products. I'm literally thrilled with the health results I have gotten from using Reliv and so I've turned into a missionary of sorts. www.relivingpartners.com has info about the products, including lable info and clinical studies of some of them.

Anyway, off to Helena for the day.

Headed home

2009-11-06T15:37:00.002-07:00

Ok. This has been a great trip and I've learned a lot about many things, as well as getting my foot in the door for doing music in The Phoenix area. I found that most of the RV parks which actually hire entertainers have pretty much set up their activities schedule for the winter by now. However, the good news is that they often select their entertainers from an April showcase which Sally, from the Queen Valley Rv Resort says she will help me become involved with.

Also, there is a lot of music opportunity in that area in the bars and restaraunts. They don't seem to pay much but they have frequent shows and I talked with some performers who have been playing the same weekly gig for years now. If I can go down there with more time to just bum around, I can probably find several small gigs.

Now, to my personal observations. This trip has been fairly expensive as, although I made some travelling cash with gigs (and a couple of good pool games, although those are kind of cancelled out by the BAD pool losses!) I've put out a bunch of gas money; not counting the dead transmission. But, I have a renewed appreciation and love for all my friends out there.

When I was getting ready for this trip, I e-mailed Terri Taylor and she helped me find people who would hire me for gigs. I visited with my friends Charlie and Kathy Camden and there is no way to express how much help they always are. Kathy for one will feed me until I can't be fed any more!! Sam Mattise helped me find a good reputable Transmission Repair place when I was in trouble in Boise. Bobby Hunter and Alan and Corean Romreill at the Fruitland Gathering were very nice and helpful and also fed me very well.

As to my transmission dying in Boise, I'd have had to cancel everything and limp home in 2nd gear if not for my best friend, Joann Shindoll. What is a Musician without a girlfriend? Homeless. She rescued me big-time!

After that, I stayed with Wayne and Becky Nelson for a few days. Wayne has become one of my closest friends and I wish I could have remained parked in their yard for much longer. I always look forward to time spent with those two.

Once I got down to the Phoenix area, I found that Bev Hunsaker (Crozier) who used to live in the Lewiston, ID area, now lives in Mesa, AZ. Bev was extremely nice to me, letting me park in front of her house for a week while I checked into work opportunities, feeding me very well, giving me free run of her home, chauffering me around town while I hunted pool halls...I can't thank her and her family enough for the help and hospitality. Her friend Mike put a new alternator into my pickup (love those mechanical probs!) to help me get on my way.

Colt Angell has a gig in the St. Anthony, ID area this weekend which he would normally do quite well on his own but he's inviting me to join him and make a little cash. I'm taking the Charity!

Anyway, all of this and a general thanks to all my friends out there who have supported me in this an other endeavors are to restate something that I've learned the hard way before but needs to be reinforced once in a while.

There can be no value placed on friends. Those of you who support me, help me and I know are just out there, watching and cheering (or saying..."Aaahhh sh%^" with me once in a while) are what keeps me going day by day. I don't have much (any?) money or fancy possessions but I feel so blessed and humbled by my many friends. Without friends, nothing much in this life matters. Thank you and I hope to see all of you soon.

In Phoenix

2009-10-29T12:05:00.002-06:00

Well, I got to Phoenix yesterday afternoon. Happily, Bev Crozier (Hunsaker) lives in Mesa so I have a friend I can sponge off of for a few days if necessary.

I went out to Main Street Billiards in Mesa last night and lost a few bucks. Oh well. The life of a ramblin' gamblin' man, I guess. I'm getting a little tired of playing in tournaments and finishing 4th when they pay the first three. I do it all the time!

I'm just hangin' out at Bev's for today and probably will go back to the pool hall and try another tournament tonight...maybe.

Who knows what I'll be doing after the show at the Queen Valley RV Resort Saturday? Maybe head home, maybe try to get something else going here. At least I don't have to run my furnace!

Driftin' south

2009-10-26T13:09:00.003-06:00

Well, i spent the night in Page last night. I checked out all the bars pretty quickly as they were all within walking distance of the mall where I parked the house. I found one place where I could get a few pool games and no place to play music. I made a few bucks on the pool table and then went to bed.

This morning, I left Page and headed south on 89. You go over a pretty steep pass and through a cut that is more like a tunnel. On the south side, there is a scenic viewpoint. At 9:00 in the morning there were several Navajo ladies setting up vendor tables with jewelry and pottery. I'd say this is the best location for that in the area as all the buses stop at the scenic view and many of the passing cars do also. I was about ready to ask it they would like music!

The views here are fantastic. Miles and miles of red sandstone, canyons, sagebrush and sand. The only camera I have with me is a disposable film type so until I get stuff developed and scanned, I won't be able to share it all with you here. I will when I can.

I'm in Tuba City looking around for a while and then on to the Grand Canyon. So far I haven't really spent much more on this trip than I have made (other than the transmission, but I'm repressing that thought) so it has been a fairly inexpensive vacation to this point.

In Elsinore, UT

2009-10-24T15:17:00.003-06:00

The Fruitland Gathering was a lot of fun but I definitely didn't sell $2400 worth of CDs! Actually I only sold five CDs there. I had done better at the bar in Nez Perce, ID.

I went to Pocatello Sunday to try and get in a pool tournament but they didn't have enough entrants to do their weekly tourney so we just played a few games. Here these guys were to enter a tournament anyway but they wouldn't play games for cash. I found one guy who was willing to play for.....$1.....a game but didn't get too excited about that.

I guess it's better than losing big like I did in Boise.

I stayed with Wayne Nelson for a few days. While I was there, we went out to visit an old friend of my Dad's. We had quite a good get-together that evening and it was nice to hear stories about Dad and the things he did.

Last night, I headed south. The traffic in SLC was as bad as any I've put up with and I was glad to get south of there and out into the open a little.

I stopped in Nephi, UT last night. There is one bar in town with one pool table therein. They wanted a $3 cover charge because they had Karaoke going on. There were very few people in the bar at all and no one playing pool so I told the lady they would have to pay ME to stay and listen to Karaoke and I wound up going to bed early. Oh well, nothing wrong with a little sleep.

Richfield and Elsinore both look about the same. Maybe no pool 'til I get out of Utah and into the real world.

Off to a Great Start!!

2009-10-16T12:12:00.002-06:00

Ok, I left Camdens Tuesday morning (late morning) and headed to Boise. Just south of McCall, ID my pickup quit shifting gears correectly. I wound up driving most of the way to Boise in 2nd gear, watching my RPMs to try and not destroy my engine.

Wednesday, I took it to Bobby's Transmission in Meridian, ID (a suburb of Boise). They found that I had burned out my 3rd gear and we had to replace my transmission. So now, instead of being a few dollars ahead on expenses I'm in the red...$2400.00!

I wonder if I can sell that many CDs in Fruitland?

Still in Nez Perce

2009-10-12T14:24:00.002-06:00

Other than the record cold temperatures (can you say: "Global Warming"?) I've had a great time this weekend.

I got to Nez Perce about 6PM Friday and got my camper set up in Charlie Camden's yard. I visited with Charlie and Kathy for a while and then Jeff Camden and I went to O'Brien's bar and played a couple of games of pool. A couple of the locals tried me for $5 a game so I made a little gas money and then even sold a CD so that helped even more.

There were at least 50 people here Saturday at the get-together for Charlie Camden. even though it was kind of chilly for these "southern folks" we still set up an outdoor stage and took turns with music and poetry. Charlie even got up and sang "Diana" while Bill Chiles, Bodie Dominguez, Jim Aasen and I accompanied him on guitars.

Once everyone got frozen out and most left, Bill Chiles and I went down to the bar and jammed for a while. Ok tips and I sold a bunch more CDs so it made for a very good weekend so far.

I went hunting with Jeff and Connie Camden Sunday morning and we saw a bunch of deer. Jeff was never in the right place at the right time so all the deer we saw are still out there! It was 0 degrees Sunday morning here! I'm using all my propane keeping the furnace running so much but at least the camper is nice and warm and my water hasn't frozen.

I think I'll stay here tonight and head for Boise tomorrow. The forcast is for a little bit warmer weather and I can sure use it. Already will have to fill at least one propane tank. Expenses, expenses.

Tell me more about Global Warming!

2009-10-09T08:56:00.002-06:00

What a perfect day for me to begin a journey with it's ultimate(?) goal as the deserts of Arizona. It's 16 degrees here this morning with a dusting of snow. I am OOH...Out Of Here!

Headed South

2009-10-08T18:58:00.002-06:00

I'll be out of here in the morning, headed to Nez Perce, ID to visit with my friends Charlie and Kathy Camden. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

From there, I'll head down to Boise and see a cousing whom I haven't seen in 30+ years and on the 16th and 17th I'll be at the Six Rivers Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Fruitland, Idaho.

Anyway, the camper's loaded; food in the pantry and the fridge, clothes in the closet, CDs, guitars and pool cues ready to try and make me some gas money. What else could I need?

Maybe I'll see ya out there somewhere.

On my way south

2009-10-02T02:12:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted here in a long time so here I am, trying to get back on track. There actually is a lot to tell everyone for a change.

Montana's summer seems to be over. Snow in the mountains, rain here in town and a little chilly. The cookouts are over at Parade Rest Ranch for the season and Virginia City is back to being a Ghost Town.

I bought a really nice camper last month and finally got everything wired up and working right. It's such a great step up from the old bed/closet kind of camper I've been living in for so long that it's almost like a real house! Even the furnace works. And I'm sure everyone around me will be glad to hear that it has a shower.

Ok. My itinerary for the next couple of weeks is as follows: Townsend Fall Fest this weekend. Then, next week, I will be heading over to Nez Perce, Idaho for a couple of days as I have been promising Kathy and Charlie Camden that I would stop in and visit. Then on to Fruitland, Idaho for the Cowboy Gathering there on the 16th and 17th of October. After that, I will be stopping in American Falls,Idaho to visit with Wayne Nelson for a day or two.

Sometime around the 20th, I will point my nose south and go through Utah to Arizona. My ultimate goal is an RV park just east of Phoenix where I'm scheduled to play on the 31st. Note to all...I REALLY would like to get some gigs between the 20th and the 31st! Anything to help with the gas tank would be very good!

Also, most of you know that I not only play pool but I also sell Nick Varner pool cues and other billiard supplies. If your computer is sick I can fix that. Now, I have a new product that I'm carrying with me (Mike Burns says that I sound like a mini-Walmart). I have been taking a nutritional supplement produced by the Reliv company for a couple of months now. Weight is down, blood sugar is down, headaches are gone...I'm thrilled and then some! So, I got involved as an independant distributor and I've got some of this stuff with me. Check out the info at www.relivingpartners.com . Just click on the Reliv Products button and check it out. Great Stuff!

I guess that's about it for now. Let me think...Talked about my trip plans, mentioned the camper, brought up the Reliv info; BEGGED FOR WORK! It looks like I've covered everything for now. See ya all out there somewhere.

The summer keeps on for a while

2009-08-28T13:03:00.003-06:00

Virginia City has been pretty slow the last couple of times I've been there. The cafe is closing earlier and there are fewer customers to hear me sing. I'm thinking it's time to "bag" VC for the year and just do the Parade Rest Cookouts.

The good news is that I am back at Parade Rest today for the cookout. I'll probably just hang out in West Yellowstone for the next couple of days, do the Monday cookout and then head home for the week.

I may have found a newer camper to live in. A refrigerator...toilet and shower! Wow! I'm hoping to pick that up this coming week.

I had a good night in Ennis last night. I even made a few (very few) $ playing pool. That always helps with the expenses.

Montana August

2009-08-18T12:47:00.002-06:00

What a boring weekend!! I had a good time playing at Parade Rest Ranch friday but then Montana's August temperatures brought me to a screeching halt. It was so cold and wet in Virginia City that none of the customers wanted to seit out on the patio so I didn't even waste the gas to go there from West Yellowstone. I just stayed at Parade Rest, shot some pool at eino's tavern and the Wild West Saloon, read some books and hung out. It was relaxing except that part of me was adding up all the money NOT being made because of the weather.

I played last night at the Parade Rest cookout and then came home to handle a couple of computer calls and I'll play at the Flynn Ranch cattle drive tonight. Hopefully, the weather will be better the next couple of days and I can get back to VC and play.

I told the guests last night that we really did have summer this year. It even fell on a cookout day...last month sometime. I think it was a Friday.

I was kind of hoping that the frost would have killed off a few mosquitos but i forgot that Montana mosquitos don't mind frost. It livens them up and gives them more energy!

Oh well, hopefully I'll be on my way back to Virginia City tomorrow.

At least I've gotten a few computer calls too so the cash still looks good for this week.

Will this be a wasted weekend?

2009-08-14T10:56:00.002-06:00

I had to come back to Townsend to get a couple of computers fixed. I have to keep my winter income alive to a certain extent! Now, it's cool outside and wet and rainy. I talked to the folks at the Virginia City Cafe and gbot the same weather report there.

I haven't checked with Parade Rest Ranch yet. I sure hope the weather doesn't stall the cookout today. That's one of my most fun jobs.

I've really enjoyed the Parade Rest Ranch cookouts the last few years. I have fun and the audience seems to also. They get a lot of people back each year and I've made some really good friends from both staff and audience.

Anyway, I guess if everything is cancelled, I'll go to Helena and see if I can get a pool game.

Another wet day in Paradise

2009-07-29T11:33:00.002-06:00

Wel, it's been a while since I updated here.

Last week I met Terri James from Sunrise Entertainment in Belgrade. A very nice lady, even if she is running a Karaoke business. She even talked me into singing a couple of Karaoke songs. I did amarillo By Mornin' so I could push my CD!

Anyway, she does a nice job with the Karaoke and even though she is "the enemy", I'd recommend her if you absolutely MUST do Karaoke instead of live entertainment.

We've been having pretty good daytime weather but in the afternoons we have thunderstorms almost every day. Last Friday, Westbrook was in Virginia City and I stayed in West Yellowstone. Anyway, it rained really hard in VC and rained him out, poor guy!

Some drunk ran over the propane line at the VC Cafe last night so they aren't open yet. I'm killing time on the internet while I wait.

I've been doing this back and forth from West to VC all summer. It's been a lot of fun and I've made good money but I'm to the point of losing days and even weeks right now. I'm not real sure what day it is or how long ago something happened at either place. It's a GOOD feeling. I'm slowly pulling away from the world end beginning to live in my own. I like that idea!

Joann has me trying a nutritional supplement called ReLiv. We know several people who have had eally good luck with it, giving them new energy, kind of fixing health problems and that sort of thing. I've only been using it for a few days so I don't have an opinion yet.

The Virginia City Cowboy Gathering is this coming weekend, August 1st. There should be several really good performers here and we will have a lot of fun. John and I will be playing at the VC Cafe during the day and he has a gig in the Gallatin area Saturday night but I will stay here. Colt Angel will be at the Bale of Hay Saloon Saturday night. You shouldn't miss his show if you can actually get here.

Weekend of July 17-20

2009-07-21T19:58:00.007-06:00

Friday was a really fun show at Parade Rest Ranch. We had a bunch of people and they all seemed to get into what I was doing.

After the cookout I was sitting alone at one of the tables, finishing my meal and getting ready to tear down my sound system. Anyway, I heard a grouse trying to talk some grouse-woman into "it". She, of course, was playing hard to get. They were in sight and I watched him with his tail feathers all fluffed out, his chest puffed up and strutting around her. Reminded me of older guys on the beach! She ignored him...just like the young girls on the beach!

Saturday, I went to the Madison River to splash around a bit and cool off. I was standing up to my waist in the river when I remembered that my cell phone was in my shorts pocket...under water. Oops. I was waiting for Westbrook to get there with some extra speakers we were going to use at our show for the Yellowstone Historic District. I thought: "Well, I'll borrow someones phone and tell him what happened and where to find me. Oh. Maybe not, since I don't know his phone number. It's programmed into my phone!"

I took my phone apart as much as I could and left it on the dashboard of the pickup, in the sunshine. When I tried it after the show, it seemed to work. "Whew".

The show for the Historic District was a lot of fun. We started out accoustically in the Firehole Room at the UP Dining Hall, playing for their no-host cocktail hour. There were about 100+ people moving through and there were times when John and I couldn't hear each other playing! I said: "Well, look on the birght side. If we were using a sound system, they'd just talk louder".

We actually had a great time and there were several people who sat near us as they wanted to hear what we were doing. Also, many of the people attending are old-time residents of West Yellowstone and so are people I wanted to talk with. A bunch of old friends. Many I had gone to school with. Most notably, to me, was my chance to talk with Jan Dunbar. She was the English teacher in West for a long, long time and one of my favorite people.

Sunday I actually took off. I went up onto the Madison Plateau to a place where I can lean back against a rock and look off across the whole valley. It is actually only about two miles from West Yellowstone and about 500+ feet higher so it's a great view.

Monday at Parade Rest again and then back here to Virginia City.

Had a great day here and it should turn out to be another great week. I love Montana summer, whatever day it falls on!

Parade Rest Ranch cookout

2009-07-14T21:21:00.002-06:00

We had fun at a special cookout tonight. I wasn't sure how things would go as I saw a bunch of (looked to me like) Highschool aged kids coming down the hill with a couple of counselors. I figured my cowboy/western (we do BOTH kinds of music) would not go over well with this bunch. Then, I learned it was a group from Wales...very different culture.

But, I learned long ago not to stereotype my audience. I did my regular thing like always and they seemed to enjoy it; all the way to dancing and trying to sing along. We had a great time.

One song that they could sing along to; that EVERYone knows..."Country Roads". They also liked "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore" and "Wildwood Weed". I don't know where it came from (she probably doesn't either) but one girl asked for something about Bonnie and Clyde. I looked at her in astonishment and said: "You know 'Bonnie and Clyde'? I don't run into many Americans who do!"

She looked kind of startled and I started to sing "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" (Merle Haggard). About halfway through the first verse, I said: "You were just making this up weren't you? You didn't know there was a song like this." She laughed and shook her head. Near the middle of the second verse, I said: "You requested it and now you're stuck with it. Sit back and enjoy." They all laughed at that.

Anyway, we had a great time, as always, and I'm looking forward to Friday's cookout. If you are around West Yellowstone this summer, come to Parade Rest Ranch for a horseback ride to a cookout and say "howdy" to me when you get here!

Montana Wind

2009-07-13T20:23:00.002-06:00

Ok, last Friday I told the guests at Parade Rest Ranch to enjoy the day as much as possible because last Friday was "Summer" It's over now.

Yesterday, the thunderstorms in the northern Madison County area rated an alert beep on the radio. Quarter sized hail and 60 MPH winds. A couple of the clouds in the Helena area started to develop tails and then mellowed out.

Today, I headed to Parade Rest and from Ennis to Quake Lake I was going upwind in one of the worst wind storms I've ever driven in. I wondered several times if the camper was going to stay on the pickup!

In the Hebgen Lake area the winds were not quite so strong but they were still noteworthy. We did the cookout at Parade Rest but I used my bigger more powerful sound system as I knew their's would not be able to puch through that wind as well. It never really mellowed out and it started to get cold so the cookout kind of broke up early. I ate dinner in my camper.

Another show here at Parade Rest tomorrow then back to Virginia City for a couple of days and then back here. John Westbrook and I are playing at the UP Dining Hall for the Yellowstone Historic Center dinner the 18th. That should be a fun one.

Ready for Independance Day in Virginia City

2009-07-04T11:04:00.002-06:00

The cookout at Parade Rest Ranch went very well last night. I had set up the amp with a big garbage bag around it as well as one covering my microphone because it was almost certainly going to rain at least a little. It did.

As I got started with "Big Iron", the rain started in earnest. I finished the song and then, since I had a small crowd this time, I just went under the awning with everyone else and did an accoustic show. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I even sold a couple of CDs.

I stayed over at Parade Rest last night and then headed for Virginia City this morning, forgetting that the Ennis Independence Day Parade started at 10AM and I could see that I was not going to get to Ennis before then. I took the Fish Hatchery road across Varney Bridge and went around Ennis. It didn't cost me any time at all and I got around all the parade festivities.

So, here I am in VC, ready to start the day. Westbrook is here and we should have a great time!

"Thunder Road"

2009-07-01T18:29:00.002-06:00

I stopped at the Longbranch Saloon in Ennis the other day and found "Thunder Road" on the jukebox. The first time I've ever seen in out like that. I had a hard time, a few years ago, trying to find it so I could learn it. a great song.

I had to go back to Townsend Monday night and do some computer networking work Tuesday but I'm back in Virginia City now. This should be a GREAT Fourth this year as I don't have anything else scheduled and can just stay right here the whole weekend.

A great Virginia City Weekend

2009-06-28T16:53:00.002-06:00

John Westbrook and I got to work together at the Virginia City Cafe Friday and Saturday. It's always fun to have John to work with as his input and lead guitar really enhance any show. We've been working together for several years now and we often know what song the other is going to do without talking about it.

I left early Friday to go to West Yellowstone but I was back Friday night. We played all day at the VC cafe; had a lot of fun and made good money.

Today, I played at the VC Cafe on my own and did very well. I'm trying to decide if I am going over to Ennis tonight, preparatory to going to West Yellowstone tomorrow afternoon or if I'll stay here and play at the Cafe again tomorrow for a couple of hours. decisions, decisions. My life is just sooooo complicated!

Test your sense of Fair Play

2009-06-27T20:36:00.001-06:00

If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had a Republican Congress allocate 5.6 Billion dollars for a civilian volunteer security force, as strong and well equipped as the regular Army and under his personal authority, would you have been concerned?

If George W. Bush had proposed doubling the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed doubling the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had promised detailed tracking of the spending from a $785 Billion Stimulus Bill and then postponed that oversight until 2010, would you approve or would you think something "smelled fishy"? If Bush had promised 48 hour advance posting of the same bill on the internet and only released it two hours before congressional approval, would you wonder what was being hidden from the public?

If Bush's White House Staff had spent over $300,000 flying Airforce One low over New York (for a publicity photo flyby with the Statue of Liberty) frightening the city, wouldn't you have expected Bush to make the pictures public? Would you have approved? Obama won't give them up, but he will release the secret "torture memos".

If George W. Bush had been "addicted" to using a TelePrompTer, and was afraid to give a speech without having one, would you have approved ? Would you think he was intellegent?

If George W. Bush had pre-approved/pre-picked the list of reporters allowed to ask questions at his press conferences and refused to call on the correspondent from MSNBC (FOX with Obama), would you have approved? Is that a Fair and Balanced news conference?

If George W. Bush and a Republican Congress had given hundreds of millions of dollars to a group (the right-wing equivalent of ACORN) after its members had been convicted of voter registration fraud, would you approve of them to doing the 2010 Census, which will determine congressional districts for 10 years? Will you trust ACORN in 2010?

Would you have approved of George W. Bush moving the Census from the Dept. of Commerce into the White House and putting his Chief of Staff in control of the counting?

He's done all this in 14 weeks -- so we still have three years and eight-and-a-half months full of surprises.