We were scheduled to play at the Felt Mansion in Saugatuck, MI this afternoon Dec. 21 at 3:00, but all tours of the mansion have been canceled today due to the winter storm. Though we always look forward to sharing our music, we were dreading the drive down US 31 in a blizzard. Authorities here are asking folks to stay off the roads if at all possible, so stay home and bake some Christmas cookies. That's what we're doing.
We've posted some Christmas tunes on our MySpace page.. They're songs that we recorded about 20 years ago with Amaryllis. Check them out and enjoy!
http://www.myspace.com/ruthmaxbloomquist
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Concert In Dio, France
Yesterday afternoon, as is customary in this neighborhood, we were introduced to the mayor of the community.
The community consists of 3 hamlets a couple of miles away from each other. Mr. Mayor says it can be a challenge seeing to the needs of all three.
We are pictured with the Mayor of Dio-et-Valquieres in front of an aerial image of the terrain under his care.
In the evening he came to our concert in what I would call the Dio community center building. They just call it the gite.
Our show was advertised to start at 8:30 and we were told by the organizers that most folks wouldn't come until that time. In all three of these hamlets combined there are only a few hundred people, so we had no idea what kind of turn out to expect. We thought maybe 12 to 20 people. The room was set up with seating for about 25.
By the time we started at about 8:40 we had 29 people and were feeling really good. Our new friends Lynette and Paulette and some others had prepared wonderful food and drink for all, and these ladies really know how to bake.
There were tarts and cookies of every wonderful kind. Anne had even made her first pumpkin tart in honor of our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. She used homegrown pumpkin from her own garden. What a treat!
Some in the audience spoke English. No one on stage spoke French, but the language barrier was not a real problem. They were enthusiastically responsive to the point that we could really feel the positive energy flowing between us. They knew a few of the covers that we had chosen and sometimes sang along. They loved the original songs, too.
Eric, a harmonica (French harp?) player from the nearby town of Bedarieux asked if he could sit it. He made a nice contribution and the crowd loved having a local guy play with us.
By the time we started our third set there were at least 40 people in the room, standing room only! During the previous break you could hardly move around the room at all it was so full, and folks did there best (and failed) to eat all the great goodies the ladies had made. Meanwhile, our new friend Denis made sure our glasses were full of the fabulous homemade sangria or another of his favorite beverages.
At the end of the show we had made about40 new friends and all said they hoped we would come back again and some of them will be looking for venues for us to play on our next trip. Talk about feeling welcome! The mayor finished off the evening with a little speech about how much he enjoyed the music and how happy he was with the turn-out, also saying that he hoped there could be more such events and that he hoped we would return to play again.
We went away with the biggest smiles of all.
The community consists of 3 hamlets a couple of miles away from each other. Mr. Mayor says it can be a challenge seeing to the needs of all three.
We are pictured with the Mayor of Dio-et-Valquieres in front of an aerial image of the terrain under his care.
In the evening he came to our concert in what I would call the Dio community center building. They just call it the gite.
Our show was advertised to start at 8:30 and we were told by the organizers that most folks wouldn't come until that time. In all three of these hamlets combined there are only a few hundred people, so we had no idea what kind of turn out to expect. We thought maybe 12 to 20 people. The room was set up with seating for about 25.
By the time we started at about 8:40 we had 29 people and were feeling really good. Our new friends Lynette and Paulette and some others had prepared wonderful food and drink for all, and these ladies really know how to bake.
There were tarts and cookies of every wonderful kind. Anne had even made her first pumpkin tart in honor of our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. She used homegrown pumpkin from her own garden. What a treat!
Some in the audience spoke English. No one on stage spoke French, but the language barrier was not a real problem. They were enthusiastically responsive to the point that we could really feel the positive energy flowing between us. They knew a few of the covers that we had chosen and sometimes sang along. They loved the original songs, too.
Eric, a harmonica (French harp?) player from the nearby town of Bedarieux asked if he could sit it. He made a nice contribution and the crowd loved having a local guy play with us.
By the time we started our third set there were at least 40 people in the room, standing room only! During the previous break you could hardly move around the room at all it was so full, and folks did there best (and failed) to eat all the great goodies the ladies had made. Meanwhile, our new friend Denis made sure our glasses were full of the fabulous homemade sangria or another of his favorite beverages.At the end of the show we had made about40 new friends and all said they hoped we would come back again and some of them will be looking for venues for us to play on our next trip. Talk about feeling welcome! The mayor finished off the evening with a little speech about how much he enjoyed the music and how happy he was with the turn-out, also saying that he hoped there could be more such events and that he hoped we would return to play again.
We went away with the biggest smiles of all.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
We Find a Bass
Yesterday we drove (with Deb navigating) to the town of Pezenas. Deb had done some telephoning for us and found that a shop there, the Autour d'une Guitare, would rent us a bass to use for a few days.
Yes, that's Max making coffee. Notice the rocks sticking out of the wall. Our digs are literally that. Dug right into the side of the mountain.
Pezenas is a bustling little town with lot's of artsy shops, antique shops, and an ancient neighborhood with super narrow streets and an historic Jewish ghetto.
We found the guitar shop right away and they were expecting us. They have a pretty fair selection of instruments, mostly acoustic guitars including a few Martins, and run a repair and customization shop, too. The owner/luthier, Luigi Notarangelo, is very nice, speaks pretty good English, and does beautiful work. Ruth played one of his guitars, a sappelle dreadnought, and pronounced it very nice. We made arrangements to rent the bass and to pick it up after the lunch hour during which EVERYONE except restaurants close for two hours. (Notice the deserted street. Eveyone really goes home for lunch here.) This gave us time to eat a very nice lunch in a place recommended by Luigi and stroll around town.
We had told Luigi that Ruth plays a Martin D35, so after lunch we brought it with us when we went to pick up the bass. Luigi was impressed with the D35. He strummed a few chords with both pick and fingers, seemed to be checking out its bass response, and pronounced, "It's like church!" Then he asked if his assistant could try it. When he tried it the assistant immediately got an amazed look on his face and all he could say was, "Whew!" He's and excellent player, too. After that we packed up the bass and headed out of town.
We drove via some narrow and twisting roads, some running right through the beautiful vineyards of the area, to the village of Puissone where we hoped to meet another luthier and bluegrass fan, one Claude Fouquet. We found his studio and though his wife had invited us there was no one there. Right behind his shop we found a very old amphitheater, just the kind of place we wish we could play. Maybe next time!
Finally, we headed back to Dio with the bass looking forward to some playing and getting accustomed to the new rented instrument. It's made by one Antoine Jean-Baptiste Leducq jst two years ago. It's very lightweight. The flat back is plywood. The sides and top are solid.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Trip to Carcassonne
Today, after a leisurely breakfast, we got into our rented Citroen, set the GPS, and headed out for Carcassonne, home of the famed walled medieval city.
A major highway on the preferred GPS route was “Baree” closed do to construction so the GPS took us on a twisting route through one little French village after another with multi-colored autumn vineyards in between. Each one had an aisle of golden leaved plain trees either as we entered or departed.
Once we finally got to Carcassonne, (It took about 90 minutes to get there.) the GPS seemed to be a bit confused possibly because we entered the city from a less than optimum direction due to our construction mandated “Deviation’”. Many of the streets of Carcassonne are no different from the streets in the tiniest of French villages- narrow, twisting, and frequently one-way. The GPS often tried to get us to turn where there was no street to turn onto or turn the wrong way on a (newly reversed?) one-way street. We finally parked a several blocks from “Le Cite’” and walked up the hill toward the turrets and towers that obviously marked its location. (There was supposed to be parking right across the street but we never found it.)
Le Cite’ has been restored with the dual purpose of preserving a grand piece of history and attracting tourists. The tourists were few and far between on this cold, cloudy, windy day. Beyond the moat and inside the walls is a little city unto itself with hotels, restaurants, bars, and every kind of gift shop imaginable. Most of the restaurants were closed as the lunch period was about over when we arrived and many of the shops were closed as well due to the fact that it was an off-season week day.
The highlight of the city for us was the ancient and beautiful St. Nasaire Cathedral. It’s a true medieval cathedral with buttresses and gargoyles and wonderful stained glass, and they still hold services there.
Cold and weary, we set the GPS for “home” and were taken again on a twisting route through tiny French villages. But on the way back they were mostly different ones from those we saw on the way to Carcassonne. Good thing we were sightseeing!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Another Beautiful Day In France
After a week, today was laundry day. Afterward we took a walk with our hostess, Deb, down the road toward the neighboring village, Valquieres, to visit our new friends Denis and Paulette. Paulette is helping to organize our concert.
Denis is a marvelous gardener/landscaper with a peculiar talent with cactus and other succulents. He's a real nice guy, too. He took us for a tour of his garden though he's starting to prepare for cooler weather.
Dennis grows fruits and vegetables, too, and we sampled some little orange fruits that reminded us of a cross between a strawberry and a peach.
Dennis and Paulette also raise animals and take in strays, etc. including a dog and cat, a horse, three pregnant goats, and three friendly donkeys
.
We'll post more a bit later in the week.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Ruth & Max Go to France
We arrived in Marsielle on Nov. 10 in the afternoon after a long flight from Detroit to Amsterdam and a short hop. We then boarded a shuttle bus (navette) to the train station (Gare St. Charles) and took a train to Montpellier. Our friends met us there, helped us pick up our rental car (Citroen Picasso 5-speed) and very kindly drove us to their home in a little village in the countryside.
The bureau of Languedoc is beautiful. We are in an area of big hills (small mountains) with vineyards, cattle, sheep, and horse farms. The weather started out cloudy and cool and then turned sunny, breezy, and still sort of cool. Today we walked up the curvy road up the mountain behind our digs to visit the famous windfarm here and check out the view of the local hills and villages. What an enjoyable day! We've visited several of the local towns and villages and plan more country style sight seeing.
We have a concert scheduled for Thursday in the local community center. There are posters all over the village. It's being organized by a couple of our friends' neighbors who heard Ruth sing when our friends invited them over to meet us last Tuesday. We'll post pictures and a report in a subsequent post.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Conference and FanFest 2008
IBMA WOB
International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Conference and FanFest.
Once again we attended the International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Conference (IBMA) in Nashville. Max and I were joined by our good friend, and cool guitarist, John (Sky) King. It was a week (Sept.29-Oct.4) of hearing, playing and learning about doing the business of bluegrass music. Fortunately those things all lend themselves to folk music too. Monday was a flurry of getting settled, figuring out the schedule and where we needed to be, meeting up with friends we often see only once a year at IBMA.
We played our first showcase on Monday night at 11pm, sponsored by Patuxent Music, a cool acoustic music record label in Rockville, MD <> . There were folks there to see us from all over the U.S. as well as Europe and Asia. The President of Berklee School of Music in Boston, Roger Brown (he was the keynote speaker at the welcome dinner) came for our whole showcase. (It is common for folks to stay for just a few songs and then move on to another showcase so to see a lot more acts.) That was a real compliment. Some of our favorite DJs stopped by, too, Larry Bomar from Memphis, TN and Loek Lamers from the Netherlands.
Max, Ruth, and Sky playing Patuxent Music Showcase
Thursday afternoon we filled Layla’s Bluegrass Inn on Broadway with folks, some from the conference and some locals and tourists. We had so much fun doing that show. Thanks to Dave Burley for inviting us to perform there. He showcases his favorite acts there each year during WOB. Later we were recognized while walking down the street shopping by some of the tourists that had been at the show. Next day we were stopped by another fellow who had seen us at the Bluegrass Inn who turned out to be from Belgium. He was highly complimentary and bought a CD on the spot. Too cool.
All week we listened, learned, picked and schmoozed. We saw some of our favorites perform, Blue Highway, Claire Lynch, Missy Raines, Kathy Mattea, (yes folks she has moved to bluegrass!), Charlie Sizemore Band, and Red Wine (from Italy) just to name a few. One night Ruth was in a song circle sitting between Clair Lynch and Louisa Bransomb who each welcomed her and introduced her to the circle like she was an old friend. That was all during the first four days! We also saw some new bands that you might want to check out, Sawmill Road, The Farewell Drifters, The Boston Boys, Donna Ulisse and Balsam Range.
On Friday the WOB becomes Fan Fest. It is no longer a business conference but the ultimate bluegrass festival, no mud, no dust, no bugs, no porta johns. Thousands of folks flood the Nashville Convention Center. It’s amazing. Of course by this time we were a little tired. You see the alternate meaning of IBMA is I Been Mostly Awake. We had been jamming in hallways and elevator lobbies several nights and then up early to attend seminars and meetings. But to just sit in a comfy chair and watch, Tony Rice with Mountain Heart, Blue Highway, Josh Williams, Cherryholmes, Tony Trischka, Dale Ann Bradley, The Dan Tyminsky Band, Special Concensus, April Verch ……. If you like this kind of music and you have the first weekend in October 2009 open we highly recommend you check this out. www.ibma.org
Unfortunately we had to leave Saturday morning. We would have liked to see G2 Bluegrass perform. They are a young band from Sweden. We have their CD and they are really great check them out.
International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Conference and FanFest.
Once again we attended the International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Conference (IBMA) in Nashville. Max and I were joined by our good friend, and cool guitarist, John (Sky) King. It was a week (Sept.29-Oct.4) of hearing, playing and learning about doing the business of bluegrass music. Fortunately those things all lend themselves to folk music too. Monday was a flurry of getting settled, figuring out the schedule and where we needed to be, meeting up with friends we often see only once a year at IBMA.
We played our first showcase on Monday night at 11pm, sponsored by Patuxent Music, a cool acoustic music record label in Rockville, MD <> . There were folks there to see us from all over the U.S. as well as Europe and Asia. The President of Berklee School of Music in Boston, Roger Brown (he was the keynote speaker at the welcome dinner) came for our whole showcase. (It is common for folks to stay for just a few songs and then move on to another showcase so to see a lot more acts.) That was a real compliment. Some of our favorite DJs stopped by, too, Larry Bomar from Memphis, TN and Loek Lamers from the Netherlands.
Max, Ruth, and Sky playing Patuxent Music ShowcaseThursday afternoon we filled Layla’s Bluegrass Inn on Broadway with folks, some from the conference and some locals and tourists. We had so much fun doing that show. Thanks to Dave Burley for inviting us to perform there. He showcases his favorite acts there each year during WOB. Later we were recognized while walking down the street shopping by some of the tourists that had been at the show. Next day we were stopped by another fellow who had seen us at the Bluegrass Inn who turned out to be from Belgium. He was highly complimentary and bought a CD on the spot. Too cool.
Ruth, Max, and Sky
Jammin’ at the Bluegrass Inn
Pictures courtesy of our friends Bill and Pam Warren
(http://www.candidpix.info)
Jammin’ at the Bluegrass Inn
Pictures courtesy of our friends Bill and Pam Warren
(http://www.candidpix.info)
All week we listened, learned, picked and schmoozed. We saw some of our favorites perform, Blue Highway, Claire Lynch, Missy Raines, Kathy Mattea, (yes folks she has moved to bluegrass!), Charlie Sizemore Band, and Red Wine (from Italy) just to name a few. One night Ruth was in a song circle sitting between Clair Lynch and Louisa Bransomb who each welcomed her and introduced her to the circle like she was an old friend. That was all during the first four days! We also saw some new bands that you might want to check out, Sawmill Road, The Farewell Drifters, The Boston Boys, Donna Ulisse and Balsam Range.
Max and Ruth with Martino Coppo, mandolin player for Red Wine. Martino's favorite song by Ruth is Time Was from the All For Love's Sake CD. He now also has a copy of One Day ain't Enough
On Friday the WOB becomes Fan Fest. It is no longer a business conference but the ultimate bluegrass festival, no mud, no dust, no bugs, no porta johns. Thousands of folks flood the Nashville Convention Center. It’s amazing. Of course by this time we were a little tired. You see the alternate meaning of IBMA is I Been Mostly Awake. We had been jamming in hallways and elevator lobbies several nights and then up early to attend seminars and meetings. But to just sit in a comfy chair and watch, Tony Rice with Mountain Heart, Blue Highway, Josh Williams, Cherryholmes, Tony Trischka, Dale Ann Bradley, The Dan Tyminsky Band, Special Concensus, April Verch ……. If you like this kind of music and you have the first weekend in October 2009 open we highly recommend you check this out. www.ibma.org
Unfortunately we had to leave Saturday morning. We would have liked to see G2 Bluegrass perform. They are a young band from Sweden. We have their CD and they are really great check them out.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
WMBMA FallFest
Sept. 21, 2008
It was a fine day for a music festival yesterday. As a matter of fact it was down right hot! Max and I were joined by Steve Albert and Johnny (Sky) King performing for Fallfest 2008, sponsored by The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association in Lowell, MI. As we approached the Kent County Fair Grounds from the south we crossed the Grand River, and it was seriously over its banks and even over part of a road that would normally be the entrance to the grounds. The festival was high and dry though and the weather was fantastic, hardly a cloud in the sky, and nary a puddle in the stage area.
Of course there was lots of bluegrass music. We were especially blown away by a trio of 13 year olds called Cats And The Fiddler. (www.catsandthefiddler.com) These kids are scary good. Check them out if you have the opportunity. We did 2 shows one at 2:15 in the afternoon and the last show of the night starting around 9:15. The day was pretty hot by the time we started the afternoon set, but every once in a while a cool breeze would blow in to cool us off. We enjoyed performing but the waiting in between is no fun. It might have been nice to step out of the stage area to jam a bit, but we also wanted to stay at the CD table to talk to the fans that happened by. The audience that stayed for the late show was kind enough to ask for an encore after our 10 song set. Always a plus for us. There will be some pictures up at the WMBMA web site.
The WMBMA FallFest is a well-run festival. We appreciated the snacks, sandwiches and beverages, especially lots of ice-cold water, that were provided for the bands in the warm-up shed. (otherwise known at the goat barn, but, hey, it’s at the county fair grounds) We’d like to suggest the addition of some local seasonal fruits and vegetables to the food table for the vegetarians among us.
Next Friday, Sept. 26, we’ll be playing at the smoke free Bear Lake Tavern in North Muskegon. Click on the “SCHEDULE” button above for the details. We recommend reservations. It’s sure to be a fun night.
Saturday, Sept. 27, we play a private party for one of Max’s cousins. And Sunday we leave for Nashville and the International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass convention and business conference, certainly one of the coolest events of the year.
It was a fine day for a music festival yesterday. As a matter of fact it was down right hot! Max and I were joined by Steve Albert and Johnny (Sky) King performing for Fallfest 2008, sponsored by The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association in Lowell, MI. As we approached the Kent County Fair Grounds from the south we crossed the Grand River, and it was seriously over its banks and even over part of a road that would normally be the entrance to the grounds. The festival was high and dry though and the weather was fantastic, hardly a cloud in the sky, and nary a puddle in the stage area.
Of course there was lots of bluegrass music. We were especially blown away by a trio of 13 year olds called Cats And The Fiddler. (www.catsandthefiddler.com) These kids are scary good. Check them out if you have the opportunity. We did 2 shows one at 2:15 in the afternoon and the last show of the night starting around 9:15. The day was pretty hot by the time we started the afternoon set, but every once in a while a cool breeze would blow in to cool us off. We enjoyed performing but the waiting in between is no fun. It might have been nice to step out of the stage area to jam a bit, but we also wanted to stay at the CD table to talk to the fans that happened by. The audience that stayed for the late show was kind enough to ask for an encore after our 10 song set. Always a plus for us. There will be some pictures up at the WMBMA web site.
The WMBMA FallFest is a well-run festival. We appreciated the snacks, sandwiches and beverages, especially lots of ice-cold water, that were provided for the bands in the warm-up shed. (otherwise known at the goat barn, but, hey, it’s at the county fair grounds) We’d like to suggest the addition of some local seasonal fruits and vegetables to the food table for the vegetarians among us.
Next Friday, Sept. 26, we’ll be playing at the smoke free Bear Lake Tavern in North Muskegon. Click on the “SCHEDULE” button above for the details. We recommend reservations. It’s sure to be a fun night.
Saturday, Sept. 27, we play a private party for one of Max’s cousins. And Sunday we leave for Nashville and the International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass convention and business conference, certainly one of the coolest events of the year.
Friday, September 19, 2008
August 30, 2008
We slept in this morning not getting to Big Top until about 11. Bill Staines was doing a workshop at that time. I got to do I Don’t Remember A Waltz during that workshop and tell Bill that it is the continuation of his song Roseville Fair. Bill said I had written a great song. He said the chorus was so good that after it was done you wanted to hear the song again. Yeah I was groovin’. Then Michael Smith did his workshop and he was so intense about songwriting. He talked for a solid 2 hours and I wasn’t bored. Toward the end of his presentation he mentioned the songs he had heard during Bill’s workshop and said the only line that stuck with him was, I Don’t Remember A Waltz! Wow, now that was the supreme compliment.
When all the workshopping was over Max and I got out the instruments and traded songs with a couple of the other songwriters who didn’t win. My favorite was Erin. She is an instructor at Michigan Tech and lives in Calumet.
Gotta go! Today’s trip on the Badger was perfect, sunny and unqueazy. I can’t wait to get home.
Ruth
When all the workshopping was over Max and I got out the instruments and traded songs with a couple of the other songwriters who didn’t win. My favorite was Erin. She is an instructor at Michigan Tech and lives in Calumet.
Gotta go! Today’s trip on the Badger was perfect, sunny and unqueazy. I can’t wait to get home.
Ruth
August 29, 2008
What a beautiful morning! On the way into Washburn yesterday we noticed a sign that said “Bloomquist Gallery”. We went to see who this Bloomquist was since we had some time this morning. The house was right on the bay. We honked and out came this tall, slim, grey haired (with streaks of blond) guy. We introduced ourselves and told him why we were there. It turns out that Dave Bloomquist is a painter of outdoor scenes, rather nice pictures. He is also a boogie woogie piano player who worked for Disneyland several years ago. We had a nice chat, took a picture of him and left.
I was beginning to feel nervous about the contest at this time. We cruised up to Big Top and sat in on a workshops with Karn Maal and another with Buddy Mondlock. They were sort of interesting but it was hard for me to concentrate. Bill Staines wandered in and he and I had a nice chat about our sons. The next thing I know someone asks me, “Are you Ruth?” It was Jack Williams! He is always so sweet. His wife Judy was with him too.
Finally the time for the contest was at hand. Jack was back stage most of the time and we were talking some more. It kept my mind off the competition. When my turn came around I sang, Same Old Grind and Daddy Was An Old Man. Those things make me so nervous. The songwriters were all quite good. I didn’t win. Betty Soo won! Her songs were VERY good. OK now the pressure was off. We (the songwriters) were treated to dinner (family members weren’t allowed).
The concert for that evening was Buddy Mondlock, Karen Mol and Bill & Kate Isles as openers, Bill Staines and then Michael Smith. They were all good, but Michael Smith was brilliant!
After the show some of the songwriters got together for a song circle. That was fun and Max finally got to show what he can do. Of course it was a very large circle, maybe 10 or 12 folks so it took quite awhile to get around it. We did 2 turns then stole away into the night about 1 am.
Ruth
I was beginning to feel nervous about the contest at this time. We cruised up to Big Top and sat in on a workshops with Karn Maal and another with Buddy Mondlock. They were sort of interesting but it was hard for me to concentrate. Bill Staines wandered in and he and I had a nice chat about our sons. The next thing I know someone asks me, “Are you Ruth?” It was Jack Williams! He is always so sweet. His wife Judy was with him too.
Finally the time for the contest was at hand. Jack was back stage most of the time and we were talking some more. It kept my mind off the competition. When my turn came around I sang, Same Old Grind and Daddy Was An Old Man. Those things make me so nervous. The songwriters were all quite good. I didn’t win. Betty Soo won! Her songs were VERY good. OK now the pressure was off. We (the songwriters) were treated to dinner (family members weren’t allowed).
The concert for that evening was Buddy Mondlock, Karen Mol and Bill & Kate Isles as openers, Bill Staines and then Michael Smith. They were all good, but Michael Smith was brilliant!
After the show some of the songwriters got together for a song circle. That was fun and Max finally got to show what he can do. Of course it was a very large circle, maybe 10 or 12 folks so it took quite awhile to get around it. We did 2 turns then stole away into the night about 1 am.
Ruth
August 28, 2008
On the road again! Max and I are travelling today to Washburn, WI to take part in the finals of the Superior Big Top Chautauqua song writer contest. First you must know that we researched how to get here, drive (11 1/2 hours thru Chicago and the same north over “Big Mac”) or take the Badger out of Ludington. Well we opted for the boat. When we arrived at the ferry (at 7am) we were joined by hundreds of Harley Davidson guys. It seems that they were all going to Milwaukee, the home of Harley Davidson, to celebrate the 105th Birthday of the bike. We spoke to one biker from England! Well, Max and I are not very good sailors. There was a breeze from the south that caused a bit of a roll to the boat. (We don’t do carnival rides very well either.) Let’s just say that we were VERY happy to be off that boat. I hope the ride back Sunday is calmer and warmer. (I’ll let you know) When we got off the boat there was a TV guy there recording all the bikes coming off the ferry. And there were folks in lawn chairs waiting for the Harley parade. Cool!
So happily cruising down the road in the stable van we had rather clear sailing. The day was warm and overcast. The Wisconsin landscape is dotted with some of of the prettiest, well kept farms in the Great Lakes area. We got so far north that we hooked up with hwy 2! That’s right the one that runs the length of the U-P. And there in front of us was a black bear crossing the road. I’m glad we’re not camping. It was another 6 hours to Washburn from Manitowoc. So you see it was 11 hrs if you cross the lake. We save 1/2 hour. hmmmmmm
Once we got to our motel we took a ride and found the Big Top and did a bit of sightseeing in the area. It’s quite lovely with lots of water, marinas, B&Bs, and local crafts. A brief thunderstorm swept through and in it’s wake left us a brilliant double rainbow that we enjoyed for a rather long time while eating excellent burgers overlooking the bay. Now we’ll get some rest for tomorrow’s adventure, the contest finals.
Ruth
So happily cruising down the road in the stable van we had rather clear sailing. The day was warm and overcast. The Wisconsin landscape is dotted with some of of the prettiest, well kept farms in the Great Lakes area. We got so far north that we hooked up with hwy 2! That’s right the one that runs the length of the U-P. And there in front of us was a black bear crossing the road. I’m glad we’re not camping. It was another 6 hours to Washburn from Manitowoc. So you see it was 11 hrs if you cross the lake. We save 1/2 hour. hmmmmmm
Once we got to our motel we took a ride and found the Big Top and did a bit of sightseeing in the area. It’s quite lovely with lots of water, marinas, B&Bs, and local crafts. A brief thunderstorm swept through and in it’s wake left us a brilliant double rainbow that we enjoyed for a rather long time while eating excellent burgers overlooking the bay. Now we’ll get some rest for tomorrow’s adventure, the contest finals.
Ruth
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