Fritz and Fagan, and Philip

I'm hoping I have finally managed to upload this cutting from the Red River Miner.
The photo shows me at the Aspencade Festival, 2006. (Thank you Fritz and Kerry for allowing me to reproduce this article)
In one ear is Fritz Davis and in the other, Jeff Fagan. Yes they surprised me. I had no idea they were there until that fuzzy beard appeared to my right. So here we are, Fritz, Philip and Fagan in action once again. The article was written by Fritz and the photo was taken by Ray Seibert of Dallas, Texas. Aspencade is a very nice festival celebrating the turning of the Aspen leaves to their beautiful yellow. At this time of year it can be a little cool, especially at 10:00am., the time I started. This year the weather was quite nice and Red River is such a great place to be during the fall.

Thanksgiving 2006

We had thanksgiving at the lake. There were fourteen of us and we had a great time.
Philip and Nora stayed over through Sunday and we managed to hike one trail and part of another. Friday and Saturday at the Beef Baron went well even though there must have been quite a few people out of town. On the way back to Athens we listened to Georgia Public Radio as Dr Barbara Brown Taylor talked about her new book.

Salida, Colorado.

Well, I sold my little house in Red River but still have the other one. My plans were to purchase a place in Salida, Colorado but that hasn't happened. I was looking for a little Victorian on E. through G. street but they seem to be in short supply right now. As you must already know, Salida is my favourite Colorado town. I'm taken with the number of cyclists, the local tolerance for them and the totally flat area the town is located upon, plus all the opportunities that exist for recreation.
I'll miss the little house in Red River but I know the new owners will enjoy it as much as I. I'm still looking in Salida. If you have never been there you need to take a look.
Today I talked with my friend Ray Seibert in Dallas. He makes incence sticks using the resin from pinion pines collected after it has fallen to the ground. It is collected by the inhabitants of Taos Pueblo. The sticks smell great and take me right back to Red River. I ordered some to see me through until January.

At the lake

I'm at the lake and have been here since Tuesday, except for going to Atlanta for one day and work at the Beef Baron. It is so peaceful here and I sleep well. Cornelia has got to be so noisy lately with trains, sirens, lawnmowers and leaf blowers, neighbours dragging out their trashcans at 6:30am and car alarms that fire off for no particular reason. I had forgotten how peaceful the countryside is and how we have all taken noise pollution for granted. It would be nice to move back to sanity and a simpler, quieter life.

Saturday at the Beef Baron

Saturday was a really nice, busy night at the Beef Baron. I got to see a lot of friends I hadn't seen in a lot of years. It was also the busiest night they'd had since the re-opening. When I arrived at 6:45pm every parking place was taken. I'm pleased for Fred things are going so well. If you're in the area, stop and say "hello". I'm there almost every Friday and Saturday through the end of the year and start at 7:00pm. I'll try to remember to take some more photographs.

Schaefer westernwear

Here I am about to leave the studio and head over to the Beef Baron.
Something that concerns me is the loss of manufacturing jobs here in the U.S.A. The shirt I'm wearing was made in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, by Schaefer Ranchwear.
It seems that if they can make a profit with American labor then so should the other companies who have shipped their jobs overseas. Thanks Schaefer for quality, American made products.

The Beef Baron, Baldwin, Georgia.

Here I am at the Beef Baron in Baldwin. I shall be here every Friday and Saturday for a while. My thanks to the folks from Toccoa and Six Mile, S.C. for making the effort in driving over to see me. Last night was quite busy and the weather was so awful. Rain and thick fog, not a nice combination. Today is sunny and breezy. That's an improvement and it's appreciated.

Breakfast at the Basket Peddler.

There's no better way to start the day than Breakfast at the Basket Peddler. I can catch up on the news in the Journal and contemplate what the day may hold. Today is sunny once more. We seem to be alternating between summer and winter here in Georgia. Well, time to sort out equipment for the Beef Baron.

The mountains of Northeast Georgia.

It seems as though the leaves turned overnight. They even seemed to get more vivid as the day progressed. It was a rainy day and the perfect one to be in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. The first photo is of the river on the way to Tate City. The second is looking towards the cabin from Lake Burton.

Well it's back to Cornelia to prepare for Friday evening at the Beef Baron. I start around 7:00PM. It's been around 12 years since I last played there. I'm sure a lot has changed in that time.
Join me if you can make it.

Autumn, twice in one year.

I get to experience the fall twice this year. I have already watched the aspens in Colorado and New Mexico and now I'm back in time to witness the oaks and maples etc. in Georgia. Yesterday there appeared to be quite a heavy frost around Lake Burton. Still as late as it is, most trees are only just beginning to change. Tonight it's raining. Something that was needed back in the summer.

Back to Sugarmill Creek

I just completed my first engagement since arriving back in Georgia. The people are so nice at Sugarmill and I'd like to thank Melissa and Rita for being so understanding of my wandering nature. It was unusually cool for this time of year but there was still a good crowd of dedicated attendees. I played through about 10:30 then Robert, Linda, Mary and Lou and I retired to the lakehouse for coffee and to warm up. We talked til around midnight.
This morning I went for breakfast at the Bateville store, as usual. As I walked out of the cabin I noticed the temperature was 38. The fields on the way, where the sun had not yet reached, were white from frost. When I returned I lit a fire and had a lazy day just working on new songs. Now, if every weekend could be like this.....

Riding home to Georgia

From Bobcat Pass I dropped down into the Moreno Valley. The mountains, including Baldy are obscured by the low cloud. In some of the minor breaks I noticed there was snow up there.
From here I carried on driving through Amarillo, Texas and spent the night in Memphis, Texas. I went throught Ft. Worth around 2:00pm the next day and spent Tuesday night in Louisiana, arriving home wednesday around 9:00pm. The trip was a total of 1566 miles.
Today I talked with Fred Schlagel who is re-opening the Beef Baron next week. I shall be playing there most Fridays until the end of the year. Fred, I wish you well with the "New Beef Baron". The Beef Baron is located on old 441, just south of Baldwin.

Bongo Billy's Salida Cafe.

The booking Bongo Billy's Salida cafe went well. What a pleasure it is to perform in Colorado. I stayed in Salida from Thursday til Saturday. Performing Friday afternoon, Friday Night and Saturday lunch. Thanks to all the folks who listened and also bought cd's. Saturday evening I set out for my house in Red River. Monday lunch I left for Cimarron and then on to Georgia. That's a 1566 mile journey.The photo shows the view on highway 50, east of Salida. The Arkansas River flows along by the road.

The D.H. Lawrence Ranch.

The road to the Lawrence Ranch. I'm fascinated with this place. There seems to be something magic here like the shadows on the mountains and the clouds on that clear blue sky. I have visited several times and look forward to going back. The ranch is about five miles up this dirt road.
This photo shows the tiny cabin that Dorothy Brett stayed in when she was visiting with D.H. and his wife. The famous Lawrence tree is off to my right and right in front of the cabin where D.H. spent his time writing.

Aspencade.. Red River, 2006

This was a three day event and a great success. The weather was perfect with blue skies and warm temperatures. I met lots of people and sold many cd's. None of the speakers in the foreground were mine. I relied on the Bose system and it did an exceptional job. I hope to be able to locate some more photo's a little later. I'll post them when I do.

The Adobe Bar, Taos, New Mexico.

The Adobe Bar is located at the Taos Inn and has quite a history.
Thanks to Nic Knight for booking me and the rest of the folks for making me feel at home and selling the cd's. Thanks to Ray and Jeane for taking the photographs.
Taos is a really cool place with interesting museums and art galleries. J.D. Challenger has his gallery about a hundred yards from the Adobe Bar.

It is called the "living room of Taos" and I can believe it. I met people from England who were familiar with the old Dolphin Bar in Cleveleys. There were folks from all over the country plus locals. The night went very well.
I really enjoyed the Adobe Bar and look forward to going back.

Red River

I arrived in Red River on Wednesday th 20th, September. The next morning it snowed and also the day after. Then it was back to Santa Fe to play at the Tin Star.
The next day I was at Ronnie Lee's in Taos and also for Sunday brunch. The shows went well and on Sunday brunch I set up outside. This is a very nice restaurant and well worth a visit.

Dallas, Texas

This was my first ever booking in Texas. Everything went so well. I want to thank Ray and Jeane for all they did. Also thank you to Betty, Berts and Tommy, my friends from Philmont, for coming. It was wonderful to see you all after quite a number of years. Thank you also to the Dallas folks who came, some whom I had previously met in Red River. Also, thanks to our Russian friend Dennis, who was singing in both Russian and English during the intermission. It was very hot this evening, but the huge fan we had running helped to keep us cool and also keep the bugs at bay.
The next day it was off to the lakehouse in Lago Vista near Austin, about 200 miles south.

Lago Vista

The photo was taken at Largo Music Hall. Dallas and Austin both went well and I hope to go back to both. Rancho Lago is a sanctuary for the deer who seem to know hunting season is almost upon them. I observed that kind of behaviour once before at the Philmont villa.
After Leaving Austin, I drove through the Texas hill country and spent the night in Littlefield,Texas, the hometown of Waylon Jennings. It's about 250 miles from Littlefield to Santa Fe.

Texas, New Mexico, Colorado tour.

This afternoon I'm Checking and packing equipment ready for my departure, hopefully early in the morning. I thought I was travelling light until I saw what was actually there. I have to carry spares of everything. Nothing can be replaced once I reach Red River. I have to be in Dallas for Friday evening so I have a fairly easy drive of about 900 miles in two days.
Look at the stickers on my case. They do serve a purpose. I used to travel with an old black Gretsch Duo Jet,the case was a mess and the many bumper stickers were the only thing that kept it from completely falling apart.
The bookings in Austin and Lago Vista will be interesting. On this tour I have 15 bookings in 22 days and decided that was enough. I want to have free time to enjoy the fall in the mountains of New Mexico. The mountain bike is going along. Just as with other tours, I'll post as the opportunity arises. Hello Mountain Treasures... Get the coffee pot on!!! Wake up Red River, don't go to sleep just yet.