My Daniel Boone Hat

Tonight I am enjoying a quiet evening at the historic Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea, Kentucky. My friend Carol and I came down a night early to attend a Saturday morning workshop. Jason Howard, an author and musician I met at last Spring's Gathering of Writers at Greenbo Lake in Kentucky is presenting a Memoir Workshop at the Loyal Jones Center on the college campus. We drove down in late afternoon, had a pleasant dinner at a local coffee shop and then walked around the shops near our hotel. My favorite was simply called The Quilt Shop. The walls were covered with amazing handmade quilts and bolts of fabric decorated the back of the shop. I bought a few colorful pieces and we chatted with the owner for a few minutes. The quilts were quite pricey - $700 to $1000 each but having quilted two this summer, I know that the price is very fair considering the number of hours that go into each.

Happily, I also found a groundhog puppet. Gizmo will be so pleased. He can't seem to stay away from the snacks, however.

Sweet Mary

Like most of the folk community, I am heart sad to hear of Mary Travers' passing.

I saw her in the late 1970's at Bogart's in Cincinnati. She was on a solo tour but she included songs we knew from PP&M. She was just a bit heavier and older than my vision of her but the voice remained the same. She did not need Peter & Paul to book end her vocals, she carried them well on her own. No one in the crowd was disappointed to hear her band doing a wide variety of songs, not just the folk classics to which she added her perfect harmony.

I loved her sultry voice, her long, flowing, blond hair, her comfortable stage presence and her flirty smile. Of my musical heroes and inspirations, I have seen most of them in concert over the years .... and I am glad that Mary was among them.

Hamilton Farmers Market

I was joined today by the Sweeneys at the Hamilton Farmer's Market. Jim and I played there a month or so ago and the two hours seemed longer. With Tim and Peg the time sped by. Carol Mahan and Papa Joe showed their friendly faces and took a few photos of us. We love it when our friends come out to see us. It makes us feel like we don't suck too bad! (That's an inside joke for those folks who criticize and "grade" other musicians). After our set we bought some fresh produce from the local farmers and some candles from the Candlemaking Hippies. No joke, that was their name.

We had lunch at a local cafe and conducted a bit of a band meeting. It seemed ironic that there was also a Hippie item on the menu at the Riverbank Cafe. I was sensing a theme.

We've agreed to get into the studio and work with our buddy, Dan, to record a demo CD. Should be fun.

After lunch we did a bit of bargain shopping on our way home then attempted a nap. Why is it the phone doesn't seem to ring all day and then it rings four times in a half hour when you are just dozing off?

Fountain Square - September 10, 2009

The Sweeneys (me, Jim, Tim Kelly & Peg Buchanan) played on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. It was great fun. Friends and strangers both listened to our wide variety of songs. The sun came out just as we started our set which brought smiles to our faces. Papa Joe snapped this photo before he took over after we finished.