Oops! It’s been over a year since I’ve blogged.
My deepest apologies.
there’s a lot I’d like to write about. For instance, this video was made just a few weeks after we moved into our New House. During the Holidays. But that story is for when you come visit me in person.
In the meantime, enjoy a Whole Show of my band! For FREE!
Well, you’ve seen the “Concert in the Pole Barn”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneetchie/sets/72157626845606852/
and heard about Todd’s old house:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneetchie/sets/72157626712010939/
So, I don’t have to write about those.
Here’s what I haven’t told you:
1) there are a lot of trees in Michigan. Duh.
I wasn’t quick enough to photograph the billboard of a tree stump growing legs….but the image stuck in my head all weekend and inspired me to BECOME the Fiddle Tree! What does my brain do on a long, green drive, but dream up another incarnation of that solo show? I was dreaming up costumes all weekend. (think – medieval green dress, leather branches, and a tree backdrop – as if I need Another Renfaire Show! Yeesh!)
((1a – Michi is not allowed to have downtime, because she just thinks of more Things to Do.))
2) When caught in a thunderstorm, a brewpub in a basement is the place to be.
We had such a good experience on Friday night, we decided to go back to The Livery. As we walked up, I heard the Ballydesmond Polka coming from upstairs, which I had played the night before. I thought to myself – “That must be live music. No one plays polkas on a juke box.” However, we needed refreshment more than we needed fiddle tunes right away. We went straight downstairs to the bar and ordered the same food we’d had on Friday, because it was so good (ceasar salad and meatball sandwich). I enjoyed a second hit of the non-alcoholic black cherry raspberry cider, and heard thunderclaps nearby. Todd watched the radar, and waited forever for the growler to be filled - the waitress was too overwhelmed to even start my tab - so I decided to go upstairs and check out the tunage. I played a few tunes, made a few new friends, got on another Irish music email list, Todd got his growler, and then the storm abated.
3) timing is everything.
After the pub, we stopped by Todd’s old house one more time…and arrived just as the family was coming home from a soccer tournament. The father is about Todd’s age and they really enjoyed sharing history and email addresses. They kindly let us take pictures of their children’s bedrooms and I tried not to feel creepy (did I mention we slept in the car the night before, without showering?). They were quite cool about it. I suppose they needed showers too.
If we’d left just a bit earlier or later, we’d have had to drive in much of the storm.
If I hadn’t waited for coffee and muffins in the morning, or for the waitress in the evening, we would have missed the people at the homestead.
If we’d been there any other week, there wouldn’t have been Irish music upstairs.
That’s five points for serendipity, and ten for another lovely weekend with Todd! And – a lifetime invitation to a party at a Really Cool Place.
He was thrilled at how it all turned out, and even showed our pictures to his brother the next day (after opening the growler). I am feeling a tad sunburnt, a little bit sore from smiling, many CD’s lighter, and extremely grateful.
Tonight, we are headed to see where Todd was born – St Joseph, Michigan.
He found this nearby:
No, he wasn’t born in a brewpub, though he should have been. He enticed me to go by pointing out the cider on tap.
We’ll stay in a hotel, hopefully with a hot tub, because Saturday I’m a-gonna need my muscles.
Saturday morning:
we take a few pictures and drive up to Grayling, where I have a show in a pole barn. Three sets of music with a drummer and a dancer, each set representing a different “tour” of part of the world. I have made up a “travel brochure” complete with drink pairings.
Set 1: Bourbon. (Celtic Lands to Appalachia.)
- I don’t actually have any whisky, but we are bringing some lovely blonde port!
Set 2: The Vodka Belt. (from the Balkans to the Black Sea)
- Rich revisits his time in Albania and I can toast Ukraine.
Set 3: Tea and Romani (Spain, Egypt, India)
- Ashli is doing a belly dance with a tea tray on her head!
- if it doesn’t rain, there might be fire dancing. Rich bought leather pants.
Sunday:
Drive home. We both love the stouts and porters, so this is worth adding 30 minutes to the trip…or maybe a few hours….
http://www.darkhorsebrewery.com
This is my absolutely favoritous maximus way to music-make. I get to spend a whole weekend with my husband, see dear friends, nature, and get rid of some CD’s too. I can definitively say I’ve never been so excited about spending a night sleeping in a car. It’s also kind of a relief, after steampunking so much, that I am not *allowed* to bring props or electronics. My whole costume change is a hat and a scarf.
See y’all Monday, in pictures!
By that I do not mean I’m quitting ‘the biz.’ Tried that once already, wound up with more gigs than I had before!
What I mean to say is, that after watching the final “Borgias” episode we are cancelling the cable channel. HBO has everything we need, anyway.
After watching the queen eat the heart of a horse, Todd got the flashlight and went digging amongst the swords and glass cases….and emerged with a big silver book.
(picture stolen from Amazon. Ours is much more dusty.)
I guess I know what I’m doing on my vacation now!
We’ve already agreed it will be facebook-free.
Mostly.
implies just as much fun as it sounds!
I need to wash this:
(baby not included)
And this
(but not the leather, obviously…)
and from this past weekend: two versions of this:
I am fairly sure I fiddled for 8 hours this weekend, and wore the grain distributor for 6 of them.
Tonight I have a date with a chiropractor and an ice pack.
That laundry can wait until tomorrow.
Last week: 2 finals, one celebratory dinner and a rain-fair. Outcome: one “A”, one ”B”, lots of new friends, sushi and a hot tub. Strangely, I am almost more nervous about this week than I was about the last.
This week: 2 gigs, one director meeting and two rehearsals. And maybe, just maybe, stopping by the opening for “Pirates of the Carribean IV.” I put the big blue pants in my trunk this morning, just in case.
I very nearly bought myself a Davy Jones mask after finding this “Violin Monster” yesterday on facebook:
Doesn’t he just make your head explode with ideas?
And he likes the Cantiga book, so he’s alright by me.
The Jackass Rebellion of 1214.
“Sir, they’re rising up in the streets!”
“But we just made a deal with the dukes!”
“No sir, not the nobles, the jackasses.”
“But we thought we had pacified the church!”
“No sir, the donkeys! (hee-haw)”(backstage conversation thanks to William Dezoma).
