Merlefest '08...

Doc Watson

For the 19th time, I made the trek to Merlefest this weekend. Mary Ann drove from home and picked me up at the Asheville airport Thursday afternoon, from which we proceeded to North Wilkesboro, NC, the home of Wilkes Community College. This event is a great tribute to the victory of the human spirit over tragedy.

In 1985, Eddy Merle Watson, son of the legendary guitar player, Arthel "Doc" Watson, was killed in a tragic tractor accident. A couple years later, a member of the horticulture staff at Wilkes Community College, "B" Townes, came up with the idea of dedicating a garden to Merle's memory. To help raise money for the effort, the school asked Doc if he would perform in a fund-raising concert. In April, 1988, the first Eddy Merle Watson Memorial concert was held. A few of Doc and Merle's friends had joined in. A veritable Who's Who of Bluegrass and country music performed in what was to have been a one-time event -- Earl Scruggs and fiddler Jim Shumate, Tony Rice, Chet Atkins, Grandpa Jones and daughter Alisa, Marty Stuart, Mike Cross, New Grass Revival, David Holt, Jack Lawrence, the Smith Sisters, John Hartford, Mark O'Conner, Jerry Douglas, George Hamilton IV, and Sam Bush, among others!

The one-time event took on a life of its own and has grown into the world's premiere Americana Roots Music festival. The variety is astounding -- bluegrass, old time, country, gospel, Cajun and Zydeco, Western Swing, Celtic -- the list goes on.

I first heard of and attended the festival in 1990. Parking was still allowed on campus. There were only about four venues (now there are 14 specific venues and untold informal performance areas where pickers simply start playing).

Mary Ann and I enjoyed hearing some of our favorite groups from the past, and as usual, were introduced to some new favorites. We did attend the Midnight Jam on Saturday night, but left around 1:00 AM to get a little sleep before we had to head back to the Asheville Airport to get me on a plane. I've been working the last month in Amityville, New York.

One interesting thing happened as we were walking toward the festival entrance on Friday morning. We spotted Mary Beth and Keating Jones and their children, friends from church back in Huntsville! What are the odds among 80,000 attendees!?! I'm sure they were impressed at my festival finery...

Here's an example of the kind of impromptu "Merlefest Moment" that we come to expect. It's Riley Baugus and Laurie Lewis jammin' with some friends right at the entrance to the festival:

The Blizzard of '08!!

Construction Continues

The Ebabe World Headquarters and Center of Excellence continues to rise, in spite of our best efforts. When I returned from Connecticut with Mary Ann, arriving on February 3rd, I noticed two seemingly contradictory facts -- the sheetrock was almost completely up, and there was no tag on the breaker box indicating that the rough-in electrical inspection had been completed. I called the county electrical inspector to inquire and was informed that he had not inspected the building yet.

I spoke to the so-called contractor in charge of the job, who informed me that I didn't know what I was talking about, that there was no need for an inspection. He was wrong; He no longer works for us. We had to tear down all the sheetrock and insulation. Some of the electrical installation that had already been done didn't meet the local code. We ended up with a local electrician who completed the job. The building has passed it's preliminary inspection. We are proceeding nicely.

This week, we finished the second sheet rock installation and the sheet rock finishers are almost done with their work. The trim carpenter will begin trimming out the building on Tuesday. Some windows are being replaced this week, and painting will begin on Thursday, we hope. Here's what the building looks like today:

In the meantime, I'm working full-time as a consultant for Humphreys and Associates, assigned to a job in Huntsville. It just can't get much better than that!

Big Weekend

I knew I'd be heading back to Tennessee after the weekend. I wanted it to be special. It turned out to be more than wonderful.

Mary Ann flew to Westchester County Airport in an absolute downpour. The night before, the same weather front had dumped several inches of rain on Lincoln County, Tennessee, and she had spent several hours battling water leaking into our basement. She was ready for a relaxing weekend. When her plane landed about an hour late, she was famished. We headed east on the Merritt Parkway toward Stratford and went to Vazzy's Italian Restaurant. We then proceeded to my motel, where I had upgraded to a suite for the weekend, and we crashed.

Saturday morning was beautiful as we prepared to meet the Bolingers for a big day in the Big Apple. We got dressed and had breakfast at the Homewood Suites and then proceeded to the Stratford train station to catch the 10:07 train to Grand Central Station. Everything ran on time and we proceeded to the Oyster Bar Restaurant for a relaxing lunch. A short walk and subway ride followed as we went uptown to the Neil Simon Theater on 52nd Street to see Hairspray.

I had gotten tickets on line several weeks ago, and we had great seats. The show was fantastic! The costumes, lights, and sound were overwhelming. And the day was not yet over.

The four of us proceeded down Broadway to 44th Street, where we had been told that Carmine's Restaurant was the place to eat. After being told of a two-hour wait, we called the Carmine's on Broadway near 91st Street and were told that they could seat us much more quickly. A ten-minute taxi ride later, we entered that fine establishment and were seated within a few minutes. The wait was worth it. The meal was served family style, so we ordered a salad, a pasta dish, and a dessert. The servings were gigantic and the food was wonderfully prepared. Our waiter was great and made the meal even more enjoyable. And the company was superb.

After dinner, we went back to Grand Central by taxi and caught the train back to Stratford. We kept the goodbyes to a minimum, since I know we will go out of our way to see Paul and Camille soon. They have become very treasured friends.

Mary Ann and I awoke Sunday and prepared to catch the 10:30 AM Bridgeport to Port Jefferson ferry. The day's plan was to visit Ron and Dorothy Gray and a dinner together at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. We caught the ferry on time and drove out to their home in Bridgehampton. After a too-brief chat to give Ron and Dorothy a chance to get acquainted with Mary Ann, we headed out for a short tour of the area, including one of the exquisite homes that Ron had built. Then it was on to dinner. As before, the American Hotel was a good choice for a late afternoon meal.

We returned to the Gray's home, exchanged our goodbyes and returned to the ferry and to the Homewood Suites for a good night's rest before the 1,000 mile drive home.

The End of An Assignment...

I went to work for Humphreys & Associates in July 2007 and immediately went to Stratford, Connecticut. I have been working on Sikorsky Helicopter's CH-53K program, the Marine Corps' new heavy-lift helicopter. It has been a wonderful assignment -- working with some great (and very dedicated) people, learning a lot of new skills, and able to use my background and previous experience to good advantage. My boss, Paul Bolinger, is a joy to work for -- knowledgeable, reasonable, well-organized, fair, patient, and congenial. I could not have asked for a better opportunity. But, as with all good things, the time comes to move on and bid farewell.

So it was that last Wednesday, the group gathered after work to bid me farewell (or was it an excuse to drink and eat unhealthy food?). We gathered at the Bar and Grille at Oronocque, a well-known local watering hole. I was moved by the number of people who showed up to wish me well in my next venture. My sincere thanks to all who joined in...

Then Paul and Camille took me to the Beach House in Milford for a most memorable meal (here comes that food thing again...). We decided to try the Chef's Tasting Menu, a selection of delights chosen by the Executive Chef Todd Lauterio. We were not disappointed! Try these on for size:
-- To whet our appetites, a perfectly-grilled jumbo shrimp with a dollop of mango salsa served on a spoon,
-- A cup of wonderful Beach House clam and corn chowder, filled with tasty morsels of fresh clams in a super-light cream broth,
-- Handmade fettucini with grilled shrimp and shaved black truffles - Wow!,
-- Marinated hanger steak with mashed potatoes and homemade onion rings - tender, rare, marvelous,
-- Creme Brulee of the day

-- The Bar at the Beach House --

I'm still trying to recover. Thanks Paul and Camille, and to all my co-workers -- I will miss you.

A Basque Treat...

It's been at least a couple of weeks since I've written about food. Saturday evening, I was given reason to return to the subject. Paul, Camille and I met at Bistro Basque, a rare gem of a restaurant in Milford, Connecticut, just across the Housatonic River from where I'm staying. In the words of their Website, "Just as the Basque region is divided between France and Spain (3 provinces in France, 4 in Spain), a quick glance at the menu confirms that Bistro Basque brings the style of each cuisine with a regional touch: spanish tapas and french bistro." The food was fabulous, served in an intimate setting, complemented by impeccable, friendly service.

We started out with three different Tapas, or appetizers:
Lomo
Toast with marinated pork tenderloin, tetilla cheese, piquillo pepper and black olives

Piquillos rellenos con ensalada mixta de Txanguro
Piquillo peppers stuffed with iberian style crab meat salad

Picodon
Baked goat cheese toasts, grilled tomatoes, provencal herbs

Our main courses were also varied -- Paul had a broiled monkfish in lobster sauce, Camille had Saumon a la provencale; a grilled salmon served with a taragon sauce, and I had the Paella, estilo vasco, a perfectly prepared Paella, with lots of seafood and the perfect touch of saffron. And yes, we did have dessert.

Most highly recommended!

The Dolceola

In September, 1997, I found myself at the Memphis Dulcimer Festival. The program indicated that at 2:00 PM on Saturday afternoon, Andy Cohen would be playing the gospel music of Washington Phillips, accompanying himself on the Dolceola. I didn't know who Andy Cohen was, or Washington Phillips, or what a Dolceola was, so I attended this session. I was completely captivated with the music, the instrument, and the musician. We have stayed in touch and become friends through a common love for this marvelous instrument and its music.

Andy is a very talented musician, mostly known for his blues interpretation and his encyclopedic knowledge of blues roots musicians. Andy is married to Larkin Bryant, long recognized as a dulcimer expert and author of the staple instructional “Larkin’s Dulcimer Book.” They have recorded and performed extensively both as a team and individually.

The Dolceola was a piano in miniature manufactured in the early 1900's by the Toledo Symphony Manufacturing Company of Toledo, Ohio. Not very many of these instruments have survived. Andy has catalogued around forty. He has published an article entitled "THE DOLCEOLA, The World's Smallest Grand Piano" in the journal, Experimental Musical Instruments.

Nothing delights me more than bringing old devices back to life. The Dolceola is no exception. Through my relationship with Andy, I was given the opportunity to restore a Dolceola for a client in Montana. It became a very enjoyable job, although one that tested my patience on more than one occasion. I even managed to reproduce the decals that were applied to the originals! Here’s what I started with…

The body of the instrument was badly cracked and had become unglued in a number of areas. The keyboard mechanism had, at some time during its long life, been submerged in water. That caused a lot of rust that had made much of the mechanism inoperable. Moths and mice had taken their toll on the felt parts of the action (but the glue remnants were still there to let me know where the felt had been). Many strings were broken, but I was fortunate enough to find a source of custom-made strings. And here's the result of 2 years' work....
This restoration led to a few others in subsequent years, although I have no desire to see the innards of any more Dolceolas (other than the one I’m restoring for myself).

Twenty years after its last production, a preacher by the name of Washington Phillips made a series of recordings of gospel music. It was incorrectly reported that he accompanied himself on the Dolceola. These wonderful songs have been preserved on at least one CD, "I Was Born to Preach the Gospel," released by Yazoo Records as Yazoo 2003. For many years, music scholars believed that Phillips had indeed been playing the Dolceola. Andy Cohen taught himself to replicate those performances on the Dolceola before it was determined that they had probably been performed on a couple of large zithers played simultaneously! Andy’s accomplishment is even more remarkable, recognizing that he successfully replicated this complex music.

A couple weeks ago, Andy contacted me to let me know he was going to be performing with the Dolceola at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Mary Ann and I couldn’t attend the show, but I found this video this week on YouTube:

After the concert, we did have the pleasure of an overnight visit from Andy. Isn’t it wonderful how lives become intertwined and the resulting connections and friendships enrichen us?