May 7 cafe get together

[Flowerpot]

I'd like to invite the cafe members in the area to come out to my house Sunday afternoon, May 7, for some pickin and mando tasting. I'm on the north side of Greensboro, between Oak Ridge and Stokesdale.

I'll wait and see the consensus about time and food -- I was thinking we could start around 1:30, 2:00 or so and have anything from snacks to a big grilling party, depending on how many people we have coming and when everybody wants to arrive. I could be pursuaded to smoke some ribs (pretty darned good eating if I say so myself).

Luthier Hans Brentrup will be here for a visit, and will be bringing his new distressed Loar copy prototype with him. He would love to have everybody come try it out.

So what say ye, any takers?

[John Rosett]

i knew that moving to north carolina would bring me closer to my mando-brethren! (sorry, i don't know the matching femine term. sistern?) count me in.

[tricyclist]

I'm new to the whole mando universe and would love to come up (from Belmont) and meet some real pickers, but unfortunately I'll be racing at White Lake that weekend.

[csstanley]

Flowerpot, I go through were you live nearly everyday. I work out of Walnut Cove.

Man, I'd love to come down that way but Sunday's are REALLY bad for me.

We aught to shoot to set up a Saturday sometime soon.

[Flowerpot]

We may have to set up another Saturday some time... but man, my Saturdays are getting pretty crowded up through early June. I'll keep it in mind for later... I know I won't be able to get everybody together at one time. But I'll start with this one and see what happens.

[kudzugypsy]

keep me posted on the status - even though i'm in Fayetteville, i'd take a trip up. my group is playing with the Fayetteville Symphony on the 6th, so maybe i could swing the trip on the 7th.
i could bring a Paganoni and Nugget and play some guitar for the group.

[Flowerpot]

That sounds great, I hope you can make it. I'm sure we can trade off on guitar duty so everybody has the chance to sample the fine mandos -- I look forward to the Pag, as I've never had one in my hands... I know what I'll think of the Nugget (drool).

Stay tuned for details on the time and how much food we're having. I BBQ'd two pork shoulders this weekend and froze half of it, so I could possibly pull it out. Or fix something new, whatever.

[evanreilly]

lemme see....
from asheville, like, go I-40 East....
mebbe...
tho it may rain.....
and then, what mandolins to bring???
decisions.....

[Gary S]

Thanks for putting this together Flowerpot. I hope to be there next sunday. What can I bring other than a mandolin or 2?...Gary

[AlanN]

Count me in, too. Thanks for hosting it.

[Lane Pryce]

I can be there in spirit as I'll be working. I'd love to send my Mowry A up for some honest feedback from you guys.
Mark sounds like it will be a blast --- wish I could be there. Lp

[Flowerpot]

Now that we mya have a quorum, what do you say about eats? Want to have it at around 1:30, and I can make up some bbq ribs, chuckwagon beans, maybe tater salad and cornbread, and you can bring whatever little dish/salad/dessert you want? Or if you're coming from a long ways off, just throw in your mandolin(s) and come on over. Sound OK? This is the South, it's almost a rule that you gotta have a bunch of food around for any gathering. Somebody could bring sweet tea.

Probably what we'll miss the most if we don't have it will be a bass (I'm looking for a bass, I should really have a "house bass" ready to go).

[kudzugypsy]

sounds great - but ya'll gotta wash the BBQ sauce offn ya hands so you dont get it all over my blond nugget!

[Alex Fields]

I'm pretty sure I can make it. Unfortunately I don't have much to offer in the way of sampling, I have two mandolins (a Silverangel and a refinished 1921 Gibson A1) but they're both just beaters while I'm waiting on my Daley. I have some fiddles (one's a five string) I could bring, I suppose, but my fiddle playing isn't quite on par with my mandolin playing (that is to say, I can play rhythm and I can play fast, but I can't play in tune). I'm also in a temporary break from music because of left hand injuries, but I imagine I'll be okay to go by that time (I sure hope so anyway).

As a vegetarian I suppose I'd be responsible for my own food--I'm used to that. Coffee would be nice though... : )

[dtb]

may I ask........how far is this place from Highpoint, N.C. We will be in Highpoint for my son's graduation that week-end, and if'in it ain't two far away, we may can stop by for a little. That's if the wife wants to.

well, dang....if'in I'd pay attention. It looks like it's right around the corner.

Can you give directions to the place before that week-end.

[MandoPup]

I'd like to be at the gathering and I'm pretty sure May 7th is good for me.
I live in Kernersville just south of Oak Ridge. Later next week I'll check this message site out to verify event and get directions to the place. Thanks for offering to host this Flower Pot. Add me to the list of participants.

[AlanN]

Mark,

I may be able to rustle up a bass man. Let me know if you want me to try.

- Alan

[Scotti Adams]

...man..makes me wish I lived closer.

[Flowerpot]

As for a bass man, that would be cool. There's somebody I could ask that lives here locally, but I don't know how much he's into the mando tasting end of it. I think if your bass guy would like seeing dozens of mandolins too, that'd be cool.

I'll post some directions on here soon. Yep, we're not far at all from High Point, that's where I work, and it's a 20 minute drive.

Sounds like this could be quite an event -- hope the wife doesn't kill me!

I'll keep you informed... FP

[Tom Mylet]

I'm a long time lurker who's come out in order to attend. I hope to come by with Gatchmo. Let me know what I can bring food-wise. Tom

[Hans]

Patty, forgive us! I'm Borrowing Greg Fisher's double "Supercase" so I'll bring the F-4Classic and the new pink-ivory Eclipse in addition to #Lloyd. Looking forward to meeting y'all!

[Bill Van Liere]

Thanks Flowerpot, this is worse than MAS.

I'm stuck up here in Michigan with my Brentrup, BRW, bunch of Flatirons, Steven Owsley
Smith OM, same old Martin(s), and I love southern cookin. Wish I could make it.

BTW, what is sweet tea in your neighborhood?

[Flowerpot]

Sweet tea? It's what you get in a restaurant if you ask for "iced tea", sweetened with a good dose of sugar -- gotta ask specifically for unsweetened tea if you want it that way, and you have to remind them every time they come to fill your glass that it's "unsweet", and then they'll still give you sweet tea half the time anyway. I like sweet-n-low personally, but I don't want to be accused of being a Yankee, so I figued I'd better have some "real" iced tea ready on hand.

Gatchmo? As for bringing food, just tell me what's easy for you to bring (salad, side, dessert, whatever) and post it here so I can remember. Cole slaw, potato salad, veggies/dip, chips, just say the word and we'll know you've got that covered. AT the least, I'll plan on the ribs, chuckwagon beans (great recipe), and some corn on the cob (may have to settel for frozen this time of year), plus whatever the wife decides to cook up. Maybe corn bread.

Stand by for directions... this is shaping up to be great!

[Strange1]

Flowerpot, it all sounds great. Even the true sweet tea. I'm beginning to swing a few people and cafes out this way on serving it. At first they said just put some packets of sugar in it. After I quit rolling on the floor I explained what real sweet tea is. Sorry I can't make as I love that part of the country. I'm about 1500+ miles away in Colo. Have a great time.

Jack

[tricyclist]

Come on now. We know that sweet tea is actually sugar, water, and a slight seasoning with "tea".

I'm actually an oddball around here, in that I don't really care for iced tea. But I've drunk plenty of it, as it's often the only beverage offered at picnics, church dinners, etc.