Once again it's almost time to gather in the pines outside of Yosemite for the biggest family reunion in the west, only weeks away now!!! So get yer campin' gear in order, new strings for the mando, and start markin' off the days!
(can ya tell I'm excited?!)
mandollusional Mike
Are we there yet?!?
I wake up every morning with the same thought ... I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be in the mountains.
Here's what I've done so far to prepare.
a) Ordered up my All-Festivus Pass.
b) Secured my pre-fest campsite.
- Pssst, Duuude, Stanley ... I'll keep the light on for ya'.
c) Bought a new (used) tent.
- Same one I borrowed last fall, so ... basically used by me.
d) Took the Larrivee in for a set-up.
- I miss it already!
e) Reserved my rental car.
f) Made a list of every song I know.
- 'Cuz I can never seem to recall them all when I'm on the spot.
g) Re-masked the nekkid neck on the Weber.
- Gotta 'spruce' her up a little for the big trip.
Anything I missed?
I'm gonna miss seeing Mandolooter, and Carolynbeth. We had great fun meeting up last fall.
- Benignus
P.S. Duuuude, Percy has moved to AZ.Lonely Water Mando-player, Bruce will be up there however ... and maybe we'll run into PeeWee.
Dang, gonna miss ole Percy & his "I only know 3 chords". Don't be suprised if there's an intruder in yer campsite when ya get there, I hear he's bringin' firewood, too.
Lookin' like Tioga may even be open for the drive up, barring any last-minute storms. Sounds like the road thing may be squashed for good, glad I got the cabin at the lodge for Tues., may just pull my truck up & start the line at midnight, LOL.
Now I can't wait for fall already to get some of the gang back together for some more pickin', bet we'll sound pretty different next time around. Something to look forward to.
mandollusional Mike
Just read that fall is almost sold out!!
Mandolooter & CarolynBeth, got yer tix already?
mandollusional Mike
Bon Voyage Duuuude!
I'll see you tomorrow!
Ya'll have fun overthere and don't over do it...LOL!
Open your eyes and look within, are ya satisfied with the life your livin...
Robert Nesta Marley
Rats!!! Duuuuude, wish I'd seen your message sooner, kinda forgot all about ordering my tix for fall, and it's sold out as of May 6th! Guess it sold out early this year....
Bummer. I was really looking forward to it, even though I'm not familiar with most of the line-up....I'll miss jammin' with you guys!
Well, have fun. Without me.
Carolyn
Double Rats!!!!!!!!!
I've been thinking about last fall a lot as I get ready to leave tomorrow. You and Mandolooter have been in my thoughts. I'll miss seeing you, for sure ... but there are more festivals to come.
" ... and don't over do it...LOL! "
No sir. I will behave.
If y'all really want tickets to fall Strawberry, you should join up on their discussion list.
http://hogranch.com/mailman/listinfo/strawberry
A lot of times, as these festivals (such as Rockygrass, High Sierra, Telluride, etc) draw nearer, people realize they can't go, or something else comes up, and they try to sell their tickets through the message boards. You might also want to check with the venue/box office to see if they release tickets, and if so when the release date is.
Can you tell I'm usually behind on getting tickets to festivals and end up trying to get them the hard way
Mandofiddle
There is also the unoffical Strawberry Discussion Forum. They have a dedication section for ticket exchanges.
http://phorum.freeradio.com/index.php?f=2
On it!
We'll keep our fingers crossed....
Ah yes, the annual 'berry ticket scramble! Takes me back to my flakier days, to be sure (which actually wasn't that long ago; I probably got worse in other areas). But as I work feverishly to finish 5 instruments for Father's Day, I'm getting nervous about possibly not having the time to go (told you I was getting worse some other way). Well, the next few days will tell, to go or not to go, that is the question. Wish me luck, and I'll see ya'll there, french polish willing.
Zeke Griffin
Mandolooney at large
Purveyor of old motorcycles, mandolins and sailboats
Zeke,
You're tall enough that should you arrive ... you won't be missed.
- Benig (His last look at the Cafe before hitting the road ... adios)
Wow!
High points:
a) The jams
- I got to jam with several pro acts, as well as a bevey of exceptional players from all over. I think I am half-again the player I was a week ago. It's like 'spring training' for pickers. Being a picker at a festival like this, is like having a 'special pass', as you're seemingly welcome everywhere if you're carrying an instrument. There were several great Cafe picking sessions at Duuuude's campsite with Duuude, Stanley, and myself ... as well as other neighbors.
b) The wonderful people.
- Everyone up at Strawberry is awesome, but I'll shout out to the Cafe folk. Duuuude, Stanley, Zeke (Great stories about Germany!), and Michael Lewis (Thanks again for your great words of encouragement!)
c) Performing on the Breakfast Cafe stage at the wholey unreasonable hour of 7:30am! I can't believe my Dobro player actually got out of bed to back me up! They even fed us a free breakfast for our efforts.
d) Playing that Sam Bush Gibson! Holy Smokes Batman!
- When Duuuude and I went back Sunday to hear it one last time ... it was gone. No surprise there, as it was truly a Hoss.
e) The pines. The camping. The sunshine ... even the rain.
Only 90 days 'till fall ... tick ... tock ... tick ... tock
Yep, leavin' in 86 days to do it all over again! What a great fest, rain & all.
Favorite mando picker onstage had to be Marc Atkinson from The Bills, never heard so many notes firin' at once in my life, incredible! But then I did miss quite a few acts as I'm easily distracted.
Best personal moment had to be playin the F-9 at the Pickin' Parlor at the back of the music meadow when Keb Mo started his set & gettin' to play along with a couple tunes.
Learned & picked more in a week than a month of Sundays, even got onstage for the first time at the band scramble. And it's true, the audence really doesn't hear all of your mistakes, LOL.
CarolynBeth, if ya run a ticket short for fall I usually keep a spare handy if'n ya need it. Plus I heard quite a few tix went unused for spring so don't give up lookin'.
mandollusional Mike
Well, it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who gets a little, um, forgetful, about these things #
duuuude, thanks for your nice offer -- I'll let you know if I have to take you up on it! I have posted my ticket plea on the phorum,though, so maybe I'll get lucky...
Sounds like you all had a spectacular time -- what a great event
Carolyn
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