The Hush Of Summer

So much has happened this summer it makes my head spin to think about it. I've camped, kayaked, hiked, cooked, performed, traveled and marketed for the past three months in a constant frenzy! Mom has done really well with her rugs in the farmers market and now has her rugs on display and for sale at the Cooperstown Farmers Museum and Fenimore Gift shop.
I also got to spend three days camping with my dearest friend from high school. Once I got her out of her house. We did what ever we wanted. I took her kayaking on the swamp. The last time we kayaked the swamp we only got ten minutes out and had to turn around to avoid a thunder storm that quickly descended up us.
The next day we packed up and camped site 210 on Limekiln. I've known Jen for over 40 years and thought I knew just about everything there was to know about her. I was wrong. I remember as teenagers, I talked her into camping trip with my family on Raquatte. As I remember she came along but wasn't really happy about it and went home early with some friends of my parents as they were there a week ahead of us and had to leave. On this camping trip I learned from Jen that her parents took Jen and her sister camping many times as kids. ON RAQUATTE no less. I never knew that! Anyway Jen wasn't to impressed with Limekiln as its a busy family oriented campground. She said to me she was further out in the wilderness staying home. I chose Limekiln as its close to Inlet and has toilets and showers not know Jen in fact was an experienced camper.
So we got through her hot flashes and since the next morning dawned a blue sky gem we packed up and drove out to Stillwater.
As luck would have it with boy scouts and other boaters and campers buzzing around the pavilion. We got campsite 45.
After a short visit with Luke the ranger, Mother Marion and Joe. We loaded the kayaks and set out for site 45. My favorite place on the planet. It was love at first site for Jen as she stepped upon the private golden beach. She stood there taking in Stillwater's surrounding beauty and tranquility and said, "So how much did you pay for this site? " I laughed and said, "Nothing!" "It's free!" "All you gotta do is get here!" LIke me she walk around setting up the tent and kept repeating. FREE FREE This is FREE!
What a time we had drinking peach champaigne and other spirits. Singing, laughing, kayaking, cooking in the beautiful wilderness of the Adirondack mountains. I will never forget the great time we had. I do regret one thing tho and that is for not taking off my treasured silver celtic rings. I skinny dipped the last night we were there and the water took both rings right off my fingers. I will kayak out on Labor day weekend as the water goes down at summers end and if fate allows, I will find the rings. I keep my fingers crossed.
I lost my dearest friend Ed this summer. His time was coming and we all knew. Aurora came home and found Ed dead in front of the TV on July 31st. I was in Stillwater waiting for Ryan and Julie and the grandchildren. We had Marion's camp for a week. I was sad but we had fun collecting "ED" rocks for the grave site. Bill built Ed a little coffin and buried Ed out back. I see his grave from my kitchen window. I also found a lovely piece of driftwood from the Driftwood God Beach and brought that home for a grave marker. The amazing thing is, is that when Bill dug little Eddies grave, he dug up a horse shoe. Yep! Ed was a lucky dog and we all loved him so. Ed was the Club Ed mascot and chef stow away dog.
His last days tho were not so happy. I'll choose not to remember these and only the good. No more dogs for a while.
Skyway is coming! We have a lovely line up this year and I'm looking forward to is as always! David Grace had painted another lovely sign for the southern end of the park and Linday Szybist, being the Adobe photo shop queen that she is has out done her self again in poster design.
My mother has entered into her 70th year and Malcome his 50th. I helped Nancy and together with the help of her long time girlfriend put on quite a party!
While cleaning out and elderly ladies home, Bill came across of old vinyl records in mint condition and brought them home. I found a record player at BJ's built to look like and old time wooden record player for only ninety bucks and brought that to the party. Everyone had a hoot playing the old records and reading the covers.
I have a really busy weekend upcoming with 3 gigs back to back. The Colgate Bookstore Book Fair, The Colgate Inn then the Clinton Arts and Music Festival the next day. Labor Day I have a private party in Stillwater. The Skyway Festival on the 12th then....VACATION! I miss my empty days to write and record. I have another CD brewing in me. It will be interesting to see what the next batch of songs will come from me.

Cooperstown!

I'm so PROUD of my parents!
My mother is really kicking some hooked rug butt!
She has a booth every week in the Hamilton's Farmer's Market. She has done a show at the Hamilton Center for the Arts, The Barge Canal Coffee House and the Earlville Opera House.
She now has rugs for sale at the Fenimore Gift Shop and the Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown which is HUGE!
My father is in full support acting as her manager and I'm busy with her website and taking shots of rugs and inventory.
Who would of thunk 30 years ago I'd be an apprentice to a hooker!
Summer is literally flowing by with all the rain we've had. Nick is in Portland Maine and I'm home holding my breath. He did call the other night with news of a job working for a man who owns a lot of rental properties. He has his own apartment and is working off the security deposit. I'm can't give him anything more as I'm in the middle of good match of tough love. I'm winning! He needs to find his legs and stand independently. Everything I've given him is either sold, lost or stolen. I'm done.
Aurora is working her tail off and doing really well!
I'm holding out for the Bose!

A Good Horse

Well here it is! My first attempt at a music video.
A Good Horse is one of those songs when the lyrics just fell into my lap one day and I literally wrote it down in an hour.
I LOVE those kind of songs gifted from above!
I don't know the exact date I wrote it but it was recorded in 2004 on my Once Sated CD.
Again what would I do with out Rich Grant of Digital Media and Design, Reyna Stagnaro for her mandolin playing, use of her cozy basement and magical woods for the setting. A special thank you to Fred the horse and Jimmy Wunderlich on harmonica!

Four Days on Stillwater

We did it. Billiam and I weeded the camping trailer and packed our kayaks with only the bare necessities to stay at Stillwater site #45. Thursday Bill quit work early and we loaded up and headed up to Old Forge where we decided it was too late to camp. By the time we traveled the 10 mile dirt road to the boat launch it would be dark setting up the camp. So we got a cozy room at the hotel right there on the pond. After a fine meal of salad with fresh grilled tuna for me and a burger for Bill we went to see A Night At The Museum at the Old Forge theater. It was just OK. I was really impressed with the camera collection in the lobby!
So bright and early we got up and headed north to the Hard Times for breakfast then out to Stillwater!
After packing and icing and a short 20 minute paddle we were at the lovely site 45.
We had stopped at Dicks for two Swiss Gear self inflating mattress's which we learned that you need to let them self inflate on their own two or three times before using. Duh! Stupid company should of put that information on the out side of the box. So Bill had to blow them up!
We ate like kings! I pre-marinated a frozen filet mignon and chicken thighs which as they thawed they marinated! I also wrapped potatoes seasoned in olive oil and seasoning in foil to throw in the coals. Delish!
The gig went great at Mother Marion's as always! It was great to see all the local Stillwater folks and fun to meet new people.
One sure thing in the Adirondacks. You never know who you will bump into.
The same people who did the pig roast were there again. I've GOT to start writing down names as I'm so bad at remembering them! My Aunt "social butterfly" Loretta had a rolladex where she kept track of whomever she met! A little type A but not a bad idea.
We ended up getting our kayaks towed back to our camp site by Doug after the gig as it was raining an the water was really choppy. I can't remember his last name but I got a private gig on Labor Day weekend from him! I had to move all my sound equipment in and played in the dining room. Everyone loved it! I also met a nice bunch from the Raquatte Lake area that may be giving me a call to play on the 4th of July weekend. That will be a busy weekend!
So Sunday rolled in with a lovely mystical fluffy white fog and burned off to a piercing indigo sky! It was beautiful!
No WAY was I going home! We kayaked all day and put in at least nine miles! We discovered site 35 on an island to sign up next ! I'm hoping to get Jennifer and some more people! It would be a blast!
Sleeping in the night with bullfrogs croaking and Loons singing their midnight laments and the sound of water just is so relaxing and wonderful. A perfect balm for my sorrow trying not to worry about Nick.
I let him go for the weekend. I had too.
Today I broke down and put 25 bucks in his checking account and sent out his birth certificate and GED. Tough loving is the hardest thing to do. He needs to figure it out.
So the weekend was great!
We woke up Monday morning, packed up and kayaked in the rain back to Stillwater. It was good to sit a my car again and made me appreciate my shower and bed all the more. I can't WAIT for the next camping kayaking adventure again!

A New Summer

Honest to god time just flies by. I've been so busy with home repairs. Billiam and I have had a new tin roof put on. It was quite a job with Brian Harris our neighbor down the road and Bill's partner Ford ripping off he old roof and replacing with purlins and the tin sheets. But its on and now for the garage. Next is to replace the siding. I'm going for yellow. Not mustard. just a nice shade of cream yellow. Everytime I see a yellow house, it makes me feel happy.
Nick is in Portland Maine for the summer. I can only let him go. I've done all I can for this kid and it's his turn to fly. Sadly Morrisville didn't work out for him and he flunked out breaking my heart in the process. Well its his life.
Another sad thing for me is that I don't have my summer Tuesdays at the Big Moose Inn. I guess music just isn't in the cards there this summer. Because of this I'm stepping back from the music scene up in the Old Forge area. I refuse to go back to playing the late night hours. I enjoy the dinner hours where I can be home by a reasonable time.
I will miss the shimmering lake from the from the front porch of the Inn and also all the great people I have met or would of met.
Nothing lasts forever!
So new challenges in front of me! I'm a farmer in a market now with my mother. We have quite a nice booth thank you very much! The booth is called Further East Gallery named after my friend Patrick Mills first gallery. Mom and I are selling her hooked rugs and Skyway Loungers! Mom is kicking some hooked rug ass let me tell you. I've been busy photographing (with the help of Rich Grant) her rugs and running her website.
Being in the market has been wonderful for both of my parents! Dad parks his lawn chair out back of the booth and toddles around the park meeting different vendors and buying us sweets and coffee. Its great to see him up and around again smiling and so talkative.
I've got some new songs ready to record but like always will wait to go into recording land until I have at least 12-15 songs written.
Arizona is a big shot on the fall horizon.

Morrisville's Writers Jubilee

I've done the Writer's Jubilee now for the past 3 three years and its truly a great event for children encouraging them to write and be more creative. This year I did a workshop. Unfortunately I only had three kids sign up. But they really enjoyed my work shop. I played my song written about the infamous Adirondack hermit, Noah John Rondeau several times and had them draw a picture to the song. They had to use their listening skills. I then played the song from my laptop a few more times till they were satisfied with their creation. I missed my calling somehow. I really enjoy children and would of made a great teacher!
Here are a few videos from my 45 minute workshop.

First Spring Paddle On Nine Mile

Could this be the hill where Rhoda Loomis had her parties?


Bill with his Nine Mile Swamp Souvenir! A beaver chewed branch!

March 28th was a beautiful day and Nine Mile was Busy. I counted five canoeists and 4 kayakers including Bill and I. The canadian geese and the wood land ducks were nesting all along the shores of the swamp. They weren't to happy with us of course not knowing that we meant them no harm. It was a little erie listening to the trumpet like honking reverberating through out the leafless trees. Bill and I counted 3 productive beaver dams. You could also see where the beavers, when the swamp was frozen, would go out on the ice a trim up the hanging branches like little barbers trimming up bangs! I love nine mile swamp and its so interesting to see it in all the different seasons. In a few months there will be growth 8 feet high along the shore with all kinds of water lilies, dog wood and other plants which will block the view inland.
The waters were clear and cold with a pretty strong current kayaking out. The way back was much quicker of course going with the flow. I think we were out at least three hours. Every time I kayak Nine Mile I can't help but get sucked into the long ago life of the Loomis Gang. This spring kayak with all the plant life still struggling to grow allowed me to look into the woods and imagine where these rowdy cowboys hid the stolen horses. The swamp is actually a lake silted in so the surrounding are pretty flat and surrounded by a sparse population of homes and farms so its pretty quiet. You can hear cars on Route 12 in the distance. Other than that its mother nature in its finest. God's Pocket as Anna La Bastille would say. A penny for my thoughts