Easily Tangented

Hi
we are getting ready for our camping trip to the Willow Folk Festival, in Northern Illinois on Friday. It’ll be a great weekend of music, friends, fires, and fun.
We found the tent, the shady thing, the inflatable mattress, and the chairs for sitting while jamming.  We grilled the food tonight, ‘cuz we found that it’s easier to cook & freeze it now, rather than cook from scratch there. Go figure.
      New strings on the guitars tomorrow, so they can stretch out before Friday evening, & then, load up the car.  It’ll fit, it’ll fit, it’ll fit.   Good thing we have a Vue to pile it all in. Last year, we had a storm around 2am on Sunday. A nasty assed storm that pretzeled several tents, shade things, and general mayhem. We were home by 4am. No sense setting it all back up.  Hopefully, nothing like that this year.

Can’t wait!!!!!

There’ll be photos & videos later..

Hi
well, here it is, past time for some of us to be in bed. After all, it’s a school night.  We had a great weekend. We went to a party @ our friends Rise’ & Pierce’s house.  Rise’s son Jordan, and his wife Peggy, mainly, Peggy, had a baby girl a couple weeks ago. The party was so we could meet Allie Rose, and share in Rise’s happiness.   Cute little girl, and nice party.
Saturday morning, bright and early, we picked up our friends, Mollie & Bill, and off we went to the farmers market in Madison. One of the best in the country. Yes, you’ve read about it here before.  Can’t beat it.  Fruits, veggies, cheese, baked goods, and every one, a photo op before becoming a gastronomic adventure. Finished that, and off to the Wollersheim winery, about half an hour from Madison.  Never liked wine that much ’til we went there a couple years ago.  Good stuff. Back to Madison, after buying a case of wine, and sharing a bottle on the balcony.  Oh, for a hammock and an nap then.
  We had lunch @ Bluphies, our favorite restaurant in Madison.  Rockford needs a restaurant of that caliber & under stated atmosphere.  Good food, well prepared, with an ever changing menu. They always are on their toes, as far as the food.  A quick Starbucks, so we wouldn’t fall asleep on the way home, and back to Rockford, with a quiet night ahead.
First thing on Sunday, yardwork.  Pullin’ weeds, waterin’, clippin’, oh boy.  Off for errands, a bit ‘o breakfast, and then back home to work on our set list for our 15 minutes of fame next weekend @ the Willow folk fest.  That’ll be another big adventure.  If you want to see it, you can also go to youtube.com & search for magtimmag.  Good stuff.
Now, on to bed, and start the week all over.  Still hard to believe that a couple weeks ago, we were wandering around Ireland.  Sigh. . . .
Nite

Hi

Maggie has another great post over @ our vox blog.  magster.vox.com.   It’s about a great weekend of music, camping, friends, and cooking out.   Check it out, if you want.

Seeing something on TV in not the same as being there.   “Well, now I’ve been to Alaska, and Ireland, and haven’t left home”.   A statement from a friend @ work yesterday, after he watched the 10 minute slideshow/movie that I put together from our media taken on our trip to Ireland.  His wife got back from a trip to Alaska a couple weeks ago, which he declined to take.  So, he has seen her media, and ours, and thinks himself well traveled. 

That’s kind of like saying you had a steak by looking @ an advertisement.  Or more to the point, that you had sex by watching an adult film. . .

Not the same. . .  .

I know that travel can be difficult, and sometimes going to another country can be a challenge, but, it is an experience that is life changing.  Watching someone else’s memories is polite, but isn’t going to give you the same rush as coming over the hill and seeing a 12th century abbey that you have had on your laptop, phone, and ipod as a desktop, since January. 

As the cruise commercials say, “get out there!”. .  . or Nike- “Just do it”.

I’m sorry, I want more to my life than a photo of a steak.

Hi
we’re celebrating our independence today.  It’s a metaphor, of sorts, since we are dependent on other countries for oil, which makes us a second rate county with no power.
But that’s another post.
Today we are enjoying summers pleasures of sun, food, friends, fun, and life in general in the usa. 
The company I work for is directly across the river in town from the launch site for the fireworks.   Can’t have a better seat.  We bring a dish to pass, guitars, friends, and an anticipation for the later festivities.  Things blow up directly over us, in wonderful colors and sounds. 
A good way to celebrate and start a vacation.

Hi

our friend, John Dempsey, Christie’s husband, is one day away from home now.  He made it to Lacrosse Wi yesterday, but is too far from home to make it today.  He will, tomorrow, barring bad weather, be arriving in his driveway.  John, and a friend, as you remember, flew to Seattle, shipping their bikes, and then starting riding east.  His friend had to drop out in Dakota, but John continued on, making it almost all the way home.

What a story, what drive, what a guy. It would make a great documentary. . .

Keep your fingers crossed, and him in your thoughts and prayers. . .

Morning,

it’s been a great weekend, ‘cept for the weather. . . Brrrrrrr. A new low temp on Sat. morning, but it’s been sunny and dry. Went to the farmers market in the north end, and though it’s much smaller than the Madison Wi. farmers market, it was full of fresh produce and baked goods. . . mmmm mmm. Nothing like fresh produce. Well, then otherwise, it would be fresh produce. . . duh. . . Anyway, we went the next step in our quest for better health, we joined a local health club. Nice place, and, they have spin classes. No, that’s not a class for politicians staff members to twist a visit to the mens room into something positive, it’s a stationary bike class that is supposed to be the bee’s knees. . . that’s way cool for all of you under 60.

Saturday evening, we had our friends Shirley, from Pleasanton Ca., an almost Pleasantville kinda town, over for dinner, along with Jeff and Nancy. Hadn’t been together for a while, and it was nice. Grilled out, and talked late into the night. We have a wonderful group of really intelligent, interesting people as friends. Life would be so boring without them.

Today, we are headed out, after coffee, lots of coffee, to Woodstock to the Harvesfest. Our friends Jan and Mark, without Mike today, are playing sometime there. It’s a kind of mini folk festival/ autumnal celebration, or so I’m told. Our first time there. There will be pics later @ Flickr.

Well, we’re off, so, go do something adventurous. . .

Bye