3,776 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Normtheguitar and I arrived back to my house.  We were the first to arrive and the last to leave.  I took nearly everything I own, I believe, to be sure there was enough to go around.  In the several days, we enjoyed comfortable rest in the king size beds of my camper, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, and most of all playing music until all hours of the night.  We did manage to put rather a large dent on the cooler contents (both food and beverage).  The weather was perfect.  Warm days and nights cool enough that we wore sweaters and the campfire was both large and welcome.  My friend Roger (not a Chordian) put on a light show trying to ignite some white gas powered lanterns.  There was some fantastic dialogue. 

Some one liners I recall, and will likely recall more.

Jim (Mekidsmom's hubby) to Dirty Ed: "I thought my guitar was broken until you played it.

Guitarpix (or perhaps Jim) to Dirty Ed after he played a guitar in a banjo style: "If you bought a banjo, the money wouldn't go to waste." 

I should have written them down.  There was quite a lot of witty banter. 

Oh, and also we had a 'possum and a raccoon that visited us often.  The raccoon came out and sat beside my friend Roger late one night when Roger got a snack.  I think it was wishing it could sing, because it haunted the song circle Thursday night when it was just Normtheguitar and I and also Friday night.  On Saturday, there were a lot of other campers partying and going strong, so our raccoon friend abandoned us for better (or at least different) company. 

Lots of fish caught.  Many, many, many, many songs sung.  And an absolutely unreasonable quantity of beef eaten.

- Zurf

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3,777 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

mekidsmom wrote:

Tops and Toots, We'll miss you!!!!!  I was really hoping you two would make it sad  --- The weather forecast has only gotten BETTER for the weekend with only a 10% chance of rain now!  We'll be leaving home in a few hours and heading toward the Martin Factory.  We'll see those of you at camp sometime tomorrow morning.  smile  Hope you can make it DM!

Sorry that I never found out about electric.  Yesterday was "one of those days".   It is only a few minutes before eight o'clock and each child has already had at least one lecture from each parent and another has already been punished.  We will not have another of those days today.  The boundary they were seeking has been reached.  That took quite a lot of our attention yesterday away from the things we wanted to do.  Add in two emergency plumbing situation, one of which requiring a contractor to come and the day got away from us.  It's been like that for a while. 

- Zurf

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3,778 Topic by Zurf

(11 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

At the open mic last night, JETS60 kicked it off.  Then a woman he knew well played.  They both did great.  Each have reached a certain age.  Then a whole series of extremely talented college age or just past musicians played.  What they played was somewhat mellow and of the alt rock style.  People listened and and least JETS60, Normtheguitar, and I were duly impressed.  Then it was Normtheguitar's turn at the mic.  He seemed a bit daunted having to follow the extreme talent and musicianship we had just enjoyed.  After a mild introduction he started in on his first of four songs.  He was WAILING.  Just awesome.  Normtheguitar was the first musician of the night who had folks singing along, dancing, doing air guitar and generally rocking out. 

There was a young, tattooed, spike haired woman sitting between me and the stage.  I noticed her taking a picture of Paul on her iPhone, which I thought odd being that we had just met 1/2 hour earlier when she and her friends sat down to share our table.  Then I noticed that she sent the picture as a Tweet to her friends and the message was, "Old guy is rocking!"

Now, being a contemporary of mine, I mildly object to her characterization "old"; however, I wholeheartedly agree with her assessment.  Normtheguitar was ROCKING. 

- Zurf

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3,779 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Guitarpix wrote:
Zurf wrote:

There's just a small convenience store in Bentonville. 

- Zurf

Do they sale live bait??  Worms, crickets, & such or should I keep my eyes open for some on the way down?

I think you can buy live bait at the camp store and at the canoe outfitter.  I'm mostly a fly-fishing and soft-plastics guy, so I haven't really kept up with the live bait locations.  However, bait is very popular and so it is widely available.

- Zurf

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3,780 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Detman101 wrote:

What date is this again?
I've been out of sorts for a bit...

Dm

'
This weekend.  Thursday to Sunday.  Sounds like most folks are coming on Friday.  I'll be on the rivers during the day and playing music by evening. 

- Zurf

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3,781 Reply by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

jets60 wrote:
Zurf wrote:
jets60 wrote:

We still open mike'n at Jimmy on Wednesday?

Yes!  We are planning a light day of activity on Wednesday so that we have the opportunity to get some quiet time in the afternoon to recharge batteries sufficiently to be "on" later in the evening.

Great - I will try and make it. They have killer wings there.

None of my guitars, excepting my electric, have pickups.  Can they mic a guitar there, or will we need to borrow one from someone who has a pickup? 

I love wings. 

- Zurf

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3,782 Reply by Zurf

(24 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Put your finger right up next to the fret when playing and release straight up.  See if that helps.  If it doesn't, then I suggest crying uncontrollably while looking at guitar shop web sites until your significant other (if you have one) recognizes the need for you to purchase a different guitar. 

You may also want to try a humidifier in your guitar. 

My guess is that it is the nut.  I say that because I have no skill whatsoever at this sort of thing and it's a wild guess on my part.  But thinking about how a guitar works, it kind of makes sense. 

- Zurf

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3,783 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Dirty Ed wrote:

I find that having vision trouble is actually a blessing whenever I look in a mirror........................

Don't worry Dirty Ed.  Mirrors don't work.  I know this because whenever I look in a mirror there is a stranger there.  It's some old, tired looking, bald guy with a gray beard instead of the vigorous young man I know myself to be.

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3,784 Reply by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

jets60 wrote:

We still open mike'n at Jimmy on Wednesday?

Yes!  We are planning a light day of activity on Wednesday so that we have the opportunity to get some quiet time in the afternoon to recharge batteries sufficiently to be "on" later in the evening.

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3,785 Topic by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Normtheguitar has landed safely, was picked up, and after a couple of beers at a pub on the way home, fed a "full-immersion American" dinner of grilled chicken, asparagus, fresh corn on the cob and watermelon for dessert.  My wife coined that phrase "full immersion American" and I rather like it. 

I don't know what we're off to do tomorrow, but we'll have some fun.  I love showing off my adopted home town, so we'll find some sort of trouble to get into I'm sure. 

There was a tremendous thunderstorm with ferocious winds this evening.  It dropped the temperature twenty degrees (though it doesn't feel like it because it raised the humidity a billion percent).  Guitarpix and wife were supposed to arrive today and set up camp.  I hope they had their tent raised and staked down before the winds blew.  The rest of the week is predicted to be lovely.  Lucky Pix!  The Shenandoah usually fishes well on a rise.  It stirs up the bottom sediment, which contains a lot of nummy little insects the fish like to eat. 

- Zurf

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3,786 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I've been wearing line free variable lenses for many years.  Today I was wearing my contacts, which means reading glasses.  I see much better with my contacts usually, except apparently for music.  It is all a blur. 

- Zurf

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3,787 Topic by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I'm going to HAVE to start memorizing music because it's so darn hard to see.  The music, as I have things set up now, is at just that perfect point that it's too far to see with reading glasses and too close to see without.  Grrrrrrr.

I'm practicing for the July River Jam.  Paul's (Normtheguitar) plane has just landed.  He's got to wind through our crazy airport and get through Customs, so I was trying to grab a few minutes between work and leaving to pick him up and became frustrated with my eyes. 

- Zurf

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3,788 Reply by Zurf

(6 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

When we remodeled a couple years ago and had to clear out the basement of everything so that it could be tiled, I rented a dumpster and filled it, plus took eight pickup truck loads of junque to the dump.  I guess we had a few things we didn't need.  The things that still had life in them were donated to charities we support so that they could sell the items in their thrift shops or give them to folks in need. 

- Zurf

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3,789 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Welcome back.  I recall being surprised to discover how young you were, as your posts suggested a level of good sense beyond your meager years.  Please hang around and rejoin the fray.  I've still got one of your songs in my songbook. 

- Zurf

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3,790 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

If you decide to stay at a motel on the way down, and assuming that you're coming down on Route 15, otherwise known as "The Center of the Universe", stay in Gettysburg or head to Thurmont, MD.  You've got Gettysburg, PA, Thurmont, MD, Frederick, MD, then you get onto route 340 and you'll be go by Harper's Ferry, WV.  Of those, you're most likely to get an affordable room last minute in Gettysburg or Thurmont. 

Also, as you come through Front Royal, if you need supplies get them there.  There's just a small convenience store in Bentonville. 

- Zurf

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3,791 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

It depends.  He went to his grave an old man, and in those many intervening years he never lost the thought that he should have died in France.  The enormity of the situation made a deep impression upon him.  When each of his sons were drafted (my uncle for WWII and my father for Korea), I can only imagine what was in his mind until they came home. 

- Zurf

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3,792 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Both the river and your company are beautiful. 

- Zurf

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3,793 Reply by Zurf

(45 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Make up your mind, get a guitar you like (none are perfect) and GET BACK TO PLAYING.

Then find me a solid cedar topped dreadnaught or folk body style in perfect condition (except maybe for signatures of James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Buffett, and Bonnie Raitt) for $20.

- Zurf

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3,794 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

You definitely should.  My grandfather was a soldier that saw a lot of action, but somehow he never got hit.  Even one time during WWI he was the only person to survive a battle - either German or American - and then he had to walk out 40 miles carrying a machine gun.  Some folks just never get hit.  Weird. 

- Zurf

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3,795 Reply by Zurf

(141 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Sounds like a neat trip DE.  The visitor center in Fredericksburg is often staffed by Civil War buffs.  I know it's tough for you to do, but with a little effort you may be able to get over your profound shyness and find a way to strike up a conversation with one of them.    :-)

Also remember Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg aren't too far (though in the opposite direction). 

We went to Gettysburg a few weekends ago.  They've got a new museum, the big circle painting thingy is restored and housed in a beautiful new facility, and they have an interesting movie of about 20 minutes.  You can get a ticket for all three for $11.

If you're a hunter or someone who understands ballistics, going to Gettysburg and viewing Devil's Den from the ridge to consider three times as many people coming at you than you have on your side, knowing that most of those people are freshly supplied and that you're nearly out of ammunition, and then take the road back behind and view it again from the downhill side thinking about how the nation's best regiment of sharpshooters are up on the ridge you're about to try to take and assuming (accurately) that they've already sited in the distance on all the rocks you have to hide behind and dodge between to get up the hill ought to trigger some emotions.  It's an aptly named location.

Then from the top of the ridge you could walk a few hundred yards towards the left flank and walk the ground where Chamberlain ordered his downhill bayonette charge into the Alabamians, who after three days of nonstop walking through July heat from Loudoun County, Virginia to Gettysburg, PA could only be considered "fresh" compared to the deprivations suffered by the Massachusetts men who they were attempting to outflank. 

- Zurf

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3,796 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

YOWZER - Look at that cat! 

Nice looking boat.  It'll be perfect for the Shenandoah.  There's an outfitter directly across the river from the campground that will run shuttles for you for $20. 

This site may be helpful to you.  http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/wa … ction=maps

- Zurf

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3,797 Reply by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

You're working.  The way the global economy is going, that's something to be grateful for.  Check in when you can, and in the meanwhile try locking away all those sites and sounds and smells in your cranium for later songwriting use. 

- Zurf

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3,798 Reply by Zurf

(15 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I hope it works out the way you'd like NELA. 

- Zurf

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3,799 Reply by Zurf

(17 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Yeah NELA, I like the cookie and milk snack too.  They're a lot smaller and less frequent than they used to be. 

If you have to give up beer or a bass boat, I think you made the right choice.  I get a lot more fun out of fishing than I do out of drinking, and the glare headaches from being on the water pass a lot faster than the headaches too much beer can give you. 

- Zurf

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3,800 Reply by Zurf

(33 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

My first car was a 1978 Mercury Bobcat, which was a Pinto with chrome.  I'd drive one again.  It ran great and didn't blow up or anything. 

- Zurf

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