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Post by Village Idiot on Jul 29, 2013 13:31:34 GMT -5
It comes as no suprise that a most wonderful time was had by all. As jealous as we might be, it's been great getting on here and reading the updates. Are we going to hear any recordings out of this?
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Post by sekhmet on Jul 29, 2013 14:45:04 GMT -5
No doubt, Village.
Howard left on the airport bus about an hour and a half ago. Another fond goodbye in a stream of them. It is so hard to do, say goodbye.
This has been a totally marvelous weekend. There really are no words to express how many moments we had that will warm my heart and excite my creative spirit in the year to come.
Lars has video, Marshall, Dub, and there are plenty of photos waiting for processing once everyone arrives home.
We miss them already.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2013 19:33:03 GMT -5
Hello, SoundHolers!
I just arrived home about 20 minutes ago. The Grey Bruce Airbus was behind schedule but self-corrected. I thanked the driver (who was missing most of his right forearm, and his reply was, as he displayed the end of his arm, "It's all in the wrist!"). My flight was 45 minutes late getting back to LGA, but I walked right out the door with my carry-on bag into a waiting taxi, and was whisked home in 20 minutes.
Too much to process and write about at the moment, plus, my girls will be arriving home after 17 days in California, very shortly.
BUT... a BIG, HUGE shout-out to Katherine and Lars for being extremely wonderful hosts, and to the other attendees for being extremely wonderful guests, housemates, and pickin' partners (and Dub, a thousand thanks again for bringing that lovely old Martin for me to play). I am so delighted I got to see some old friends and meet some new old friends. I would like to let everyone know that when we were all together, the love in that space was palpable. Like family, only without all the emotional baggage.
Lars and Katherine, you have my heart. Thank you, from the bottom of it.
And now, a nice frosty gin and tonic would be in order. Cheers!
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Post by Marshall on Jul 29, 2013 20:11:09 GMT -5
Damn ! I hate it that that uppity big city feller beat us home But not by much. Kari dropped me off about 1/2 hour ago. We had an un-eventful ride home. A 10 hour blitz-kreig through Michigan. But a fabulously lovely drive through Ontario. We took a back road alternate route, because of the construction on 21 south of Goderich. I think I prefer that way. No traffic. Lovely 2 lane roads through rolling fields with dramatic Canadian skies. Just breath taking. As well as an awesome weekend. Perfect aesthetic farewell. (And Howard was really a treat to be with.) Thanks Kate a Lars. I hope you get to enjoy another Swan-day with Don and Diane, as they come back south from their side trip tomorrow. And Mark and Joy are still the sweetest people you'll ever meet. And Tammarack is always a treat.
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Post by sekhmet on Jul 29, 2013 20:23:28 GMT -5
It's good to hear that you guys all made it home safely. What to say other than that? It's too quiet around here ... Swan Jammers, you are wonderful. Thank you for coming all this way. It was beyond delightful to spend our time together, and to get to know you better, Howard. It was a delightful morning. I'm glad you will be home to greet your girls. Marshall, the sky was lovely today - I'm glad they tore up the road so that you had to drive through the "Queen's Bush", which is what all of that area was called when it was first opened up for settlement in the 1830s. We watched the sky roll by today ourselves. Spectacular. I hope that Dub and Joy and Tam are having fun wherever they are. Looking forward to hanging out with Don and Diane tomorrow. Hope they are having a great time in Tobermory and environs. It was the best Swan Jam yet, and that is really saying something.
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Post by kariseal on Jul 29, 2013 21:25:07 GMT -5
The word that came to mind to describe our time in Owen Sound with the Swanjammers was bliss. What an exceptional group to spend time with...and the Bruce Peninsula brings me much needed respite and beauty. Thank you all for sharing all the stories, music, and laughter....I am a lucky gal. Ok I am done gushing now......
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Tamarack
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Post by Tamarack on Jul 29, 2013 22:00:19 GMT -5
Home safe, head still spinning. Totally delightful; will post more after some sleep.
Similarly pleasant drive through Ontario, including an unintended side trip to the shores of Lake Huron. An all-too-brief visit to Elderly with Dub and Joy. Dub and Joy were planning to press on and make it home to Iowa tonite; I advised them to be caffeinate and be careful.
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Dub
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Post by Dub on Jul 30, 2013 2:12:18 GMT -5
We're home! More later... much later.
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Post by Cornflake on Jul 30, 2013 6:21:55 GMT -5
I can't share my thoughts adequately from an iPhone. Later.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2013 20:59:37 GMT -5
I still haven't uploaded my photographs. Will try to get to that ASAP.
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Post by Marshall on Jul 30, 2013 23:09:30 GMT -5
The world's most interesting man. "Stay thirsty, my friend!"
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Post by Tamarack on Jul 30, 2013 23:21:26 GMT -5
Very difficult to summarize the SwanJam Experience.
Kate and Lars are tremendously gracious hosts. It is worth the trip just to hang out in the kitchen.
Kari has an amazing ability to write songs with just the right words, and to pick songs with just the right words (if you haven't listened to Over The Rhine heretofore, do so). She is also inspiring legions of kids, especially middle school girls, to pick up guitar (and yes friends, Taylor Swift's music has a purpose).
It was great to see Cornflake again, and to get to know Diane, who has a lovely soprano voice and sings sweet harmony on a song she has just learned. Dub and Joy were in the thick of things, and once again there was a late night gospel singing session. I listened to John Gorka on the way home and brilliant as he is, he's got nothing on Marshall and Cornflake in their ability to turn a phrase.
Howard is even warmer and funnier in person than on-line. Not only does he have a great repertoire of bluegrass, old(er) country music, and swing, he knows a song for every subject and usually starts singing when the subject or a related phrase comes up. I have been driving my kidz crazy like this for many years and it's great to know someone who shares this habit.
Then there are the Owen Sound musicians and friends who filled the kitchen on a rainy night with music, laughter and poetry.
Perhaps the high point was the Sunday expedition up the Bruce Peninsula. It reminds me a lot of northern Michigan, with the addition of spectacular limestone bluffs. Old farms reverting to wilderness are also similar. A cappella gospel singing on a dirt road at the trailhead was an experience not to be missed. Lots of photos taken, hopefully the photographers will post generously.
Music comes from deep in the heart and wells up through people and places. We had all these in abundance.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 6:44:01 GMT -5
The secrets of digital photography elude me. Perhaps I need to change the meter point settings on my camera. In the days of film, my photos were about 100% technically better. I find this transition to shooting photos with a computer and attached glass depressing; my results are always less than stellar. The manual beckons again. Not sure I want to post many of the 27 images I made. Photobucket reduces their quality even more, so they look as though they were made with a 1/1.75" sensor instead of an APS-C-sized one. I will try and post the one group shot, all of us on the porch at Swan Jam House, next door to Lars and Katherine's. OK, I just uploaded from my computer instead of the photo hosting sight. If you click on the thumbnail, the resulting image looks much cleaner and detailed than the one that was previously here.
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Post by mnhermit on Jul 31, 2013 8:57:47 GMT -5
What a happy, satisfied looking crew
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Post by Marshall on Jul 31, 2013 10:03:24 GMT -5
Sunset on the Bruce.
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Post by Village Idiot on Jul 31, 2013 10:35:55 GMT -5
I see nothing wrong with that picture, Howard, but then again I'm not a perfectionist. And it answers my question as to what Morgan was doing. I hadn't heard about her. Looks like she fit in nicely.
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Post by Marshall on Jul 31, 2013 10:54:05 GMT -5
Morgan was a little concerned she wasn't getting enough attention. (She fits in nicely with soundhooligans ). She tried running off with one of my hats a couple times. And Kate returned to me a wooden percussion toy that I had apparently left in Owen Sound a couple years ago. . . . . , Then Morgan got a hold of it and took it into the back yard and crunched it to bits. But no great loss. (I had misplaced it years ago and never knew where it was anyway). We all took turns tossing a ball in the back yard with Morgan. She's a lovely animal.
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Dub
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Post by Dub on Jul 31, 2013 11:30:21 GMT -5
We are still tired but very happy, warmed by glow of our time in Owen Sound. What an unbelievably fine time we all had. We see these amazing people all too seldom and yet when we reassemble it's as though we've only been apart a brief day or two. Now, hundreds of miles apart once more, we're wondering how soon we can all get together again. This probably sounds saccharine and gushy but it honestly expresses the experience for us.
Meeting Howard for the first time was like rekindling an old and dear friendship. I was disappointed that we had to cancel our trip to Big Apple Jam last year but it's only now that we realize what we missed. As many of you already knew, Howard is smart and kind and funny and warm and sings and plays wonderfully. We can't wait to meet Vivian and Hope.
We hadn't seen Cornflake for way too long a time and this year we got to meet Diane too. Diane, of course, is terrific and did a yeoman's job (do they have yeo women?) of tolerating the rest of us. As was previously mentioned, she's a great singer too. We look forward to spending more time together.
Kari's writing and performing just gets better and better as does Marshall's. it was so good to see them both, especially since Kari will be unable to attend I-Jam North and Marshall may have to take a pass on it as well. Tamarack arrived on Saturday with the totally lame excuse that he needed to complete some important work on behalf of paying clients. I just don't know how his priorities can get so out of kilter. He brought his Taylor, mountain dulcimer and an array of harps (harmonicas) and got good use out of them all. Did I mention this was fun?
Katherine worked herself to near exhaustion tending to the needs of her guests. She and Larry are two of the dearest people I will ever have the privilege to know. Larry treated us to songs both old and new and jumped in on many of the songs the rest of us played. We got to meet the Stevensons briefly. They are the neighbor couple who generously lend their home to us as lodging. Tamarack slept in the studio and Kari in Katherine's home but the rest of us stayed in the Stevenson's home.
This proximity, along with free lodging, is one of the many things that makes Swan Jam so great. Idiot Jams in Vinton leave us reasonably close together and the Vinton motels haven't been outrageously expensive but I worry about I-Jam North this year with everyone and everything spread out and far more expensive for travelers.
Fiddlerina and I spent a few days driving and camping in Michigan on our way to Owen Sound and wound up already very tired on the day we arrived. We felt that we never got rested enough to make very good music while we were there. Next time we'll plan it so we can at least arrive rested. One of Katherine and Larry's delightful friends, Keirie (sp?), is a classically trained cellist. She had scores for some Bach and Haydn violin-cello duets with her so she and Fiddlerina treated us to some of that. I don't know who enjoyed it more, we or they. It makes us wish we all lived in the same place.
We have some images that we'll try to get posted soon but I'm sure we have the smallest number. Others (Katherine, Marshall, Larry, etc.) have a treasure trove of images and videos that I can hardly bear to wait for. Watch this space.
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Post by Village Idiot on Jul 31, 2013 21:34:36 GMT -5
Dub, that was a wonderful account of what sounds like a perfect gathering of Soundholers. Thanks for posting that. Those of us who weren't there appreciate that very much.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 1, 2013 6:12:31 GMT -5
Our gracious hosts/hoteliers; Kate and Lars neighbors, the Stevensons. 6 of us soundholers stayed in their house. These generous, warm, and charming people open up their house every year for our grateful use.
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