I guess you didn't get the email I sent you Zurf.  I've never missed the gathering on the New in WV since it started.  I'm hoping to continue the streak.

DE

I know of what you speak Tooter.  I've built one redwood and 5 cedar strip canoes over the years. Each one finally lost its wood smell after time spent on the water.  I've never bought a guitar because of the smell, but I'm disappointed that my 000-16 Martin is losing its aroma. On the other hand, its because instead of keeping it in its case between uses, I leave it on a stand where I can pick it up and play it several times a day - so I guess that's a good thing.

DE

I know where you're coming from Patrick.  About half of my summertime guitar playing is around riverside campfires.  My "river" guitars spend hours traveling in hot vehicles, get stuffed into dry bags for overnight trips on rafts, get played during rainstorms under tarps, etc.  Although my acoustics aren't as high-end as your $4K Martin, I still wouldn't want to subject my D-16 or my Blueridge BR-73 to that kind of torture.

For a month-long trip out west and a week on the Middle Fork in Idaho, I bought a $100 Johnson dread naught and re-worked the action a little to make it more friendly. It held up well and did a good job on the river, but like you, I'd like a smaller size guitar to take along in the future.  From the experience I've had playing several of them in local music stores, I think a Bristol BM-16 (000 size guitar made by Blueridge) might work out well. For a cheap guitar the ones I've played sounded great, have excellent projection and play easily You can find new ones on ebay for $189 shipped.  You might want to check then out.

DE

Bob was on his death bed and told by the doctor that he only had a few hours to live.  As his wife bent over him, he whispered that he had one last request.
"What is it?" his wife asked.
"Immediately after my funeral I want you to marry our neighbor Jim" he gasped.
"Marry Jim?  But, I thought you hated Jim!" she exclaimed
"I still do" he replied.

I started playing drums in 1964 in my school band. Played in the marching band and jazz band, then played in a 17-piece swing band for a couple of years and in a couple of rock bands.I even taught drums for a couple of years.  A couple of guys that graduated 3 years ahead of me had been working as Nashville studio musicians and returned to the area and were looking for a drummer for a country band.  They tried to talk me into playing with their band but I was a rocker and too cool to play country.  They invited me to attend a country/bluegrass festival with them, thinking they might convert me to country.  The country music was OK but the bluegrass bands blew me away and I fell in love with the genre.  As bluegrass didn't use drums, I sold mine a few months later and never played again.

A few years later, one of my co-workers and I became pretty good friends.  He was trying to learn to play the guitar but his younger brother (who was in the Marine Corps) was the "picker" of the family.  His brother was killed in a motorcycle accident while home on leave.  A few months later he brought his brother's old acoustic to me and told me to learn how to play it - why he did it I'll never know.  I bought a book of "easy big-note guitar" Beatles songs and eventually learned to play a few.  I returned my friend's brother's guitar and bought a cheap one of my own. I could play a few songs but never learned to play bluegrass as I never could "Mash then wires" fast enough.  It was about the time I was beginning white-water kayaking.  I was so "into" the sport I began to write songs about paddling and play them around river bank campfires.  Fellow paddlers seemed to like them so I kept on writing songs about things things in my life - paddling, fishing, farming and family.  I've never become a good "picker" but I enjoy writing and playing.  The enjoyment I've got out of my guitars over the years has been one of my best investments. I've never forgot the kindness of the friend who got me started playing.  Over the years I've bought several cheap, used guitars and re-worked the bridges, nuts and frets to make them play easier then gave them away to folks who wanted to learn.  My request has been that they pass the guitar on to someone else or also find cheap ones to give away.

Zurf mentioned our camp fire music "circles".  It's my favorite thing to do.  He certainly has learned a lot in a short time and I was really impressed with his pickin' the last time we got together.

DE

I had an operation on my right shoulder yesterday - never realized how hard it would be to type with just my left hand.......................

Glad to hear that the package arrived Ian.

Ken

Went to the post office today and the package was sent "across the pond" to the next recipient.

DE

Too late Jim.  The early bird gets the worm. Bolleauxp beat you to it.  He emailed me this morning while riding a bus and looking for work. 

Glad to hear you had a good time in Nashville.  I've got a few songwriting friends that moved down there who are trying to get into the business.

Have fun at the open stage tomorrow night.  If you want to see my "six" songs, check out youtube.  Tom recorded a couple of 'em last week.

DE

Excellent song Jeff.  The topic definitely hits home with a lot of folks right now.

DE

Back in the early 80's when our company started making all of us use computers to keep records, etc, an older co-worker taught me why the arrow on the screen was called a curser.................. Whew! Talk about a stream of profanity..................:)

I played Zurf's guitar while we were doing some campfire picking.  Maybe not quite as good sounding (to me) as my Martin 000-16GT, but real close.  My Martin doesn't sound as good as my BR-73 Blue Ridge, but if I had to do it over again, I would look for a BR-63 which uses the same woods but with less bling and a lot cheaper. I don't like all the abalone trim anyway, but it was the only Blue Ridge 000 size guitar in my local shop at the time.

Thanks for the "fix" Roger, and for the kind words about the song.  I don't play it as often as I used to.  I worked with two guys that inspired me to write it.  They both had gotten divorces and I watched them go through a period where they "swore off" women and became slobs, then eventually decide to get back in shape and start dating again.  One is still single but the other eventually got married again to a lady with a teenage daughter.  They were vacationing at the outer banks in North Carolina when the daughter got caught in a rip tide and he swam out to help her.  Lifeguards rescued the daughter but Tim drowned.  When I play the song these days, I can't help but remember the guy and it takes away from the fun of playing it.

Hey Amy, I played at the Ashville open mic last Thursday and hoped to see Jim there but he didn't make.  In two weeks the open mic will celebrate its 6th anniversary and we've been challenged to write a song with the number 6 in it.  I've written one and thinking about penning another.  I'm curious if Big Jim is gonna give it a try.  I'm lookin forward to hearing everyone's efforts.

Ken