Not Easily Broken

Midwest Tour Summer 2010

Okay, remember back a couple of months ago I said that we had a secret that we were working on?  One that I couldn't tell you about yet because it was a surprise?  Well, surprises and secrets don't last long in our fam and so it is time we let you in on it...no, I am not pregnant.  Why does everyone always guess that? 

Read the title of this blog and you will know.  We are making plans to travel to the Midwest this summer and visit family and friends.  Ben and I grew up in Illinois and so most of our family is back there.  We haven't been back to Illinois for almost 7 years with the kids.  I know that seems like a long time, but if you consider spending 33 hours on the road in a space that measures less than 12X8 feet squared with 6 kids, you might think (like us) that 7 years is not long enough. 

We have considered driving or flying to Illinois many times for our summer vacations, but the cost of time, energy, and money has caused to become weak in our stomachs.  Then we just, well,... chicken out.  But, this year, we have decided that the time is now. It is Clayton's last summer before he graduates.  He has not had the wonderful experience of driving across our beautiful nation in hot weather with his family and we just don't feel like we can let him leave home without such memories.

As far as the cost of energy, well, Katie is three now and almost able to sit in her car seat for long periods of time...notice I said "almost."  The cost of energy actually has not been reconciled in my mind....

But we have figured out a way to handle the financial cost of the trip.  We have begun to look for gigs along our travel route  so that we can perform and use our earnings to help finance the trip.  Here is the part some of you may be able to help us with....

We are looking for gigs from Seattle to Illinois along I-90 to Minnesota and then down through Wisconsin to Illinois for the dates around June 25-after 4th of July.  We are planning to make it all the way to Cincinnati by mid-July then head back on I-70 to Colorado near Denver by July 25th. 

The 25th is when Rockygrass begins in Lyons, Colorado, and we are planning to be in the band contest there.  Rockygrass is a great bluegrass festival near Denver.  So, we need to be in Colorado by the 25th.  After that weekend, we will head straight back to Seattle, just in time for our gigs in August. 

It is a long trip, and Ben plans to be in an out of it depending on his work schedule, and probably his level of sanity.  I will have two other drivers (Clayton and Clark), and so, it is very do-able (did I just write that?).

We are excited to start planning.  And we are excited about getting a chance to see our friends and family back in the Midwest.  It is a huge task to get it all together, but what a way to make some fun memories!

So, that was our big secret.  We have been reluctant to share our secret because we wanted to be sure we could pull it off.  A lot can happen by next summer, but that is what we are hoping and working for right now.

Schedule Change

We had some sad news this past weekend.  My stepfather, Leonard Carmichael, passed away.  Leonard was a dear man who was everything a man ought to be--hardworking, adventurous, faithful, strong, kind, smart, sacrificial, funny, and the list goes on and on. He lived in Rochelle, IL, where he headed up a business called Maplehurst.  He was a very successful farmer/businessman who was very involved in helping his community and his church.  I couldn't have asked for a better stepfather.  He showed me nothing but kindness for the 11-12 years that I knew him.  We are all going to miss him terribly.

He found out during Thanksgiving that he had a lot of cancer all throughout him, and it did not take long before it took him completely.  I am glad he did not have to suffer long.  But like I wrote, we are going to miss him.  Everyone who knew him came away a better person after spending time with him.

So, I am heading back to Illinois to be with my mom and to attend the funeral.  The funeral is Friday.  Ben and the kiddos are staying here.  It takes a lot to haul our crew across the country.  We decided to have Grandma out here instead for Christmas.  We will still be able to play at the Great Wolf Lodge, but will have to reschedule for the juvenile center called Echo Glen. I will miss the first performance on Saturday night at Great Wolf, but will join up with everyone for the Sunday and Monday performances.  Ben and the boys are still going to perform at Great Wolf on Saturday night--just without the bass.

We have been working on Christmas songs like crazy.  The thing is that all those songs about Santa are all the same, "Here Comes Santa," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Up On the Housetop," etc.  They all sing about Santa coming to the point that we can't tell when we have already practiced one or the other!  Anyway, we'll figure it out.  We are looking forward to playing at Great Wolf Lodge and kids make the best audiences!

See you there!

Dream Gig

We are very excited to put a new performance on the calendar for December!  It just happens to be at one of the most entertaining, kid-friendly places we visited as a family last year.

Last year, after a busy hoe-down schedule in the early fall, we decided to take some of our earnings and do something fun, rather than the usual paying off of instruments.  So, we voted as a family and decided to go to Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. 

Great Wolf Lodge is an enormous indoor water park/resort.  There are many across the country and one was just built last year outside of Olympia.  These water parks/resorts are set up as a kid's dream with arcades, fairy tale adventures, an arts and crafts room, and of course, an indoor water park! 

When we went last year, we stayed in a room that had a sort of cabin in the room with bunk beds for the younger kiddos.  Our good friends, the Dziuks, joined us also, and we had a WONDERFUL time.

We will be performing at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound from 6-8pm each night on December 19-21.  We are playing in the lobby for families waiting to visit with Santa.  And then we will do another kind of playing at the water park!  This is the kids' dream gig!  

So, we are looking forward to those dates and working on getting some fun holiday songs ready.  If you are interested, here is the link for Great Wolf Lodge.

Doesn't that look fun??  I will have to think about what my dream gig would be....a spa?  Somehow, I don't think bluegrass and spas go together...sigh.

Mandolins for Clark and Kelli

We were able to find two mandolins for Clark and Kelli.  Clark found his on Craigslist last week.  So Sunday afternoon, he, Ben, and Camden headed down to Tacoma to check it out.  A few hours later they came home with not only a new mandolin, but also a guitar and two instrument stands.  Both the mandolin and the guitar have pickups.  So now, we have more instruments than band members, and we are louder too. Hmmmm, this progression seems like it could get costly to us and annoying to our neighbors if it continues.

We found Kelli's mandolin on Ebay.  Hopefully, it will be here in the next couple of days.  She is starting lessons with Pete Martin on Monday.  She is very excited.  Pete is a great teacher and taught Clark for quite awhile.  He also did some guitar with Cam for awhile too.  And now, a third Hess student, Kelli.

Kelli was interested in playing banjo before, but the banjo was pretty big and heavy for her.  Plus, the banjo was hard for her.  Big brother, Clayton, made it look so easy!  She tried the mandolin and liked the smaller size.  So, we will see how it goes for her.  I still think she has the personality of a banjo player, but, with whatever instrument she chooses, we are excited  get her up and playing, and to have her join us.

Well, Katie just woke up from her nap.  Time for me to go.  We are playing at the Northshore Baptist Talk-Time Hoedown tomorrow night (Friday, Oct.9).  Here's the link http://www.nsb.org/calendar.  We had a very fun time at this event last year.  Talk Time is a ministry to internationals who are trying to learn English.  We will perform and then after that, there is a square dance.  We are looking forward to sharing an American experience with our foreign neighbors!

Mandolin R.I.P.

Today we made yet another emergency trip down to the Folkstore in the University District.  A couple of weeks ago, we went there for Clayton's banjo.  Fortunately, there was much hope and healing for his banjo.  But for the mandolin, well, all we could do was to  make it comfortable as we plinked its last plunk. 

We are not sure how it happened, but the bracing inside the mandolin was broken.  Stuart Herrick--Folkstore proprietor and miraculous instrument healer--jokingly said that it was possible someone jumped on it....hmmmm.  That actually has happened to a few of our instruments in the past.  We tried not to dwell on that thought too long...it only could get ugly from there.

Anyway, we are now checking out some new mandolins...2 in fact.  Kelli is starting up lessons this next week.  The plan was to give her Clark's old one and get him a new one.  But instead, we will be getting a cheap one and a better one so that they both can play. 

The mandolin that just died was a very inexpensive one and it lasted over a couple of years.  So, we are not too sad about our loss.  It had a very good and long life considering how poorly it was made.  The only person who is sad is Camden because he was supposed to be next in line for a new instrument.  He kind of sees Clark and Kelli as line cutters.

Tomorrow, we are playing at Graham Emmanuel Baptist Church in Graham, WA  for their Salt and Pepper group around lunch time.   And then we will come back up home for the Maltby Jam and Open Mic.  Clayton's student, Josh Gray is going to be playing another song there, as well as our fam.  Hope to see you all there.  It is a double gig day!

Chinese Food, Ricky Skaggs and Upcoming Gigs

We just got back from our new favorite restaurant.  It is called the Super China Buffet!  We found it on the internet and it is in Shoreline.  You see, Ben and I wanted to take the kids out for dinner to show our appreciation for the amazing job they did painting the house.  The boys finished up their part of painting a couple weeks ago.  We tried to go out to their former favorite restaurant--Todai's, but after all the trouble of getting there in Redmond one evening (there is always a bit of chaos and trouble whenever we ALL go somewhere), we arrived there only to find an empty building where Todai's used to be.  They went out of business! 

We couldn't believe it.  Todai's was a HUGE Japanese buffet complete with sushi bar and even made-to-order crepes.  Whenever we go out to eat with the kids, we go for buffets so that they can fill up and enjoy.  At the boys' age, it is all about quantity--quality is just an extra.  But buffets are not so popular in the Seattle culinary scene.  So, we were out of ideas for a replacement buffet.  That night, we ended up going home and getting Costco pizza.  It was a sad night.  We were hoping to find another buffet somewhere.  And tonight, we did!

Super China Buffet (catchy name too) runs about $10/person for 4 big buffet tables, a dessert bar, Mongolian grill bar,and a sushi bar.  The boys were in heaven.  Kelli and Katie recommend the jello.  And Kelli was relieved that they weren't serving duck.

Ben's fortune cookie said, "The love of your life is right in front of your eyes."  And I was the one seated right across from him!  As we marveled at the cookie's insight, Clark stated that he was glad his cookie didn't say that--Clayton was seated right across from him.

So, we all ate until we were full and then some more.  Then, we had a fun drive home after we had some papaya enzymes for our indigestion.  I carry them in my purse for these occasions.

On the way home, we listened to our Ricky Skaggs CD in preparation for the concert tomorrow night in Edmonds.  Clayton, Clark and Camden are going to the Ricky Skaggs concert at the Edmonds Center forthe Arts.  They are excited to be youthful for once  because tickets for youths were only $15, while oldies, like Ben and I, were $40.  That explains why I am meeting a friend for coffee after I drop them off.

Anyway, they are excited--very excited!

I haven't written much lately because we had three gigs in a week, and then we were getting our school in order and running.  Now that we are getting into the swing, I found some time to write.  Here's the upcoming gigs....always hoping to add more!

Graham Baptist Church Hoe-Down  Oct 3rd at 1pm
Maltby Jam and Open Mic Oct 3rd sometime between 7-10pm
Northshore Baptist Church TalkTime Hoe-Down Oct 9 at 6pm
Green Hill School Nov21
Echo Glen School Dec 18

Clayton's Visit to Banjo Heaven

Sunday night I returned from the weekend I spent at American Banjo Camp. It was an amazing experience! I learned much more than I thought I would, and I came away with a new appreciation for music theory.

The highlight of my trip was probably having the opportunity to take a one-on-one lesson from Pat Cloud on jazz soloing. It was very interesting and informative. Normally, the lessons there are taught in groups, but nobody else attended this particular class, so I was able to have a one-on-one lesson. It was awesome! I got to know him over the weekend, and found that he was a great person, in addition to being a fantastic banjo player. I also was able to take group lessons from other instructors such as Alan Munde, Bill Keith, and Danny Barnes. I learned so much….

Let me start with our trip there. We brought our band trailer so that we would have some room in the car during the drive there. It also enabled us to bring my Mom’s bass so that she could participate in the evening jams. She was very nervous about having to drive the trailer, because she likes to stop and accelerate quickly, and also has a habit of driving over the curb while turning corners in the Suburban. It is kind of like the way I drive, except on a slightly lesser scale. But with some practice, she did fine.

We got a bit lost on our way, but eventually arrived at our destination just in time to attend orientation. Mom and the rest of my siblings (Dad and Caleb were on their own fishing trip) went to go do other activities at that point, leaving me on my own.

 The students went through a quick orientation then went off to the first class. I elected to attend Chord Melody Soloing by Pat Cloud. It was rather interesting and I learned about how to embellish chords, and use them to play melodies. The second class I took was taught by Alan Munde. It was called Fiddle Tune Arrangements, and it talked about how to arrange fiddle tunes for the banjo. It was very interesting. I haven’t learned my melodic and single string scales completely yet, and this class impressed on me the need to learn them in order to be a better banjo player, and be able to find melodies note for note. It was a good class! 

I then went and ate supper. After supper, Mom, Camden, Clark, and I were hosting a jam with Alan Munde and Danny Barnes in a cabin. I think all of us were nervous about jamming with two legendary banjo players. I know I was somewhat petrified. I think Alan noticed this, because when I introduced myself, “Hi, I’m Clayton, by the way,” he responded with, “Hi, ’Clayton by the way.’” Throughout the whole weekend, he was cracking jokes like that. He was very funny to listen to. I think he liked messing with people.  

Anyway, the jam session went off without much of a hitch, I even remembered all of the words when I sang “Mama Tried!” I also got to witness the fantastic banjo playing of Alan Munde and Danny Barnes. Danny Barnes played guitar for most of the evening, and brought out his banjo for the last two songs. He is an amazing guitar player in addition to being a fantastic banjo player. 

I am running out of time for this post, so I will continue my story in the next one. Until then, we have a gig at a local chef’s show on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. For more information, visit http://www.buylocalfoodinkitsap.org/peninsula-local-food-chef-showoff. We would love to see you there!  

Also, we are playing at Trinity's Heidelfest on Saturday, September 19.  For more information, visit http://www.heidelfest.com/2009/08/foooooood.html.       

Update

Wow, that was a boring title.  But life here is never boring...for instance, this week I am planning out the 2009-2010 school year, the kids are all either helping with VBS or attending VBS at our church, Ben comes home tonight from his business travels, and we are gearing up for the W.A.T.C.H. performance on Friday night.  Oh, and Clayton caught the flu that Clark had during the Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival.  The only people who have not had this yucky flu are Ben and I.  My mom is convinced that it came from the lake water we swam in...she might be right!

Anyway, this performance on Friday is Kathryn's last with us as she is heading to college soon.  We are going to miss performing with her.  She is a very talented young lady and a delight to work with. She has added so much to our band. Be sure to give her extra applause this Friday...we sure will! 

That's all for now. 

Some Like it Hot...But Not Me

Wow, it has been so hot here in the Seattle area.  I was in my car today(I am finding lots of reasons to be in my air-conditioned car)) and the thermometer on my rearview mirror read "107 degrees."  UGH!  It was the second day in a row that we have gone to a lake near our home for swimming because of the heat.  Normally, I am kind of grossed out by swimming in lakes, but since it has been so hot I almost got over it, that is, until I watched a dog vomiting in the water about 10 feet from where I was standing in the water (And I was worried about duck poop?).  It was at that time I decided to round up the kids and head home.

Anyway, we had a nice surprise right before we headed off to the Bainbridge Island Bluegrass Festival.  My mom (our most devoted fan) drove all the way out from IL to come and see us play at the festival.  She also came to hang out awhile and help with some of my kitchen remodel.  We had a great time with Grandma and got some painting done before she left and before the heat hit 100 degrees.  I kind of wish I would have stowed away in her car...I hear the Midwest has been having temperatures in the 70s.  Anyway, thanks, Mom, for coming out and spending time with us!

The kitchen sink is in, the walls and ceiling are painted and the tile is finished.  Now, we are just waiting for the new cupboard drawers and doors.  I thought they would be here in a week, but it actually takes a month...darn, I hate waiting.  Oh well, I am just thrilled to be getting this all done.

Bainbridge Island Bluegrass Festival was a blast!  We had a few obstacles during the week like a couple of band members being down with flu and fever.  Clark succumbed to the illness Friday night and we were all worried he would not be able to perform, but being the amazingly, tough guy that he is, he pulled it together for Saturday and did a great job on stage.  Of course, he crashed on Sunday when it all caught up with him.  I knew he wasn't faking his fatigue because we had no chores to do and he still was acting sickly. He is all better now.

Another obstacle was not having our kitchen sink finished.  We finally finished with the sink and tile on this past Tuesday.  I am so happy to be able to wash dishes now....hope that feeling lasts!

Anyway, we also had some traffic issues while trying to get to the ferry.  We ended up missing our exit for the ferry and instead found ourselves on a street that looked more like a parking lot between Qwest Field and Safeco Field.  Not a good day to find oneself in that location because there just happened to be a Mariners' game and a Sounders' game then.  Sigh.  But I have to tell you, that I did not offend my husband with any comments about how we ended up on that road.  Usually, my mouth moves quicker than my sense in situations like that and I end up needing to apologize.  BUT this time, we had some cell phone problems (I was following in another car) and I had a moment to collect my thoughts and wits, and instead of offending Ben, I only offended the city of Seattle as I drove wildly across town trying to catch the ferry.

As I said the festival was great and a lot of fun.  My favorite band was Deadwood Revival.  What a fun band!  Would you believe they were able to get almost the whole audience up and dancing (including Clayton and I--the rest of the band were too chicken!)  They had a lot of energy and were able to share it with us all. They also played a song called, "Daisy" that had us cracking up.  If you get a chance to see this group, don't pass it up.  You will enjoy them.

A close second to Deadwood Revival was Lonesome Traveler from Colorado.  Again, this band had a lot of energy and their harmonies were very tight.  Caleb had to go home early with Ben, so he missed this band.  But I think he would have really enjoyed their Dobro player, Ansel Foxley.  They did a great job.

We also had a great sound guy named Eddie from Full Circuit Sound.  He was real meticulous and thorough which we really appreciated.  He worked really hard to make sure we sounded great.  Thanks, Eddie!

And one more person we enjoyed was our emcee.  She goes by the name of AuntMama, but her real name is Mary Anne Moorman.  She is a professional storyteller and did a great job keeping the festival going and sharing some heartfelt stories as she went.  She was also a lot of fun to talk to!  You can catch her storytelling at KCBS 91.3 FM on Sunday mornings at 8:30am. 

The Bainbridge Island Bluegrass Festival was a great experience and we loved playing there and making some new friends.  Thanks for having us John and Norm!!

Next week, we are playing for a homeschool conference.  The conference is organized by a homeschool group called W.A.T.C.H.  We are looking forward to entertaining our homeschool friends and encouraging them in their endeavors with homeschooling.

Hope to see you then!

Everything AND the Kitchen Sink

It all  started with Ben telling me that he was going to fix our leaky kitchen sink.  It was going to be a simple project reserved for Friday afternoon.  It would be finished up in time for us to enjoy Friday night pizza and a nice quiet evening together.  But...

Well, Ben said the sink would need to be replaced.  So, as I thought about the sink being replaced, I began to think about the countertop.  For years, I have toyed with the idea of taking out our old Formica countertop and replacing it with tile.  As long as we are replacing our old sink, we might as well take care of the countertop too. 

And as I thought about putting in tile, I thought to myself, "Well, it would be such wasted effort to put in tile on the countertop when we will soon be needing to change out those old cupboards." 

Back during the Bush/Gore election, I had painted my cupboards white (I remember painting vigorously as I listened to the radio reports on the election results).  Over the years, my cupboards have endured a lot of wear and tear.  I don't know who decided to saw the edges of my utensil drawer with a steak knife, but after that kind of wear and tear, sanding and painting can only go so far.  So, after much thought and research, it was decided that we are going to reface the tired cupboards.  Refacing is when you take off the drawer and cabinet fronts and replace them without replacing the cabinet boxes.

And of course, with new countertops, cupboard faces, and sink, we are going to need some new color on the walls to match everything else.

Oh, and one more thing we found...the cabinet under the sink needed to be replaced because of the damage from the leak.  So, we are rebuilding the cabinet under where the new sink will go.

I almost ended up needing a new husband too. I know you are thinking he ran off after he saw all that we were going to do with the kitchen, but that wasn't it.  While Ben suffered a shock from all the expense and DIYing, he also suffered a real shock from our dishwasher while he was replacing some of the hoses and such.  Whew!  I was glad he was okay...it would be really hard to replace him!

So, that is what we are doing this week, in addition to practicing for the Bainbridge Island Bluegrass festival on Saturday.  Hope to see you there!!  It is going to be a blast and we can't wait!!  And hopefully, we will have running water in our kitchen by then.  It is hard to wash dishes in the laundry room...you know what my laundry room is like!