So now what? Playing solo again. Did not ask for this, but am fine with it also. As I said in the previous post, I will miss having David at the performances. Though I also look forward to some aspects of performing solo.
I think that maybe I was needing a change too, though I did not realize it. My mind has been much more active in the last few days as I start preparing for the solo road. Working on songs, thinking of where to play, and even recording some for a CD. Getting a little excited about it.
Financially, it can be good. I can make less from the venues and still make more personally. There will be places that I cannot play, either because they only book bands, or the type of music does not fit. So what type music will I fit into? Not bluegrass, not new grass, or even crabgrass as David and I often joked about. I would say I am more Folk than anything as I like a wide variety of music, even some more modern songs. As I thought about bluegrass and bluegrass festivals, I got to thinking that maybe I was playing grass seed music. That is more of the music that Bluegrass was developed from. I know Bluegrass festivals have welcomed Doc Watson and Jim Hurst, but I am certainly not the picker either of those guys are. So I guess I will look more at Folk festivals when searching for festivals to play at. They are more welcoming to solo acts than a Bluegrass festival is.
Coffeehouses, parks, folk societies, restaurants, house concerts and other musical venues will be hearing from me for next year. If you have suggestions, please let me know. First I need to update my promo materials, get new solo photos, finish a CD to have available, set up my solo website, and update MySpace, also will add a Reverbnation site as a solo. Of to do all that, I need to be working hard on the music, so when I do get booked, I will be ready.
nelsonthomas.com is not available. Set up as www.nelsontmusic.com and also set up a musician facebook page as nelson T Music. And it begins.
Life is good. See you down the road.
Nelson
Friday, September 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Deja Vu all over again
I love that saying by Yogi Berra. It is both amusing and accurate, as it repeats the meaning of the first part. It is a little appropriate for me right now because of my performing situation. Around 1996 David decided to stop performing, and did not perform with me for about 2 years. This year he has made the decision to retire from performing and has been telling me of the plan all year. As it stands we have a few more performances together, concluding with the Oct. 16th show at Unicoi State Park.
I will miss him standing on stage beside me. I will miss his help in creating a good performance. I will miss his excellent musicianship and instrumental ability. I will miss having him to share a rundown of how the show went. I do thank him for all years and time we have spent to get as far as we have. Thank him for his drive to be as good as possible before putting anything in the show. Thank him for pulling me above what I might have first thought possible. I have enjoyed the friendship, the comraderie, and all the music. Thank you David for 38 years along this musical road.
We started on this musical journey together in 1972. Practicing in my parents basement for a couple of years. Then getting with some other friends and beginning to perform as the Blood Mountain Boys in 1974. Later we were in a trio with Jimmy Waters called the Morningstar String Ensemble. Then around 1983 we began performing as a duo, which we continued until now, except for a couple of years in the late 1990's as I said before.
I have a job in front of me to get my shows back to a suitable level as a solo act. That requires choosing material, working on instruments and arrangements, learning new songs, writing new songs, and being ready to entertain an audience and keep them involved. I look forward to this in many ways and there are things I enjoy about performing solo. It is easy to get together to practice. If presented with an offer to play, I need only check my family's calendar for availability. I can do whatever music I feel lead to play. There are definitely more limitations to performing alone, but there are also some opportunities that go along with that. One opportunity I may work on is to travel more widely to perform. I enjoy traveling and seeing other parts of the country and world a little more than David does. So, I may work toward having some small tours at times, at least try to have enough programs to pay for some gas and maybe a camping spot.
That said, I will always welcome the opportunity to perform with David (Buck) at anytime in the future. I do not know what tomorrow will hold. I was certainly surprised last year when I had a stroke. I was blessed that it did not affect me more than it did. I do know that it has affected me though. I see that more now than I did at the time it happened. Often before when I was playing solo, I would look up in the middle of a show and see David sitting in the audience. I hope he will surprise me that way again. I appreciated his support, and the chance to do some picking together after a show as well. While we were not performing together, he was continuing to practice, and even to play at his church on occasion.
You can never have too many friends. And a good friend is not easy to come by. I have always considered David a good friend, above everything else. And that is a very good thing.
So as I begin down this road again, I hope you will watch for me and come out to encourage me, and if needed, to make some constructive comments for improvements to make. The last time I was playing solo, I started a newsletter which I named Nelson's Notes (yes that is the name of this blog now). I may see if I can make an electronic newsletter to send out now. The newsletter was a way for me to communicate things I found interesting, as well as sharing thoughts of what was on my mind, as well as interesting stories, jokes, and other things that caught my fancy.
Already, I have 2 programs for this fall as a solo act. One in September and one in November. Starting to work on next year also. I have a MySpace account already set up, though I need to add some more content, esp. music. Next I need to set up a solo website. I am searching that out now and hope to have it underway very soon. Until then you can keep an eye on our http://www.buckandnelson.com/ site for updates. I will do my best to continue to send out some e-mail blasts as well. Now, as I so often say in these posts, I will see you down the road. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Nelson
I will miss him standing on stage beside me. I will miss his help in creating a good performance. I will miss his excellent musicianship and instrumental ability. I will miss having him to share a rundown of how the show went. I do thank him for all years and time we have spent to get as far as we have. Thank him for his drive to be as good as possible before putting anything in the show. Thank him for pulling me above what I might have first thought possible. I have enjoyed the friendship, the comraderie, and all the music. Thank you David for 38 years along this musical road.
We started on this musical journey together in 1972. Practicing in my parents basement for a couple of years. Then getting with some other friends and beginning to perform as the Blood Mountain Boys in 1974. Later we were in a trio with Jimmy Waters called the Morningstar String Ensemble. Then around 1983 we began performing as a duo, which we continued until now, except for a couple of years in the late 1990's as I said before.
I have a job in front of me to get my shows back to a suitable level as a solo act. That requires choosing material, working on instruments and arrangements, learning new songs, writing new songs, and being ready to entertain an audience and keep them involved. I look forward to this in many ways and there are things I enjoy about performing solo. It is easy to get together to practice. If presented with an offer to play, I need only check my family's calendar for availability. I can do whatever music I feel lead to play. There are definitely more limitations to performing alone, but there are also some opportunities that go along with that. One opportunity I may work on is to travel more widely to perform. I enjoy traveling and seeing other parts of the country and world a little more than David does. So, I may work toward having some small tours at times, at least try to have enough programs to pay for some gas and maybe a camping spot.
That said, I will always welcome the opportunity to perform with David (Buck) at anytime in the future. I do not know what tomorrow will hold. I was certainly surprised last year when I had a stroke. I was blessed that it did not affect me more than it did. I do know that it has affected me though. I see that more now than I did at the time it happened. Often before when I was playing solo, I would look up in the middle of a show and see David sitting in the audience. I hope he will surprise me that way again. I appreciated his support, and the chance to do some picking together after a show as well. While we were not performing together, he was continuing to practice, and even to play at his church on occasion.
You can never have too many friends. And a good friend is not easy to come by. I have always considered David a good friend, above everything else. And that is a very good thing.
So as I begin down this road again, I hope you will watch for me and come out to encourage me, and if needed, to make some constructive comments for improvements to make. The last time I was playing solo, I started a newsletter which I named Nelson's Notes (yes that is the name of this blog now). I may see if I can make an electronic newsletter to send out now. The newsletter was a way for me to communicate things I found interesting, as well as sharing thoughts of what was on my mind, as well as interesting stories, jokes, and other things that caught my fancy.
Already, I have 2 programs for this fall as a solo act. One in September and one in November. Starting to work on next year also. I have a MySpace account already set up, though I need to add some more content, esp. music. Next I need to set up a solo website. I am searching that out now and hope to have it underway very soon. Until then you can keep an eye on our http://www.buckandnelson.com/ site for updates. I will do my best to continue to send out some e-mail blasts as well. Now, as I so often say in these posts, I will see you down the road. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Nelson
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Canoe
Well, it seems my mind has gotten away from backpacking and back to canoeing again. I have hope that I will have another canoe very soon. I have talked to a couple of people about good canoes at a reasonable price. I can hardly wait. I want to get back on the water - lakes and rivers. I want to take Vincent with me and teach him the joys of canoeing and I hope that Patrick will find time to join us as well.
It has been several years since I last had a canoe, but I haven't forgotten the joy I had while paddling. I hope that I can still find that joy and not feel too out of shape and weak. As I told Vincent though, at least we would have the river flow to help and he would not be having to stop and wait on me to catch up so often.
When I owned my first canoe, I did mostly day or afternoon trips. Sometimes on the lake and often on a local river. I always wanted to do some canoe tripping though. A time to go down some longer rivers and eventually even get on some of the western and northern rivers, historical and otherwise. That desire remains and it is my hope to be able to share that with my family.
I came along when the canoe was king and in my heart it still is. It is the most versatile in my mind and the best for all around use. In recent years though, the Kayak has taken over the rivers. It is the most maneuverable and can go places that even a canoe cannot, thanks to design that has it covered so it doesn't swamp. I do appreciate the kayak and what it is capable of. It is a beautiful boat and I have often though I would enjoy sea kayaking, especially up in Alaska. Maybe someday. But as I said, the canoe is my boat of choice. Speaking of Alaska, I used to dream of canoeing down the Yukon River, about a 2,000 mile trip. Similar to hiking the entire AT, another dream I once had.
Tomorrow we play for Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Toccoa. I know this has nothing to do with canoe trips, but it is about my lifetime love of picking and performing. We do need to finish our CD also. I have recently been working toward that and have hopes that it will soon be done. Stay tuned and I will let you know.
I love hiking, backpacking, canoeing, snow skiing, and many other outdoor activities. The outdoors are restorative for my insides. I think if more people would spend time in the wild places, they would be more inclined to want to protect our environment.
I do hope that I am able to report soon on a new canoe in my possession. Then I need to have some pictures of my trips to put up to share.
See you down the road, or maybe down the river. Just not up the creek!
Nelson
It has been several years since I last had a canoe, but I haven't forgotten the joy I had while paddling. I hope that I can still find that joy and not feel too out of shape and weak. As I told Vincent though, at least we would have the river flow to help and he would not be having to stop and wait on me to catch up so often.
When I owned my first canoe, I did mostly day or afternoon trips. Sometimes on the lake and often on a local river. I always wanted to do some canoe tripping though. A time to go down some longer rivers and eventually even get on some of the western and northern rivers, historical and otherwise. That desire remains and it is my hope to be able to share that with my family.
I came along when the canoe was king and in my heart it still is. It is the most versatile in my mind and the best for all around use. In recent years though, the Kayak has taken over the rivers. It is the most maneuverable and can go places that even a canoe cannot, thanks to design that has it covered so it doesn't swamp. I do appreciate the kayak and what it is capable of. It is a beautiful boat and I have often though I would enjoy sea kayaking, especially up in Alaska. Maybe someday. But as I said, the canoe is my boat of choice. Speaking of Alaska, I used to dream of canoeing down the Yukon River, about a 2,000 mile trip. Similar to hiking the entire AT, another dream I once had.
Tomorrow we play for Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Toccoa. I know this has nothing to do with canoe trips, but it is about my lifetime love of picking and performing. We do need to finish our CD also. I have recently been working toward that and have hopes that it will soon be done. Stay tuned and I will let you know.
I love hiking, backpacking, canoeing, snow skiing, and many other outdoor activities. The outdoors are restorative for my insides. I think if more people would spend time in the wild places, they would be more inclined to want to protect our environment.
I do hope that I am able to report soon on a new canoe in my possession. Then I need to have some pictures of my trips to put up to share.
See you down the road, or maybe down the river. Just not up the creek!
Nelson
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Picking Time
I love it when it comes back to picking time. There are times of the year when you just feel like you need to be picking, probably because it is the time you have historically done a lot of picking, or maybe the time you were first learning. Both those are usually the same times for me. Spring through Fall is the normal times. Spring and Fall are my favorites as the temperatures are more moderate, and the cool evenings just feel good for sitting around a picking.
Lately, I have been doing a lot more banjo picking. When I first started in 1972, I started on guitar. Then about a year later, I got my first banjo. I worked a lot on banjo and became the banjo player for our first group, The Blood Mountain Boys. For a few years, I played mostly banjo, though still did some rhythm guitar practice. Then in the early 1980's as we got down to three in our group, and especially when we went to the duo we still are, I played more guitar than Banjo. Now I have gotten the banjo bug again, and am working on some new and some different banjo tunes and songs. Even got a couple of new DVD's to help, including John Hartford - makes me miss his musical presense and spirit even more.
Just like my guitar picking, I have a long way to go to where I want to be, but I am enjoying the journey and will try to share some of that as we perform. I don't have quite as many programs set up this year as I have the last couple of years, but may add more as time goes on.
The end of April, first of May, we played for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of Georgia's Mountain Rally in Hiawassee. Then we Played Unicoi on June 5th and had a great time. This Friday, June 25th we are at the Old Union County Courthouse at 7:00 pm. We always look forward to our concert at the old courthouse. The rest of our schedule is on our website, www.buckandnelson.com , though I may need to update it a little bit.
As always, we hope to see some of you at our shows. We have a good time and hope you will also. But at least if we have a good time, then we know 2 people will.
See you down the trail.
Nelson
Lately, I have been doing a lot more banjo picking. When I first started in 1972, I started on guitar. Then about a year later, I got my first banjo. I worked a lot on banjo and became the banjo player for our first group, The Blood Mountain Boys. For a few years, I played mostly banjo, though still did some rhythm guitar practice. Then in the early 1980's as we got down to three in our group, and especially when we went to the duo we still are, I played more guitar than Banjo. Now I have gotten the banjo bug again, and am working on some new and some different banjo tunes and songs. Even got a couple of new DVD's to help, including John Hartford - makes me miss his musical presense and spirit even more.
Just like my guitar picking, I have a long way to go to where I want to be, but I am enjoying the journey and will try to share some of that as we perform. I don't have quite as many programs set up this year as I have the last couple of years, but may add more as time goes on.
The end of April, first of May, we played for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of Georgia's Mountain Rally in Hiawassee. Then we Played Unicoi on June 5th and had a great time. This Friday, June 25th we are at the Old Union County Courthouse at 7:00 pm. We always look forward to our concert at the old courthouse. The rest of our schedule is on our website, www.buckandnelson.com , though I may need to update it a little bit.
As always, we hope to see some of you at our shows. We have a good time and hope you will also. But at least if we have a good time, then we know 2 people will.
See you down the trail.
Nelson
Friday, March 12, 2010
Shining Times
The old time mountain men of the Rocky Mountains had a saying for good times. They would refer to them as shining times. I have had some shining times in my life and look forward to more days that will shine in my memory once they are over.
I have decided that while our lives are measured in years, we remember them in moments. I remember moments of great joy, moments of great sadness, moments of embarrassment, and moments of stupidity. I can remember how I felt in those moments and in many cases the words I said or that were said to me. However, I cannot recall what happened just before or after those moments. I guess I don't have enough gigs in my memory to remember everything, just those that deeply impress me in some way.
Those that do come back may times involve close friends, girlfriend(s) or wish were girlfriend(s), my wife, my children, my pets, my family (parents, grandparents, cousins), hiking, camping, skiing, canoing, riding motorcycles, driving, and more. I guess they are just things that happened in my life and effected me more deeply than I may have thought at the time.
I also remember missed chances to tell someone how important they were to me. Sometimes it may have been the last chance to do so, and I missed it. We all should be careful to avoid that.
In every part of my life, friendships, business, jobs, activities, music, theater, travel, politics, etc., it seems there are people that stand out and touch me more than the average person I meet in any of those endeavors. While I cannot name each one here, I am enormously appreciative of their being a part of my life, whether for a short time or for a long time.
My best friend all through grammar school, now called elementary and middle school, was Alan Tipton. He died while I was in college and I still miss him. I did go see him in the hospital a short time before he died and his mother said it was a good day for him. He knew me and we talked about school. After that they said he went downhill quickly and seldom knew much of what was going on. When I heard he had died, I felt bad that I had not gone back one more time. After much prayer, I decided it was not meant to be. I still think of him and appreciate the times we had growing up together.
Today I was practicing my guitar. Picking and singing and getting ready to record. While singing I was looking out the window in my guest bedroom/office/recording studio and saw a deer browsing on the hillside across the road. I may not remember that for a long time, but I am thankful that it happened all the same.
Playing a performing music has been one of the shining events in my life. It has been a pleasure to spend years picking with David, as we have complemented one another in our styles and attitudes. I hope we have many more years of performing together. We recently went once again to see Doc Watson perform. Many times we have driven to a Doc Watson Concert since around 1977, usually about 100 miles one way. Doc is great no matter who he is performing with. For my tastes, I think his very best music was the years we first started seeing him in person, as he was performing with Merle Watson (his son), and T. Michael Coleman on bass and harmony vocals. I know he still misses Merle and we do too. Doc recently (March 3rd) turned 87 years old. I commented to David that for us to keep up with Doc we would be playing at least another 31 years. I think I may have been more enthusiastic in this possibility than David was.
Playing with Doc this time was David Holt. We have followed David almost as long as we have Doc, beginning with his show on The Nashville Network, Fire on the Mountain. Then through recordings, concerts, radio and TV shows that he has done. David is an excellent musician and entertainer and we have tried to emulate parts of his performance techniques, believing that entertaining is important along with the music.
Raising my children was shining times also. I loved having small children and babies. I miss them being small, though I enjoy the people they have become. Someday I may have grandchildren to spoil, but not yet, and I am in no particular hurry. Those will be shining times too, I just know it.
I have great memories, a good life, and lots of dreams. I have not made a Bucket or Life list, though there are things that I hope to accomplish and am working toward several of them. Whatever it is that makes your life more enjoyable, I hope you are able to find it, to do it, to accomplish it. May you have shining memories, days, and dreams.
See you down the road.
Nelson
I have decided that while our lives are measured in years, we remember them in moments. I remember moments of great joy, moments of great sadness, moments of embarrassment, and moments of stupidity. I can remember how I felt in those moments and in many cases the words I said or that were said to me. However, I cannot recall what happened just before or after those moments. I guess I don't have enough gigs in my memory to remember everything, just those that deeply impress me in some way.
Those that do come back may times involve close friends, girlfriend(s) or wish were girlfriend(s), my wife, my children, my pets, my family (parents, grandparents, cousins), hiking, camping, skiing, canoing, riding motorcycles, driving, and more. I guess they are just things that happened in my life and effected me more deeply than I may have thought at the time.
I also remember missed chances to tell someone how important they were to me. Sometimes it may have been the last chance to do so, and I missed it. We all should be careful to avoid that.
In every part of my life, friendships, business, jobs, activities, music, theater, travel, politics, etc., it seems there are people that stand out and touch me more than the average person I meet in any of those endeavors. While I cannot name each one here, I am enormously appreciative of their being a part of my life, whether for a short time or for a long time.
My best friend all through grammar school, now called elementary and middle school, was Alan Tipton. He died while I was in college and I still miss him. I did go see him in the hospital a short time before he died and his mother said it was a good day for him. He knew me and we talked about school. After that they said he went downhill quickly and seldom knew much of what was going on. When I heard he had died, I felt bad that I had not gone back one more time. After much prayer, I decided it was not meant to be. I still think of him and appreciate the times we had growing up together.
Today I was practicing my guitar. Picking and singing and getting ready to record. While singing I was looking out the window in my guest bedroom/office/recording studio and saw a deer browsing on the hillside across the road. I may not remember that for a long time, but I am thankful that it happened all the same.
Playing a performing music has been one of the shining events in my life. It has been a pleasure to spend years picking with David, as we have complemented one another in our styles and attitudes. I hope we have many more years of performing together. We recently went once again to see Doc Watson perform. Many times we have driven to a Doc Watson Concert since around 1977, usually about 100 miles one way. Doc is great no matter who he is performing with. For my tastes, I think his very best music was the years we first started seeing him in person, as he was performing with Merle Watson (his son), and T. Michael Coleman on bass and harmony vocals. I know he still misses Merle and we do too. Doc recently (March 3rd) turned 87 years old. I commented to David that for us to keep up with Doc we would be playing at least another 31 years. I think I may have been more enthusiastic in this possibility than David was.
Playing with Doc this time was David Holt. We have followed David almost as long as we have Doc, beginning with his show on The Nashville Network, Fire on the Mountain. Then through recordings, concerts, radio and TV shows that he has done. David is an excellent musician and entertainer and we have tried to emulate parts of his performance techniques, believing that entertaining is important along with the music.
Raising my children was shining times also. I loved having small children and babies. I miss them being small, though I enjoy the people they have become. Someday I may have grandchildren to spoil, but not yet, and I am in no particular hurry. Those will be shining times too, I just know it.
I have great memories, a good life, and lots of dreams. I have not made a Bucket or Life list, though there are things that I hope to accomplish and am working toward several of them. Whatever it is that makes your life more enjoyable, I hope you are able to find it, to do it, to accomplish it. May you have shining memories, days, and dreams.
See you down the road.
Nelson
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Getting back on track/trail
October and November I was doing very well. I was walking every day and was also increasing the length of my walks as well as the amount of weight in my packs. I was also watching my diet much better to make sure my blood sugar stayed low.
Since Christmas I have not done as well, unfortunately. I have not eaten as healthy as I know I should, though I have managed to keep my blood sugar in check. The worst part is that I have not been walking regularly, and that has been the result of several factors. First is by not eating as well, I did not feel as well. Second, after being so hot natured for most of my life, I found myself feeling cold in December. My daughter reminded me that it was likely a result of the blood thinning medicine I was having to take. She is probably right, but I still did not like it. Then the first 2 weeks of January were bitterly cold, with nights in the single digits and several days that did not get above freezing. I stopped walking during this time, other than some short walks on the treadmill in the house. As I have said before, it is much harder to walk on the treadmill, and I do not have a lot of patience for it.
With this change, my weight goals have been affected. When I started I was at 234 pounds, the highest of my life - though I was weighed at the doctors office at 242, but that was fully clothed, with boots and jacket on. That was when I bought the new scales for the house to allow me to keep up with just my weight, not the weight of my clothes.
I had gotten down to 227. This morning I was at 231.2, below my high point, but farther away from my target weight of 185. Time to get back on my 5 word diet - eat less and exercise more. Part of the eating problem was all the nice folks at Branan Lodge that kept bringing me goodies to eat, along with rich foods for the staff during the holidays. While I have good will power, there are times that I do not adequately exercise it, especially when it concerns food.
My goal of hiking all of the AT in Georgia before June is in jeopardy if I don't get back on track very soon. I was disappointed with how tired I got on our short 5.2 mile hike for my birthday. So now I am even worse than I was then. I have started back though and am already feeling more energy.
Part of this is physical and part is psychological. Thinking you can and being enthusiastic about doing it, makes up for a lot of physical unpreparedness, but not all of it. The psychological will help push me to get ready physically though. I am not as thrilled about the prospect of backpacking when the weather is in the teens and twenties right now. So I may be doing more of the day hikes for the next month and a half or two months, then getting going on the overnights. Though we are about to run into Vincent's soccer season. They are doing conditioning this week and tryouts are next week. The first game is Feb. 22.
I do have his game schedule though and can start to plan for weekends around all our schedules now. I guess we need to adopt trail names to use while on the AT (Appalachian Trail). BTW, I shared on Facebook about 2 shirts that I found on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website and liked. Need to let you know too. One said "Allergic to cities". I love that. The other was really good for hiking, "Same shirt, different day". Been there, done that.
Hiking and backpacking is a real help in the exercise area and for keeping blood sugar low. I also love eating what is cooked outdoors. The flavor is always so good, and after a big day of hiking, the stomach is very much ready for some nourishment. Talking about it is getting me to wanting to hit the trail. Gotta keep that frame of mind.
It would be nice to upgrade my camera also. The one I have takes pretty good pictures, but not the kind of photography my old Minolta SLR would take. Maybe I will use the old Minolta some until I can upgrade my digital.
The other thing I am doing is regrowing my beard, which feels better in the cold weather and in the woods. I got a wild hair and shaved it off about a week and half ago. Why I would do that in the middle of January is a mystery. I immediately wished I had left it on and have now started the regrowth. The worst part of it is having about 3 weeks of looking grubby and unkempt.
I love the winter woods, however I am looking forward to spring and seeing the new growth and to watch the wildlife become more abundant.
Since Christmas I have not done as well, unfortunately. I have not eaten as healthy as I know I should, though I have managed to keep my blood sugar in check. The worst part is that I have not been walking regularly, and that has been the result of several factors. First is by not eating as well, I did not feel as well. Second, after being so hot natured for most of my life, I found myself feeling cold in December. My daughter reminded me that it was likely a result of the blood thinning medicine I was having to take. She is probably right, but I still did not like it. Then the first 2 weeks of January were bitterly cold, with nights in the single digits and several days that did not get above freezing. I stopped walking during this time, other than some short walks on the treadmill in the house. As I have said before, it is much harder to walk on the treadmill, and I do not have a lot of patience for it.
With this change, my weight goals have been affected. When I started I was at 234 pounds, the highest of my life - though I was weighed at the doctors office at 242, but that was fully clothed, with boots and jacket on. That was when I bought the new scales for the house to allow me to keep up with just my weight, not the weight of my clothes.
I had gotten down to 227. This morning I was at 231.2, below my high point, but farther away from my target weight of 185. Time to get back on my 5 word diet - eat less and exercise more. Part of the eating problem was all the nice folks at Branan Lodge that kept bringing me goodies to eat, along with rich foods for the staff during the holidays. While I have good will power, there are times that I do not adequately exercise it, especially when it concerns food.
My goal of hiking all of the AT in Georgia before June is in jeopardy if I don't get back on track very soon. I was disappointed with how tired I got on our short 5.2 mile hike for my birthday. So now I am even worse than I was then. I have started back though and am already feeling more energy.
Part of this is physical and part is psychological. Thinking you can and being enthusiastic about doing it, makes up for a lot of physical unpreparedness, but not all of it. The psychological will help push me to get ready physically though. I am not as thrilled about the prospect of backpacking when the weather is in the teens and twenties right now. So I may be doing more of the day hikes for the next month and a half or two months, then getting going on the overnights. Though we are about to run into Vincent's soccer season. They are doing conditioning this week and tryouts are next week. The first game is Feb. 22.
I do have his game schedule though and can start to plan for weekends around all our schedules now. I guess we need to adopt trail names to use while on the AT (Appalachian Trail). BTW, I shared on Facebook about 2 shirts that I found on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website and liked. Need to let you know too. One said "Allergic to cities". I love that. The other was really good for hiking, "Same shirt, different day". Been there, done that.
Hiking and backpacking is a real help in the exercise area and for keeping blood sugar low. I also love eating what is cooked outdoors. The flavor is always so good, and after a big day of hiking, the stomach is very much ready for some nourishment. Talking about it is getting me to wanting to hit the trail. Gotta keep that frame of mind.
It would be nice to upgrade my camera also. The one I have takes pretty good pictures, but not the kind of photography my old Minolta SLR would take. Maybe I will use the old Minolta some until I can upgrade my digital.
The other thing I am doing is regrowing my beard, which feels better in the cold weather and in the woods. I got a wild hair and shaved it off about a week and half ago. Why I would do that in the middle of January is a mystery. I immediately wished I had left it on and have now started the regrowth. The worst part of it is having about 3 weeks of looking grubby and unkempt.
I love the winter woods, however I am looking forward to spring and seeing the new growth and to watch the wildlife become more abundant.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Music - Pursuing and Pursued
After a show a couple of years ago, a gentleman asked David and I if we did this for a living. My answer was that we had to work for a living and we did this for a life.
Music has been around me all my life. My dad's family all played music. He was the only one that did not play an instrument. My Grandpa Thomas would teach gospel singing in the area, one uncle played with a bluegrass group, another uncle had a gospel quartet, and still another had a natural talent for music and was always singing or playing something, though he was not in a group as such. When he was working on the fiddle, he borrowed the bow from my fiddle for a time until he got one to go with his fiddle. He lived directly across the road from us and I remember summer nights hearing him on his front porch playing. No lights on, just enjoying the night and playing on his porch.
Several cousins also played music. Several were piano players and others with guitars or such. One has played with several professional groups over the years. Another helped get money during college by playing at coffeehouses and such.
I remember even when I was small singing and making up songs as I played. My older sister once made a comment to me about that, which I always remembered as I had not noticed it as much as she had. When I was really small, I am told that I would play my toy banjo and sing for everyone that came in. Guess I am just continuing that natural tendency.
As I said in an earlier post, I was always drawn to music and planned to play something. I put that on a back burner until getting the guitar in 1972. Then I went full blast and spent hours a day working on the instrument. After a couple of years on the guitar, I became interested in the banjo. Back to see Cecil Lance an buy and little $80 banjo he had at his store. I also got an instruction book and tapes to get started. I remember a few times going to sleep as I lay on bed doing banjo rolls.
I then played mostly banjo for a few years as we formed a band and we had 3 other guitar players already. Those were fun years and I was able to learn a lot as I listened to different people and also played with these other musicians.
But it is hard to keep a band together and we began to drift on to other things. Next we played as a trio with Jimmy Waters, David, and myself. I still played a good bit of banjo, but began to drift back to more guitar as well. We also traded off playing the upright bass during those years as well. This is the time I began to sing too. Jimmy was an outstanding vocalist and helped me fnd my voice and stay in key. I am so happy this happened as I love to sing. I don't think I am a great singer still, but am much better and truly enjoy singing. The music is great, but it is the songs that covey the message.
As Jimmy moved to other areas, David and I began our career as a duo. There are great things about playing in a full band, though I have found I enjoy playing as a duo or trio most. There are things you can do as a duo that you can't as a band, and vice versa. I enjoy listening to other duos and trios as well. I think it is a more intimate feel to the music, and brings out a little of the personal side of playing music.
It just struck me that I may want to start taking more time with these posts and rereading them to make sure they flow well and are readable. With this I am simply recounting some general things that happened.
The title of this post explains a little of my, and David's, relationship with music. It has pursued us and we have pursued it. When I don't play, there is something missing in my life and I do not feel right until I begin to play again. There is always another song I want to learn, another lick I need to add to my picking, and sometimes another instrument that catches my ear and says, don't you want to play me too.
While I have had to work for a living, I have also worked hard to make sure my schedule allowed me to still play music.
A cap I got from Cecil Lance says "Born to pick, forced to work".
See you down the road.
Music has been around me all my life. My dad's family all played music. He was the only one that did not play an instrument. My Grandpa Thomas would teach gospel singing in the area, one uncle played with a bluegrass group, another uncle had a gospel quartet, and still another had a natural talent for music and was always singing or playing something, though he was not in a group as such. When he was working on the fiddle, he borrowed the bow from my fiddle for a time until he got one to go with his fiddle. He lived directly across the road from us and I remember summer nights hearing him on his front porch playing. No lights on, just enjoying the night and playing on his porch.
Several cousins also played music. Several were piano players and others with guitars or such. One has played with several professional groups over the years. Another helped get money during college by playing at coffeehouses and such.
I remember even when I was small singing and making up songs as I played. My older sister once made a comment to me about that, which I always remembered as I had not noticed it as much as she had. When I was really small, I am told that I would play my toy banjo and sing for everyone that came in. Guess I am just continuing that natural tendency.
As I said in an earlier post, I was always drawn to music and planned to play something. I put that on a back burner until getting the guitar in 1972. Then I went full blast and spent hours a day working on the instrument. After a couple of years on the guitar, I became interested in the banjo. Back to see Cecil Lance an buy and little $80 banjo he had at his store. I also got an instruction book and tapes to get started. I remember a few times going to sleep as I lay on bed doing banjo rolls.
I then played mostly banjo for a few years as we formed a band and we had 3 other guitar players already. Those were fun years and I was able to learn a lot as I listened to different people and also played with these other musicians.
But it is hard to keep a band together and we began to drift on to other things. Next we played as a trio with Jimmy Waters, David, and myself. I still played a good bit of banjo, but began to drift back to more guitar as well. We also traded off playing the upright bass during those years as well. This is the time I began to sing too. Jimmy was an outstanding vocalist and helped me fnd my voice and stay in key. I am so happy this happened as I love to sing. I don't think I am a great singer still, but am much better and truly enjoy singing. The music is great, but it is the songs that covey the message.
As Jimmy moved to other areas, David and I began our career as a duo. There are great things about playing in a full band, though I have found I enjoy playing as a duo or trio most. There are things you can do as a duo that you can't as a band, and vice versa. I enjoy listening to other duos and trios as well. I think it is a more intimate feel to the music, and brings out a little of the personal side of playing music.
It just struck me that I may want to start taking more time with these posts and rereading them to make sure they flow well and are readable. With this I am simply recounting some general things that happened.
The title of this post explains a little of my, and David's, relationship with music. It has pursued us and we have pursued it. When I don't play, there is something missing in my life and I do not feel right until I begin to play again. There is always another song I want to learn, another lick I need to add to my picking, and sometimes another instrument that catches my ear and says, don't you want to play me too.
While I have had to work for a living, I have also worked hard to make sure my schedule allowed me to still play music.
A cap I got from Cecil Lance says "Born to pick, forced to work".
See you down the road.
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