Fall in Denver

Here we are in October already: The leaves have just started to have some real color, it's getting cooler and I was "downsized" from my job! It would've been nice to work another year, but we all know what has happened in our economy. We can all feel a bit better knowing that those whose insatiable greed has brought this upon us have tucked away a few million bucks over the years of deregulation, and won't be hurting too much.

Tammy and I, just before the crash, bought a 1954 travel trailer in almost mint condition for very little money. We've spent one night in it, while driving it back from Utah, and it's a blast. Only 13' long by 7' wide on the inside, it has a beautiful range with oven, a refrigerator (ice or AC power) a sink and nice little dinette.  It's perfect for two, but a bit cramped when the two dogs are added! We fold down the dinette seats to make a dog bed, and everyone's happy. Hope we can do a little camping in the Spring. There are a number of nice campgrounds within an easy drive for a weekend, so we can't wait to go.

I have a line on a graphic design job, and hope to speak to the CEO today or tomorrow about it. My former employers, Ciro Design in Irvine, is bidding to supply the graphics for a new high-end restaurant here in Denver, and have asked me to do a little work on the project should they get it. If neither of those work out, I'll do the unemployment thing until something comes up. Never applied for it before, of course, and it feels strange, but I've been in the workforce for over thirty-five years, so I guess I should get a bit of help after all that time contributing.

Have a great Fall!

Trailer Time

We did end up buying the vintage trailer, a 1954 Terry that's been restored and modernized by the current owner. It's 15 feet long, with almost completely original interior details. No toilet, but who needs to deal with that when we camp in National Parks and Forests, where there are toilets? I've been reading up on trailer maintenance, and Tammy's looking for curtain material, a table cloth and other items to spiff up the interior. We will pick it up in the next couple of weeks in Ogden, Utah. We'll take the dogs, so it'll be a fun shake-down cruise and a chance to get used to pulling a trailer, and a chance to take the dogs camping, which they've never done.

August 16th

It's been a while! We heard good news that long-time friend Mike "Yosh" Yoshizaki is recovering well from a recent heart attack and stroke. Go Yosh!

The biggest news is the upcoming four-show reunion concert series by the original Desert Rose Band. August 27th the band is at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA; Thursday the 28th they're at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA; the 31st they'll be in Copper, CO for the Copper Country Festival. Then in October, on the 4th, the DRB will be up in San Francisco in Golden Gate Park for the "Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival". Google the venues for more information. I designed new T-shirts for the Reunion Concerts, which will be for sale at the shows, and later, I hope, on Chris Hillman's (really nice) website.

Tammy has been talking for a long time about buying an Airstream trailer after I retire, as she loves to camp, but is finished with sleeping on the ground. She recently found a vintage 15-foot travel trailer and we may buy it if the price is right. It looks like it's been nicely refurbished, and would be well within the capacity of our Acura MDX to tow, unlike an Airstream.

This past Wednesday, the 13th of August, the founder of my favorite Western shirt company died. "Papa" Jack Weil founded Rockmount in 1946, and was still in the office every day at the age of 107! I bought my first Rockmount shirt in about 1977, I think, at the old Frontierland Trading Post at Disneyland. I still have the shirt, white with black flock horse heads, and it caused a stir at Papa Jack's 103rd birthday bash at the Rockmount store. The last time Tammy and I talked to him at the store, Papa Jack told so many stories we ended up with a parking ticket! It was worth the $20.

More Summer Fun

We are now about half-way through our mixed-doubles tennis league, and Tammy and I are playing reasonable well. We won the only match we got to play together, and Tammy and our friend Emmett won two weeks ago. Tennis-wise, though we are mainly getting geared up for our third annual Wooden Racquet Tournament at the Village Club. It has been a huge hit at the club, and we're trying to get some more players and non-players signed up to enjoy the socializing. I designed the poster for the Tournament today, and will post it tomorrow at the tennis courts. If you'd like a PDF of this year's version, let me know and I'll email it to you. 

Last weekend at an antiques store up in Lyons, CO we found a Wilson Tony Trabert model in great shape, so I may try that one along with my Jack Kramer from high school tennis. At that same store, Tammy spotted a beautiful hand-tooled briefcase that someone had made sometime in the last twenty years, and we picked it up for a song. That alone should get me an invite to the exclusive Denver Club, atop the building where I work; or not.

Next weekend is our trip to Yosemite's Ahwahnee Hotel. I am certainly looking forward to spending at least a little time in the Valley, as I haven't been there since driving through back in the early 1980s to Bluegrass festivals in Mather Camp. Emma's staying home to pet-sit.

We had to skip Mother's Day brunch at the Village Club as we have a tennis match to play (they used to have byes for that, but not this year) so we'll have an early dinner at our house with some friends. Should be a nice day Sunday; today it was sprinkling in the morning, and is now very breezy. Tammy got the fountains going a couple of days ago after the Winter layoff, and it is great to hear that sound again. Still too cool for cocktails on the patio, though. Maybe next week we can do that.

Spring in Denver

Activities are cranking up for the Summer: over the weekend of May 16-19 Tammy and I will get to visit Tammy's friend from Scripps, Stephanie, in Fresno, then drive into Yosemite for a gathering at the beautiful Ahwahnee Hotel. In July, Jan is coming out to go with us on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Train, and in August Tammy, Emma and I will go out to the Ventura County Fair once again. Doug's parents are due out in the middle of August for the scupture show up in Loveland, and a visit with mom's cousin, Ginny. We'll fill in details soon!

Chris Gaffney

I'm sad to report the death of a great musician and very good friend, Chris Gaffney. Chris died in his sleep the morning of Thursday, April 17th after being hospitalized after a fall at home. For those who were not fortunate enough to see any of the bands Chris was in, there are some clips of him on the Hacienda Brothers website. I first saw Chris playing with the Phantom Herd at the long-gone Café Metro in Newport Beach, back in early 1979. In that band, also, were Gary Brandin and Wyman Reese, both long-time members of Chris' bands. Chris' latest ensemble was with LA's legendary guitarist and gearhead Dave Gonzales (the Paladins) in the Hacienda Brothers.

Chris was an amazing person: an ex-high school football player and Golden Gloves (champion) boxer, who could get teary -eyed on stage singing some old country weeper. He could be a man of few words, just nodding in conversation or showing a small, elfin smile, or (like the last time I got to talk to him, backstage at a bar in Denver) talking almost non-stop for around two hours, about boxing, music, cars, guitars and the funny things you see touring the country in a crowded band-van.

Years ago, at a Sunday afternoon gathering at the home of former Phantom Herd bass player "Bunk" Bentley, I mentioned to Chris, off-handedly, some comment about Chris being a great artist. He was hung over from the previous night's gig, but was sipping a beer anyway. "I'm no artist!", he said, grumpily. He took a long pull from the bottle, then said, quietly, "I'm a Country singer." He was, and and a lot more.

Spring in Denver

A typical Spring sequence here in Denver, folks: yesterday it almost reached 80º F and today it's snowing! Luckily, since the trees are starting to leaf out, it's a light snow and not sticking, so no worries about limbs breaking.

For those interested in a Fall road trip, our friends Halden Wofford and the High Beams will be playing in Cimarron, NM on September 20th, at the annual Shortgrass Music Festival. I'm not sure where the three featured bands play, but I'm guessing that at least the High Beams will be playing at the Colfax Tavern, aka "Cold Beer". This is the bar in the background of my "profile" photo in this blog. Go to www.cimarronnm.com/shorgrass.htm for more info. If you've never seen Cimarron, it is quite a town. Our favorite place to stay is the St. James Hotel, built, and run for years, by President Lincoln's White House chef, Henri Lambert. More info on that at www.stjamescimarron.com. There are more "modern" rooms alongside the original building if you're not into the "bathroom-down-the-hall" experience, and there are motels in town, too. The restaurant is really good (it was originally the bar, with bullet-holes in the tin ceiling to prove it!), the bar is full of interesting locals, and you can look into restored rooms. Beautiful area, and full of history. We're tentatively going, depending on my time off available.