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.
A place to read stories, facts, opinions, ramblings and rants of your basic low income, working poor, old fashioned and often seriously disheartened Old Guy
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Weekend of July 17-20
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.
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!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Parade Rest Ranch cookout
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!
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!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Montana Wind
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.
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.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Ready for Independance Day in Virginia City
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
"Thunder Road"
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.
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