I think there's a rain cloud hanging over my head when it comes to playing music outside! This morning was beautiful but about a half an hour before I was due to set up at the Waconda, it hailed about three inches and the temperature dropped 30 degrees! Oh well... it could have been worse. (At least I wasn't about to play golf with Mac and Dixie Stew.) Now, as I'm writing this blog, it is thundering and lightning is striking (was that Lou Christie I heard?), the wind is picking up and it's starting to rain. At least I'll be playing inside at the Lariat tonight. I hope the roof doesn't leak!!!

Too Close To Home

There was a fire across from Johnsons Landing aka JRs, Rays Chop House, Jack Depews, Moseles. Luckily the wind wasn't blowing too hard, for a change, but it was still a little scary having a big fire that close to 'The Hood'! This is the hot, dry time of year up here and with all the dead trees, it gets pretty worrisome. At least I now have the new fire hydrant that attacked my car door last Winter....

Here's a crazy idea for a bumper sticker that wandered into my twisted little mind the other day. I remember years ago Terry Bramwell had a bumper sticker on his old Plymouth Duster that had a bull legged cowboy relieving himself and the words... "DIVERT THIS DENVER" on it. I think it was about the Frying Pan project to divert water to the the eastern slope like the Big Thompson Project and others. I guess when you're at the top of the food chain (water wise) everyone wants the pristine waters that come from the HEADWATERS of the Colorado River just up the road aways. And I suppose that when we and the moose and deer etc. let our waters flow... they all go downstream! So "FLUSH TWICE - DENVER NEEDS THE WATER!" Here's the website for the "SAVE THE FRASER AND COLORADO RIVER" ...http://www.cotrout.org/

Berts Guitar

I was doing my usual Monday madness today and thought I would stop by the Waconda on my way back home from Grand Lake. To make a long story longer... I grabbed the guitar that hangs by the fireplace there, took it down and cleaned her up and thought that I would tune the old girl (no comments from the peanut gallery, please). Well, of course it was still in tune anyway!!! The guitar was Bert McLaren's old Fender acoustic that he could no longer play due to arthritis in his fingers so he gave it to Doris and Egon at 'The Wac' for anyone to play. Years ago, "Cowboy Cook "and I were sitting there and took down the guitar which we had both used before to write some songs of our own and decided we should write a song about Bert's guitar. So here it is....


BERT’S GUITAR

BERT’S GUITAR JUST SITS AND WAITS
DOWN THERE BY THE FIRELIGHT
NEXT TO HIS OLD BEAT UP HAT
HE USED TO WEAR ON SUNDAY NIGHTS

PRETTY SOON SOME LONESOME PICKER
WILL PULL HER DOWN AND STRUM A SONG
AND WARM THEIR ACHIN’ FINGERS
WHILE EVERYBODY SINGS ALONG

IT BROKE SOME HEARTS, BUT HEALED SOME WOUNDS
AND GOT US THROUGH COLD WINTERS
PICKIN’ SONGS TO WARM OUR ACHIN’ HEARTS
WITH THE MAGIC IN HER STRINGS

HERE WE SIT WITH BERT’S GUITAR
COUNTIN’ UP THE MEMORIES
'TIL LAST CALL COMES TO CHASE US OUT
THEN WE’LL GENTLY PUT HER BACK

THE OLD GRANDFATHER CLOCK STRIKES THREE
EVERYBODY’S GONE HOME
LEAVING JUST THE DYING EMBERS
AND THE MEMORIES OF THE DAY

THAT’S WHEN I IMAGINE
BERT STILL PLAYS HER ALL ALONE
SONGS LIKE “SUPER SKIER”
AND OF COURSE, “STRAWBERRY RHONE”

(CHORUS)

BERT’S GUITAR JUST SITS AND WAITS
DOWN THERE BY THE FIRE
WAITIN’ ON SOME LONESOME PICKER
BOUND TO BE INSPIRED

Fathers Day

This an interesting story and probably very long but here we go... My dad's been gone for 25 years or so and last winter, his little sister, my Aunt Shirley passed. When her husband, my Uncle Bill, was cleaning up things to maybe sell the house he found an old shoe box with letters that my father had written to his parents when he was in the service back in WWII. Uncle Bill sent them to my mother and my sister made copies and sent them to me and my brother. It was very interesting and emotional reading these letters from my dad that he wrote when he was 22 years old. Well, of course, me being a so called song writer had to write a song about it. Ray helped me put a CD cover together and I have finished the song and will record it for real....soon (I promise). Here are the lyrics and if I knew how to put music this blog thing, I would. Anyway, here is the song for anyone who cares to read it and Happy Fathers Day!

Twisted Tee Pee

The wind is stronger these days due to so many dead trees from the beetle kill and it has twisted the canvas on the tee pee around so the door is about 3ft to the right of the door opening on the poles. Anyway, I got it twisted back around today and then the wind came up and moved it back just a little.... dang! I wonder if the Indians would mind if I got my staple gun out and secured to the lodge poles? Auntie Em! Auntie Em!!

Grand Lake Jam

Wild, Wild, Life

Lots of wildlife on the trails these days. Shelly and her kids ran into three moose up by Cascade Falls the other day and had to sit there for a half hour or so until they could pass. The snow yesterday didn't last long but it was a reminder of how short summer can be here at 8369'! The Barky Lew Reunion in Grand Lake is set for July 25th. I'll have more info later but it's not too early to make reservations. I will post some motels and all that good stuff soon.

Back on Board

OK, I get the message! You're correct... I got on that stupid Facebook thing and forgot myself for awhile. As you can see, it snowed here this morning at 8369' but it didn't stop me from going for my morning swim! Rumour has it, that MJ is in town so no wonder it snowed on June 13th. I will try and direct my attention to my blog and leave the Facebook thing alone. It sucks anyway!!!